My beautiful girlfriend --She hit a plateau :( please Please help

[grunts_n_th_gym]

She is doing a great job. She has lost 40lbs so far but has another 40 to go.

She has been stuck 217 for 2 months. I would love some help

She goes to the gym 6 days a week.
She does 30 minutes on the treadmill (walks for 3 minutes runs for 2:45) Then repeat for thirty minutes

She then gets on the treadmill for 15 minutes

An example of her diet is as follows: This is what she had on monday

Meal one
1 cup shredded wheat
1 cup skim milk
1 boiled egg
1 orange


Snack
1 string cheese
three saltines

Lunch
Big sald (today she is having a tuna sandwhich with lite mayo)

Snack
100 calorie snack pack

Dinner
90 grams of shrimp
grilled asparagus

[sacha2]

You mean she is 217lbs right? Down from 257lbs? I think the problem is that she is not eating enough food for her size and needs to work on the quality of food. For example, oatmeal instead of shredded wheat and not a 100 calorie snack pack (of what? these are usually chips or cookies). 90 grams of shrimp is not enough protein, she should eat much more! A combo of asparagus and shrimp is good though. Overall, diet needs a lot of work. This is why she is stalling out. You can't keep running a car on an empty tank of gas.

You didn't mention weight training, is she doing any of that? A lot of people think that they don't need to weigh train until they lose all the weight but this is simply not trure!

[grunts_n_th_gym]

Originally Posted by sacha2

You mean she is 217lbs right? Down from 257lbs? I think the problem is that she is not eating enough food for her size and needs to work on the quality of food. For example, oatmeal instead of shredded wheat and not a 100 calorie snack pack (of what? these are usually chips or cookies). 90 grams of shrimp is not enough protein, she should eat much more! A combo of asparagus and shrimp is good though. Overall, diet needs a lot of work. This is why she is stalling out. You can't keep running a car on an empty tank of gas.

You didn't mention weight training, is she doing any of that? A lot of people think that they don't need to weigh train until they lose all the weight but this is simply not trure!

OK! I was thinking she might need to eat more!
She has a different plan for each day, for example today she ate oatmeal for breakfast. We change it up.

Any specific advice? 90 grams is not enough so how much should she eat?

[sacha2]

I'd say about 130-150 grams would be more appropriate. The fit ladies here tend to eat about 130-150 grams of lean protein 3-5x per day.

[Johnsmatrix]

At her weight she really would just need to eat about 1800-2000 calories to start off. That combined with weight training like another poster said will start showing results.

[freebirdmac]

At least 2000 cals, probably more like 2300. A good 40/30/30 macro too. And yes, weight lifting! It'll burn more cals than HIIT plus preserve her muscle mass.

[SexyChic]

Originally Posted by grunts_n_th_gym

She is doing a great job. She has lost 40lbs so far but has another 40 to go.

She has been stuck 217 for 2 months. I would love some help

She goes to the gym 6 days a week.
She does 30 minutes on the treadmill (walks for 3 minutes runs for 2:45) Then repeat for thirty minutes

She then gets on the treadmill for 15 minutes

An example of her diet is as follows: This is what she had on monday

Meal one
1 cup shredded wheat
1 cup skim milk
1 boiled egg
1 orange


Snack
1 string cheese
three saltines

Lunch
Big sald (today she is having a tuna sandwhich with lite mayo)

Snack
100 calorie snack pack

Dinner
90 grams of shrimp
grilled asparagus

She's not eating enough...UP those cals!!!! How is she not starving on that diet???

[grunts_n_th_gym]

Originally Posted by SexyChic

She's not eating enough...UP those cals!!!! How is she not starving on that diet???

Thanks you!

Do you have any specific advice? Like what to add, when and where?

[SexyChic]

Originally Posted by BuffedWildCat

NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR REDUCING BODY FAT

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, balanced meals of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Exception: you don't necessarily have to eat carbohydrates with your last meal or two of the day, you CAN just eat protein and fat. Unless it's post workout (post strength training), then you NEED to eat some carbs.

2. Try to keep the protein intake in each of your meals consistent. If you are resistance/strength training, eat a minimum of your bodyweight in grams of protein, divided up equally into each of your meals.

3. Don't be afraid of fat, you NEED fat in order to BURN fat. You need to turn your body into a fat burning machine. In order to do this, you keep your carbs fairly low (30-40 grams per meal is a good rule of thumb, but it does depend on your activity level) and your fat intake moderate. As in, the lower your carbs, the more fat you should be consuming.

4. Avoid sugars and over-processed foods like the plague. Read your labels, avoid food with sugar listed in the ingredients.

5. Avoid processed foods, like those in boxes/packages and also anything made with white flour. White flour is over-processed. Also anything that says, "enriched" avoid it as well, it basically means over-processed.

6. Eat as close to nature as you can. In other words, the closer the food to how it occurs in nature, the better for you it is, and ESPECIALLY for fat burning.

7. Avoid starchy carbs like corn, bread (esp white bread), pasta.

8. For your last meal or two of the day, consume only green veggies for your carbohydrates. Generally for your last meal you should consume less carbohydrates and more fat. You basically taper off your carbohydrate intake as it gets later in the day.

9. Last but not least, do NOT cut your calories too low. For starters I wouldn't even drop ANY calories. I would eat maintenance calories (eat normally) and just focus on cleaning up your diet (get rid of drinking sodas, etc) and getting consistent with a good macronutrient ratio (protein, carbs, fat). Some examples of good cutting ratios (percentage of total calories) are: 40P/30C/30F, 40P/25C/35F, 40P/20C/40F, or 35P/35C/30F etc.

