Plateau

[Aims21]

Hi,
My weight has been up and down between 60 and 72 kgs for the last couple of years.
I am currently at a point where I have been working out and eating well and nothing is happening.
I seem to be stuck on 70kgs (I know some of that is muscle) and body fat % is 27% according to my scales.
Earlier this year I became vegetarian and lost around 5kg, but seem to have put it all back on?
I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to get rid of another few kilos. My goal is 60kgs, I am 173cm tall.

I am currently doing the following: (My diet is mostly strict, I occassionly eat a piece of wholemeal bread with vegemite on the nights i do kickboxing)

DIET
First Thing – Hot Lemon Water
Breakfast - 1 piece of fruit
M/Tea - herbal Tea (Green or White)
Lunch - Vegetarian Sushi or Salad Wrap (cottage cheese instead of normal cheese)
A/Tea - Herbal Tea (Green or White) 1 piece of fruit
Dinner - Vegetarian Lean Cuisine or Pasta with Vegetables and Red Sauce
LOTS OF WATER!!!!

EXERCISE
Monday
Morning: 40 minutes - Weights & Abs (Arms, Legs, Lunges, Squats)
Night: Boxing/Kickboxing 1 hour

Tuesday
Morning: 40 Minutes - Treadmill

Wednesday
Morning: 40 Minutes - Weights & Abs (Arms, Legs, Lunges, Squats)
Night: Boxing/Kickboxing 1 hour

Thursday
Morning: 40 Minutes - Treadmill

Friday
Morning: 40 Minutes - Weights & Abs (Arms, Legs, Lunges, Squats)

Saturday
REST DAY

Sunday
10km River Walk

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

[Jisgone]

your not eating anywhere near enough for the ammount of excercise your doing
you have to feed your body for it to be able to lose weight, maybe try logging on to calorieking (calorieking.com.au) and work out how much you should be eating a day and try sticking to that for a few weeks
its definately not good for your body to be starving it

[Fatty]

Hi,
Jewels is right you should be eating more (you body goes into starvation mode where it holds onto every ounce of calroie you put in if you dnt eat properly ) that could be a factor and another one is you could probably add an extra day of cardio (which burns more ) and substitute it for your 40 min body training exercise regime.
Hope all goes well !!

[Aims21]

Thanks for that. There is so much information out there its hard to know what is correct. I thought you were supposed to do weights three times a week?
I am definitely going to try to fit in more cardio.
I find it hard to fit in more calories? I guess i could have something more in the afternoons, i like to only have fruit for breakfast as i go to the gym around 10am and i dont like to be feeling full. I find if i eat more than what i have set i tend to eat bad calories. can you give me some suggestions of things to eat?

[Aims21]

Okay so here is what I have eaten/exercise I have done so far this week (including today)

Monday 17/11
B: Apple
L: Sushi – Egg (5), Homosaki – Avocado (6)
S: Apple
D: San Remo Spinach and Ricotta Anglotti with vegetables and red sauce
10am: Free Weights (Arms/Shoulders), Back Strengthening, Abs
6.30pm: Kickboxing

Tuesday 18/11
L: Sushi – Egg (5), Homosaki – Avocado (6)
S: Hommus and Original Rice Crackers
S: Apple
D: 4 x Soft Tacos – No Meat, Mediterranean vegetables, with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and taco sauce
S: Lindt Dark Chocolate with Mint, vegemite sandwich
10am: Cross Trainer 25 minutes, 15 minutes stretching and abs
5.20pm: 10 Minutes Treadmill
5.30pm: RPM Spin Class 50 Minutes

Wednesday 19/11
B: Vegemite and Cheese Roll
L: Salad Wrap with Soy Cheese and Egg (little Mayo)
S: Hommus and Original Rice Crackers
S: Apple
D: Lean Cuisine
10am: Cross Trainer 35 minutes
6.30pm: Kickboxing

I probably could have done without the chocolate and vegemite sandwich and should have eaten breakfast on tuesday but had to rush out to a meeting and didnt get time before I went to the gym.
Also, am going away this weekend, I am only going to drink on one of the nights, and as I am vegetarian assume i wont be catered for in the BBQ meals, so i guess i will be eating salad all weekend! Will see how it goes I guess.

Also have a lunch on friday for work, and my only options off the menu are vegetarian pizza or Meditteranean Ciabatti Sandwich.....or Fries....sometimes its hard being vegetarian!!! Any suggestions????

