I actually didnt take any progress pics during this cut. I hated how i looked and still do. Im sure pics would show a big difference but as long as my abs are still coming in nicely, im more and more content.
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This might be a dead thread, but i didnt want to make another. Do you think going High/Med/Low/Low/High/Low/Low be better for fatloss than High/Med/Low/High/Med/Low/Med?
I know the overall cals will be lower but the carbs for sure will be lower, rather than me just lowering carbs on all days.
I think any deficit that can be generated will result in fat loss, and whether that is your first or second option is 100% irrelevant.
To be totally honest - I donât really buy into the carb cycling thought process, but I have a few theories as to why it âworksâ.
- People who started this diet werenât dieting in the first place.
- normal diets are painfully boring and never give you a break, but high carb days here are basically not even in a deficit. This makes it more bearable than regular diets.
- 80% compliance is compliance.
- Planned non-compliance is also compliance.
I think carb cycling works for all of the above reasons and none of the magic ones it claims to have. Sorry, not really what you asked, but the answer is whichever one generates a greater deficit in the long run.
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I guess irs best to keep it simple. The reason why im having second thoughts and keep questioning my diet plan is because 1, I dont think ill be where i want to be in two weeks wothout losing muscle, and 2, I lost 2lbs after stalling for two weeks whoch should mean im still losing 1lb per week. These water fluctuations keep confusing me. Im down to 188.2 down from 189.4 and idk if its from dropping carbs by 50g for two days and losing water weight or if im still losing the fat.
post a shirtless picture (no face) and Iâll tell you if youâre losing muscle lol
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I know this will be an inferential statistics point that might be difficult for many to get their arms around: Variation in body weight can be ânoiseâ or a âsignal.â If you kept your weight âconstantâ and weighed every day at the same time every day, the variation of the weight your scale would measure is called ânoise.â
Try not to confuse ânoiseâ as a âsignal.â Just keep that in mind.
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I weigh in daily. I weighed in at an average of 190lbs for 10 days. Then i dropped to 189lbs a couple days ago. Now im 188.
Im still suffering from water rerention but the measurements have been going down weekly. My arms, neck, and calves have remained steady which is good. Losing inches off my waist, hips, and thighs tell me im losing fat and not muscle.
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Also, is it wise to drop calories AND increase cardio duration? Or just do one or the other?
Here, I have one of the best posts on this forum that should help you.
Youâre pretty lean right now, Iâd guess 12%BF - not that it matters. My thoughts align with the above; if youâre above 10%BF, you arenât losing muscle by cutting. Furthermore, muscle seems to have a âmemory effectâ where even if one loses muscle due to detraining or other circumstances - muscle can be âreclaimedâ when the deficiency (training or diet) has been corrected.
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I am trying to catch up. What is the objective of your cutting?
Also, how are you assessing that you have water retention? And about how much do you think you have?
Do you believe that you water retention is due primarily to different carbohydrate days? And not sodium intake?
Im not sure i underarand your questioning.
Why does anyone cut? Lol
Water retention is affected by both carbs and sodium intake. I track my sodium and also drink a lot of water. I also track my electrolytes just incase you wrre going to use that rebuttal.
When i lose fat in certain areas, that area is more squishy and i begin to look washed out and lose definition. I would also plateau in weight and then suddenly lose it a couple weeks later. I think Lyle mcdonald talks about this.
I have only ever cut for a contest.
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I see your angle.
Most people want to diet down because they were fatter before and want to be healthier like myself. I got too fat chasing numbers for powerlifting and was blinded by the âgainsâ.
I also like the facial aesthetics that come with being lean. Abs are a bonus. For me its definitely vanity and performance. If i feel that i have decrnt enough genetics to step on stage, i might consider a contest prep. Im not sure yet since thats a ton of dedication.
I just believe that you are over analyzing most things. IMO, you need to start seeing striations to begin to worry about water retention. And there is another under the skin water retention problem that you could be confronted with: anxiety will cause many people to move fluid from their muscles and place it under their skin. The day of the show is notorious for this event, IMO.
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Itâs possible that any water retention youâre experiencing is due to the stress youâre putting on your body. From what I can see, youâre doing too much. Youâre 6 ft tall and weigh 189 lbs. Youâre training intensely five times a week, doing cardio every day, and have a physically demanding job. Now you want to add stimulants?
*More than likely, you are being over critical.
No doubt. I havent added yohimbe quite yet because of what you just said. I am probably going too hard right now, but ill stop my dieting in two weeks. From then on ill re evaluate and see where i want to go from there. Ill probably maintain for a week or so, then either cut or bulk.
As far as this week goes, i added 5min of cardio and decreased carbs by 50g/day which is a 1400 cal deficit along with switching carb days around. So additional cardio on top of a ~2000cal deficit.
I considered dropping another 50g next week but i will probably ease up since i was losing an average of .5lbs per week before decreasing more calories. If i get stringy, its time to add back the cals. If i still look and feel great i might go for it.