Confused About Fat Loss

Nutrition
61

Blinq, I’d be glad to help you with your program!!! If you start a thread and send me a PM with a link, I’ll start helping you work through your issues.

T-Nation is a community. The things I know about manipulating macronutrients and calories and positively influencing body composition, I’ve learned from reading articles here on the site and helping others. Berardi, Lowery, Polliquin, Staley, Di Pasquale (and others!) have all been huge influences in what I do.

Interestingly enough, helping others with their plan provides me with an opportunity to raise my level of knowledge. “Payback” is when I see people I’ve helped helping others. (grin)

PC, if you work out like you manage your diet, I have no doubt that your workouts are intense! (grin)

I may be going up on the amount of beans I want included in your diet. You shouldn’t be as hungry as I think you are. There’s nothing wrong with being hungry an hour before your next meal is due, but any more than that, adjustments need to be made.

Since you’re in school, I know you’re probably on a budget, which is why I haven’t recommended any supps. Stick with protein powder for convenience, a pint of chocolate milk for your PWO drink and FOOD!! The only thing I’d like for you to buy is sugar free orange Metamucil. Any time hunger is an issue, take a heaping tablespoon and add to a tall glass of water. Chug it down fast before it gets thick and follow with another tall glass of water. You’ll go from famished to full in about 30 seconds. Drink one at every meal if you have to, but don’t short-change yourself on the water!!!

I’d like to see you brew up some green tea for yourself. Brewing it yourself = cheap! Don’t be buying the store-bought stuff. You can drink it plain or add Splenda or your favorite no-calorie sweetener. Green tea will ratchet down any hunger you’re experiencing and ratchet up fat mobilizing and burning. It also has a ton of health benefits and antioxidants.

Make sure you’re packing your food and taking it with you. And max out on the fibrous green veggies, as I told you. It’s the only way you’ll be able to take your body composition to the next level and keep hunger at bay.

Do you allow yourself one cheat/treat/free meal per week? I’d like for you to weigh and/or measure once a week, on Friday, and then have that free meal on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The only “rule” on free meals is that you not step on the scale (if you would have access to one) until next Friday. (grin)

HIIT is over quickly … 20 minutes max! You don’t have to go to the gym. You can do it at home or even running the bleachers/stadium at school. Just about any cardio equipment will work for HIIT.

What you do is warm up for 6 minutes, slow and easy. Then you do 7 all-out sprints for 30 seconds, followed by 90 seconds of slow and easy recovery again. So you’re doing sprints on Minutes 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. That’s it!!! Try including them in on your off days twice a week.

Questions? (grin) At this point, I want to see what kind of results you get week by week. Let me know, too, how you’re doing hunger-wise and energy-wise.

62

Its alot to take in at one time. Ill slowly get it though, i guess. Im gonna choose to eat my beans Pre workout, its the best choice for me, plain and simple. Post, i guess ill be having brown rice and whey powder mixed with milk, does that sound good? That’s usually my last meal for the day unless its a weekend.

I dont need cheat meals. i dont crave them, i dont want to waste money on them. I wouldent be able to live conciously tying hard like this on a diet to go eat take out… hahah. I think if i did, however it would be some pizza PWO. Would seem like the best time to have it, but as for now, im not gonna cheat, i save the cheating for my school work (we all done it)

PC

63

Yeah, so maybe i did have a cheat meal. Mom was cooking some lean steak slived up, had tonnes of vegetables and stuff in it, and was even frying it with olive oil. THEN, she FUCKING ruined it. She throws in all thie fucking, of all things, cornstarch. Cornstarch! what a bitch.

Anyway i went hungry for a little while preparing a sensible meal. She had to do it on an off day too. That made me so mad, i wouldent even do that if i was bulking.

64

Don’t let it get to you, PC. You and your mom just have different goals.

Let’s talk about cheat/treat/free meals and the part they play.

There are psychological benefits to a cheat meal, yes. But there are also anabolic benefits, too. If you’re low-carbing it during the week and then have a meal high in starchy carbs, all the body is going to do is refill glycogen stores. You’ll have stronger workouts and put on more muscle.

During the week I eat a high-fat (65% fat), sufficient-protein (30% protein), low-carb (<30g carbs) diet. On the weekends I eat close to TWICE my maintenance calories … most of it in the form of starchy carbs. Even though my goal is to maintain body weight, I’m LOSING weight … or more accurately, I’m losing fat!!!

I do see a jump in the scale. There is water-weight gain, but it’s gone by the time I weigh and measure on Friday. Weighing and measuring yourself is really what puts you in control of your body composition. It puts the “precision” into things and allows you to make decisions based on facts and data, rather than emotion and frustration.

