Help! My body doesn’t want to budge! (Repost from female section)

[Polkadotempress]

Alternatively titled : my body is an a@@hole and I can’t figure this out!!

My goal right now is to drop some fat while retaining as much lean muscle as possible. I have started a var cycle (4 weeks in as of this weekend), have maintained caloric deficit, work out 5x week (weights with cardio finish 1.5-2.5hrs per session). I know the scale is not always accurate so I also do weekly comparison pictures and measure (under bust, waist, hips, upper
Thigh, lower quad, left bicep). I’m not unfamiliar with weight loss as I’ve lost and maintained 85lbs. I have a good muscle base but I’d like to lean out a bit. I am not a competitor.

I have broken through my lifting and cardio capacity plateaus, so that is great -
My workouts feel amazing....but seeing absolutely NO positive change is so frustrating - especially with everything I am
Taking. I didn’t expect a miracle - but even a little movement would have been awesome. My weight has stayed within a 3lb range up and down. Measurements abd photos have been completely flat..:except o gained a fricking inch in my waist. Wtf

Stats
44yo
5’2”
159lbs (range from 158-161 but mostly sit squarely at 160 morning 162 evening)
TDEE Dependent on Which calculator used is 2000-2400 - the calculation in the sticky was towards the higher side of this
Calories per day 1560, dropped after I was seeing no results at 1800)
Dexa scan last summer was 24% body fat. While my muscle mass is up for sure, so is my body weight so let’s keep it there for shits and giggles - by pictures - I look to be 22-24% (although I do have some excess skin still)

Sedentary job, otherwise active. 5x wk at gym with 1-2hr weight sessions (typically heavy) with additional 20-30 min cardio.

Sleep
6.5-8hrs a night

Supplements
ECY STACK (E 8, c200, y2.5) 1x day on non workout days, 2x day on workout days (added a week ago to try to get my body to react to anything)
Var 5mg 2xday
Dr prescribed;
Test cream 2mg/.25
Synthroid .025
Cytomel 2.5mcg
Sublingual b12
Folic acid
L-theanine
Ortho-adapt

I am so aggravated that I can’t seem to
Break this bloody plateau. Please help!!!!

[Gallowmere]

If you’re sedentary outside of training, you’re gonna catch hell, especially at your size. You’re not gonna want to hear this, but my girlfriend eats less than you do and is on her feet for 12-14 hours per day at work. Granted though, she’s 5’1” and weighs 90 lbs., but you see my point.
Resistance training burns three fifths of fuck all for calories for someone your size, unless you’re literally Stefi Cohen, and even she isn’t much higher than the stupid number that calculator gave you.
If your weight isn’t dropping but you’re recomping, you’re at your maintenance intake. You’re either going to have to move more, eat less, or consider using a more effective dose of EC (25/200 4x/day). Also, Yohimbine is completely useless unless fasted.

[Polkadotempress]

Sedentary job, not lifestyle. I don’t sit still often. But also correct that at 5’1 and 90lbs her needs would be less than mine -70lbs higher. I am definitely trying to figure out my calories/macros - clearly they are too high or perhaps there is something else I am not considering. Even when I put in lesser workouts/lifestyle, my deficit calories are currently lower than the 500 cut per day on the calculations.

As for the yohimbine - I definitely understood that about the morning dose. I am increasing the E slowly but am going slowly as I am prone to anxiety

[Gallowmere]

Sedentary job, not lifestyle. I don’t sit still often. But also correct that at 5’1 and 90lbs her needs would be less than mine -70lbs higher. I am definitely trying to figure out my calories/macros - clearly they are too high or perhaps there is something else I am not considering. Even when I put in lesser workouts/lifestyle, my deficit calories are currently lower than the 500 cut per day on the calculations.

As for the yohimbine - I definitely understood that about the morning dose. I am increasing the E slowly but am going slowly as I am prone to anxiety

I can definitely appreciate all of those.
Those calculators are just an estimate, and can be poor ones at that. According to them, I only need 3591 kcals to maintain my current weight, even when I put in stupidly high activity rates.
The reality is that I need 4000-4200 just to avoid bleeding weight.
Much like BMI calcs, they work fine for people in the “average” band, but they start doing really weird shit when you start getting into height/weight/activity bands. As an example, a guy at 7’1 would basically need to look like a skeleton to be a “normal” BMI, while a girl who’s 4’7” needs to look like a mini-StayPuft Marshmallow Man to be “normal”.

