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Metabolism crashed?
Just for starters...I'm not a newbie to lifting and cardio, been doing it for like 4-5years now. I know cardio and weights and good clean diet are key so...now that that's covered... :)
I never eat junk, I don't like junk food I always eat clean, I like to fuel my body with what it NEEDS. I used to be much leaner, but not the weight doesn't seem to come off...at ALL.
I've tried EVERYTHING over the past YEAR AND A HALF and have NOT been able to lose weight. The most my weight's fluctuated is between 125lbs at the lowest (and "lean" for my size is about 110-115lbs, which I'd like to be for when I hit the stage). But on average this year I'm about 130. The problem is, not ONE OUNCE of jiggle (read: fat) has come off. It WON'T move. It's driving me crazy and I think my metabolism has crashed, so I'm hoping for some advice to fix it..to lose fat again?
I was at 125lbs about 2 months ago, and hired a guy to do a dieting to get me contest-lean so I could compete. Unfortuently, he put me on a diet of 1,300 calories with 100-135g carbs (2 "carb-up days/week), and my weight JUMPED to 140lbs! Only 5lbs or so was water, the rest came off when we dropped my calories to 1,100.
I'm currently at 131lbs and despite hardcore dieting and training, have been stuck for a month. I've tried it all: twice/day workouts even. I have a slightly active job working at a deli, so I'm lifting, scrubbing, slicing, and walking all day for 5.5-6hr shifts. When I don't work out twice a day, I gain weight. When I do, I maintain my weight and it won't come off. I've have this struggle for the past year especially bad. I'm really pretty lost.
I'm 5'2" so yeah I'm small, but I *need* to get rid of this fat, but it's not coming off. I'd REALLY love some help on this issue, esp. by someone who has BEEN HERE and gotten out of it.
I DO lift weights, I DO do cardio, I don't overtrain (yes I know the symtoms, and I've overtrained in the past so I KNOW what that's like). From what I've read, my metabolism really has just "crashed". Some people say eat a lot to get it back up and humming, but I've got a photoshoot for a company in a month and can *NOT* gain weight. I have to drop. Any help? Or am I totally screwed?
Please be nice..thanks.
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You eat too much. I work harder, move more and eat less than most people and my metabolism has never crashed. Maybe I'm just gifted or something. But in short, you're eating too much.
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;498133991]You eat too much. I work harder, move more and eat less than most people and my metabolism has never crashed. Maybe I'm just gifted or something. But in short, you're eating too much.[/QUOTE]
Uh no, lol. I'm barely eating at all.
My trainer's diet was:
1/2scoop protein, 1/2c oatmeal
2/5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2/5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2/5oz meat, 1c vegetable
With fish oil supplements.
Since not losing, I cut THAT down even further, eliminating the oatmeal on most days, and sometimes cutting out a meal. There's days I barely eat 800 calories.
I keep *VERY* good track of what I put in my mouth, and I'm constantly moving.
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So what is your current calorie level? Macros? How often are you currently doing refeeds?
Your trainer should have started you off with one carb up day initially not two carb-ups per week - IMO.
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[QUOTE=Chali12;498137761]
I keep *VERY* good track of what I put in my mouth, and I'm constantly moving.[/QUOTE]
OH RLY?! C'mon now, talkin dirty on BB.com, now I've seen it all.
Just kidding, in all seriousness you have some options, you can eat less, move more, eat less and move more OR do what you mentioned and that's increasing intake for several weeks to "repair" your damaged metabolism and start cutting from there. That's all you can do.
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[QUOTE=PBateman2;498138291]So what is your current calorie level? Macros? How often are you currently doing refeeds?
Your trainer should have started you off with one carb up day initially not two carb-ups per week - IMO.[/QUOTE]
Omg I totally agree. Esp. since I told him my body really does not handle carbs well- I'm very tried about 30mins after having a carb meal (which is never over 40g/meal, and generally only about 20g), hence why I gained so much weight so quickly. I do "refeeds" once/week. I'm mad bc I paid this guy so ****ing much to do my diet...and I gained FAT -.-
Currently, what I've generally been lately is this:
1 protein shake (130kcal, 25g pro)
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable
*Edit: by "meat" I'm talking lean chicken breast
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;498139371]OH RLY?! C'mon now, talkin dirty on BB.com, now I've seen it all.
