Hard Time Getting Lean!

Nutrition
1

can someone please help me! i have a very hard time getting lean to the point where u can actually tell i work out!! im a fairly light 19 year old (i weigh about 180) right now and im pushing pretty good weights also… deadlifting 405, squatting 325, etc.

the only problem is… i have a hard time looking muscular at all… i have decent size, but i have no vascularity or definition. I have veins show during my workouts (during my pumps) but thats about it. i retain water easily and i guess my genetics arent the best.

i have cut down for 2 v-diets in the past few years for summers and have looked better, but never seem to have any real vascularity. basically what im saying is i need a STEP BY STEP diet that can help me look leaner but manage to also maintain my muscle and most of my size… can someone help me with a daily diet PLEASE!!!

2


i have some before and after pics for my v-diets… the first one where i was really bloated was from about 3 years ago… and the pics where im more cut is from this past summer… ive obviously gained some more fat since that diet

3


pic 2:

4


pic 3:

5

You already look pretty lean in your second picture- or is there something I’m missing?
You also look a lot flatter too. Are you on a strict, low carb diet? Consistency is key.
You’ve got to keep at it.

What does your diet currently look like?

[quote]metalmuscle wrote:
can someone please help me! i have a very hard time getting lean to the point where u can actually tell i work out!! im a fairly light 19 year old (i weigh about 180) right now and im pushing pretty good weights also… deadlifting 405, squatting 325, etc.

the only problem is… i have a hard time looking muscular at all… i have decent size, but i have no vascularity or definition. I have veins show during my workouts (during my pumps) but thats about it. i retain water easily and i guess my genetics arent the best.

i have cut down for 2 v-diets in the past few years for summers and have looked better, but never seem to have any real vascularity. basically what im saying is i need a STEP BY STEP diet that can help me look leaner but manage to also maintain my muscle and most of my size… can someone help me with a daily diet PLEASE!!![/quote]

6

Damn man you were starting to get big in the first pic and you ruined it all with the v-diet. Just eat as clean as possible while bulking. Ya, you might not have abs if it isn’t in your genetics, but your body fat percentage shouldn’t increase too much if your diet is dialed in.

You can cut down later once it won’t ruin your physique to lose a bit of muscle.

7

Yes we are going to need to see your diet. Perhaps you could keep a food log for a few days or upto a weel. Then all these experts here could possibly break it down and could spot why you are not getting the look you want.

8

well, i def. do not look like those pictures anymore… i’ve gained more weight in the areas where i can never lose anyway and thats my “love handles”… and this is the problem the problem… i cant really stick to a strict diet… im the kind of person that can’t stick to something unless im told EXACTLY what to do step by step…

which is why i succeeded with the v-diet. It told me exactly what to do and pretty much at what time of day. my diet right now is definitely not as clean as possible, but thats why i was hoping for someone to please take the time a write out what a full day of eating should look like including pre and post workout meals…

right now an example of my diet (ON A GOOD DAY) would probably look like this:

breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 packets of oatmeal, 8 ounces of chicken. (this is prob. my best meal, as u will see)

lunch and dinner also used to be 8 ounces of chicken or steak with some brocolli on the side or some sort of other vegetables… i USED to have pre- and post- workout shakes and squeeze in a protein bar somewhere

recently i havent been sticking to this as i am working a night job and going to school fulltime also… as of late my diet has been… get home from work at 7 in the morning, eat 2 eggs on 2 whole wheat bagels with 2 slices of american cheese.

wake up at like 2:00 and eat 8 ounces of chicken and 2 packets of oatmeal, go to gym like an hour later.

come home, have a Surge shake… like 45 minutes later usually just eat whatever my mother made for dinner which is always some sort of chicken or steak. i do cardio most nights and then come home and have some fruit and nuts.

