365 days - little or no progress

Calculon1982

Hey Folks,

I have been training pretty consistently for the last 12 months mixing both cardio and weight training. However, in the last two months I have completely switched to full time strength training as I have not been getting the muscle build and toning I wanted.

First off let me give a bit of background on myself. I am six foot and of a broad build. 5 years ago my weight was 18 stone – mostly fat – and through weightwatchers I got it down to 15 and have stayed there ever since and therefore have an understanding of portion control etc. I have tried to get down to 14 but couldn’t get the scales to go any lower. So at that plateau I hit the gym hard doing five 1 hour sessions a week with a mixture of spin, boxing, running and weight training. While my fitness certainly improved I saw little or no change in body shape and unfortunately I still carry all that excess skin from my 18 stone days so when I sit down I look like Jabba the hut – rack and all. But when standing I’m not too bad. I am a 33inch waste which little or no overhand unless I slouch. Don’t get me wrong I am not happy at 15 and would try anything to get to 14. So starting mid Jan of this year I went on the protein shakes (begin shaking head in disappointment) using the Promax Lean Definition powder. I have it for breakfast and lunch and then I have a reasonable meal in the evening time. My training takes place at lunch time so I have the shake after that. I am following the 5x5 body building programme and have certainly increased the total I can lift/squat etc. following the programme in that time. However I really thought I would drop some fat but the truth is I have gone up to 15 st 6 lbs now and while I realise this is muscle growth I had hoped that the fat loss accompanying this would balance the two out more or less but 6 lbs seems extreme to me in 6-8 weeks no? I’m terrified that I am just piling on the weight with no visible results definition wise on my body – except maybe a bit on my arms when I flex.

Anyway I started running again last night and was surprised considering how long it’s been since I ran that I knocked out 5k without too much trouble. I realise this doesn’t seem much to most people but I have never been a natural runner and it literally hurts my whole body from start to finish. This includes shoulder pains, chest pains and numerous stitches throughout the entirety of the run.

So at the end of all that I guess my question is after 12 months with little or no visible results what is it gonna take. Do I need to go back to the drawing board and go on a massive diet, lose all muscle gained over the last 12 months as a result and hope that I can start again should by some miracle I get down to 14 stone. At least then my muscle definition might be a little visible.

I realise my diet is by no means perfect and especially during the six nations I am putting away upwards of 20 pints a weekend away. But on a regular weekend I might not drink at all.

I realise I have meandered quite a bit here so please forgive me for that.
Any and all advice, criticism is welcome as I obviously have not been successful myself.

Thanks.

papu

Calculon1982 wrote: »

Hey Folks,

I have been training pretty consistently for the last 12 months mixing both cardio and weight training. However, in the last two months I have completely switched to full time strength training as I have not been getting the muscle build and toning I wanted.

First off let me give a bit of background on myself. I am six foot and of a broad build. 5 years ago my weight was 18 stone – mostly fat – and through weightwatchers I got it down to 15 and have stayed there ever since and therefore have an understanding of portion control etc. I have tried to get down to 14 but couldn’t get the scales to go any lower. So at that plateau I hit the gym hard doing five 1 hour sessions a week with a mixture of spin, boxing, running and weight training. While my fitness certainly improved I saw little or no change in body shape and unfortunately I still carry all that excess skin from my 18 stone days so when I sit down I look like Jabba the hut – rack and all. But when standing I’m not too bad. I am a 33inch waste which little or no overhand unless I slouch. Don’t get me wrong I am not happy at 15 and would try anything to get to 14. So starting mid Jan of this year I went on the protein shakes (begin shaking head in disappointment) using the Promax Lean Definition powder. I have it for breakfast and lunch and then I have a reasonable meal in the evening time. My training takes place at lunch time so I have the shake after that. I am following the 5x5 body building programme and have certainly increased the total I can lift/squat etc. following the programme in that time. However I really thought I would drop some fat but the truth is I have gone up to 15 st 6 lbs now and while I realise this is muscle growth I had hoped that the fat loss accompanying this would balance the two out more or less but 6 lbs seems extreme to me in 6-8 weeks no? I’m terrified that I am just piling on the weight with no visible results definition wise on my body – except maybe a bit on my arms when I flex.