Just kidding, in all seriousness you have some options, you can eat less, move more, eat less and move more OR do what you mentioned and that's increasing intake for several weeks to "repair" your damaged metabolism and start cutting from there. That's all you can do.[/QUOTE]
LMAO!!!!!!!!!! Well, I was gonna keep it clean, but if you wanna go that route... ;)
KIDDING! Glad ya have a sense of humor though :)
Yeah I've been "dieting" for a looooong time now...which is what's making me think I've crashed. I'll burn 800-1,000 calories/day with my workouts (I use my HR monitor, Polar, so it's very good) so that alone, and with my diet I should be dropping fast, but instead I'm stuck and gaining easily. I should add my workouts are pretty intense. I'll throw in a few low-to-mod cardio workouts for good measure and "recovery". With my work and work out schedule I really don't have time for anything "else". I'm barely eating and cutting calories any lower (which I've tried) KILLS my energy levels.
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[QUOTE=Chali12;498139501]Omg I totally agree. Esp. since I told him my body really does not handle carbs well- I'm very tried about 30mins after having a carb meal (which is never over 40g/meal, and generally only about 20g), hence why I gained so much weight so quickly.
Currently, what I've generally been lately is this:
1 protein shake (130kcal, 25g pro)
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable
2.5oz meat, 1c vegetable[/QUOTE]
Youre not eating enough (800 cals is nothing!) even at 130lbs and taking into consideration your training regimen. Your healthy fat intake needs to improve drastically.
I would increase calories to 1200-1300 calories. Dont need to refeed for now especially if you have a shoot in 4 weeks. Could consider doing a refeed after week two.
You should aim for 0.3-0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight (i.e. in your case 35-40g) and 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Rest can be carbs if you prefer or even more protein/fat.
Follow this for 3 weeks and continue with your training. You will be fine.
A week to 10 days prior to shoots/events, I usually follow something like the link below (can just apply based on your weight). So the last week before the shoot just manipulate your carbs/sodium/water as in the below.
[url]http://www.houseofbodybuilding.com/competitors_guide/carb_loading_chris_aceto.htm[/url]
Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Keep training hard!
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This helped me out
I am 26 but my body has drastically changed along with my metabolism since high school when I could eat anything and never workout. I finally found something that has really worked to me, because on top of working out and dieting (I eat very healthy and count calories like you) and I was not reaching the goals I wanted in the amount of time that I needed to meet them in. Mostly no one is perfect and a lot of people cannot meet their goals because their metabolism is slowing down and they cheat by snacking during the day (so hard for me to control!!!). I have really wanted to loose that 5 extra pounds and actually see a difference in my body that my workout and dieting were not achieving. It called Phenyl Core, by Infinite Labs. I am so happy that I have started to see a lot more toning and fat loss and I havent changed my workout. It gives me energy throughout the whole day, really boosts my metabolism and most importantly for me curbs my snack cravings as well (my biggest downfall). I cant happily say it has been what's made my body from good to great!! I really recommend it because its hard to do it without any help. Good luck!!
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[QUOTE=PBateman2;498147001]Youre not eating enough (800 cals is nothing!) even at 130lbs and taking into consideration your training regimen. Your healthy fat intake needs to improve drastically.
I would increase calories to 1200-1300 calories. Dont need to refeed for now especially if you have a shoot in 4 weeks. Could consider doing a refeed after week two.
You should aim for 0.3-0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight (i.e. in your case 35-40g) and 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Rest can be carbs if you prefer or even more protein/fat.
Follow this for 3 weeks and continue with your training. You will be fine.
A week to 10 days prior to shoots/events, I usually follow something like the link below (can just apply based on your weight). So the last week before the shoot just manipulate your carbs/sodium/water as in the below.
[url]http://www.houseofbodybuilding.com/competitors_guide/carb_loading_chris_aceto.htm[/url]
Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Keep training hard![/QUOTE]
would not getting enough fat be the difference between losing weight and not?
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[QUOTE=seifelbadrawy;498245631]would not getting enough fat be the difference between losing weight and not?[/QUOTE]
Overall increase in calories following the outline above (inclusive of fats) and maybe one structured refeed every 1-2 weeks. Need to fuel the workouts and kind of "fire up" the metabolism. Intake currently only 800-1000 calories.
Could also eat at maintenance for several days (i.e. 5-6 days) then drop the calories again.
Many ways to go about it.
