Breaking a plateau

[Razor X]

At the end of July, it will be three years since I started down the road to a more fit and healthy lifestyle.  While I have made tremendous strides, I am still not quite where I want to be.  I've built up muscle and lost a lot of body fat, but am still struggling to lose the love handles and get a flatter stomach.   It is much, much harder to lose a few extra pounds now than it was 10 years ago.   

This week I decided to adjust my diet again.  For the past 9 or 10 months, I've been pretty much following the Body For Life plan (equal parts of protein and carbs at each meal).   I did Atkins once, back before I started exercising, and did not lose any weight on it at all.   But having run out of ideas, I've decided to try and incorporate some of the better aspects of Atkins and BFL and see where it takes me.  I'm hoping it will give my metabolism a badly-needed jump start.

So, here's what I've been doing all week:  I've eliminated bread, potatoes and pasta from my diet entirely.   This automatically leads to an elimination of butter, since there is nothing to spread it on.  I'd been trying to use it sparingly without much success.  I've also eliminated peanut butter, which is an all-or-nothing food for me.

So, for breakfast, I've been having 6 egg whites and 3 slices of Canadian bacon (as opposed to 3 egg whites and a whole grain bagel or English muffin).

For lunch, I've been eating a large salad, with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, 1 hard-boiled egg, a bit of cheese and some chicken or turkey.  1 orange for dessert.

Dinner is chicken, turkey, or fish (beef once a week) with a green vegetable and sometimes some applesauce.

Morning and afternoon snacks are a Myoplex Lite shake.  Baby carrots to graze on throughout the day when I start to feel empty.

Evening treat (this is a really hungry time for me):  Smoothie made of 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt, 1 cup low fat milk, whey powder, and frozen blueberries. strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.

I am still working out with my trainer three times a week and twice a week on  my own - combination of weights and cardio (boxing, running, plyometrics).  I'm also signing up for a ominous-sounding class at the gym called "Boot Camp", which probably (hopefully!! is no worse than the rigorous workouts I'm getting with my trainer. 

I'm planning to stick to this regimen for about two months, and I hope I will see some positive results by then.   Advice and suggestions are welcome.

[Paul]

Great dedication Razor, you are giving it your all.     Interesting meld of diets.  Keep updates coming, always looking for something that can help me drop the weight.

[SLYinKC]

Razor, Your diet and your dedication to fitness and nutrition sound pretty impressive.  I am continually trying myself to keep the weight under control and would really like to increase the muscle while decreasing the fat.  So far I am only trying to watch my diet, keep excess fat intake under control, and to keep a somewhat limited workout schedule at home.   I just seems that life with a family and 2 kids does not allow for the time I know that I need to dedicate to really get on top of things.

Right now I am trying to get about 10 pounds off and to see a little more muscle definition.

It sounds like you have been at this for awhile.  What kind of success and results have you seen so far?  I'd be interested to hear what has been the most successful elements of your fitness routine.  What has worked and what hasn't.

[Razor X]

It sounds like you have been at this for awhile.  What kind of success and results have you seen so far?  I'd be interested to hear what has been the most successful elements of your fitness routine.  What has worked and what hasn't.

When I started I was at 28% body fat.  The last time it was measured (abotut 2-3 months ago), it was down to 19%.  I'd like to get it down to about 15% but it has been very slow going.  I'll get measured again in about 2 more months, to give my current diet regimen a chance to work.   My waist size has gone down from 36" to 32" - 34" depending on the cut of the pants.  I have a closet full of 31" pants that I'd love to get back into.  I can squeeze into some of them, but they are not comfortable.  I don't know if 31" is a realistic goal at my age.  If I can hold it at 32", I can live with that.   

The scale has not budged much at all.  That has been really frustrating for me at times.  I know part of it is because I've built up some muscle, but it is still a psychological blow to step on the scale and not see the numbers going down.  For that reason, I don't weigh myself very often anymore.

