Need Advice/Help For GF

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

My fiancee has been trying to lose some weight (10lbs) for the past 7 weeks. She is 5’6" and 140lbs. Week 1 we started her on 1400 calories a day and just 10 minutes of cardio every other day coupled with 20 minutes of weights every other day. The cardio was intervals by using a box to step up on. For 1 minute she would go up and down off the box (one foot at a time, like going up stairs except it is just one stair) at a moderate pace, and then for 30 seconds she would go all out, repeating this until 10 min. was up. The weight routines were high rep (15-20) and circuit in fashion to keep her heart rate up. All muscle groups were trained. The diet consisted of 100g protein, 65g or so from fat, and 100g from carbs. All meals were eaten according to P/F and P/C combinations. The carbs came from 2 pieces of low-carb bread and the rest were from raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries. We weighed each of them to make sure of the amounts. Proteins came from GROW!, eggs, chicken breast, roast beef, low-fat cheese sticks, and beef jerky. The fat came from 3g of DHA/EPA Fish Oil and mixed nuts, and whatever was in the eggs or other foods. At the end of week 1, her measurements were all the same and so was her weight.

We repeated the same protocol for week 2, but still no change in measurments or weight.

Weeks 3-4, we went to 1200 cal/day. The protein and fats remained the same, but we cut the carbs in half for a total of around 50g a day, still coming from the 1-2 pieces of low carb bread and the fresh mixed berries. We increased the interval cardio to 15 minutes every other day, and increased the number of sets performed during the weight-training circuit sessions, so that they now ran about 25-30 min. every other day. Still no change in measurements or weight.

Weeks 5-7(present) we went to 1000cal/day. She only has 1-2 pieces of low-carb bread a day and steamed veggies, totaling 25g of carbs or under. We also dropped her fat down to 55g or so and have kept the protein around 100g. She upped the cardio interval sessions to 20 min every other day, and the weight training have stayed the same every other day. We have switched some exercises and rep schemes, but I would imagine her total energy expenditure from the weight workouts has not changed much since week 3. Still no change in measurements or weight.

I am at a loss. I have been with T-Mag since the beginning and have read 90% of what is on this site, and most of the time when I applied the knowledge that I learned I experienced positive results…which is why I am so confused???

Now, my girlfriend does work 50-60hrs a week, and I would consider what she does to be moderately stressful on a daily basis. Is there any way that her stress would be causing her cortisol to rise so high as to not allow fat loss? I would not think so but wanted to run it by you guys first.

How about her hormones…could they be outta whack? Her thyroid? I would say that we have an above-average sex life and a great relationship, so if something is off it does not seem apparent.

I thank each of you who have taken the time to read this and look forward to your replies.

2

I have had the same problem with my GF. It has always boiled down to grazing while at work. If you have her on a 1000 calories a day and she isn’t losing weight something could be going on that you don’t know about.

Good luck keep us updated.

3

Yeah, man. It sounds like she might be “fudging” the diet a little bit. At 1000 cals a day, I can’t blame her… :slight_smile:

Maybe bump the cals up, and she won’t be so dang hungry? Try a little Hot-Roxx? That supplement always helped me with any cravings for carbs.

Maybe get meaner with the weights. Go heavier, longer rest periods. Challenge her, you know, make her sore for a little bit. Build some more muscle to enable more fat loss.

As far as the hormone thing, it could be a thyroid problem, but let’s try something else before we start blaming organ failure. She would probably have other symptoms appearing other than an inability to lose weight easily.

50-60 hours a week working must suck in so many ways. I know this because I am the same way. Is she getting enough sleep? I know it’s tough on me to relax sometimes with the stress from my job, and my working nights all the time can really start to play havok with the ole’ circadian rhythms. Hopefully she’s not also working that much on night shift! :slight_smile:

Keep us posted, bro. Good Luck!

4

Hey Legolas,

Is she on the pill? That could be the problem.

For one, I think the more you/she worry(ies) about it the more it won’t happen.

What I did with my wife is to get at least 1 gm of protien per lb of body weight. 2 servings of fruit max per day, starches and root vegetables 2 - 3 times a week (tried to take in first meal after her workout) other wise not concerned about vegetable carbs. As for fat we limited trans and cut off the fat you can see.

My wife jumped rope 5 days a week and did GPP coach D style 3 - 4 times a week and weights 3 days a week. The weights were O-lifts and hybrids and compound movements for the most part 50 - 65 % of max high speed reps (4-10) and minimal recovery, 45 secs between sets 2-6 she did her weights circuit fashion as well per her choice, she wanted her workouts to be 40 mins or less.

My wife went from 168lbs post third child (3rd c-section)to maintaining 120lbs at a height of 5’3". She averaged around a pound per week weight loss.

Peace,
T-Ren

5

A few thoughts… First of all, why is she doing weight training that is “high rep (15-20) and circuit in fashion”? I get it about the heartrate and all, but put some muscle on her!! If she’s got any muscle at all then 1400 cal/day should have the pounds falling off her, so get her doing some heavier weight work. Olympic lifts, squats, deads, other compound movements- get her working on those. (If you’re a T-Man then I KNOW you’re not treating her wokrouts differently from your just because she’s female… right?)