Can ANYONE please just tell me what else to add, subtract from my diet and when to squeeze it in… also if there are any supplements i can take in order to maximize results. thank you

i appreciate everyone reading my ramblings on

9

[quote]metalmuscle wrote:
well, i def. do not look like those pictures anymore… i’ve gained more weight in the areas where i can never lose anyway and thats my “love handles”… and this is the problem the problem… i cant really stick to a strict diet… im the kind of person that can’t stick to something unless im told EXACTLY what to do step by step…

which is why i succeeded with the v-diet. It told me exactly what to do and pretty much at what time of day. my diet right now is definitely not as clean as possible, but thats why i was hoping for someone to please take the time a write out what a full day of eating should look like including pre and post workout meals…

right now an example of my diet (ON A GOOD DAY) would probably look like this:

breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 packets of oatmeal, 8 ounces of chicken. (this is prob. my best meal, as u will see)

lunch and dinner also used to be 8 ounces of chicken or steak with some brocolli on the side or some sort of other vegetables… i USED to have pre- and post- workout shakes and squeeze in a protein bar somewhere

recently i havent been sticking to this as i am working a night job and going to school fulltime also… as of late my diet has been… get home from work at 7 in the morning, eat 2 eggs on 2 whole wheat bagels with 2 slices of american cheese.

wake up at like 2:00 and eat 8 ounces of chicken and 2 packets of oatmeal, go to gym like an hour later.

come home, have a Surge shake… like 45 minutes later usually just eat whatever my mother made for dinner which is always some sort of chicken or steak. i do cardio most nights and then come home and have some fruit and nuts.

Can ANYONE please just tell me what else to add, subtract from my diet and when to squeeze it in… also if there are any supplements i can take in order to maximize results. thank you

i appreciate everyone reading my ramblings on[/quote]

i cant really stick to a strict diet… im the kind of person that can’t stick to something unless im told EXACTLY what to do step by step…

well that is your problem. nobody can fix that for you. shit or get off the pot.

10

Start counting calories and grams of protein. Its not that hard once you get used to it. Don’t expect anyone to do it for you. Find out your total intake each day. Subtract 300-500 calories if your not losing any fat.

You can keep on cutting from this point, but forget about looking like a bodybuilder. Yet it seems your goal is more about leaning out for a beach body. If that’s the case then your right on track. You’ll probably end up looking like some CK model type of body, if you can cut down that hard. No bodybuilder though.

Add more cardio if you want to keep leaning out bro. You don’t have that much body fat left. I’m talking about 3-4 weeks tops cutting and you’ll be as lean as you can get without using extreme methods.

As for the abs, you need to build them more. Train them HEAVY. Think about the style you might train your chest; heavy once or twice a week and do the same. Abs roller with 45 plate on your back, heavy cable crunches, weighted leg raises. Low reps; that 50 reps of crunches shit does not work.

Add some muscle to your abs, drop a few more lbs of fat, you’ll get what you want. Yet you’ll impress the high school girls at the beach no doubt.

Good luck bro.

11

Bad genetics? Man you were starting to look solid in that first pic. Where the hell did you put your traps during these diets?

Your choice is obviously your own but if I was you I’d forget about vascularity and get bigger - I know I’m judging off of one pic but I’d say you could add size pretty fast.

12

[quote]t-ha wrote:
Bad genetics? Man you were starting to look solid in that first pic. Where the hell did you put your traps during these diets?

Your choice is obviously your own but if I was you I’d forget about vascularity and get bigger - I know I’m judging off of one pic but I’d say you could add size pretty fast.[/quote]

Haaha, no kidding, you looked to have had some pretty impressive traps.

I would also like to add that I agree with the idea that you need to be doing more heavy ab work. You actually look pretty lean, but like you don’t have a lot of muscle in that area.

ALSO, I haven’t heard much about “genetics” having anything to do with your abs showing but that sounds like ABSOLUTE CRAP to me. There’s no way I can believe some people are genetically predisposed to never have visible abs, I think it’s MUCH more likely that THIS:

"i cant really stick to a strict diet… im the kind of person that can’t stick to something unless im told EXACTLY what to do step by step… "

is the problem, and not his “genetics”.

