Questions About Fat Loss

Training
562

[quote]acelement wrote:
Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

I would be low-carbs for the whole day, but have 0.75g of carbs per pound of bodyweight pre-workout along with fast acting protein (ideally Anaconda and MAG-10 when they come out). This will help you have better workouts, recover better, maintain (or even gain) muscle and keep metabolism higher.

Thanks CT, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. My only confusion is what does “low-carb” mean? Only green vegetables? Can I include something like greek yogurt and blueberries for breakfast? Or is it like 50g carbs / day outside of the .75g/lb workout window?

Also, w/ the .75g/lb carbs pre-workout is that for the entirety of the workout window, kind of like your old protocol?

Thanks again.
[/quote]

50g per day outside of the pre-workout intake. Some can take more than that 50g depending on insulin sensitivity, activity level and bod size. But start there.

563

[quote]Gymjunkie wrote:
Hi coach,

I am very curious to further understand the body choice in terms of fuel. I have ALWAYS followed your recommendations regarding macro intake for fat loss and do well on low carbs…taking in 1.5-1.75g/lb protein and 0.5g/lb of fats and results stagnated a fair bit over time.

After doing some reading on low carb diets, I decided to DECREASE protein and INCREASE fats…which has lead to the best fat loss results I have ever had. I have ALWAYS had a problem with my supriliac and I realise now that this was due to conversion of super high protein to glucose and stored in this area as fat! I am glad I have learned what is finally working for me…Are you going to tell me that in the end, go with WHAT WORKS as not everything coaches preach is gospel?

My current intake is approx 1.3g/lb protein and approx 0.65g/lb with ONE cheat meal per week, which is yielding nice fat loss results and strength is on the rise…(I’m currently using the Destroying the Fat template, damn you!).

Happy to hear your thoughts on all of this…

Thanks for your response,
GJ[/quote]

I wrote about how an excessive protein intake can slow down fat loss during a low carbs diet in the past:

"
In my original transformation, my protein intake was too high and my fats were too low. This led to some muscle loss and lack of energy. A lot of people don’t limit themselves to a low-carb diet; they also ingest very little fat.

They reason that if they drop the carbs, their body will be forced to use fat for fuel, which is true. They go wrong by taking their reasoning one step further and assuming that if they cut out fat from their diets too, then they’ll burn much more fat because the body will have to scavenge its own fatty acid reserve.

It will, to some extent. But the thing is that if one energy source is disproportionately high compared to the other ones, the body will adapt to use this fuel source as its main one. So if your protein intake is way higher than the other nutrients, your body will become good at using protein for fuel. Since protein is an inefficient fuel source, the body will be quick to breakdown muscle tissue to produce the energy required: you’ll be burning down the walls to heat the house!

So remember, when using a low-carb approach, fat intake should be high enough for your body to avoid turning into a protein-burning machine. During a proper low-carb diet, your fat intake should be pretty close to your protein intake. Remember that 1 gram of fat has 9 calories while 1 gram of protein has 4. So 110g of fat is equal to 250g of protein. A 50/50 ratio (plus trace carbs) is a good place to start."

In the end, from experience, a non-stable protein intake (fluctuating between high protein/low-moderate fat, low protein/high fat, moderate protein/moderate fat) on a daily basis could be the best way to diet using a low carbs approach.

564

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
Hi coach,

I am very curious to further understand the body choice in terms of fuel. I have ALWAYS followed your recommendations regarding macro intake for fat loss and do well on low carbs…taking in 1.5-1.75g/lb protein and 0.5g/lb of fats and results stagnated a fair bit over time.

After doing some reading on low carb diets, I decided to DECREASE protein and INCREASE fats…which has lead to the best fat loss results I have ever had. I have ALWAYS had a problem with my supriliac and I realise now that this was due to conversion of super high protein to glucose and stored in this area as fat! I am glad I have learned what is finally working for me…Are you going to tell me that in the end, go with WHAT WORKS as not everything coaches preach is gospel?

My current intake is approx 1.3g/lb protein and approx 0.65g/lb with ONE cheat meal per week, which is yielding nice fat loss results and strength is on the rise…(I’m currently using the Destroying the Fat template, damn you!).

Happy to hear your thoughts on all of this…

Thanks for your response,
GJ

I wrote about how an excessive protein intake can slow down fat loss during a low carbs diet in the past:

"
In my original transformation, my protein intake was too high and my fats were too low. This led to some muscle loss and lack of energy. A lot of people don’t limit themselves to a low-carb diet; they also ingest very little fat.

