Been working out/dieting for 3 months, minimal loss!! HELP

[dasaniwater]

I've always had a problem with weight. I've tried several diets eventually settling on Atkins. First time I did it, I was 18 and lost about 20-30 pounds. It worked well for awhile, but then I went to college and lost story short, I am now 25 and at 235lbs. I graduated in August, and decided this is it - time to lose the weight and get in shape. I started working out and dieting in September. I work out 4-5 times a week and stick to the diet more or less (I cheat every 2 weeks on average, and do drink on the weekends). Since September I've managed to cut down to 227, but that seems really slow for 3 months of that regimen. The weight comes down, but then it comes back up the following week even if I cheat just once. Can anyone help me out and advise on what I should change to start losing more steadily?

Here's what I eat:

Basically keep my carbs as low as possible (under 35 a day), mostly coming from salads and alcohol. Eggs for breakfast, Meat/chicken/fish for lunch and dinner. I try to get a snack in in between the meals which is usually some almonds or other nuts. I do eat my final meal late at night (usually a chicken salad).

This is my workout routine:

Mon,Wed,Fri:
30 minutes on the elliptical
4 sets of 8 on the benchpress machine (started at 90, now at 120)
3 sets 15 on the ab machine (w/ 60 pounds of weight)
5 sets of 8 barbell curls (started w/ 40, now at 60)
4 sets of tricep pulls

Tue, Thu, Sat
40 minute of elliptical
traps: 45lb dumbells, 4 sets of 15


I understand it's probably not the most proper work out plan, but my main goal is to lose weight and gain definition. I do most of the weight lifting to speed up the metabolism, and gain some definition. I have seen visible results in muscle gain (especially biceps). I do plan on working out my lower body more in the future, but for now I just really want to cut about 20 pounds of fat. Can someone please help?

Also, I have entertained the idea of counting calories instead of carbs. I have used the calorie deficit calculator from one of the threads on the forum, and to do the 40/40/20 method and lose 2lbs a week it tells me to aim for 2000 calories a day with 780 calories of protein and carbs and 390 from fats. Would that be a more stable way to lose the fat?

[SteadyHoldNow]

I've always had a problem with weight. I've tried several diets eventually settling on Atkins. First time I did it, I was 18 and lost about 20-30 pounds. It worked well for awhile, but then I went to college and lost story short, I am now 25 and at 235lbs. I graduated in August, and decided this is it - time to lose the weight and get in shape. I started working out and dieting in September. I work out 4-5 times a week and stick to the diet more or less (I cheat every 2 weeks on average, and do drink on the weekends). Since September I've managed to cut down to 227, but that seems really slow for 3 months of that regimen. The weight comes down, but then it comes back up the following week even if I cheat just once. Can anyone help me out and advise on what I should change to start losing more steadily?

Here's what I eat:

Basically keep my carbs as low as possible (under 35 a day), mostly coming from salads and alcohol. Eggs for breakfast, Meat/chicken/fish for lunch and dinner. I try to get a snack in in between the meals which is usually some almonds or other nuts. I do eat my final meal late at night (usually a chicken salad).

This is my workout routine:

Mon,Wed,Fri:
30 minutes on the elliptical
4 sets of 8 on the benchpress machine (started at 90, now at 120)
3 sets 15 on the ab machine (w/ 60 pounds of weight)
5 sets of 8 barbell curls (started w/ 40, now at 60)
4 sets of tricep pulls

Tue, Thu, Sat
40 minute of elliptical
traps: 45lb dumbells, 4 sets of 15


I understand it's probably not the most proper work out plan, but my main goal is to lose weight and gain definition. I do most of the weight lifting to speed up the metabolism, and gain some definition. I have seen visible results in muscle gain (especially biceps). I do plan on working out my lower body more in the future, but for now I just really want to cut about 20 pounds of fat. Can someone please help?

I'd bet you dollars to donuts the booze are what's killing you. Not only is there a lot of calories in the stuff but it can jerk your metabolism around for days if you drink enough. Don't neglect your legs either. They are a relatively easy spot to pack on muscle when you are just starting out, and each pound of lean muscle will assist you in burning considerably more calories on a daily basis.

