Need Help

Fitseeker

Hello boards.

Since about june I've started up the gym again and decided to eat healthy in a bid to lose weight (fat). My current stats are as follows:
Height: 6'1''
Weight: ~88kgs (seems to hover around this on the scales lately)

I basically am looking for advice with regards to cardio and diet. I've been trying to read as much as I can over the past few weeks but the internet is a big place, and there are so many conflicting articles and opinions I feel a bit lost

I currently go to the gym around 5-6 times a week. Typical weights routine would be:
day 1: Chest + abs
day 2 : Back + deadlift
day 3: triceps + shoulders
day 4: biceps + squats + abs

For the past couple of weeks I've been using a treadmill for cardio at the end of workouts, usually running 5km or 30mins mostly on flat but with occasional stretches on incline. I can do this pretty much every day, but having read more about it, I'm starting to wonder about the usefulness of it. People have been telling me I'm more likely to burn muscle than fat running on a treadmill, I've also read articles which seem to indicate cardio like what I'm doing can make you more likely to put on fat Confusing.

I'm not entirely sure what my maintenance calories are for the day but as far as I know I've been eating at a deficit, at least I've tried to cut down alot on what I'm taking in. Typically I'll have two scrambelled eggs for breakfast with either a tin of tuna, or two slices of bacon. After my workout I'll drink a protein shake (usually two scoops), and then I generally won't eat anything until dinner. I still live at home so my mother prepares this.. The meals are often pretty carb heavy, e.g. roast potatoes+chicken+brocolli, beef lasagne, Wedges + fish+ sweetcorn/peas etc.

That's all background information I guess. My problem right now in a nutshell is I seem to have plateau'd in all aspects of training. I don't seem to be losing weight (fat), even with increased exercise, and I'm not really making any ground with my weights training. E.G. My max rep on chest has been stuck at the same level for weeks now even though I'm working out chest 1-2 a week.

Hmmm this doesn't really read well, that said any advice would be welcome.

cmyk

Fitseeker wrote: »

I'm not entirely sure what my maintenance calories are for the day but as far as I know I've been eating at a deficit, at least I've tried to cut down alot on what I'm taking in.

Hi fitseeker, this is probably the crux of your problem. You need to get some rough idea of what sort of volume of calories you're taking in.

I'd guess your maintenance at between 2300 - 3000, the latter end being a pretty active job.

If you were overeating and have now cut down on intake and are keeping your weight stable, chances are you've simply cut back to maintenance calories.

Sites and apps like fitday.com or myfitnesspal can be useful for tracking calories for a day or two to get some idea of what you're eating.

squod

Bulk then cut. Sounds like you're doing both at once.