They reason that if they drop the carbs, their body will be forced to use fat for fuel, which is true. They go wrong by taking their reasoning one step further and assuming that if they cut out fat from their diets too, then they’ll burn much more fat because the body will have to scavenge its own fatty acid reserve.

It will, to some extent. But the thing is that if one energy source is disproportionately high compared to the other ones, the body will adapt to use this fuel source as its main one. So if your protein intake is way higher than the other nutrients, your body will become good at using protein for fuel. Since protein is an inefficient fuel source, the body will be quick to breakdown muscle tissue to produce the energy required: you’ll be burning down the walls to heat the house!

So remember, when using a low-carb approach, fat intake should be high enough for your body to avoid turning into a protein-burning machine. During a proper low-carb diet, your fat intake should be pretty close to your protein intake. Remember that 1 gram of fat has 9 calories while 1 gram of protein has 4. So 110g of fat is equal to 250g of protein. A 50/50 ratio (plus trace carbs) is a good place to start."

In the end, from experience, a non-stable protein intake (fluctuating between high protein/low-moderate fat, low protein/high fat, moderate protein/moderate fat) on a daily basis could be the best way to diet using a low carbs approach.
[/quote]

Thanks coach,

I will impement the above whilst keeping my INTAKE the same in terms of kcals…BUT fluctuate the macro amounts.

GJ

565

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Gymjunkie wrote:
Hi coach,

I am very curious to further understand the body choice in terms of fuel. I have ALWAYS followed your recommendations regarding macro intake for fat loss and do well on low carbs…taking in 1.5-1.75g/lb protein and 0.5g/lb of fats and results stagnated a fair bit over time.

After doing some reading on low carb diets, I decided to DECREASE protein and INCREASE fats…which has lead to the best fat loss results I have ever had. I have ALWAYS had a problem with my supriliac and I realise now that this was due to conversion of super high protein to glucose and stored in this area as fat! I am glad I have learned what is finally working for me…Are you going to tell me that in the end, go with WHAT WORKS as not everything coaches preach is gospel?

My current intake is approx 1.3g/lb protein and approx 0.65g/lb with ONE cheat meal per week, which is yielding nice fat loss results and strength is on the rise…(I’m currently using the Destroying the Fat template, damn you!).

Happy to hear your thoughts on all of this…

Thanks for your response,
GJ

I wrote about how an excessive protein intake can slow down fat loss during a low carbs diet in the past:

"
In my original transformation, my protein intake was too high and my fats were too low. This led to some muscle loss and lack of energy. A lot of people don’t limit themselves to a low-carb diet; they also ingest very little fat.

They reason that if they drop the carbs, their body will be forced to use fat for fuel, which is true. They go wrong by taking their reasoning one step further and assuming that if they cut out fat from their diets too, then they’ll burn much more fat because the body will have to scavenge its own fatty acid reserve.

It will, to some extent. But the thing is that if one energy source is disproportionately high compared to the other ones, the body will adapt to use this fuel source as its main one. So if your protein intake is way higher than the other nutrients, your body will become good at using protein for fuel. Since protein is an inefficient fuel source, the body will be quick to breakdown muscle tissue to produce the energy required: you’ll be burning down the walls to heat the house!

So remember, when using a low-carb approach, fat intake should be high enough for your body to avoid turning into a protein-burning machine. During a proper low-carb diet, your fat intake should be pretty close to your protein intake. Remember that 1 gram of fat has 9 calories while 1 gram of protein has 4. So 110g of fat is equal to 250g of protein. A 50/50 ratio (plus trace carbs) is a good place to start."

In the end, from experience, a non-stable protein intake (fluctuating between high protein/low-moderate fat, low protein/high fat, moderate protein/moderate fat) on a daily basis could be the best way to diet using a low carbs approach.
[/quote]

what you are saying makes alot of sense, but one thing that i have a question about is with these 3 different varations, what would be most effecient on particular days? i.e. out of the non stable protein, which would be best to use on heavy lifting days, curcuit days, and off days?

566

I would say higher protein on heavy days(I train in the morning, so the high pro will serve recovery well for the rest of the day), maybe high the day after, IF you train in the evening.

