Well, I'm looking to introduce myself, talk a bit about my background and my current status, if you're willing to read and give me some ideas or help I'd greatly appreciate it.

So to start off, My name is Zack and I'm a few weeks short of turning 19, and I'm currently about 200lbs, 5ft 11inches, and an overweight build. I actually turned to Traineo to look for help because lately I've hit a plateau. I first decided to make a lifestyle change last October when I was at a obese size of 275lbs. It was then that I actually decided to also become a vegetarian, with a new eating style and simply not being a couch potato by February I was able to drop down to about 215lbs. After I reached that weight College work and my social life kind of kick started and I lost track of everything.

While I didn't gain or lose weight I maintained my size and 215lbs through May. Once school ended I decided that I needed to finish what I had started eat healthy again and start working out to loose my flab. So after 2 weeks of working out I was down to about 205 lbs and feeling a lot healthier. But now the past 2 weeks I've been on probably the most strict diet and best exercise program I've ever had, but I have lost like 1 lb in the past 2 weeks, and a little over half an inch on my waist (down to 40.5inches).

What I'm asking you now is to evaluate my daily routine and tell me what you think about it, and while I know I'm not going to loose weight crazy fast like before, it still feels like I'm going nowhere for what I'm doing.

So this is practically what I do/Eat every day Mon-Fri:
Wake up 8:30am- Take 1 pill Intensify Metabolism Booster (I know a lot of people hate these or think they are placebos, but even still I like taking them as a mental boost)
9:00am- Eat 1 Toasted Bagel w/ All Natural Fruit Spread, and 8 oz Orange Juice
9:45am- Head to my Gym, Run on Treadmoil (Run my 1st mile in 8minutes, Heart Rate stays around 190s, Then finish a total for 2.25 miles in 23minutes)
Jump on Stationary Bike, with a Low-Medium resistance, doing 6 miles in 20 minutes.
Weight Lift- 1st Day- Chest and Arms, lots of free weight, fatigue lifting, fast paced... do for about 45mins.
11:30am- Get home, Take a Protein Shake, Shower
12pm- Grab a piece of fruit and head to school.
7pm- Get home from school, Take a metabolism booster
7:30pm- Eat dinner (Usually same thing, Consisting of Vegetarian Chicken Patty (130cals), Lettuce, Tomato, on 1 piece toasted wheat bread, and a size of vegetables.
10pm- Switch off between two workouts between bed (Either an intense 25minute Ab routine, or else some pushups, depending on the day)
Sleep for about 9 hours

Also during the day, I probably drink about 15 cups of water.


I mean, I'm taking in about 1000 Cals a day, and I believe my BMR is about 2500. I'm doing cardio, and weight training, and being decently active apart from that, yet I feel like I'm making no difference or results.

I'm not worried about gaining a lot of muscle, I simply wish to do whatever, and I mean whatever it takes to get rid of this leftover flab on my stomach and chest so I don't have this hanging gut.

What can I possibly do to speed things up? Like I said, right now I'm about 200lbs, I sway with water intake, and I'm hoping to be around 185lbs by September 1st, and I'd rather that weight lost be mostly fat.

And suggestions, tips, and help is greatly appreciated. I'm someone who has been overweight the past 10 years of my life, and I've finally come close to being healthy.

Hi and welcome to Traineo Zack. I see a little problem with your "diet". You say you're 205lbs, and eating 1000 calories a day....that's just not enough. When you starve, your body actually retains and expands fat, and I think that could possibly what's happening. Your also doing weight training which is another reason to eat more. What I've done this month was times my weight by 16, and that gives me the calories I eat to lose fat. You can probably go lower. You also have a 7hr block between 12PM and 7PM without food. You should take a snack, maybe a protein bar and some juice because you have to eat every 3 and a half hrs to keep your metabolism going.

I've started to realize that the block in between is probably a problem, It's hard being at school in the library and class. I've been having that piece of fruit around like 1:30, but I guess I should take something else small and healthy.

But my question is, I hear people telling me I need to eat more calories, or eat what my BMR is, but how do I do that and still loose steady weight? I know I can't do a lot, but I'd still like to do like 2-3lbs a week if possible until I reach my goal of 185.

I multiplied my weight by 18 to get my bmr. I multiplied my weight by 16 to get the calories I should be eating to lose fat. I posted this on another thread and got some negative feedback about this basic bmr method, but I've lost 4lbs in 2 weeks so far.

Hey man well done on losing that much weight so quickly!

I agree with matt you definately wanna up the calories. I was in the same situation as you under almost the exact same circumstances about 2 months ago, I broke my plateau by doing fasted cardio. I'm a big fan of it now Give it a go on days you aren't weightlifting. I do about 40 mins (10 running, 10 rowing, 20 elliptical) most mornings and if I'm lifting weights I do so later in the day. If you have to do your whole workout in one session maybe try some fasted cardio on non-weights days (dont weightlift on an empty stomach). Have a big glass of water beforehand and if you find you get dizzy, half a scoop of whey should do the trick.

