Diet Advice? Odd year for me.....

[pumpkinhead]

Hopefully some of you can help me solve this and we can group think a solution.

First let me say this is NOT A COMPETITION DIET. I no longer compete, no longer wish too...but I do tend to diet each year for summer just to stay lean.

The problem? I started my diet about 6 weeks ago...Based off previous years and previous diets of mine, I know my sweet spot is around 2800/cals day and then as the diet goes on, I slowly remove cals/carbs and add more cardio, resulting in a average 1.5-2lbs weight/week. Thus far weight loss has pretty much been ZERO...yes the scale moves each week, but just enough to show me it is water weight flucuations (up and down). I have even been dropping calories each week and adding a bit more cardio in each week (something I never need to do this early on), The scale is still not moving. Week 6, I have dropped my calories down to 2400/cals day, and stepmill 40 min /day....my carbs are all the way down to 40g / day....YET the scale will still not move.

We have gotten to the point where the math no longer makes sense to keep taking calories out....My ONLY conclusion is a started too aggresively this year and my body is now fighting me to hold onto any weight it can, i.e. starvation mode?

Current stats... 6'2, 260lbs (around 11% BF based off previous underwater test), age: mid 40's. Not a ectomorph, more endomorph.

Currently eating ... 2400, 5 meals day, 40g carbs only in post workout meal. 300g protein. The rest of the fats are fats found in lean meats/fish and healthy fats.

**once again, this is NOT a competition diet... Just trying to drop 20lbs for summer (like I normally do), but body has completely stalled from day 1. Any ideas? anyone face this before?

 

[totalrecomp]

How do you look? Are you getting leaner in the mirror? What were you doing prior to this diet(food intake, supps, drugs, training)? Recent lab work to check hormones? Are you weighing the food?

 

[pumpkinhead]

How do you look? Are you getting leaner in the mirror? What were you doing prior to this diet(food intake, supps, drugs, training)? Recent lab work to check hormones? Are you weighing the food?

Mirror looks the same, along with pics. Prior intake for maitanence was around 3200 kcal.... always weigh every single gram I eat, been doing this many years. Hormone levels are good...no hormone changes either. Been doing this for around 27 years....but this one has me stumped. All good questions, but yea the basic stuff is covered.

 

[totalrecomp]

When you were consuming 3200 you were stable at 260 correct? How long since your last diet/cutting phase? When you came off your last diet did you rapidly gain weight/fat? When you say hormones are good this includes thyroid correct?

I did not mean to insult or offend with my ????????'s but I make no assumptions one way or another so I always start at square one.

Shit if nothing else go back to 3200 for sanity's sake, I mean if your not losing no point in eating so little. 3200 seems rather low for your size. When was the last time you pushed food higher?

 

[pumpkinhead]

When you were consuming 3200 you were stable at 260 correct? How long since your last diet/cutting phase? When you came off your last diet did you rapidly gain weight/fat? When you say hormones are good this includes thyroid correct?

I did not mean to insult or offend with my ????????'s but I make no assumptions one way or another so I always start at square one.

Shit if nothing else go back to 3200 for sanity's sake, I mean if your not losing no point in eating so little. 3200 seems rather low for your size. When was the last time you pushed food higher?

NO, I agree, all good questions...you never know the level some people are at, always good to have the background. So I normally diet every single year, keep all my diets on file and track progress to know effectiveness, etc... Last diet i did I ended in April of last year... After I came off diet, I bumped calories by 200, every 2 weeks...untill I reached maintenence and water rebound levels at around 3200. During the fall I did breifly take my calories higher (around 4000), to gain back some lost muscle.

I had thought about jumping the calories back to 3000/day...after doing a re-feed weekend...and see how my body responds. maybe I went too low to fast this year. Hey I love brainstorming, so no offense taken brother.

**I have always had a slower metabolism...even when I was competing in my 20's and early 30's...offseason around 290lbs...the highest I ever ate was around 4000-4500cals/day

 

[DarrenG29]

Why not have a 3 day refeed carbs low fat then go back to your normal diet and give that 8 days then weigh yourself again and see what’s happened then

also post pictures to get a better look you could have loose skin which will give you a false impression too.

 

[pumpkinhead]

Why not have a 3 day refeed carbs low fat then go back to your normal diet and give that 8 days then weigh yourself again and see what’s happened then

also post pictures to get a better look you could have loose skin which will give you a false impression too.

most def. going to do a refeed... was so tired last night could barely get up the stairs for a shower. lmao. Probably not loose skin, I never gain that much..I normally stay within 15-20lbs of my summer weight...on my 6'2 frame, really not that much extra...thoose last 15-20lbs are what really carves out my abs and obliques.

 

[DarrenG29]

most def. going to do a refeed... was so tired last night could barely get up the stairs for a shower. lmao. Probably not loose skin, I never gain that much..I normally stay within 15-20lbs of my summer weight...on my 6'2 frame, really not that much extra...thoose last 15-20lbs are what really carves out my abs and obliques.

When dieting skin doesn’t get that skin wrapped feeling I would do the carb up that’s the signal needed for you

260 is a big guy