help....burnout

[govols17]

i'm burning out bad. i've been measuring my food and eating the perfect diet for 6 weeks now. I've lost 6 good pounds. I'm 5'10" and now 160 pounds. I used to weigh 205 so i've been off and on dieting for just under a year. I was planning on clean bulking in like 3-4 weeks. the only reason i'm waiting is that i know i will not get any leaner or lost bf% while i do it so i have to look at myself the way i am in the mirror every day. i figured a few more pounds would help me. but i'm burning out bad. the cravings are getting awful and i'm getting more and more hungry everyday. i had my cheat meal last night, 2nd one in 6 weeks and it didn't keep me sane, it made me want more. what should i do? got any motivation? or should i just start my bulk now? i want to see those abs but this is getting hard. i'm at like 11% i think.

[turbos10]

I know for myself personally it takes a good cheat meal once a least once a week. I have not been doing it near as long as you, and I am sure I will get to the point I get burned out. If you are hungry all the time I would start eating a little bit more slowly and go into a clean bulk. If you have been dieting for close to a year then it is likely your metabolism is slowed and your body has adjusted. If you up your calories slowly for a week or two and stay there for a month and do a clean bulk, it could spark your metablism.

Personally, I am hardly ever hungry for long before it is time to eat again. I am eating between 2200 and 2600 calories/ day and loosing at a lb/week. However, I only started this 4 weeks ago so I am still responding well.

I would be curious to see what kind of workouts you are doing and what your diet looks like. You might be able to make some changes to help with the hunger and spark fat loss again.

[govols17]

i'm eating about 2000 calories a day at a 30/50/20 ratio carb/pro/fat, and then once every 4 days i have a 2700 calorie day of 50/30/20. i'm eating oats, chicken breast, tuna, whole wheat bread, veggies, fruit, nothing bad ever. i'm on a 3 day split with chest/back/abs, shoulders/tris/bis, and legs. and cardio about 5 times a week, usually 3 HIIT, and then just 3 miles the other 2 days.

[skelooth]

next time you're craving bad food / extra calories, go stand in a full body mirror and jiggle your fat around, pinch your love handles, look at your profile.... etc....

[turbos10]

I am a big fan of doing a better weight workout and concentrating on building and working muscle. I would move to a 4 day split - chest/tri,back/bi,shoulders/traps, legs. With that workout you want to do 4 excercises for all major muscle groups and two for the small muscle groups. Reps should be 8-12 range. If you are not already doing a workout similiar to this it will really take a toll on you for a few weeks, but if you do that in combination with a clean bulk, you should see some strength and size gains. I have done alot more research on workouts than diet in the past and this is what I have come up with as the best overall split and excercise/rep range.

I would also increase your calorie intake on workout days. You need a good meal before and after workout to make sure you keep muscles fueled. I am 187 right now and I eat around 2600 calories on workout days. I have great intensity in my workouts and have been making strength gains since starting my cutting diet. I have been very particular to eat oats and fruit both before and after workout along with 60g protein each time. Gaining strength assures me I am not loosing mass and I am loosing at 1lb/week.

I would bet if you make a 6 week lean bulk and start cutting again after that, you would spark the fat loss again.

[govols17]

thanks boys, that's what i was wanting to hear, great advice