I seem to have hit a wall somewhere...gooby, plz halp

[Winged One]

5'7" 190 lb. skinny fat fitness apprentice reporting in. About a year ago, I decided my life needed to change, but wasn't really been able to make headway on that until the summer, during which time I have so far cut nearly 10 lbs of fat, and built some muscle, as well as studied methods and studies on differing workout methods and muscle-building routines. I am pretty well-read on the subject of being fit, and I'll be the first to tell someone the best way to lose weight and/or gain muscle...but I lack the ability to follow my own advice, leading to a pretty poor workout schedule and an even worse diet.

My goals are to become quick, balanced, and strong. Able to do the tasks my body was ultimately built for. And, ultimately, I want to cut this stomach I have earned from years of a sedentary life.

Since the beginning of the summer, I have followed a strict workout regimen, which I believe is pretty useless in the strength building department. Mondays are my chest and triceps days, meaning hip push-ups, dips, dumbbell presses, and extensions (this, for some reason, is the day I see the most progress with). Wednesdays are my biceps/legs days, which equate to curls, dumbbell squats, deadlifts, and hamstring extensions. Fridays are for my shoulders and back, achieved through pull-ups, bent over rows, and some shoulder raises (I haven't a clue what to call my main shoulder exercise).

I am a stern HIIT advocate, and employ this very useful tool on my off days. I started off only being able to do 4 minutes of 20/40 splits. They were torture. Now I have brought it up to 20 minutes of 30/30 splits, and they couldn't make me happier. They give you such an adrenaline rush that lasts with you through the day. They are pretty empowering to do. They are definitely a terrific workout, and I am always panting and sweating more than I thought possible by the end. HIIT is the only change I've made in my fitness career that I stick by as truly excellent.

Unfortunately, I have reached a wall somewhere. I'm stuck fluctuating between 188 and 192 lbs, and I haven't a clue what to do next. I suppose my diet is pretty terrible, and I acknowledge this. I live in the world of processed foods, high in starch, carbs, and processed sugars. I have toyed with the notion of going Paleo for a while, and read up on all of the benefits, the science, and the anthropological implications. It all makes sense to me. But I simply cannot find the will-power to let go of my bread, pizza, and pasta.

I suppose I'm here to find alternative methods of altering my diet to see results without being miserable, and also to try and alter my weight-lifting schedule to see results when all I have to work with are dumbbells and my own bodyweight. Any advice?

[bigm141414]

Unfortunately, I have reached a wall somewhere. I'm stuck fluctuating between 188 and 192 lbs, and I haven't a clue what to do next. I suppose my diet is pretty terrible, and I acknowledge this. I live in the world of processed foods, high in starch, carbs, and processed sugars. I have toyed with the notion of going Paleo for a while, and read up on all of the benefits, the science, and the anthropological implications. It all makes sense to me. But I simply cannot find the will-power to let go of my bread, pizza, and pasta.

I suppose I'm here to find alternative methods of altering my diet to see results without being miserable, and also to try and alter my weight-lifting schedule to see results when all I have to work with are dumbbells and my own bodyweight. Any advice?

Looks like you answered your own question. 80% of weight loss is diet. So I would focus on that.To ease the pain make it a slow transition. Start by removing one thing at a time and work your to making better food choices. Start with sodas if you still drink them and replace them with coffee/tea/water. After that take the processed junk out slowly, reduce/remove chips/snack foods etc.

Doing it slowly is less painful but takes longer.

Also, check out the Assassin's Den for some great bodyweight ideas.

Welcome to the boards!

[Elastigirl]

Agreeing with BigM. Fix your diet. Take out 1 bad thing (chips, fries) add 1 good thing( meat,veggies) Keep going until you're eating healthy

[Winged One]

What of carbs and grain? Are those necessarily holding me back? I'm less of a chips, sweets, and sodas guy, and more of a pizza, pasta, burger guy.

[bigm141414]

Depends on your thoughts on grains. A lot of people around here have had a lot of success with cutting out grains from their diets, while there are others who have success by calorie restriction/macro-nutrient changes. I would say track what you eat for say 2 weeks, that will give you a base line of how much you are eating and what type of food.

With this in hand, you could either go the calorie restricted route or try to change your macros (protein/fat/carb intake) to see results. For example if you see from your tracking that you are eating 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat, you could try hitting a target of 40%protein 40% fat and 20% carbs (as an example). Therefore you could still keep the grains, pasta,pizza etc as long as it meets your macros.

Either way there are plenty of resources round here for both methods. The first thing to remember is do what works for you. Experimentation is key when trying to find your individual needs as far as nutrition goes.

[Horsedog]

Depends on your thoughts on grains. A lot of people around here have had a lot of success with cutting out grains from their diets, while there are others who have success by calorie restriction/macro-nutrient changes. I would say track what you eat for say 2 weeks, that will give you a base line of how much you are eating and what type of food.

With this in hand, you could either go the calorie restricted route or try to change your macros (protein/fat/carb intake) to see results. For example if you see from your tracking that you are eating 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat, you could try hitting a target of 40%protein 40% fat and 20% carbs (as an example). Therefore you could still keep the grains, pasta,pizza etc as long as it meets your macros.

Either way there are plenty of resources round here for both methods. The first thing to remember is do what works for you. Experimentation is key when trying to find your individual needs as far as nutrition goes.

