What IS wrong with me?

Hi all
I just seem to have got myself stuck in a rut at the moment and I just wanted to ask your advice. Last year in June, when I started to train in any proper shape or form, I was about 12st 4 and very quickly the weight started to drop off and my diet was excellent. I was steadily improving in all aspects of my fitness and my motivation was really high- I was easily doing 6 days a week in the gym and it was a great routine. Each week I would get on the scales and weight would be coming off- yes I had a plateau for about 4 weeks at 11st 5 but I still kept going and I got to about 9st 9. I had a real sense of progress I suppose.
I am now 10 st exactly and to be honest, this is to a degree fine but I would like to get leaner and stronger. I am wearing size 10 jeans rather than size 16 as I was, but I think this is where the problem lies- I don't think I really have a proper goal or a definite plan to reach it. While I was losing significant ammounts of weight, I was feeling better than I ever did and really felt that the transformation was quite drastic. But now I am starting to feel a little less commited- is this just a phase due to time of year perhaps? Can people just have an off few weeks?
Don't get me wrong, I really do love the gym and train with my trainer twice a week and I think he gets frustrated because he wants me to put in more effort for myself diet wise, but I seem more likely these days to eat the odd crap meal than I did previously. I am not eating junk all the time, but I don't feel as commited as I could be- I suppose because my body is nearish a weight  and size I could only imagine last year, I seem to think it doesn't matter.
Any ideas of what I can do to pep talk myself back into it all?  I am worried that if I don't buck up my ideas, I could end up going back to my 'bigger' days, which should be motivation in itself. But I really want a more fitness or bodybuilding goal to aim for.
thanks all if you read this far!

Hi! 
Ooo!  Do it! Do a bodybuilding competition next year! 
That's the only time I've ever hit the body goal I had wanted all my life. It won't be easy, but I'm sure what you've done so far hasn't been, but by god it gives you focus and determination when you hit the zone, LOVE it!
So long as you're natural? Check out BNBF & NPA websites. 
And ask LOTS of questions we're all ridiculously enthusiatic about them!
xx

Sounds like you do need a goal. What kind of thing would you like to do. Do you want to compete? Or perhaps would a photoshoot be the right kind of goal for you? Or a pair of size 8 rather than size 10 jeans? It really depends what would work for you - what will spur you on and excite you enough to get that fire back? Massive congrats on everything you have achieved so far!

Hello , I think the main problem people face with food and eating Is the word diet , it seems to bring up notions of depriving your self of food and enjoyment ,
I think it's much easier to thing of food as fuel and never diet always say I'm eating clean .
I find if you diet there must be an end result but if you eat clean that can go on and on with constant improvements .
This is just my way of telling myself how I should eat , it is not for everyone , but it may help :)

Its the time of the year, I get fed up every time. I't S.A.D and a lack of vit d...... I cant be assed to go to bed and in the morning I cant be assed to get up...............

Hi all
Thanks for your posts- you are all so helpful and I really appreciate it- I think I am just going through a 'dip' if that makes sense. When I started training properly, I never thought about bodybuilding really- I was just on a mission to get smaller but my trainer was a bodybuilder doing his first competition and he really introduced me into strength training and I absolutely love it and feel it has made a massive difference to my shape and posture.
I suppose goal wise, there are some specific things I would like to be able to do that I can't do at present. If I could do these things, I would be very proud of myself!:
1. I would like to be able to do a proper set of tricep dips off the ground- I can only do the negative part at the moment but I am working up to improving this. I can do the negative part and hold it, but can't yet do the push up bit!
2. I would like to be able to do a pull up in any shape or form off the ground-chin up, pull up, not sure the difference but that is going to be tough!
3. I want to improve my bench pressing from 35kg up but with correct form.
4. Shape wise I want to be able to lose my flab and subsequently see my abs. I know diet, cardio and commitment are needed for this! I know this will involve weight loss/ fat loss and this is a tough one, but I really want to achieve this.
 
I am pleased with how far I have come and I definitely don't want to go back to the old days of reading an array of diet books whilst drinking wine and eating crisps. I am still going to the gym- In the past I have had months and months of not setting foot in the gym, I am not in that place and that's good!
I do think December is a tough month. I have my mother in law around today for Sunday dinner and I have a few evenings out this week with friends and what have you. I suppose the most important thing is to remind myself what I want to achieve and reassure myself that once Christmas is over, i.e from about the 27th Dec onwards I will be back to it and back in the gym. New Year's eve is not a big thing for me - I would rather get my mental mindset sharpened up now rather than Jan the 1st etc.
what do you think of those goals? I don't know about setting target dates though becuase I don't really know much about realistic progress for muscle development etc.
thanks all
 
 

All sound like great goals to me! 
xx

I think you have very realistic and attainable goals.
A great start I think is being able to move your own bodyweight , for me it's a great sign of core strength
And a great platform to build from.
Remember the muscle has 3 levels of strength
Positive , static and negative . You can do do of these on your dips . That is fine as these 2 are the stronger elements of the 3 phases ,
Keep at it and stay focused and bodybuilding is just a part of your life so treat it that way and enjoy all other aspects of living.

