Help with my Diet

Hi there,

I am in a bit of a slump and feeling very negative about my fat loss progress (or lack thereof! )

Can someone please give me some advise?

I have been training heavy for about a year and managed to build some decent muscle and lose some fat, but lately my weight is staying the same (I have a lot of body fat to lose still!
I am planning on going on stage next year but at the rate that I am NOT losing that might only happen in 20 years from now!

My current weight is 82kg, height 1.73 and built average. I have huge tree stumps for legs.

I train 6 days a week between 45 and 60min. I train to failure (no really, I do!) and use heavy weights.
I do not do cardio at the moment as I do not wish to lose any muscle so need to lose fat in the kitchen area:-)

My diet is:

4am : 4 egg whites
6am - 1hour before training: serving whey protein
9am - after training: 30gm raw oats/tbsp coconut/tsp sunflower seed/ 30ml cocoanut milk/1/2 serving diet whey
11am: 65g chicken breast with 1/2cup mixed veg
2pm: 130g shredded Tuna / some spinach leaves / tomato / 2 whole, boiled eggs
7pm: 30gm raw oats/tbsp coconut/tsp sunflower seed/ 1tbsp peanut butter (the good kind)

I drink about 6 cups of good , black coffee per day (no sweet stuff ) and drink 2l water (other than the 2L I drink during training)

And yes, we I take measurements or see ugly pics of myself I do tend to run to the nearest outlet that sells protein bars eke but soon bad for you!)

So, anyone with some advise? Please?

Hi and welcome to the forum girl

I am sure some of the diet gurus will help you out soon

Hey there, welcome.

OK, some thoughts....

We need to see your training routine?
Training to failure is good, but you need the major lifts to stress your body.
These will also rev up your metabolism - Squats, deadlifts, etc.
Lunges with get you breathing just a bit too, when done right. :whistle:
Don't be scared of cardio, you need it.
Being cardio fit will also improve your lifting & recovery. (No not comrades type cardio - that's nuts)

WRT your diet:

Dammit, you are up at four AM!!!!! :woohoo:
Why?
You need proper sleep to progress.
If you're up at 4, you better be asleep by 8pm latest!!!!! (in which case I'm talking to myself already)
Why the 5 hour gap in feeding between 2pm & 7pm?

What is your current BF%??

Hi and thanks for the reply

I do not know my BF%.

My training at the moment goes like this:

Day 1: legs and shoulders (all excursuses has 2 warmup sets)

leg press 4 x 15 sets at 70% and then drop sets till failure
squats 4 x 10 sets at 80% and then drop sets till failure
Leg extension as above
weighted lunges (10kg) 4 x 20 per leg
leg press 4 x 15 sets at 70% and then drop sets till failure
split squats with barbell 3 x 10 (by now I am week in the knees)
Shoulder press 4 x 10
Side DB raises - 4 x 20
Bent over side raises 4 x 10

Day 2: Back and Biceps and calves

seated row 4 x 10 and then drop sets till failure
Lat pull down behind neck super set with narrow grip pulldown 4 x 12
single arm bent over row 4 x 8 heavy
preacher curls 4 x 12
seated dumbell curl 4 x 10
cable dumbell curl 5 x 10
seated calf raise 5 x 25
standing calf raise with 3 foot angles 3 x 15

Day 3: Chest and Triceps

incline dumbbell press 4 x 12
flat dumbbell fly 4 x 8
flat barbell press 4 x 12
cable push 4 x 12
tricep kickback with pronate grip 4 x 10
tricep pushdown straight bar 5 x 15
tricep pulldown with rope 4 x 10
skull crushers 4 x 10

Day 4: Legs and shoulders

deadlift lunges with kettle bells 4 x 10 superset with
walking lunges - no weights
hamstring curls 4 x 10 heavy and then drop sets till failure
hip thrusts with bar 4 x 10
military press smith machine 4 x 10
front db raises 7 x 15
EZ bar pull to chin 4 x 10

day 5 as day 2

REST

Day 6 as day 3 etc.

Been on this program for 2 weeks.

I get up at 4 coz I have a lot to do before work. Train from 6h45 till i'm done. Go to work, go home to make care of the family and then study for about an hour then go to bed at about 22h00.

Sorry there should have been another meal at 4 - usually a protein shake.

I struggle with water intake..........

Get more Sleep - 6 hours isn't enough!!!

For one, Your cortisol levels are gonna be high!
Also, other hormones levels (HGH, etc.) are gonna be impaired cos you not getting through proper sleep cycles.

Drop the 4am meal - Bank the sleep (do not pass go, do not collect R 200)
You can add some "missed" calories before bed & 10pm

Look into training fasted.
You're only eating protein before training (not the best energy source) may as well be fasted.