This is what my cycle will look like starting next week. Thib may like to correct if I am wrong:

Day 1: Heavy Chest/Back - High Pro/Low Fat
Day 2: Circuit Work - Med Pro/Med Fats
Day 3: Off - Low Pro/High Fats
Day 4: Heavy Legs - High Pro/Low fats
Day 5: Heavy Arms/Delts - Med Pro/Med Pro
Day 6: Circuit Work - Low Pro/High Fats
Day 7: Off - Low Protein/Med fats/ Med Carbs (CHEAT MEAL ON THIS DAY)

GJ

567

looks like a good setup, but i am also wondering about carb intake. i have been doing 50 grams during pre workout and zero the rest of the day, and have seen pretty good results so far. i wanted to try using the .75 grams of carbs pre workout and zero carbs rest of day which would put me at 110 carbs peri workout. i am wondering if what too much fat would be if i end up having 110 carbs. and somewhere tibs recommended that you are higher carbs on lactate days, but hopefully he will correct me if i am wrong.

568

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
In the end, from experience, a non-stable protein intake (fluctuating between high protein/low-moderate fat, low protein/high fat, moderate protein/moderate fat) on a daily basis could be the best way to diet using a low carbs approach.
[/quote]

how could this 3 different macronutrient proportions be accomodated on a training week/split?

569

So Coach I have gotten myself into a bit of a mess…

Following a shoulder injury, relationship problems, University, being ill (really bad case of glandular fever) I have ballooned up to a flabby 20-22% bodyfat (been fluctuating a bit) over the last year.

I have lost virtually all muscle mass, my mobility and nutrition are horrific and the residual fatigue that is hanging around after the glandular fever combined with everything else seems to have completely destroyed my metabolism.

I hadn’t trained properly for about 6 months so I figured that in my current state I could pick up a beginners program (stronglifts 5x5) and simply try to “eat better” and the fat should melt off till I drop down to a more reasonable 15-20%. Well that went horrific… All that happened was fatigue went sky high and I stayed as fat as before. Strength levels didnt seem to change much at all after 7 weeks. I was tempted to keep going but I’ve gotten ill again.

So at the moment:
93 kg
22% bodyfat
A completely wrecked metabolism.

I don’t know where to start… I’m a complete mess and have some depression setting in so I really need a boost!

Ideally I would not like to drop below 80kg… I seem to have a large bone structure, big hips and carry a lot of my fat around my abs. This time last year I came to uni at 78kg and 9% bodyfat after a big cut… I LOVED being lean… but I looked too damn small!

If one already has a somewhat dead metabolism whats the best way to fire it up without resulting in further fat gain?

Once everything is up and running I would love to start trying to drop some fat… probably using the guidelines outlined in your refined physqiue transformation with regards to the carb intake. Protein would be set around about 1g per lb bodyweight and fat would be high enough to equal the rest of the calories. I would start off with maintenance calories but slowly taper off as needed whilst following an exercise program built around your destroying fat article.

I figure I can run this for 6-8 weeks, spend 2 weeks tapering off and two weeks at maintenance before repeating another cycle. I would continue until I hit a weight close to 80kg… and then start trying to add some lean tissue. Once I hit 90kg or so I would repeat the whole cycle… hopefully coming out at 80kg that little bit leaner then before.

Is this a good approach?

Truth be told Im a little hazy about the details of the above…

Also… any tips on speeding up my recovery with regards to me being ill/fatigued?

If its too much detail/too many questions… Im sorry and I’ll try to make everything more concise. I’m just in a mess and struggling to get things together. I have never had depression like this before.

570

Hey Coach,

Have you experienced glycerol negatively effect fat loss whilst on a low carbs diet?

I have introduced your cell volumization trick as of this past week, and the pump has been great!

GJ

571

Ok, I hate to ask because I know it’s been asked elsewhere, but I can’t seem to find an answer – other than one forum member taking a modified approach.

Should the same peri-workout nutrition strategy that is used on lifting days ALSO be used on lactate-session days?

Thanks,
P

572

Christian,
I have scoured the forums and struggled to find answers to the questions I have, as simple as they are. Im 228 pounds and 23% Body fat. I was planning on using your refined physique transformation article to shed some fat. The only question I have regards the supplements recommended, does this still apply (Supplementation with Glutamine, leucine BCAA etc?)I dont have access to Biotest supps in Europe.

Many thanks for any help,

cuz

573

Coach, I know you believe in 1g of Fish Oil per % of bodyfat. When do you feel is the best time to consume the fish oil? Should it all be taken at once or spread out throughout the day? Thanks

574

[quote]cobrakai wrote:
Coach, I know you believe in 1g of Fish Oil per % of bodyfat. When do you feel is the best time to consume the fish oil? Should it all be taken at once or spread out throughout the day? Thanks[/quote]

Although in the grand scheme of things it probably doesn’t matter that much, I prefer to spread it over 3 meals.

575

[quote]PSlave wrote:
Ok, I hate to ask because I know it’s been asked elsewhere, but I can’t seem to find an answer – other than one forum member taking a modified approach.

