I do cardio for 30 minutes every day in the morning, lift heavy every other day, swim or stretch in the evening, and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. My diet is decent, with less than 10% calories being empty, but with a bit more being less than ideal.
I don’t pay much attention to eating throughout the day due to my schedule, but I do manage to keep my daily intake less than 2000 calories.
Still, what’s wrong? I’m doing so much right, yet I am simply not seeing any benefits.
Something must be wrong with your diet. One thing, I’d count all your grams of fat, pro, and carbs. You might want to try rotating your carbs 1 no carb day 1 med carb day 1 high carb day repeat. The Anabolic Diet’s not bad either. Also, your calories could be to high. Do your morning cardio on an empty stomach. Thats my best advice since I have no idea what your diet looks like.
With less than 10% being empty calories… Are you eating 200 calories of potato chips and wondering why you aren’t burning fat?
I think the answer is in your own post. You need to pay better attention to your diet.
List your daily food intake and time of day and you’ll get better help.
Also, you should have posted this in supplements and nutrition.
Maybe you are eating too little, of the wrong foods, at the wrong times.
Post your diet and training program, with some stats - maybe you don’t need to lose fat either…
what are your current guestimated stats?
[quote]anthropocentric wrote:
With less than 10% being empty calories… Are you eating 200 calories of potato chips and wondering why you aren’t burning fat?
I think the answer is in your own post. You need to pay better attention to your diet.
List your daily food intake and time of day and you’ll get better help.
Also, you should have posted this in supplements and nutrition. [/quote]
I heard that eating a “cheat” about 10% of the time helps maintain one’s metabolism, in addition to tasting really good compared to salmon, olive oil, spinach, whey, chicken, beans, bananas, etc. That’s the kind of stuff I eat regularly. I think it’s healthy enough, but I don’t have the luxury of eating whenever I want to.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:There’s your problem: A lack of commitment to proper nutrition.
You can’t out-train poor eating.
Also, why the hell would you want to get less than 2000 Kcals pe day unless you are a completely sedentary individual?
You need to fuel your muscles with adequate calories, so that they remain metabolically active. This forces your body to burn more energy just existing. This in turn burns more fat.
Also, do you seperate your carbs from your fat? The ‘golden rule’ for me is never to eat carbs and fat in the same meal unless I’m on a mass gaining phase.
Finally, you do not mention hydration. This is a big factor in weight loss and in health and peformance in general and should be the first thing on your mind.[/quote]
I’ll try and drink more water. I already completely abstain from alcohol, yet I see thin guys at college who binge every weekend. As for training with poor eating, look at how many poor people end up as world class athletes. A bad diet can easily be solved by training.
The thing is, the 30 minutes of cardio every day and swimming should be enough to keep the weight down while I build muscle. I try to use 6-10 reps with each major lift to focus on getting a good burn, and I only rest 45 seconds in between sets.
I’m not gaining any weight, which is good, but I want to lose fat before school starts back. I’ll drink more water and maybe up the cardio to 45 minutes a day.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
As for training with poor eating, look at how many poor people end up as world class athletes. A bad diet can easily be solved by training.[/quote]
You are comparing yourself to a world class athlete as if they are as plentiful as leaves on a tree. Stop comparing yourself to something you are not.
Some folks just have to try harder to make less progress than those who are naturally gifted.
Your idea that a bad diet can be solved by training is just flat wrong.
You are using the 90% rule to justify a shitty diet. Do you keep a food log? People that “can’t lose the fat” would be shocked at how crappy their diets are if they would keep a food log for just 2 weeks.
Your body composition is not changing because you are not feeding yourself properly. Upping the cardio will only make you more skinny-fat.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
I do cardio for 30 minutes every day in the morning, lift heavy every other day, swim or stretch in the evening, and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. My diet is decent, with less than 10% calories being empty, but with a bit more being less than ideal.
I don’t pay much attention to eating throughout the day due to my schedule, but I do manage to keep my daily intake less than 2000 calories.
Still, what’s wrong? I’m doing so much right, yet I am simply not seeing any benefits.[/quote]
You’ve described what you’re doing but not how you’re doing it. There are tons of ways you can do the above without getting results.
If you’re jogging on a treadmill, going through the motions with the same weights as 6 months ago and skipping meals then, honestly, don’t be surprised. I’m still scratching my head at your claim to lift heavy while eating clean under 2000kcal. Unless you’re a female.
Maybe I missed it but how tall are you and how much do you weight?
Maybe it was just poor word choice but I think you mentioned other “thin” guys at your school.
If thin is your goal I don’t think you are on the right web site.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
anthropocentric wrote:
With less than 10% being empty calories… Are you eating 200 calories of potato chips and wondering why you aren’t burning fat?
