Post: #1

I have a race in a few months and I've been trying to cut down. On top of this I have three friends who are in a challenge to lose the most weight over an 8 week period. I realize this may be kinda similar to the "love handles" thread, but I do have an unrelated question below, perhaps about water retention.

I'm three weeks in. I have completely cut out drinking (which I honestly consume a lb worth or 3500 cals a week). I have been watching my diet. I have been running ~15 miles a week.

I'm at a big disadvantage in the contest as I am at a healthy weight 6' 190lb and maybe 16%bf. My friends have beer guts and they can lose it easier.

I'm writing the forum today because I'm completely pissed off. It seemed to be going at a good steady pace, about 1.5lbs/week for the first three weeks, and now I'm back to or above my starting weight. I weight myself 3-4 times a week so its not just a random fluctuation.

Basically was like 192, 190.5, 189, (averages) now I'm just chilling at 193 all week. I've worked hard and it perplexes me. Could the body drastically be holding onto water in an attempt to regulate my weight?

My current plan, and I wanted to bounce this off some people here, is to eat Paleo or extremely low carb (this should at least flush any excess fluid). I've also tried intermittent fasting in the past and maybe I should do that 2 or 3 times a week.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Post: #2

The best way for you to get rid of excess water is.....wait for it.....wait for it.......DRINK MORE WATER!!!!

that was a serious statement! Drink 3.5 liters of water per 24hr period (more if you exercise at high intensity).

Mixx

Post: #3

(01-25-2012 02:18 PM)MiXX Wrote:  The best way for you to get rid of excess water is.....wait for it.....wait for it.......DRINK MORE WATER!!!!

that was a serious statement! Drink 3.5 liters of water per 24hr period (more if you exercise at high intensity).

Mixx

I've been looking into this myself just today. I'm definitely dehydrated chronically. Sometimes dark piss in the morning. I drink diet soda all day instead of much water.

I'm going to try to ween myself off the soda and drink your 3L+ recommendation. Maybe that will even things out.

Post: #4

(01-25-2012 02:23 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I'm going to try to ween myself off the soda and drink your 3L+ recommendation. Maybe that will even things out.

well, there's your problem man! Don't fall for these fancy TV ads making you believe that Pepsi zero, or whatever diet drink is good for you because it has "zero calories" bullshit!

GET RID OF ALL ALCOHOL, AND ALL, NOT SOME, BUT ALL SOFT DRINKS!! I don't care what that sexy bitch on the Pepsi ZERO commercial makes you believe how cool you will be. You're not!


100% FILTERED WATER or Black coffee with Truvia. ** Use filtered water for your teeth, it does not have to be fancy bottled water, get a good filtration device or go to your local supermarket and get the 5 gallon bottles of filtered water you can refill for 1.75 for 5 US gallons.

Mixx

Post: #5

Swap the soda for Unsweetened iced tea. This was one of my biggest tricks when trying to lose weight.

You get a slight bit of caffeine, it hydrates better then water, and there's no sugar. It takes some getting used to but once you do you'll never go back. I put down about a gallon of the stuff every day at work.

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #6

Intermittent Fasting has worked well for me. I'm at about 13% right now.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

That's the best write-up i've found on it.

Post: #7

Go to bed with an almost empty stomach.

Post: #8

(01-25-2012 03:15 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  Go to bed with an almost empty stomach.

Curious. Why do you feel this burns fat fast?

Mixx

Post: #9

DC - What about a cleanse a la a detox? I have been rocking this one pack for a while now and although I like the extra weight, I wouldn't mind seeing my abs during lunch time instead of only the glimmer first thing in the morning.

I've heard this cat based out of Markham has a dope remedy or money back guarantee. I am thinking of doing it to drop this gut (at times I am seeing the sunken belly button) yet I can see my serratus fingers?

Too cold for me to run outside (which I would) and I hate the gym treadmills.

Post: #10

(01-25-2012 03:19 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Curious. Why do you feel this burns fat fast?

When I go to bed with an empty stomach, I wake up with a much tighter 6-pack then when I go to bed on a full stomach.

Mostly, a personal observation. And, I've heard a few trainers/nutritionists recommended this as well to reduce belly fat.

