Stalled Fat Loss

Training Bodybuilding
1

I have used the information on this site to help my wife lose much of the fat she accumulated during her pregnacy, but her progress has really stalled. Here’s the pertinant information:

She is stuck at 145lbs @ 22% body fat.
She is currently on T-Dawg, supp’ed with Methoxy-7. She is shooting for ~1200 kcal per dium, with 112g protien per day. Carbs are 70 or 40 for workout/non-workout days, and fat is 50g or 68g respectively.

We are hitting the gym with a westside based program 4 days a week, and she does cardio on those days as the baby permits (maybe 2x a week).

Does it look like anything is missing in this equation. With the calories this low, she has very little energy by the end of the day, so I’m afraid to drop that. Please help!!

samiam

2

Ever consider the reason that she’s stalling is because calories are so low?

Also, is she carb’ing up at least once a week?

3

She should be eating more protein. I think the version 2 said 1.5X bodyweight or something. And does she carb up? she seems to eat very little.

4

Hi, samiam. Yeah, the 1200 number is a little low. Protein, based on her LBM should be running about 170g per day. (LBM x 1.5g protein). And that number should be divided into 6 meals. The 6 meals will give her a more even, sustained energy level during the day. The 6 meals will give her metabolism a boost. Since weight loss has stalled, I would recommend that she switch from drinking her protein to chewing it. That allows for the thermic affect of food (about 10% or so of the protein calories she takes in).

It’s going to be an act of faith on her part, but I’d recommend 2 other things. 1). Strategic carb refeeds every fourth day, and 2). Raising calories to 1,400 calories per day to allow for the added protein.

Fat can always be dropped on any day to allow for protein and carb fluctuations. Since energy is a problem, I would strongly recommend high dose fish oil as part of the “good fats” she’s taking in. Read the chapter on athletes in Barry Sear’s book, the Omega Zone. At 6-10g fish oil is great for stamina, energy (mental & physical), endurance, health, reduction of inflammation, recovery, lipid profiles, cardiovascular health and cognition. I think liquid fish oil is pure liquid gold!

As far as cardio goes, to shake things up, I’d recommend HIIT; 30 seconds high, 90 seconds low, alternating, which works out to 15 “sprints,” in 30 minutes. Your wife can use a jump rope, run, use a StairMaster; anything she pleases. She should not do any more than four 30 minute sessions of HIIT per week.

Questions, 1). Is she getting her Surge post-workout? 2). What workout is she doing, and how long and how often is she in the gym?

These are my initial thoughts. Run them by your wife. Incorporate a few (especially the STRATEGIC carb refeeds) and get back with us. I wish you and her all the best, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

5

Ike’s right- how long has she been on this program for?


1200 kcals + Wesatside + Cardio = Chronic Fatigue!!


Tell us also, what BF% are you shooting for? 22% is getting down into a good range for a female. What did she start out at? How does she look?


Anyway, sounds to me like you need to rethink that diet strategy. Certainly upping the carbs, possibly by refeeds, would be a good starting point.


Give us more details? SRS

6

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Here are the answers to you’re questions:

  1. I agree that the 1200 kcal number seems low. However, fat-loss progress stopped shortly before thanksgiving, and she maintained her BF% through the holidays. Six weeks ago she started t-dawg 2.0, and no progress was being made using the calories = body weight15 method. So we decided to try using her LBM to determine calories. (111lbs15 - 500cal for week 3 & beyond).

  2. does she carb up? She use saturdays as a “free-day,” both for sanity and to carb up.

  3. She has tried surge in the past (we currently have a canister), and she didn’t see any results with ~ 2/3 scoop after each workout session.

4)At 22% I think she is looking great. She is trying to get to the high teens, and looking back like she did during high school.

I’ll talk to her about these and any future sugestions, and keep you all updated. Thanks a ton for all the suggestions.

samiam

7

Is she a powerlifter?-I think the Westside program is great if your main goals are to increase strength in the powerlifts, but as far as fat loss is concerned you would be much better off with a program that has fat loss as a goal as opposed to strength. Look into Meltdown Training or Renegade style fat loss training. I use the Renegade stuff successfully with all my clients who are trying to lose fat.

8

The caloric recommendations in t-dawg 2.0, don’t diet, and others are there for a reason. To prevent inevitable stalling due to metabolic compensation. It will take awhile to recover. Forget the fat loss for a month while she readjusts to a normal base level of calories. Then, magically, the body will be able to resume fat loss.
Also, change the workout. Nothing works forever, and there are better programs listed here for fat loss. I can’t imagine any girl I know enjoying such fatigue, so lighten up if you’re being pushy. Try reading “How to build a T-vixen”.

9

I asked a question re: T-dawg 2.0 calorie for female to Chris Shugart, and he replied bodyweight x 13 to start. so try that instead.