Suggestions needed for fat loss...

[gymrat]

It seems like I've read over and over that if you aren't seeing the desired results from your program, it's time to change it up and I'm looking for suggestions to do just that. My primary goal is fat loss. I have been getting some nice definition in my upper body, but it seems like my lower body just isn't changing much (I'm a pear shaped female and I know that fat is going to be the hardest to lose). I have a pretty clean diet ~ I eat about 1700 calories a day and I get between 90 and 100 grames of protein (which is a lot more than I was getting a few weeks ago). My current program looks like this:

Monday - 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical; strength training (2 sets, between 8-10 reps or lifting to failure)
Tuesday - 30 minutes on the treadmill, doing some sort of interval
Wednesday - boxing class (lots of intervals) and pilates
Thursday - repeat of Monday
Friday - a step class

My high intensity cardio days are generally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm usually work around 80 or 90% of my max HR. On my lower days, I'm usually working around 60%. Unfortunately, I live in the desert so we're all hibernating for the next six months or so meaning that doing outdoor activities isn't an option.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks much!

[phantom]

Your weight training seems to be lacking a lot...
Are you only doing 2 sets of one exercise?
Please explain....

[gymrat]

Sorry I wasn't clear... I do 2 sets per exercise. I work all muscle groups and usually do some additional core strength work at the end.

[Sull]

Without knowing what your weight program is like, at first glance you are definitely very active. What is your diet like? You say it's "pretty clean" but you might want others here be the judge of that. Also, you eat 1700 cals...is that a number you just picked, or did you figure that out from your weight/BF %/etc? Have you been reducing calories or just keeping the same every day? I'd make sure your diet is in check before worrying about your routine.

But after that, you might also want to share your exact lifting routine. You lift twice a week I take it? What works for many people is a 3 day lifting split, and cardio on the off-days. I would look into that. Also make sure you are doing the major compound exercises. You mentioned your upper body is getting toned but your lower is not coming around. What are your lower body lifts?

Give us some more info and we can help better

[gymrat]

It's probably not as clean as many of you here, but I think it's pretty healthy. A typical day looks something like this:

Breakfast: Kashi Golean Crunch w/skim milk

Snack: protein shake made w/soy milk

Lunch: salad w/1 or 2 T of dressing depending on size (yes, I measure it); soybean burger on whole wheat bread with a little fat free mayo; yogurt or fruit

Snack: string cheese or cottage cheese

Dinner: Lentil burger on ww bread and a vegetable (often it's broccoli); grapes; oatmeal w/small amounts of butter and brown sugar

The soy and lentil burgers are things made at home.... they are not processed.

I had my metabolism tested with a BodyGem device and my BMR came in at 1650. So I just rounded to 1700. I do keep a food journal every day and track my calories and protein intake.

Yes, I do lift 2x a week. It's hard to post a routine because I often change what I'm doing just for variety. But typically, this is about what I do:

Flat bench at 90 lbs; 2 sets of 10-12
Military Shoulder Press w/40 lbs; 2 sets of 10-12
Bicep curls w/15 lbs; 2 sets of 10-12
Skullcrushers w/12 lbs; 2 sets of 10-12
Cable Row w/60 lbs; 2 sets of 10-12
For legs, I usually do lunges, squats, deadlifts or some combination of all of them. Also, because I do so much else during the week (boxing, pilates, and step all require a *lot* of legs), I don't focus a whole lot on my legs. More muscle is nice, but I want to avoid making them bigger.

[Luca Brasi]

Originally Posted by gymrat

I'm a pear shaped female and I know that fat is going to be the hardest to lose

This is probably going to be a pretty unorthodox answer, but take it for what its worth.

Each person's body is different. Some people can sculpt their bodies like clay, others cant. For example, some men, no matter how hard they try, cannot build huge calves.

With women, its in the hips & butt. Different women have different hip structures, and if you are built with a wide hip structure there is nothing you can do about it.

When you say "pear shaped", you might not have a problem with fat at all. Maybe your hips are just disproportionate to the rest of your body. I would suggets upper body, strength training, especially in the shoulders. Strong, wide shoulders will make your body look more proportionate and less "pear shaped."

I also read an story on Nikki Ziering and it said she got a boob job to make her body more proportionate. I don't know what your boobs look like but it might also be worth looking into.

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Luca Brasi

This is probably going to be a pretty unorthodox answer, but take it for what its worth.

Each person's body is different. Some people can sculpt their bodies like clay, others cant. For example, some men, no matter how hard they try, cannot build huge calves.

With women, its in the hips & butt. Different women have different hip structures, and if you are built with a wide hip structure there is nothing you can do about it.

When you say "pear shaped", you might not have a problem with fat at all. Maybe your hips are just disproportionate to the rest of your body. I would suggets upper body, strength training, especially in the shoulders. Strong, wide shoulders will make your body look more proportionate and less "pear shaped."

I also read an story on Nikki Ziering and it said she got a boob job to make her body more proportionate. I don't know what your boobs look like but it might also be worth looking into.

