Im on slim fast and excercising but not losing any weight

[Saxo84]

Hiya guy's and gals,

Im a 25 yr old male currently weighing in at 16st (100 KG) 5ft 10,
For the last 3 mths i have been ging to the gym 6-7 days a week for 60-120mins a time doing mainly cardio workouts burning between 500 - 900 calories per session i also sometimes do the clasess Body Attack (cardio) or body pump (weight training)  i did these classes and gym routine for 11 weeks and didnt see any results for killing myself every day at the gym and 2bh its a little disheartening i was watching what i was eating and my calorie intake was no more than 1400 calories per day i have yesterday started the slim fast diet in hope to see some weight drop off i am currently a 40'' waist although i do not look as thou i am.

Im asking the question as to why i am not losing any weight on the scales or even decreasing in clothes sizes as its getting really frustrating now and im also worried about how i have lossed weight in the past, About 3yrs ago i went threw a bad stage in my life where i lossed my daughter and i turned to drugs as a release i spent 6mths on amphetamines and hardly ate anything as i was punishig myself, i have always been a big lad even at the age of 13 i was 13st but a few yrs ago i went from being 14st 36'' waist at the age of 22 down to 30'' wasit and 10.5 stone in the 3yrs after i have pilled on 5 and a half stone and 10'' round my waist im worried that my past weight loss may be preventing me from losing weight now i really need some advice on what kind of excercises i should be doing and for how long and intensitiy as my weight has got out of control and i need to do somthing about it before it puts strains on my health any advice would be most welcomed..

My routine as it stands now..

Monday - Body Attack (high intensity areobics) 60mins

Tuesday- Gym 30mins Cross trainer intensity 9, 30mins on the Treadmil brisk walk (6.8mph) on an incline (gradient 4) 20mins on excersise bike intensity 8

Wednesday- Gym 30mins Cross trainer intensity 9, 30mins on the Treadmil brisk walk (6.8mph) on an incline (gradient 4) 20mins on excersise bike intensity 8

Thursday- Body pump weight training for 60mins

Friday - Gym 30mins Cross trainer intensity 9, 30mins on the Treadmil brisk walk (6.8mph) on an incline (gradient 4) 20mins on excersise bike intensity 8

Saturday- Gym 30mins Cross trainer intensity 9, 30mins on the Treadmil brisk walk (6.8mph) on an incline (gradient 4) 20mins on excersise bike intensity 8

Sunday - Monday - Body Attack (high intensity areobics) 60mins

Any advice would be most welcomed to beat the buldge round my waist hips and back is the most problomatic

I look forward to your responses..

Graham..

[Siz2741]

My major thing is that you need to talk to a nutritionest. Your body with all the work it's doing needs so many calories to lose weight. It sounds odd but it is entirely the truth. Also healthy wieght is directly related to your blood chemistry. Have you ever taken a look at the South Beach diet? I would suggest it highly. I lost 20lb on it (I'm a woman who was only slightly over weight). It works quickly if you follow it strickly. Also, what exactly are you eating when you aren't havin those shakes (which I hate protien shakes are good mostly but make sure not to just have that). A book on South Beach will talkt o you about something called "The Glycemic Index." Stay away from potatoes, corns (if you can), any fast foods, breads or any kind especially white (if you have to have it go multigrain and try to have it only once or twice a week including pasta). All of these things help. The motto should be if it's white spit it out.

Also the fact that you starved yourself at one point means that you motabalism could be crashed. It will be much much harder for you to lose weight but South Beach might help you get things back in order. Good luck.

[gymdandee]

your diet is wrong follow my recommendation above and do the following
Lift 80% of what you can lift for 1 rep. then do 3 sets of 5-8 reps with a 2 minute rest between sets.

