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.
I've been lurking for a few months since I started NROLW last winter. I didn't quite make it to the end of Stage 1 when I moved across the country and stopped working out/eating right altogether. Well, 6 months was enough of that. Hanging around here led me to OPT which I recently purchased (I love how it put together lots of stuff I already knew but made it make sense). I bought my food scale, joined a gym down the road, and I am ready to go. Have been tracking my food on the Daily Plate since Monday and it feels GREAT to be getting my act together again. I am so excited!
Now a few questions (and I have read FLTS al the way through, and then some):
(1) Am I REALLY getting enough calories? I'm at work and don't have my exact calculations but it basically went like this. I'm 32, 5'5" and about 145-148 lbs. I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs in 12 weeks and then work on gaining some muscle. Calculated my BMR and multiplied it by 1.55 and got about 2200 calories. So this week I've been shooting for about 1450 calories, but it has been suggested to me by others that this deficit is too large I need to be eating more like 2200-2400 if I'm still working out. Now I did not get the Metabolic Repair manual, but my understanding is that keeping above 1200 calories for most women is "safe"
(2) How will making modifications to the training part affect me? I want to do HIIT style cardio 20-30 minutes 3X/week and full body resistance training (compound exercises) for 30 minutes 3X/week on different days. Should I still take the rest weeks?
I'd really appreciate any and all suggestions. As much as I'd like to get this weight off fast, I want to do it right and protect my metabolism.
I've been lurking for a few months since I started NROLW last winter. I didn't quite make it to the end of Stage 1 when I moved across the country and stopped working out/eating right altogether. Well, 6 months was enough of that. Hanging around here led me to OPT which I recently purchased (I love how it put together lots of stuff I already knew but made it make sense). I bought my food scale, joined a gym down the road, and I am ready to go. Have been tracking my food on the Daily Plate since Monday and it feels GREAT to be getting my act together again. I am so excited!
Now a few questions (and I have read FLTS al the way through, and then some):
(1) Am I REALLY getting enough calories? I'm at work and don't have my exact calculations but it basically went like this. I'm 32, 5'5" and about 145-148 lbs. I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs in 12 weeks and then work on gaining some muscle. Calculated my BMR and multiplied it by 1.55 and got about 2200 calories. So this week I've been shooting for about 1450 calories, but it has been suggested to me by others that this deficit is too large I need to be eating more like 2200-2400 if I'm still working out. Now I did not get the Metabolic Repair manual, but my understanding is that keeping above 1200 calories for most women is "safe"
(2) How will making modifications to the training part affect me? I want to do HIIT style cardio 20-30 minutes 3X/week and full body resistance training (compound exercises) for 30 minutes 3X/week on different days. Should I still take the rest weeks?
I'd really appreciate any and all suggestions. As much as I'd like to get this weight off fast, I want to do it right and protect my metabolism.
1) The important thing to remember about OPT is that (a) it's only a 12 week program; (b) you are not doing insane amounts of exercise on it and (c) there are recovery weeks built in. So, although 1450 calories (which sounds right from what you posted, BTW) may be too low for a program like NROLFW, it isn't for the training and cardio in OPT. If other people are not aware of these factors, of course they are going to say that your calories are to low.
2) See (1). If you are going to start making changes, you're no longer doing OPT. None of the components (cardio, diet, training) are interchangeable. They all go together. And no one (except maybe professional athletes) should be doing HIIT 3 times a week (at least, not if you're doing it right) on top of 3 days of full body training. If you do that, you WILL need the Metabolic Repair Manual!
The program really works. I've lost 5 pounds in 18 days, despite several "off" plan days. You just need to trust it and tune out all those other voices.
Thanks for the reply, and bringing me back down to earth. I guess the part I find challenging is that I find steady state cardio pretty boring...and can't even imagine the final weeks that just involve walking. I also found the resistance part not all that challenging so far (other then than the planks and t-ups!).
I have no doubt I will lose weight if I stick to OPT. I guess I just needed to hear some more that the weight loss won't be due to muscle wasting as well as fat loss. I guess I'm really not used to paying such close attention to my diet while backing off on the training part.
I just joined a gym since relocating six months ago and I'm ready to give it! But I also know I need to do something about this cozy layer of fat.
Thanks for the reply, and bringing me back down to earth. I guess the part I find challenging is that I find steady state cardio pretty boring...and can't even imagine the final weeks that just involve walking. I also found the resistance part not all that challenging so far (other then than the planks and t-ups!).
I have no doubt I will lose weight if I stick to OPT. I guess I just needed to hear some more that the weight loss won't be due to muscle wasting as well as fat loss. I guess I'm really not used to paying such close attention to my diet while backing off on the training part.
I just joined a gym since relocating six months ago and I'm ready to give it! But I also know I need to do something about this cozy layer of fat.
I felt the same way about the workouts, especially after doing NROLFW. As Jane said, fat loss happens in the kitchen - it's definitely true!
Re muscle wasting: The training and protein requirements of the program are set up to help prevent that. As long as you are hitting both, you should be fine.
I've been lurking for a few months since I started NROLW last winter. I didn't quite make it to the end of Stage 1 when I moved across the country and stopped working out/eating right altogether. Well, 6 months was enough of that. Hanging around here led me to OPT which I recently purchased (I love how it put together lots of stuff I already knew but made it make sense). I bought my food scale, joined a gym down the road, and I am ready to go. Have been tracking my food on the Daily Plate since Monday and it feels GREAT to be getting my act together again. I am so excited!
