Weight Loss - Confused & Frustrated. Please Help

[dcorkern]

I've always been the fat kid growing up. So when my weight got up to 296lbs, I decided to make a change. March 2013, I started paying more attention to what I ate. Cut back on the fried foods, hamburgers, etc... July 1, 2013, I started the Atkins diet. Middle of October 2013, I started Insanity. Got my weight down to 255lbs. During the holidays I stopped doing Insanity, but still watched what I ate. Started doing P90X at the end of February. My weight is down to 249lbs, where it has been for the last 2 weeks. It fluctuates between 247-250lbs, but won't go any lower.

Total calorie intake roughly 1800 calories.
I loose roughly 800 calories during P90X
Daily net calorie intake 1000 - 1200

Here's what my average daily menu looks like:

Breakfast - 6:30AM
2-Quaker Low Suger Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal (240cal), 1Cup Blueberries (90cal), 1med apple (75cal), 1 Coffee (4Cal), 1 Half & Half (10Cal) = 419Cal

Snack - 9:30AM
1 - Atkins Bar (200Cal), 1 Coffee (4Cal), 1 Half & Half (10Cal) = 214Cal

Lunch - 12:30PM
4Cups of Mixed Salad Salad (120Cal), 2TBL Dressing (50Cal), 4oz of Grilled Chicken, Turkey, Shrimp, etc (150Cal) = 320Cal

Snack - 3:30PM
6oz of Strawberries, 6oz of Pineapple, 6oz of Cantaloupe = 210Cal

Supper - Sometime after P90X
Basically same as lunch = 350Cal

Snack - 8:30-9:00PM
2-3 Cups of Mango, Grapes, Cherries, etc... = 270Cal

I'm getting frustrated. I working my butt off, I can feel myself getting stronger, but the weight isn't moving. I got to looking at pre and post workout supplements instead of the high sugar fruits. I picked up some ISO 100 Whey Protein, MonsterPharm Creatine, & Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein today. I was going to start taking the Whey Protein/Creatine drink before P90X, a Whey Protein Drink afterwards, and a Whey Protein/Casein drink right before bed. Am I going the right direction? What should I be doing different. Please help.

Thanks,

Dave

[baker]

Read the stickies in the Nutrition Forum and join a gym. Also, read everything by Layne Norton and Alan Aragon. You got the attention to detail based on your post, just need to tweak a few things.

[orb85750]

Steady slow weight loss is the healthy way to go. Sounds like you have a good plan. If you can average 1-lb. weight loss per week that's great. Even 1 lb. every couple of weeks is fine. Just stick to your healthy lifestyle and be *patient.* Weighing yourself can be deceptive. My weight varies by 4-5 lbs. each day -- fluid intake, carbs, sodium all affect what the scale shows on an hourly/daily basis. You're doing fine.

[Mike Spitzer]

Dcorkern -

My experience has been that genetically cursed or metabolically challenged people who have a historically hard tine losing weight have their best results on a Low Net Carb eating plan
This means keeping NET CARBS under 5 grams at each meal.

At first glance the thing that jumps out at me as a possible block to your loss is all the sugary fruits you mention .

Think more along the lines of stuff like grilled shrimp & broccoli or jerked chicken and green beans instead of apples, blueberries, pineapples, strawberries, grapes, mangos, etc..

I recently worked with 2 older ladies in their 50s who said they had "tried everything" over the past few years with no luck.
But once they tried a Low Net Carb approach, they both lost 40 pounds in 5-6 months.

Meals included low carb tortillas, net zero bread, almonds, cheese, shaved ham & turkey, grilled chicken and shrimp, lean filet steak, green vegetables and using steamed/chopped cauliflower instead of rice for Thai or Chinese like dishes

[weiss1967]

Dcorkern -

My experience has been that genetically cursed or metabolically challenged people who have a historically hard tine losing weight have their best results on a Low Net Carb eating plan
This means keeping NET CARBS under 5 grams at each meal.

you are talking essentially Keto. I think it is a bit more involved than just low carbs. People generally freak out when I say it, but carbs shoulda be replaced with fat as a source of energy, or your "net carb" will not work. Deficit must be low enough to be comfortable, not a torture. 500 calories or even less, like 300 calories is very comfortable deficit. But then, from what I gather from OP's diet, he is missing out something somewhere, there is no way someone at 250 lbs can survive long on 1800 calories a day. I guess there is no hope for OP, until he can track his activity and calorific intake properly, no one can help him

[so-tex]

I quit reading at mostly cut down. Like one of the posters said ( I think) said use the search button or go to the nutrition section. Sorry OP, I'm not directing my anger at you.

[Keith5x5]

So you've hit a plateau. Like me.

How tall are you?

[so-tex]

So you've hit a plateau. Like me.

How tall are you?

wtf does height have anything to do with diet. If you're a plateau at where you at, adjust your diet and training. I have been asked to contribute here, but posts like these make it hard for me to.'nothing against you, but this is probably my last post here. My advice is to listen to guys like ironwill, smelly bull, doughnut and some others'tha I left out. The search function is your friend as well.

[Keith5x5]

wtf does height have anything to do with diet. If you're a plateau at where you at, adjust your diet and training. I have been asked to contribute here, but posts like these make it hard for me to.'nothing against you, but this is probably my last post here. My advice is to listen to guys like ironwill, smelly bull, doughnut and some others'tha I left out. The search function is your friend as well.

He posted his daily caloric intake and current weight. Was just curious why he's at 1800 calories.

Big difference in body mass and composition if he's tall 6'2 vs. average 5'9.

[so-tex]

He posted his daily caloric intake and current weight. Was just curious why he's at 1800 calories.