LOL. I appreciate your feedback. You are correct about the wide hip structure... I will probably always have wider hips no matter what I do, but I am quite sure there is excess fat as well. (If my body fat were lower, I'd probably completely agree with you.) And like many women, the majority of my fat cells have decided they are most comfortable on my hips and thighs.

As far as the boob job goes, I'll just say that I was nicely blessed in that department and don't think I'll be needing any surgical enhancements. But thanks for the suggestion.

[DayG]

Hi Gymrat, I have the same problem, I tend to carry weight in my lower body, since I started weight training, I'm only seeing results in my upper body, especially my arms. I'm 5'2 122lbs. my weight tends to go up and down. But I find that the only thing that changes my lower body is running/jogging. I know alot of people don't condone alot of cardio when weight training. But seriously, the only thing that seems to work for my lower body is cardio in the morning on an empty stomach, or cardio in the evening followed by a very small meal afterwards. Good Luck!

Dayna

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by DayG

Hi Gymrat, I have the same problem, I tend to carry weight in my lower body, since I started weight training, I'm only seeing results in my upper body, especially my arms. I'm 5'2 122lbs. my weight tends to go up and down. But I find that the only thing that changes my lower body is running/jogging. I know alot of people don't condone alot of cardio when weight training. But seriously, the only thing that seems to work for my lower body is cardio in the morning on an empty stomach, or cardio in the evening followed by a very small meal afterwards. Good Luck!

Dayna

Thanks Dayna. I just started an interval with running and walking so hopefully that'll help. Historically, I have not been a huge fan of running so we'll see how I do this time around. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one...

[Sull]

Gymrat, your diet looks pretty good. Do you eat 1700 cals every day? You might want to switch it up so some days you eat less, some days you eat more. Keeps the body off balance. If you aren't losing weight, then it may be time to drop that daly number.

But from all the activity you have on your plate, I wouldn't say more cardio is the answer. In fact, if anything, I'm almost inclined to say you're overtraining.

You have 2 days of weight lifting, 2 days of cardio (30 mins each), a boxing class, and a step class. I'm tired just typing that out. People have done a lot less to lose weight and tone up so I really don't think more cardio is the answer here. My advice would be to up your weight lifting and lessen the cardio. I'd ditch either the boxing or step class, and then go with 1 or 2 days of HIIT cardio (15 to 20 mins max) per week. I'd do a 3 day lifting split to make sure you are hitting all your muscles. It's obvious you enjoy being very active, but if it's not working for you, it's time to mix it up. And I just can't imagine the reason you hitting the wall is due to not enough cardio.

Just my 2 cents

[gymrat]

Originally Posted by Sull

Gymrat, your diet looks pretty good. Do you eat 1700 cals every day? You might want to switch it up so some days you eat less, some days you eat more. Keeps the body off balance. If you aren't losing weight, then it may be time to drop that daly number.

Yeah, I generally eat that much every day. It might vary by 100 calories or so. If I wanted to switch it up, what would you suggest? As far as dropping the daily number, I've been advised by dieticians to never eat less than my BMR (which is 1650) for fear of slowing my metabolism. (I should probably mention that I spent over a year in starvation mode by restricting myself to 1000 calories a day. It's only been in the last six months that I've increased my calories, slowly of course. I did gain some weight back by increasing my calories but that was to be expected given that my body was starving for such a long time. I'm hoping that my metabolism will reset itself sometime soon.)

But from all the activity you have on your plate, I wouldn't say more cardio is the answer. In fact, if anything, I'm almost inclined to say you're overtraining.

I've wondered about overtraining. I'm a personal trainer and if my clients handed me my workout, I'd probably say they were overtraining. BUT, I do enjoy it and I feel okay. I do watch for signs and symptoms of overtraining and haven't seen any yet, other than my workouts are pretty frequent and intense (which I like ).

You have 2 days of weight lifting, 2 days of cardio (30 mins each), a boxing class, and a step class. I'm tired just typing that out. People have done a lot less to lose weight and tone up so I really don't think more cardio is the answer here. My advice would be to up your weight lifting and lessen the cardio. I'd ditch either the boxing or step class, and then go with 1 or 2 days of HIIT cardio (15 to 20 mins max) per week. I'd do a 3 day lifting split to make sure you are hitting all your muscles. It's obvious you enjoy being very active, but if it's not working for you, it's time to mix it up. And I just can't imagine the reason you hitting the wall is due to not enough cardio.[/QUOTE

Just my 2 cents

You forgot the Pilates... LOL. My current schedule is working for me as far as enjoyment and stress management, but it's a little frustrating that I'm not seeing more results. As far as HIIT cardio, tell me how I'd accomplish that on a treadmill or how it would be best to do that.

Thanks for your 2 cents... I appreciate it!

[Sull]

Originally Posted by gymrat

Yeah, I generally eat that much every day. It might vary by 100 calories or so. If I wanted to switch it up, what would you suggest? As far as dropping the daily number, I've been advised by dieticians to never eat less than my BMR (which is 1650) for fear of slowing my metabolism. (I should probably mention that I spent over a year in starvation mode by restricting myself to 1000 calories a day. It's only been in the last six months that I've increased my calories, slowly of course. I did gain some weight back by increasing my calories but that was to be expected given that my body was starving for such a long time. I'm hoping that my metabolism will reset itself sometime soon.)