[dasaniwater]

I'd bet you dollars to donuts the booze are what's killing you. Not only is there a lot of calories in the stuff but it can jerk your metabolism around for days if you drink enough. Don't neglect your legs either. They are a relatively easy spot to pack on muscle when you are just starting out, and each pound of lean muscle will assist you in burning considerably more calories on a daily basis.

Thank you very much for the response. I try not to drink more than once a week. When I do I do my best to keep the carbs/sugar down. It's either miller light (4 carbs per drink) or vodka and sugar free redbull. I have heard that alcohol slows down the loss, so I try to keep it to a minimum.

[RedAt8k]

I'm going to reply to just about everything in the original post, if I sound critical I appologize you remind me exactly of me when I started seriously trying to lose weight and know the ABSOLUTE frustration not being able to slim down can be:

-Get off of a diet like Atkins, I've tried similar and used to have a bear of a time losing weight doing diets like these. My first cut was from 240-165lbs so I know what your dealing with! The secret is being able to sustain your diet for extended time periods and not just doing what works for a short sprint! The key to losing weight is burning more calories then taken in, my most recent cut from 190 -> 155 (bad breakup) I learned to count my calories and ate EXACTLY at my BMR (Base metabolic rate). I'm 24, was 190 and am only 5'6 so I could consume aproximately 1800 calories a day while burning aprox 3100-3300 calories daily.

-What kinds of meat, what cut? Chances are it could be extremely fatty and be slowing you down, with such low carbs do you notice your body being cold? How are your workouts? Carbs should not be considered your enemy infact they are a necessary friend! I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to log your daily diet, get an app like myfitnesspal for iphone or droid or heck they have a website! Set your daily calorie limit and then set what those calories will be chopped up into. My current cutting diet looks like: 2250 calories 60% protein, 25% carbs and 15% fat now even with the genetics of a pig my body is losing weight at almost a scary rate! My workouts are insane and I've got the energy to get 2 workouts a day in if I want to! As well according to everything I have ever read alcohol effectively puts a HALT on all fat burning so it may not be a bad idea to cut it out completely as it is going to dehydrate you and cause water to get drained out of your muscles and fat cells (DO NOT WANT). When I want to drink I need to earn it! For every 5 lbs I lose (when cutting), I get 1 night of fun give it a try! That's a night out effectively every 2 weeks or so once you get the hang of things!

-Your only working one serious muscle group and that is your chest. You are not giving it time to properly develop either... The major fat burning muscle groups are going to be your back and legs with the chest being a close third!!! Get some squats and deadlifts in there, clean and presses if you can do them with proper form!!! I can not stress enough LEGS LEGS LEGS if your trying to get big LEGS if your trying to lose weight LEGS, they SUCK they down right BLOW but are necessary! I've been training for 4 years now off and on and the last time I cut was 100 fold easier because I trained my legs and back like a mad man!

-The three NECESSITIES to my fat burn workouts are: squats, deadlifts and bench. If you break your routine up and make it much more diverse you will create a need for energy during the muscle rebuild cycle that should (proper diet). Grab from fat cells since all of the energy your taking in is getting expended directly to your workouts! Also when starting out there isn't a huge need to work biceps/triceps, throw one maybe two exercises in on chest day and back day (biceps on back triceps on chest) these workouts fire up your arms enough as it is!

-It's 3500 calories per lbs, create that deficit and even though you won't notice immediate definition you will in the long run! Keep in mind for men the absolute LAST fat you will lose is off your stomach, it will leave your face/arms/legs then your CHEST/BACK and only once it's gone everywhere else will you see your abs shine!

You have the dedication to get there!!! I can see it, just need the knowledge that is gained from HOURS and HOURS and HOURS of time reading online and analyzing your own body. Give what I said some thought and try it for a month or so it's completely eye opening when you look into what's actually going into your body and how darn efficient the body is when worked from top to bottom!

[RedAt8k]

Complete side note but are you consuming soda on a daily basis?

[gynogon]

Here's what I eat:

Basically keep my carbs as low as possible (under 35 a day), mostly coming from salads and alcohol.

say no more. youll never get the body you desire drinking alcohol on a daily basis no matter what u do.