Your leg workout should have to breathing & sweating hard.
But not too much of that on the other days.
Look to add some HIIT ideas between sets on the other days (skip rope, etc.)

have a look at this: www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jim-stoppani-si...ortcut-to-shred.html

I'm not suggesting you drop your training & adopt this, but maybe add in some of the training ideas.

Sorry just one point to add, no need for two warm up sets on each exercise... Once your shoulders are warm, they warm.

Oupiel given some solid advice

Why do you say no need for 2 warm up sets? do you know her age?

Oupa wrote: Why do you say no need for 2 warm up sets? do you know her age?

For arguments sake, say she is an older lady. And warms up her legs with some squats, hip flexors and stiff leg deadlifts. Blood is pumping legs are warm. Why warm up again when you go to do hamstring curls? And again for leg press? Unless extended rest periods are involved it serves no purpose.

Point taken.

Xena are you saying you eat like that with no junk food, cheat meals, and sodas/fruit juice in-between, and train like that and are not losing body fat? If that is true you could well have a thyroid problem or some hormonal issue. I can't think of any other reason. It's seems almost impossible otherwise. One with always plateau at some point but not this badly.

You do need more sleep.

My opinion you should either use carbs properly or go for a zero carbs strategy. Both of those bring good merits to the table and low carb just doesn't.

Oupiel wrote:
have a look at this: www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jim-stoppani-si...ortcut-to-shred.html

The inherent problem with bodybuilding.com's programs like these is the food portion size - it's not calculated per individual, it's one-size-fits-all. So unless your weight fits the programs blueprint, it's either not going to work or it might stall quickly.

Furk wrote: The inherent problem with bodybuilding.com's programs like these is the food portion size - it's not calculated per individual, it's one-size-fits-all. So unless your weight fits the programs blueprint, it's either not going to work or it might stall quickly.

Agreed - but I was more referring to adding exercises between sets to make a more HIIT approach.

Morning guys and thanks for all the replies!

I have decided to adjust my diet and introduce 3 x HIIT of 20min sessions per week into my training.
This will be done after weight training for now as I clearly do not have time to go to gym twice a day. Once the school holidays are over I will do cardio in the afternoons and weight training in the morning.

My diet will look as follows:

08h00 - breakfast - 6 x egg white, 2 x egg yolk
10h00 - snack - pure whey shake
12h00 - Lunch - 150 g chicken with 1/2 cup veg
14h00 - snack - 40g nuts
16h00 - meal - 1/2 tin tuna with tomato and 1 whole egg
19h00 - dinner - 150 g lean meat with 1/2 cup veg
21h00 - snack before bed - 30g nuts

This is based on a ketone diet.

Please let me know if I need to tweet my diet?

OK, big changes.

Going Keto + HIIT x 3.
That will definitely shake things up.

You need to do a little work on calories based on your diet plan.
Where does this put you in relation to your BMR?

Maybe introduce the training changes first, let that settle, then do he keto.

Have you managed to get your head around more sleep?

Massive improvement to your first diet! Leave the tomato and for veg only eat green veg. Remember you are doing Ketogenic like a professional and not banting like your average housewife.

Hi,

Second diet is way better than the first, is there a specific reason you are going for a ketone diet? Remember to get into a keto state takes minimum of 10-14 days on a keto diet with less than 50g carbs within your daily meals macros.
I opt for phasing people into this lifestyle as opposed to going from 0-180km/h, then its easier to keep tightening the bolts. If you cheat once on a keto, your state of ketosis goes out the window.

Looking at your previous lifestyle as well as weight id rather opt for a low carb diet with a cheat day once per week. Clients ive dealt with have had much better responses to this methodology.

Also you need to calculate your BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate) this will be based on your current lifestyle and bf%. Then design your diet around this. Your plan should look something like this:

Meal 1: Protein Fats
Meal 2: Protein Complex Carbs
Meal 3: Protein Complex Carbs
Meal 4: Protein
Train
Meal 5: Protein Simple Carbs
Meal 6: Protein Fats

I hope this helps

Koe007 wrote: Hi,

Second diet is way better than the first, is there a specific reason you are going for a ketone diet? Remember to get into a keto state takes minimum of 10-14 days on a keto diet with less than 50g carbs within your daily meals macros.
I opt for phasing people into this lifestyle as opposed to going from 0-180km/h, then its easier to keep tightening the bolts. If you cheat once on a keto, your state of ketosis goes out the window.

Looking at your previous lifestyle as well as weight id rather opt for a low carb diet with a cheat day once per week. Clients ive dealt with have had much better responses to this methodology.