It all depends on your personal metabolism. Some guys need a little protein in their stomach to avoid burning muscle during sleep. I've even seen guys keep a protein shake on the night stand and wake up at 3am to drink it.

Everyone's body is different. I've had good results with going to bed on a slightly empty stomach.

What do you think?

Post: #11

If you're REALLY REALLY desperate (i.e want to lose as much weight as possible in 2-3 weeks) there are a couple of solid crash programs you can do that do get incredible results. I've done both of them in the past.

However, they will drive you insane and make you want to kill people.

1 (Best results possible)
Velocity Diet - Basically living on protein shakes, fish oil and flaxseed daily (http://velocity.t-nation.com/free_online..._diet_30). I have personally lost 12lbs in 2 weeks on this.

2 (Slightly less results but easier to survive)
Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss - pretty much surviving on small protein meals and calorie restriction (chicken breasts, cottage cheese, egg whites, turkey, limited vegetables etc)

They both do work but unless you are totally desperate to lose a large amount of weight quickly they are hard to recommend because they aren't healthy and/or sustainable.

As long as you don't go back to shitty eating habits you will also keep the weight off (except for probably 2-3 lbs water weight when you eat more carbohydrates).

Post: #12

(01-25-2012 03:29 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 03:19 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Curious. Why do you feel this burns fat fast?

When I go to bed with an empty stomach, I wake up with a much tighter 6-pack then when I go to bed on a full stomach.

Mostly, a personal observation. And, I've heard a few trainers/nutritionists recommended this as well to reduce belly fat.

It all depends on your personal metabolism. Some guys need a little protein in their stomach to avoid burning muscle during sleep. I've even seen guys keep a protein shake on the night stand and wake up at 3am to drink it.

Everyone's body is different. I've had good results with going to bed on a slightly empty stomach.

What do you think?

Agreed. However, since I pack a lot of muscle weight, I've actually done well with eating 5oz of white fish about 5hrs before bedtime, and a green, raw veggie. I don't do protein shakes anymore as they have other ingredients I prefer to keep out of my body, but yeah, I agree...I go to bed with an ALMOST empty stomach as I eat very little for dinner.

It's the old (wise) saying:

Eat breakfast like a King
Eat lunch like a prince
Eat dinner like a hobo.


right now, I'm 5'11 210lbs and wear 34" pant size. I usually drop to 32" pants by losing about 15lbs.

Mixx

Post: #13

Alright so I'll definitely experiment with lots of water and drop the diet soda.
My running and keeping calories at about 10x my bodyweight (also zero alcohol) may actually be working (like it damn well should) and I may be retaining water.

When the contest is 2 weeks away from coming to a close, I will incorporate a "crash" diet. I will eat virtually no carbohydrates so that my body weight drops dramatically.

In the meantime I will incorporate IF 2 or 3 times a week to be absolutely certain I'm at a significant deficit.

Per the pants size remark above. As most people probably know, pants size and actual waist size are two different things. My actual waist size is about 35", however I can fit in "31" jeans, "32" jeans fit very comfortably.

Post: #14

(01-25-2012 03:33 PM)KanyeWest Wrote:  2 (Slightly less results but easier to survive)
Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss - pretty much surviving on small protein meals and calorie restriction (chicken breasts, cottage cheese, egg whites, turkey, limited vegetables etc)

Best answer, by far.

"Greetings, fellow traveler."

Post: #15

(01-25-2012 03:33 PM)KanyeWest Wrote:  1 (Best results possible)
Velocity Diet - Basically living on protein shakes, fish oil and flaxseed daily (http://velocity.t-nation.com/free_online..._diet_30). I have personally lost 12lbs in 2 weeks on this.

Man, that one was a bitch. haha I tried it just to see what it would be like. It was really an eye opener. I actually missed chewing on food.

Dropped close to 20 pounds and it helped reset my eating habits.

Post: #16

(01-25-2012 03:47 PM)MiXX Wrote:  5oz of white fish about 5hrs before bedtime, and a green, raw veggie.

Perfect

(01-25-2012 03:47 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Eat breakfast like a King
Eat lunch like a prince
Eat dinner like a hobo.

They had this stuff figured out a long time ago.