Don’t avoid living life and having some fun in the middle of working really, really hard to achieve your goals. One meal will not negate the 41 other meals you eat in a week’s time. If you’re not making the progress you want, the fault lies in the diet itself, not the cheat/treat/free meal you had, no matter how many calories you might consume.

It’s all about balance, PC.

And yes, it’s a lot to take in. Implement what you can and take the rest of it under advisement. You can always come back to your thread and reveiw what we’ve discussed.

Let me know how it goes!!! (grin)

65

TT, You think this is good?

Meal 1 - P + 0.5 cup Beans + Fruit
Meal 2 - P + Fruit
Meal 3 - P + Fat
Meal 4 (pre)- P + 1 cup Beans
Meal 5 (post) - Scoop of whey, Starchy Carbs (60g worth
Meal 6 - P + Fat

Green things, in large quantities, whenever possible. Should i still neglect mixing my whey with milk?

PC

66

What a beautiful & succinct recap of what you and I have been discussing. You nailed it, PC!!!

Re the milk & whey … keep it as is for the time being. PWO is a great time to be drinking milk. Add a serving of fruit to your PWO meal. Try frozen fruit … blueberries, red cherries, strawberries, raspberries. Remember … variety, variety, variety!!! (grin)

Don’t forget the green tea and fiber, either

You are so set to go. Great job, PC!!!

67

Question about fruit. Usually when i eat it when im supposed to, my carb intake for the day is sort of high. Comments?

I have gotta tell you about the smoothie i sometimes make PWO.

Ingredients:
1.5 - 2 cup frozen wildberries
0.75 cup fat free yogurt
2 scoops of chocolate whey powder (50g)
0.5 cup cottage cheese
0.25 cups of raw oats
1% Milk until desired thickness.

Carbs: 74g
Protein: 73g
Fat: 11g
Kcal: 660

Im thinking about making this today, it tastes hella good, and had everything i need. Took me a while to perfect, but about a liter of purple goodness is great after a heavy day of squatting, you should try it sometime :slight_smile:

I got a better measuring tape today, so my measurements this saturday may be a little different. I was using a piece of wire and a steel measuring tape last time :P. This ones paper.

Thanks for all the help TT, I owe you one.

68

Its strange, some days show as low as 2400 calories, some as high as 3200. It probably has alot to do with my protein sources. Today i ate a 3 lb codfish, caught yesterday (mmm)… half at breakfast, half at supper. Cod is very low calorie dense compared to other lean meats, im guessing thats why. I had a damn good workout tonight, too. But, i also had beans for supper :slight_smile:

I havent lost any of my strength since being on this diet, but i havent gained any either. Correct me if im wrong, but fat loss occurs LAST on your stomache area, right? Maybe i think i havent leaned out because i just havent looked anywhere else.

im sure you gonna have some great response for this later, and i hope you liked my smoothie idea!

PC

69

Question about fruit. Usually when i eat it when im supposed to, my carb intake for the day is sort of high. Comments?

That’s done with intent, PC. The number of calories (and carbs) you consume on days you do resistance training is going to be higher. You won’t get a PWO drink or starchy carbs on days you do HIIT or don’t do resistance training.

Boy, that shake sounds yummy!!! Talk about wholesome goodness! (laughing) Actually I think I will try it!!!

The only thing I want you do with it, though, is increase the amount of oats (starchy carbs) you’re getting. You need 60 to 62g of starchy carbs. I dno’t count the carbs in yogurt, whey, cottage cheese or fruits as going towards your starchy carbs requirements. So I guess the good thing is that you get to eat more food in your PWO meal. (grin)

Thanks for all the help TT, I owe you one.

You’re most welcome, PC. You’ve done a heck of a job dialing in your diet. You matched my effort/contributions 110%.

70

I hope this works, TT. Im doing what all elders say not to: Cutting when bulking is the easiest. I am seeing some results, though which is a first for me. i have never been “lean” in my life, from 0 to 16. Its interesting to see whats going to happen.

71

PC, most people aren’t as precise and disciplined as you are. Your results are going to be hard earned and well deserved!

72

Tomorrow morning im going to post my measurements for this week, with a new and improved tape measure :stuck_out_tongue:

If all i am doing tomorrow is HITT, when would be the best time to have a cheat meal? or should i wait until sunday PWO when i lift?.. or just disregard it and eat it whenever. Thanks for all the help TT

73

This weeks measurements:
chest - 41.75"
right arm - 15.25"
waist (widest part) - 35.25"
butt - 40"
right thigh - 25.25"
right calf - 16"

All resting.