I think the answer is in your own post. You need to pay better attention to your diet.
List your daily food intake and time of day and you’ll get better help.
Also, you should have posted this in supplements and nutrition.
I heard that eating a “cheat” about 10% of the time helps maintain one’s metabolism, in addition to tasting really good compared to salmon, olive oil, spinach, whey, chicken, beans, bananas, etc. That’s the kind of stuff I eat regularly. I think it’s healthy enough, but I don’t have the luxury of eating whenever I want to.
bushidobadboy wrote:There’s your problem: A lack of commitment to proper nutrition.
You can’t out-train poor eating.
Also, why the hell would you want to get less than 2000 Kcals pe day unless you are a completely sedentary individual?
You need to fuel your muscles with adequate calories, so that they remain metabolically active. This forces your body to burn more energy just existing. This in turn burns more fat.
Also, do you seperate your carbs from your fat? The ‘golden rule’ for me is never to eat carbs and fat in the same meal unless I’m on a mass gaining phase.
Finally, you do not mention hydration. This is a big factor in weight loss and in health and peformance in general and should be the first thing on your mind.
I’ll try and drink more water. I already completely abstain from alcohol, yet I see thin guys at college who binge every weekend. As for training with poor eating, look at how many poor people end up as world class athletes. A bad diet can easily be solved by training.
The thing is, the 30 minutes of cardio every day and swimming should be enough to keep the weight down while I build muscle. I try to use 6-10 reps with each major lift to focus on getting a good burn, and I only rest 45 seconds in between sets.
I’m not gaining any weight, which is good, but I want to lose fat before school starts back. I’ll drink more water and maybe up the cardio to 45 minutes a day.[/quote]
First of all. Stop making excuses.
You obviously havent heard what you wanted to hear, which is “wow man, I dont know why what youre doing isnt working.” Unless you weigh 140 lbs (if this is the case, then why are you trying to lose weight?), 2000 calories is far too low. Post your diet. We cant really help you out with all of this unless we have more specifics.
About your examples of the thin guys at college who drink every weekend and the elite athletes: stop comparing yourself to others. Your body is not the exact same, and your reasoning is flawed in both of these examples to begin with. Most of the people who you see drinking insane amounts of booze on the weekends probably compromise their performance in their choice of athletics (if they are even active at all) or are naturally very thin. Elite athletes are just that: Elite. They represent the top 1% of the gene pool. Chances are, their genetics are better than yours. Not to mention, by the time someone reaches the elite level in a sport, they are probably making enough to support themselves and not be considered “poor” anymore. It sounds like you are trying to find ways to justify your lack of progress. You are not a special case. There is nothing phsyiologically wrong with you that is keeping you from accomplishing your goals. The problem is psychological.
If you would rather make excuses than progress, this probably isnt the place for you.
[quote]rainjack wrote:
Higher Game wrote:
As for training with poor eating, look at how many poor people end up as world class athletes. A bad diet can easily be solved by training.
You are comparing yourself to a world class athlete as if they are as plentiful as leaves on a tree. Stop comparing yourself to something you are not.
Some folks just have to try harder to make less progress than those who are naturally gifted.
Your idea that a bad diet can be solved by training is just flat wrong.
You are using the 90% rule to justify a shitty diet. Do you keep a food log? People that “can’t lose the fat” would be shocked at how crappy their diets are if they would keep a food log for just 2 weeks.
Your body composition is not changing because you are not feeding yourself properly. Upping the cardio will only make you more skinny-fat.
[/quote]
Rainjack is 100% correct…
Elite athletes are, for the most part, genetic wonders. While they are not all freaks of nature, they are all superior to most when it comes to building muscle, skill and staying lean. Heck, I know quite a few guys who don’t even train or eat properly and look better than 90% of all gym addicts. The only person you can compare yourself to is you.
The 10% rule applies for the number of meals in a week, not really the total amount of food you take in. So if you are eating 5 times a day that means that you are having 42 meals a week. 10% of 42 is 4 meals. So you can have ‘‘non-diet food’’ at 4 meals during the week. BTW MISSING A MEAL also counts as a training mistake… so if you miss a meal you only have 3 ‘‘cheat meals’’ allowed. The reason why missing a meal is interpreted this way is that it will screw up your insulin sensitivity and as a result you will tend to store more of your next meal as fat. Ideally you put all those 4 cheat meals on the same day.
Also consider that the leaner you are, the more frequently you can cheat. If you are above 20% you should only cheat once every 10-14 days. Read my latest body transformation article for more on that subject.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Rainjack is 100% correct…
Elite athletes are, for the most part, genetic wonders. While they are not all freaks of nature, they are all superior to most when it comes to building muscle, skill and staying lean. Heck, I know quite a few guys who don’t even train or eat properly and look better than 90% of all gym addicts. The only person you can compare yourself to is you.
