Taking it to the Next Level - Keto Cut Day 26
Hey everyone! The weight loss on this keto cut has been going great so far! I'm down about 12lbs and I'm well on my way to hitting my goal of 173lbs!!
Over the past several days I've noticed a plateauing in my weight loss. I've already dropped my calories down a little bit, but it isn't making a difference. A common question that I see related to dieting is how to "bust" through these plateauing when they inevitably arise.
My approach is pretty simple:
- I wait 4-5 days for consistent weigh-ins that prove that I'm actually plateauing at a certain weight
- I drop some calories (usually between 200-300 calories)
- I wait 2-3 days to see how it turns out on the lower calorie regime
- If I don't break through the plateaeu, then I increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of my workout/cardio routine
Step 4 is really what I want to highlight in this post. When I find myself in a situation like the one outlined above (which has been happening for the past 6 days), then I begin to add to my training.
Making my training more intense will burn more calories and adding more and longer cardio days amplifies the amount of calories burned even further.
Some people drop their calories really low when they're trying to break a stalled weight level, but I prefer to drop a smaller amount of calories and then focus on working harder in the gym. I feel like it leads to better physiological adaptations and increased metabolism versus the negative effects that have been found in diets that are too low in calories.
So next time you find yourself at a plateau, try increasing your workload before you demolish your calorie limits!
As for what I do specifically to increase intensity, frequency, and duration:
- Longer cardio sessions - I'm doing ~15-minute sessions right now, I'm going to bump that to 20 or 25 minutes (depending on how I feel)
- More cardio sessions - I'm doing about 2-3 cardio sessions per week right now, I'm going to bump that up to 4-5/week
- More intense lifts - I prefer to do LISS cardio (which is something I'll talk about in another post) which means that I keep the intensity of my cardio relatively stable. I try to up the intensity on my weight lifting instead. To do this, I'll take shorter rest times between sets and I'll even add additional sets and lifts to each workout.
Day 26 Log:
Weigh-In:
| Start Weight (lbs) | Goal Weight (lbs) | Weight Lost (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| 198 | 173 | 12 |
| Today's Weight (lbs) | Fat Mass (%) | Body Mass BMI |
|---|---|---|
| 186 | 20 | 19.9 |
Workout:
Back/Bi:
| Movement | Weight lbs | # Reps | # Sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Arm Lat Pull Down | 70 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Low Row | 160 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Penalty Row | 185 | 8-10 | 4 |
| Hoist Cable Curl Machine | 70 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Reverse EZ Curl | 45 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Rear Delt Fly | 95 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Lat Pull Down | 140 | 8-12 | 4 |
| Alternating DB Curls | 40 | 8-12 | 4 |
Cardio: 20 Minutes on the Stairmaster
Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!
QOTD: What do you tend to do when you reach a plateau? Do you prefer to increase your workload or decrease your calories or do a mix of both?
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts below and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!
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When I was on my intense fitness program last year, I reached the same state you are now, the plateauing situation. So what I did was to booze up my workload, usually increasing by 3-5 minutes every five days till I reached an increase of 10-15 more minutes. Since my calorie are always at it lowest at this point, I don't decrease it much further except I discover that it is not low enough.
Hey @lordjames! Yeah I feel like most people hit a point like this, I'm glad to hear that you found your way through it! Working harder in the gym is something that a lot of dieters overlook and instead they turn to reducing their calories. What they don't realize is that it destroys their metabolism! You managed to continue on your program because you increased the workload rather than damaging your metabolism! Great work!
wow!!
amazing!!
Thanks @torikulislam! What did you like most about the post?
I try for 4 years but i can,t lose wight. Now i read your post , i am happy that the people are sharing like this post and i try it. its really amazing and if you have other experience like this please reply on my comments. i am happy and waiting for your reply.
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I've been trying to increase my cardio sessions as well. I'm glad you are making such great progress towards your goal. Keep it up!
Thanks @koldy, glad to hear that you're making progress as well!
Hi @khaleelkazi. Great to hear your diet is working out. I thought it would. I wonder if you are not feeling faint but have enough energy throughout the day. Have a great one.
Hey @mineopoly! Thanks! I actually feel much better in the times when I'm not eating! I do an intermittent fasting routine that has me eating for a small 6-7 hour window each day so I spend the majority of my time in a fasted state. I only notice fatigue after I eat my first meal which is likely because of the insulin effects! The only other time I feel noticeable fatigue is towards the end of a really intense lift, sometimes I feel like I'm crawling out of the gym!
Right. That's what I thought. It really interesting to see you cope with this diet and record in detail the results. It is like a lab experiment on yourself:)
increase fat consumption./
Yes @hansdewet. That would do it and satisfy the urging inside. Avocado is great for that.
Increasing fat consumption would definitely give me more energy, but wouldn't help me break through a weight-loss plateau. My fat ratio is already 85%, but your point is definitely good for a lot of new Keto dieters who don't realize that their fat/protein/carb ratio is off point!
Well put @khaleelkhazi.
Hey if you are plateauing look at intermittent fasting! 16 hour cycles, more bursting exercise, shorter workout could trigger the next wave of weight loss, also focus on supporting/ cleaning you liver. You may not have lost all the visceral fat in or around you liver... IF + Keto go hand in hand point being to become fat adapted or metabolically flexible, fasting also triggers an HGH increase of 2000% for men, and autophagy which is anti aging, disease preventing, and awesome!
Mark Sisson is a great ref for athletes on Keto!
Good luck and good job!
Hey Khaleelkazi. You need to start lifting heavy, tell me and ill give you some sources to read. Also please look DR Shawn Baker on instagram and his carnivore regime. At his age of 51 he holds two concept2 500m rowing records. He advocates lifting heavy weights like squats and deadlifts if you are plateauing amd staying away from cortisol producing steady state cardio. It might help. I am 3 month in now and also seeing some slowing down. I am incorporating sprints and KB lifts. But I need to start lifting more heavy again, but I need to go to the gym for that :( when I started Keto I saw such great results I didn't do any exercise, because I hurt my foot as well. The goal from lifting is to increase Testosterone, lower body movements produce the largest amounts.
Either way Please use the tag #waroncarbs So we can educate more people and inspire them to join us!
In my experience with myself, and others, has allowed me to take a very pragmatic approach to weight loss and stalls. The truth is, no diet is perfect, and weight loss plateaus are common. But unless you have a really serious or long term health issue that is causing weight gain, you CAN break through a weight loss plateau and start progressing again. Well its a good post again and learning lot of things from here,so keep it up. Thnx
I think mixing both is the good choice.
I agree, I usually will look to decrease calories only slightly before increasing workload!
Decreasing more calories may hamper your daily activities, so a balance should be maintained.
WOW!This is very nice.
Very well work bro.
@ohimahathir