[dasaniwater]

I'm going to reply to just about everything in the original post, if I sound critical I appologize you remind me exactly of me when I started seriously trying to lose weight and know the ABSOLUTE frustration not being able to slim down can be:

-Get off of a diet like Atkins, I've tried similar and used to have a bear of a time losing weight doing diets like these. My first cut was from 240-165lbs so I know what your dealing with! The secret is being able to sustain your diet for extended time periods and not just doing what works for a short sprint! The key to losing weight is burning more calories then taken in, my most recent cut from 190 -> 155 (bad breakup) I learned to count my calories and ate EXACTLY at my BMR (Base metabolic rate). I'm 24, was 190 and am only 5'6 so I could consume aproximately 1800 calories a day while burning aprox 3100-3300 calories daily.

-What kinds of meat, what cut? Chances are it could be extremely fatty and be slowing you down, with such low carbs do you notice your body being cold? How are your workouts? Carbs should not be considered your enemy infact they are a necessary friend! I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to log your daily diet, get an app like myfitnesspal for iphone or droid or heck they have a website! Set your daily calorie limit and then set what those calories will be chopped up into. My current cutting diet looks like: 2250 calories 60% protein, 25% carbs and 15% fat now even with the genetics of a pig my body is losing weight at almost a scary rate! My workouts are insane and I've got the energy to get 2 workouts a day in if I want to! As well according to everything I have ever read alcohol effectively puts a HALT on all fat burning so it may not be a bad idea to cut it out completely as it is going to dehydrate you and cause water to get drained out of your muscles and fat cells (DO NOT WANT). When I want to drink I need to earn it! For every 5 lbs I lose (when cutting), I get 1 night of fun give it a try! That's a night out effectively every 2 weeks or so once you get the hang of things!

-Your only working one serious muscle group and that is your chest. You are not giving it time to properly develop either... The major fat burning muscle groups are going to be your back and legs with the chest being a close third!!! Get some squats and deadlifts in there, clean and presses if you can do them with proper form!!! I can not stress enough LEGS LEGS LEGS if your trying to get big LEGS if your trying to lose weight LEGS, they SUCK they down right BLOW but are necessary! I've been training for 4 years now off and on and the last time I cut was 100 fold easier because I trained my legs and back like a mad man!

-The three NECESSITIES to my fat burn workouts are: squats, deadlifts and bench. If you break your routine up and make it much more diverse you will create a need for energy during the muscle rebuild cycle that should (proper diet). Grab from fat cells since all of the energy your taking in is getting expended directly to your workouts! Also when starting out there isn't a huge need to work biceps/triceps, throw one maybe two exercises in on chest day and back day (biceps on back triceps on chest) these workouts fire up your arms enough as it is!

-It's 3500 calories per lbs, create that deficit and even though you won't notice immediate definition you will in the long run! Keep in mind for men the absolute LAST fat you will lose is off your stomach, it will leave your face/arms/legs then your CHEST/BACK and only once it's gone everywhere else will you see your abs shine!

You have the dedication to get there!!! I can see it, just need the knowledge that is gained from HOURS and HOURS and HOURS of time reading online and analyzing your own body. Give what I said some thought and try it for a month or so it's completely eye opening when you look into what's actually going into your body and how darn efficient the body is when worked from top to bottom!

First off, thank you SOO much for constructing such a detailed response. This is exactly the stuff I was looking for. Now on to the details:

- That's exactly my problem with Atkins - I can't seem to stay strict on it for more than a month. I start cutting corners here and there, and eventually it gets to the point where I lose a point one week and then gain one back the following. I have been sticking with it for two main reasons: 1)Nothing else I tried worked (mostly fad diets [was even on a cabbage soup diet on which i ONLY ate....cabbage soup lol) 2)I do like the fact that I can eat meat/poultry/fish and not starve. But the more I read, especially on this forum, the more it looks like "serious" people just simply count calories. I guess I just haven't given it a try because something new to learn and it's been difficult to figure out exactly how many calories I can eat a day and where they are supposed to come from (according to the calculator on this website I should be at around 2000 calories with the 60/25/15 split?)(i'm 5'7"/228/25yo)

- Mostly steak/porkchops. To be honest, I haven't really paid attention to what kind of cut they are. I have not noticed any drop in temperature, but I do feel unsatisfied when I am strictly on the diet. My workouts are as I mentioned. I keep trying to push myself as much as I can, making sure that my last sets are barely doable. As far as alcohol, I always assumed it somewaht hindered my progress, but never knew exactly how much, but I do not have a problem with cutting it out completely at least until I lose a significant amount of fat. The 5lbs/night out sounds like a very good idea and I'm going to try it.