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[QUOTE=PBateman2;498147001]Youre not eating enough (800 cals is nothing!) even at 130lbs and taking into consideration your training regimen. Your healthy fat intake needs to improve drastically.
I would increase calories to 1200-1300 calories. Dont need to refeed for now especially if you have a shoot in 4 weeks. Could consider doing a refeed after week two.
You should aim for 0.3-0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight (i.e. in your case 35-40g) and 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Rest can be carbs if you prefer or even more protein/fat.
Follow this for 3 weeks and continue with your training. You will be fine.
A week to 10 days prior to shoots/events, I usually follow something like the link below (can just apply based on your weight). So the last week before the shoot just manipulate your carbs/sodium/water as in the below.
[url]http://www.houseofbodybuilding.com/competitors_guide/carb_loading_chris_aceto.htm[/url]
Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Keep training hard![/QUOTE]
I agree with PBatemen2 on this, and I know a lot of people are going to disagree with this because they don't understand how 'eating more' can sometimes help you lose weight as opposed to eating less. Especially when you're starting to get into 'contest' / 'photo shoot' preparations.
I think that you had the right 'calorie range' in the beginning, but your trainer had your macros and re-feeds all screwed up. He should have realized this after the first couple of weeks and made the necessary changes according to how your body was responding to the macro breakdown you were currently following.
Keep the protein high, increase your dietary fats, drop the carbs (if you need to you can always fill up on fibrous veggies!) and keep the re-feed days to just 1 day or week, or 1 day every 2 weeks like stated above in this case :)
This is the point where you're really going to have to learn 'YOUR' body and how it responds to certain training and diet changes when going for that 'LEAN' contest look. But once you get it figured out it's going to be a lot easier the next time around :)
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[QUOTE=JayAllen20;498285071]I agree with PBatemen2 on this, and I know a lot of people are going to disagree with this because they don't understand how 'eating more' can sometimes help you lose weight as opposed to eating less. Especially when you're starting to get into 'contest' / 'photo shoot' preparations.
I think that you had the right 'calorie range' in the beginning, but your trainer had your macros and re-feeds all screwed up. He should have realized this after the first couple of weeks and made the necessary changes according to how your body was responding to the macro breakdown you were currently following.
Keep the protein high, increase your dietary fats, drop the carbs (if you need to you can always fill up on fibrous veggies!) and keep the re-feed days to just 1 day or week, or 1 day every 2 weeks like stated above in this case :)
This is the point where you're really going to have to learn 'YOUR' body and how it responds to certain training and diet changes when going for that 'LEAN' contest look. But once you get it figured out it's going to be a lot easier the next time around :)[/QUOTE]
THANK YOU sooo much!! <3 I do LOVE veggies, so I have NO problemo fillin' up on those lol....if anything, I may go a bit nuts on veggies. If I'm hungry in the middle of the night, I'll have 1c veggies.
I agree, I told him I needed less carbs and only 1 carb-up day/week, esp. since at the time, I had increased more mod-to-LISS cardio, and he wanted me to eat an apple beforehand..?! Lol, whatever!
Anyway, I'll def. try increased the fats-I was just taking fish oil, should I switch to 1tbsp olive oil/day? And maybe 1 coconut oil? I'll have to do some "fat shopping" lol :)
What would you guys rec. for my diet then? Esp. fat-wise for contest prep.
Thank youuuuu <3 <3 <3
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Yeah eat some fat!
Well fish oii is cool. Also add olive oil, coconut oil,nuts, lean beef, avocado, whole eggs, etc..for your healthy fats.
So for your diet aim for 1200-1300 cals, 35-40g of fat, and 130g of protein (i.e. lean meats, eggs, whey, etc..). After the protein and fat calories are considered, that should leave about 300-400 calories remaining. So you can fill that in with carbs (i.e. oats, brown rice, etc..) and/or more protein/fat. Totally your choice. You know how your body responds and what it needs.
You could basically just follow the above all the way to your shoot - 4 weeks. If you do feel you need a refeed do a structured refeed for that particular day. Eat at maintenance, increase carbs by 50-100%, protein at 1g per pound of bodyweight, and keep dietary fat as low as possible.
Once your shoot is done, can see if you need to increase calories further (i.e. do in 10% increments).
Your training regimen is on point so no changes needed there.
There ya go. Your blueprint for victory. For the shoot and for the rest of your life..lol..JK.
Train hard!