Aims

[tom_ed]

Hi there Aims, I'm no expert but i was in a similar position to you a while back. I was doing a lot of training including martial art training and not eating anywhere near enough.

It looks like you have fallen into that same trap. But definitely eat more at breakfast, a single apple i don't think is enough. Have complex carbs, and have some protein. I used to buy egg whites which are a great source of protein and are very low in fat and taste great in a morning omelette. Try and have protein 3 times a day and perhaps limit your carbs to just the morning or lunch. Find out what feels right.
Oh and by the way, this may sound strange and against weightloss dogma, but before you do the kick boxing eat white bread with the Vegemite. The refined grains in white bread will be absorbed by your body quicker, and if your kick boxing sessions are anywhere near what my martial arts training sessions used to be like you will burn that off in no time.

Goodluck.
Tom

[Aims21]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for that. can you explain to me about what comlex carbs are? Is muesli and yoghurt or wholemeal bread with vegemite/cottage cheese ok?
Also, as I am vegetarian I am unsure as to where I should be getting protein from. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Aimee

[Aims21]

Update....I have put back on and am now 70.2kg, alos have been to Doc and have been told I most likely have IBS...and so trying to cut out Gluten foods to see if that helps (i have been bloated as for over a week).

Day 1
1/2 Cup Gluten Free Muesli w Skim Milk
Plum
Mixed Salad w Soy Cheese
Seaweed Rice Crackers w Hommus
Apple
And for Dinner I will have - Salad w Cheddar and Seeded Mustard Dressing

Hopefully this will make a difference to both my IBS and my weight loss!

Off to Kickboxing.....

[Aims21]

I think that cutting out Gluten may have been a helper in the fact that I have lost 1.2kg in 5 days!!!!!

I feel more motivated now that the weight has finally starting shifting!!

Only 8.8kg to go!!

[EvilWombatQueen]

Well done! I'm glad you found the cause of your IBS. It must be hard to follow a gluten free vegetarian diet, though.

I've just seen a couple of other questions you've had in this thread that remain unanswered so I'll give a shot at them.

Thanks for that. can you explain to me about what comlex carbs are? Is muesli and yoghurt or wholemeal bread with vegemite/cottage cheese ok?

Complex carbs are ones that are difficult for the body to break down into sugars. Wholegrains are a good example. Muesli is a complex carb, but it's best to avoid the toasted varieties because they tend to have added fats. Wholegrain bread would be better than just wholemeal bread since you have entire grains for the body to break down. Complex carbs keep you fuller longer and don't give the same sugar spike that simple carbs do.

Also, as I am vegetarian I am unsure as to where I should be getting protein from. Any suggestions?

I'm vegan so this question is right up my alley! You can get protein from soy products (tofu, soy milk, processed soy products), from beans and legumes (lentils, for example), from nuts (though don't have too many because they have a high proportion of fat!) and since you eat dairy you can also get it from dairy products like cheese, eggs, milk and yoghurt. There is also protein in wholegrains.

There is a huge amount of information about protein in the vegetarian diet here. It also lists sample vegetarian foods and how much protein they contain. Considering how many healthy foods contain a good amount of protein it's actually hard not to get enough protein in your diet as a vegetarian provided you eat a healthy range of foods in the day! And by eating a variety of plant-based foods you get all the amino acids you need to form complete proteins. You don't need to eat them all in one meal, as long as you have them throughout the day you will do fine.

[Aims21]

Thanks heaps for that!! Still weighing in at 68.8kg. Hopefully by the end of this week it will be 67kg....think i am being a bit optimistic though!
Kickboxing tongiht!!

[Aims21]

Down to 66.8kg!
This is inspiring me to keep going with the healthy eating and exercise.
Some days it feels like nothing is working, but I guess the scales dont lie!!

[Oliviasf]

Hi Aims21,

I have just read your thread and sounds like you have got a lot of ur answers already. Well done for your success so far!! You're doing great.
You can have a read through some of my personal threads for ideas I've done which have really helped me. I also do lots of gym. I know it's hard to keep up the calorie intake at times, but what the others have said I found has been right for me anyway. As always, do what is right for you

You might be interested in looking into the Glycemic Load of food as this can impact how fast energy is released from foods and in the long run how we loose weight. Protein plays a big role. I'm not sure what kind of vegetarian you are, but if you can eat fish I would suggest that. Doing the amt of exercise you do it may be that you need much more protein than ur getting as your body will find it harder to build muscle or tone on a lower protein diet for your activities. When your body builds more lean tissue, your basic metabolism has to increase which is always a good thing

All the best and will see how you are going