Big difference in body mass and composition if he's tall 6'2 vs. average 5'9.

Bullsh!t. Everybody is built different. 200 lbs. on a frame like mine can be totally different on a 6'2"'frame.

[dcorkern]

So you've hit a plateau. Like me.

How tall are you?

I'm 5' 11"

[crupiea]

You have a well thought put plan but obviously there is an imbalance somewhere.

I can tell that imbalance is how much you are eating in comparison to the workouts you are doing.

You need to eat a couple hundred cals more per day to correct this.

Otherwise what you will see is slight up and down fluctuations on the scale week after week. You will try to workout harder and still the scale will go up and down that same pound over and over. Then you will try to cut down your calories even more even though common sense says you shouldnt and still the damn scale wont move.

It happens to lots of us so you arent alone. A big cheat meal would not hurt either.

[Xscoot]

I am so glad I don't eat on a schedule like that anymore. Ever since I started IF along with IIFYM my obsession with food and eating went away. The problem with programs like p90x is that they are not sustainable long term and most people revert back to their old ways and gain the weight back once the novelty wears off, and it usually always does. You have to find an exercise that fits into your lifestyle. You spent your whole life being big, give it time.

Find your TDEE, reduce calories by 300-500 per day, do a full body weight training program 3x per week for about 60 minutes per. Do this consistently and there is no possible way results won't follow. If the supplements give you extra motivation and incentive to train then by all means, but in the scheme of what you are trying to accomplish they won't take the place of just being consistent.

[weiss1967]

You need to eat a couple hundred cals more per day to correct this.

Otherwise what you will see is slight up and down fluctuations on the scale week after week. You will try to workout harder and still the scale will go up and down that same pound over and over. Then you will try to cut down your calories even more even though common sense says you shouldnt and still...

It happens to lots of us ...

Exactly, eat more is golden. how is that I was dropping weight on 2700 calories a day at my 195lbs, and OP is saying he cant at 1800? I say, lets blame it on genetics

[Brackneyc]

I've always been the fat kid growing up. So when my weight got up to 296lbs, I decided to make a change. March 2013, I started paying more attention to what I ate. Cut back on the fried foods, hamburgers, etc... July 1, 2013, I started the Atkins diet. Middle of October 2013, I started Insanity. Got my weight down to 255lbs. During the holidays I stopped doing Insanity, but still watched what I ate. Started doing P90X at the end of February. My weight is down to 249lbs, where it has been for the last 2 weeks. It fluctuates between 247-250lbs, but won't go any lower.

Total calorie intake roughly 1800 calories.
I loose roughly 800 calories during P90X
Daily net calorie intake 1000 - 1200

Here's what my average daily menu looks like:

Breakfast - 6:30AM
2-Quaker Low Suger Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal (240cal), 1Cup Blueberries (90cal), 1med apple (75cal), 1 Coffee (4Cal), 1 Half & Half (10Cal) = 419Cal

Snack - 9:30AM
1 - Atkins Bar (200Cal), 1 Coffee (4Cal), 1 Half & Half (10Cal) = 214Cal

Lunch - 12:30PM
4Cups of Mixed Salad Salad (120Cal), 2TBL Dressing (50Cal), 4oz of Grilled Chicken, Turkey, Shrimp, etc (150Cal) = 320Cal

Snack - 3:30PM
6oz of Strawberries, 6oz of Pineapple, 6oz of Cantaloupe = 210Cal

Supper - Sometime after P90X
Basically same as lunch = 350Cal

Snack - 8:30-9:00PM
2-3 Cups of Mango, Grapes, Cherries, etc... = 270Cal



Dave

If you are still on this diet, go back and read the Adkins book. This^^ is a lot of things, but nowhere near an Adkins diet. Not even close. With you caloric intake, you should still be losing, but you are not doing an Adkins diet, nor is is even really low carb at all.

[orb85750]

If you are still on this diet, go back and read the Adkins book. This^^ is a lot of things, but nowhere near an Adkins diet. Not even close. With you caloric intake, you should still be losing, but you are not doing an Adkins diet, nor is is even really low carb at all.

He said that he used to be on the Atkins diet, not that he's on it now? His current diet looks pretty sensible. 1800 calories is pretty low, maybe too low if you're exercising hard. What was your caloric intake like before you started losing weight?

[Brackneyc]

He said that he used to be on the Atkins diet, not that he's on it now? His current diet looks pretty sensible. 1800 calories is pretty low, maybe too low if you're exercising hard. What was your caloric intake like before you started losing weight?

From his post, it was hard to tell if he was still following his original plan, which seemed to be working.

If he is not losing, he is consuming too many cals. He would be well served to return to what was working.

[Shredded_Wheat]

1800 cals/day is way too low for your size at 249lbs. At that low of cals your body is slowly down your metabolism which is going to make it hard to lose weight. Instead of the Atkins diet I would look at going on the SouthBeach diet. It is much healthier, I'm on it right now and steadily losing weight and have had great results with it in the past but you cannot CHEAT the first 2 weeks. No counting cals, eat till your full, just eat what is on the list. You can find at 2nd hand book store for $ 3 or so.

Also go to www.scivationbooks.com and read some of their pdf books (Great Info).

[EjnarKolinkar]

Read the stickies in the Nutrition Forum and join a gym. Also, read everything by Layne Norton and Alan Aragon. You got the attention to detail based on your post, just need to tweak a few things.

This, exactly. Don't deduct exercise calories. Makes it complicated. Use the stickies in the nutrition section.

Buy a food scale, turn approximate into specific.

Almost 1800 turns into 2800 really easily with no scale whatever diet you run, which is of course your preference OP