[Saxo84]

Hello and thanks for your comments,
My diet consists of
a slim fast shake for breakfast 1 for dinner (240 cals each)
and then a healthy lunch like pasta and chicken or pasta and tuna or jacket potato & tuna or rice and chicken etc etc my daily calorie intake is usually between 1000 calories & 1400 cals. I always ate through bordom & suppose when i was feeling fine and i was very rarely feeling full the diet i am on now seems to satisfy my hunger after i have been to the gym i dnt feel like eating anyway but i do get very light headed so i usually take gluco tabs with me for afterwards. You prob read this all the time but my upper body chest shoulders arms etc ect are defined whilst id like to build muscles on my pectoral area and have more defined arms, My obvious out of proportion areas are around my stomach and hips (love handles) buttocks and whilst my thighs are solid they are large which prevents me from getting into smaller size pants.

My measurements are currently -;
Waist 41.5''
Left & right arm 14.5''
Neck 16''
chest 42''
Thighs 23''
Calfs 17''

I heard genetics can have a lot to do with your body make up unfortunately i was adopted and have never seen my biological parents so i am unaware of there appearence.

I have been taking L carrsin to help promote muscle growth but for the last 2 weeks i have stopped as i wasnt seeing any results on the scales and since my goal is to lose weight around 4st and muscle weighs more than fat i thought id stop building muscle and jst concentrate soley on cardio is this the right thing to do?? Or will i jst be breaking down the muscle tissue doing the routine i am currently doing?

Thanks again for your responses..

[brice1967]

I have always been a big lad myself.  I started a routine and diet program under the direction of my physician and am experiencing a great deal of success.  Although I am not a professional in this field, maybe what I say will make some sense.

The above post mentioned food consumption.  What exactly are you eating, and maybe even equally as important, when are you eating it?  (My mother was on Slim Fast for years, but mixed it with ice-cream......slightly counter productive)

With my program, Ive lost 43 lbs since the first of the year.  My pants size changed dramatically but my shirt size hasnt.  What I learned is that I was burning fat and building muscle.  I am still wearing a 2xl shirt, my shoulders are still broad, but my arms are far more defined, my gut smaller and more defined, and I am developing a chest for the first time in my life.

I am eating a low carb/low fat diet.  I try to eat a few carbs and a bit of protein before my workouts and within an hour after a work out.  That way I am feeding good protein to the muscles before, and then during the recovery.  It is making a huge difference with me.

One consideration is, check with your doctor and check in with a dietician.  Tell them your plan and they can put you on the right path.  With all of the cardio youre doing, your overall health has got to be improving.  Oh, something else to think about is genetics.  I lift weights with a buddy that looks like he could be a professional body builder.  His muscles are far more defined than mine.  Although he has the defined biceps, mine are bigger in girth....look like tree limbs.  Genetics and bone structure have everything to to with it.  My buddy is smaller in bone structure too, so everything looks more defined.

[gymdandee]

Grahm, you gave us your routine, but not your food consumption!!
The muscle-building ideal is 20 grams of protein, half before and half after your workout. Bring these convenient snacks to the gym to fuel growth.

Chicken, Turkey, or Tuna (3 oz)
14-22 grams protein
66-100 calories
Wrap one of these standbys in a piece of whole grain bread. Four slices of chicken or turkey provide 14 grams of protein, while half a can of tuna has nearly 22 gram

Eggs (three)
19 grams protein
232 calories
Hard-boiled eggs are most convenient,  Don't sweat the fat: It's healthy and filling.

Whey Powder (30 g scoop)
24 grams protein
110 calories
This milk-derived product continues to rule the gym. Mix it with milk instead of water if you want a bit more protein.  it has whey isolate for quick absorption, and casein, which is digested slowly.

Greek Yogurt (5.3 oz container)
15 grams protein
80 calories
Greek-style yogurt is a lifter's dream: It's easy to carry and packed with protein. Skip yogurts with fruit and sugar; to add flavor, drop in a few berries or nuts.

You must try not to eat simple carbs! only complex carbs!!

You Need More
Think big. Most adults would benefit from eating more than the recommended daily intake of 56 grams, says Donald Layman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois. The benefit goes beyond muscles, he says: Protein dulls hunger and can help prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

How much do you need? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your workout regimen. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for a 180-pound man.

Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day.

Now, if you're trying to lose weight, protein is still crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein,  You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.45 and 0.68 gram per pound to preserve calorie-burning muscle mass.

And no, that extra protein won't wreck your kidneys: Taking in more than the recommended dose won't confer more benefit. It won't hurt you, but you'll just burn it off as extra energy,


It's Not All the Same
Many foods, including nuts and beans, can provide a good dose of protein. But the best sources are dairy products, eggs, meat, and fish,. Animal protein is complete—it contains the right proportions of the essential amino acids your body can't synthesize on its own.

It's possible to build complete protein from plant-based foods by combining legumes, nuts, and grains at one meal or over the course of a day. But you'll need to consume 20 to 25 percent more plant-based protein to reap the benefits that animal-derived sources provide,  And beans and legumes have carbs that make it harder to lose weight.

So if protein can help keep weight off, is a chicken wing dipped in blue-cheese dressing a diet secret? Not quite: Total calories still count. Scale down your fat and carbohydrate intake to make room for lean protein: eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt, lean meat, and fish.

But remember, if you're struggling with your weight, fat itself is not the culprit; carbs are the likely problem. Fat will help keep you full, while carbs can put you on a blood-sugar roller coaster that leaves you hungry later.


Timing is Everything
At any given moment, even at rest, your body is breaking down and building protein, Every time you eat at least 30 grams of protein, you trigger a burst of protein synthesis that lasts about 3 hours.

But think about it: When do you eat most of your protein? At dinner, right? That means you could be fueling muscle growth for only a few hours a day, and breaking down muscle the rest of the time, Instead, you should spread out your protein intake.

Your body can process only so much protein in a single sitting. A recent study from the University of Texas found that consuming 90 grams of protein at one meal provides the same benefit as eating 30 grams. It's like a gas tank, says study author Douglas Paddon-Jones, Ph.D.: "There's only so much you can put in to maximize performance; the rest is spillover."

Eating protein at all three meals—plus snacking two or three times a day on proteins such as cheese, jerky, and milk—will help you eat less overall. People who start the day with a protein-rich breakfast consume 200 fewer calories a day than those who chow down on a carb-heavy breakfast, like a jam-smeared bagel. Ending the day with a steak dinner doesn't have the same appetite-quenching effect.


Workouts Require Fuel
Every guy in the gym knows he should consume some protein after a workout. But how much, and when? When you work out, your muscles are primed to respond to protein, and you have a window of opportunity to promote muscle growth.

I recommends splitting your dose of protein, eating half 30 minutes before the workout and the other half 30 minutes after. A total of 10 to 20 grams of protein is ideal. And wrap a piece of whole grain bread around that turkey, because carbs can raise insulin; this slows protein breakdown, which speeds muscle growth after your workout. Moreover, you won't use your stored protein for energy; you'll rely instead on the carbs to replenish you.

One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pinpointed 20 grams as the best amount of postworkout protein to maximize muscle growth.

You're doing this because resistance exercise breaks down muscle. This requires a fresh infusion of amino acids to repair and build it. If you're lifting weights and you don't consume protein, it's almost counterproductive. Protein also helps build enzymes that allow your body to adapt to endurance sports like running and biking.

Powders are for Everyone
Everyone—not just muscleheads—can benefit from the quick hit of amino acids provided by a protein supplement, bar, or shake. Your best bet is a fast-absorbing, high-quality kind like whey protein powder (derived from milk): It appears in your bloodstream 15 minutes after you consume it.

Whey protein is also the best source of leucine, an amino acid that behaves more like a hormone in your body: It's more than a building block of protein—it actually activates protein synthesis. Whey contains 10 percent leucine while other animal-based proteins have as little as 5 percent.

Casein, another milk protein sold in supplement form, provides a slower-absorbing but more sustained source of amino acids, making it a great choice for a snack before you hit the sack. Casein should help you maintain a positive protein balance during the night,. Building muscle while you sleep.