Anyone else plateued after beginner gains? Some advice appreciated

[Booniehat]

So I'm out of shape. I didn't use to be. I hit the gym since 16 and bulked and and got "beginner gains" very quickly and became a competitive rower (kayaker) in high school (well my country doesn't have high school but roughly that age range). I later was in reconnaisance in one of the fittest outfield units in my country's military service. I was in good shape. Not fitness model 8-pack ripped, but enough to have a sixpack showing and some nice cutting. I think I had something like 9-10%bf or so. This was till about 22.

But after I left military and entered one of my country's top business schools where it's competitive as hell, and I have to dedicate a lot of my time to projects, papers, and studying my guts out... which literally led to my gut showing up . I've gained something like 8 kg in a year and a half despite a reasonably good diet (as best as I can do on a hectic uni student's schedule) and gymming about twice a week (or about 7 times a month on average). I also play BJJ/grappling, at least once a week.

The frustrating thing is that I still maintain a decent diet - no fried stuff, mostly soupy stuff and occasionally western grilled chicken, steak, salmon, etc... My carb intake is about 50% of my meal, nothing excessive. I drink diet soda though. Admittedly it's nothing to compared to previously where I was chewing boiled chicken breast and salads (which are much more difficult considering I'm on campus now more than I am home), but still I eat decently.

Workout wise, I've tried a variety from 5x5, 4x8, and even back to the generic 3x10. I generally lift until failure, and I'm panting and more or less beaten. I'm actually stronger than ever, but I sure don't look it.

But I'd like to get back to looking and feeling fit. I just feel like a slightly chubby beefcake with a barrel chest and arms, but a big gut as well. That really sucks to see in the mirror when I used to have abs.

I'd like to know if there are any others out there who have or are in this kind of rut, where you used to be pretty fit and now you're stuck. Maybe you guys would have some advice for how I can get out of it, especially in terms of workouts or sports I can pursue. Most workouts I found online cater to beginners, who lets face it, get buff from doing 20 pushups a day. Or to advanced lifters on keto-whatchamacallit cycles and workout 5 times a week.

[Inay]

Your topic is abit misleading since you are mainly asking how to shed some pounds and get back to being fit. Hitting the plateau mainly means that your strength improvement stops/slows alot for awhile. Now to the point.

The frustrating thing is that I still maintain a decent diet - no fried stuff, mostly soupy stuff and occasionally western grilled chicken, steak, salmon, etc... My carb intake is about 50% of my meal, nothing excessive. I drink diet soda though. Admittedly it's nothing to compared to previously where I was chewing boiled chicken breast and salads (which are much more difficult considering I'm on campus now more than I am home), but still I eat decently.

Diet is the most important thing you need to look at when you want to loose some pounds and get BF% down. Decent is not in most cases enough if you are looking to get your abs visible. Diet should be pretty strict and well there is many options available and you could argue what is the best one. Personally I find low carb/high protein to be effective when I wanted to get BF% down.

I'd like to know if there are any others out there who have or are in this kind of rut, where you used to be pretty fit and now you're stuck. Maybe you guys would have some advice for how I can get out of it, especially in terms of workouts or sports I can pursue.

I understand that you asked especially for workouts or sports but as stated earlier the most important thing is the diet.
For sports of course something highly aerobic(more calories burned) could be preferred if you need to get rid of some weight. For gym workouts its not that important what set/reps you do, just remember to train every muscle group and as you said the last reps should be near failure.

If you want your abs visible its mostly about calories in vs. calories out. You need to watch that you eat a little decifit from your daily consumption to lose some pounds( getting more fit). Of course you should go to the gym too and maybe add some aerobic hours to your week if you can.
Swimming for one is a good calorie burner and wont strain your joints as much as jogging for example.

[Booniehat]

Apologies, I only realized the misleading topic after posting :P. I meant more of get to see physical changes rather than a strength plateau. The funny thing is that I'm not asking to get back to being fit, exactly. I've actually upped my 5RM (don't dare to do 1/3RM, there aren't many prolifters who can spot me safely in my school gym), and I ace my fitness trials every year. The problem is actually bodyfat.

I think you are right on the diet - though I'm going to really have to do some serious readjustment to get "excellent" dieting. Just a question though - would Subway Turkey ham on Wheat bread be something acceptable? Or even a wrap? I have no feasible way of packing chicken breasts/tuna sandwiches to school, so I need to find something I can buy and know it's healthy.

[Inay]

I think you are right on the diet - though I'm going to really have to do some serious readjustment to get "excellent" dieting. Just a question though - would Subway Turkey ham on Wheat bread be something acceptable? Or even a wrap? I have no feasible way of packing chicken breasts/tuna sandwiches to school, so I need to find something I can buy and know it's healthy.

Turkey sub is fine though say nay to the mayo and take it with wholewheat bread instead.

Overall you should favor following foods:
1. Carbs: complex carbs that you get from wholewheat, rye,brown products, fruits and vegetables for example.
2. Protein: Lean meats(chicken, turkey, lean beef), fish, egg whites, dairy(f.ex. cottage cheese) just to name couple preferrable choices.

[Booniehat]

Okay,thanks for the tips

Turkey sub is fine though say nay to the mayo and take it with wholewheat bread instead.

Overall you should favor following foods:
1. Carbs: complex carbs that you get from wholewheat, rye,brown products, fruits and vegetables for example.
2. Protein: Lean meats(chicken, turkey, lean beef), fish, egg whites, dairy(f.ex. cottage cheese) just to name couple preferrable choices.

[fizzbob]

easy to count calories you take in, even though most never do. keeping up with what you burn is mostly an educated guess.

losing weight is really only about habits. bad eating habits make you fat. look at it like a marathon and not a sprint. that first month is great but realistically after that, losing 2-5lbs a month is great

[dercaderca]

I would start by refining your diet. Try to accurately gauge your activity level and figure out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight. I know it can be a pain, but it really helps when you actually count your calories instead of just eating healthy foods. Even if you are eating healthy, you can still eat to much of it and gain/maintain your current weight.

I didn't count calories at first but now that I do it's much easier when trying to gain or lose weight. What helps me is a app on my phone called Calorie Counter. It's very easy to use and it has alot of popular brands and restraunts which makes it easier to get a more precise count. If your like me and like to play around on your phone this is perfect.

Also, watch out for the soups. Some of them can be very high in sodium, which will make you gain water weight and make you look more bloated. I know this definitely applies to canned soups, I'm not really sure on others such as homemade, though.

And from what I'm told, diet soda really isn't a good thing to drink. Although it's 0/low calories, some of the artificial sweeteners can actually make you feel hungry, therefore causing you to eat more. You may want to look into that more, as I'm not sure if that's true. I can't even remember where i heard that but I do remember hearing it.