The Fat Loss TroubleshootThis is your place to troubleshoot your fat loss problems from nutrition to training. This section is led by Leigh Peele, author of "The Fat Loss Troubleshoot," the ultimate fat loss manual. If your results have slowed or stalled this is the place to come for advice for all your fat loss needs.
You could always do a video testimonial. I've recently been wondering if those would be more effective than the generic written ones.
I would guess if you had someone who looked "normal" (aka, not a model) and was sincere, it could work out quite well. Often written testimonials have that canned and over-exaggerated feeling to them. That doesn't mean they're not legit and the person writing them just REALLY is enthusiastic... just that they feel off. Maybe a real person talking (not in informercial style, of course) would help.
I mean, think Jenny Craig commercials... that's not so bad...
Water poisoning is from drinking large amounts of water rapidly. Our bodies can easily handle a gallon of water throughout a day.
well i wasnt saying i think i am gonna be poisoned by drinking a gallon a day , i was just saying that people talked about it alot, it got on my last nerves bc i knew i was fine.
I drank 2 gallons a day then, and i think that was fine
Are you over-consuming water? Or under-consuming sodium?
I'm actually curious.
Drinking water, usually more than that mythical "average american" drinks is beneficial in many ways. So if you're finding that your sodium (or any other electrolyte) levels are too low, why is cutting back on water preferred over consuming more salt?
Actually when blood sodium levels are low it is more likely to be from too much water than not enough salt. Unless someone is on a severely salt restricted diet and going out of their way to avoid salt, you will get enough from food. The problems arise from dysfunction in the body's fluid regulation system and in many cases there is no apparent reason for this dysfunction (i.e. disease) behind this. It just happens... and drinking too much water exaccerbates it.
As to benefits of water--there was recently an article debunking the whole "8 glasses of water a day" rule that you read so often so who knows if there truly are benefits. I know personally, I like to drink a lot of water, I just feel better when I do. I am having to make a concious effort to cut back. Still drinking more than the average person, but not as much as I had been.
Here is an article about water and sodium less. It is in relation to marathon runners but it is a phenomenon that can happen to anyone. Marathon Runners Drink Too Much
Actually when blood sodium levels are low it is more likely to be from too much water than not enough salt. Unless someone is on a severely salt restricted diet and going out of their way to avoid salt, you will get enough from food. The problems arise from dysfunction in the body's fluid regulation system and in many cases there is no apparent reason for this dysfunction (i.e. disease) behind this. It just happens... and drinking too much water exaccerbates it.
That's what I was wondering.
I could see "too much water" really just being a matter of "too little salts" but then again, just because something seems perfectly logical (and for all I know perfectly reasonable) doesn't mean it's necessarily the case and there aren't confounding factors here.
I'm sure there's a reason for it, it seems odd that something with a physiological effect can't be explained. But still, interesting to know.
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As to benefits of water--there was recently an article debunking the whole "8 glasses of water a day" rule that you read so often so who knows if there truly are benefits. I know personally, I like to drink a lot of water, I just feel better when I do. I am having to make a concious effort to cut back. Still drinking more than the average person, but not as much as I had been.
An article isn't really gonna get me to believe that water, which makes up a huge portion of our planet and our bodies, isn't beneficial. The amount is surely up for debate, as often people forget that a lot of the water they consume is from food and drinks that aren't water. but anyway...
Oh, that wasn't the article about the 8 glasses/day nt being beneficial--that was in reference to the condition that occurs when you consume too much water (either in short period of time or over the long run) I will see if I can dig that other article up.
My doctor told me to weigh myself before a workout and then afterwards. You should weigh the same. If you weigh more that means you consumed more water than your body needs. If you are less then it means you didn't hydrate enough during the workout.
I drink a lot throughout the day plus during workouts. Plus I eat a lot of fruits and veggies--foods with high water content. SoI am supposed to be more mindful of my drinking and will be checked periodically.
well i wasnt saying i think i am gonna be poisoned by drinking a gallon a day , i was just saying that people talked about it alot, it got on my last nerves bc i knew i was fine.
I drank 2 gallons a day then, and i think that was fine
I'm one of the Metabolic Repair people trying to keep water in check. I *think* (but don't really know, I'll leave it to Leigh to correct me) that this is so those of us who are on the program and all of a sudden eating don't put on a bunch of water weight, weigh our selves, freak out and never eat another carb.
I used to chug water to stave off hunger. I would drink 8 liters a day, minimum. I don't know what that is in gallons but I had to go to the bathroom every half hour and got up at least six times per night. REPAIR has gotten me over that and my consumption is much more normal now.