If you search this site for "plateau," you might get some ideas on how to switch it up. Varying your cals by 100 really isn't a big enough gap for your body to notice. Honestly from what I've learned, if you're eating a certain number of calories and you are working out and you aren't losing weight, then you are either eating too many calories or not enough. It's possible that with all your activity that you are burning more cals than you think you are, and might not be eating enough. Those calculations from BMR can be pretty rough estimates, plus if you don't properly calculate the amount of exercise you are doing, it could be way off. Some people on here have taught me that even once you find a good number of cals that is helping you lose weight, you should still keep your cals at different levels through out the week. Your body gets used to what you dish out. Personally, I will eat 500 more cals on some days. You can time this by eating more on days you lift. I like to eat less (especially on carbs) on off-days or days that I only do cardio. This is good way to keep your body off balance, as well, because you are mixing up your calorie intake.

It's also often benficial to have one "Refeed day" every now and then, where you eat about 20% more than usual (just make sure to keep the food clean). Sometimes this is all your body needs to get back to the fat burning process.

From what you've said here, my guess here is that you are not eating enough calories to lose weight, or perhaps you are at a good level but your body has become too used to 1700 cals every day and has stopped losing weight. For you to get past this, you're going to have to experiment. Try either eating 500 less or 500 more cals for a week and see how it goes. Or mix it up every other day.

Originally Posted by gymrat

I've wondered about overtraining. I'm a personal trainer and if my clients handed me my workout, I'd probably say they were overtraining. BUT, I do enjoy it and I feel okay. I do watch for signs and symptoms of overtraining and haven't seen any yet, other than my workouts are pretty frequent and intense (which I like ).

I understand, and hey if you're a trainer, you probably know more about this than I do. But let me just say this: one of the prime examples of overtraining is not making progress. You won't necessarily feel tired or weak (although those are good signs as well). If you really are hellbent on not changing your workouts, then I would focus on your diet. But eventually I believe you are going to need to tweak your workouts, because with all that cardio you are doing and the little amount of weight training, I truly believe that in the long run you are going to wind up burning more muscle than you gain. And maybe that's not a big deal to you because you're more interested in fat burning, but the more muscle you have, the easier it will be to burn fat.
I really think in many ways that weight training is actually better for fat burning than cardio, and it seems a lot of people on this site do buy into that notion as well.

Originally Posted by gymrat

You forgot the Pilates... LOL. My current schedule is working for me as far as enjoyment and stress management, but it's a little frustrating that I'm not seeing more results. As far as HIIT cardio, tell me how I'd accomplish that on a treadmill or how it would be best to do that.

Thanks for your 2 cents... I appreciate it!

I personally like HIIT on a bike (recumbant specifically) but you could do it on a treadmill. If you're jogging on a tread mill, what you do is change up your speed. Start with a 5 minute jogging warm-up to get your body going. Then sprint for 30 seconds, then jog for 15 seconds. Keep doing this cycle for about 8 mins. Next session do 8 mins again. The third session, maybe bump it up to 9 mins. And so on.

Since you are obviously in very good shape, you might not feel like you're working out hard enough. But HIIT works your metabolism for far long after you've completed your workout. Give it a couple of weeks, I think you'll be happy with the results. You can also maintain a couple of your other workouts (step, boxing, etc) to fulfill good cardiovascular health. If you do about 3 HIIT sessions per week, keep your lifting going, and get your diet on target, you WILL lose weight. There is just no way you can't.

Hope this helped.

[gymrat]

Sull...

Your post was very helpful! Just a few things I wanted to respond to/ask about... (That's one of the reasons I love this industry... so much learn. )

I like your suggestion about eating more on days that I lift. I did dropsets today for my entire workout so I'll add a few hundred calories. It makes sense to add calories on lifting days.

The "refeed" day is interesting. How often do you do it?

As far as the overtraining goes, it's a tough call because I *am* making strength gains... but the weight loss is stalled. I am getting stronger. I can bench about 100, which isn't too bad for a girl. (Couldn't do that a month ago!)

Your post implied that you think I'm not strength training enough and I'm not sure about that. I am lifting twice a week and I also consider my boxing and pilates classes to be strength training as well. (We use heavy bags and I use wraps and gloves so I don't walk around looking like I got into a barfight. ) The pilates class is quite a bit of strength work as it involves holding poses for long periods of time. IMHO, that qualifies as strength training. What do you think?

Regarding the HIIT, I've been doing it on a treadmill. I walk at 3.5 for 3 minutes and then run at 5.0 for 2 minutes. I do this for about 25 minutes This feels pretty difficult and I'm pretty tired afterwards. Should the intervals be shorter? I'm relatively new to running so I'm hesitant about running really fast.

Thanks again for all of your help.

[cursor]

Here's an older thread that might interest you:
Workout day vs nonWorkout day

Intelligent cycling of your food will keep your body from settling in on some mean value. Left to it's own, your body is constantly trying to moderate metabolism and get by on less.

[gymrat]

Hey, thanks for posting that link. Very interesting read!