Hindered Results, where is the problem?

Chris09 · 12-Mar-03, 06:48 AM

Ok, I have been working out for a while now and havent seen many results. Over the last six weeks or so I have really stepped it up and done between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio and lift 5 days a week. When lifting I switch off between lower and upper body. With cardio I mainly jog, play basketball, and Judo.

I am looking to loose body fat and get definition but for the last 6 weeks I havent budged from 160 lbs and 18mm of body fat on my stomache when I pinch the skin and do the calipers. So I guess it would be 9 mm of fat. I can kind of see definition if I look hard or flex. I am 5' 11"

My diet is relatively clean. During the week I might have an icecream every now and then and on th weekends I will end up eating fast food at least once. Here is the deal. I do eat sandwiches and cerial on a regular basis. Is it the breads and cerials with carbs that is keeping me from seeing results? Is it splurging on the weekends that is keeping me from seeing results? I am in the best condition of my life. I can out run, out play, and run circles around my friends in basketball. I can jog longer than I have ever been able to at one time. What is the deal? Thank you so much for the help.

ebon00 · 12-Mar-03, 07:16 AM

The cereal and bread might not be an issue as such, but rather when you are eating them. If you're not doing this already, try to limit your carbs after 6 PM. A little more info on your diet would be useful here. People have such differing standards as to what constitutes a "relatively clean" diet.

It might just be that your body has adapted to your current caloric standard though. The body doesn't like losing bodyfat, that's the signal that there's starvation going on and your body will try to hang on to your energy stores as much as possible. The last couple of pounds are always the hardest to lose too.

You say you're in the best shape of your life. Why not enjoy that right now and forget about not having an impressive six-pack. Look to what you've accomplished already, enjoy the results and then start setting goals for the next step.

**Jaster** · 12-Mar-03, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ebon00
You say you're in the best shape of your life. Why not enjoy that right now and forget about not having an impressive six-pack. Look to what you've accomplished already,

I see tooo many people get in to the best shape they have been in and not enjoy it because they are after the next "Best shape"
This is something my wife just got me to do.

Chris09 · 12-Mar-03, 08:12 AM

Dont think I dont enjoy being in great shape. When I am playin basketball with my friends and they are all huffin and puffin while I am fine, makes me feel good. When I am walking up stairs and talking to people and they have trouble breating, it makes me feel good. The definition thing is just a goal. It is a goal that I set out to do a while back. Last summer I lost thirty pounds and had good definition. The problem is that I didn't eat much at all and ran every morning and night. I lost a LOT of muscle in the process. The definition is more of a personal challenge. I know that it is hard to do but feel that if I put my mind to something, I can do it.

My diet is pretty simple. Ground beef, pork chops,peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham sandwiches, canned fruit (LOTS OF CANNED FRUIT), and very cheap steaks. I am in college and dont have alot of time to cook and have limited cooking ability. I try not to eat after 8pm. I usualy have 3 to 4 meals a day. Usualy 3. But lately, after I eat a meal, i get these really big cravings for somthing sweet and will end up eating a bowl of cerial around 8 or so. I am substituting the cerial for candy. I dont drink sodas during the week but do drink them on the weekends.

Do you think that taking weekends off splurging is affecting things? Should I stay away from food after 6? Thanks agian for all the help.

ebon00 · 12-Mar-03, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chris09
Do you think that taking weekends off splurging is affecting things? Should I stay away from food after 6? Thanks agian for all the help.

No and no. First, eating only three times a day isn't really conducive to fat loss. Your blood sugar rises and falls too much above/below baseline when you do that. That's why you have these cravings for sweets. You need to up your eating schedule to about 6 times a day. I know it's tough but you need to get into protein shakes and MRP's that you can bring to class or whatever to keep you eating every 2-3 hours. Now, when you change from eating 3 times a day to 6 times a day you have to decrease your portions. It sounds obvious but I've seen people do it.

Second, PBJ's... no, no, no, no... They are a fat bomb. Literally. I'm guessing that's on white bread too, huh? So you've got your white bread and jelly to drive your insulin up the wall while the fat in the peanut butter is just waiting to be shuffled into your fat cells. Skip 'em or at least limit them to once a week. Basically, your diet isn't "relatively clean". That's where there is plenty of room for impromevent. Planning is everything.

Third, you shouldn't stay away from food after 6 PM. What you should do is limit starchy carbs. If you need carbs it's time to go for the fibrous kind (and that excludes the canned fruit, that's usually pure sugar in a can). You need to eat on the same kind of schedule all day, every 2-3 hours, and if you stop eating at 6 PM you'll be catabolic before you even hit the sack and that's baaaaaad voodoo. Again, planning is everything.

Search for some of cursor's posts on diet on this board. He's more into laying out actual diet programs than I am (I know what I need and do it almost automatically these days) and you'll get plenty of info from that.

brian_y24 · 12-Mar-03, 12:53 PM

Sounds like you may be taking in too many calories per day and you are not spreading out your meals enough, like it was said in another post, try to eat 6 small meals a day and make sure to take in adequate amounts of protein, carbs and fat. It sounds like you may be taking in mostly carbs and fat and not as much protein. You need the protein to build your muscles! Diet is the most important part of getting definition because you need a proper diet to lose that last bit of fat, not to mention it's a lot healthier and it'll make you feel that much better. I would advise you to do some research for yourself to see all different thought processes of dieting, some think some diets are better than others, but I think you should decide for yourself. Hope this helps!

**cursor** · 12-Mar-03, 01:15 PM

Chris09 said:
My diet is pretty simple. Ground beef, pork chops, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham sandwiches, canned fruit (LOTS OF CANNED FRUIT), and very cheap steaks.

Sounds to me like you really need to do a little planning. At least realize what you're currently feeding your body. One thread that you might find interesting is Gaffer's Food Experiment. Another that you might find constructive would be Slimming Down (by TallShadow).

Quality, Timing and Volume ... that's what nutrition is all about.