Dieting Advice

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I started dieting 3 weeks ago and I can?t figure out what?s going wrong. My strength is definitely up but according to measurements, 100% of the 6.5 lbs I?ve lost is muscle. This makes no sense to me. I’m using T-dawg v2.0 and the strength focused mesocycle. No cardio beyond that which is recommended in the SFM. Both measurements were done at my student health and fitness center.

Start (3 weeks ago):
162 lbs, 14.3% bf (about what I expected based on past experience)

Today:
155.5 lbs, 14.3% bf (I had 2 different people take measurements, but the 2nd one at 19% was so ridiculous that I had to ignore it so I?m assuming the 1st was closer to the true measurement.)

My diet is as follows, I eat about every 2-2.5 hours, and I aim for approx 1950 calories each day. I know I rely a lot on protein shakes but it?s so much cheaper per gram of protein than buying chicken. Here are my general templates:

Workout days (~210g protein, ~80g fat, ~100g carbs):

Meal 1: 1 serving Oatmeal, 1 protein shake
Meal 2: Surge
Meal 3: 1 protein shake, 1 tbsp udo?s oil
Meal 4: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 oz cheese
Meal 5: 1 protein shake, 1 oz mixed nuts
Meal 6: 3 oz chicken breast, 1 oz cheese
Meal 7: 1 protein shake, 1 oz mixed nuts
Meal 8: 1 Low Carb Grow!, fish oil

Nonworkout days (~200g protein, ~100g fat, ~50g-60g carbs):

Meal 1: 1 serving Oatmeal, 1 protein shake
Meal 2: 1 protein shake, 1 tbsp udo?s oil
Meal 3: 1 protein shake, 1 oz mixed nuts
Meal 4: 3 oz chicken, 1 oz cheese
Meal 5: 1 protein shake, 1 oz mixed nuts
Meal 6: 3 oz chicken, 1 oz cheese
Meal 7: Low Carb Grow!, fish oil

So what am I doing wrong? I?ve been increasing the weight in my workouts each week as per the SFM program, and feel stronger. I suspect when I retest my maxes they?ll all be up. I can?t fathom how all the weight I?ve lost is muscle and I?d really appreciate some help.

2

keep in mind im prolly as experienced as you:

whats your goal? 1950 calories seems really low to me. I am 5’6" 175 now but when i was 165 my maintenance calories were 3000 i realize there are personal differences but thats 1000 kcal less.

looking at your p/c/f ratio i’d say get more carbs. ur not getting enough carbs to refuel muscle so ur body is using the protein for energy and muscles arnt rebuilding. i’d bet all ur strenght gains are from ur body learning to recruit motor units better, not actually muscle strength.

Hope this helps.
William

3

jason-

it’s nearly impossible to lose 100% LBM!!! even when totally fasting, your body would still cannibalize BOTH muscle AND fat! further more, when only reducing cals by 10%, keeping your protein up, and lifting hard you should lose very little LBM.

since you eat so often, don’t worry too much about getting 50% or more of your daily protein from shakes. even if it’s just whey iso and/or conc, they do get processed quickly, but you are eating again before you go nitrogen negative. i agree with the $$$ problem - powder is better than none at all!

as far as your numbers, you are eating about 2000 cals a day and at your weight that should be very close to what’s needed to lose about 1 pound a week, depending on your activity level. you are eating 43% pro, 37% fat, and 20% carb. i think you have got your macros dialed in pretty well for fat loss. maybe try manipulating the carbs and fats - have a day in the where you go low-fat, higher carb, so your body doesn’t get too carb depleted. also, you need an over-feed day, where you eat 2500-3000 clean cals to keep your metabolism from grinding down to a dull roar.

the only thing this all points to the extreme inaccuracy of the tests that are getting performed on you. as long as you are truly doing exactly what you have outlined, the administrator must not know what they are doing.

try going to a real certified trainer and getting a skin fold. the good ones will take 3 readings in at least 12 locations. better yet, if you can afford it (doesn’t sound like it tho) get weighed underwater. it’s probably worth it if you get yet another abnormal skin fold.

also, measure your thigh, arm, waist, and chest girth (circumference) and use that as a guide as well. areas of higher fat (abdomen) should slim faster than areas of lesser fat (thigh/arm) when dieting correctly. if you are losing lot’s of LBM, then abdomen won’t change much, but thigh, chest, and arm will go down.

let us know. good luck.

TopSirloin

4

My goals atm are just fat loss while maintaining as much muscle as possible. I chose 1950 calories by starting out at ~2430 (T-dawg 2.0 says a good starting place is 15x starting BW, 162 in my case, and then dropping by 500 calories after a week.