Agreed. Calorie tracking (i.e., making sure I intake less than I expend) has worked very very well for me, and I haven't cut out any particular food (although by necessity of lowering my intake I certainly eat far less grains than I used to). Others thrive on a paleo/primal-style diet. I definitely suggest tracking calories in, macronutrient composition (fat, carbs, protein), and calories out for at least a couple of weeks first, though, to give yourself a bit of a baseline.

I'm in the same boat as you with respect to our chosen..."vices" (pizza, pasta, burgers, etc.). If I had tried to go paleo, I wouldn't have made the improvements I have...because adherence would have been a nightmarish struggle! Again, though, this is completely a personal choice and both can work

[coonskee]

Definitely pick what you can stick with. For me, I think 80-90% paleo will be pretty manageable - with the 10-20% going to beer and social outings

I'm going to take some time in the next few weeks before I move picking out what my 'exception' foods will be (not a lot of them, obviously) and what rules I will make (e.g. pick wine before beer if I'm being social, etc). That'll mean I won't let my 10-20% get out of hand, etc.

Also, after only two weeks of cutting out all bread and most grains, and a lot of dairy (just hints of cheese here and there): i had a burger today (couldn't get bun-less , and though I tried avoiding at least part of the bun, I didn't want to get my hands too dirty and at least had half of it), and a venti ice chai tea latte from sbux (don't like soy milk, so went with real milk)... the result: I actually feel really unwell right now. It's gonna make sticking with paleo a lot easier.

[Barmacral]

I've been largely eating paleo over the past few weeks, but one of my gf's rules on switching is that we have to use up all the non-paleo stuff since she's not willing to waste the money by throwing it away (I don't mind this). I had a shwarma on the weekend and felt really crappy like Coonskee was saying, and the spagetti (whole grain noodles, all fresh veggies and such, no premade pasta sauce) is leaving me feeling really hungry in very short times after eating. I spent all day today drinking copious amounts of water trying to keep myself from going to get more food to eat. Definitely sold on the paleo thing.

[Eurydice]

It all makes sense to me. But I simply cannot find the will-power to let go of my bread, pizza, and pasta.

For what it's worth, I would have said exactly the same thing before I started eating primal. Pasta was pretty much the mainstay of my diet, and I used to always have French bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Now, though, I hardly ever eat them and I honestly don't miss them nearly as much as I thought I would.

On the advice front: note that I did say "hardly ever" and not never. If you approach any diet as "I can never eat pasta again!" it's going to fail, because who in their heart of hearts never wants to eat pasta again? Not me. Instead try saving it as a special-occasion treat, and buy pasta that minimizes the grain content. The kind I buy is made from Jerusalem artichoke, of all things, and it actually tastes better than pasta made from wheat.

In short, don't let your love of pasta stop you from trying paleo or primal. Just shift your diet until it primarily consists of paleo-compatible foods. That will probably be enough for you to start seeing benefits, right there.

[Photobrandon]

I'm a big fan of changing one unhealthy thing to one healthy thing a day. My favorite way to start is to choose your favorite fruits/veggies and replace snacks with them or add them to meals in place of other, less healthy options. As far as cutting grains, I would recommend if you can to try it for a month and see how you feel. Or just cut back if going cold turkey for 30 days seems too much.

I haven't cut them out of my diet, but I have reduced them and had a lot of success. I track my body weight/body fat %/muscle mass twice daily with a biometric scale and always see my body fat % and weight tick up on days after I've eaten wheat. I know part of it is that carbs lead to water retention, but part of it is the insulin response and anti-nutrients in wheat.

Regarding pizza...it is actually possible to make pizza crust out of cauliflower. http://stickafork.net/2012/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza/ is a good recipe example (add some ground flax seed or almond flour for a stronger crust). Plus home made pizza is delicious. Give it a try

[Ghost]

I would definitely check out the Assassin's Den.

If you want to build strength with bodyweight, you need to do harder progressions/variations.

E.g Pushups become too easy, so do Diamond/Close Grip. Hell, even go for One Arm if you want.

[Horsedog]

Regarding pizza...it is actually possible to make pizza crust out of cauliflower. http://stickafork.net/2012/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza/ is a good recipe example (add some ground flax seed or almond flour for a stronger crust). Plus home made pizza is delicious. Give it a try

Have you tried this, Photo? Cause you just made my friggin' day by posting it!!! Thanks

[Photobrandon]

Have you tried this, Photo? Cause you just made my friggin' day by posting it!!! Thanks

Not that specific recipe, but the one I have written down at home is pretty similar. And it is quite good, actually. The cheese helps disguise the vegginess of the crust. The biggest challenge is getting the cauliflower dry after you cook it, because otherwise the crust can end up a bit soggy. Having a perforated pizza pan helps as well.

[Eurydice]

Speaking of which, last night I had mini-pizzas with a sliced eggplant for crusts. It was pretty good, actually, though I'd like to figure out how to make the eggplant crispier.

[Inksplat]

Speaking of which, last night I had mini-pizzas with a sliced eggplant for crusts. It was pretty good, actually, though I'd like to figure out how to make the eggplant crispier.

Maybe fry the eggplant and then bake it?

Ooh..actually, that makes me wonder how fried green tomato pizzas might taste. Hmm.