Low Carb Dieting/Working Out Question

[KJJ]

Between 185 and 190 and be around 10-13 percent body fat. Once I get there, I'd like to pump up to 200-210 without increasing body fat. I'd be happy if I could do that.

If you're going to pump up you're going to gain some fat because you're going to have to increase your calories to bulk up to that weight. Slow gains are lean gains but unless you have freakish genetics there's going to be at least some fat you'll have to shed once you bulk up. You may have to bulk up past your target weight then go through a cutting diet to get down to it. It all depends on how lean you want to be you won't be ripped at 10-13 percent body fat. Some guys have to maintain some fat on their body to give them that bulked up look.

I played golf with Eric Dickerson not long after his football career ended and he looked like he only weighed about 190 pounds but he said he was 218 pounds which was his playing weight. His waist didn't look any bigger than 31 inches. I've noticed that some WR's and DB's are so packed with lean muscle they don't look as heavy as they actually are. It proves how heavy lean muscle is compared to fat.

 

[TheSport78]

Pretty much what I do but I get my Macronutrients from whatever feels my macronutrient needs.

Thats why I LOVE Protein Supps so much. 3 Scoops of Powder and im pretty free to eat what I want the rest of the day if it fits in my calorie limit.

It's just that the cleaner you eat the more volume of food you can consume within your calorie limit.


Im about to have to end my cheat days though. Im trying to get a low BF so I can do a clean bulk and not have to drop 40 lbs at the end of my bulk. I still have about 20 lbs to go. I took a couple of weeks off for christmas.

Definitely bro and good work. I used to have cheat days, but now it's essentially a cheat meal.

I love re-feed days when you're cutting because it helps to reduce the chances of a slowed metabolism and helps to replenish glycogen stores. Heck, you can have your cheat meal AND your re-feed day on the same day, because you'll most likely be at a caloric surplus anyway!

 

[CATCH17]

Definitely bro and good work. I used to have cheat days, but now it's essentially a cheat meal.

I love re-feed days when you're cutting because it helps to reduce the chances of a slowed metabolism and helps to replenish glycogen stores. Heck, you can have your cheat meal AND your re-feed day on the same day, because you'll most likely be at a caloric surplus anyway!

Yeah im just ready to get it over with so im going to sprint to the end. I've had so many good weekdays and then messed it up on the weekends that i've progressed but it's been at a snails pace. Like it's taken me years just to finally get to the finish line when I could've been done with it years ago.

Im ready to be on that daily surplus for a change.

I love exercise and nutrition though. It's just funny how many people still believe the same old crap information thats out there. Depleting themselves of carbs and training like they're in a marathon.


With that said.. Im hungry and im about to eat 1600 calories in 1 meal and finish with 1900 cals for the day. I love my diet.

 

[Stryker44]

It varies for the individual. You can't really spot reduct so as your body fat goes down, you'll start to see the results you want.

Numbers you will need for your macros:

185 grams of protein per day X 4 = 740 calories

sources: egg whites, chicken breast, whey protein, nuts like almonds/walnuts, fish like salmon/tilapia

185 grams of carbs per day X 4 = 740 calories (on non-training days, take half of the carbs you take on training days)

sources: sweet potato, brown rice, steel cut oats, quinoa

60 grams of healthy fats per day X 9 = 540 calories

sources: fish oils generally from food and/or supplementation, cooking oils such as olive and unrefined virgin coconut oil

= 2,020 calories per day

Keep your training and nutrition consistent, and you'll get the results you want. Do not fear carbs and/or healthy fats at all. Your body needs all of the macronutrients to survive!

These are just general numbers and tips, but hopefully this helps.

Thanks! Do you think its natural to see more marked differences say between going from 220 to 200 versus 240 to 220...as in the less weight you are the weight loss you achieve becomes more apparent?

So far, these first 45 lbs have helped me feel lighter, but the jeans sizes haven't dropped that much yet. I figure that the slim waist will be the last thing to be achieved as I get closer to my goal.

