Post: #1

I've had decent-sized love handles for most of my life, despite not eating a lot.

Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to get more athletic, so I went all in.

I had about 1800 cal/day, and hit the gym 5 days a week, lifting 3 times out of the 5, running 2 times out of 5.

I did it for 18 months. I had pangs of hunger for 6 months, and after that, I did not feel hunger anymore, but my brain was foggy most of the time. At the end, I could run for one hour, and lift myself hanging from a bar 50 or 60 times. I could not lift much though. I think I was bench pressing 50 kilos or something like that.

I developed an extreme physical resistence (I moved my whole apartment alone, including furniture etc), but I just could not think straight.

I lost 10 kilos, but it was uphill the whole time. As soon as I ate more than 1800 cal/day, I would start to gain weight again.

When I tried to become more athletic and ate more than say 2000 cal/day, my weight would absolutely not budge, either way.

So I can either lose weight and go around with my brain in a haze, or exercise to death, eat normally and not lose a gram.

This happened at the age of 44, but I had this pattern all my life.

What am I doing wrong?

Post: #2

(06-19-2016 10:40 AM)petermcsage Wrote:  What am I doing wrong?

Have you tried a low-carbohydrate diet? Focusing on calories might be causing problems.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Post: #3

(06-19-2016 10:54 AM)DaveR Wrote:  

(06-19-2016 10:40 AM)petermcsage Wrote:  What am I doing wrong?

Have you tried a low-carbohydrate diet? Focusing on calories might be causing problems.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Yes I have! Atkins. I became so foggy that I was having trouble adding numbers and remembering people's names, AND I did not lose weight faster.

Post: #4

What's your current height and weight? And what was your height and weight before you started that dieting/exercise regimen?

Post: #5

Would you describe your body state as "puffy" or "swollen"?

Post: #6

(06-19-2016 11:21 AM)Khan Wrote:  What's your current height and weight? And what was your height and weight before you started that dieting/exercise regimen?

Well, height hasn't changed

1,71 m/ 83 kilos
after 18 mos
1,71m/ 73 kilos

I did find a gluten allergy while dieting, and cut it off. That made my digestion way easier and I became more resistant to colds and fevers, but no real effect on rate of weight loss.

Post: #7

(06-19-2016 11:24 AM)kinnikinik Wrote:  Would you describe your body state as "puffy" or "swollen"?

Well, in a way...once I cut off gluten, my cartilages became way smaller (nose, ears, turbinates etc) (my theory is that it was retaining water) so my voice became deeper, I could breathe better, my nose became smaller, etc.

But other than that, no, I was not really puffy or swollen.

Post: #8

What's your bf%? How many hours a night do you sleep? What's your sleep hygiene like?

Sounds like you might be overtraining for the amount of calories you're taking in. When I cut I drop the lifting down to 2 days a week and just do long walks for cardio.

Post: #9

It could be over-training. At age 44 your basal metabolic rate is 1760 calories; by exercising 5x weekly you need roughly 2700 calories per day.

That means that by going as low as 1800 calories, you reduced your caloric intake by 33%, which is a lot! And, given the symptoms you described, obviously unhealthy.

Have you tried dieting with a more moderate caloric deficit, for example 500 calories? If you can't lose weight that way and your nutrition is OK, maybe you have some metabolic issues. In that case it would be best to consult your physician.

Post: #10

Bf, i don't know. If you look at me, you'll say "average person" (average for Europe, i mean).
I get around 7 hrs of sleep per night, quite regularly.

Post: #11

I suspect that's infact what happened, and being out of calories, i could not feel that i was indeed training less.
(That could explain the lack of progress?)

But i also developed a theory (unconfirmed): i am highly sensitive to carbs, so no matter the amount i eat, insuline kicks in big time and it all goes to fat.

In this case, would it help to split the carbs btwn say, 6 meals a day, so to trigger insuline much less?

Post: #12

Im guessing either you are still eating at above average calorie rate that you need to lower your intake more from 1700 to 1200-1500 calories. I use a combination of several different diet techniques such as the IF, Atkins, and the book Stubburn Fat diet and I've lost 20lbs in 12 months. The side effect that by going on a lower diet and low carb diet you will lose muscle and strength.

Post: #13

Well, i would like to avoid exactly that...

Post: #14

(06-19-2016 12:24 PM)petermcsage Wrote:  I suspect that's infact what happened, and being out of calories, i could not feel that i was indeed training less.
(That could explain the lack of progress?)

But i also developed a theory (unconfirmed): i am highly sensitive to carbs, so no matter the amount i eat, insuline kicks in big time and it all goes to fat.

In this case, would it help to split the carbs btwn say, 6 meals a day, so to trigger insuline much less?