-As far as working out my legs and back, I had no idea! I guess the noob in me just assumed they weren't important because noone really looks them haha. I'm going to add those other muscle groups to my routing for sure.

-I am not totally sure what you meant by 3500 calories per lbs. Could you clarify? I understand that belly fat is always the last to go and I'm determined to get there as long as their some kind of steady progress.

Finally, yes, I am VERY determined this time. I keep reading different threads on this forum, and it's a bit overwhelming, but I am slowly starting to understand more and more. I just need to figure out exactly how many calories I can consume in order to start losing (frankly, the sticky thread on how to figure it out was very confusing, but I'm gonna read it again and see if I can figure it out)

p.s. about soda - again because I have been on Atkins, I have been drinking about 1-2 cans of diet coke a day. I try to drink as much water as I can but the soda has been making it a little easier on me.

[dasaniwater]

say no more. youll never get the body you desire drinking alcohol on a daily basis no matter what u do.

My bad, I should've written that more clearly. OVERALL my carb sources have been salads and alcohol. I drink once a week at most.

[brbacquiring]

Terrible lifting routine. Deadlifts are great for getting shreddy, imo. Squats probably are, too, but I don't do them. Just be careful because it's very easy to injure yourself (and it will be with you for life, you don't want that) and/or burn out with those lifts. I now deadlift only once per fortnight, but you can do those sort of lifts more than once per week if you keep the intensity and volume down.

If I were you I'd pick a popular lifting routine and follow it closely for a few months and see how it fits you. Loads of good back and leg work should help tonnes with partitioning, and then you can get a good lot of carbs in post-workout. I'm not sure Atkins **** is much good for lifters.

Do you like eating evenly through the day or have you considered IF? Works for some, others don't enjoy it.

As for booze, it doesn't make much difference to me - if anything I think it helps because I'm a stressy and wired kind of person and its good to use drugs for relaxation after workouts. But you can probably succeed without it, I guess.

It's not going make or break your fat loss, really.

[dasaniwater]

Terrible lifting routine. Deadlifts are great for getting shreddy, imo. Squats probably are, too, but I don't do them. Just be careful because it's very easy to injure yourself (and it will be with you for life, you don't want that) and/or burn out with those lifts. I now deadlift only once per fortnight, but you can do those sort of lifts more than once per week if you keep the intensity and volume down.

If I were you I'd pick a popular lifting routine and follow it closely for a few months and see how it fits you. Loads of good back and leg work should help tonnes with partitioning, and then you can get a good lot of carbs in post-workout. I'm not sure Atkins **** is much good for lifters.

Do you like eating evenly through the day or have you considered IF? Works for some, others don't enjoy it.

As for booze, it doesn't make much difference to me - if anything I think it helps because I'm a stressy and wired kind of person and its good to use drugs for relaxation after workouts. But you can probably succeed without it, I guess.

It's not going make or break your fat loss, really.

thank you very much for the advice. for the sake of losing fat, I am willing to either eat evenly or not, whichever make more sense. I have been trying to eat evenly, but a lot of times I only eat 3-4 meals a day. I have never heard of IF (after googling it, is it the diet that skips breakfast?)

[Khwaj]

well i would say you need to actually measure how much you are eating first
sauces and condiments add quite a considerable amount of calories if you arent careful

also alcohol could be stuffing you up, even vodka and sugar free redbull thats almost 100 calories as alcohol is rated as 7 cals per ml to burn off, reg redbull and vodka you are pushing like 200 cals

also your training needs to be redone, you are neglecting legs and back, biggest muscle group that will increase your resting metabolism more than any other
squats, deadlifts, etc

[RedAt8k]

First off, thank you SOO much for constructing such a detailed response. This is exactly the stuff I was looking for. Now on to the details:

