Frustrated and Defeated

slingerz

Hi all,

I am frustrated and defeated by years of attempting to lose weight and become leaner/trimmer.

I am currently 6ft tall male weighing 98.4 kg and with a body fat 5 of approx 26-29%

I have tried following the Educogym plan and while i went to 94kg (after 6 months) the only thing that really felt lighter was my wallet.

I have read all I can read both on here and other internet sites/books and have not seen any results. I have followed the calculators that used to be on here to work out the caolries needed per day and when compared with what I was eating I was well below, yet nothing changed.

I have attended both doctors and dieticans and they have been unable to point out a single thing that i was doing to inhibit weight loss.

Just this past year I have been training at a very high intensity between 3 and 4 times each week and the lightest I got too was 95.4 kg.

How is it that I cannot shift this weight that I am carrying? If I could drop just 8.4kg I would be relatively content with myself.

I have tried using protein shakes as meal replacements, using the fat burner supplements available to compliments my exercise and diet and nothing.

The only diet I havent tried is ingesting tapeworms! There has got to be somethign that I can do to shift this excess and make myself leaner.

Can anybody help out there

Hanley

There is no way you're doomed to carry weight forever. You're doing SOMETHING wrong, it's just a case of identifying what that is.

Have you figured out your minimum kcal needs using the harris benedict equation? (usually bodyweight in lb x12 gives a good approximation of total kcals needed for a diet)

Have you weighed and measured your food before putting it into the kcal tracking websites to make sure you're doing it right?

Do you know what split your eating in protein/carbs/fat daily?

Do you think you could go 2 weeks being truly strict on your diet and not eating a single cheat meal at all?

What did you eat and drink yesterday? What about today? (include everything)

slingerz

Hanley wrote: »

There is no way you're doomed to carry weight forever. You're doing SOMETHING wrong, it's just a case of identifying what that is.

Have you figured out your minimum kcal needs using the harris benedict equation? (usually bodyweight in lb x12 gives a good approximation of total kcals needed for a diet)

Have you weighed and measured your food before putting it into the kcal tracking websites to make sure you're doing it right?

Do you know what split your eating in protein/carbs/fat daily?

Do you think you could go 2 weeks being truly strict on your diet and not eating a single cheat meal at all?

What did you eat and drink yesterday? What about today? (include everything)

Thank you for your reply Hanley.

To answer your questions, I have done all of what you've outlined above, I've counted the calories and often had a very sizeable defecit in what was required and what I have eaten.

I have often gone two weeks wthout a cheat meal, I did it regularly while at Educogym while listening to stories of how people had lost a stone in that time yet for me the most I ever lost was 2lbs.

I have kept a food diary for long periods of time time and have shown these to dieticians and doctors and they have only advised of minor tweaks like add an apple here or have a banana instead of that but nothing sizeable to make a difference.

For example yesterday was Porridge, soup + brown wholemeal bread, yoghurt and 2 eggs witha slice of toast which was followed by an hour and a half in the gym.

Today has been porridge so far.

I've gone the route of increasing lean muscle in order to burn fat and despite lifting more weights than you'd care to imagine as well as taking protein shakes to beat the band there was no effect there either.

The lack of any noticeable or even mildly motivating results is what makes this so frustrating and demotivating

Hanley

Alright… I know you’ve said you have read everything and tried everything, and maybe you’re just coming across wrong, but your basic comprehension of what you need to do, and how everything integrates together is miles off.

Protein shakes on their own will do nothing. They’re a small part of a much larger plan.

Your current diet is pretty terrible - it’s all carbs and barely any protein and healthy fats, both of which are absolutely crucial when it comes to weight loss.

It may be what you’ve been “advised” to do, but most common wisdom in regards diet and fat loss is wildly off the mark.

Re: the gym - you potentially spend 4.5 - 7.5 hours there per week, that leaves over 160 hours during the rest of the week unaccounted for. That’s where the battle is won and lost with weight loss. I was off training all last week injured and still managed to continue to lose fat because I was incredibly dedicated with my diet.