Post: #17

Ive been on the no white carb diet for about 1 1/2 months now, eat the same thing every morning

1 protein shake (1g of sugar) as soon as I wake up, two scrambled eggs around 10am, salad with meat for lunch (1pm), light snack around 4, fish or something natural for dinner. No soda at all and Ive gone from a 37 tape measure stomach to 36 1'2

I even started seeing a trainer in the morning 3 times a week so now lifting weights in the morning, and started running/swimming 3 times a week at night. Hitting the Sauna for 30 minutes twice a week. Been doing that for 2 weeks now and still no major results.

Post: #18

For me doing high intensity interval training works well to lose body fat fast and keep muscle. You can google and find different ways of doing it, but I just go old school, go to a track and run sprints. For example, I'll sprint as hard as I can for 30 seconds, then jog for a minute and a half, then sprint for 30 secs, jog again etc. The times vary depending on your fitness level.

You can also look into the Tabata protocol which is basically high intensity exercise followed by periods of rest. An example would be burpees for 20 seconds, followed by a 10 second rest period and repeat for a total of 4-5 minutes.

I'm not sure how the Tabata method works for fat loss, I just do it for anaerobic conditioning. I know some CrossFit guys who say it's good for fat loss as well.

Post: #19

heaps of cardio and deadlifts.

watch the 'jose' episode of "i used to be fat" on mtv.com. the trainer for that episode is really good, the kid lost over a hundred pounds in a few months.

Post: #20

(01-25-2012 01:27 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I have a race in a few months and I've been trying to cut down. On top of this I have three friends who are in a challenge to lose the most weight over an 8 week period. I realize this may be kinda similar to the "love handles" thread, but I do have an unrelated question below, perhaps about water retention.

I'm three weeks in. I have completely cut out drinking (which I honestly consume a lb worth or 3500 cals a week). I have been watching my diet. I have been running ~15 miles a week.

I'm at a big disadvantage in the contest as I am at a healthy weight 6' 190lb and maybe 16%bf. My friends have beer guts and they can lose it easier.

I'm writing the forum today because I'm completely pissed off. It seemed to be going at a good steady pace, about 1.5lbs/week for the first three weeks, and now I'm back to or above my starting weight. I weight myself 3-4 times a week so its not just a random fluctuation.

Basically was like 192, 190.5, 189, (averages) now I'm just chilling at 193 all week. I've worked hard and it perplexes me. Could the body drastically be holding onto water in an attempt to regulate my weight?

My current plan, and I wanted to bounce this off some people here, is to eat Paleo or extremely low carb (this should at least flush any excess fluid). I've also tried intermittent fasting in the past and maybe I should do that 2 or 3 times a week.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

few questions, what does watching your diet entail? I have buddies who watch their diet and they think not eating fast food for the week means they've done well, are you adjusting calories as your weights dropped, are you following some sort of macro breakdown?

The body won't be holding water in some plan to regulate but if your diet is off it can be an issue. I drink a boat load of diet pop and don't carry any excess water but I drink a fair amount of water as well and watch my sodium intake. Water weight in itself won't keep the scale from moving, it'll keeping you from looking as tight but the scale should continue dipping if your diet and exercise is in check. You also want to minimize the amount of times you weigh yourself, keep it to once twice a week but first thing in the morning after your morning piss, don't take anything in and do it naked, get a true measure. Guys will hop on it 4-5 times a week, one time after eating, once after taking a dump and your weight will hop all over the place.

You're running a shit load, is your body used to this amount of running and physical activity, it's entirely possible you're losing bf and putting on some lean muscle which will show very little movement on the scale but it doesn't mean your body isn't benefiting. It won't help you in the contest but if you're battling guys who are strict belly fat guys you're in tough to win this one anyway, for your weight to drop significantly enough to lose poundages they are you'd have to lose muscle to compete.

Switching to a paleo or low carb plan while you're in training is only going to hamper your training, you'll waste time having your body adjust to the new diet and you'll feel sluggish until your body does adjust. Not an ideal time to make a switch. You can make an effort to eat better carbs, in the end carbs are fuel and not the enemy but you need to eat the right ones at the right times to maximize their benefit.

Post: #21

(01-25-2012 03:47 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 03:29 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 03:19 PM)MiXX Wrote:  Curious. Why do you feel this burns fat fast?

When I go to bed with an empty stomach, I wake up with a much tighter 6-pack then when I go to bed on a full stomach.