- That's exactly my problem with Atkins - I can't seem to stay strict on it for more than a month. I start cutting corners here and there, and eventually it gets to the point where I lose a point one week and then gain one back the following. I have been sticking with it for two main reasons: 1)Nothing else I tried worked (mostly fad diets [was even on a cabbage soup diet on which i ONLY ate....cabbage soup lol) 2)I do like the fact that I can eat meat/poultry/fish and not starve. But the more I read, especially on this forum, the more it looks like "serious" people just simply count calories. I guess I just haven't given it a try because something new to learn and it's been difficult to figure out exactly how many calories I can eat a day and where they are supposed to come from (according to the calculator on this website I should be at around 2000 calories with the 60/25/15 split?)(i'm 5'7"/228/25yo)

- Mostly steak/porkchops. To be honest, I haven't really paid attention to what kind of cut they are. I have not noticed any drop in temperature, but I do feel unsatisfied when I am strictly on the diet. My workouts are as I mentioned. I keep trying to push myself as much as I can, making sure that my last sets are barely doable. As far as alcohol, I always assumed it somewaht hindered my progress, but never knew exactly how much, but I do not have a problem with cutting it out completely at least until I lose a significant amount of fat. The 5lbs/night out sounds like a very good idea and I'm going to try it.

-As far as working out my legs and back, I had no idea! I guess the noob in me just assumed they weren't important because noone really looks them haha. I'm going to add those other muscle groups to my routing for sure.

-I am not totally sure what you meant by 3500 calories per lbs. Could you clarify? I understand that belly fat is always the last to go and I'm determined to get there as long as their some kind of steady progress.

Finally, yes, I am VERY determined this time. I keep reading different threads on this forum, and it's a bit overwhelming, but I am slowly starting to understand more and more. I just need to figure out exactly how many calories I can consume in order to start losing (frankly, the sticky thread on how to figure it out was very confusing, but I'm gonna read it again and see if I can figure it out)

p.s. about soda - again because I have been on Atkins, I have been drinking about 1-2 cans of diet coke a day. I try to drink as much water as I can but the soda has been making it a little easier on me.

BINGO - Cut the Soda out and your weight would plumit, I've read into the counting carbs diets and sugars SHOULD BE CONSIDERED CARBS. Keep in mind there are good carbs/bad carbs and a lot that needs to be learned about a healthy diet, I try and eat clean now and for me to get 3000 calories in a day is painful and downright difficult :/

-Steak/pork depending on the cut can be COMPLETELY counter productive, steak is very high in protein but can be hard to digest due to fat content (if it says tenderloin chances are the cut is low fat and good to eat).

-In theory when you create a 3500 calorie defecit from what your burning to what your eating each week your weight should go down 1 lbs this has been believed to be truth for years now

-Since you have 3 exercise days where you lift weights try breaking your workouts down to:
Mon-Chest/Shoulders/Triceps - Bench, shoulder press, cleans if you can do them proper
Weds-Legs (GET SQUATS and LUNGES)
Friday-Back/Biceps deadlifts, rows, lat pull downs

Also never stop asking questions because even once you have the body you want it gets even more interesting trying to recomposition it and get the body you've dreamed for! All I can tell you is for me working the entire body is an amazing experience and truly helps burn the excess fat away. After I hit a muscle group HARD, I can feel it for a few days while the muscle repairs and from my understanding barrows from fat stores to get the energy it needs

Get a good calorie counting app I recommended myfitnesspal because it has a barcode scanner and is convenient but really a pen and paper will do, start recording EVERYTHING I have each weeks workout on google docs, every days food consumption, hours slept along with every morning I use an impedence body fat measurement so every morning I figure:

Weight - 157 lbs
Body fat - 14.5%
Lean Mass - 134.75 lbs
Fat - 22.25 lbs

When starting off it can be easily discouraging to watch these numbers change maybe .1 a day so it may not be a bad idea to shoot for Sunday/Weds but anyways hope this helped! If you need anything keep this thread going, these are the threads others use and no question really is stupid to learning your own body!