10. A good website (free) to help you keep track of your calories, protein, carbs, and fat is: www.fitday.com

Here are some good choices for foods to eat, conducive to burning fat and/or staying lean. If the food you are eating is not on this list, I would question it.

PROTEINS

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Tuna (water packed)
Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut)
Shrimp
Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%)
Venison
Buffalo
Ostrich
Protein Powder
Egg Whites or Whole Eggs
Ribeye Steaks or Roast
Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry)
Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt)
Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon)
Top Loin (NY Strip Steak)
Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita)
Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round)
Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts)
Soy Burgers
Low-fat cottage cheese

SLOW BURNING/COMPLEX CARBS

Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Beans (pinto, black, kidney)
Oat Bran Cereal
Rye Cereal
Grape Nuts
Brown Rice
Farina (Cream of Wheat)
Multigrain Hot Cereal
Whole wheat or Spinach Pasta
100% Stoneground Whole Wheat Bread

FIBROUS CARBS

Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine)
Broccoli
Asparagus
String Beans
Okra
Spinach
Bell Peppers
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green or Red Pepper
Onions
Pumpkin
Garlic
Tomatoes
Zucchini

FRUIT

Apples
Grapefruit
Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Lemons or Limes

HEALTHY FATS

Natural Peanut Butter
Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
Nuts (peanuts, almonds)
Flaxseed Oil

BEVARAGES

Crystal Light
Green Tea
Other Tea (without sugar)
Coffee (without sugar)

CONDIMENTS

Mayonnaise
Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Salsa
Hot Peppers and Hot Sauce
Chili powder
Mrs. Dash
Steak Sauce
Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Chili Paste
Mustard
Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc )
Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)
Stevia (natural sweetener)

Written by:

BuffedWildCat
Body Solutions Personal Trainer

Hope this helps!

[eriplex]

Originally Posted by SexyChic

She's not eating enough...UP those cals!!!! How is she not starving on that diet???

my thoughts exactly!

maybe up the calories to 2000 and a macro set up of 40p 40c and 20f might be an easy way to start. I found it was easier to start with a higher carb and then switch macros, simply because I was so used to carbs. Now, I'm on a 50p 30c 20f set up, and easing into lowering the carbs helped. how long has she been eating like this? i also found that recording my diet for 2 weeks and taking the log to a nutritionist was helpful. maybe look into that?

get her to lift heavy and switch up that cardio! my dad lost 80 lbs so far. his plan was a mixture of circuit training, arc trainer at a moderate level for 40 minutes (10 to warm up before circuit training and 30 after circuit) and of course diet diet diet. he does this daily and has excellent results. weight training is always a good thing for everyone.

[kimm4]

Def not enough calories...so her body has stalled. She needs more protein and healthy fats in her plan.

Congats to her so far!!

[lauren921]

Just out of curisosity what's wrong with shredded wheat? It has a good amount of fiber and protein and the only ingredient is shredded wheat.

[Mindi911]

I release that you are asking about her food intake, however is she only doing cardio at the gym?

What about weight lifting?

Get her doing a full body routin, high reps. That will burn fat faster than any program containing just cardio.

[grunts_n_th_gym]

THANKS everyone, we are starting her on 3x a week weight lifting routine. We added a cheat meal.... a little scary, but she did ok. She ordered chicken fajitas (with cheese) but we also had dessert lol. So the meal itself was pretty clean. but that dessert was the devule.

[Haybales]

Maybe she could try a pump class or something like that? That's assuming she goes to a gym. I find them good for an alternative to just doing weights one day, cardio the next. Mix it around a little and keep it interesting! And as everyone else has said, diet is REALLY important!

Best of luck to her!

[silverlightning]

weights 3 or 4 days per week, cardio everyday. drop the snack pack and shrimp. lift weights and work on a better nutrition plan. there are hundreds here.

[BadKitty2]

She needs to change her workout routine around. Her body has gotten use to when she does everything and how long she does it. I hit a plateau not to long ago and now that I've changed a few things in workouts that move my body in different positions, I'm now seeing changes again. Its always good to do that every so many weeks just to confuse the muscles.

She also needs more calories. More protein and eat atleast 5-6 small meals aday. Her body may also be going into starve mode, hanging onto everything she puts in. If she eats a clean meal plan and a decent amount of calories (1500-2000). She should be fine.

Originally Posted by grunts_n_th_gym

She is doing a great job. She has lost 40lbs so far but has another 40 to go.

She has been stuck 217 for 2 months. I would love some help

She goes to the gym 6 days a week.
She does 30 minutes on the treadmill (walks for 3 minutes runs for 2:45) Then repeat for thirty minutes

She then gets on the treadmill for 15 minutes

An example of her diet is as follows: This is what she had on monday

Meal one
1 cup shredded wheat
1 cup skim milk
1 boiled egg
1 orange


Snack
1 string cheese
three saltines

Lunch
Big sald (today she is having a tuna sandwhich with lite mayo)

Snack
100 calorie snack pack

Dinner
90 grams of shrimp
grilled asparagus

[warrior504th]

Originally Posted by grunts_n_th_gym

OK! I was thinking she might need to eat more!
She has a different plan for each day, for example today she ate oatmeal for breakfast. We change it up.

Any specific advice? 90 grams is not enough so how much should she eat?

cycle the carbohydrates too. Stair step it down over 3 days and then bring it back up to the value of day 1. I'm currently progressing at 150-100-50, not sure how this would work for her.

[KlaarBody]

I just wrote about something like this today...

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/KlaarBo...ry-very-guilty