I have an issue with my diet right now that I’d like to run by you because I’ve hit a plateau, it seems, and I am not losing anymore fat despite going hard in the gym.
Some Stats first:
Age: 38
Weight: ~185lbs
Height: 6’2
Workout:
HIIT exercises for 45 min per day (boxing workout)
No free weights, just body weight exercises
Supposed calorie burn of 300-500
Diet (based loosely on the “get shredded diet” on here:
Total of 6 scoops of Oatmeal per day (~500-600 cals)
2 large chicken breasts per day (~500-600 cals)
20ish almonds per day (~150-200 cals)
Hot sauce (0 cals)
Stevia (0 cals)
Diet Coke and Dr. Prepper (0 cals)
Problem:
My energy levels are fine and I get enough sleep but I am really not losing any fat, it seems, despite heavy training and dieting
There is a persistent small “fat tire” around my belly and hips that gets and stays bloated all day and it is really unsightly and feels “off”.
Goal:
Looking to get back into fighting shape (used to have an 8-pack and sparred regularly when I was in my mid-to-late 20s)
Not in a super rush (can take 2-3 months) but I would like to see progress and right now, I am not seeing any
Ask:
Can anybody chime in and help me out with some diet advice please to help me shed that “fat tire”?
I’m pretty sure my workouts are fine as I am getting fitter with each one (on week 2 already with the boxing classes), so I assume it’s all in the diet
Try a period of 8 to 12 weeks of lifting weights and eating slightly above your maintenance calories with a heavy bias towards protein.
You can still do HIIT training as well.
If you want to feel more athletic, look to someone like Phil Daru for programs and exercise selection. He has an excellent video on YouTube about a 2 days per week condensed conjugate program for fighters, as well as many other great resources
Cardio is excellent and you should definitely do it, but remember that fitter doesn’t always mean leaner. If you’re training to be a professional/amatuer boxer then ignore the below, but if you just want to have the appearance of one then:
Have you tried any low intensity steady state or just HIIT style?
The likelihood of being able to maintain a true high intensity for 45 minutes is pretty hard, and it ends up becoming a fatigue accumulation exercise.
Short sprints and short distance intervals like 400s and 800s are brutally anabolic. If you allow yourself sufficient rest to recover a workout like
5x400 max effort with 5 minute rest between efforts is hard to beat in terms of “high intensity”
And to the OP, I’d cut out the diet sodas and see if that helps. I know the info on artificial sweeteners is conflicting, but try it and see if it helps.
Also is oatmeal your only carb source? No fruit or veg?
“Carbs should make up 10-15% of your intake. All of your carbohydrates on The Get Shredded Diet should come from fresh vegetable sources (preferably organic) like spinach, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, cauliflower, different color peppers, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Again, right now you’ll need all the nutrition you can get in as few calories as possible. The veggies listed above fit the bill beautifully. Every day I’d like you to get at least one serving (1/2 cup) of each of the veggies listed above.” - JB
Is this just a sample of your diet? Surely you have more variety than this. Where are the green vegetables? You need a varied diet to get all of your nutrients.
How long have been on this boring diet?
BTW, a 1/3 cup of dry oatmeal is 100 calories.
How often do you eat? Frequent meals without simple sugars help to keep your insulin from spiking. When your insulin spikes all the sugars that are in excess of that needed to replenish muscle glycogen is stored as fat.
Another thought is that your diet is too severe and has caused your body’s metabolism to slow. Hit a day or two a week of 150% the calories you now eat.
There are people who have a very difficult time getting lean.
But, in most all cases, those people never have been lean.
Clearly, you have been lean.
It makes no sense to me that at 38 years old, that you cannot get as lean as you were in your late 20’s. Something is wrong.
Here i a pic from this am - to get sub-10%, I likely have 2-3 months to go, I assume, but let me know what you guys think and how I could help progress along because I’ve been looking at this view for almost 2 weeks now with no change
It is not just skin, though - I have a “fat tire”, which is what I want to get rid off via diet and HIIT boxing / body weight training - unfortunately, I’m obviously failing to see any progress in 2 weeks …
Was way easier in the past for me to shed weight - maybe I’m just too old now and my metabolism sucks?
Any intel re: diet or workout (or both) plan updates to get to goal here would be super.