[JEPARK]

I'm going to reply to just about everything in the original post, if I sound critical I appologize you remind me exactly of me when I started seriously trying to lose weight and know the ABSOLUTE frustration not being able to slim down can be:

-Get off of a diet like Atkins, I've tried similar and used to have a bear of a time losing weight doing diets like these. My first cut was from 240-165lbs so I know what your dealing with! The secret is being able to sustain your diet for extended time periods and not just doing what works for a short sprint! The key to losing weight is burning more calories then taken in, my most recent cut from 190 -> 155 (bad breakup) I learned to count my calories and ate EXACTLY at my BMR (Base metabolic rate). I'm 24, was 190 and am only 5'6 so I could consume aproximately 1800 calories a day while burning aprox 3100-3300 calories daily.

-What kinds of meat, what cut? Chances are it could be extremely fatty and be slowing you down, with such low carbs do you notice your body being cold? How are your workouts? Carbs should not be considered your enemy infact they are a necessary friend! I CANNOT stress enough how important it is to log your daily diet, get an app like myfitnesspal for iphone or droid or heck they have a website! Set your daily calorie limit and then set what those calories will be chopped up into. My current cutting diet looks like: 2250 calories 60% protein, 25% carbs and 15% fat now even with the genetics of a pig my body is losing weight at almost a scary rate! My workouts are insane and I've got the energy to get 2 workouts a day in if I want to! As well according to everything I have ever read alcohol effectively puts a HALT on all fat burning so it may not be a bad idea to cut it out completely as it is going to dehydrate you and cause water to get drained out of your muscles and fat cells (DO NOT WANT). When I want to drink I need to earn it! For every 5 lbs I lose (when cutting), I get 1 night of fun give it a try! That's a night out effectively every 2 weeks or so once you get the hang of things!

-Your only working one serious muscle group and that is your chest. You are not giving it time to properly develop either... The major fat burning muscle groups are going to be your back and legs with the chest being a close third!!! Get some squats and deadlifts in there, clean and presses if you can do them with proper form!!! I can not stress enough LEGS LEGS LEGS if your trying to get big LEGS if your trying to lose weight LEGS, they SUCK they down right BLOW but are necessary! I've been training for 4 years now off and on and the last time I cut was 100 fold easier because I trained my legs and back like a mad man!

-The three NECESSITIES to my fat burn workouts are: squats, deadlifts and bench. If you break your routine up and make it much more diverse you will create a need for energy during the muscle rebuild cycle that should (proper diet). Grab from fat cells since all of the energy your taking in is getting expended directly to your workouts! Also when starting out there isn't a huge need to work biceps/triceps, throw one maybe two exercises in on chest day and back day (biceps on back triceps on chest) these workouts fire up your arms enough as it is!

-It's 3500 calories per lbs, create that deficit and even though you won't notice immediate definition you will in the long run! Keep in mind for men the absolute LAST fat you will lose is off your stomach, it will leave your face/arms/legs then your CHEST/BACK and only once it's gone everywhere else will you see your abs shine!

You have the dedication to get there!!! I can see it, just need the knowledge that is gained from HOURS and HOURS and HOURS of time reading online and analyzing your own body. Give what I said some thought and try it for a month or so it's completely eye opening when you look into what's actually going into your body and how darn efficient the body is when worked from top to bottom!

Repped

[camdensdaddy]

I've always had a problem with weight. I've tried several diets eventually settling on Atkins. First time I did it, I was 18 and lost about 20-30 pounds. It worked well for awhile, but then I went to college and lost story short, I am now 25 and at 235lbs. I graduated in August, and decided this is it - time to lose the weight and get in shape. I started working out and dieting in September. I work out 4-5 times a week and stick to the diet more or less (I cheat every 2 weeks on average, and do drink on the weekends). Since September I've managed to cut down to 227, but that seems really slow for 3 months of that regimen. The weight comes down, but then it comes back up the following week even if I cheat just once. Can anyone help me out and advise on what I should change to start losing more steadily?

Here's what I eat:

Basically keep my carbs as low as possible (under 35 a day), mostly coming from salads and alcohol. Eggs for breakfast, Meat/chicken/fish for lunch and dinner. I try to get a snack in in between the meals which is usually some almonds or other nuts. I do eat my final meal late at night (usually a chicken salad).