Also you need to calculate your BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate) this will be based on your current lifestyle and bf%. Then design your diet around this. Your plan should look something like this:

Meal 1: Protein Fats
Meal 2: Protein Complex Carbs
Meal 3: Protein Complex Carbs
Meal 4: Protein
Train
Meal 5: Protein Simple Carbs
Meal 6: Protein Fats

I hope this helps

Usually doesn't take as long as that to get into ketosis. For me it's 4 or 5 days max. But become keto adapt takes some time. Prepare to feel flat for a while but it's worth while in the end.

Oupiel wrote:

Furk wrote: The inherent problem with bodybuilding.com's programs like these is the food portion size - it's not calculated per individual, it's one-size-fits-all. So unless your weight fits the programs blueprint, it's either not going to work or it might stall quickly.

Agreed - but I was more referring to adding exercises between sets to make a more HIIT approach.

Yip, no problem there. Always do something like that myself when I'm on a cut.

If you do whole body depletion workouts, you can be keto adapted in less than 4 days. The faster your over that hump the better IMO.

Wow! Ok thanks guys.

A few thing I do not understand and not sure how to adjust my diet accordingly.

MY BMR is 1530
BF is 20% (although when I look in the mirror it seems more like 40%!)

Diet adjusted once again according to this but I think my understanding of this is not quite correct.
( diet adjusted to come in just under 1530 calories per day - seems very little - more like dying of hunger!)

8h00 - 6 egg whites
10h30 - 42 g nuts
13h00 - 85g chicken with 1/2 cup green veg
15h30 - 1/2 tin tuna, tomato, whole egg
18hoo - 85g chicken with 1/2 cup green veg
20h30 - 4 egg whites with 1/4 cup onions and 1tsp curry

Also, is it better to build muscle and lose fat after or lose fat and then build muscle?
I do NOT want to lose muscle already gained with this diet.

I have naturally large legs (like freakin trees) and know I will never get them small like girly size, so I would like
to use what I have and develop strong, muscular legs.
I have changed my training program accordingly (I think this is ok but need to be sure)

Please see next thread

Day 1: legs (quads)

Leg extension warmup set 1 x 20, 7 x sets to failure
Hack squat 4 x 10 superset with
squats 4 x 10 sets at 80%
leg press 4 x 15 sets at 70%
leg press 7 x sets till failure
Leg press feet in superset with feet out - 3 x 15 at 70%

Day 2: Calves, Abs, Shoulders and HIIT

Calf raises seated - 5 x 30
Calf raises leg press - 4 x 3 way angle till failure
Abs 3 exercises - may vary
military press smith machine 4 x 10
front db raises 7 x 15
EZ bar pull to chin 4 x 10HIIT for 20 min

Day 3: Back and Biceps 20 min HIIT

seated row 4 x 10 and then drop sets till failure
Lat pull down behind neck super set with narrow grip pulldown 4 x 12
single arm bent over row 4 x 8 heavy
preacher curls 4 x 12
seated dumbell curl 4 x 10
cable dumbell curl 5 x 10


Day 4: Chest and Triceps 20 min HIIT

incline dumbbell press 4 x 12
flat dumbbell fly 4 x 8
flat barbell press 4 x 12
cable push 4 x 12
tricep kickback with pronate grip 4 x 10
tricep pushdown straight bar 5 x 15
tricep pulldown with rope 4 x 10
skull crushers 4 x 10

Day 5: Legs (hammies)

hamstring curls warmup set and 5 x 10 heavy and then drop sets till failure
deadlift 4 x 10 heavy superset with
reverse lunge (no weights)
walking lunges (weights) 4 x 20 superset with
hip thrusts with bar 4 x 15

day 6 HIIT for 30 min

Day 7 REST

Xena wrote: W
( diet adjusted to come in just under 1530 calories per day - seems very little - more like dying of hunger!)

You'll be surprised, when you go keto, you will not be hungry all the time.
In fact you will find you need to remind yourself to eat, else 2pm slides by and you haven't eaten since 8am.

BMR is the minimum your body needs to maintain its current state while "idling"
add to this your daily activities & training & you will be in calorie debt i.e. you're using more than you're taking in. Your body will go into a catabolic state and breakdown its own tissues for energy.

This is where you can lose some muscle, but, due to your training and keto diet, body fat should be the first to be catabolised.

Drink lots of water!

Leg training looks excessive to me, 29 sets???
There is a difference between stimulation & annihilation!!

5 sets Squats (arse to grass)
5 sets Leg Press (again full RoM)
5 sets Hack squat or Leg ext.

15 sets - Done!

Watch your rep range - you gonna make those wheels bigger!!!

Thankyou Oupiel.

One more question...or more (for now)

Better to build muscle and then lose fat or lose fat first and then build muscle?
How long should I stay on the ketone diet?

Do I do this in stages? - say 3 months bulk and 3 months rip (example only)

I don't mind big legs as long as they are muscular and ripped