low Motivation - working hard but seeing no results :(

[Carlos0371]

Hi all and first of all want to say what a great community.

I've posted on various "bodybuilding" sites and other forums but just been shot down with 1 sentence answers ("lift more weight", or "cut down cardio"), but from (in opinion, unique) situation, these do not help with problem.

Sorry to bore, but going to go on a bit with background info etc, as I think it's really important to give a FULL picture:
26th January 2014 - decided to do something about diet and physique. I'm 43 years old, 5' 6" tall, and was 168lbs, 34" waist, love handles and "podgy" fat. No visible fat anywhere else, but no muscle definition either. I basically wasn't happy with body, although I know I wasn't particularly overweight. Initial calculations ( scales) showed by to be around 23% - I now know this wasn't accurate because scales are useless, so estimate BF to have been around 18-19%.

I immediately cut out all alcohol, bread, potatoes, ALL fast food / takeaways, sweets, cakes and pastries, chocolate and fizzy drinks (soda). I also cut right back on pasta, and went onto a calorie controlled diet (1200 calories per day).

I've always been physically active, and I was cycling to and from work (5 miles each way) every day. This is a given as it's the only way I can get to work. I used to run 3-4 times a week and have completed 2 marathons years ago, but running has been sporadic recently. I also played football (soccer) regularly at the time (although I have now retired - more on that later).

I was eating a lot of quorn, salad, vegetables and other low fat, low calorie food as (at the time) I thought this was the best way to lose the weight (i.e. fat) I wanted. It worked, as I got down to target weight of 146lbs in just 8 weeks (and lost another 4lbs after that!).

Obviously once I'd lost the weight I looked into nutrition more for the weight training side, thinking I now had to bulk up again to increase muscle mass / definition (I know this was the wrong way to do this now, so please don't flame me for it!!).

I slowly increased calorie intake by 200 calories a week, as well as changing the type of food I was eating.

I'm currently up to 2400, which is supposedly TDEE +200, which "should" give me a gradual weight increase.

I use MyFitnessPal for calorie / macronutrient counting, I use Endomondo to track all workouts, and I use Bodyspace app for weight training.

On 1st March I began gym membership. Gym is 5 minutes from work, so it made sense to work out in the morning before work (I have an evening job so cannot workout later).

So, Monday / Wednesday / Friday: I cycle 5 miles to the gym, then do weights (AllPro beginner - will detail if needed) which takes 35-40 minutes before going to work.
Tuesday and Thursday I run 4.5 miles to the gym, 20 minute swim (never been a very good swimmer, but getting better all the time) before going to work.
Saturday I cycle 5 miles to work, and 5 miles home. This is a sort of rest day for me!!
Sunday - Day off, Rest day (although I do go for a run occasionally - 2-3 miles - if time permits).

This is current Diet:
Out of bed 6.00am.
0630 - 2 scrambled eggs, 100g low fat cottage cheese (215 cals).
0645 - Protein shake 25g Whey Protein + 25g Instant oats + 300ml semi skimmed milk + 100ml Low fat natural yoghurt (400 cals)
0700 - cycle to gym (-300 cals)
0730 - Gym routine (-275 cals)

0830 (once at work) - Protein shake 25g Whey Protein + 200ml semi skimmed milk + 100ml Low fat natural yoghurt (250 cals)
0900 - Instant Porridge (27g sachet) + 150ml semi skimmed milk + 1 banana + 25g wholefood almonds (430 cals).

1100 - 2 scrambled eggs, 100g low fat cottage cheese (cottage cheese sometimes substituted for low fat cheese spread with herbs from Polish shop next door) (215 cals).

Between 1230 and 1400 - 4 x wholegrain sliced bread + 30g lighter olive spread + 250g skinless chicken breast (850 cals).

1530-1600 - 1 x tin tuna flakes + 4 Ryvita Dark Rye crackers + 20g lighter olive spread (300 cals).

1700-1730 - Protein shake 25g Whey Protein + 200ml semi skimmed milk + 100ml Low fat natural yoghurt (250 cals).

1745 - Cycle home - (-300 cals)
1815 - Protein shake 25g Whey Protein + 200ml semi skimmed milk + 100ml Low fat natural yoghurt (250 cals).

