Fat loss - time to try something else?

[mickeyturbo]

I cut down from 20 stone to 14 stone in the past year and a half, don't get me wrong I'm very happy with this but still wish to lose more weight.

I have weighed as low as 13 stone 4lbs but I always end up creeping back up to 14 stone.

12.5 stone is my goal but I just can't seem to lose anymore weight. I have tried an ECA stack a couple of times before with great results at the start but after a couple of weeks it loses it's appetite suppressant qualities and I end up losing a bit but putting the weight straight back on after the stack.

I tend to take in around 1500-2000kcal a day but can under eat some days and overeat some days also. I'm 21 (male) and 6ft tall. My diet consists of a wide range of foods, I always take in a lot of protein and some carbs as well. Overall I think I do eat very healthy and get a bit of everything.

It's really getting me down that I can't shift this last bit of weight and I'm thinking of turning to other options so I have come here to seek advice. I have quickly googled some info about steroids and have from the little I have read something like testosterone and clenbuterol seem to be the only things I can fine. However I'm not someone who will take anything without doing extensive research hence why I am asking here what suggestions you could make that could aid my fat loss?

I'm not looking to get 'big', I'm just an average guy who wants to be a normal size / look good. I do go to the gym and lift weights and do cardio a few times a week but I'm no bodybuilder by any means.

If anyone could offer some advice on what I could take and do to help me reach my goals I would much appreciate it, thanks

[TKO Performance]

The problem is your diet. At 14 stone I have you at 196 lbs. At 6' tall that isn't a lot. What's your BF%?

Your body thinks its starving, especially if you are lifting and doing cardio trying to lose weight. You need to be eating more like 3,000 calories a day under those conditions, maybe more. Eating what you think is a sound diet and not losing, or even gaining back some weight is a sign that your calories are too low.

No steroid or stimulant will give you the results that your diet can't. They may do it quicker, but once off of them you will gain the fat right back, because you haven't really changed anything permanently. Your diet needs to be right before any drug will produce lasting results. This is why I advocate against stimulants for weight loss in particular.

[mickeyturbo]

My diet though as even when not working out (during weeks of exam times etc) I cannot work out and even then stick to a diet of 1500-2000kcal in which I very rarely have days of under or overeating and I will either stay at the same weight or even continue to put weight on.

I guess my diet could be out then could you suggest a quick run down of what amount of grams of protein, carbs, fat etc I could use when working out and for times when I'm not working out (times of exams etc)

I feel a stimulant or steroid would be beneficial for me as it's really bumming me out that I can't shift this last bit of excess weight. With the ECA stack I have ran before I took everything into detail (EGCG, fish oils, Multi vit) and potassium levels etc. Although young I'm not mature is the sense that if I was to run a stack I'd make sure I was doing it as safe and correctly as possible.

Edit: I do not know my body fat % but I would guess around 15-17%

[TKO Performance]

A bare minimum of 200gms of protein a day, 200-400 gms carbs a day (heavily metabolism and style of exercise related though, so you may need to experiment with exact quantity). Probably 80gms of fat a day, as little saturated as possible. That's going to put you at 2,500 calories on the low end, and 3,200 on the high end. You want that over 5-6 meals a day. For your last meal I'd try to do a low carb protein shake about 1-2 hours before bed.

That's minimum for when you're lifting and trying to build muscle, which you want to do to lose fat, because muscle increases your base metabolic rate. If you're not lifting then things become more tricky. Running a calorie deficit can allow you to lose weight, but you will lose muscle doing that. The problem is that if you are say 15% for example that's considered average for a man. Your body sees no reason to go below that, unless prompted by outside stimulus. Otherwise it considers your fat to be worth saving and will either slow your metabolism or burn up your muscle instead. This is a genetic survival instinct that goes back thousands of years.

I know exam times, etc. can be tough, but I would really try to stick to a lifting schedule through them. During those times you are under stress, and without an outlet like working out your cortisol, stress hormone, wreaks havoc with your metabolism and makes it nearly impossible to lose weight.