Hi all again
well I went to the gym today and trained legs with my trainer- always very tough! I have made a deal with him to do my body fat/ stats at the end of Jan whatever happens- he has written this down and is completely on my side to help me get there. I am going to reset my mind to 'positive' and 'I can do' mode to allow me to achieve my goals. I am starting visualise me actually doing the exercises smoothly and with good form, looking lean and toned. I probably need to keep visualising it more and more and use this to keep me focused.
I have to remind myself that last year I really made a big jump to improve my body by getting fitter- I can do that again but it needs hard work.
I plan to go to the gym all this week as I have finished for christmas so perhaps I can rejuvinate myself again.
Paul- I read your comment about muscles- can you explain what that means in really easy terms- I think if I know more about muscles I might get further! many thanks if you get a second
x

Ok what we all should remember is a exercise is made up of 3 phases , for example , the dip
You press up into the finished position this is the positive part of the movement , this is in fact the weakest part of exercise,
The 2nd part is the static , this is the holding or contraction of the muscle , this is important in order to engage more muscle fibres .
The final 3rd phase is the negative , the lowering under control , this is the strongest part of a exercise movement.
So in order to fully stimulate a muscle group you must fully exhaust all phases of the exercise.
I hope this makes sense , anything else just ask me and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

Hi Paul
thanks for this- I am at the point where I can get on the roman chair thing, lower down and hold- when you say the press up into the positive part is the weakest part of the exercise, do you mean it's the most taxing on the muscles?
That is the bit I find tough although when I started just doing the negative bit I used to lower and pretty much in a milisecond just drop to the floor- I think gravity would just pull me down!! So in fututre, when I get to the hold bit, do you think I should get someone to assist me by holding my waist to do the press up bit or will it come in time?

When you say roman chair thing do you mean a situp

What im saying is the pushing or pulling is the first part of an exercise , this is the weakest for the muscles being worked
So chose a weight that you can move through all phases until
You reach complete failure .
You can get assistance in performing negatives until your core strength improves , which it will

To answer your question
No it's not the most taxing it's that the muscles are at there weakest in the positive phase
In order to fully stimulate all muscle fibres I believe you must work the muscle fully through each phase, and to failure to get maximum stimulus and give the body a reason to adapt to the progressive overload placed on it

Hi
I am not sure it is called a roman chair now on reflection- looks like this (hope the link works)
http://www.osu-tulsa.okstate.edu/wellness/equipment/roman-chair-lg.jpg
but has pole like handles sticking out of it to allow you to do dips on it. It is not a weight assisted one like a lot of gyms have- i have seen the weight assisted ones and people use them for triceps and pull ups but my gym doesn't have one yet- due for refurbishment in Sept.
I do dips on a bench though so perhaps I can improve on making those tougher in the mean time!
 

I'll be happy to explain more if you want me to
Get this bit right and trust me you'll save years of wasted effort

Please do! I am really keen to learn- like I said it's not an assisted machine so it is tough! I need all the help I can get tbh!
 

No it's ok I know the one you mean
If I was training you I would have you do
Tricep pushdowns , this works mostly the lateral or short head of the tricep , then you need to work the long head the longer beefier part , I would have you do an exercise that makes you elbows go above your head ie over head extension
Or lying tricep extension , then I would have you do an exercise that engages all of the tricep ie close grip press , bench dips
If it was me :)

no problem I'd be happy to help :)
Ask away lol

That's really helpful- I do things like tricep rope cable push downs where you stand at the cable machine and separate the rope at the end and flex, but I don't do much overhead tricep work- I do use the same cable tricep rope and lunge forward away from the machine and do an overhead extension exercise- but I don't it that regularly, so perhaps I should make a wider array of tricep exercises part of my routine to:
1. allow me to do a proper tricep dip
2. allow me to regain my focus
3. turn me into a machine!
thanks Paul again. I will report back on how I get on!

Well like I said it's about fully working the muscle and the exercise in order to get the maximum reward from it
It's also helpful to read a little on anatomy and physiology
And learn how the muscles actually move and why
People think that the sole purpose of the bicep is to raise the forearm but it's not it also supinates or rotates the hand
This can make how you train your biceps very interesting and beneficial through making the correct exercise choice.