Post: #1

So I just got my body fat checked. In the last month, I've only lost about 1% of body fat, and at the same time I've lost as much muscle as fat. So, I'm quite disappointed and trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong so I can minimize muscle loss before starting bulking in winter.

With a Personal Trainer, I do a full body workout per week, with more emphasis on legs. Every week individually I also do one workout focused on upper body and one focused on lower body. With the PT, he emphasizes 3sets of 15-20 reps each. On my own I've been doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps each.

Food wise, trying to restrict calories since I'm cutting. With one or two cheat meals per week, in general on workout days I'm around 130-150 grams of protein per day, around 2000-2100 calories. Currently weigh 160 lbs.

Non workout days 110-130 protein per day, 1700-1900 calories.

I usually do 30-35% of calories from protein (including protein shakes), 30-35% of calories from fat, and 30-35% of calories from carbs. Minimizing sugar and other simple carbohydrates.

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong?

Post: #2

In my opinion you should keep Protein quantity high and equal on both Rest Days and Training days. I eat around ~200g of protein every day and I weight like 20 pounds less than you.

Also, are you doing all the important compound movements?

Also, how did you get your body fat checked? If you did it with DEXA scan, can you please PM me the place?

Post: #3

You grow when you rest, so I wouldn't lower protein intake on off days, strive for as close to 1g per lb of bodyweight everyday.

I run carb cycling and its working great for me, I'm putting on lean mass and slowly watching body fat decrease. Some days I'll eat under 20-30g of carbs, some days 80-100, and one day a week, usually Sunday, I'll pretty much eat all the carbs I want through pasta, bread and fruit. I'll throw in a random late breakfast or two during the week as well, just trying to keep the body guessing and throwing the metabolism a curve ball. I think the key is to keep protein steady, but fluctuate the rest depending on activity.

Post: #4

Cardio? Defiantly take plenty of branch chain amino acids before cardio.

Post: #5

Have you changed your workout since cutting? (more reps less weight?)

Also, double check your protein intake. It should be the same when you are bulking. During cutting you should cut your carb and fat intake.

Post: #6

(10-23-2014 09:02 AM)ao85 Wrote:  Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong?

Sure.

(10-23-2014 09:02 AM)ao85 Wrote:  Currently weigh 160 lbs

(10-23-2014 09:02 AM)ao85 Wrote:  I'm cutting

Found your problem.

Post: #7

+1 for the carb cycling. Over the past month, I've dropped 5 pounds, and am easily the strongest I've ever been.

I cycle 3-4 days off any carbs except for veggies, up the fat through avocados/almonds/natural peanut butter/olive oils etc. to maintain caloric intake. Protein remains constant at about 200-210 grams per day.

On reefeed days, eat all the starch/carbohydrates you want (as long as they're clean i.e. potatoes, yams, whole grain pasta, rice and not high in sugar.) Restores muscle glycogen stores, and allows you to deplete again over the next 3-4 days.

Will continue this for a long while.

Edit: This enables insulin sensitivity to re start, and that allows nutrient shuttling on a much faster and more efficient basis.

Post: #8

Scorpion beat me to it.

What the hell are you doing cutting at 160? It's winter. Get bulking man.

Let us know how long you've been training and what exactly the 'full body' workout entails. Unless you are a rank novice I would suggest canning the full body workouts and switching to a higher frequency body part split with a caloric surplus to gain mass. Something like a push/pull/legs for example.

Post: #9

How tall are you? 5'6?

Post: #10

Go read Lyle McDonald

Post: #11

Add in some strength movements. Make sure you're doing heavy deadlift, squats, over head presses, chins, etc.
Don't always just do 3 sets of 8-12 and 3 sets of 12-15.
Try doing 6 sets of 3 for strength then adding higher rep.
As others said, keep protein high every day.
Also, what does your sleep look like? This is just as important as diet.
Sleep 8-10 hours a night in a dark, cool room.
At that weight, I would focus on gaining strength and muscle, while eating good, nutrient dense foods, sleeping lots and keeping protein high. You don't need to necessarily worry about cutting and bulking.
just my 2 cents

Post: #12

(10-23-2014 11:19 AM)aeroektar Wrote:  You grow when you rest, so I wouldn't lower protein intake on off days, strive for as close to 1g per lb of bodyweight everyday.