The 10% rule applies for the number of meals in a week, not really the total amount of food you take in. So if you are eating 5 times a day that means that you are having 42 meals a week. 10% of 42 is 4 meals. So you can have ‘‘non-diet food’’ at 4 meals during the week. BTW MISSING A MEAL also counts as a training mistake… so if you miss a meal you only have 3 ‘‘cheat meals’’ allowed. The reason why missing a meal is interpreted this way is that it will screw up your insulin sensitivity and as a result you will tend to store more of your next meal as fat. Ideally you put all those 4 cheat meals on the same day.
Also consider that the leaner you are, the more frequently you can cheat. If you are above 20% you should only cheat once every 10-14 days. Read my latest body transformation article for more on that subject.
Err, CT, where did 42 meals come from? Isn’t that supposed to be 35 (5x7=35)?
BTW, try the Tabata Thrusters and 20-rep super squats. They’re incredible for cardio and fat loss.
6x7=42
Tabata is not what the OP needs. What the OP needs is to clearly define his goals, create a (reasonable) plan to reach those goals, and then act upon that plan wholeheartedly.
less than 2000 calories a day and cardio 5x a week is not a reasonable plan.
I’d love to see a picture or get some stats on the OP.
I’m would bet my shirt that he is skinny fat.
Just an observation.
[quote]undeadlift wrote:
BTW, try the Tabata Thrusters and 20-rep super squats. They’re incredible for cardio and fat loss.[/quote]
20 rep squats, when done correctly, is not ideal for fat loss.
Tabata can be a powerful tool for fat loss, but this guy has other, much larger issues to address first.
[quote]TheWookie wrote:
I apologize for not having references handy, but I have read swimming can actually inhibits fat loss in some people. Some one Google it.
[/quote]
I’ve heard this before, too, but I found too many conflicting and indirect studies that actually prove anything. Most are statistically based, but never state the reason for higher bodyfat in swimmers.
Postulates go from cold water causing a retention of fat, or that swimming causes a greater increase in appetite as compared to appetite suppression in other aerobic sports.
Siders, W.A., H.C. Lukaski and W.W. Bolonchuk. (1993). Relationships among swimming performance, body composition and somatotype in competitive collegiate swimmers. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 33:166-171.
This one compares sprint swimmers to distance swimmers, and males to females. It basically says that distance swimmers of both sexes have higher body fat than sprint swimmers, but doesn’t say why.
You are doing nearly everything wrong.
You eat too few calories. You have probably done that for ages. By doing so you have made the fat that you have get permanent status. (no it is not permanent it is just marked off as “keep this stuff because this guy is starving”)
you have not given specific values for calories, protein/fat/carbs, your weight, bodyfat, nothing. you say 10% is empty calories - it should be ZERO percent. my bet is that it is 20-30% and you don’t have a specific idea what it is like all other figures.
you never mentioned P+C and P+F and I bet you eat willy nilly whatever and whenever you like
have you had a blood test recently - what are your lipids like? my bet is terrible
do you take a LOT of fish oil? this should be a high priority
there are thousands of articles on here to read you need to read them
$20 says that the OP needs 20 lbs of muscle; I;m calling it out right now.
[quote]Higher Game wrote:
I heard that eating a “cheat” about 10% of the time helps maintain one’s metabolism, in addition to tasting really good compared to salmon, olive oil, spinach, whey, chicken, beans, bananas, etc.[/quote]
You’re getting 10% of your calories each day from “cheat” foods? That sounds excessive to me. Certainly, if that were MY diet, and I wasn’t making the progress I expected, that would be the first thing I’d change.
A. Boo hoo, poor you.
B. You’re in COLLEGE? I thought you said you didn’t have time to eat every 3 hours. You realize most people on here have JOBS (some even have FAMILIES), and yet they somehow manage to eat on schedule?
“Look how many?” One in a million, approximately. Also, a world class athlete trains like a BEAST. You are not a world class athlete.
It is POSSIBLE to out train a bad diet, but no way is it EASY. Those who do train for many hours every day, this “30 mins of cardio, lifting 3 days/week” shit is NOT CLOSE to enough to out train a bad diet. It isn’t too hard to get leaner training like that, but you have to be disciplined about your food intake, or you’re wasting your efforts.
A. “Should?” What does that mean? IS it enough? DOES it work? “Should” is OK as place to start, but you need to keep checking in with reality to see if your plan needs adjustment.
B. Unless you are a very small lady, no way are you building any perceptible amount of muscle on 2000 calories/day. I don’t care what you read about “newbie gains.”