 

[Stryker44]

I played golf with Eric Dickerson not long after his football career ended and he looked like he only weighed about 190 pounds but he said he was 218 pounds which was his playing weight. His waist didn't look any bigger than 31 inches. I've noticed that some WR's and DB's are so packed with lean muscle they don't look as heavy as they actually are. It proves how heavy lean muscle is compared to fat.

Yeah seriously, according to the BMI charts in the doctors offices most if not all NFL running backs are overweight if not obese...which is ridiculous. I'd have to get down to 172 to be a "normal BMI" myself...and I know if I get down that low I begin to look emaciated and drawn.

 

[TheSport78]

Thanks! Do you think its natural to see more marked differences say between going from 220 to 200 versus 240 to 220...as in the less weight you are the weight loss you achieve becomes more apparent?

So far, these first 45 lbs have helped me feel lighter, but the jeans sizes haven't dropped that much yet. I figure that the slim waist will be the last thing to be achieved as I get closer to my goal.

It's definitely possible. It depends on a number of factors...just because you're losing weight doesn't mean your reducing your body fat, you know?

That's why when your main goal is fat loss, it's essential to keep your protein intake between 1.0-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, that way it'll help to spare your lean muscle gains as you're losing weight. Taking a BCAA supplement helps to keep your muscle gains intact and promotes protein synthesis as well.

 

[CATCH17]

It's definitely possible. It depends on a number of factors...just because you're losing weight doesn't mean your reducing your body fat, you know?

That's why when your main goal is fat loss, it's essential to keep your protein intake between 1.0-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, that way it'll help to spare your lean muscle gains as you're losing weight. Taking a BCAA supplement helps to keep your muscle gains intact and promotes protein synthesis as well.

Yep. Thats why I told him he was probably overtraining. Im sure he's losing weight but his body composition couldn't be good.

Your goal when losing weight should be to hold on to as much muscle as possible.

With the diet he showed us i'd bet he is at least 80-100 grams shy of the amount of protein he needs daily.

 

[juck]

I eat like 1500 calories a day m-f and I run 5 miles 5 days a week and lift and still only lose like a lb a week. Summertime I lose more weight.Im stuck at around 205.

 

[CATCH17]

I eat like 1500 calories a day m-f and I run 5 miles 5 days a week and lift and still only lose like a lb a week. Summertime I lose more weight.Im stuck at around 205.

What are you doing Saturday and Sunday?

99% sure you're consuming too many calories somewhere.

 

[juck]

What are you doing Saturday and Sunday?

99% sure you're consuming too many calories somewhere.

yea my cheat night is getting over the top. Im really gonna take it down a notch.:laugh2:

 

[honyock]

Abdominal fat is typically the last to go in males, for females, I think it's thighs and glutes.

That's also dependent to a degree on age. The research I've seen indicates that testosterone is an inhibitor to men laying down abdominal fat. As you age and testosterone levels drop, the lower levels lead to more likelihood of fat accumulating in the gut. I don't think you mentioned your age and that may not apply to you, but it does for my age group!

Also, there is research that points to the possibility that not all calories are created equally, despite the popular belief that a calorie is a calorie. Particularly, carbs (and especially the processed carbs like sugar/corn syrup/white flour etc) will tend to keep insulin levels high. Insulin acts to keep fatty acids trapped in the adipose tissue, so it will inhibit the body's ability to burn it's own fat stores, even in the presence of lower caloric intake. The science on this is pretty compelling and has been well established for awhile now, but the "calorie is a calorie" meme lives on.

 

[Stryker44]

Hey didn't want to start out a new thread just for this question...but is anybody here familiar with the Les Mills Bodypump workout that alot of gyms offer? It kicked my ***, so sore today.

Is it ok to still lift and keep to the schedule even while sore? Don't think I'll go to another Bodypump class until the soreness has subsided.

 

[Stryker44]

That's also dependent to a degree on age. The research I've seen indicates that testosterone is an inhibitor to men laying down abdominal fat. As you age and testosterone levels drop, the lower levels lead to more likelihood of fat accumulating in the gut. I don't think you mentioned your age and that may not apply to you, but it does for my age group!

