hmmmm......

[LiquidRacing]

so, i was browsing around, as usual-searching for knowledge-when i came across this forum. i like the layout as it is like others i have used and am used to. so, hello. i'm james.

here's the deal:
in august '07, i stopped smoking.
in september '07, i started the basement weights thing. i was 297pounds.
now, i am at planet fitness, as of november '08.
i now weigh 215. i have lost an inordinate amount of weight over the last year and a half.
i weight train seriously on m-w-f, cardio t-th, i like to go on mid-paced walks on saturdays.
i spend almost exactly one hour in the gym m-w-f, and 30 minutes total on t-th.
i am on a hybrid body for life approach-minus the competition-i feel the only real competition is with myself.
i have done 5x5, I.C.E., H.I.I.T., even Max O.T.
i find changing rep schemes along with lift variances is what is the best approach for breaking plateaus.

so, i have lost 82 pounds, cool. here's the problem:
when i started(a couple months after) i was able to bench 315 for 3 good olympic style reps. now? i'm lucky to have a good day and lift 200 for one half-assed rep. i am super weak compared to what i was in january '08.

i think my lifting strategies are well in place-i've studied techniques since highschool(long ago). my nutrition has been the culprit. i think i'm on the right track, but i need help-and i can't pay the obsurdly amounts that a nutritionist would charge, therefore, my plight.

here is a sample of what i just started one week ago:
m-w-f
4:00am-creatine "kool-aid" @ 200 cal
weight train 4:30-5:30am
5:30am-protein shake and half banana or small apple @250cal
9:00am-protein shake and half banana or small apple/or oatmeal with real fruit/or fibreone oats and chocolate @ 200-250 cal
12noon-chicken breast and noodles of some sort, usually half a cupish @ 500-750 cal
3:00pm-tuna and crackers/or protein shake and half banana or apple @200-250 cal
6:00pm-dinner is never the same, but i try to keep it under 800 cal.
that's about it for m-w-f.
on t-th, i am almost the same EXCEPT i don't drink creatine before cardio, i actually go in fasting mode.
i think it's obvious i need help, because i've watched a few people go into the gym that were about as big as i was, as far as i could tell. anyway, they are where i feel i am at, only they did it in a fourth the time. i can't go into specifics about EVERYTHING that i have done. i can tell you that the path i chose was DEFINITELY the cheapest and by no means the FASTEST, but i feel it is the most RELIABLE in a sense that i created this and stuck with it for the last year and a half, allowing the morphing process to take effect and change little quirks in my routine as they came up.

i want my 300 pound bench back. i want my 425 pound squat back. i want my 50 pound standing alternating curls back. i want my 1000 pound hack squat back. i DO NOT want the fat that was associated with the strength back. ther-in lies my problem.

can someone please help? am i missing something?
here's a list of ALL supplements i am taking:
SixStar creatine-lifting days
SixStar whey protein-every day
SixStar nitric oxide-lifting days

{ZCA stack-self assembled and capsuled by me in a 400:400:54 ratio(yeah i know it's higher than normal, but that's the mix that works best for my energy level in the morning)Now Bitter Orange, Bayer aspirin, 2 cups coffee-black}a.k.a. poor man's ECA Stack

flaxseed oil-every day
one a day multi-vitamin
glucosamine chondroitin

the reason i ask, is when i changed my diet-which was way worse-i actually gained 10 pounds in one week. this weight hasn't come off. i would like to assume it's lean mass, but my weight lifting increases haven't been present at all, in fact they suck!

i'm 35. i'm not small. i'm 6'2 on a good day. i hold my weight like a linebacker. no pear or apple shape, even when i was lofty(heehee, lofty my arms and legs are definitely more shapely than before, rather smaller-but not by much. just WAAAYYYY weaker. i know with strength comes size. i have come to terms with the possibility of dying before i ever see my abs. i hope not though. please help.


pretty huge for a first post, huh?

[LiquidRacing]

well, 2 days, 69 views and no replys. i guess i must be on the right track then? i should give it a month and re-evaluate? diet's only been going on for a week so i guess maybe it is too early to tell./?

[Lost Dog]

I think people might have been overwhelmed by the post. I just saw it now.

My guess is that you were eating too little food early on. Too few calories, too little protein, not enough heavy weights (maybe?) led to muscle and strength loss.

The good news is that you should be able to get it back quickly with proper nutrition and training when you're done with the fat loss. By the poor man's ECA stack, sounds like you're still going for fat loss?

You listed the foods, but not the ratios, calories, and macros. Any ideas on those? Tracked them at all?

You don't need all the supplements, really. At least some are a waste of money and some aren't good.

SixStar creatine-lifting days - you don't need to calories in the sugary part of this. Plain creatine is fine and cheaper. Kook Aid is calories. unless of course, you are counting on those calories to fuel your workout... Still expensive, though.

SixStar whey protein-every day - fine. Any protein powder without added carbs is fine. PP is just food in powder form.

SixStar nitric oxide-lifting days - worthless product NO products don't work.