Anyway I started running again last night and was surprised considering how long it’s been since I ran that I knocked out 5k without too much trouble. I realise this doesn’t seem much to most people but I have never been a natural runner and it literally hurts my whole body from start to finish. This includes shoulder pains, chest pains and numerous stitches throughout the entirety of the run.

So at the end of all that I guess my question is after 12 months with little or no visible results what is it gonna take. Do I need to go back to the drawing board and go on a massive diet, lose all muscle gained over the last 12 months as a result and hope that I can start again should by some miracle I get down to 14 stone. At least then my muscle definition might be a little visible.

I realise my diet is by no means perfect and especially during the six nations I am putting away upwards of 20 pints a weekend away. But on a regular weekend I might not drink at all.

I realise I have meandered quite a bit here so please forgive me for that.
Any and all advice, criticism is welcome as I obviously have not been successful myself.

Thanks.

You mention some shakes and diet but no real specifics , you need to keep track of your caloric intake and how this breaks down in terms of Protein carbs fats. Without the right amount of protein it's going to be next to impossible to make significant gains. Building muscle also takes much much much longer than losing fat.

Calculon1982

Thanks Papu.

Here is a link to the shake I am taking -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maximuscle-Promax-Strawberry-Definition-packaging/dp/B000OC0EFK

Secondly for example my dinner last night consisted of chicken breast, 1 rasher, 20g cheese, broccoli, turnip and potato.

Alf Veedersane

Go to MyFitnessPal, put in what you eat and how much of it you eat for a typical day. Including shakes. That'll give you what your calorie intake is and what the carb/protein/fat split is.

Calculon1982

Ok I've done that.

Totals 1,626 103 52 147 1,149 29
Your Daily Goal 1,870 257 62 70 2,500 37
Remaining 244 154 10 -77 1,351 8

Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar

Sorry that has not copied very well.

papu

Well you can see there , You're in even more of a caloric deficit than you think. I assume you put weight loss in as the goal.

Alf Veedersane

papu wrote: »

Well you can see there , You're in even more of a caloric deficit than you think. I assume you put weight loss in as the goal. You're also lacking a large amount of protein. Without the calories and the protein you aren't going to make very much muscle no matter how hard you train.

147 gm of protein, no?

papu

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

147 gm of protein, no?

Yeah sorry I derped , the alignment threw me off!

generic2012

Calculon1982 wrote: »

Totals 1,626 103 52 147 1,149 29
Your Daily Goal 1,870 257 62 70 2,500 37
Remaining 244 154 10 -77 1,351 8

Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar

At a body weight of 216lbs, height of 6 foot, age of 32 and 'moderate' activity levels, you have a calorie maintenance of 3,162. Going by how when you filled out the calculator and the fact that you managed to put on 6 pounds while at an energy deficit I presume your biggest problem is being honest with yourself about your diet, not the brand of protein powder you use.

Hanley

Here's a little tool I built which should help you out and explain the entire process; revolutionfitness.ie/opmacrocalculator/

Hanley

BAH.

Here; http://www.revolutionfitness.ie/opmacrocalculator/

davyjose

Hanley wrote: »

BAH.

Here; http://www.revolutionfitness.ie/opmacrocalculator/

Nice job, man.

Calculon1982

generic2012 wrote: »

At a body weight of 216lbs, height of 6 foot, age of 32 and 'moderate' activity levels, you have a calorie maintenance of 3,162. Going by how when you filled out the calculator and the fact that you managed to put on 6 pounds while at an energy deficit I presume your biggest problem is being honest with yourself about your diet, not the brand of protein powder you use.

Believe me I am last guy who is delusional about his food intake. We are talking about an obsessive food diary guy here. But I take your point the figures just don't make sense to me. I feel like I am doing everything right but I am unable to burn the fat off while maintaining my muscle development. So basically I end up with decent muscle drowned in inches of excess skin and fat. Like I said though that calorie example is from a typical Monday but if I did that for a weekend (like this one coming) with the six nations on I'll easily put away upwards of 4000 extra cals.

I mean lets be honest unless I am a defined, huge rugby player your average guy should not be 15 stone. Even factoring in the last 12 months muscle growth I have to still be carrying at least 20 pounds too much fat. Which I have been trying to shift for years but will just not budge.

Calculon1982

Hanley wrote: »

BAH.

Here; http://www.revolutionfitness.ie/opmacrocalculator/

This looks very impressive. I'll definately utilise it.