I feel ya. I've been out of shape twice in my life...between 25-28 and 34-37 (until just recently). Getting back into shape is much harder, and the gut is more stubborn, this time around. Both times I've had to cut a substantial amount of weight, and was able to do it fairly easily in my 20s. This endeavor has been much more of a challenge.

 

[rickjameschinaclub]

Also, there is research that points to the possibility that not all calories are created equally, despite the popular belief that a calorie is a calorie. Particularly, carbs (and especially the processed carbs like sugar/corn syrup/white flour etc) will tend to keep insulin levels high. Insulin acts to keep fatty acids trapped in the adipose tissue, so it will inhibit the body's ability to burn it's own fat stores, even in the presence of lower caloric intake. The science on this is pretty compelling and has been well established for awhile now, but the "calorie is a calorie" meme lives on.

No there isn't... Taubes has been thoroughly discredited and you can't negate physics.

 

[TheSport78]

No there isn't... Taubes has been thoroughly discredited and you can't negate physics.

Well, you go eat 2,000 calories from McDonalds and Burger King, and I'll eat 2,000 calories from nutrient dense foods taken from lean protein sources, complex carbs and healthy fats, and we'll see if a "calorie is a calorie."

 

[CATCH17]

Well, you go eat 2,000 calories from McDonalds and Burger King, and I'll eat 2,000 calories from nutrient dense foods taken from lean protein sources, complex carbs and healthy fats, and we'll see if a "calorie is a calorie."

If you have the same amount of macronutrients within that 2000 calories your going to get the same results.

 

[rickjameschinaclub]

It's already been thoroughly discredited that a calorie is not a claroie and the most humorous example of it is with the "Twinkie Diet"...

But again, this doesn't mean there aren't any benefits of nutrient-dense diets. It is common-sensical that 'healthy' foodsprovide a much better source of different nutrients that the body needs and if a person starts to lack in particular nutrients, because of adhering to a non-nutrient dense diet over a long run, the brain may start to create an urge for certain foods that are not part of the 'bad 'diet, which leads to greater calorie consumption.

 

[rickjameschinaclub]

BTW, fat isn't necessarily bad either. For example, it's a hell of a lot more efficient to be fat in the extreme cold, because of the insulation that it provides than be skinny, which is why certain animals have evolved fatty-type bodies. Eskimoes possess fatty bodies. Fat also benefits swimmers as well, because of the natural buoyancy effect. Excess body fat to a degree, for example, has been correlated in some studies to be protective for elderly people.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Being-a-Bit-Overweight-May-Benefit-Seniors-255836.shtml

 

[Thatkidbob]

No there isn't... Taubes has been thoroughly discredited and you can't negate physics.

Not to take sides on rhis one, but from a physics standpoint theres nothing wrong with what he said. After all, It's not like what he proposes violates the laws of thermodynamics. If the needed calories can't be liberated from your body's fat stores due to hormonal inhibition, it doesn't mean you don't use energy. It means that it comes from elsewhere.

 

[rickjameschinaclub]

Not to take sides on rhis one, but from a physics standpoint theres nothing wrong with what he said. After all, It's not like what he proposes violates the laws of thermodynamics. If the needed calories can't be liberated from your body's fat stores due to hormonal inhibition, it doesn't mean you don't use energy. It means that it comes from elsewhere.

That isn't really what he was stated.

What he is stating is that 2000 calories eaten from a carb as opposed to protein is different in terms of fat. Thus, if the body is meeting the necessary caloric levels of food of all it's functions and has excess calories remaining, the excess calories from carbs would be stored as fat, but the proteing wouldn't.

Besides the fact it's erroneuous as regards to insulin, i.e. insulin is released even when protein is taken in and carbs are limited, it negates physics. Diabetics still get fat irrespective of the 'insuling regulation'. The body has a set-point for caloric usage and anything above that is stored as excess energy, which is nothing but fat.

In your case, if you can't release fat, you'll just keep getting bigger and bigger, irrespective of the enrgy expenditure, which is nothing but you doing some type of activity. It would never happen and if it did, you'd probably explode.