Now here's where the problems start........

As I mentioned, I have an evening job (refereeing at the local 5-a-side centre). If I don't have a game until 2000 or later, I can eat dinner beforehand, but invariably I have to start at 1840 so don't actually have time to eat first, so I add 25g Instant oats (+100 cals) to protein shake. In this case, I don't eat main meal until between 2130 and 2230, which I know is not good.

Evening meal: 250g chicken breast + 75g spinach + 75g broccoli + 250g potato (mashed sweet potato, sweet potato in jacket, or normal boiled potatoes, skins on) + 20g lighter olive spread + 15g low fat salad cream or "lighter than light" mayonnaise (550-600 cals).

Pre-bed:
Between 2300-0000 depending on what time I actually get to bed:
20g scoop Milk Protein powder + 300ml semi skimmed milk + 2 tspns low calorie instant hot choc powder (for flavour) (250 cals).
OR (if I ate main meal particularly late):
100g Cottage cheese and pineapple (84 cals).

Above is a "typical" daily menu, and I do swap the chicken for fish on alternate days, and I add in
So......... calorie intake goal is 2400.
On "Cycle to work / Weights" days I burn 800 calories in exercise.
On "Run to work / Swim" days I burn 1400 calories in exercise.

I have to re-iterate, I CANNOT decrease the running / cycling every day, as it is the only means I have of getting to work - I cannot afford train / bus and partner needs the car for work.

Additionally, I am currently going through applications for both the Army Reserves, and the Fire Brigade, both of which require a high level of cardio fitness, hence the fact that I will actually be INCREASING running.

Basically, on a bad day, I have to consume around 3900 calories just to put myself into calorie surplus, and as you can see, I am shovelling a hell of a lot of food down throat just to try to do this.

I managed to put on a couple of pounds and am currently at 146 (10st 6lbs) but cannot for the life of me put any more on. I physically cannot eat any more food than I am eating!!

Most days I struggle to reach 2400 calories anyway, so increasing calorific intake would be pointless, it would just be more calories that I can't eat.

I work in a shop during the day and we do not take a lunchbreak, so I have to eat as above, but I have got myself into a routine and it works for me.

Before, I was eating quorn and quinoa for lunch, but the amount I had to eat to get any calories was bloating me out so much it hurt.

Please, please, PLEASE can someone offer some PROPER advice on how I can bulk up and get some definition, as well as getting some definition to abs, WITHOUT decreasing cardio, as that is just not an option.

Any advice to diet / exercise would be greatly appreciated.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading........

Carl.

[Carlos0371]

Just to add, I do push-ups, situps / crunches / planks as well, in addition to the routines.

[Carlos0371]

Sorry to add again, quite important, Macros are down to approx 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat (in case, 268g carbs / 268g protein, 59g fat). Invariably protein is higher though, around 35 carbs, 41 protein, 24 fat (yesterday for example).

Cheers.

[Boss Man]

Hi Carl, good to speak with you.

Here's a simple answer.

Added muscle burns another 45-50 calories per day, so therefore bulking is beneficial for your requirements.

As for the macros, I suggest changing them, so go for 35% protein, 30% carbs and 35% fats, because if you maintain calories then you shouldn't sacrifice muscle, but by cutting carbs a bit the body should hopefully get the extra energy requirement from fats.

Protein increasing should help build muscle.

See how that goes for a week or two .

[Carlos0371]

Sorry for late response, I didn't realised anyone had replied (I thought I'd get an email if someone did!).

Thanks Boss Man for the reply. Can you just clarify this:
"Added muscle burns another 45-50 calories per day, so therefore bulking is beneficial for your requirements." ??

To be fair though, although TARGET is 40/40/20, it is much closer to 38/33/29 (in favour of protein) based on the last couple of weeks........

What I'm struggling with is actually eating the amount of calories I need to eat to counter the cardio. I have to eat lots of small meals due to time constraints (not having any breaks at work) I have to eat in between serving customers, hence the number of meals in list above.

I'm really piling on the shakes now, using instant oats and whey protein, and added milk protein (casein) to pre-bed routine as a matter of course, but still in a calorie deficit most days........