[Polkadotempress]

As an example, a guy at 7’1 would basically need to look like a skeleton to be a “normal” BMI, while a girl who’s 4’7” needs to look like a mini-StayPuft Marshmallow Man to be “normal”.

Oh by BMI I am obese. I am clearly not. But 1500 is very low, and lower than that I don’t have the energy to work out. I can’t seem
To find that balance. If pictures and measurements were showing progress - I would be thrilled as the scale isn’t my god - but None of these are showing a damn thing. I am missing something.

[GearHeaded]

most of my female clients happen to be in their 40s, and its interesting most of them have this exact same problem. they get in good shape, they feel strong in the gym, their muscle starts to "pop" and look good,, but their weight stalls out and they can't get as lean as they would like

this is my advice

- you need to burn 'fat' not simply burn calories. your not trying to be in a calorie deficit just to be in a deficit all day.. the body is more complex then that .. yeah yeah I know all about thermodynamics and calories in vs calories out. but you can set things up to be a better 'fat burner' then simply a carb or calorie burner. this is done mainly through your diet and nutrient timing

- protein. MEAT . MEAT MEAT.. you need to eat more meat. most women your age struggle with this. meat is the most thermogenic food you can take in and in some ways can be more efficient then cardio. for every 100 cals of meat that you eat, your body requires 30 cals of energy to assimilate that (and yes your body can pull from fat stores as an energy source for assimilation of meat)..
so think about it.
lets say that your TDEE was 2000 cals per day . and you decided your entire diet would only consist of meat so all 2000 cals is meat.. well your automatically in a 600 calorie deficit (which is like 2 hours of cardio) without doing a thing other then eating meat. your at 1400 cals even though you ate 2000 , because thats how thermic the effect of eating meat is.

^ having said that.. I'm all for a well balanced diet. not meat only.. just making a point here. if your like most women you can benefit by eating a lot more meat.

- fasted cardio.. at a different time then your weight training workout. find 40 mins at least 4x per week and do some moderate intensity cardio that is separate from your weight training.
this works like magic for a lot of women.


- T3 at at least 25mcg per day, then up to 37.5.. this keeps your metabolism at a 'fixed' and set pace so you can better make diet adjustments without the yo yo effect.
Clen - 40mcg per day..
Yohimbe 5mg per day

women do extremely well on these compounds . and yes keep your Var in at 10-20mg per day to preserve muscle.


- nutrient timing .. if you workout later in the afternoon then go most the day eating mainly a 'keto' type diet with low carbs and high protein. then take in your carbs mainly post workout .
get your healthy fats in on your days off only.. on training days restrict your fats .


I could go on.. don't want to overwhelm you with one post .

[Polkadotempress]

you need to burn 'fat' not simply burn calories. your not trying to be in a calorie deficit just to be in a deficit all day.. the body is more complex then that .. yeah yeah I know all about thermodynamics and calories in vs calories out. but you can set things up to be a better 'fat burner' then simply a carb or calorie burner. this is done mainly through your diet and nutrient timing

- protein. MEAT . MEAT MEAT.. you need to eat more meat. most women your age struggle with this. meat is the most thermogenic food you can take in and in some ways can be more efficient then cardio. for every 100 cals of meat that you eat, your body requires 30 cals of energy to assimilate that (and yes your body can pull from fat stores as an energy source for assimilation of meat)..
so think about it.
lets say that your TDEE was 2000 cals per day . and you decided your entire diet would only consist of meat so all 2000 cals is meat.. well your automatically in a 600 calorie deficit (which is like 2 hours of cardio) without doing a thing other then eating meat. your at 1400 cals even though you ate 2000 , because thats how thermic the effect of eating meat is.