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Personally, I think you should just be happy at 130. That is clearly what your body is telling you, it sounds like you are living healthy otherwise, and it's not like 130 is overweight. But what do I know?
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[QUOTE=PBateman2;498629661]Yeah eat some fat!
Well fish oii is cool. Also add olive oil, coconut oil,nuts, lean beef, avocado, whole eggs, etc..for your healthy fats.
So for your diet aim for 1200-1300 cals, 35-40g of fat, and 130g of protein (i.e. lean meats, eggs, whey, etc..). After the protein and fat calories are considered, that should leave about 300-400 calories remaining. So you can fill that in with carbs (i.e. oats, brown rice, etc..) and/or more protein/fat. Totally your choice. You know how your body responds and what it needs.
You could basically just follow the above all the way to your shoot - 4 weeks. If you do feel you need a refeed do a structured refeed for that particular day. Eat at maintenance, increase carbs by 50-100%, protein at 1g per pound of bodyweight, and keep dietary fat as low as possible.
Once your shoot is done, can see if you need to increase calories further (i.e. do in 10% increments).
Your training regimen is on point so no changes needed there.
There ya go. Your blueprint for victory. For the shoot and for the rest of your life..lol..JK.
Train hard![/QUOTE]
Omg thank you so much, you rock <3
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[QUOTE=Jayarbie;498769761]Personally, I think you should just be happy at 130. That is clearly what your body is telling you, it sounds like you are living healthy otherwise, and it's not like 130 is overweight. But what do I know?[/QUOTE]
Well, I hate how I look...fat thighs, fat ass, lower belly pooch...I feel miserable in my own skin. But you're right, my body is *really* trying to stay at 130 lol
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[QUOTE=Chali12;499086991]Well, I hate how I look...fat thighs, fat ass, lower belly pooch...I feel miserable in my own skin. But you're right, my body is *really* trying to stay at 130 lol[/QUOTE]
Things could be worse, you could be extremely ugly or missing legs and such.
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;499091911]Things could be worse, you could be extremely ugly or missing legs and such.[/QUOTE]
wtf kind of advice is this
x2 for lower your calories. even my tall man ass eats less than that OP
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JayAllen and PB2 have it right.
OP you need to eat! Intake of 800-1000cals is not very much at all especially the way you are training. Eat and make progress.
Good luck on your shoot:)
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[QUOTE=Chali12;499086991]Well, I hate how I look...fat thighs, fat ass, lower belly pooch...I feel miserable in my own skin. But you're right, my body is *really* trying to stay at 130 lol[/QUOTE]
Well, that's a different issue altogether. For me, this whole thing is about being as healthy as possible, not as skinny as possible. There's no reason you should hate how your body looks when it is at it's healthiest weight.
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[QUOTE=Chali12;498133151]
I used to be much leaner, but not the weight doesn't seem to come off...at ALL.
I've tried EVERYTHING over the past YEAR AND A HALF and have NOT been able to lose weight. The most my weight's fluctuated is between 125lbs at the lowest (and "lean" for my size is about 110-115lbs, which I'd like to be for when I hit the stage). But on average this year I'm about 130.
I was at 125lbs about 2 months ago, and hired a guy to do a dieting to get me contest-lean so I could compete. Unfortuently, he put me on a diet of 1,300 calories with 100-135g carbs (2 "carb-up days/week), and my weight JUMPED to 140lbs! Only 5lbs or so was water, the rest came off when we dropped my calories to 1,100.
I'm currently at 131lbs and despite hardcore dieting and training, have been stuck for a month.
[/QUOTE]
If you were leaner, you've gotten fatter correct? Wouldn't that have repaired your "crashed metabolism" since you were obviously eating above maintenance, whatever that may have been?
So you gained 10 pounds of fat within the past 2 months correct? Based upon these facts I'm 99.9% sure you don't have a "crashed metabolism". If you got fatter by eating more what do you think is going to happen if you eat more AGAIN for another month? I'm fairly certain you'll end up fatter than you were at 140.
I don't know why I didn't realize these things earlier.
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;499516331]If you were leaner, you've gotten fatter correct? Wouldn't that have repaired your "crashed metabolism" since you were obviously eating above maintenance, whatever that may have been?
So you gained 10 pounds of fat within the past 2 months correct? Based upon these facts I'm 99.9% sure you don't have a "crashed metabolism". If you got fatter by eating more what do you think is going to happen if you eat more AGAIN for another month? I'm fairly certain you'll end up fatter than you were at 140.