I think the weight training has been the most important aspect of what I've done so far.  I am basically a couch potato by nature and was always exercise-averse.   The weights are what help you change your body shape and building muscle helps to rev up the metabolism and burn more fat.

Dietwise, eating six small meals a day has really helped a lot -- it keeps me from crashing and then overindulging at the next meal.  The Myoplex shakes are a godsend to use for two of the six meals because they can be prepared in a couple of minutes, taken to the office, and are the right balance of protein, carbs, fat, etc.  Takes a lot of the guesswork out of it.  It is difficult trying to come up with a variety of healthy things to eat, especially when you need to grab something on the go.

One thing I have learned is that restricting calories too much can be counter-productive because the body goes into starvation mode and the metabolism starts to shut down.  I learned that lesson the hard way.  I lost about 40 pounds about 10 years ago through diet alone and kept it all off about five years.  Then I got a little slack in the diet, the pounds came back and it has been a nightmare getting rid of them ever since.  All the years of yo-yo dieting finally caught up with me.  My biggest regret  is that I didn't start on an exercise program when I got those 40 pounds off.  But I was convinced then that exercise wasn't necessary, that I could control it through diet alone, and nobody could convince me otherwise.

I have done pretty well this go-around, but it has been a long haul.  I tend to be a perfectionist and I tend to beat myself up for not being at my goal by now.   At one time, I would have been thrilled to be where I am now, but after all this hard work, I want washboard abs, dammit!!   

I hear you about trying to find the time to squeeze a workout into an already hectic schedule.   Since you probably don't have time to go to a gym, I'd suggest that you invest in some dumbbells; you can work out at home with them and they will give you the most bang for your buck.  Start out with a weight that's just out of your comfort zone, and then get some heavier ones once that becomes too easy.  The Abs Diet book has some great diet advice and the second half of the book shows you how to do pretty much any gym exercise at home using the dumbbells:

http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/

[SLYinKC]

Sounds like a great goal.  I'm about 6 foot and until about 2 years ago I was still wearing the same size pants that did in high school. (34" waist).  I still have some 34" waist pants that I can wear, but they are few.  I have pretty much resigned myself to 36" waist pants , since they are so much more comfortable and they don't make me look like I trying to sqeeze into them.

Most of my exercise routine has been cardio type.  I have a set of weights in my basement that I dig out every couple of months.  I going to try to incorporate more of them into my workout.

[Jay]

COngrats!

You have made some fantastic progress.

[Razor X]

A quick update - after almost three weeks, I think I'm finally starting to see a difference.  I haven't been on the scale, nor do I plan to because it just doesn't seem to be a reliable gauge for me.  The last time I weighed myself it said I'd gained 15 pounds in one week.   But I am noticing a difference when I look in the mirror and my clothing seems a little looser.

[BALDANDRE]

Awesome dude!

I've found, my body is actually liking my slight hiatis (not because of my doing...getting our house ready to sell)...so i've noticed when i do get a chance to workout, my body is responding to it better..

it'll be cool to one day get back to the 4 day-5 day schedule (i'm thinking real soon), with the results I've already gotten and because i've stayed relatively lean (for me)...i should see some results faster than normal...

I hope!

[Razor X]

After three weeks on this regimen, I thought I could see the beginnings of some positive results.  Now after four weeks, I am sure of it.  The fat just seems to have melted away this week.  I can actually see some definition in my abs and my stomach is flatter than I can ever remember it.   The obliques are looking better, too but still need some more work.  They have always been the most difficult area, so I expect them to be the last holdouts.

I've been on this plateau for a very long time, and no matter what I did diet or exercise-wise, it just wouldn't seem to budge.   Finally, I seem to have found something that works.  I can't tell you how good that feels!

[RichardN.]

Congratulations!!  Keep up the good work!

[SLYinKC]

Congratulations, RazorX.  You'll have those washboard abs in no time!!!