Should the same peri-workout nutrition strategy that is used on lifting days ALSO be used on lactate-session days?

Thanks,
P[/quote]

Drop the FINiBARS, keep the Anaconda and MAG-10

576

CT,
Last January I was extremely overweight and around 20%-22% bf. I spent from january to the beginning of may using a very low carb diet, heavy training and cardio to diet down to 15% (caliper tested) bf and successfully lost 30-35 pounds. From Mid may to August I kept carbs around 100 grams on training days, all of which came from ON whey, SWF and Surge Recovery. On off days I generally kept carbs at around 30-50 grams but was much less strict with my diet than I had been in my initial cutting phase and had no problems at all dealing with the added carbs. I actually gained some mass and further leaned out.

From August to September I went through a bulking phase in which I basically kept my diet the same aside from adding a solid carbs source at each of my 6 meals per day. However, when I went through this phase, I was extremely fatigued and often could not make it through the day because I was so groggy and tired.

Due to this I decided to back down and cut the carbs out of my diet once again, however upon returning to a low carb diet, I have noticed that when I use Surge Workout Fuel and Surge Recovery surrounding my workout I can physically see fat gain within 1-2 weeks of using this. Not only this, but I have noticed that I now gain fat extremely quickly whenever I try to add carbs back into my diet even at breakfast in the form of oatmeal. Is there any reason you can think as to why I have become so insulin resistant? And if so, how do I fix this so that I might eventually be able to add carbs back into my diet without incredible fat gains.

(I used HOT-ROX for the months of May through August, and during year prior to these I used adderall as prescribed by my doctor. (adderall is a stimulant medication prescribed for those that are diagnosed with ADHD) I know that adderall and HOT-ROX are both CNS stimulants and can lead to insulin resistance but I am unsure if these are the cause of my problem. I train intensely and do at least 15 mins of cardio following every session. I also take the following daily: 2 Flameout caps 3x per day, 2000 IU’s of vitamin D, 3 z-12 caps (at night)). Thanks for your time.

577

CT, in one of the Anaconda threads, you mentioned you were a night eater. Besides only shopping for that day only, are there any other things that you do to try to avoid or minimize this.

CT or anyone elses knowledge or wisdom on this would be appreciated.

578

Hi Coach,

I have the problem on having high tricep and lovehandle skinfold measurements compared to the other measurement sites. I’m currently cutting with about 30g carbs per day and equivalent ratio of fat and protein. Would like to hear your recommendations on things I could do to specifically reduce these problem sites. Thanks!

579

I’ve been reading…and reading, and reading. Absorbing information for months!

I’m definitely a student of training and while I’ve only been lifting (with goals of swapping the fat for muscle and leaning out) for 6mths now, my work is paying off.

Feb 09 = 232lbs
Dec 09 = 191lbs

Yourself (Thibs) Nate, Chad, Alan, Tate, Shugart…and a list of others have all contributed to my work in progress as I’ve learned little bits from each. My main question, at this stage is this:

I wanted to know if dropping too low in calories (although my protein intake is still adequate in maintaining muscle @ 1g/1lb) will cause my body to stop burning at a certain rate. Bare in mind I do feed it every 2-3hrs with protein (chicken, tuna, or a shake) and I ensure I get around 20g-30g per 2-3hr window but my carbs come in only around 50g for the day and fats are around 40g/day (flaxseed oils around 10 caps) and Superfood serving for veggies/fruit upkeep.

I workout 3-4x week (Poliquin routine) + Waterbury complex and employ some of your advice in that I use Surge: High Performance 30 mins before workout (1 scoop), sip on 20g protein shake during the 45-60 min workout, and down another 20g protein 90min post-workout.

I track my calories on livestrong.com and I usually come in around 1,600-1,800/day. I get around 35-55g fat, 50-80g carbs, 180-200g protein daily. It just seems like the weight has hit a plateau although my strength is still improving week over week (5% increases or more reps with the same weight).

Aside from Surge & Superfood (along with flaxseed caps & protein)…I also starting using HOT-ROX today to jump-start or re-ignite the fat burning process. 6’0" is my height, 26yrs.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

580

Coach-
I am aware you use different techniques with different clients. However I am wondering how you would train natural bodybuilder going into a long contest style cut. Would you maintain a bodypart split?

Would you recommend 2-3 heavy lifting days and 2-3 lactate days? I am basically asking what the basic set up would be, trying to incorporate all of the knowledge you have accumulated in the last year. Thanks in advance.

581

Coach do MAG-10 pulses or ANACONDA have a place in a fat-loss protocol? If yes, where would they/it fit in?