any suggestions for a newbie?
Hello - I have been lifting for around 1 year and a half (running for 3 years) and have conducted a lot of research on cycles, diet, and workout programs but still seem like i am missing something. I have had great success but feel i have hit a plateau. I really am not feeling i am leaning out or gaining muscle. I am considering a cycle but want some advice on diet/workouts before i go there.
I am 34, 5'2" range from 130-135 lbs.
I workout 5 times a week with 2-3 cardio workouts on top of my 5 weight training days.
Body fat: 25% ( i know i need to loose more BF before i probably consider a cycle)
My question is should I continue longer on this "diet" path where i find myself falling off because of my plateau or would a cycle be okay at this point? I know this is not easy and if it was everyone would be fit and strong. just looking for a little guidance from those that have been here. Overall goal right now is to cut. Thank you 
-Mariah
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Based upon your stats, I would estimate your TDEE to be somewhere around 1800 - 1900 calories. If you are at a "plateau" there could be a couple of things happening here. One is that your caloric intake is near your TDEE so in essence your body was basically staying the same "maintaining itself", so there isn't much fat loss or muscle gain happening. The other scenario, which I think might be more likely, is that you have experienced "metabolic damage". The reason I say that is because when I look at what you posted for your diet example, you are hardly eating anything. I don't think that comes anywhere near your TDEE, it is way under. So, if that is the case, you would obvious experience a lot of weight loss at first but you would plateau rather quickly. A lot of that weight loss would have been muscle also and losing that muscle is what damages your metabolic rate making it much harder to lose fat.
Now everything I have said here could be completely wrong. We don't know what your macros and cals are because you are not tracking with a daily log. So before I write a book here or get into anything in more detail you have to start tracking and logging everything you eat so we actually know what we are working with and can understand what is going on. Otherwise it is just a guessing game which is pointless for people to play.
she has posted in the diet clinic thread ;-) i haven't had a chance to look at it yet but hopefully she has her macros and cals there
she also has a medical issue that needs to be accounted for
thanks, I'll take a look in there. Medical issue could really throw a monkey wrench into things.
she wrote down a few posts in response to one of mine that she has PCOS , if that isn't under control that is an issue
Had to google PCOS. I might be in over my head on this one, but I think that condition stresses even further the importance of maintaining a daily food log to really help understand how food is affecting her weight and body composition. I am sure there are some healthy dieting techniques that can be tried to reach her goals. The last thing I would be wanting to do though would be to run a cycle and screw with hormones even more given that condition.
i agree with that ...
do you have a goal weight?..bf%?....manipulation of diet/ nutrition combined with proper workouts is where you will find your results! Do you track your cals and macros? From your posted diet it looks like you only eat 3 times a day, the other two meals r protein shakes?.....change in the number and type of meals you consume each day can get your matabolism really going! It may sound counter productive but you need to eat in order to loose bf/weight....this is where tracking cals / macros is very important!
As to your ? about a cycle I strongly suggest putting that off for a later time...get your nutrition nailed down first..without a proper nutrition plan any cycle would be a wasted effort
There is a bounty of nutrition info here...use the search tool at the top of page, also check out the nutrition section....if you need further help feel free to pm me...good luck
Thank you so much! I will take a look for the nutrition information for sure!
it is my thought that changing your training up and changing up your diet are needed before you venture into trying out a cycle.... your over all goal is to cut and gear is not particular useful as fat loss agents ... they are muscle building agents so unless you like the 'thick' look doing a cycle right now is going to leave you very disappointed with the results.
i see the 'diet' you posted but it really doesn't look like enough food to go about adding muscle ...
too much cardio or too intense will strip away muscle long before it strips away the fat ... fat burning can be done by walking briskly every day or every other day as time permits...
cahardcore is right .. hidden sugar in the diet is often the big issue ... any type of food intolerance can cause inflammation in the intestines and also be an issue blocking fat loss... i d suggest getting rid of any carb that isn't a vegetable... the yogurt is probably a big source of sugars as well though fructose is metabolized differently than sucrose you need to check the labels ....
changing your lifting routine can really increase muscle growth as well what are you doing to train? duration? frequency? volume? weight?
Thank you as well, i sat down and thought about all the "hidden" sugars i think a log will help me find that out. I do have PCOS and lactose intolerant so maybe the yogurt isn't a good mix, it is just hard for me to find a variety of food to get all that I need in. I appreciate all the time and posts on this. Off to more research for me. I figured i need to loose about 5-6% body fat before i think of a cycle is that a good measure?
I can tell you a number but i think that as you get your diet square and figure out what works for you, you may decide that you don't need to cycle ... also, you may want to reconsider gear if you have PCOS or keep in mind that you already have hormone issues and an excess of androgens that adding androgenic substances may increase your experience of sides .. just something to consider ...
also hormone imbalances also have adverse effects on weight and weight loss so making sure that your levels are stable is paramount ... I am assuming that you are receiving treatment if you are aware that you have it ..
100% support that train of thought. I'd certainly have a major issue advising someone in this young lady's position on steroids from an ethical point of view.
Seems like maybe a switch in training and diet could add some confusion to trick the body. Have you tried HIIT style training rather than lifting and running ? I'm assuming you are female, and I have seen HIIT/crossfit benefit females greatly.
Also, please don't take offense to this, but I used to be a trainer , and females would tend to have a lot more "hidden" calories in their diets , ie; sweetened Starbucks drinks, chocolates and wine. I had a client who trained like a beast, logged all her food and was not making progress. We switched things up etc etc, and right before I was going to recommend she see a doctor, we figured out the frappacino in the morning and a bottle of red wine in the evening was the culprit. Those liquid cals are often left off the diet and really can push you over
What is your diet? Do you log macros and cals? Most everything is diet related. Post what you are doing for diet and everyone can probably get you sorted out.
Okay here it is sorry didn't want to make the post too long
thank you for helping me!
AM: oatmeal (40g) with 3 egg whites and flax seed and coffee with 1 teaspoon of creamer
Snack: protein shake
Lunch: non diary yogurt and a salad or sandwich
Post work out: protein shake
Dinner: protein (usually chicken or turkey) and vegg
Is lunch and dinner homemade or store bought ? Most of the lunch sandwich and salads for people who work are packed with sodium , cals in spreads or salad dressing which can boost that salad Into the way too many fat cal zone
I make them at home. I have the luxury of working from home but sometimes that is a bad thing because i have access to the good and bad food