Serious Weight Lifting

I have been doing free and machine weight training for the last three years. I had surgery in Sept of '02. My weight loss halted at 268 for over a year, then it started creeping up again. It seemed the more I exercised the more weight I gained. I am now hovering at 295 (my original presurgery weight was 435) I am very physically active, and I am now in training for power lifting. I work out 6 days a week, for no less than 2 hours a day. I eat 5-6 protein shakes a day, plus a meal, maybe two of chicken or beef strips in a low cal tortilla. I usually eat less than 70 carbs a day. I burn tons of calories. I am working with a Strength conditioning coach, I trust him completely. I am starting to up my weight ability drastically, and I do the elliptical and bike as well as going a couple of rounds of boxing daily for my cardio. I love what I do, it's become a passion. Who'd have thought a serious fat girl, could be such a gym rat..and proudly display her callouses! My main frustration is that i'm not dropping weight..I am losing inches, slowly. I have about 80 #'s to go, before i'll be comfortable having my plastics done. I was never looking to be thin, just healthy..and healthy I am. But..i'd like to be a nice 180 or so..fit..strong. Anyone else into heavy weights? Any suggestions? or..Any Comments at all?

I'm a broken record with this advice. Get a body fat test done. Then repeat it every other month or so. It's more reliable then the scale. You may have added alot of lean mass. There is no way to know without checking the percentages. 6 days a week and 2 hours a day? Consider looking into the fact you might be overtraining. Various theories exist on this, so I am not going to try and be an expert on it.

Way to go on the training. I agree with Chris on the body fat testing. It will be more accurate on how much bodyfat you have to lose. Muscle is heavier than fat and if you're gaining muscle and losting fat, which if you're losing inches is about right, then you might actually gain a little on the scale. If you're really wanting to drop a little more fat either get a little more active like walking more or lose one of the protein shakes. Nobody ever overtrained by walking. Overtraining is a myth anyway for people that don't want to put in the work required to excel. As long as you can recover from your workouts and you're getting stronger just keep doing what you're doing. Good luck to you.

I can't believe with the way you are working out you are only taking in 70 carbs a day....if you don't give the body something to burn like carbs then it will eat your muscle I agree with the guys, get a body fat comp and eat more complex carbs Take care, Kathy 330/118

Hi Nancy, I am also seriousy into lifting. It's nice to be able to talk with others who enjoy the same passion. Congratulations on all your hard work. I would love to see an actual workout log....do you keep one? Do you keep a food diary? You might consider it. Sometimes when you keep the same routine up for too long your body gets used to it and the improvements stop or stall. You might need to switch up your program to keep your body from becoming used to what it's doing. Personally, I think you may need more carbs in your diet. I eat 6-8 meals a day, including protein shakes and protein bars, but I also eat oatmeal, yams, tuna, green leafy vegetables and some cottage cheese. My bodyfat has gotten as low as 9%. Bodyfat testing is a good way to monitor your progress. The best method is underwater testing, although it's difficult to locate a facility able to do it. Skin caliper testing is fairly accurate, however I would opt for the five site test over the three site test, and try to be sure that you use the same tester consistently, because techniques vary from tester to tester. Good Luck, Laura

Nancy, Congrats on your success and all your hard work. I started out at 415lbs and currently weigh 163 lbs. I have been doing both cardio and heavy weightlifting since September 2004. I also work out 6-7 days a week. I change my routine every 10-12 weeks, as your body adapts easily. Have you tried a spin class? It is a great way of getting an hour's worth of cardio. Also, you may want to monitor the calories are in the shakes, they could be a culprit. Also, I monitor my fat% so that I have a better perspective to what my body is doing. Mary