I’m not saying you’re not dedicated, I’m just saying that it sounds like you’re placing your faith in the wrong advice, busting your a55 and getting nowhere. So it’s pretty understandable that you’d be discouraged.

slingerz

Hanley wrote: »

Alright… I know you’ve said you have read everything and tried everything, and maybe you’re just coming across wrong, but your basic comprehension of what you need to do, and how everything integrates together is miles off.

Protein shakes on their own will do nothing. They’re a small part of a much larger plan.

Your current diet is pretty terrible - it’s all carbs and barely any protein and healthy fats, both of which are absolutely crucial when it comes to weight loss.

It may be what you’ve been “advised” to do, but most common wisdom in regards diet and fat loss is wildly off the mark.

Re: the gym - you potentially spend 4.5 - 7.5 hours there per week, that leaves over 160 hours during the rest of the week unaccounted for. That’s where the battle is won and lost with weight loss. I was off training all last week injured and still managed to continue to lose fat because I was incredibly dedicated with my diet.

I’m not saying you’re not dedicated, I’m just saying that it sounds like you’re placing your faith in the wrong advice, busting your a55 and getting nowhere. So it’s pretty understandable that you’d be discouraged.

What would you advise so? I was always told by everyone that Porridge was an excellent choice for breakfast and that wholemeal brown bread was excellent. I'm not sure what Soup would be categorised under but I dont think its the worst in the world either and the eggs with toast is a blend of protein and carbs.

You've hit the nail on the head that by busitng a gut and getting nowhere is pretty discouraging alright

Wollwead

The following is what works for me in terms of fat loss (and I still have a bit to go on that front). I posted this on another thread:



I've given up the porridge with a view to taking a more primal approach with my diet.

Things I generally squeeze in my daily diet would be:
Homemade smoothies:
Coconut Oil (Tea Spoon), (Full Fat) 400ML Coconut Milk, linseed/flaxseed (TBL spoon) and berries + scoop or 2 of protein whey, throw them in a blender/smoothie maker and you're good to go, keeps hunger at bay for hours! I'd probably have this maybe once or twice per week for my breakfast or for lunch sometimes. Just chill the coconut milk tin in the freidge for a couple of hours before hand or overnight.

Omlettes, omlettes, omlettes...lash them into ya like there's no tomorrow. With bacon, mushrooms, peppers, parmesan cheese, goats cheese, chicken or plain if you like. Don't be afraid to use 3 or 4 eggs if hungry. I usually have omlettes with a mixed salad.
Scrambled eggs is another option.

Chicken breast/steak/bacon/fish with mixed veggies, stir fries.

Egg plant based home made pizza.

For snacks maybe a tea spoon or 2 of almond butter, handful of macadamia nuts. Loads of goodness there! The nut butters and the nuts have a hoooooooooooggggggeee impact on my energy levels. Speaking of energy levels have a look at making your own paleo bars, they're bleeeeeediiinnnn lovely! Transform's (he regularly posts around these parts) web-site should have it some where if you search for it: www.dominicmunnelly.ie or check this out www.marksdailyapple.com

I feel sooo much better since i've been eating like this loads more energy no bloating or any of that jazz either!
Hope this helps.

Oh, oh, oh, and dark chocolate, darker the better baby! go 70% plus. Put this in in place of your mini twix. I don't eat the usual sugar laden chocolate anymore and stick with the darker stuff.

Niall0

slingerz wrote: »

For example yesterday was Porridge, soup + brown wholemeal bread, yoghurt and 2 eggs witha slice of toast which was followed by an hour and a half in the gym.

Is that a whole days food? doesnt seem like a lot. Low fat high carb diets are boring and not satisfying as Mr T says "get some nuts" Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Pecans. Almond butter is awesome.
If your trying to change your diet for wieght loss make small changes with a view to changing your lifestyle . Change one element at a time and find good food that you enjoy eating. More protein and fats will make you feel fuller and have more benefits for you than carbs. Not that carbs are evil or anything but people often eat a tonne of carbs on low fat diets.