so i wake up have either eggs or a protein shake before going to the gym. I spend eh maybe 45 minutes to a hour lifting with 30 minutes of cardio after. Come home have a protein shake before i walk to my college classes. Come home have some fruit around 1:30. At 5:00 - 6:30 play pick up basketball games at my gym. come home have some chicken or meat.
i haven't had any ice cream, cookies, etc since July. I drink about 8 glasses of water a day not counting what i drink at the gym. haven't had soda in over a year.
so where am i going wrong? i tried one of those fad diets and it worked till my body got use to it. Since i stopped i have been able to keep off the weight i lost on that ( i was at 315 when i started it now im 288).
At 285 lbs, and working out the way you are, it sounds like you're starving yourself.
If that's all you're eating every day, then you're not even getting 1000 calories. In fact depending on what you put in your protein shakes, you might not even be getting 500 calories. Your body is screaming for nutrients and holding on to everything you give it in a mad panic.
At your weight and height, you should be eating at least 1800+ calories a day to lose weight. And probably more. You need MUCH more protein if you're lifting for an hour a day. You need LOTS more veggies and fruits. You need healthy complex carbs (whole grain breads, oats, brown rice, stuff like that).
I would imagine between fad dieting and starving your body, it's going to take you a while to come off of a plateau once you start eating healthy meals that nourish your body.
Edited: I ran your numbers through a calorie calculator. And assuming that you exercise hard 5x a week, here's what comes back:
Maintenance: 3699 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 2959 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 2304 Calories/day
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I agree with Photochick. You need more calories, and a better balance (fruits, veggies, complex carbs, healthy fats).
yep, yep, yep PhotoChick is totally correct. I know it sounds totally bizarre but less it not more in the weight loss game. You have to be taking in enough calories to make your body comfortable that you aren't going to die of starvation before it will let go of the fat it's been storing up. Getting myself to eat more than 1200 calories a day was way harder for me than eating less than 800 but it works!
I agree with them . good luck