This is my workout routine:

Mon,Wed,Fri:
30 minutes on the elliptical
4 sets of 8 on the benchpress machine (started at 90, now at 120)
3 sets 15 on the ab machine (w/ 60 pounds of weight)
5 sets of 8 barbell curls (started w/ 40, now at 60)
4 sets of tricep pulls

Tue, Thu, Sat
40 minute of elliptical
traps: 45lb dumbells, 4 sets of 15


I understand it's probably not the most proper work out plan, but my main goal is to lose weight and gain definition. I do most of the weight lifting to speed up the metabolism, and gain some definition. I have seen visible results in muscle gain (especially biceps). I do plan on working out my lower body more in the future, but for now I just really want to cut about 20 pounds of fat. Can someone please help?

Also, I have entertained the idea of counting calories instead of carbs. I have used the calorie deficit calculator from one of the threads on the forum, and to do the 40/40/20 method and lose 2lbs a week it tells me to aim for 2000 calories a day with 780 calories of protein and carbs and 390 from fats. Would that be a more stable way to lose the fat?

1. Definitely count calories. Fat is just stored energy you've got to burn it off by expending more than you consume daily. Buy a digital food scale to measure it.
2. Generally you should shoot for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of LBM and .35-.45g of fat. Fill the rest in with whatever you like, but stay in a deficit.
3. The alcohol is probably killing your progess. Track it just like you would your food. You can still drink, but it's part of the remaining "whatever you like" listed above.
4. You need to be doing more compound lifts and/or body weight work. Look up Starting Strenght 5x5 or SL 5x5

[RedAt8k]

Thanks jeperk! I've been lurking in the shadows far too long, its good to be able to finally help those that struggle as I do!

Repped

[dasaniwater]

1. Definitely count calories. Fat is just stored energy you've got to burn it off by expending more than you consume daily. Buy a digital food scale to measure it.
2. Generally you should shoot for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of LBM and .35-.45g of fat. Fill the rest in with whatever you like, but stay in a deficit.
3. The alcohol is probably killing your progess. Track it just like you would your food. You can still drink, but it's part of the remaining "whatever you like" listed above.
4. You need to be doing more compound lifts and/or body weight work. Look up Starting Strenght 5x5 or SL 5x5

thank you very much for the tips. Will check out starting strength 2x5

[runnergrl13]

i was about to comment on the lifting routine and seems like everyone else did too.... your routine is neglecting your major muscle groups. also the same routine 3 days/week isn't going to yield results especially when it is flawed. the elliptical is cardio not a leg strengthening machine. so many people assume that cardio involving their legs is a substitute for strengthening them. it's not. squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc need to be incorporated along with stuff for your back like lat pull-downs, rows, reverse flys, etc. if you keep training the way you are not only are you not going to see results, but your going to look extremely awkward.

when you say traps what are you doing? there are 100's of exercises for traps. also why just bench, curls, traps, triceps pulls (and what do you mean by that is it on a cable machine), and ab machine? besides the major muscle groups neglected in this routine (back, legs, glutes), what about your shoulders, obliques, etc? by doing tons of chest and crunches your creating a muscular imbalance by developing the front of your and not the back that is going to lead to back problems. I agree, pull a routine off of a legit site (almost any routine will be better than what your doing currently) and follow it NOW- your going to get injured training like that.

as far as the diet goes- alcohol isn't going to help. it has 7 calories/gram- protein and carbs have 4 caloires/gram and fat has 9 calories/gram... and alcohol doesn't provide any nutrients or energy, in addition to the metabolic disturbances. diet soda is also a huge mistake. the artifical sweeteners in there has been linked to metabolic problems and other health complications. studies have even suggested they can lead to an accumulation of formaldehyde in the body. if your craving the carbonation go for a seltzer water without sweetners (i like to have a polar seltzer every once in awhile and they have some that a naturally flavored with no sugar/calories- i love them).

out of curiousity with the less than 35 carbs/day were you doing a spin off of a keto diet by chance? just wondering where you got your diet plan from. low carb diets can work (i have been on a less than 20 carb/day diet for over 4 years now, but i used it to gain weight and was recommended by a doctor b/c I have some problems with my GI system and I can't digest carbs). i agree with the comment that states a diet has to be something you can stick with. if you are constantly craving carbs and have no energy- change it. some people can sustain low carbs diets others can't. with regards to the alcohol, if it's something you can't live without try to compensate for it with your diet and drink in moderation. my brother is in college and asked me what he could do to still drink and lose his gut... i helped him with a diet to compensate for the drinking by limited carbs on the days he drinks and helped him pick lower calorie alcoholic beverages to drink (he was pounding dark beers and he switched over to clear hard booze with no sugary mixes added). beer is the absolute worst- if you need the alcohol find a lower calories option.