Like I said, I don't know why exactly she has that as a guideline, but my kidneys and bladder are pretty happy she did.
First, I just have to say how much I love this thread and how helpful it is for me. I read FLTS and Metabolic Repair... I'm measuring and had a great 2 weeks of weightloss, followed by one lousy unintentional refeed (about 500 kcal over for the day) a full week ago and now I'm stalled out even though I'm back on track with the food. Totally frustrated and confused but... anyway...
My question is this: I can't train for two things at once. I'm starting to get it. But in FLTS I thought it said that fat loss could/would work with almost any exercise program we like to do. I happen to LOVE lifting - NROLW, just got Coach Dos's new book (thanks Jane - it looked so cool I had to get it) and don't want to give up my lifting. On the other hand, I also am starting to understand that it's hard to eat at a deficit when your workout is so hard that it makes you hungrier and also it's harder to recover from hard workouts on a deficit. I am doing less HIIT and added back in lower intensity SS cardio that doesn't increase my appetite or strain my body as badly...
But - is there any compromise on the lifting? Other than giving up my lifting (or at least giving up lifting the way I enjoy) for a while, can FLTS still work? I understand I can't maintain all my muscle and strength and really cut too, and I'm ok with that -but... is it possible to still lift in that power / compound style and lose fat? Seems like some people can lose weight / fat while doing that kind of program - is that just that their body is better able than mine to do so, or am I missing some important point / workout / diet adjustment?
Long post made short - can I still lift while cutting or do I HAVE TO stop lifting except light maintenance? I'm not lifting to lose fat - I lift because I enjoy it and love feeling strong and I just plain think it's fun.
Hope I've made sense in my rambling question here... thanks in advance!
PowermanDL has given some excellent advice in the past on this type of thing. I wish I knew which thread it was in. Basically, the philosophy was to not reduce the intensity but to reduce the volume. So, still lift heavy (but do not expect to continously set PRs). I think you were wise to cut out the HIIT for steady state. You will only be able to recover from a certain amount of high intensity sessions while on reduced calories and since it is lifting heavy that you love, it is there where your high intensity sessions should be allotted.
Perhaps pick one of Dos 3 day templates and if you are having difficulty fully recovering on that workload and reduced calories, perhaps drop one or two sets but keep the weights high.
I think if you keep lifting heavy, add in some active recovery type steady state, and keep your NEAT high, you will be able to hit your defecit and do the lifting that you desire.
I am doing less HIIT and added back in lower intensity SS cardio that doesn't increase my appetite or strain my body as badly...
But - is there any compromise on the lifting? Other than giving up my lifting (or at least giving up lifting the way I enjoy) for a while, can FLTS still work? I understand I can't maintain all my muscle and strength and really cut too, and I'm ok with that -but... is it possible to still lift in that power / compound style and lose fat?
[EDIT: I see that somebody else posted some similar thoughts while I was composing and posting this.]
Bytsi:
I think you CAN still lift mostly as you want and diet/FLTS. I think you can largely maintain your muscle and strength, just don't seek to gain muscle mass or strength. THAT's the two goals: lose fat and gain muscle/strength. Diet to lose fat and seek to stay pretty much constant with muscle and strength.
Recovery factors (stress, rest, sleep, nutrition, et al) have to be taken into account all of the time, but particularly when calories are limited. Exercise is another stressor, so it's all just one package, the individual factors of which you need to be aware and balance.
But, that doesn't mean that one tosses their strength/resistance training out the window when dieting. Just take it easier, meaning, if anything, less volume or frequency. If muscle and strength are important, then keep the same intensity (weight) but lower the volume (sets) and perhaps the rest (frequency).
I also think that HIIT is VERY taxing, particularly when combined with resistance/strength training, and, unless you are training for some type of endurance, then I think stick with the resistance training while dieting, and let up or forget the HIIT if need be. Or, substitute it/alternate it with the resistance work.
Much like (or opposite to) the "seeking two goals", when dieting, don't think in terms of either/or, but on balancing your various activities/factors.
Just my thoughts and experience. Leigh, what say you?
"a case here for a big ass water whoosh, I can't take credit for all that "weight")"
Leigh- ( shari3boys btw asking u yet another question )
By water woosh what do you mean? I have seen people that are doing Met. Repair saying that they are keeping there water in check? I must have missed something and need to re- read CAN WE GET TOO MUCH water? Or is that not what you mean by WATER WOOSH! hehe
Sometimes in a deficit there is some funky things that happen with water retention. Anyone that has the books should read in both on the water issues, it explains it all.
The short of it is sometimes it collects until we...