I don't know why I didn't realize these things earlier.[/QUOTE]
I'm still kind of waiting for an explanation for this.
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;500052961]I'm still kind of waiting for an explanation for this.[/QUOTE]
And I wait. I'm sure some experts can explain this for me.
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[QUOTE=BigfatRob;500052961]I'm still kind of waiting for an explanation for this.[/QUOTE]
Sorry I work like 40+ hrs a week didn't see this sooner I barely get online at all anymore, no need to be a jerk.
No, I'm not 140, I'm 130.
I *used* to be 115lbs a year ago ("I used to be leaner") and maintained for a while (working out only 1ce/day and eating 1,800-2,000 calories/day), had a nasty hip injury and couldn't walk for almost a year (dropped calories to 1500-1600 and kept lifting weights). Weight went to 130lbs. I dropped to 125lbs, but it was almost impossible to maintain without eating only 800kcal/day PLUS training 2-3hrs/day AND having a physically active job (which I have now).
I hired a guy to do my diet for me, a "professional". I believe I explained this above already. He had me on 1,300kcal, while I was still working out 2ce/day. My weight went up from 125 to 140 in 1.5weeks. 5lbs of water dropped off, I worked my ass off to lose the next 5lbs to be at 130. I've been stuck there ever since, despite having dropped calories to 800/day (this time my weight did not go down to 125 again, it's stuck at 130), and tried training only 1ce per day (for 1 week, no weight change) and tried again 2ce/day and again no weight change.
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[QUOTE=Chali12;501663521]Sorry I work like 40+ hrs a week didn't see this sooner I barely get online at all anymore, no need to be a jerk.
No, I'm not 140, I'm 130.
I *used* to be 115lbs a year ago ("I used to be leaner") and maintained for a while, had a nasty hip injury and couldn't walk for almost a year. Weight went to 130lbs. I dropped to 125lbs, but it was almost impossible to maintain without eating only 800kcal/day PLUS training 2-3hrs/day AND having a physically active job (which I have now).
I hired a guy to do my diet for me, a "professional". I believe I explained this above already. He had me on 1,300kcal, while I was still working out 2ce/day. My weight went up from 125 to 140 in 1.5weeks. 5lbs of water dropped off, I worked my ass off to lose the next 5lbs to be at 130. I've been stuck there ever since, despite having dropped calories to 800/day (this time my weight did not go down to 125 again, it's stuck at 130), and tried training only 1ce per day (for 1 week, no weight change) and tried again 2ce/day and again no weight change.[/QUOTE]
Plus one of my points with the "crashed metabolism" was that 800 should *NOT* be maintance for me. Granted I'm short but I'm moving all day long.
EDIT: I wanted to add to this, I've been taking my temp. and it's 95.7-95.8...that's low.
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I was wondering if you've ever tried any fasted cardio in the morning. I know there's some that are opposed to this but it seems to help a lot of people, myself included, get that stubborn fat off. 25-30 minutes. It's worth a shot
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[QUOTE=jedidiahdie;501668081]I was wondering if you've ever tried any fasted cardio in the morning. I know there's some that are opposed to this but it seems to help a lot of people, myself included, get that stubborn fat off. 25-30 minutes. It's worth a shot[/QUOTE]
I do it every morning
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If what you're saying is absolutely accurate (and I'm not doubting you, just saying that the following is not necessarily true if what you've posted has reality hiccups) - i.e., you are burning close to or more than you eat in a day - you should probably see your doctor and have them check your thyroid. Hypothyroidism is actually very common. However, if you have normal energy levels, maybe it's not that. Nonetheless, the scenario you posted does not seem possible unless there's something else going on with your body. The low body temp is another symptom.
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[QUOTE=critterbug;501677291]If what you're saying is absolutely accurate (and I'm not doubting you, just saying that the following is not necessarily true if what you've posted has reality hiccups) - i.e., you are burning close to or more than you eat in a day - you should probably see your doctor and have them check your thyroid. Hypothyroidism is actually very common. However, if you have normal energy levels, maybe it's not that. Nonetheless, the scenario you posted does not seem possible unless there's something else going on with your body. The low body temp is another symptom.[/QUOTE]
I agree...I am exhausted pretty much all the time. I wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus every day. Reps for you <3