I wish i had the same form of measuring as last time. My muscles do look and feel sort of “flat” compared to before, though and some are even smaller (arms) but i havent lost any strength, so i hope that means the size hasnt really went down.

thanks, TT

74

What I typically recommend is that you weigh and/or measure on Friday morning, out of bed, after you hit the restroom, before you eat, without clothes if possible, wearing the same clothes if not.

That’s your week-in, week-out routine. Your cheat/treat/free meal can be had any time Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That’s when most social events occur. That’s when you might want to go out on a date or go have some fun with your friends … or possibly family.

If you’re feeling flat, for this one cheat/treat/free meal, focus more on starchy carbs, rather than sweet/sugar carbs. There’s actually a reason for it. Sugar is made up of a fructose molecule and a glucose molecule. Glucose will refill muscle glycogen, fructose will not.

So possibly have spaghetti or pasta or a rice dish. Have something sweet for dessert, if there’s something in particular you’ve been missing.

Don’t worry about restraint and control. Enjoy yourself. The only “rule” about a cheat/treat/free meal is that you’re not allowed to hop on the scale the next day. +5-pound increases are normal, but it’s water weight that’s quickly lost. The reason I tell people not to step on the scale is that a lot of 'em freak out, and it makes extra work for me, reassuring them and explaining what’s going on. (grin)

Nonetheless, you should end up with some well filled out (hydrated) muscles. And as body fat drops some more, the vascularity is going to kick into gear big time! (grin)

Let’s use the numbers you got this week as your starting point. In other words, let’s use these numbers for purposes of comparison week by week. A new tape measure throws an element of variability and uncertainty into things that makes it really hard to gauge results.

Now go out and do me proud on that cheat/treat/free meal!!! (grin)

75

My cheat meal, went pretty well. I had a custom made 9 inch garlic Fingers with cheeze, pineapple, peppers, beef, onions, and tomato. I then ate two slices of home made bread with nuts, and downed a glass of milk.

Today’s Nutrition: 3104 kcal, 83g fat, 289g carbs, 303g protein. I think thats pretty damn good for a cheat day.

Hope i done that right! it sure done me good, i was running pretty low on glycogen.

P.S. The HITT today was BRUTAL.

PC

76

Yup, you did me proud. (laughing)

Actually, that pizza sounds out of this world!!!

If muscle glycogen is low, HIIT is brutal. We may need to raise carbs on you a bit. Let’s see what kind of progress you make this week, how hungry you are and what your energy levels are like. That’s the 3 criteria when you’re thinking about raising or lowering carbs.

77

I havent had energy problems all last week. Im pretty sure HITT is brutal because your sprinting, hahah. The more energy you have, the more you will lose anyway, i said my glycogen was low cause’ i was just feeling kind of “flat” thats all, im sure you have felt like that before.

I am leaning up, and i hope i continue to do so, because im looking forward to bulking again. I havent gained strength in like three weeks, its unusual. But, i guess losing can be concidered gaining as well. Looking forward to my chest workout tomorrow.

PC

78

Terry, i think im going to further recuce my carb intake a little bit.

I have been averaging out at around 220 grams a day, give and take. I want to limit myself to less than, or equal to 200. The best way to do this i think is to reduce my fruit intake by a bit.

What is your take on this?

79

I’m all for people experimenting. That’s how I learned. But you shouldn’t make structural changes to your plan more than once a month. Give me 3 more weeks, and then if you want to make changes, go ahead.

What you don’t want to do is make changes to the structure of your plan every week, hoping/wanting to speed up results. If you’re all over the place, you’ll never really know what works.

There’s another philosophical consideration to what you and I are doing, too … and that is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!!” (grin) If you’re making progress towards your stated goals, why mess with things? And, too, right now your feelings are that you’re leaning out, but you don’t have the numbers to back up (prove) that feeling.

There is one more thing you need to be aware of … and that is that the body can only utilize so much fat per day when faced with a caloric deficit. Consistency (creating a slight caloric deficit) is going to get you better results over the long haul than a more extreme caloric deficit.

It’s counter intuitive, I know, but a slight caloric deficit results in your body drawing upon stored body fat to meet that caloric deficit. A larger, more extreme caloric deficit will result in the EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF FAT BEING LOST and LBM LOSS!!!

Let’s see what kind of results you get over the course of 3 more weeks. Then make the changes you want to make and compare the results over the exact same period of time. I’d love for you to be right. (grin)

80

Your right though, TT. I guess i’ll wait. I just need more paitence. lol

I got a job today, and im afraid it’s gonna interfere with my diet and sleep, especially durring the summer. I just hope mom is going to be willing to bring me meals when i need them… i don’t know the hours yet, or the ones for the summer, but i just hope it’s not too drastic, and it wont affect my workouts or diet, that would kill me. Ill keep you updated on the situation.

PC