-Get our electrolytes in check
-Lose inflammation
-Hormones get adjusted
Basically when the body reaches a homeostasis.
I have had some clients lose 4 pounds in a week of just water from getting inflammation out of their body from stretching and rest alone, no deficit.
Those of you who have the books, go back, read those sections.
Some of these questions have been answered, DON'T SKIM
First, I just have to say how much I love this thread and how helpful it is for me. I read FLTS and Metabolic Repair... I'm measuring and had a great 2 weeks of weightloss, followed by one lousy unintentional refeed (about 500 kcal over for the day) a full week ago and now I'm stalled out even though I'm back on track with the food. Totally frustrated and confused but... anyway...
My question is this: I can't train for two things at once. I'm starting to get it. But in FLTS I thought it said that fat loss could/would work with almost any exercise program we like to do. I happen to LOVE lifting - NROLW, just got Coach Dos's new book (thanks Jane - it looked so cool I had to get it) and don't want to give up my lifting. On the other hand, I also am starting to understand that it's hard to eat at a deficit when your workout is so hard that it makes you hungrier and also it's harder to recover from hard workouts on a deficit. I am doing less HIIT and added back in lower intensity SS cardio that doesn't increase my appetite or strain my body as badly...
But - is there any compromise on the lifting? Other than giving up my lifting (or at least giving up lifting the way I enjoy) for a while, can FLTS still work? I understand I can't maintain all my muscle and strength and really cut too, and I'm ok with that -but... is it possible to still lift in that power / compound style and lose fat? Seems like some people can lose weight / fat while doing that kind of program - is that just that their body is better able than mine to do so, or am I missing some important point / workout / diet adjustment?
Long post made short - can I still lift while cutting or do I HAVE TO stop lifting except light maintenance? I'm not lifting to lose fat - I lift because I enjoy it and love feeling strong and I just plain think it's fun.
Hope I've made sense in my rambling question here... thanks in advance!
First off a week isn't a stall! If you stay consistent the weight will go down. I think you are starting to doubt and I can't tell you it isn't complicated, consistency is key, just stick it out. Water transfers, everyweek isn't some massive success story. Sometimes we look worse, feel horrible, and have no results and then 12 days later we are down 3 pounds and tighter than ever. You don't just lose fat like that.
If your deficit isn't that extreme loss isn't as obvious, period. If you lose 3 pounds in a week on my plan, great, but at first it is just some water going out and just like that it can come back in. You have to look at the numbers. Did you move and burn enough to burn a pound of fat away? If you did you can honestly say that there isn't a pound of water here or there that can cloak it?
This isn't magic, this is just truth. You want phantom weight that is what the other guys are for. I just explain the truth hopefully in a form most get.
As for the lifting...
I am not against lifting. A lot of my clients do lifting. I am not just a online trainer and oversee tons of different training styles.
Edit: This training thing seems to be a new misconception about me so I will make sure to devote a series about it in my blog
If you all will notice who bought the book there is OPT, a lifting and aerobic program for fat loss. It includes squats, Step ups, woodchops, bent over rows....
Strong compound movements put with an intense but smart diet and aerobic program.
All I said in this thread is that fat loss is a handicap and should be treated as such. That it isn't the time to test out that new max strength building program.
Also a lot of you look at some of my clients and they will attest to the fact that they were overtrained. They have been lifting and killing themselves for a long time. They needed a break, you may not.
NOTHING with me is cookie cutter, everyone is different but the science is still the same.
You want to lift, lift. All I say is lift for you goals. If you have a goal of fat loss then understand that you training should suit that.
If you just like training for training sake that is great, but answer this, when do you start to get obsessed with the lack of training? Does that happen to come more when the doubt sets in?
I find that people think that MORE training equals more fat loss. All I say is more training can just mean more problems. MODERATION AND PATIENCE is key.
You can't out train a bad diet but you can overtrain into poor fat loss.
[EDIT: I see that somebody else posted some similar thoughts while I was composing and posting this.]
Bytsi:
I think you CAN still lift mostly as you want and diet/FLTS. I think you can largely maintain your muscle and strength, just don't seek to gain muscle mass or strength. THAT's the two goals: lose fat and gain muscle/strength. Diet to lose fat and seek to stay pretty much constant with muscle and strength.
Recovery factors (stress, rest, sleep, nutrition, et al) have to be taken into account all of the time, but particularly when calories are limited. Exercise is another stressor, so it's all just one package, the individual factors of which you need to be aware and balance.
