?Low calorie diet and strength training?

[tdluxon]

Hoping some of you guys who know a lot about this stuff can advise me a little...

So I'd always been fat/overweight my whole life. A few years ago I got more serious about my diet and workouts and by intermittent fast ing and really cutting back my calories, lost about 50-60 lbs and I'm the lightest I've been since I was like 15 but as strong or stronger than when I started (I did lift before so I was decently strong, but also pretty fat).

I'm down to the point now where I'm not trying to lose any more weight (I'm 170, 6' tall) but I do still want to keep improving strength, etc.

So I have kinda plateaued as far as my lifts and it have wondered and had it suggested that it might be because I'm not eating enough (I try to stay under 1700 cal per day) to build muscle. I know a lot of people who work out hardcore eat a lot but it like I put on fat really easy, and if I increase my diet I start picking up pounds really fast. Maybe it's my metabolism or something.

It has been really hard to get in the shape I'm in after being out of shape for so long so I am really hesitant to increase my diet, but I am also kinda frustrated with being stuck at the same level when I m working out.

Thoughts??

 

[Badger67]

Increase calories slowly. Like 100-150calories per day (1800-1850) for a month, then continue to raise as needed slowly. Preferably a mix of protein and whatever other macro your body responds best to for the energy portion.
You can also switch up your routine for weights. Perhaps try a 10x3 waterbury method if you've already done 5/3/1 as an example. Or maybe try body building for 2-3 months and really focus on moderate weight and higher volume/frequency.

 

[tdluxon]

Increase calories slowly. Like 100-150calories per day (1800-1850) for a month, then continue to raise as needed slowly. Preferably a mix of protein and whatever other macro your body responds best to for the energy portion.
You can also switch up your routine for weights. Perhaps try a 10x3 waterbury method if you've already done 5/3/1 as an example. Or maybe try body building for 2-3 months and really focus on moderate weight and higher volume/frequency.

Thanks for the advice. I'd been doing like 3x5 barbell stuff along with some other miscellaneous stuff worked in, and I'd been making pretty decent progress in 5lb intervals but after a little while i just couldn't go any more, and I'd try dropping down a little then working up incrementally but just kinda stuck.

My goal for now, which I think is pretty attainable is to get my squat up to 5 reps at 225 and bench to 5 at 185 but I'm stuck at around 185 squat and 165 bench. I'm 6', 175 lbs. Does that seem like a reasonable goal? It seems like I see guys my size or smaller doing more.

 

[Badger67]

Timeline for goals determines attainability, as does program.
You have likely ran your 3x5 far enough and need to change it, also, eating more will even if the wokouts burn off the extra calories and end up isocaloric, John Berardi has done a number of interesting study analyses on this subject and i've found it to work well lately.

So, looking at 5/3/1 or waterbury method may help extinguish the plateau's.