Mostly, a personal observation. And, I've heard a few trainers/nutritionists recommended this as well to reduce belly fat.

It all depends on your personal metabolism. Some guys need a little protein in their stomach to avoid burning muscle during sleep. I've even seen guys keep a protein shake on the night stand and wake up at 3am to drink it.

Everyone's body is different. I've had good results with going to bed on a slightly empty stomach.

What do you think?

Agreed. However, since I pack a lot of muscle weight, I've actually done well with eating 5oz of white fish about 5hrs before bedtime, and a green, raw veggie. I don't do protein shakes anymore as they have other ingredients I prefer to keep out of my body, but yeah, I agree...I go to bed with an ALMOST empty stomach as I eat very little for dinner.

It's the old (wise) saying:

Eat breakfast like a King
Eat lunch like a prince
Eat dinner like a hobo.


right now, I'm 5'11 210lbs and wear 34" pant size. I usually drop to 32" pants by losing about 15lbs.

Mixx

I was always told eat something like beef (or casein protein) before bed because its slow dissolving. It'll stay in your stomach for longer and slowly work into your system, thereby "feeding" your body throughout the night.

The IF program I'm on right now has my last meal around 2pm on any given day so I'm always on an empty tank at night, I do notice that I wake up quicker the next morning vs when I was eating later and not waking up hungry.

Chef In Jeans
A culinary website for men

Post: #22

(01-25-2012 05:50 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  I was always told eat something like beef (or casein protein) before bed because its slow dissolving. It'll stay in your stomach for longer and slowly work into your system, thereby "feeding" your body throughout the night.

The IF program I'm on right now has my last meal around 2pm on any given day so I'm always on an empty tank at night, I do notice that I wake up quicker the next morning vs when I was eating later and not waking up hungry.

In terms of losing body fat, which way do you think works best for you?

Post: #23

(01-25-2012 01:27 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I have a race in a few months and I've been trying to cut down. On top of this I have three friends who are in a challenge to lose the most weight over an 8 week period. I realize this may be kinda similar to the "love handles" thread, but I do have an unrelated question below, perhaps about water retention.

I'm three weeks in. I have completely cut out drinking (which I honestly consume a lb worth or 3500 cals a week). I have been watching my diet. I have been running ~15 miles a week.

I'm at a big disadvantage in the contest as I am at a healthy weight 6' 190lb and maybe 16%bf. My friends have beer guts and they can lose it easier.

I'm writing the forum today because I'm completely pissed off. It seemed to be going at a good steady pace, about 1.5lbs/week for the first three weeks, and now I'm back to or above my starting weight. I weight myself 3-4 times a week so its not just a random fluctuation.

Basically was like 192, 190.5, 189, (averages) now I'm just chilling at 193 all week. I've worked hard and it perplexes me. Could the body drastically be holding onto water in an attempt to regulate my weight?

My current plan, and I wanted to bounce this off some people here, is to eat Paleo or extremely low carb (this should at least flush any excess fluid). I've also tried intermittent fasting in the past and maybe I should do that 2 or 3 times a week.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Juice fast for 10 days. I'm talking about using a juicer, not drinking bottled juice. You'll drop the weight.

Post: #24

(01-25-2012 06:31 PM)Smitty Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 01:27 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I have a race in a few months and I've been trying to cut down. On top of this I have three friends who are in a challenge to lose the most weight over an 8 week period. I realize this may be kinda similar to the "love handles" thread, but I do have an unrelated question below, perhaps about water retention.

I'm three weeks in. I have completely cut out drinking (which I honestly consume a lb worth or 3500 cals a week). I have been watching my diet. I have been running ~15 miles a week.

I'm at a big disadvantage in the contest as I am at a healthy weight 6' 190lb and maybe 16%bf. My friends have beer guts and they can lose it easier.

I'm writing the forum today because I'm completely pissed off. It seemed to be going at a good steady pace, about 1.5lbs/week for the first three weeks, and now I'm back to or above my starting weight. I weight myself 3-4 times a week so its not just a random fluctuation.

Basically was like 192, 190.5, 189, (averages) now I'm just chilling at 193 all week. I've worked hard and it perplexes me. Could the body drastically be holding onto water in an attempt to regulate my weight?

