Well I’m back on the wagon after a few months destroying all the hard work I did last year.
Got a ton of fat to shift - I’d say about 25lbs and I guess losing that is the priority over regaining my muscle which seems to have all but disappeared. That said I am primarily doing a 5x5 weights prog and reintroducing cardio on my off-days, but my recovery is atrocious at the moment. Will improve quickly though. It always does.
Maintaining a good diet at the moment but wondered about those instances where I have to choos between getting the right amount of protein and not going over the calorie limit I have set myself. Would I better off not getting my 1g of protein per 1lb of weight in order to lose the flab faster? Or would having that extra muscle building protein be worth it?
I think protein is just too important to cut out of any diet. Any muscle gain will help you burn more calories. If that muscle does not have enough protein be created, then you’re really missing out. Can you give any specifics on your diet? Maybe we can help you trim calories in another area.
Why would you cut protein to below optimal levels for metabolism and muscle maintenance instead of reducing another macronutrient? Assuming you weigh 225, 1g protein/bodyweight tops you out at 900 calories from protein. You should certainly be able to get the amount of fat you need and if not low-carbing it even reasonable amounts of carbs to lose fat.
To be honest my diet is fine for the most part. All fresh produce. Eggs, Spinach/Broccoli heavy with tuna/leaf beef and whey for protein. 2 slices wholemeal bread in the morning (11g carbs each) Variations on this theme for the most part. Stopped boozing. Stopped drinking carbonated drinks. Having about 6 meals a day, or rather - I am grazing throughout the day with the bulk of the protein before and after exercising except breakfast and pre-bedtime shakes.
I have issues with mass-produced chickens and so it’s free-range or nothing for me but they are really expensive and so I’m not taking my usual ‘turkey/chicken every day’ route. However, I am already seriosuly bored of tuna!
Also, this time I am staying away from creatine and the like. Just vits, cod liver oil, and whey protein as supplements.
Take fish oil, not cod liver oil. They are not the same thing.
Inconsistant dieting and inconsistant training will both lead to increased obeisity.
You must get consistant. Develop habits that are sustainable. A good diet and a good workout are what you are looking for but you need to do it for life. Finding a great diet and a great workout but doing it for a few months at a time will backfire and you will be worse off than before.
My Carb intake is around about 40g per day max not including green veg.
To be honest it’s usually all fine diet-wise but on occasion I find myself somewhere where I am not in control of what is on the menu and while I’ll always have the best fit, sometimes it’ll be over - so the question is really about the best course of action at those times. Protein vs max cals…
Got a very (for me) restricted daily calorie intake now of 1800 max because as I said, losing this fat is a massive priority, seeing as how my muscle mass seems to have atrophied to nothingness… That said, I’m not starving or anything. Just doing this all properly with good food, and eating at right times.
After 5-6 weeks I’ll introduce more cals as my recoveries are quicker and I am able to workout at a higher intensity again.
By the way I’m just under 6’4 and as of today weight 236 (with no muscle) - as opposed to 6 months ago being 206 (with a fair bit). Ah well… The perils of getting with a girl who can eat like a horse and not gain weight
I make no excuses but I spent most of my life being massively overweight until in about 2001-2004 I lost 6 stone and started taking care of myself.
Although it might not seem it I have a handle on the majority of my diet and exercise regime but sometimes lefe kicks you in the nuts and you (well I) really can’t find the incentive to take better care of myself. I have been prone to major depression in the past and nowadays whilst I can control it, I DO get down enough to lose my focus on occasion.
Anyhoo - winter blues can go f**k themsleves. I’m back on it. 33 next month, starting a brand new job and have a summer of beach holidays planned so if those aren’t incentives to look and feel great again I don’t know what is.
That’s my hero. He’s on the cover of the book "Growing Old is for Sissies. He’s 67. I’m 51 and I want to look like that when I’m his age. I’ve already got the hair.
Back to your issue, you are way to low on your calories. This will lead to loss of muscle and will result in a rebound greater than you have now. I assume you are familiar with yo-yo dieting. I think the links mention it.
I have never seen any reputable diet prescribe fewer than 10 cals/lb of body weight per day and that was for short term, drop the last few pounds type diet.
Staying in calorie deficit for more than a few days will cause your metabolism to slow, which will lead to stalling, which will lead to lower calorie intake, which will lead to slower metabolism… You have the idea.
Keep your calories up but be careful what you eat. There are links in the stickies to proper diets. Establish your baseline. Cut calories by no more tahn 20% and once every 4 days, eat more than your baseline to reboot your metabolism.
Make sure you train hard with big comound exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls. You need to build muscle to keep your metabolism up.
Do your cardio. Do what you enjoy that you can continue even after winter comes back.
The man is a legend. I’d settle for looking like him now!
I hear what you’re saying with regards to the calorie levels but as I said, it seems I have no muscle left to lose so my thinking was why not force the fat loss with high-protein low carb, low cal diet to begin with until my body is back used to the training? Apologies if I’m being dense.
It isn’t a stretch to only eat this much. Not hungry or anything like that, and spacing my eating thoughout the day to keep up the metabolism. Is it bad to start this low to kickstart things and then reintroduce a higher cal intake as my training intensity increases?
Exercises are about 90% compound lifts with a little ancillary stuff in there too. What I can achieve today comapred to 6 months ago is embarrassing but it will come. Just trying not to rush anything and hurt myself, which I have done in the past.
The fact that you have so little muscle is what scares me. When in starvation mode, the body will look for protein to burn. If you have no muscle, the heart will be the target. That could be fatal.
High protein, low carb is good but get enough fat. Eat extra nuts, omega 3 oils, olive oil, etc. This will encourage fat burning and give you the extra calories to get out of starvation mode. Fill up on vegetables, especially green leafy.
Yes, as your training intensity increases you will need to increase your calories.
Slow and steady is the key. Make steady progress and in time you will be strong and lean.
Yep that’s pretty much the diet right now. It may be low cal to begin with but it’s all goodness. Nuts and good oils and the like. Tons of veggies - the majority of which I have raw. Plus the staples I mentioned earlier. Trying to let nothing bad pass my lips. No cheat meals. No rubbish. No nothing.
I’m sure I WILL drink again but it’s my birthday at the end of March so I decided I won’t drink until then.
Ok… Shattered from squats… Off for a shower. Thanks for input.
That Avatar of yours is now my inspiration. Actually just ordered the book off Amazon. Astonishing.