[Boss Man]

In answer to your query, added muscle burns extra calories a day through the growth and / or repair process and because it requires more calories to sustain it.

[Alinshop]

Any progress to report?

[toddhicks209]

It would probably be best for you to see a nutritionist and a personal fitness trainer.

[ERDisla]

Hey Carlos

Hey its great that you are looking to go into the service, I served as well and I got a lot of life lessons from it. Regarding your low motivation its understandable with all the work you are putting in that and not seeing desired results can take the wind out of your sails. The first thing you wanna do is get your mind on your side. If you follow professional sports you see that there is a lot of time on mental prep. If you can set clear goals for what you would like to achieve with your training that will help big time. Also get all your measurements on a piece of paper, and consider making peace with where you are at the moment. From there you can begin heading towards your ideal body. When you are setting these goals consider the obstacles in your way such as diet scheduling, work scheduling, and just spend some time thinking about how it can all come together. How do you know you are mentally prepared, think about something you know how to do well like ride your bike you dont have any doubts that you can do it, you just go and do it. Thats what you are striving for and when you put together a plan detailing where you are, where you desire to go, possible ways to get there, possible obstacles, and ways to overcome them (cool part about this is when the obstacle is mental just by taking a look at it you can see its an illusion and oyu cna choose to drop it. ). When you have this plan in front of you, your confidence will sky rocket and you are on your way.

[chempe]

Consistency is probably the most important factor when it comes to results. Sometimes it just takes a long long time. Keep going, stay motivated, don't keep your head down like this picture...

[musclemeover]

Here is a small piece of a newsletter that might help you in some small way.
I can read you already cover some of these points, I just thought you might find some inspiration.

The First Secret

Make a personal commitment to work out on a regular basis.
Once a week won't get it, but two, three or five times per
week may do the job if each workout is properly
orchestrated. Create several fitness routines for various
parts of the body, and then stick to a schedule that works
the entire body each week.

You can do a split routine twice a week: upper body in one
workout, lower body in another, with some cardio each
time. Another alternative is to focus on one major muscle
group during five workouts per week, with some cardio each
day.

The secret is to take each muscle to total exhaustion at
least once per week.

Arthur Jones, the creator of the Nautilus machines and
system of exercise, proved that you can build muscle with
only three intense workouts per week.

Do a Google search for "The Colorado Experiment," and read
how one subject gained 63 pounds of lean muscle mass in
just 28 days.

Proper diet and every-other-day workouts on Nautilus
equipment was also the key to the success achieved by a
bodybuilder who had suffered an accident and nearly died.

His recovery tapped into "tissue memory," not all fresh
muscle, but the principle is the same for anyone using
this approach.

The Second Secret

Proper nutrition is the second part of the equation to
building muscle and losing fat. A protein-heavy diet with
good complex carbohydrates, lots of fluids, and fiber is
the simple formula for successfully sculpting your body.

The elimination of processed foods and simple sugars is
also paramount.

In "The Colorado Experiment" the two subjects ate a diet
of animal and vegetable protein, plus fresh fruits and
vegetables. They drank a lot of water and avoided caffeine
and alcohol.

The Third Secret

Almost all successful bodybuilders and other athletes have
strong visualizations of what they want to look like or
how they would like to perform.

Several times per day, they meditate, visualizing the body
and movements they want to create. In this manner they are
programming their minds to help them achieve their goals.

A number of experiments have been conducted on how mental
imaging can improve athletic performance. Body sculpting
and massive weight loss have also been attributed to
meditation and visualization.

Many natural athletes may have not been consciously
meditating, but they do this instinctively. There are
recorded examples of athletes being told to think about
performing their sport. Performance improvements were
noted after these "think- sessions."

Some of this is a bit "out there", but I hope you found something that might be of assistance to you.

[Boss Man]

Don't bother reading the Colorado experiment, it was a failure by and large and the guy gaining 63lbs in 28 days, was recovering pre-existing muscle mass not gaining new muscle mass. You couldn't get that much muscle in less than a month even on steroids, it's physically impossible. That's like going from 150lbs natural to 213lbs natural in less than a month. You'd need ideally 3 years bear minimum to manage that and probably more like 4-6 years, based on a 10-15lbs gain year in year out.