My current plan, and I wanted to bounce this off some people here, is to eat Paleo or extremely low carb (this should at least flush any excess fluid). I've also tried intermittent fasting in the past and maybe I should do that 2 or 3 times a week.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Juice fast for 10 days. I'm talking about using a juicer, not drinking bottled juice. You'll drop the weight.

I actually water fasted for 7 days a few months ago. Works great, however if you are not extremely careful of your eating habits afterward, you will easily gain all the weight back. Your body's metabolism slows down for about a month after a long fast.

I've heard juice fasting is actually horrible for retaining muscle mass. In water fasting your deep in ketosis (burning fat in the absence of carbs). Juice fasting keeps tricking your body in and out of ketosis. Unfortunately this transitioning phase is where the most muscle tissue is burned for energy.

In general, fasting is great for losing weight quickly (particularly water fasting), but it takes an extremely strict after-diet to actual retain the weight loss.

Post: #25

(01-25-2012 04:47 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

(01-25-2012 01:27 PM)_DC_ Wrote:  I have a race in a few months and I've been trying to cut down. On top of this I have three friends who are in a challenge to lose the most weight over an 8 week period. I realize this may be kinda similar to the "love handles" thread, but I do have an unrelated question below, perhaps about water retention.

I'm three weeks in. I have completely cut out drinking (which I honestly consume a lb worth or 3500 cals a week). I have been watching my diet. I have been running ~15 miles a week.

I'm at a big disadvantage in the contest as I am at a healthy weight 6' 190lb and maybe 16%bf. My friends have beer guts and they can lose it easier.

I'm writing the forum today because I'm completely pissed off. It seemed to be going at a good steady pace, about 1.5lbs/week for the first three weeks, and now I'm back to or above my starting weight. I weight myself 3-4 times a week so its not just a random fluctuation.

Basically was like 192, 190.5, 189, (averages) now I'm just chilling at 193 all week. I've worked hard and it perplexes me. Could the body drastically be holding onto water in an attempt to regulate my weight?

My current plan, and I wanted to bounce this off some people here, is to eat Paleo or extremely low carb (this should at least flush any excess fluid). I've also tried intermittent fasting in the past and maybe I should do that 2 or 3 times a week.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

few questions, what does watching your diet entail? I have buddies who watch their diet and they think not eating fast food for the week means they've done well, are you adjusting calories as your weights dropped, are you following some sort of macro breakdown?

The body won't be holding water in some plan to regulate but if your diet is off it can be an issue. I drink a boat load of diet pop and don't carry any excess water but I drink a fair amount of water as well and watch my sodium intake. Water weight in itself won't keep the scale from moving, it'll keeping you from looking as tight but the scale should continue dipping if your diet and exercise is in check. You also want to minimize the amount of times you weigh yourself, keep it to once twice a week but first thing in the morning after your morning piss, don't take anything in and do it naked, get a true measure. Guys will hop on it 4-5 times a week, one time after eating, once after taking a dump and your weight will hop all over the place.

You're running a shit load, is your body used to this amount of running and physical activity, it's entirely possible you're losing bf and putting on some lean muscle which will show very little movement on the scale but it doesn't mean your body isn't benefiting. It won't help you in the contest but if you're battling guys who are strict belly fat guys you're in tough to win this one anyway, for your weight to drop significantly enough to lose poundages they are you'd have to lose muscle to compete.

Switching to a paleo or low carb plan while you're in training is only going to hamper your training, you'll waste time having your body adjust to the new diet and you'll feel sluggish until your body does adjust. Not an ideal time to make a switch. You can make an effort to eat better carbs, in the end carbs are fuel and not the enemy but you need to eat the right ones at the right times to maximize their benefit.

I'm pretty free-style in my diet. By "watching" I generally mean I try to keep the calories relatively low throughout the day. To aid this process I eat foods that people generally consider healthy, stews, sandwiches, lean meat, etc. I don't eat many sweets anyway. I aim for 10x my body weight ~1900 cals, though its hard to accurately assess when you're trying to eat healthy i.e. no simple calorie breakdown like on the processed food boxes.

As for the running a shit load: I used to run all the time but I have been off of running for almost a year. So this past month i've gone from 0 miles a week to 15 miles a week. I'm actually pushing for more like 20 miles now but I'm starting to get the injury bug.

It may be possible that I've gained a bit of weight in my legs.