Hi, I'm discouraged and have hit a plateau HELP

[JonChristopher]

Hi, My name is Jon Christopher, I have been a big guy all of my life. I am currently 6'3" and 240lbs. I have the body of a guy that will never be 180lbs unless I cut off one of my legs, due to my frame. I have recently (over the past year and a half) lost 110lbs and went from a size 48 waist to a current size of 38 and 36 in some brands. I used to wear a 4x shirt and I now wear a lot of 1x shirts which I never even wore in high school.
I feel I need to add that I started the transformation fresh off of crutches. I was involved in a car accident which rendered me in the hospital for 28 days with a 3.5 inch break separating my left humerus completely, I also shattered my left tibia plateau which still needs to be surgically replaced. I have 21 pins and 4 plates in my arm and knee. Aside from the hospital I was also in a wheelchair for 6 months and crutches for another 4-5 months, so I can't do any running due to my knee.
As far as my workout, I switch up every 6-8 weeks as I should, and do cardio (bike, stair-stepper, or elliptical) at least 30 minutes a day 4-5 days a week as well as hit the weights for another 30 minutes at least. My RHR is 38 beats a Minute when I wake-up, so my Cardiorespiratory conditioning is pretty good. I'm not trying to bulk up and add weight, I'm just trying to tone and get off another 30lbs or so. Any advice on how I can lose those last pounds would be great. I eat very healthy (turkey, fish, fat free everything, no fast food ect.) ,but i just can't seem to lose those last few pounds and it's starting to discourage me(should I try supplements). Again I appreciate any and all help you can give me. Thanks for your time.

[virus]

Welcome to the forums. Can you be a bit more specific on your diet? Walk through an average day of eating and the amounts of whatever is your eating?

You got the cardio down it seems, let's see a bit more on your diet!

[Gill]

I'd like to add that dropping another 30lbs at your current weight and height is going to be tough even when you're doing everything right. After a 110lb loss, your body does everything it can to preserve its precious reserves. You didn't give up in the past, so stick with it now!

I think some of your toning issues may be due to loose skin more than being fat. To lose 110lbs in a year and a half is a huge success, but the side effect is that your skin hasn't had time to react and tighten back up. This gives the appearence that you're still holding love handles and a lower belly when its actually just loose skin hanging down. Your skin will tighten back up over time.

Finally, anytime you feel discouraged, walk your ass to a mirror and remind yourself of the incredibly difficult adventure you pit yourself against and how successful you've been this far. Not only that, but most people on this planet wouldn't have the self-control and will-power to drop 110lbs fresh off of such a bad accident. Power to you man. You better continue to show your face around here!

[jlozan84]

First off - congrats on the weight loss and coming back from an obviously devastating injury!

I'd like to see what your diet consists of and the weight training you do. As Gill mentioned, you might drop bodyfat, but the extra skin will still make it look bad. It will take a while for that skin to tighten back up and you just need to be patient.

[JonChristopher]

Thanks for the comments so far everyone. As far as my diet goes, I feel that is still my main weakness. I'm eating the good foods but I feel I should make my portions smaller. I tell myself that if it's healthy I can have a little more.

For breakfast I usually eat a bowl of cereal or two (Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats, or Life usually. Some days I'll eat a banana or apple.

I eat a lot of grilled or broiled chicken for lunch and dinner, but I usually eat two breasts with veggies. I eat them on bread as well sometimes, with fat-free Mayo, mustard, and relish. I use Multi-grain bread 35 calorie per slice but I know I should cut back.

I make turkey burgers with chopped green peppers, mushrooms, and onions, again I use Multi-grain bread with fat-free mayo, mustard, or ketchup and lettuce.

I use turkey for a lot of meals, and I eat a TON of chicken (honestly getting tired of both)

I also eat a lot of tuna again usually on bread. I think I see a trend, but I feel the bread fills me up and keeps me from being hungry.

For snacks I eat yogurt, cottage cheese, and canned peaches, and pears. I also eat rice cakes, low fat gram crackers or wheat thins. I also eat Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches every once and a while for a quick in between meal. Oh! I also eat hardboiled eggs quite a bit.

I try to eat every 3 hours or so.

[JonChristopher]

Hi, I was wondering how to post a before and after picture on this thread. I just found out yesterday that I'm 24.7% body fat, that is a far cry from which the BMI, which said I was 32% according to my height to weight ratio. For someone who was 350lbs a year and a half ago, I think 24.7 is pretty good. I wonder what I'll be when I lose another 30lbs of fat? Is 24.7 an OK body fat %?

[NoVa Dude]

Originally Posted by JonChristopher

Hi, I was wondering how to post a before and after picture on this thread. I just found out yesterday that I'm 24.7% body fat, that is a far cry from which the BMI, which said I was 32% according to my height to weight ratio. For someone who was 350lbs a year and a half ago, I think 24.7 is pretty good. I wonder what I'll be when I lose another 30lbs of fat? Is 24.7 an OK body fat %?

I, too, have lost a good amount of weight over the past year (65 lbs. after starting at 268, at 5'10.5"). The nutritionist with whom I was working (as well as my physician) wanted me to get my BMI below 29, as that is a "line of demarcation" in the risk for heart disease.

As for body fat, I'm currently at 19% (after starting at 28%), with a goal of 12-15%. I believe that normal (safe) body fat for a guy is about 15%, so I think you have a ways to go, IMHO.

Good luck - I know what you're going through. When I hit my plateau, I changed up my eating habits slightly, and that seemed to help. I think my body was adapting to the same foods day in & day out, so I shook it up. I also have intensified my training routine (both cardio & weights). Those 2 factors are helping me.

[JonChristopher]

Thanks, Anyone else have ipinion about 24.7% body fat? I hope to get to 17% or so. my goal weight is 220. Being 6' 3" with a 49" chest I think that would be pretty good. Any help with putting up a before and not just yet after pic would be appreciated. Thanks

Jon Christopher

[JonChristopher]

Can anyone else help me with this. Over the past 2 weeks according to my Body Fat composition tests I've lost 1.5 pounds and gained 3lbs of muscle. I'm doing high rep sets and don't want to gain weight I want to lose it so what else can I do. MY Body Fat % went down from 24.7 to 24.1 so I know I'm gaining Lean Body Mass but that is not my goal. How do I get my weight down more without the size gain. Thanks

[lee thompson]

stick to high reps and up your cardio.

[Gill]

If you're building that much lean mass in such a short time, you're taking in a caloric surplus. How many daily calories are you taking in and in what proportion to carbs, fats, protein?

[dannyboy9]

Originally Posted by lee thompson

stick to high reps and up your cardio.

I'm curious, why do you make the high rep recommendation?

[Gill]

I think he meant high rep/lower weight which promotes cardio and is less likely to build mass.

[JonChristopher]

I eat a lot of chicken, fruits and veggies. I do eat more sandwhiches than I should I believe. The bread I use is 5-grain 35 calorie per slice. I use Natural Peanut butter for my sandwhices. I eat high fiber cereal for breakfast, fruit w/yogurt for snacks between meals, sometimes rice cakes or a 100 calorie pack. For lunch and dinner I usually eat chicken, fish, or turkey. I assume I should cut out the bread and buns from my turkey burgers and sandwhices.

I've been told if I don't take in enough calories I will lose lean body mass as well as fat. I don't want to lose LBM but I don't really want to gain too much of it either. I'm around 245 now with 24% body fat and I want to get to about 220 with around 17% body fat or better.

[lee thompson]

Originally Posted by Gill

I think he meant high rep/lower weight which promotes cardio and is less likely to build mass.

yes thats what i meant,cheers.