Officially plateauing

[JDkeystone]

Weighed myself today and my weight has not changed AT ALL since I last weighed a month ago (although I do think I look leaner in the mirror).

But anyways...what do the rest of you do to bust out of a plateau as fast as possible? My trainer recently re-did my program and now has me on a 3 day split routine for weights (lower/upper/lower on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays) mixed with HIIT right after (and then just cardio on 2 or 3 of the days I don't lift). I've also increased my protein to about 115-125g a day to assist in preserving muscle mass and help me continue burning fat.

Is there anything else I can do? This is the first real "wall" that I've hit since I started training last summer, and knowing myself as I do, if I don't get past it ASAP, the outcome could get bad...

[obesebeast]

i plateaued at 205 for a few months before I tried a cyclical keto diet...dropped 10 real lbs in a month...also switched from a hypertrophy routine to a 5x5 split

I was doing a 6 day split 5x15 sets...on keto i went to 5 days...2 full body and 3 for the majors

i'd use the 2 full body days for depletion then 3 big days in full ketone production...then begin the carbup and rest the next day before the reset

i also just began swimming for my HIIT...it's pretty intense

[injured44]

do more exercise and eat a little less

[JDkeystone]

i plateaued at 205 for a few months before I tried a cyclical keto diet...dropped 10 real lbs in a month

do more exercise and eat a little less

I've tried atkins in the past (as in, several years ago) and I did horribly on it. I know keto isn't exactly the same as atkins, but super low-carb diets just don't work for me (I burn out on them too easily and end up binging later).

Right now (and what I've been doing all along) is taking in most of my carbs (good, complex carbs) early in the day and then decreasing them as the day goes on. I keep my calories at 1,250-1,350, spread out over 5 small meals, every 3 hours. I also drink about 7 - 8 500ml bottles of water everyday, too.

All of this combined was working great for me for the first 6 months; it's a routine that's practically become engraved into my brain. But I don't think I could take my calories any lower without harming my metabolism. I don't know what else to do.

[obesebeast]

perhaps increase your calories? with that activity level, your age, and the plateau effect maybe your body is resisting because it feels it's starving

I'm not talking an increase of like 500...but maybe zig zag the diet to begin with...hover around 1400-1700 calories every other day

What are your macros on your current diet? When I "cut" with normal(er) foods...my macros turn out 12F/44C/44P more or less...not so much the 20F/40C/40C most people aim for....on keto I roll with <2% C and then 60F/38P

The cheat meals do seem to shock my metabolism as well and I'll gain a lb one day and lose 2 the next after what seems like a plateau...and by cheat meal...they usually turn into cheat days or multimeals...I'll eat a ton

What burns you out on keto? distaste in the food? sugar cravings? Perhaps you'd tolerate a TKD plan rather than a CKD...can't say I've tried a TKD, but you can ask this professional nutritionist here: about his ideas for you..he's fairly quick in response...he's also got several great PDFs I could PM you if interested that go into detail about diets/human nutrition/theory etc...great reads if you've got the time

Have you given any thought to a EC stack? it sounds too dangerous for my book...I feel odd enough doing keto..although technically humans have been living a keto diet lifestyle for the past 200,000 years...it wasn't until the agriculture revolution(past 10,000 years) have we introduced more than 30g carbs/day to our diets and more recently refined sugar(past 300 years)...ahh theory...I love it

Any questions about EC stack can be found here- http://www.hotnfit.com/ecstack.htm#top and here- http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=106816881

The OP is great to responding to questions, but the whole process sounds scary

[JDkeystone]

perhaps increase your calories? with that activity level, your age, and the plateau effect maybe your body is resisting because it feels it's starving

I'm not talking an increase of like 500...but maybe zig zag the diet to begin with...hover around 1400-1700 calories every other day

What are your macros on your current diet? When I "cut" with normal(er) foods...my macros turn out 12F/44C/44P more or less...not so much the 20F/40C/40C most people aim for....on keto I roll with <2% C and then 60F/38P

I haven't actually calculated out my macros, but based on a few of the macronutrient calculators I've looked at, it seems to fall under the 40/30/30 ratio (which is where I want it to be).

What burns you out on keto? distaste in the food? sugar cravings? Perhaps you'd tolerate a TKD plan rather than a CKD...can't say I've tried a TKD, but you can ask this professional nutritionist here: about his ideas for you..he's fairly quick in response...he's also got several great PDFs I could PM you if interested that go into detail about diets/human nutrition/theory etc...great reads if you've got the time

I just found when I went very low carb, I had no energy and felt ill (headaches, nauseous, etc). I know those are natural symptoms everyone gets on the first few days when starting out, but for me they wouldn't go away. I find I do much better on a diet that gives me a more even ratio of macros, and that my performance when working out is way better as well.

I haven't tried TKD, but it looks interesting... at least worth reading up on a little more. I'll check it out

Have you given any thought to a EC stack?

Haven't done an actual EC stack, per se, but I've tried a few different fat burners- REV XP Hardcore and most recently Hydroxycut Max. I try not to rely on fat burners too much though (they only "compliment" the true work that comes from diet and exercise), but if an EC stack will help with a plateau, then I'll definitely try it.