Now a few questions (and I have read FLTS al the way through, and then some):
(1) Am I REALLY getting enough calories? I'm at work and don't have my exact calculations but it basically went like this. I'm 32, 5'5" and about 145-148 lbs. I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs in 12 weeks and then work on gaining some muscle. Calculated my BMR and multiplied it by 1.55 and got about 2200 calories. So this week I've been shooting for about 1450 calories, but it has been suggested to me by others that this deficit is too large I need to be eating more like 2200-2400 if I'm still working out. Now I did not get the Metabolic Repair manual, but my understanding is that keeping above 1200 calories for most women is "safe"
(2) How will making modifications to the training part affect me? I want to do HIIT style cardio 20-30 minutes 3X/week and full body resistance training (compound exercises) for 30 minutes 3X/week on different days. Should I still take the rest weeks?
I'd really appreciate any and all suggestions. As much as I'd like to get this weight off fast, I want to do it right and protect my metabolism.
Great question! That's the problem...for the past six months I have done NO purposeful execise. Before that I was doing 2-3 cardio sessions a week of either spinning or treadmill/outdoor running and resistance training 3X a week.
Currently:
I'm a nurse so I don't have a regular day/weekend schedule. On a typical work day, I work 12 hour shifts, usually days, 0700-1900. (I don't work in a hospital anymore, so I am not run off my feet at work...some activity, but definitely more sitting than I am used to.) I only have a few hours before bedtime to take care of household stuff, eat dinner, pack a lunch for the next day. One week I will work 5-12 hour shifts and the next week just 2-12 hour shifts. It's difficult to fit exercise in on the work days. I'd like to make as many work days as I can cardio days since I can just go downstairs and use the treadmill at the fitness centre in my apartment.
I joined a gym....a 15 minute walk from home so I could have access to lots of free weights. The fitness centre only has a Universal which I don't really like.
Ideally, I'd like to keep the workouts short but intense. I'd like to do cardio and weights on seperate days. I actually enjoy working out 5-6 days a week if I know it is going to be a small chunk of my day but I feel like I worked hard.
Typically, I've been really neglectful of any program that involves floorwork. I don't have access to a trainer to make sure I am doing the exercises properly. I watch some videos before I head to the gym, but then sometimes the exercise just doesn't feel right. Or it feels awkward and I tell myself I will do it in the privacy of home. And then I don't.
It sounds like your new job has really decreased your NEAT. Make a point to move around more during the day ... park farther away, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk more around work when you can break away from the paperwork (even if it is only to re-fill your water glass).
Sounds like a good plan to do treadmill walking on your work days. As boring as it is, find something to keep you entertained. I tape and watch TV shows that I don't otherwise have time to watch. Gives me something to look forward to!!
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Thanks for all the input and suggestions. I'm finding this site and the Daily Plate really useful.
I have been tracking my food and working out for two weeks now. Haven't really committed to a single program yet, but my habits have certainly improved during these two weeks. I'm looking at it as a bit of a "transition" back into wellness but I would really like to design a program and start tracking some indicators of progress.
I've been aiming for 1450 calories/a day, which for me is a 35% deficit. Some days I come up a little short though (~1200). This isn't intentional but sometimes I don't get the opportunity to eat as frequently as I had planned and have too many calories left to consume at the end of the day. This wouldn never have happened with the calorie dense foods I was eating before, but 1450 calories goes a long way when you are eating clean. I've opted to listen to my body and not eat the extra 200 calories right before bed just to hit my goal. I also tend to come up short on the veggies and water, so this is something I will continue to work on.
For cardio, I've been doing 30 minute interval training sessions on the treadmill three times a week. And for weights I've been doing a full body workout for beginners I found at stumptuous.com (three times a week). I do cardio and weights on different days. One of the ways I have increased my NEAT is by taking the stairs instead of the elevator up to my 6th floor apartment.
The scale hasn't seemed to budge yet (but it kind of depends on how I lean...I should really get a digital), but I am definitely feeling better about myself. I'm feeling thinner around the midsection. And I was able to easily zip up a cute little dress that I wanted to wear to Vegas last month that was WAY too tight at the time.
If at the end of the day, I'm not hungry and don't want my last 100-200 calories of food I have planned, even if it is a protein, what do you think about my NOT eating that food? It would probably make me under my target in protein. ...
In Body for Life, it's recommended to at least have a bit of protein/carb at end of evening... I start every morning with 20gm protein...
It's nice to have that extra 100-200 cal if I'm hungry another day and want a bit more food.
Bank it for another day if it's only a smaller amount of calories. Watch your weekly average.. that's more important than daily fluctuations, even for protein. Protein should be a minimum of 2g/kg LBM (or 1g/lbs) but can go up to 3g/kg BW if you want (1.5g/lbs BW). That's quite a big 'safe' range,and anyone into fitness shouldn't have a problem getting in the absolute minimum. If you do, there's a problem.
Bank it for another day if it's only a smaller amount of calories. Watch your weekly average.. that's more important than daily fluctuations, even for protein. Protein should be a minimum of 2g/kg LBM (or 1g/lbs) but can go up to 3g/kg BW if you want (1.5g/lbs BW). That's quite a big 'safe' range,and anyone into fitness shouldn't have a problem getting in the absolute minimum. If you do, there's a problem.
thanks, that's a good idea to total and average the protein for the week. My protein's been low lately; gotta get that back up to 135 to 150 g minimum...
This week is also a VERY low calorie week, due to 4 days' medical fasting and only having 350 calories of fruit juices those days. I'm eating high but healthy today, a new experience for me! ... to eat high AND healthy!
The 2g/kg LBM is a required minimum since unlike with carbs or fats, you can't really make up for a lack of protein on another day. In case you'd eat more calories, protein can be a bit lower, but at lower calorie intake, nitrogen balance gets skewed so you need even more protein, not less.
Am I getting enough calories?
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