Good luck with breaking your plateau

Hey Zack! Welcome and congrats on the success so far. I agree with everybody else - you are definitely not getting enough calories. Try upping the calories. I would say 1400 at an absolute minimum and that very likely is not enough. The only reason I say 1400 might do it is because I know Spyke lost a good deal of weight in a healthy manner eating only 1400 Cal, but everyone's needs are different. Also, you are really not getting enough protein. Do you eat eggs? Try adding some egg whites (or even egg white substitute) to your breakfast. Just looking at the very small amount of food you eat every day is making me squirm. You must feed your body.

Also, why are you running your heart rate up to the 190s? That's incredibly high. I'd say 180 should be your absolute max working out heart rate, and preferably you should keep it more at like 160-170.

Good luck on your continued road to health!

The thing is guys, maybe I've tricked my body into thinking this way, but the amount I eat seems to be be fine. The only time I actually feel like I'm hungry or need food is around 4pm, which like I said, I think from now on I'm going to bring a small thing to eat with me close to around 2pm, so I can keep everything in track.

Also, would you recommend for more protein intake purposes possibly having another shake before bed time?

What does the metabolism booster have in it? I think that explains both the decreased appetite and the increased heartrate. I don't dislike the things because they're "placebos;" they're downright terrible for you. People experience chest pains and heart attacks using the ones with caffeine, ephedrine, and/or aspirin.

I wish you the best of luck, but you probably need to stop popping pills and eat some real food.

1 Toasted Bagel w/ All Natural Fruit Spread, and 8 oz Orange Juice, Protein Shake, piece of fruit, Vegetarian Chicken Patty (130cals), Lettuce, Tomato, on 1 piece toasted wheat bread, and a side of vegetables

I just wanted to put it in a list like that so you could maybe see it in a different light and see how very little you are eating.

You say at the moment it seems to be working fine and yet you are talking about getting out of a plateau. When you reduce calories so radically, often your body WILL lose weight for a while and usually a lot of this weight is muscle because your body thinks that you are starving. It doesn't trust you to provide adequate nutrition. I think you will be surprised when you increase your calories, you will actually start losing weight again.

Also, I wanted to show you that list so you could see how much of it is just carbs carbs carbs - which you need carbs but you need protein, and no I don't think you should just add another shake in there. You need protein from real food too like soy, nuts, legumes, tofu, ect. Here's a good web site to check out.

There's also NO fat in your diet. Your brain needs good fats to function properly.

Add some nuts, avocado, low fat cheese, yogurt to your diet, or just add some olive oil when you cook your veggies.

Maybe what you really need to do is talk to a nutritionist about your goals, and how to reach them in a healthy way. They may be able to come up with a diet you can live (and lose weight) with.

Alright, so I realize the diet is something I need to change, it's just hard to eat things I know are unhealthy, plus being a vegetarian makes it difficult, and not having a lot of money to spend on certain healthy things. I'm keeping track of what I eat currently and my calorie intake, and I'll let you guys know what it becomes and get your opinion on things again.

But- I know you say my diet needs improvement, but is my workout routine good? Like I said, I workout every morning Mon-Fri, and usually break and just keep active on Saturday and Sunday. I also do my little routine change every night.

Btw, I just look a Picture of myself to help give you guys an idea, but it just shows an X on my profile, and I'm not sure how I would make the image a URL....

Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of a PC Nerd, I just don't know the format I guess for the profile picture to be in, and I'm not a big website guy for this Image url thing.

Your workout is terrible if you plan on eating only 1000 calories a day. I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but at 205 lbs eating 1000 calories is just downright stupid.

I've been the poor college student, so I know how it can be tough to find foods that fit the budget. I imagine being a vegetarian may make things tougher as well, but if anything meat is more expensive than fruits and vegetables. Honestly, beans and other legumes have a shit ton of protein in them, and are what? 69 cents a can?

Your diet lacks everything: protein, fat (and saturated), decent carbs, and any degree of vitamins and nutrition except what you get from your fructose bomb in juice every day. You need protein from beans, eggs (not sure what degree of vegetarian you are), milk, and nuts. You need fats, without which your body can't manufacture testosterone (it being derived from a sterol). Seriously, read an article or two. But it sounds like you know your diet is bad, you just seem unwilling on some level to eat better. Whatever man, you know the solution, go out there and do it.

As to your workout, it seems like you are doing 50 minutes of low-intensity (excepting 8 minutes at moderate intensity) cardio, followed by 45 minutes of flailing with some weights. I am guessing you have about zero knowledge of how to train, so I'll keep this simple and re-iterate everything that floats around here.

Train heavy, with large weights, doing complex motions. This means, squat, deadlift, bench, row. Look into a 5x5 program, German Volume, or West-side for Skinny Bastards.

Train cardio doing high intensity intervals. High intensity means fast as shit. Intensity is not relative. You need to move fast. I will argue with some people around here all day as to the efficacy of long distance, low intensity cardio, but in my opinion and personal experience all you get out of it is a low resting heart rate and a body like a famine victim. Do you want to look like a sprinter? Train short stuff hard, and often.

But above all, eat well!

Is this a joke?