Why can't I put on any more weight? Am I just limited by my genetics?

Vegeta · 15 Apr 2013 at 21:06

I thought i'd reply in this thread rather than start something again. I took all your advice seriously guys and have come up with this diet. It's a low calorie diet but I want to lose some weight for now as I've accumalated some fat maybe the calorie intake is too low but i'll follow the diet strictly for a month or so to see the results. I am planning on mixing up these meals but just following this simple diet will be a lot more helathy than what I have been eating anyways.

Are there any big problems you guys can see with this diet? I am a bit concerned how some meals are high in fats, some in protein and some in carbs its hard to maintain a 40/20/40 split equally in each meal will that make any difference?

Freefaller · 15 Apr 2013 at 21:45

That actually looks like a pretty good

Presumably you vary things a little? You could add a bit more spinach in the morning/brunch just to boost your greens a little (or equivalent).

Is this the calorie intake you're after? Can you remind me if your goals are different from your OP?

Vegeta · 16 Apr 2013 at 02:53

My goals are ultimately the same as the OP but having had such a dodgy uneducated diet I put on a bit of fat therefore i'm aiming for a calorie deficit just to lose that again. The figure 2275 is just totally random i've got no idea how my body will react with those calories but i'll chop and change if i'm losing weight too quickly or slowly. I'll add some more veg and try and think of more meals I can alternate with the current ones thanks.

Freefaller · 16 Apr 2013 at 07:58

Did you do all your calculations of BMR etc? Will you be in a calorie deficit or surplus with 2275?

'Wes · 16 Apr 2013 at 08:15

Beginners gains, welcome to the club where it get's frustrating after beginners gains.

Vegeta · 17 Apr 2013 at 18:49

Freefaller said:
Did you do all your calculations of BMR etc? Will you be in a calorie deficit or surplus with 2275?

In all honesty I don't know for sure what my calorie requirements are. I'm just going on the basis of knowing what junk I've ate in the past and what calories are in that. I think it's going to take some time to learn about my body and change my diet accordingly. I'm fairly certain my body will burn more than 2,500 calories a day purely based on the type of job I have and the amount I eat I feel this diet is lower than my usual calorie intake but I can't say by how much.

Freefaller · 17 Apr 2013 at 19:28

You need to establish a baseline to measure from.

LEt us say at 2,300 you don't gain weight and you don't lose weight. After a week or 2 at that calorie level you'll know if you're balanced.

Ramp up the calories slowly up to an extra 500 calories a day (maybe over a period of a week or so) - stabilise, and see how that happens over a couple of weeks.

Nothing? Ramp it up some more. Stabilise, measure, act accordingly.

Because you don't know what your body needs you have to take these re-iterative steps to establish what you need. Until you do, you'll fluctuate and have a lack of sensible measurement as everything will be variable and intangible.

Vegeta · 14 Sep 2013 at 11:55

Hi guys thought i'd reply on this thread rather than create a new one.
I've setup a diet of 2,000 calories I want to try and get as lean as possible just to see how far I can take this.
I have a two day split I would vary it more but simply I don't like taking too much time for cooking and preparing food and if I eat more mixed food it'll just get too complicating for me and a lot of the foods i'll be buying will be going off unless I go to the supermarket daily and I don't have the time at the moment.

This is what I generally aim to eat daily but i'll be honest I end up cheating pretty much everyday I lack discipline so i'll always fall off and end up having a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps but I'm still as lean as I've been doing this for a few months even after some huge binges over the weekends (which I just put down to carbing up days

).

My question is some days when I may be out all day wining and dining or if I'm away for the weekend I will be buying meals out and just using MyFitnessPal enjoying my meals.
If I was to meet my protein and fat requirements early on and still have say 800 calories what would be the difference if I was to go way over my fat and protein requirements and just skimp on carbs?
I will still get weight loss and retain muscle i'm presuming if I meet my protein requirements and stay in a calorie deficit however would eating a lot more fats and a little more protein affect my body composition or is it not really that important?

Skillmister · 14 Sep 2013 at 14:36

Vegeta said:
I've setup a diet of 2,000 calories I want to try and get as lean as possible just to see how far I can take this.

Vegeta said:
This is what I generally aim to eat daily but i'll be honest I end up cheating pretty much everyday I lack discipline so i'll always fall off and end up having a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps but I'm still as lean as I've been doing this for a few months even after some huge binges over the weekends (which I just put down to carbing up days ).

out

Vegeta · 14 Sep 2013 at 14:45

TheCenturion said:
Smarties post workout?!

Lol ignore the title I mix those smarties in with my Brunch meal yoghurt it's only 25G's so not even a full packet.

Skillmister said:
out

I'm not a pro bodybuilder! I'm just your average guy trying to look good and get leaner 2,000 is a few hundred lower than what I know I can lose weight at so yes I do cheat slightly most days (not everyday) but even when I do I still lose weight and I haven't lost any strength as of yet as the weight loss has been really slow so don't go out and advise me ha.

Suarez7 · 14 Sep 2013 at 14:50

Oh look I spent a while making this eating plan but guess what I cheat everyday!

As Skillmister said, out!

Vegeta · 14 Sep 2013 at 16:02

My 'cheat' is basically eating extra on what is written out on the spreadsheet I eat EVERYTHING there daily but if someone at work brings in a slice of carrot cake i'm not so serious i'm going to pass up on to it telling them 'Sorry mate I've hit my macros for the day'.

Question remains if I hit my protein macros and fat macros what if I was to go over the fats significantly and sacrifice the carbs would this change my body composition much? As in retain more fat/less muscle or little to no difference?

JaWalks · 17 Sep 2013 at 15:43

Nothing wrong with not sticking to your eating plan 100%. Life would soon get boring if you did. I aim to hit 90% of my planned meals. If someone brings some cakes in to work I have one. If my wife fancies a takeaway I'm not gonna sit there eating brown rice and chicken while she eats chinese.

mrthingyx · 17 Sep 2013 at 16:01

Vegeta said:
My 'cheat' is basically eating extra on what is written out on the spreadsheet I eat EVERYTHING there daily but if someone at work brings in a slice of carrot cake i'm not so serious i'm going to pass up on to it telling them 'Sorry mate I've hit my macros for the day'.

Question remains if I hit my protein macros and fat macros what if I was to go over the fats significantly and sacrifice the carbs would this change my body composition much? As in retain more fat/less muscle or little to no difference?

I doubt small variances would yield even minor differences in body composition, even when extrapolated to weeks/months/years. The only difference that would possibly appear is in the hormonal/physiological context.

Significant disparities (i.e. permanent low-carb state) may lead to decreased muscle 'bulk' due to less stored glycogen and less retained water. It would also make any explosive power training thoroughly miserable.

@Vegeta: the problem you are creating for people is that you seem to be putting a lot of effort into planning your diet around some laudable goals, but you then undermine them both by stating (And then backtracking) that you cheat almost every day.

I'm guessing you can see why this puts a lot of people off helping you. If you can't, well that's a shame.

Practically speaking, as long as you are managing your calorie intake well (i.e. not going into starvation), then you will lose weight over time: cheats will alter this timeframe and also screw over any routine your body tries to get going.

Is this a problem? Not necessarily, but unless you can honestly manage your 'cheats' you can undermine any progress you start making.

Yes, being strict is a pain and can be very inconvenient (yes, I have told colleagues, friends and family that I won't indulge in cakes they've baked/etc. because I'm doing something particular with my dietary regime), but it works (assuming you've set yourself up correctly). But they can prove a serious detraction from your goals.