Seem to have hit a ceiling. Can I move forward?

[paolow]

Can anyone help? I think my current regime has me a bit stuck.....

I am 34, 78kgs or thereabouts and used to go to a circuit class on Monday, a 'pump' style class on thursday and would throw in some medium weight work or, say a 100 squats a day challenge over a month on the off days with say a 40kg bar. On top of this thursday was the big day with an hour of swimming and an hour of yoga after the class. (I would leave the house at 5:30 and return 5 hours later due to travelling etc.

I thought that was too hit and miss - and it was - so my current week is:
Circuits on a monday, Boot camp on a tues, pump class on Thurs and circuits on friday. That gives me the weds off (and I do take it off) with the weekend to give a nice gap before it begins again.

However, today I have found a repeat of what I have increasingly found...

Whereas before, and especially a while ago I would wake up every morning feeling like I had been chewed up and spat out I now no longer feel weary, or indeed feel an ache in my muscles that would at least make me think I am 'beasting' myself.

I still work just as hard. In my Pump class I use the same weights or heavier though that is difficult to quantify given the music changes etc. Of course, adding 5Kgs to a bar is a psychological boost but lets face it I am moving upwards of 50kgs a squat anyway so its 10 percent at best...

What I am frustrated by is that I work flat out in the classes as it stands and in the cardio particularly - shuttle runs, burpees (ugh) etc I am hitting exhaustion looooooooong before others seem to do so. Don't get me wrong - I really try hard (and maintain form) but two things are lacking. The stamina I used to have and the dull ache that let me know I had really gone for it. Now I just seem to underperform in the classes and don't really feel huge benefit for it.

Of course, one factor in this is where a variable weight is available - for instance a kettlebell for x activity I will pick the heaviest I can do. Others might pick the lightest to finish an activity quicker and 'win' which obviously leaves me both behind and far more tired.

But if I really am working harder where has that pleasing ache gone that lets me know I really did work it? Also, I have noticed my cardio work has hit a huge limit as well as the fact that my fitness has stalled.

Diet is an obvious culprit. So here is what I eat usually:

Brekkie - Green tea + half a tub of Onken
Brekkie 2 - (after our tedious morning meeting) a muffin with a veggie pretend meat inner. sometimes with cottage cheese. Always with chilli sauce.
Lunch (at 11ish) chicken and salad, or some sort of reheated mini dish I had cooked before and frozen. Risotto, seafood pasta, spag bol, chilli - seriously we are talking a kids portion here - and deliberately
Lunch 2 - soup and a pitta. No butter - naybe at 1400 - 1500 ish

There is some variation - I like mackerel instead of the muffin etc but thats not a bad illustration. If I get peckish and the larder runs low the very cheapest crap noodles - 7p a packet are a 'cheap way' of getting through the afternoon.

So what gives? Can I break through this barrier? I don't seem to have the fortitude to break through it I did drink a protein drink immediately after working out and though this did seem to have an effect in reducing fatigue it makes no odds these days...

One obvious thing missing from the above regimen is binning a circuit day for more heavy lifting. But If I am seriously running out of gas at the moment at a cardio circuit (they rotate) what hope have I?
Or is it that now I need to decide whether to go down a certain route now my body is lean and receptive and well used to a variety of excerises?

Thanks - I know this thread ran a bit long...