[dasaniwater]

i was about to comment on the lifting routine and seems like everyone else did too.... your routine is neglecting your major muscle groups. also the same routine 3 days/week isn't going to yield results especially when it is flawed. the elliptical is cardio not a leg strengthening machine. so many people assume that cardio involving their legs is a substitute for strengthening them. it's not. squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc need to be incorporated along with stuff for your back like lat pull-downs, rows, reverse flys, etc. if you keep training the way you are not only are you not going to see results, but your going to look extremely awkward.

when you say traps what are you doing? there are 100's of exercises for traps. also why just bench, curls, traps, triceps pulls (and what do you mean by that is it on a cable machine), and ab machine? besides the major muscle groups neglected in this routine (back, legs, glutes), what about your shoulders, obliques, etc? by doing tons of chest and crunches your creating a muscular imbalance by developing the front of your and not the back that is going to lead to back problems. I agree, pull a routine off of a legit site (almost any routine will be better than what your doing currently) and follow it NOW- your going to get injured training like that.

as far as the diet goes- alcohol isn't going to help. it has 7 calories/gram- protein and carbs have 4 caloires/gram and fat has 9 calories/gram... and alcohol doesn't provide any nutrients or energy, in addition to the metabolic disturbances. diet soda is also a huge mistake. the artifical sweeteners in there has been linked to metabolic problems and other health complications. studies have even suggested they can lead to an accumulation of formaldehyde in the body. if your craving the carbonation go for a seltzer water without sweetners (i like to have a polar seltzer every once in awhile and they have some that a naturally flavored with no sugar/calories- i love them).

out of curiousity with the less than 35 carbs/day were you doing a spin off of a keto diet by chance? just wondering where you got your diet plan from. low carb diets can work (i have been on a less than 20 carb/day diet for over 4 years now, but i used it to gain weight and was recommended by a doctor b/c I have some problems with my GI system and I can't digest carbs). i agree with the comment that states a diet has to be something you can stick with. if you are constantly craving carbs and have no energy- change it. some people can sustain low carbs diets others can't. with regards to the alcohol, if it's something you can't live without try to compensate for it with your diet and drink in moderation. my brother is in college and asked me what he could do to still drink and lose his gut... i helped him with a diet to compensate for the drinking by limited carbs on the days he drinks and helped him pick lower calorie alcoholic beverages to drink (he was pounding dark beers and he switched over to clear hard booze with no sugary mixes added). beer is the absolute worst- if you need the alcohol find a lower calories option.

thanks very much for the detailed response.

as far as the work out, I agree it's flawed, but I have been doing what I remember from having a trainer show me the exercises years ago. Things like squats, deadlifts were never shown to me, and I've not been doing them because I don't know how (i know that's not a good excuse). For traps, I've been doing dumbell shrugs 4 sets of 15 with 45lbs weights. To be honest, I cannot see much of a difference. Is this a good workout to start doing instead? bodybuilding DOT com/fun/plbegin.htm
Diet - I have been on and off Atkins for the last 4-5 years. For induction you are allowed 20gr carbs a day for two weeks. Then you can start increasing the amount by a little bit. the 35 gram figure is an estimate as I figured I have been eating about 15 more than on induction. I am ready to switch to counting calories instead, and according to an online calorie deficit calculator I should be eating around 2000 calories for a 2lb/week drop in weight. I understand that but seem to be having trouble understanding the protein/fat/carb breakdown. How do I pick what to eat in order to fill that quota? I'm sorry if it's an easy concept that I am not grasping. Are there any food plans that approximately fill that quota? (I searched online and was only able to find 1300-1800 calorie plans) Obviously I can't just eat away until I hit the 2000 calorie mark at night, so how do I break it down into what I need to eat?

Thank you so much for bearing with me and pointing me in the right direction. As soon as I can figure out HOW to eat within the deficit amount, I will gladly switch from the low carb plan I am on.