cutting plan not working very well, thoughts?

[gaijininjapan]

Okay, so I'm currently in a "cutting" phase, and I've been experiencing some issues. I don't have a perfect diet, but I think it's decent. I don't have a ton of time to do cardio, but I get in what I can. Here's my current diet/training routine:

Breakfast - 1 scoop whey w/ 12oz of 0.7% milk (~35g protein, ~225 Cal)
Lunch - whatever happens to be in my school lunch (~30g protein, ~700 Cal)
Afternoon Snack - same as breakfast (~35g protein, ~225 Cal)
Dinner - Varies, but usually low carb and around 40g protein and ~5-700 Cal
Night - Caesin shake w/ 12oz 0.7% milk (~35g protein, ~225 Cal)
Occasionally, I'll have a small snack here and there amounting to no more than 200 Cal a day.

Training - V-Diet Intermediate program
VELOCITY LIFE | The New Science of Rapid Body Transformation

Running about 20min on off-days.
I've also had little to no loss in strength or endurance.

I've calculated my BMR to be about 1850 Cal, and maintenance cal to be about 2800. (BMR*1.55)

So the problem is... theoretically, being on a 5-600 Cal deficit, I should be losing a lb per week. This being my 5th week, I should've lost 4-5lbs. I've lost 2lbs at best.

Another problem. While I know those fat% scales are not accurate, I know they're consistent. I only have one available at my gym, so I just weigh myself after working out (does this affect readings?) beginning bf% read at 22.8, now it reads at 21.6. I've read that the foot scales sometimes read 40% higher than the foot/hand type scales, and hydration causes fluxes in readings, so I'm not worried about the numbers. I'm more befuddled by the small 1.2% drop.

I'm also currently on clen and 25mcg of T3. Not sure about the potency of the clen and t3 I have though, since I'm at 160mcg and only experiencing slight jitters and increase in thirst. None of the difficulty sleeping, excessive energy, sweats, or other symptoms associated with these supplements.

So the question is, should I decrease my caloric intake even more? What should I change?

 

[FL3X MAGNUM]

I would turn that 700 calorie lunch into a 400 cal lunch, and make sure the protein source is lean, like fish or chicken. My old college lunch program had a huge variety, so I never once had to resort to greasy or fried foods, and pretty much had chicken or fish every time I went there, with some healthy carbs and vegetables.

You should invest in a blender too man. Make that first meal of the day a protein shake with at least 40 grams protein, and like 6 egg whites and a yoke or two, half as much milk as you're using, and throw some oatmeal in there too. Will be a good healthier choice IMO. I also think every one of your meals should be around 40 grams of protein. 30 just isn't enough per meal.

And how long do you wait between breakfast and lunch?

Would be a good idea to get a decent snack in between the two. Some casein protein and a handful of nuts and some green tea.

I'd also consider finding time to turn that afternoon snack into another 300-400 cal meal with lean meat again and slow carbs.

What time of day are you working out?

Fasted cardio is pretty much the best way to go to shed the bodyfat. Like wake up on an empty stomach and do your cardio then.

 

[BuzzLightyear]

"Whatever happens to be in my school lunch?" You're 28 not 12. Drop the dairy and add some fats. Preparation is key. Weigh your food and know what you're eating days in advance.

 

[1slowcivic]

I agree, drop the dairy. Everyone says it but you don't realize how much it helps until you actually do it. If you love cheese and other dairy products like I do its gonna suck for a while, but you'll start losing again and it makes it worth it.

 

[FL3X MAGNUM]

Dairy actually has fat metabolising benefits but I imagine an overkill like 36 oz of milk a day is too much.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040416/dairy-foods-fat-weight-loss

 

[gaijininjapan]

Well, I work at a public school in Japan, and I sort of have to finish the entire school lunch since I eat w/ the elem school kids. I can get away with eating only 1/4 of the rice or bread given though. We get 200g of rice, and total for the lunch is about 800 cal total. But if I cut out the 200g of whole milk and most of the rice, then I should be able to get that down to roughly 400Cal, so I'll try that.

time between meals is no more than 4 hrs.

I workout around 4-5pm

I'll drop the dairy, and see how it goes from there. What should I mix my shake with? water? >_< tastes like crap w/ water, but I'll give it a try. I guess I'll just throw in more powder to make it 40+ grams of protein per shake.

I'll try, TRY, to wake up early and run in the mornings instead... but when it's -4C outside, makes it rather hard.

 

[BuzzLightyear]

You're not committed enough. Make a plan and stick to it. Once you have routine, everything is easy.

 

[gaijininjapan]

I had a plan... but it didn't work too well.

I wasn't gaining any weight on a 3000 Cal diet, so I figured a ~2200 Cal diet should be good. But I guess it wasn't good enough. My training routine is strict enough, and I'm religiously following the training routine. Food is the harder part of the plan, since I can't control lunch and certain foods which I'd like to eat such as almonds, are cost prohibitive in the qty I would need to eat. I'm going to try lowering dairy intake, namely the lunch milk and morning shake milk, which will cut out a good ~250 Cal. Trying to preserve muscle mass, which I think I'm doing a good job of so far. Now to see how much lower I can lower my caloric intake while still keeping muscle mass.

I think if I were in the U.S., this would be a lot easier, since I can just go to Costco and buy massive amounts of everything, and know exactly what the nutritional contents are. I plan to start bulking again the moment I step back into the U.S. in April.

Gaining (lean) mass is so much easier for me.

 

[FL3X MAGNUM]

Mix egg whites in your shake. I was a skeptic but my blender has me sold on them now. Six egg whites alone will get you 36 grams of protein if each egg is 6 grams. Knock off say 8 grams for lower bioavaliability and throw in your scoop of protein and blend it up with all that other stuff I mentioned and you've got yourself a 40+ gram protein shake.

 

[FL3X MAGNUM]

And if you're waiting oveer 4 hours between your first and second meal you definitely would benefit from a 300 cal or so healthy snack, this will keep your body in less of a catabolic state and also boost your metabolism.