Cheers.

Calculon1982

If I can ask starting from today with an 8 month goal what program would you guys follow with the goal to burn 14 pounds of fat - mainly around torso - while increasing muscle mass?

My 5x5 regime incorporates olympic squats, barbell rows, military press, bench press as well as some tricep and abdominal exercises.

All with gradual increases in weight over time.

I will continue to do at least 2 5km runs per week.

Is there anything I could incorporate to my weight lifting that would accerate fat burn?

generic2012

Calculon1982 wrote: »

If I can ask starting from today with an 8 month goal what program would you guys follow with the goal to burn 14 pounds of fat - mainly around torso - while increasing muscle mass?

Is there anything I could incorporate to my weight lifting that would accerate fat burn?

Consume less calories than you expend, you will increase muscle mass if the weights you lift are increasing but it mightn't be much.

Thud

Calculon1982 wrote: »

for a weekend (like this one coming) with the six nations on I'll easily put away upwards of 4000 extra cals.

This is probably your problem, i'm guessing you do this more than the odd weekend?
Fill in the MFP for a full month including these weekends and then reassess

kevpants

Calculon1982 wrote: »

If I can ask starting from today with an 8 month goal what program would you guys follow with the goal to burn 14 pounds of fat - mainly around torso - while increasing muscle mass?

This is your problem. Make it a 2 year goal. The next 6-8 months are about fat loss. Then you can assess and think about muscle gaining. In 2 years time you can have the definition etc that you seek but you currently have no plan. Hanley's excel sheet is excellent, use it to establish your daily calorie target and try to eat close to it consistently. Weight will come off.

I understand you're keen to build attractive muscles but you can't serve two masters. Increasing your lifting numbers and buidling muscle isn't going to do much for your appearance if you're carrying as much fat as you say.

A 5x5 program demands quite a bit of eating to maintain progress etc so it's a bad fit to be honest. You can absolutely squat, bench and deadlift but don't expect much if any gains while you're losing fat.

All this advice is with your appearance in mind because that seems to be what's getting you down.

In a nutshell my advice is to be patient. Lose weight, it takes time. Unfortunately the next few months will suck massive balls but it's penance for the pints and chips I'm afraid. Has to be done if you want to undo it. In the future you'll have the platform to gain muscle mass and see results.

Calculon1982

Kevpants - I really appreciate your detailed replay.

I was hoping to avoid going back on WW and that I could just 'free weight' myself to a better physique but I guess that is naive in the extreme and I should refocus on reducing as much fat as possible and then start from scratch building muscle up. It's gonna break my heart losing all that muscle I have gained over the last 12 months though. My arms have doubled in size and now on a diet they will shink back down again.

Blacktie.

Calculon1982 wrote: »

Kevpants - I really appreciate your detailed replay.

I was hoping to avoid going back on WW and that I could just 'free weight' myself to a better physique but I guess that is naive in the extreme and I should refocus on reducing as much fat as possible and then start from scratch building muscle up. It's gonna break my heart losing all that muscle I have gained over the last 12 months though. My arms have doubled in size and now on a diet they will shink back down again.

They won't. You might have a lot of trouble gaining muscle while cutting but it's possible to maintain or at least lose as little as possible. Keep protein high and keep lifting. Lift heavy for low reps especially for the compound lifts. You will probably lose a bit of size and strength alright but you'll gain it back much quicker than it took to get it the first time.

Dermighty

Calculon1982 wrote: »

If I can ask starting from today with an 8 month goal what program would you guys follow with the goal to burn 14 pounds of fat - mainly around torso - while increasing muscle mass?

My 5x5 regime incorporates olympic squats, barbell rows, military press, bench press as well as some tricep and abdominal exercises.

All with gradual increases in weight over time.

I will continue to do at least 2 5km runs per week.

Is there anything I could incorporate to my weight lifting that would accerate fat burn?

Best of luck with the weight loss. It's good to see someone taking control of their health the way you are.

Calculon1982

Dermighty wrote: »

Best of luck with the weight loss. It's good to see someone taking control of their health the way you are.

Thanks Dermighty that's good of you to say.

I know if I can hit 13 stone on the scales I will be able to generate really good muscle definition so jus gonna keep that in mind all the time.

Gonna make the most of tomorrow and then I am done with the heavy weekends.