{ZCA stack-self assembled and capsuled by me in a 400:400:54 ratio(yeah i know it's higher than normal, but that's the mix that works best for my energy level in the morning)Now Bitter Orange, Bayer aspirin, 2 cups coffee-black}a.k.a. poor man's ECA Stack - if it's working for you, go for it.

flaxseed oil-every day - flaxseed oil is a bad source of omega-3s. Use fish oil, instead.

one a day multi-vitamin - fine

glucosamine chondroitin - joint problems? fine.


Thought starters. Hope this helps.

Good job on the fat loss!

[LiquidRacing]

lost dog, thanks for the reply.
you are correct:not enough calories early on. loads of protein though(about 350g/day)-although not enough at the time, my weight spanned from 302 down to 259.
definitely no where near enough carbs, and i was scared s#@tless of eating fat.
i think weight was heavy enough, but i do recall a very slow, i mean slow(almost unrecognizable) decline in how much i could lift.
from week to week i would see no increase in weight used, and sometimes a decrease.
i attribute that to two things: 1)not eating properly(fear of gaining weight)-didn't understand weight loss vs. fat loss. 2)un-centered mentally and spiritually-couldn't get my head in the game-i assume that's due to not eating properly.

re:fat loss/eca-yes, i am still interested in fat loss, but am now geared towards increased muscle size. learned that if i watch my diet, fat loss will happen automatic with muscular increase. hope i'm right about that. zca stack is more of a get-me-up, i start working out at 4:30 sharp every day 'cept sunday. m-w-f weights 1 hour, t-th cardio 25 minutes, therefore, more often than not-i sometimes need my "jet fuel" for take-off.
as far as ratios and macros, i can't even try to lie, i have no earthly idea what they were. my guesstimation would be what i have now is about (60:30:10-pro/carb/fat)-disclaimer:guesstimation! i think i'm pretty accurate on that though.

i like the idea of straight creatine instead of "kool-aid"-any suggestions on which to use?

N2O-yup, i agree. i have used different ones a few times....and.....nothing. won't be using N2O again.

flaxseed oil because i KNOW i don't get enough essentiall fatty acids, although i love the crap out of tuna and have since replaced my 3 oclock protein with tuna and crackers-almost exclusively. i wasn't worried about omega-3's because of the amount of tuna and the cyclical daily consumption of said tuna.
by the way-2 days out of the week we eat fish dinner with long grain wild, veggies, etc.-did i mention i haven't met a fish i could not eat, save carp? i love fish! i'm pretty sure omega-3's are the only non-issue i may have.

glucosamine-yeah i had oschlager's(spelling?), and as a result, popped my knee out 9 times since. i haven't had issues for 5 years. joint pain sometimes, again due to previous mal-nutrition?

hopefully i have expanded enough to make my picture a bit more clear. any input is GREATLY appreciated. thanks again lost dog.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by LiquidRacing

i like the idea of straight creatine instead of "kool-aid"-any suggestions on which to use?

I just use the stuff at Target. It's $8.99 for about 500g, I think. That's around 3 month's worth.

Any cheap creatine monohydrate works.

flaxseed oil because i KNOW i don't get enough essentiall fatty acids, although i love the crap out of tuna and have since replaced my 3 oclock protein with tuna and crackers-almost exclusively. i wasn't worried about omega-3's because of the amount of tuna and the cyclical daily consumption of said tuna.

by the way-2 days out of the week we eat fish dinner with long grain wild, veggies, etc.-did i mention i haven't met a fish i could not eat, save carp? i love fish! i'm pretty sure omega-3's are the only non-issue i may have.

Tuna actually has very little omega-3s, since it has very little fat. Some cans have 1g of fat, so how many 3s could be in there? Compare with 1 fish oil capsule, which is 1g of fat itself.

Salmon has more, but the leaner fish have less fat (obviously) and some fish have hardly any omega-3s.

Basically though, flaxseed oil is a waste of money, since ALA (the 3s in flaxseed oil) need to be converted to be used, and they just aren't converted at a good ratio (5-20%, if that).

thanks again lost dog

you're welcome

[LiquidRacing]

lost dog, thanks again. to re-cap, i switch "kool aid" for straight creatine, and flaxseed oil for fish oil. if there's anything else, please don't hesitate, if not, thanks again for your time.

[Espi]

Really sounds like you lost a ton of weight on a low-carb, low-fat & high protein diet, but didn't pay attention to what is recommended by everyone 'in the know' : do refeeds /free meals in order to keep metabolism humming (apparently you ate so little, you still kept losing & have a solid metabolism) as well as keep your strength.

Why didn't you ask for help when you saw strength plummeting? I mean.. it's not like waking up one day and see your strength drop off all of a sudden?

Too late now, but like Roland said, it's possible to start gaining back strength and maybe go on a maintenance mode for a while. First gains are probably water weight gains, but if you calculate your calories from what they used to be and start adding 100-250kcal/week from there.. you should be at a much better place within a few months, both strength-wise and ability to maintain on a higher calorie intake..