Thank you so much for your reply and I apologize for the delay (family drama )

I am not adverse to hitting the protein hard - I aim for 160g a day and most of this comes from meat/eggs. My current macros is structured at 40/30/30 and I am very conscious of avoiding carbs until pre/post workout. No AM or mid day carbs. Would you suggest higher? I do often fall in the 170-190 fairly often as my old coach drilled it into me that if I needed a snack - hit the protein.

fasted cardio.. at a different time then your weight training workout. find 40 mins at least 4x per week and do some moderate intensity cardio that is separate from your weight training.
this works like magic for a lot of women.

Yesssss. Something I definitely struggle with. It is the question of sleep or fasted cardio - and the last few years I’ve optws for sleep as I do struggle with insomnia. Definitely something to consider though.

T3 at at least 25mcg per day, then up to 37.5.. this keeps your metabolism at a 'fixed' and set pace so you can better make diet adjustments without the yo yo effect.
Clen - 40mcg per day..
Yohimbe 5mg per day

Ahhhh very good. Once I figure out a decent source (not sure I totally trust our guy) I will get that ordered for post vacation. I currently am taking my yohimbine am and preworkout...would you suggest breaking the dose? I have a sensitive tummy - precious poster mentioned it must be fasted - thoughts? Thoughts on the ECY stack (16/200/2.5 currently)

could go on.. don't want to overwhelm you with one post .

OVERWHELM ME!!!!! No please, seriously, go on! I’m all ears!

[Windex]

You were given a lot of information. Off topic it says you are in beautiful BC - do you mean British Columbia ?

[Polkadotempress]

You were given a lot of information. Off topic it says you are in beautiful BC - do you mean British Columbia ?

Yessir
You too?

[Windex]

Yessir
You too?

I am Ontario but transitioning to Nunavut

Which lab are you using for Anavar and which company for the Yohimbe?

[GearHeaded]

couple of more things

- ok so your protein numbers look good . just make sure those are direct sources of protein mainly from meat .. lots of people think they are getting their protein in tracking calories on a phone app , and the app says they are hitting 200g of protein per day and I look at the diet and see they are only getting in 10oz of chicken as meat the whole day then they are actually only directly getting 70g of protein. not 200 .. their app is adding the protein up because of all the oatmeal, yogurt, black beans etc. you are eating . I personally don't count that bullshit

- if you struggle with fasted cardio because of sleep . and sleep is super important (lots of people burn more fat during sleep then any other time) . then instead of fasted cardio switch over to 'depleted cardio' ..
depleted cardio is basically restricting your pre workout (I,e pre weight training) meal to smaller portions. so if you normally have 2 cups of rice pre workout, restrict it to only 1 cup. then do you weight training session. by time your done your basically 'depleted' . then after weights do your 30 mins of steady state cardio.

- yohimbe .. take upon waking first thing in the morning. its not a pre workout


- cycle your diet and your fat consumption .. you say you are on basically 40/30/30. well make that totally different from training days and rest days . you've probably heard of 'carb cycling' , but think about fat cycling . you don't need fats every single day. you only need protein. so on rest days for example, thats when you get your healthy fats in. on training days you may totally restrict fats

[JaneDoe]

But do you use oats as a carbohydrate source?
I know once you mentioned that you don't count macronutrients in all foods, if I'm not mistaken.
Type: vegetables Vegetables are disposable macronutrients for you, beans do you consider this a source of carbohydrate?
Do you count oats as a source of carbohydrate?
Now, about meat, you also don't count the fats that animal meat provides, right?




You only consider fats from other sources (good fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts, walnuts, etc.).
I find it interesting to find professionals with different types of nutritional approaches, because I have met many people in the middle who count macronutrients from all sources they eat

[JaneDoe]

I sincerely use oats as a carbohydrate and protein source complementing with egg whites and whole eggs together.
Oatmeal is very nutritious because in a small portion; it easily completes that amount of protein that was missing per meal.Vegetable macronutrients I don't count.Rice only carbohydrates, like beans only carbohydrates too.In the bulking phase I also stopped counting fats from animal sources, i only count on cutting .