But, that doesn't mean that one tosses their strength/resistance training out the window when dieting. Just take it easier, meaning, if anything, less volume or frequency. If muscle and strength are important, then keep the same intensity (weight) but lower the volume (sets) and perhaps the rest (frequency).
I also think that HIIT is VERY taxing, particularly when combined with resistance/strength training, and, unless you are training for some type of endurance, then I think stick with the resistance training while dieting, and let up or forget the HIIT if need be. Or, substitute it/alternate it with the resistance work.
Much like (or opposite to) the "seeking two goals", when dieting, don't think in terms of either/or, but on balancing your various activities/factors.
Just my thoughts and experience. Leigh, what say you?
I think this is pretty much dead on Chris.
I will state that I do believe in NEWBIE ability to gain LBM in fat loss but have also found that this happens pretty easy regardless of even a intense program.
Basically the less you have picked up a dumbbell before starting a fat loss training program the more you are going to pack it on regardless of a surplus. At a point though you need to feed it and your body will where down, there is why it is good to cycle training and be smart about your fat loss resistance and aerobic programs.
It isn't about all or nothing. It is about smart and just right
Bytsi,
PowermanDL has given some excellent advice in the past on this type of thing.
I, too, must credit Matt for this original direction which has, by now, become my successful experience. I know that I originally got given that lead/help in some Powerlifting/Oly Lifting/Strongman subforum posts.
But, as further illustration, while dieting down recently I've cut my strength training back to one day every fourth or fifth day because I've added in some HIIT running, some GPP and some higher intensity martial arts training which I hadn't been doing. Particularly at my age, I can't do it all, even when I AM eating a lot, and definitely not when dieting.
Thanks to everyone for the answers - I think the advice that it's ok to lift but not try for PR's all the time and be aware of extra recovery / limited HIIT is where I have been headed anyway...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leigh P.
First off a week isn't a stall! If you stay consistent the weight will go down. I think you are starting to doubt and I can't tell you it isn't complicated, consistency is key, just stick it out. Water transfers, everyweek isn't some massive success story. Sometimes we look worse, feel horrible, and have no results and then 12 days later we are down 3 pounds and tighter than ever. You don't just lose fat like that.
Thanks Leigh... trusting in consistency is hard. I know you're very familiar with clients who panic... as someone who's been dieting and spinning their wheels with workouts that weren't focused enough on goals, I've learned so much in the last few months here. And I need to trust in what I'm learning and in the results people get when they are patient.
Quote:
fat loss is a handicap and should be treated as such. That it isn't the time to test out that new max strength building program.
Also a lot of you look at some of my clients and they will attest to the fact that they were overtrained. They have been lifting and killing themselves for a long time. They needed a break, you may not.
You want to lift, lift. All I say is lift for you goals. If you have a goal of fat loss then understand that you training should suit that.
If you just like training for training sake that is great, but answer this, when do you start to get obsessed with the lack of training? Does that happen to come more when the doubt sets in?
I find that people think that MORE training equals more fat loss. All I say is more training can just mean more problems. MODERATION AND PATIENCE is key.
I don't know if I need a break, but I do know I have had to become more aware of rest and recovery. As I posted my workouts, someone pointed out that I had only 2 real rest days in a month of workouts... there is variety and cross-training, but there wasn't enough rest. I'm going to make an educated guess that I've lacked recovery for years and years - but I'm working on getting more recovery and have done better with it since then.
Obesessed with lack of training? I'm gonna say that's been a fairly constant part of my life. I was fat and sedentary for about a decade (I lost my 20's to being fat and I can't ever get 'em back). Then in my 30's I learned to exercise (cardio and then eventually weights) and eat better (but not "clean"), lost the weight, "got a life." I have consistently exercised for more than 10 years without any lengthy breaks (probably never more than a week off - and those were rare). I'm working on my fear of regaining if I don't workout. Not easy to overcome, even for recovery purposes (but I'm learning).
Quote:
You can't out train a bad diet but you can overtrain into poor fat loss.
Fantastic ingredients and good ratios for pre workout.
I adore these bars as well. One of my other faves is the PureFit bar - check out their great stats: PureFit.com :: Nutrition Facts and Ingredients: Chocolate Brownie Bar
They replaced my formerly beloved Almond Brownie Balance bars when I realized (doh!) they had high fructose corn syrup. Bad Balance!
I am actually a (protein) bar spaz, especially finding non-coated varieties that won't melt, and even have my own excel spreadsheet of the 60+ bars I've eaten and rated over the last 4 years. If anyone wants it, just PM me.
