I dont think what im doing is working

[irishjoe]

Should clarify first my short term goal here is fat loss and long term goal being body recomposition into a lean musclular physique.

Short breakdown : train 5 days a week, 2 days a week i do HIIT (10 minute sessions). The other 5 days are weight training. I currently do split as thats what i enjoy, thugh i will most likely take up Fadi's or PTC's beginner programs in light of whats happened to see if i can get better results.

So i started about 3 weeks ago. In the 3 weeks that i've picked it back up ive gained numbers on all my lifts as a result. Without having done a body fat % test i can tell you my body fat % is rather high. I am currently 107kg and 6"1 (187 cm). 3 weeks ago i weighed and i was 106.7. I know alot of people say not to bother with scales but i only plan to weigh routinely to monitor my progress, i was surprised to see that i had gained (although small) weight, seeing as how small the gain is im probably safer to say i have maintained my weight for the last 3 weeks.

I don't really know what to make of it, is it too soon to expect any change? my lifting numbers have gone up quite well so theres progress there, i can see the small change in my physique (quite small, but ive noticed it). I just expected what alot of people say to lose which is 1 kg a week or there abouts, was hoping for that. Do you think i should drop my calories? if so by how much? Should i stop lifting or start lifting lighter?




Breakfast: scoop and a half of oats, roughly 40g give or take 5g & half glass skim milk
2 scoops of whey + 1 glass of skim milk
=580 calories

Meal 2: Chicken breast 250g & bowl of salald OR steamed vegetables
= Roughly 340 calories, depending on how many vegetables i get down

Meal 3: Always identical as meal 2, the way i prepare it the night before i always make 2 servings (340 calories)

Meal 4: Either 2 cans of tuna (95g)& 1 glass of milk or 2 scoops of whey with 1 glass of milk followed by a piece of fruit
= ~370 calories, varies with a give or take of 50 calories

Pre workout: I will generally have a natty peatnut butter sandwich (1 table spoon) here as a means of convenience, i get home from work and want to eat and go.
=380 calories

P/WO Shake: half scoop of dextrose (25g), 2 scoops whey in water.
=330 calories

Meal 5: 250g portion of steak/lean mince/fish/chicken/tuna with either a salad or vegetables stirfried or steamed.
= Same as lunch generally comes to about ~350 calories

Meal 6(before bed) I've taken to cottage cheese, so i take that a few minutes before bed.
= 180 calories
All in total i consume on a daily basis 2870 Calories.


Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thankyou.

Joe.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

3 weeks is nothing, mate.

The saying is, "in the first month there is no change, in the second month you will see a change, in the third month your friends will see a change."

Usually in the first month you'll just feel a bit more energetic and lively, and some of the aches and pains you get from doing nothing will disappear and be replaced with muscle soreness from workouts.

I wouldn't count calories and so on, that stuff will do your head in. Just every day eat lots of fresh fruit and vegies, every day lots of nuts and beans, every day some meat or fish, every day some dairy or eggs, and some starchy stuff. No junk food or booze. "Junk food" is any food where the packet is more colourful than the contents.

Eating with those guidelines, just eat according to appetite, then adjust by results. If after a month you are overall bigger and wanted to be smaller, eat less; if smaller and wanted to be bigger, eat more. After another month, adjust again.

But whichever approach you choose, it takes time. 3 weeks is nothing.

 

[gareer]

Joe your gonna have to give it more time before you change it up. Time and patience and you'll see some real change. As long as your working hard and eating well you'll see a change. Although I would suggest changing your PWO meal to something else. I dont think the pb sandwich is the best before training. Maybe a banana and some oats? Or just some fruit to give that extra energy kick. Just my 2 cents.

Gareer.

 

[Christian]

Diet doesnt show much without your actually exercise and weights moved...

 

[irishjoe]

Diet doesnt show much without your actually exercise and weights moved...

Not sure what you meant by that. The diet isnt 100% correct but it is as close as i can get without listing every meal, the meals differ but the caloric intake differs a little bit by the choice of meat generally. If you mean what i do in terms of weights and exercises then i do a split routine, as much as they are talked down do enjoy doing it, i have taken up PTC's & Fadi's beginner programs by incorporating body lifts (or move your body through space) and PTC's 3x a week beginner program.

You guys are right, it probably is a bit too soon to be expecting too much. I do feel different, theres no doubt about that, my numbers are bigger on all of my lifts, my only concern is if im overeating for my current goal of fat loss through the use of weight lifting and HIIT training. By that i mean consuming too many calories and lifting too heavy/to often to shift my body in that direction. Would you advise more cardio with a little less calories, my first idea was to eliminate milk from my shakes. thoughts?