Bear in mind that if you go low carb your glycogen stores will be depleted. Glycogen binds 2.7 times it's weight in water so if you were to eat a pound of carbohydrates you could in theory gain 3.7 lbs. In addition, many foods that are high in carbohydrates are also high in sodium which increases water retention.

Everybody stores BF differently. My waist is the last place it leaves. My face gets noticeably thinner once I drop below 15% bf but my waist doesn't change much until I get below 10-12%. If you just focus on your waist measurements you might be missing other signs of progress and concluding your diet isn't working.

I recommend weighing yourself every morning after you pee (and before you consume any beverages or food). Keep a running average. What matters is your average weight over the last 10 or so days, not your weight on any particular day. Also try and get a cheap set of BF calipers and start tracking your bf% once a week. The absolute % wont' be terribly accurate but once you get the hang of taking the measurements it should at least be consistent enough to show a trend. If your lean body mass starts falling but your bf % isn't moving then it's time to try something different. Again, use a running average of at least 4 measurements before you draw any conclusions.

Post: #15

(06-19-2016 11:01 AM)petermcsage Wrote:  

(06-19-2016 10:54 AM)DaveR Wrote:  

(06-19-2016 10:40 AM)petermcsage Wrote:  What am I doing wrong?

Have you tried a low-carbohydrate diet? Focusing on calories might be causing problems.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Yes I have! Atkins. I became so foggy that I was having trouble adding numbers and remembering people's names, AND I did not lose weight faster.

Serious question, do you eat much if any vegetables?

Those can give you all the carbs you need in a day. If you want help with diet you'd need to provide an actual breakdown of your average foods eaten daily.

If you were really measuring 1800 calories a day, then you would 100% know exactly what you were eating.

Post: #16

Post exactly what you typically eat, being completely honest. Unless you have a severe medical condition, something isnt adding up. Also, no offense but with how little weight you are lifting, you are probably mot burning alot of calories with your lifting sessions. You should probably add running or fast incline walking to your lifting days.

Post: #17

Breakfast: 100 g oatmeal, 1 spoon marmalade, 1 apple

Lunch: some meat (like a chicken thigh or a small steak), 200/300 g potatoes w/ some olive oil on them

Dinner: big salad w/ lettuce and 2/3 spoons olive oil, 1/2 apples


I might exchange fish for meat and oranges for apples, but the portions stay the same

Post: #18

(06-19-2016 02:15 PM)petermcsage Wrote:  Breakfast: 100 g oatmeal, 1 spoon marmalade, 1 apple

Lunch: some meat (like a chicken thigh or a small steak), 200/300 g potatoes w/ some olive oil on them

Dinner: big salad w/ lettuce and 2/3 spoons olive oil, 1/2 apples


I might exchange fish for meat and oranges for apples, but the portions stay the same

You're not getting nearly enough protein or fat. Cut the potatoes and replace them with plain greek yogurt. Replace or supplement the oatmeal and marmalade with eggs in the morning. Consider adding some protein at night. What's in your big salad? Try and get some bulky vegetables like broccoli, etc. If your energy flags on that diet try adding some more fruit and vegetables but nothing starchy.

Post: #19

I get the point you guys are making...cut the starches and turn up the vegetables, smart!

But why the fat? What is it for?

Post: #20

Do the rapid fat loss diet.

When you diet straight like that for six months, yeah you're going to hit a wall. You're in starvation mode and your body will hold onto every calorie it gets. No shit you're not going to lose weight. The rapid fat loss diet accounts for this with refeeds. You can do them normally with regular dieting, too, but I figure if you can stick to a diet for six months you can handle RFL for two and have as much to show for your efforts.

Post: #21

You need fat to help process the protien. Your body gets energy from both fats and carbs. As ensam said, your diet is too carb heavy, so you are replacing the carbs with fats and sugar.

Post: #22

Fat is one of the major macronutrient categories. It's key for uptake of vitamins from dietary sources - many vitamins are fat soluble and need the fat in your diet to help them cross into your blood stream. And particularly important for your case - your brain needs fatty acids to function properly. Get rid of the starches, up your fat and protein and you'll likely feel a lot better.

Post: #23

Guys, that helped a lot! Thanks !

Post: #24

Cut the oatmeal carbs for some eggs or vegetables and the same for the potatoes as these are just unnecessary carbs and often have little vitamins and minerals.

As others have suggested add more fat which can often be hard to get into a habit of doing but olive oil, butter, cheese can often be the easiest way to add more fat into your diet.

Post: #25

Good advice, but next time you see your doctor, ask for a testosterone check. If there is an issue there, diet and exercise will be limited in what it can achieve.