[JaneDoe]

Oh my God, I'm horrible in writing English! lmao

[Polkadotempress]

I am Ontario but transitioning to Nunavut

Which lab are you using for Anavar and which company for the Yohimbe?

Nunavut! Brrrrrr. Hope it’s worth it! I lived in YT and NWT in my younger years. I’m Too much of a sunlover to do it anymore!

Anavar genex pharmaceuticals 20mg
Yohimbine Hcl 2.5mg

[GearHeaded]

ok to answer some of these questions

first off, when it comes to contest prep I'm weighing everything and counting everything. even spinach

but with most peoples diets things work better by only counting direct macros and not trace macros .

direct macros are things like chicken - thats a direct source of protein. just because oats my have trace amounts of protein does not make it a protein source and therefore I don't count it . but oats are a direct source of carbs so I will count oats as a carb meal (but not as a protein meal)..

so lets say you have
200 grams of chicken
100 grams of oats

by my direct macro count only you had 55 grams of protein and 65g of carbs . yes there are fats in those but I'm not counting them being they are not direct or added sources , they are only indirect tract fats.
now sure if you entered that same meal in your phone app calorie counter it may say you had 70 grams of protein (cause of the trace protein in the oats),, but thats not a fixed variable I can easily track with 50 clients .
because if they have rice one day instead of oats with their chicken, guess what, there is not near as many trace proteins.
so its much more efficient to just track the main macros and manipulate them.

if one day you have black beans with your chicken instead of rice or oatmeal.. guess what. your getting even more protein that day then whats in your diet plan. but who cares. thats only trace protein. all I care about is main macro direct protein.. the trace proteins or trace fats and carbs are a drop in the bucket and not worth your time unless in contest prep

[Polkadotempress]

ok so your protein numbers look good . just make sure those are direct sources of protein mainly from meat .. lots of people think they are getting their protein in tracking calories on a phone app , and the app says they are hitting 200g of protein per day and I look at the diet and see they are only getting in 10oz of chicken as meat the whole day then they are actually only directly getting 70g of protein. not 200 .. their app is adding the protein up because of all the oatmeal, yogurt, black beans etc. you are eating . I personally don't count that bullshit

Fair. My primary sources are meat. I don’t do any dairy and beans/legumes don’t *ahem* agree with me. I’ll watch this for sure though.

if you struggle with fasted cardio because of sleep . and sleep is super important (lots of people burn more fat during sleep then any other time) . then instead of fasted cardio switch over to 'depleted cardio' ..
depleted cardio is basically restricting your pre workout (I,e pre weight training) meal to smaller portions. so if you normally have 2 cups of rice pre workout, restrict it to only 1 cup. then do you weight training session. by time your done your basically 'depleted' . then after weights do your 30 mins of steady state cardio.

Ok I am very much on track with this although I probably should amp it up a little bit. I more often fall in the 20min zone and don’t push as hard as I could. That said, I am finding it is easier since starting my cycle. I’ll make this a post weight priority. My preworkout snack *if* I have it (rarely) is very small. I go to the gym straight from work 3x wk...depleted. I need to examine my weekend workout food timing though.

yohimbe .. take upon waking first thing in the morning. its not a pre workout

Ok so I’ll increase morning drop pre. So so so many sources of info ��

cycle your diet and your fat consumption .. you say you are on basically 40/30/30. well make that totally different from training days and rest days . you've probably heard of 'carb cycling' , but think about fat cycling . you don't need fats every single day. you only need protein. so on rest days for example, thats when you get your healthy fats in. on training days you may totally restrict fats

Makes sense. I’m going to give this a shot!

Thank you!