 

[Gauche]

Joe the way I lost my weight when I was younger was play a sport. Do that on top of your weights training and you will being seeing and feeling a new you. Being part of a team can empower and encourage you to do better. Also try a 20 minute fast walk straight after your workout. The extra 150 cals odd you burn will add up in 8 weeks(6000 cals/ 2/3 of a kilo) just from 20 min of your time.
All the best mate, I really do hope you achieve your goals.

 

[Christian]

Well we need to know you strengthbecause someone who deadlifts 250 kg per session will have far different requirements then someone who's 1rm is like 150.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[BigJim]

Hey mate,

Im in a similar position. I weigh about 108kg and am looking to lower this down, pretty similar height as well being 6'2".

I aim to eat about 2200-2500 calories per day and stay away from:

Milk
Bread
Peanut Butter
Fruit

My shake i have in water.

Since i stopped eating the above as well as potato, pasta and rice, the weight really started to drop and i was losing on average 1kg per week.

Im sure it is different for each person, but that has been my personal experience.

Good luck with it mate, keep us updated!

James.

 

[Grippy]

Hey mate great stuff and keep on plugging away at it, this will take time and effort. You are obviously progressing as your weights are going up as you get better and more confident at the lifts. As per the diet, personally I have found that if I cut out anything that has added sugar I can lose weight very quickly, without changing my exercise routine, my missus is jealous of this. By this I mean I still eat some fruit, drink milk etc but cut out anything that has any sugar as an ingredient such as fizzy drinks, sauce, spreads, flavourings etc,

 

[irishjoe]

hey guys, thanks go out to all the replies, i've taken something from all of them.

a quick one to bigjim and grippy, do you guys eliminate carbs except for 'incidental' carbs you come across through fats and protien? ATM im taking in oats for breakfast and rice for lunch and preety much leaving it at that except for fruit to fill the gaps during meals, im full at any rate and i dont feel hungry. I've stopped drinking calories (milk) and stopped the sandwiches (switched to oats pre w/o) hopefully these changes can have an impact.

Something is certaintly working nutrition wise because i have gained size and strength greater then what i thought i would (possibly wanted too?) i'm just not sure im getting what i want first and foremost, fat loss.

I think ill give the HIIT a miss for a week or 2 and take up the fast walking as someone said before, ill check the scales then and see the difference.

Cheers guys.

 

[BigJim]

Im not too sure about replacing the HIIT with walking. If you wanted to add in walking as well then you could do that. I personally find walking/running boring which is why HIIT is a life save for me cause its only 10 mins!

I would be aiming for 3-4 heavy weight sessions per week and 2-3 HIIT sessions per week. The way i was doing it and what i need to start doing again is weights Mon-Wed-Fri-Sat and HIIT Tue-Thurs.

When i was doing the above i was noticing the biggest difference. Could almost see the fat stripping off me in front of the mirror.

As for the carbs, i stay away from foods that are high in carbs. So everything i listed above. I am still eating some carbs because you cant really eat 0 carbs, i just dont chow down on pasta with garlic bread (although i wish i could lol).

 

[PTC]

Why on earth do you need a pre workout meal?

Your diet changes are pretty good, your nutrition knowlegde is a 7, your training knowledge is a -5.

Big Jim gave the best advice in regards to changes to diet.

You have the ability to burn 500 calories during training, your probably not burning half of that.

9000 calories in a kg of fat.

 

[irishjoe]

As for the carbs, i stay away from foods that are high in carbs. So everything i listed above. I am still eating some carbs because you cant really eat 0 carbs, i just dont chow down on pasta with garlic bread (although i wish i could lol).

I'm a bit confused here, are you saying you dont consume any carbs intentionally, by that i mean putting in rice/pasta/oats in any of your meals, so the only carbs your getting are incidentally eaten through your protien and fat intakes?

another question is the HIIT, my newbie opinion is that if i do it 7 days im going to lose more fat then i would if i did it 2 days a week. If i theoretically had the time to do it should i? im not sure if your 2 days are a thought out process or time has limited you to that, please let me know.

PTC - Yes your right, my exercise knowledge is very limited, feel like im trying to find my way blindfolded, but i went with the idea something is better then nothing. my pre w/o meal is more of a meal that i take because by the time ive gotten home from work and headed out to my pleasure spa i havent eaten for near 2 hours, so im a bit hungry then.