Second, are the calories perhaps a bit too low? It’s hard to tell for sure without knowing her bf%, so perhaps get that tested and readjust her diet accordingly. (At 140#, it seems like 1400 cal/day is ridiculously low… but my perspective could be skewed from working with my own body for so long.) I’m no diet expert, but I noticed two things. First, where are the vegetables? Lots and lots of green vegetables!!! Berries and fruit are great, but vegetables should be her main carb source. Also, from a purely anecdotal standpoint, many women (myself included!) don’t do well with bread. Why not witch her starchy carbs to oats, yams, and other sources and get rid of the bread altogether?

Third, one of the best ways to determine your dietary needs for weight loss is to first figure out how many cals/day it takes you to maintain your present weight. Have her take a week and eat normally (for her) but log all of her food, then you can look at how many calories she’s taking in to maintain her weight and adjust from there. I’ve found that it’s almost impossible to know what to do with someone’s diet if you don’t have a strating point. Please have her try this before you cut her calories again- it will only end up discouraging her even more when the drastic cuts don’t work.

Finally, some people have mentioned possible grazing at work, which in my mind raises the question- why is she doing this? 5’6" and 140# sounds quite normal to me (providing her body composition isn’t way out of whack), so is this weight-loss endeavor for herself or for you? If it’s not something that she truly wants for her own satisfaction, odds are it’s never going to work. Let her know (often) that you’ll love her whether she weighs 140, 130, or 150, and I bet she’ll find tackling this challenge a lot easier.

Just my 2cents… let me know if you have other more specfic questions and I’ll do my best to help! :o)

6

First of all, thanks for all of the replies thus far. I would like to address each of you that responded seperately:

LOTHARIO: I failed to note that during weeks 3-7, one of the three weight workouts was done using lower reps. Squats, box squats, good mornings, floor presses, push press, and the Bear are the exercises that made up this workout (a total body workout). We did 3-4 sets of each with 6-8 reps. I am a competitive powerlifter so I have taught her proper technique. I have done a 555 squat, 308 bench, and 551 deadlift in competition at a bodyweight of 163.

Finally, she does not work the nightshift and we are usually in bed around 10pm and up around 6:30am.

T-REN: Yes, my fiancee is on the pill. She is on ortho-tricyclen (sp?) low. Any ideas or feedback?

BUCKEYE GIRL: Yes, every compound movement that you can think of gets used throughout the course of the week. Squats, box squats, good mornings, stiff-leg dl’s, snatch-grip dl’s, bench press, floor press, push press, the BEAR, etc. As I stated above, I compete in powerlifting and have posted some pretty respectable numbers for my weight class. Therefore, I emphasize the compound movements and correct technique. In fact, we hardly do any isolation movements at all. Some external rotation for maintenance and some abductor/adductor work in the form of plate kicks and plate drags.

As for vegetables, in weeks 5-7 she has been eating steamed broccoli, steamed spinach, steamed mixed greens, etc. I may not have mentioned this in detail in my first post. We stick to the greens and she eats enough of them per day to keep her alkaline and quite regular :slight_smile:

As for the bread, I agree with what you are saying, but she only has 1-2 pieces of low-carb bread per day. That is only 6-12g of carbs from whole grains, and if she has them it is usually with her breakfast of eggs or a cheese/low fat ham omelette. Do you really think that the bread is making or breaking us here? Please let me know your thoughts.

Finally, I have absolutely no problem with her the way she is. However, she has told me repeatedly that she just feels so much sexier when she is around 130, which she has not been for about a year now. She is not too hung up on being mistaken for an athlete by her build…she just wants to be a bit more toned and drop about 10lbs. She has very toned and strong legs, good back structure, and narrow shoulders. Personally, even being a T-Man and a competitive powerlifter, I am not hung up on packing the muscle onto her, because she is already put together pretty good (she agrees). If I HAVE TO BE critical, she is just a BIT spongy around her waist and hips. I hope this clears it up a bit more, and I look forward to your suggestions.

7

Legolas,

Sounds like your girlfriend has the exact same problem my wife had a while ago and that is that this is the last ten pounds. You said she feels sexier at 130. My wife (who is a bit shorter at 5’4") always felt she looked so much better at 110lbs (she is Asian and has a small frame) but also could not get any lower than 120lbs trying pretty much the exact same thing you had your GF do.
I believe this has to do with ‘setpoint’ bodyweight, if you know what I mean. Her body had reached staus quo at 120lbs and no matter what we did to it her body did not seem to want to lower the setpoint to 110LBS.
Now, the reverse is also true for us bodybuilders. I, myself for example after training my ass off for 20 plus years will no longer go lower than 235 lbs (normally I am at 265) no matter how bad my diet and lack of training. This is currently my body’s lower setpoint.
But getting over 265 (while staying lean) seems to be nearly impossible too. And that is currently my upper setpoint.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that a body has a lower and upper setpoint and that it takes something drastic to change it.

For my wife it turned out to be three weeks of Metltdown 1 training combined with a low carb, high (not medium) protein diet. Within three weeks of four times a week training according to Alessi’s program she knocked off the 10 lbs and looked better than ever.
It was the absolute hardest thing (and I beleive this was the key since her body had no choice but to adapt)she had ever done but it worked wonders.

After reaching her goal I had her on it for another two weeks (she gained two pounds of muscle!) and then moved her to a three times a week BodyComp program (Bowlfull of Jelly program by TC) and she has stayed on that ever since and even though she has upped her carbs she has not gained back the weight.

So it sound like something drastic is needed and Meltdown 1 training did the trick for my wife…fast!

I hope this helps.

Good luck.