Help! I need a plateau buster suggestion!

[Stephanie0523]

Hey Cathe,
I recently gave up rest days for Lent. I now do some sort of workout every single day, but one day a week is devoted to only stretching/yoga or ballet. I really have enjoyed implementing such discipline and have been feeling great! I'm currently doing three days of heavy weight work (only about 30 minutes per session) with three days of cardio and one day of yoga/stretching/ballet. I also have cleaned up my diet more. The result: I've gained weight!! My clothes aren't feeling any looser either.

Any suggestions for a plateau buster? I just bought Drill Max and thought that doing it once a week might shock my system a bit since it's longer than the other cardio workouts I'm doing. Should this do the trick? Would a protein shake after heavy weights help too? (I workout at night before I eat dinner, so I don't usually drink a protein shake, but I'm wondering if that would help...)

Any advice you can offer would help me so much. I'm trying to finish losing this baby weight... (Can I still call it "baby weight" when the baby is, in fact, now a toddler?? ) ... before my family goes to the beach this summer.

 

[HomeEx]

Hi Stephanie,

Not Cathe, but....

To stop a metabolic slowdown while dieting, Tom Venuto (www.BurnTheFat.com) offered this advice (paraphrased from one of his newsletters):

1) Lose slowly, no more than 1% of total body weight per week. Smaller women will lose much more slowly than men or taller women. It takes smaller women a longer time to lose.

2) Eat more, burn more to attain your target calorie deficit per day. Tom stresses that its better to burn the fat then starve the fat. Do both weight training and cardio to avoid losing muscle mass.

3) Base your diet on a 20% deficit below your maintenance calories (TDEE), or a 30% deficit at most for those with high body fat.

4) Restimulate your metabolism by increasing your calories for a full day periodically (once a week or so). Increase your calories to your maintenance calories or increase your calories to 10, 15, or 20% above your maintenance level. Do this by adding carbs (carb cycling).

5) Take a break from your diet periodically, approximately every 12 weeks. Go to your maintenance calorie level for 1 week.

I heart Tom Venuto.

 

[Stephanie0523]

I'm doing all of those things, so maybe it's just a sloooooooow process. I have done some more intense cardio this week and felt GREAT, so I'm wondering if I just needed to rev up the intensity a bit. Thanks for the great advice and for letting me know about this guy!

 

[mandy miller]

Hi Stephanie, I´m not Cathe either, sorry!

BUT I am someone who has been / is in a similar situation. Personally for me, no matter how much cardio do, if I don´t watch my diet, it´s a waste of time! I sugest you calculate how many calories you need a day , there are many webpages that calculate this for you based on your height,weight, age and level of activity. You then need to subtract 500 from this number. To lose a pound a week, your body needs a 3500 a week calorie deficit (i.e 500 less a day) For me it´s 1600 a day. I have been keeping a food diary. Do you do this? It´s amazing how quickly 1600 cals are consumed! All those ´hidden´ calories in soft drinks etc

Also yes, it´s a slooow journey. I don´t know your history, in my case I was couch potatoe and decided to act after I had a baby (she´s 14 months) I guess all those years of inactivity can´t be undone over night. It has taken me a year to lose 12 kilos! This is where the challege comes, i.e sticking to it despite the weight loss slowing down, it´s hard to stay motivated. I believe that the body also adjusts very quickly to your routine, so it´s important to change things up once in a while. I am using Cathe´s HIIT video which is fab but very challenging. Also I jog 3 times a week using the FARTLEK method and of course I lift weights

Also I suggest you take a photo of yourself from the front and back in a bikini every month. A picture speaks a 1000 words!

Sorry if this advise is obvious to you! Stick with it! Well done! You´ll get there!

 

[Stephanie0523]

Hi Mandy-Thanks for the advice! I have to admit, I'm kind of giggling over "FARTLEK" method. (Forgive me, I'm the mom of three boys...) What is this? I'll have to google it. I have tried to get into running. I loved it when I first started, but now I get so bored when I do it. My DH is a runner and is running in a half marathon next month, so I WANT to like it, but I can't. Maybe this FARTLEK (still giggling, sorry) method will help me.

I have cleaned up my diet and am doing Cathe's nutrition manager, which I'm learning to really like. I don't drink sodas and have cut fake sweeteners out of my diet too (as much as is possible). I am making some fitness gains.Lifting heavy seems to really help me. I can tell that I'm increasing muscle mass, and I realize that muscle weighs more than fat... And I'm coming to terms with the fact that this will just take a lot of time. My hormones got really out of whack with my third child's birth, so I'm just now getting back to "normal." I'm also increasing my cardio one day per week, after looking at Cathe's March rotation (I think it's her March rotation) where one day is a "shock" cardio day. So we'll see if that helps too..

As for the bikini picture. I totally can't do this. I don't even own a bikini. The thought of taking a picture of myself in one freaks me out!

Thanks again for the advice!!

 

[mandy miller]

Hi Stephanie!

I get it, FARTlek is a funny word! Its basically interval training! i.e running/jogging, but putting in short sprints occasionally, its just a way to shake things up, shock your body, you body has no idea whats coming next!

I understand, I have never been a runner! Now I love it, but I have to run to music, believe me,when I hear ´dancing queen´or ´can you feel it´ it spurs me on! There´s no way I could run for 45 minutes without music!

I aso understand your fear about posing in a bikini! I have done this every 6 weeks for about a year, when you see your body changing it keeps you going! Check me out, I was featured in one of Cathe´s success story, the before photo of me in my bikini, well, it´s not pretty!

Do you own a stationery bike at home? This is also fab!

Lifting weights is incredible! If you don´t already have them, I highly recommend the 3 Gym Style DVDs and Slow & Heavy and if you don´t have Butts & Guts, order it today! I have a C-section which left me wit a ugly belly with a hang, Butts& Guts is helping me to get rid of it, I still have a flabby belly, but it´s getting definition and I swear it´s down to Butts & Guts

Like you say, it´s a slow process, but worth it!

Today I did Drill Max, tomorrow I want to do Body Max, I can´t go for a run because here in Barcelona......it´s snowing!

Keep up the good work!