What am I doing wrong?

[wild_wild_wes]

I wonder if I have screwed up my system by running such large caloric deficits: over 2,000 calories per day for the last two months, and at least 1,500 per day for the previous couple of years. I lost very little weight over this period, despite the enormous deficits. The deficits were mostly the results of lots of Cardio. I may be addicted.

What is the best strategy to recover from this error? Should I try to get to Maintenance NOW, or do it gradually? How much should I increase per week? Or should I be looking at doing less excersize (an option I am very reluctant to take)? How long will I need to stay at Maintenance before I can reduce calories again?

[guns4fun]

I wonder if I have screwed up my system by running such large caloric deficits: over 2,000 calories per day for the last two months, and at least 1,500 per day for the previous couple of years. I lost very little weight over this period, despite the enormous deficits. The deficits were mostly the results of lots of Cardio. I may be addicted.

What is the best strategy to recover from this error? Should I try to get to Maintenance NOW, or do it gradually? How much should I increase per week? Or should I be looking at doing less excersize (an option I am very reluctant to take)? How long will I need to stay at Maintenance before I can reduce calories again?

Like already posted by myself and others.

Yes, you could have put your body into starvation mode.

Again, suggestions:

Buy a scale that also calculates body fat.

Check your weight / body fat weekly - you want to see a 2-3 pound loss per week.

Increase your calorie intake - drink the protein shakes i gave the recipe for. Drink one per day and see how it goes.

After you start weighing yourself weekly, you'll be able to see what changes worked and try to change it up as needed.

Good luck.

[Perryguy]

An excellent resource is, Chris Carmichael's book, "Food for Fitness". Chris is an ex-competitive bicyclist and Lance Armstrong's adviser. It is well worth reading.

[wild_wild_wes]

Like already posted by myself and others.

Yes, you could have put your body into starvation mode.

Again, suggestions:

Buy a scale that also calculates body fat.

I have an Omron electronic body fat meter.

My BF% has been going down steadily...but slowly....

[guns4fun]

I have an Omron electronic body fat meter.

My BF% has been going down steadily...but slowly....

Well, in that case check it weekly. Increase your calorie intake and adjust your work out routine until you start seeing the results you want.

Again, 2-3lbs or so loss per week is what is considered healthy weight loss for most people. Also, if you are not getting the weight loss you want but your body fat % is going down, your still on the right track.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

a 1500-2000 calorie deficit a day for an extended period is too much, that will put your body into starvation mode.

also remember, the fatter you are, the easier it is to lose weight, the more you lose, the harder it will get. i would worry more about your overall look then how much weight your loosing. If your doing a weight routine, youll be losing fat and building muscle, so at some point, its going to look like (according to the scale) your losing very little fat, when in reality, your stripping it off and replacing it with muscle.

[DevL]

After reading your post I have a few thoughts.

First your loss sounds totally normal. Second, you overestimate your caloric deficit, especially how much you burn and your RMR. Also 600 calories for 45 minute lifting workout? Come one get real... not even in an hour of intense lifting would burn 600 calories. I have hepled lots of people diet and they ALL have the same problem... they eat too much because someone told them not to starve themselves or they would go into "starvation mode" and the people who told them that either dont have single digit body fat or actually starve themselves while telling others not to or do MASSIVE amounts of cardio.

My thoughs... be happy with 3 pounds in a month or eat less. If I am losing fat I NEVER eat more than 1200 calories and sometimes go as low as 900. I run 3 miles a day and lift as hard as I can three times a week for 1-1.5 hours. I am taking ECA 3 times a day and even then I lose only 2-3 pounds of weight week. Lots of charts say I should be at a deficit of over 2000 calories a day on average. I should easily be cutting 4 pounds plus a week... yet I dont.

You think normal activity and your RMR =2876 calories a day or you would slowly starvet to death? At age 44 and 5'8" in height? Not likely. At 6'2" and 220 in my 20's I could hold my weight at that calorie level and was working out pretty hard at the same time. I could lift and run and train and do whatever and hold my weight and I dont have a slow metabolism. My daily diet varied from 2800-3150 holding at 220... and I was active.

The solution to not losing enough weight is always the same... eat less. People will find ANY way to get around that simple concept and come up with some excuse of why thats not a good idea. I bet it happens right in this very thread.

[Christian R.]

What kind of fats are you eating? Better yet, what are you eating, period? I see the breakdown of fats/proteins/carbs, but in what form?

And, how much sleep are you getting at night?

[wild_wild_wes]

For most of my program I was on low-fat intake. To up my intake I started eating more cheese, but mostly the increase is from Flax Seed Oil in liquid form, and almonds.

Sleep- I wish I could. My sleep patterns are very disturbed. This week was bad: I was waking at around 3 am (normal wake time is 5 am). Sometimes I wake an hour or so earlier, too.....then in an out until the alarm goes off; usually at that time I am deep in a dream, so it looks like my deep sleep is being disrupted. This has been going on for quite some time. I don't wake feeling fully refreshed, but not really "tired", either. I usually say "****", then get out of bed to start my day.

[Cameron]

Iraq Ninja is right your calculations are off, and you are not turning fat into muscle that is impossible.

Cut your calories, cut your weight training.

Cameron