I’m 5’5 btw and have been training for a year now. I’ve never dieted down on my own before, so I’m unfamiliar with exactly what my body needs. Last time I was dieting I was using the same diet guru CT used at the end of his first 14 week transformation but I cannot do that program right now due to schedule/financial issues.

Would you suggest just upping the carbs on non workout days or both? Or just an overall caloric increase?

Thanks for your help!

5

[quote]TopSirloin wrote:
jason-

it’s nearly impossible to lose 100% LBM!!! even when totally fasting, your body would still cannibalize BOTH muscle AND fat! further more, when only reducing cals by 10%, keeping your protein up, and lifting hard you should lose very little LBM.

since you eat so often, don’t worry too much about getting 50% or more of your daily protein from shakes. even if it’s just whey iso and/or conc, they do get processed quickly, but you are eating again before you go nitrogen negative. i agree with the $$$ problem - powder is better than none at all!

as far as your numbers, you are eating about 2000 cals a day and at your weight that should be very close to what’s needed to lose about 1 pound a week, depending on your activity level. you are eating 43% pro, 37% fat, and 20% carb. i think you have got your macros dialed in pretty well for fat loss. maybe try manipulating the carbs and fats - have a day in the where you go low-fat, higher carb, so your body doesn’t get too carb depleted. also, you need an over-feed day, where you eat 2500-3000 clean cals to keep your metabolism from grinding down to a dull roar.

the only thing this all points to the extreme inaccuracy of the tests that are getting performed on you. as long as you are truly doing exactly what you have outlined, the administrator must not know what they are doing.

try going to a real certified trainer and getting a skin fold. the good ones will take 3 readings in at least 12 locations. better yet, if you can afford it (doesn’t sound like it tho) get weighed underwater. it’s probably worth it if you get yet another abnormal skin fold.

also, measure your thigh, arm, waist, and chest girth (circumference) and use that as a guide as well. areas of higher fat (abdomen) should slim faster than areas of lesser fat (thigh/arm) when dieting correctly. if you are losing lot’s of LBM, then abdomen won’t change much, but thigh, chest, and arm will go down.

let us know. good luck.

TopSirloin[/quote]

I do have 1 day/week where I gorge on one cheat meal, usually it involves an entire pizza or an all you can eat barbecue place etc. I’m certainly willing to try manipulating the carbs and fats more, and will look into this idea. I can take measurements of my arms etc, but I will say right now that based upon my clothing, there has been 0 change in my waistline, and this is definately part of what concerns me. The people at the health and fitness center do a 3 point test, which I know can be inaccurate especially since they tend to have trouble getting a skinfold measurement on my thigh (I’ve had readings there ranging from 15 to 26 mm in the same day). The majority of my fat is very obviously in my abdomen, and if I had a digital camera or knew someone nearby with one I’d post a picture. I will take all the measurements you recommend of my chest/arms/thigh/waist and attempt to use that as a guide over the next few weeks.

Thanks for the advice!

6

Hi, I dont think there is any way you could of just lose the muscle.

I think you should take pictures to check and compare.

I started dieting nearly 2 weeks ago, and I have lost around 9-10lb since then in weight, BUT most of that is water no doubt. Since last friday I have lost no weight on the scales but I am definately leaner and nearly have a 6pack.

I am on the new HOT-ROX too, and Methoxy-7 and so far am happy with the results, you could try throwing those 2 in as they claim to help preserve muscle while increasing fat loss.

Also, do some cardio in the mornings if you can force yourself, before breakfast. good luck

7

Forget what Calipers and “fat measurment scales” tell you.

When you look in the mirror, do you see any progress??

8

Well I’m no longer hugely bloated like I was, but that’s b/c I switched from a high carb to a low carb diet. Other than that I don’t see any change. My waist still hasn’t changed at all (measured at 34" at the start and still measures 34" now) and I’m carrying an appreciable amount of fat on my abdomen. The weight loss though has definately slowed down, as this week I’m 155 lbs, which is just 1/2 lbs lighter than last week. I definately knew some of the initial loss was water and I’ve been told possibly glygocen leaving the muscles due to the relatively low carb diet.

I just finished the SFM, with great results, and now will be changing up the exercises for the next 4 weeks while continuing the 3x/week full body workouts focused on heavy weight, low reps to maintain strength. I’m also adding in 2 HIIT sessions per week on an empty stomach right after I wake up based on CT’s Running Man Article. The first one was today. We’ll see what happens over the next month.