Help: Can't lose weight

[Nealxs]

Hello all, first time post.

I really struggle to lose weight despite working hard at it. I'll explain.

I'm 32, 5'7 and lost about 4/4.5 stone in the past two and a half years. I'm now 12 st 6. I do a mixture of cardio (hour cross trainer 950kcal) every other day, weights on the alternative days 4-6 times a week. I bench 2x36kg dumbells, 3 sets of 10. Other weights are in line with these. I have been exercising and upping my cardio time/weights for about a year a half. Weight has not changed much at all.

Diet
I eat fruit and fibre cereal for breakfast and lunch, normal dinner normally knocking out the carbs totally which has helped a little of late. I am wise with my food choice with little/no drinking of alcohol, no covert ways of adding on calories.

I have always lacked a metabolism like most people have! I've been a porker all my life but getting the weight off and some pride in my body has been great. However, just a week or so off the exercise and 10 weeks of progression is lost. The frustration is that I am so close but little seems to be helping. I know my muscle mass has increased and fat decreased, but it seems to be taking an eternity to get the last stone or so off.

Anyone got any ideas of routines, diet or such that will help burn off the fat and allow the muscles I have to become cut and shapely? I'm not in to taking vast quantities of supplements. I do use pure whey, and creatine just lately. I am not going to the world's strongest man look, just a defined level of muscle.

[Dan Masey]

I can offer some advice with regards to diet. Your 12 st 6 at the moment, so what would be your ideal weight?

[Nealxs]

Thanks Dan, it would be great. I would sat 11st 6 would be good with a much lower body fat percentage. I try and limit the calories (cereal breakfast and lunch) but someone with more experience would be good. I do put in the cardio work as you can see.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Quote

I have been exercising and upping my cardio time/weights for about a year a half. Weight has not changed much at all.

That's one possible cause right there! Long duration cardio is counterproductive to weight loss and probably not ideal for health or fitness either. Try knocking cardio on the head altogether and concentrate on your weight-training (keeping sessions short but intense). Brisk walking for about 30 minutes 2-3 times per week would be more productive than hour-long sessions of cardio if you feel the need to do something other than weights.

Quote

Diet
I eat fruit and fibre cereal for breakfast and lunch, normal dinner normally knocking out the carbs totally which has helped a little of late. I am wise with my food choice with little/no drinking of alcohol, no covert ways of adding on calories.

There's your second problem - and you have even suggested the solution! Cereals for breakfast are not the best source of calories or nutrition. Reduce the carbs overall and substitute protein and fat - even at breakfast.

Be aware that fat loss is always easiest and quickest at the beginning then begins to stall as you get closer to your target. The body does not like to give up its last reserves of fat easily. This is the point at which you have to be patient and persevere.

[Nealxs]

Thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

I am just concerned that, with my lack of metabolism, that knocking cardio on the head will be counter productive. However, I will give a reduction a go.
I'd not really thought of fruit and fibre as a carb intake, so thanks for that. Again, it was all based on something low calorie to help weight loss. I am the kind of person that puts on weight looking at food, so I am not your average chap who can train and eat lots like most of the chaps I know from the gym. I am willing to try change as it clearly isn't working at the moment.

[emma1903]

what calories are you on at the moment, your calories could be too low.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

You don't 'lack a metabolism' - the only people who lack a metabolism are wearing toe tags, lying under sheets on slabs in mortuaries!

You may have an overly efficient metabolism (not a 'slow' one - 'fast' and 'slow' are misleading terms when applied to metabolism). Or you may have hormonal imbalances that predispose you to storing more of the energy you metabolise from food as fat.

[Clogs65]

Have a look at Body of Fire by Chad Waterbury. His plan will not only give you a 12/16 week workout, but he will also give you nutritional guidelines. I lost 2 stone this way in 12 weeks and got a much better definition as the plan ramped the weights up from 10 RPM to 6 RPM in circuit format with hardly a rest inbetween (maximum 30 secs) on weights days and increased the interval training on Bodyweight days (non-stop on the BW exercises).

[Kazuya]

if u dont fancy meat for breakfast swap the cereal for some porridge with flaxseed banana and crushed almonds/walnuts
:-)

[Dolphinski]

One reason why your metabolism is acting ineffieciently (or efficiently as your body sees it!) is that your body has adapted to the constant calorie deficit in your diet so is doing it's best to keep you at the weight you are. There are a couple of ways around this, one is to increase your calories back to maintenance for a few weeks, which will basically reset a load of hormones like leptin, ghrelin, testosterone, as well as your metabolism and will let you start losing weight again when you resume your cut. Another way round it is to introduce a refeed, which is where you overcompensate calories in a controlled manner for a short time to raise the aformentioned hormones temporarily. Refeeds can be tricky to negotiate for people that have had eating disorders or can't control binging very well so tread carefully and be disciplined.