Ask Coach Grayson

Q: I've been training for the past 6 months. I'm 5'9 220 lbs, 22% body fat and I'm 28yrs old. I train 5 days a week, and I can't seem to break through 220lbs (started at 257lbs). I've been stuck there for 3 weeks. I've been taking fat burners for a month and see no significant changes. I have mostly belly fat, no real problem areas except around the gut. My goal is to get between 185-195 lbs. and finally I'll admit my diet is soft, not bad just I'm not strict. So my question is:

What can I do to break through 220lbs and lose this embarrassing gut? It's obvious my diet and training aren't working, should I get off the fat burners, and if so what supplements do you recommend to obtain my goal. Any advice, tips and help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

Tom S.

Based off the info you've given me, I can tell you this much. 

• You're not carb tolerant or your body fat would have never got that high. 
  
• Since you're storing the majority of your fat around your mid section, you're more than likely eating foods that you have an intolerance to. Or you might just have adrenal problems from stress, or both.
  

1. You should be eating a paleolithic diet, which basically means, eat like a caveman. Anything a caveman could've eaten is fair game. So bread, pasta, cereal, anything in a box, are all out. When you grocery shopping, just shop the fringes / outer edges of the store. Where the produce (fruits and vegetables) and meat, poultry, and fish are. Anything that had a face (animal or fish) and any vegetable, especially green ones.
   
2. I wouldn't take any fat burners. Most of them are stimulants which can cause adrenal problems. Adrenal fatigue can bring on a host of other problems.
3. Try and eat every three hours so your blood sugar remains stable and your metabolism remains elevated. 
4. Stop eating about two hours before you go to bed so you have good sleep quality. Growth hormone is elevated while you sleep and that's one of the most important hormones for weight loss (fat loss). Also, get eight hours of sleep. Read this post on the importance of sleep quality.
5. As soon as you wake up, drink 24 ounces of water and then eat a dopamine dominant breakfast. Two of my favorites are meat and nuts (I like macadamia nuts, cashews, or walnuts) or meat and eggs (don't throw out the yolks, it's the best part of the egg and doesn't cause cholesterol problems like the grain industry wants you to believe).

As far as supplements go, here's where everyone should start.

• Fish oil: If you want to lose weight fast, take as many grams of fish oil as your body fat percentage. So if you're 22% body fat, take roughly 22 grams of fish oil a day in divided dosages. So if you ate five meals a day, that would be roughly 4 to 5 grams per meal.
• Take a quality multi-vitamin. I have my athletes take an Albion Mineral Chelated form. This assures absorption. Designs For Health makes a good one that Adem can get for you at Gracie Bara.
• Take a chelated form of zinc and magnesium. Since we don't know how deficient you are with zinc, I recommend getting a zinc in liquid form (often referred to as a zinc challenge test). Once you start tasting metal we'd reduce your dosage. With magnesium, take around 500 mg with dinner and another 500 mg right before bed. You'll sleep like a baby.

In the end it all comes down to this. Is your WHY big enough? If I asked YOU what your training goals were I you said what you told me above. I'd ask you why. Your reason or your WHY hasn't been important enough for you so far or your diet wouldn't be soft. You're going to have to be more strict. What got you from 257 down to 220 won't get you down from 220 to 185. There is no magic pill. In the end it's your discipline... your WHY.

I hope you take my advice, because I have never seen it not work if given 90% compliance. Notice not 100%, so there is some room for error.