Is This Goal Reasonable?

Training Bodybuilding
1

I’m not asking for a specific yes or no, what I’m asking if the following seems a reasonable goal (w/o starving my self or some other extreme measure).

There are 5 months left in the year August through December, there for 20 weeks. I know with a fairly good diet, and exercise you can loose 1lb of fat a week safely. I’ve been lifting as heavy as I can, and from what I,ve read you can put on easily 1lb of muscle a month.

Currently I’m right at about 195lbs, 5’8", about 25% body fat. In the next 5 months I would like to loose 1lb of fat a week, and add at LEAST 1lb of muscle a month.

This would leave me at 180lbs, at 15% BF, down from 195lbs at 25% BF.

My diet is pretty clean, ZERO fried food, maybe fast food once a month (if that even). I’m getting the correct ammount of protein. I may have 1 soda per week (mostly I drink hot green tea, and water). I try not to eat past 8pm, and I’m getting in about 5 or 6 good meals a day totaling about 1800 to 2000 cals a day.

I lift 5 days a week (HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY), and I’m doing 1 hour of cardio (60 to 65% max heart rate which totals to about 900 calories) careful to stay out of the zone that will break down muscle.

I’m not sure how much more difficult it becomes to loose BF as the BF percent gets lower and lower. I would imagine it becomes harder and harder. So all though I know you can easily loose 1lb of BF per week for a while; can that be sustained? So is my goal reasonable, or will my body start fighting the fat loss as the BF percent gets lower?

Thanks,
Smack78

2

Losing 1 pound a week is reasonable but gaining 1 pound of muscle at the same time might not be. But hey, give it a shot and let us know how it turns out.

3

Not one pound of muscle per week, gain 1 pound of muscle per month. I think that should be doable even while trying to drop BF.

I hope…

4

HOT-ROX extreme would help you maintain your muscle mass while losing fat.

5

I think it’s reasonable. But it’s going to depend on your drive, dedication and commitment. Losing the fat will probably be more attainable than gaining the muscle.

Look at the Dave Tate Project. He gained 3lbs of muscle but lost 30+lbs of fat. You may not gain 5lbs of muscle, but if you gain 1-2 pounds while reaching your bodyfat goals, I think you would be quite happy.

Go for it and let us know how it goes in the next five months. Just be sure to bust your ass every day in the gym and adhere to your nutrition plan at least 90% of the time.

Good luck.

6

Ya I picked up 2 bottles of HOT-ROX. I’m noticing my arms are getting bigger, shoulders etc. I’m kinda an easy gainer, it’s just keeping the BF off that’s been the issue.

7

Anybody else think ~2000 kcals/day isn’t enough to put on muscle? Sure, maybe you’ll lose fat and maintain your lean muscle, but adding lean mass takes a lot of extra energy.

Get some info on the G-Flux stuff-- better to eat 4500 kcals and burn 4000 (between activity, TEF, and BMR) than to eat 4000 and burn 3500.

8

how long have you been working out?

9

your goal is definatly attainable.

however if your lifting 5 days a week and doing 5 hours of cardio a week and only losing 1lb a week with that calorie intake something is wrong!

If this is the case I would take a very hard look at your diet and see what the hell is up… maybe your not eating the quality of food you think you are, maybe you have killed your matabolism with previous yo-yo dieting, maybe your body just can’t handle many carbs… something just isnt right

10

Yes,

I have done some pretty crazy diets in the past, so if that can have an effect on the body that may be a factor. Other then that, I’m an easy gainer, very easy, I look at weights and gain mass. Sadly it’s hard for me to loose body fat. About 2 years a go I went on a 1000 cal. a day diet and I was still some how making strength gains.

I eat clean most of the time, I do give my self about 3 “cheats” a week. Yesterday I had an ice cream cone, and another day I had a rice crispy treat. As far as my diet is concerned I try to make sure I get nutrition, will very low processed carbs. I do eat fresh fruits, and fat free yogurts, I also watch my processed sugars like a hawk. No partially hydrogenated any thing, or high fructose corn syrup.

I’m actually not trying to take off weight real fast, because I read an article (and from personal experience I believe it) that stated for people who have been over weight for most of their life the body feels ok with that weight. If you try to take to much off to fast (even in a healthy way) it will remember what you were and fight to put it back on. I used to be about 230, and I got down to 180 or so in like 3 or 4 months through intense HIIT’s and weight training, as soon as I stopped I started to put weight back on even though I maintained my diet.

I’ve been seriously hitting the gym for about 2 months and I’ve added about 40lbs to my bench on a 1500 cal a day diet. I’m working out with about 220lbs which is about 25lbs more then my body weight.

(note: I know it’s not 300lbs but I’m working on it = )

On this 1500 cal a day diet I was doing an hour of cardio, which ate away about 1000 cals of that 1500 (and I was still making gains).

Since then I’ve lower the intensity of my cardio to stay in the “fat burning” zone. Now I kill off about 900 cals in an hour, and I’m working my cal in take up to about 2000 in a day.

I’m not sure but I used the cal calculator on the site and I think that I should be getting some where between 2300 and 2700, depending on the BMI multiplier.

I have a desk job, so I thought the multiplier would be a 1.2, however my workouts have a lot of cardio so it maybe a 1.6. Who the hell knows. Any ways I’m trying to stick to about 2000 clean (mostly) cals a day now.

—End Rant—

SMACK!