Need some advice

[psalms1441]

I have been dieting now for 6 and a half weeks and I have stalled I have lost 29lbs going from 267 and around 30-32% bf now I'm 238 around 23% bf and those are guesstations. I'm not new to diet and exercise as I have started in 1997 however I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and went on a different med and lost all motivation quit working out quit dieting and didn't do anything for a year and a half started working out again last April still gained weight for a total of 87lbs! Found out that the med caused severe weight gain so I'm off that med now on something different and have been training and dieting like I know how. The problem is I've never had more than 15 lbs to lose. So here is what I've done up to this point.


My maintanence at 267 was 3100 cals so I started my diet at 2250 cals and over the last 6 weeks have cut them down to 2100 cals I've been powerbuilding so I'm doing a mixture of heavy weight In the 1-5 rep range with a mixture of 6-15 reps on my assistance exercises I've been able to maintain my strength levels and have increased on some exercises like bb rows and squat and I've have done 45-55 mins of cardio in 43 of 46 days.

So do I continue to decrease cals? Btw ice been having 1 cheat meal a week of about 1000 cals. Do I refeed for a couple days to reset metabolism? Another thing my carbs started at 220g to 184g? So do I decrease carbs further? Any help would be awesome.

Thanks

[StrateSavage]

I'd start with just cutting out the cheat meal... That 1000 calories could be making a difference. As far as calories tho, at 238, i wouldnt cut calories much lower.. maybe try increasing the intensity of your workouts or maybe some added cardio? If anything, just try slowly adjusting the calories by say 100 each week, and see what that does.. As far as carbs, feel free to decrease those. Best thing is finding what works best for YOU. So if you can do without a few carbs and it breaks the plateau, id say go for it

[psalms1441]

I'd start with just cutting out the cheat meal... That 1000 calories could be making a difference. As far as calories tho, at 238, i wouldnt cut calories much lower.. maybe try increasing the intensity of your workouts or maybe some added cardio? If anything, just try slowly adjusting the calories by say 100 each week, and see what that does.. As far as carbs, feel free to decrease those. Best thing is finding what works best for YOU. So if you can do without a few carbs and it breaks the plateau, id say go for it

So I should keep my cals at 2100 and reduce to carbs to say 100g or so? I don't think I can add in more cardio cuz I'm al ready doing 45 mins 3 days a week and another 55-60 mins 4 days a week. I play racquetball for 35-40 mins and then do another 20 mins of SS right after 4 days a week. The racquetball is basically HIIT as it brings your heart rate way up and then brings it back down the entire time.

[thrshr01]

It looks like you started out with too much of a deficit to begin with. I would say change your whole outlook on your diet and do not incorporate any "cheat" meals. Eat the food you like but stay within your caloric limit for the day. Cheat meals are just binges and will ruin your diet and the way you see food - it's unhealthy. I suggest you refeed.

You're also doing waaaay too much cardio, you need to cut back on that (no more than 20 min/day). Get on a solid and proven program like Wendler's 531 or SS.