13

hah, thanks for all the info guys… as for the traps, i think i was just flexing them a little in that one picture… and u guys said i looked solid in that pic… maenwhile i was actually real soft and “fluffy” looking which is why i did the v-diet in the first place… i started writing my calories and stuff down this morning… im pretty sure u guys will be able to help me with the stuff i give u now… im sure it really comes down to the TYPES/BRANDS of food that im eating… here it is just for breakfast today:

2 Perdue Original Breaded Cutlets (6 oz.)
420 calories, 220 fat cal.
total fat 24 g
sat fat 3.5 g
sodium 1000 mg
carbs 26 g
protein 20 g

2 packets of Quaker Instant Oatmeal
260 calories, 30 fat cal.
total fat 3 g
sat fat 1 g
sodium 240 mg
carbs 54 g
protein 6 g

10 oz of V8 splash mango peach
90 calories
sodium 45 mg
carbs 22g
[sugar 18g]
protein 0g

ill add more meals as the day goes on…

14

I’d drop the breaded cutlets first off. Just stick with plain ole chicken breasts.

And I would also check your oatmeal “packets”. Do they have anything in them besides oats? Flavorings? Sugar? If so just go buy the big can of regulat oats…it’s probably cheaper that way too.

You’re on the right track with keeping up with this stuff.

15

[quote]Deserteaglle wrote:
t-ha wrote:
Bad genetics? Man you were starting to look solid in that first pic. Where the hell did you put your traps during these diets?

Your choice is obviously your own but if I was you I’d forget about vascularity and get bigger - I know I’m judging off of one pic but I’d say you could add size pretty fast.

Haaha, no kidding, you looked to have had some pretty impressive traps.

I would also like to add that I agree with the idea that you need to be doing more heavy ab work. You actually look pretty lean, but like you don’t have a lot of muscle in that area.

ALSO, I haven’t heard much about “genetics” having anything to do with your abs showing but that sounds like ABSOLUTE CRAP to me. There’s no way I can believe some people are genetically predisposed to never have visible abs, I think it’s MUCH more likely that THIS:

"i cant really stick to a strict diet… im the kind of person that can’t stick to something unless im told EXACTLY what to do step by step… "

is the problem, and not his “genetics”.
[/quote]

You need to get out more. Very visible abs are genetic.

The bodybuilder above is Leo Ingram, one of the newer pros in bodybuilding who is also in the US military. Even in contest shape he has a hard time getting his abs to show as he seems to genetically lack the depth of tendons that often separate the rectus abdominis muscle…or he has a thicker rectus sheath covering them making the individual divisions harder to see. That means that someone like him would have to literally get into contest shape and as lean as humanly possible to get them to stand out.

Some of you need to realize that everyone isn’t made the same.

16

371×550 48.5 KB

This is another pic of Ingram near contest shape. The only time his abs are visible is when he is dried out for a show and stage ready.

17

Well I’ll be damned.

I’ll definitely concede then that not everyone can have a visible 6-pack. I’d never heard of anything like that.

18

If you cannot stay on a strict diet - I know what it’s like when you finish bulking. It is hard sometimes to come off of a bulk when you’ve been enjoying pizza, etc. - then try doing cardio five days a week while lowering your overall calorie intake by 300. It really isn’t that hard. I could never get my abs to show until I reached a lean 210. Now I’m leaning out from 250 to 235.

19

WOW man you lost a ton of mass on the V-diet.

If only people would listen…

20

[quote]Cthulhu wrote:
If you cannot stay on a strict diet - I know what it’s like when you finish bulking. It is hard sometimes to come off of a bulk when you’ve been enjoying pizza, etc. - then try doing cardio five days a week while lowering your overall calorie intake by 300. It really isn’t that hard. I could never get my abs to show until I reached a lean 210. Now I’m leaning out from 250 to 235.[/quote]

This guy clearly rushed any dieting he was doing. Most people shouldn’t jump into this from no cardio…to doing cardio 5+ times a week. The majority of the change should be from diet alone. Even then, jumping onto a diet before you have even held that heavier weight long enough for your body to accept that as “normal” is going to result in losing nearly all of any muscle you gained.