same workout getting harder, not easier

[Dora]

All of my cardio workouts are walking/running on the treadmill. What I've noticed the past few weeks are that I've had a number of workouts where I had to slow down to a walk for the last interval or two. These are workouts where I had planned to do the exact same program (same speed and incline for all of the particular intensity levels) that I had successfully completed before. Any ideas why lately I can't complete workouts that I had previously done? Other than switching which weight exercises I am doing after week 4 (currently I am on week 7) nothing has changed. Is there maybe something I should be doing for better recovery?

[Chris]

Are you feeling tired at all during the rest of your day? What time do you workout? Can you post a sample meal plan w/ what you eat, when you eat it, and what time you workout? I think this may shed some light on it....

[Dora]

Yes, I am tired the rest of the day, and I notice my legs ache from just climbing the stairs, which is why I am wondering about recovery. I rarely get 8 hours of sleep these day (unavoidable due to a puppy who is up at least once during the night, and a toddler) I work out first thing in the morning (up at 6, workout about 6:30) on an empty stomach after one big glass of water.

Diet varies alot, but I am trying to do 6 meals a day, sometimes missing late morning. On weight days I drink a myoplex light shake immediately after workout. On cardio days, I wait 1 hour after workout for food. Today's meals --
Cliff bar (10 g protein) for breakfast,
missed meal 2
peanut butter on whole wheat bread with a banana for lunch, some dry Puffins cereal (whole grain, high fiber, low protein)
Clif bar with 20 grams of protein mid afternoon
lowfat bbq beef on whole wheat bun with veggies and strawberries for dinner
Kashi Go Lean cereal with yogurt about 8 pm.

I also notice that I am hungry alot. I try to stick to the right portion sizes, but I am often still hungry after a meal.

[Chris]

You're not eating enough... this explains the lack of energy, the aches, the hunger, and the difficulty in the gym. Try this for the next 2 weeks and see how you do.

6:30am Workout
Immediately after workout (regardless of type) eat 40g of protein and 40g of fast digesting carbs. You can pick your carbs but it can be anything from gatorade to white bread, pasta to melon. Melon fruits are much faster digesting than other fruits and would make a good choice here. You can drink your myoplex light, but add more carbs to it. Also consider drinking regular myoplex here.
Mid morning- don't miss this meal, it's very important. You'll need protein and slow digesting carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, banana, etc.). Your beef dinner would be perfect here. By skipping this meal and eating too little after your workout, you're zapping your metabolism for the rest of the day.

You can keep the rest of your day the same.

You might want to consider eating cottage cheese before bed instead of the yogurt. The protein in dairy is casein, which is slow digesting (great for sleeping). Cottage cheese has more of it per serving than yogurt. This is also a good time for a serving of healthy fats. Nuts, flax oil, etc.

I think these changes will make all the difference.

[Dora]

Thanks Chris. I can try eating more, but alot of times I am already eating more than one serving of carbs/one serving of protein. My goal is toning, and so far I haven't seen the scale move. I know I shouldn't go by the scale, but my pants are not really any looser than before either. How do I figure out the optimum amounts for me to eat so that I don't eat too much or too little?

[Chris]

Counting calories is the best way. The fist-sized thing works for a lot of people... but at the same time, it doesn't work for a lot of people... I'm suggesting you eat more because your body is throwing up many of the signs of not eating enough. It's amazing how eating too little seems to impact success more than eating too much.

Scale weight is a really hard thing to use to track progress. This isn't a program for rapid weight loss.. but it is one that will keep the weight off in the long run. I suggest posting your progress photos, measuring body fat % (with calipers), the measuring tape, and lastly the scale.

[Dora]

Chris,

How do I know how many calories I need? There are some websites that will tell me how many calories I need to maintain my current weight (5'3", 142 lbs). Conventional dieting says you want less calories. With BFL, do I want less, more, or the same calories?

Thanks!

[Chris]

I like to use a BMR calculation. This is a measure of your basal metabolic rate, or the amount of calories you need to eat for basic metabolism (in other words, just living with not movement). You can then factor in your daily activity to determine how many MORE calories to eat. You figure in things like daily tasks such as housework, walking, gardening, etc. AMR (BMR + activity) also takes into account fitness and job related activities.
Here's a helpful website: Hussman Fitness - The Scale: Caloric Deficits and Fat Loss

Check it out.