[JaneDoe]

ok to answer some of these questions

first off, when it comes to contest prep I'm weighing everything and counting everything. even spinach

but with most peoples diets things work better by only counting direct macros and not trace macros .

direct macros are things like chicken - thats a direct source of protein. just because oats my have trace amounts of protein does not make it a protein source and therefore I don't count it . but oats are a direct source of carbs so I will count oats as a carb meal (but not as a protein meal)..

so lets say you have
200 grams of chicken
100 grams of oats

by my direct macro count only you had 55 grams of protein and 65g of carbs . yes there are fats in those but I'm not counting them being they are not direct or added sources , they are only indirect tract fats.
now sure if you entered that same meal in your phone app calorie counter it may say you had 70 grams of protein (cause of the trace protein in the oats),, but thats not a fixed variable I can easily track with 50 clients .
because if they have rice one day instead of oats with their chicken, guess what, there is not near as many trace proteins.
so its much more efficient to just track the main macros and manipulate them.

if one day you have black beans with your chicken instead of rice or oatmeal.. guess what. your getting even more protein that day then whats in your diet plan. but who cares. thats only trace protein. all I care about is main macro direct protein.. the trace proteins or trace fats and carbs are a drop in the bucket and not worth your time unless in contest prep

I understood great master!

[*ALEX]

its hard for me to gain weight. im new so i cant ask questions... my buudy zach white died in tallahassee. he was huge. ripped thogh.

[Polkadotempress]

Hmmm do you have to have a certain number of posts to send a private message? Gearheaded - would you mind contacting me via pm?? Ty

[ghettoboyd]

Hmmm do you have to have a certain number of posts to send a private message? Gearheaded - would you mind contacting me via pm?? Ty

Yes it 25 I believe...

[Polkadotempress]

Ugh!! Lol �� girls have needs!!

[ghettoboyd]

Do something silly like post the alphabet one letter per post until you get 25...

[Polkadotempress]

Do something silly like post the alphabet one letter per post until you get 25...

Lol right?

[ghettoboyd]

Lol right?

Seriously...

[bwandrade]

Just out of curiosity, how long you've been cutting?

[Polkadotempress]

Just out of curiosity, how long you've been cutting?

When I wrote this post I had been in deficit for several months. I increased (purposely even to try to shake my body up) over the Christmas holidays and then slowly pushed my deficit back down until I was too low (low energy, crappy workouts etc). I stayed in deficit until my 2 week Cuba vacation - drank and ate whatever I wanted while gone. I am 1lb up, currently but still bloated and inflamed and readjusting to healthy food again. Body is just STUCK.

I am currently finding a new source of var and clen as Gearheaded suggested above and will ask my dr to up my cytomel at my next appt in March (he likely will - or at least get me
Close enough that o don’t need to buy as much out of pocket). I am currently still running the ECY stack but am off of var for a few more weeks

[bwandrade]

I asked because sometimes people stay in a caloric deficit for too long and screw up their metabolism. If I were you I would try to do the oposite, raise your calories up a little bit until you start to gain weight, stop and stay at that calorie intake for 2 or 3 weeks and then start to lower it again.

[Polkadotempress]

I asked because sometimes people stay in a caloric deficit for too long and screw up their metabolism. If I were you I would try to do the oposite, raise your calories up a little bit until you start to gain weight, stop and stay at that calorie intake for 2 or 3 weeks and then start to lower it again.

For sure. I’ve done that twice in the last year. I gain a few lbs, I lose those and then I stall.

[bwandrade]

For sure. I’ve done that twice in the last year. I gain a few lbs, I lose those and then I stall.

I just realised something, you are 5'2'' at 159lbs with ~22%BF and are cutting with 1560. I am 5'8'' (male) and at some point were 149lbs with ~10%BF and I was eating only 30kcal more than you to lose ~1,5lb/week. So, try to reduce you calories even more, keep your proteins high and you should be ok, you are using test and var, you can handle low calorie intake if you don't go overboard.

[Polkadotempress]

I just realised something, you are 5'2'' at 159lbs with ~22%BF and are cutting with 1560. I am 5'8'' (male) and at some point were 149lbs with ~10%BF and I was eating only 30kcal more than you to lose ~1,5lb/week. So, try to reduce you calories even more, keep your proteins high and you should be ok, you are using test and var, you can handle low calorie intake if you don't go overboard.

Hmmm I am possibly high. All of the calculators (including the manual one I found on this board) and past meal plans for my coach actually had me a bit higher to drop weight. Going lower - I can’t move weight at the gym. Perhaps I need to drop volume at the gym? I have been easing my way back in, post vacation- full meal prep this weekend. I’ll try dropping calories a bit more.