__________________ "My yoga class had me trembling and sweating and I feel MUCH better." - Fang
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenacious Training and Tweaking (the A lotta Alitteration thread)
Thanks to everyone for the answers - I think the advice that it's ok to lift but not try for PR's all the time and be aware of extra recovery / limited HIIT is where I have been headed anyway...
Thanks Leigh... trusting in consistency is hard. I know you're very familiar with clients who panic... as someone who's been dieting and spinning their wheels with workouts that weren't focused enough on goals, I've learned so much in the last few months here. And I need to trust in what I'm learning and in the results people get when they are patient.
I don't know if I need a break, but I do know I have had to become more aware of rest and recovery. As I posted my workouts, someone pointed out that I had only 2 real rest days in a month of workouts... there is variety and cross-training, but there wasn't enough rest. I'm going to make an educated guess that I've lacked recovery for years and years - but I'm working on getting more recovery and have done better with it since then.
Obesessed with lack of training? I'm gonna say that's been a fairly constant part of my life. I was fat and sedentary for about a decade (I lost my 20's to being fat and I can't ever get 'em back). Then in my 30's I learned to exercise (cardio and then eventually weights) and eat better (but not "clean"), lost the weight, "got a life." I have consistently exercised for more than 10 years without any lengthy breaks (probably never more than a week off - and those were rare). I'm working on my fear of regaining if I don't workout. Not easy to overcome, even for recovery purposes (but I'm learning).
I may need to tattoo this on my forehead.
It is a difficult line to tote. There is a lot of variables to take into account. Don't move so much that you burn out, don't move so little that you burn nothing. Eat, but not too much, bblah blah...
I get the frustration BUT in the end if you don't get it naturally, if you are the gifted ones who just self regulate. If you are suffering from paralysis from analysis then do it right. Go all the way or go home with the analyzation so to speak.
The safest way to increase training I have found is just to walk/stretch more. You can still do lifting do get me wrong but if looking for activity increase it doesn't get better than that. Any of the Bugg users can jump in here and tell you that doing some gardening can kick a powerlifting sessions butt in calorie burn and sure it isn't all about just burning calories, we do want to keep LBM or increase it, BUT in the end, you still have to use up that fuel.
So if you aren't losing as much move more or eat less. Just do it smartly, hopefully the books will help you understand more and more what that is.
I adore these bars as well. One of my other faves is the PureFit bar - check out their great stats: PureFit.com :: Nutrition Facts and Ingredients: Chocolate Brownie Bar
They replaced my formerly beloved Almond Brownie Balance bars when I realized (doh!) they had high fructose corn syrup. Bad Balance!
I am actually a (protein) bar spaz, especially finding non-coated varieties that won't melt, and even have my own excel spreadsheet of the 60+ bars I've eaten and rated over the last 4 years. If anyone wants it, just PM me.
Okay, I'm one of the Bugg users. I love to tell people how I burned more calories cooking and cleaning on Thanksgiving than on my best workout day (2,438 calories). No workout that day at all, but finally beat last Sunday when I burned 2512 calories only because I cleaned house for one hour before my workout and went grocery shopping directly afterward. My average calorie burn on an a 8 hour work day with my regular workout and no extra moving around I burn around 2100 calories...so just adding a little extra even light activity really can make a huge difference.
Just remember that HFCS is a sign of cheapness of the company and has little to do with health. If sugar or honey was cheaper and/or easier to transport and use in manufacturing, they'd use them.
HFCS is no less bad for you than the more natural sounding sweeteners. In fact, since it's a little sweeter, per gram, you use less, so it's marginally fewer empty calories compared to sugar! Yay!
Rice syrup, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, fruit juice concentrate, etc. are as much a marketing ploy as they are an attempt to be healthier. I'm sure some people think they are better just because they are natural, but others include them because they know customer might think they are better because they are natural.
I used to think that the lack of HFCS was a sign that quality might be better, but I'm not so sure anymore. After all, Whole Foods is totally good with allowing HFCS in their products, but you won't find any artificial sweeteners as ingredients...
O I know... but actually I find the quality to be a bit better taste wise. *shrug*
I can't say I really care, I'm more against HFCS from a Farm Bill standpoint than a health one, since I rarely consume crap that tends to contain it it matters little when I do. I am happy that they taste better and have a decent nutrient profile (macro and micro) simply because then they're hardly more than a candy bar but WAY better to eat.
A couple of things. My wife just started using the bugg. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.
HFCS. I try to avoid it where possible. I prefer natural ingredients to man made ones. I don't have any science behind this just my own sense of logic. In my soda (notice Aoife I didn't give the Southern generic Coke. I'm trying to be culturally sensitive) I prefer the taste.
__________________
Past performance is not indicative of future success.
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
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