Help I am at a plateau!!

[curious711]

I am 5'5
Current Weight: 150
Goal Weight : 120
Starting weight: 195
Hi everyone! I recently lost 40lbs. by changing diet and exercising with weights and running 3 times a week. I have plateaued at 150 lbs. for
5 months now fluctuating a lb or 2. I have a problem with eating late because I work late in the evening. I eat about 1500 calories at day and daily meals consist of

Breakfast: Oatmeal and Fruit

Snack: Fruit

Lunch: Tuna on wheat

Snack: Sweet potato and Fish

Dinner: Fish and broccoli

Late snack: Tuna and celery or omelete

Is this a good eating plan?
Should I increase the calories, protein, or carbs?
I also need a new weight and cardio routine to help tone body. I usually do Tae bo, weights (Mon-arms, tues-legs, wed-chest and back and Abs everyday) and running with a little pilates but I am not seeing results anymore. I am open to any suggestions. Thanks!!!!

[Boss Man]

Breakfast: Oatmeal and Fruit (Could add a bit more Protein here).

Snack: Fruit (More Protein).

Lunch: Tuna on wheat (Fine)

Snack: Sweet potato and Fish (Fine)

Dinner: Fish and broccoli (Fine)

Late snack: Tuna and celery or omelete (Stick to the Omelette. Two cans of tuna a day is too much of a Mercury risk as far as I'm concerned. Make sure you keep your Yolks down to 1 or maybe 2, and ou could add a Mushroom filling, as Mushrooms are roughly 50/50 protein Carbs, so you'd get the extra Protein back, and boost Carbs, then just add something else to the plate like Broccoli.

[curious711]

Thanks Bossman

That was very helpful. Do you have any suggestions on a new weight and cardio workout I could use to boost metabolism? Do you suggest high reps/low weight or low reps/high weight for toning up more? I think the workout I have been doing has gone stale. routine is cardio 3X a week and weights 3 times a week.

Also, late night snack is usually around 12:00 a.m. Is it ok to use low fat cheese in the omelete that late at night? and does coffee slow down metabolism? Okay I think that's everything!

[Boss Man]

The Cheese should be fine.

Coffee is a stimulant, so it's advised you don't really exceed 3 cups a day, otherwise the more you exceed 3 cups, the more you increase Caffeine side effects.

It might have some affect on your Metabolism but it will affect sleep so I wouldn't drink any too close to bed.

[swanso5]

on top of bossman's comments i would add more veggies and salad and healthy fats (fish oil)

training - 3/week (mon, wed, fri)
squats 3 x 10 alternate with deadlifts every second sesion
inveted rows or db rows 3 x 10
push ups 3 x 10
lunge variation 3 x 10
burpees 3 x 15

rest 1min between sets

for cardio i would try 1 day of sprints if you can 5 - 10 x 50m as fast as you can with 30 - 60secs starting at 5 and increasing 1 each week until at 10 x 50m...on 2 other days do 15mins interval training alternating 1min easy and 1min hard

[curious711]

Thank you very much to both of you.

swanso5

I have a question. What is a burpee? Do I need to do any arms or abs with your routine? How many times a week should I do the sprints?

[SarahPT]

Congrats on the weight you already lost. As far as your eating goes, you are making some healthy choices. I would add some more protein earlier in the day. If you have hit a plateau and are not losing you may need to get stricter about your eating, in terms of eating a strict balance of carbs/protein/fat and total calories at each meal. Sometimes the first bit of weight to get off isn't that tough, but then it gets harder and you have to be more strict.

You may want to start doing soem higher intensity cardio sessions mixed with some long (ish) low intensity sessions. Revving up your strength training with some heavy compound movements would also help.

With a good plan you can definately get off this plateau!!

Sarah

[curious711]

Sarah PT,

Do you have any good suggestions of heavy compound movements I could do? I saw the pictures of the girls you helped on your website and they look great! I have been working out 3 times a week but I could clean up diet more. problem is I have to have a snack before I go to bed. Should I do circuits of full body exercises 3 times a week? What do you suggest? I am trying to get a couple viewpoints to see what can work best with schedule. Thanks!

[swanso5]

burpees

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm

if you have more time you could add some arms and abs but if not maybe leave out or do abs after cardio if doing cardio only days

just once a week for the sprints

the program will work either as straight sets (all 3 sets of one exercise before moving to the next one) or as a circuit deoending on the amount of equipment you have to use as you obviously want to go from to the other without changing wts etc

if you do have to snack before bed make it protein, veg and / or salad...no carbs but feeding yourself during the day should take these cravings away

[Boss Man]

if you do have to snack before bed make it protein, veg and / or salad...no carbs

Not tryign to pick you up here dude, or state the obvious, but Veg are Carbs and Salad are mostly Carbs, too, save for usual Salady type Protein and Fat sources like Nuts, Chicken, Beans, certain Cheeses and Sliced Eggs.

So I'm not sure what you meant there exactly. I'm assuming it was no Carbs at all before bed.

[curious711]

Wow! Thank you.

You have been very helpful. You are right about the cravings, might not be getting enough of something! I was thinking about adding a protein shake w/fat free skim milk in the morning and evening. I really appreciate your suggestions and I am going to try this routine.

[swanso5]

although yuo should count all veg and salad cal's, really there's nothing in them...if anyone has gotten fat from eating lettuce, show me

[Boss Man]

I agree, and I actually don't advocate a no Carb before bed / late night thing. I do it, and have no problems. Some occasionally do, so it's a don't for them, but I advocate it can be possible, and if it means not having to make silly little additions to Carb content in earlier meals, or overeat Carbs with one meal, to keep daily calories where you'd like them, then that's better in mind.

[curious711]

swanso5

Salad does upset stomach so usually I eat broccoli or celery. Do you suggest maybe a protein shake.

[swanso5]

broccoli and celery is fine but add protein to it (tin of tuna??)

no protein shake as it will raise insuline when you don't want it