I run carb cycling and its working great for me, I'm putting on lean mass and slowly watching body fat decrease. Some days I'll eat under 20-30g of carbs, some days 80-100, and one day a week, usually Sunday, I'll pretty much eat all the carbs I want through pasta, bread and fruit. I'll throw in a random late breakfast or two during the week as well, just trying to keep the body guessing and throwing the metabolism a curve ball. I think the key is to keep protein steady, but fluctuate the rest depending on activity.

I have to agree with this on both points. I accidentally carb cycled for a month then realized what I was doing. It started changing my metabolism enough so that I was getting compliments on "looking good," and "slimmed down in the belly." I actually was trying to maintain weight but simply couldn't keep up with the eating. Now I know and use carb cycling as a tool to shred.

Post: #13

As has already been said your protein intake is way off and you aren't eating enough calories.

You should be aiming for at least 2g protein for every kg you weigh and some would say more, I do about 3g per kg.

As for calories,you're eating 100 - 300 a day less than me and yet you're 15lbs heavier.

Post: #14

Thanks all for the advice. I'm around 5'8, so am still around 20% body fat at 160 lbs. Plus I live in a warm climate so it's still warm enough to cut for at least another month.

So, up protein, do more compound lifts, make sure I get enough sleep?

The carb advice I read on the forum and other sites seems all over the place though. Some say carb cycling, then it's carbs only before and after workout, others say I need steady supply of slow burn carbs to keep shuttling the protein to the muscles, some say minimum carbs when cutting....

Post: #15

Are you sure you're at 20%bf @ 160lbs? Thats an extremely light weight to be carrying around so much fat at 5ft 8.

At that weight I wouldn't worry about cutting at all, even if your bf% is near that. Eat twice as much protein, up the calories to 3000, focus on big compound movements and wait until you hit a reasonable weight (170lbs would be OK for your height), then cut down.

You'll find it much easier to lose fat once you've got a decent muscle base. Plus, as others have mentioned, its almost November now. You'd be far better off focusing on muscle mass now for the winter, then do a cut for summer starting next March/April. If you spend 6 weeks cutting now you'll only start bulking in December. Then you'll either have to delay your 2015 cut into May (which will leave you fat for the start of summer) or only have a very small bulking period - a waste of a winter.

Post: #16

Body fat measurements are not always correct, particularly not if they're done by a machine. Genetics also influence fat storage, for example how much is stored around organs compared to below the skin. Could be you were losing fat inside, which wouldn't show on many different fat measurements.

The eye test is the best way to measure progress. Take a front, back, side picture once a month, flexing and not-flexing, then note bodyweight. Put it together in paint or photoshop side by side so you can track progress easily.

Also, the idea that you can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time, is a truth with lots of 'buts and ifs'. The body doesn't operate in neat intervals of 24 hours nor doesn't it matter what food you eat (incoming discussion). If I were a skinny fat, then I'd hop on the steaks and eggs diet, do keto or close to keto and lift heavy compound movements, overhead press, deadlift and cleans/squats, until I had some significant strength - moving out of 'novice' in the Starting Strength stregth standards.

Cliffs: Look in the mirror and forget bodyfat.

Post: #17

Weight is really deceptive and a month just isn't long enough for you to be stabilized right after starting a new program. Calipers at best give you a measure of body fat - they don't tell you shit about muscle mass. Everything that's not BF is called lean body mass. This includes muscle but also bone, tendons, water, hair, and organs. On top of that they're really only accurate to +/-1% BF. The weight you lose during the first few weeks of a weight loss program is mostly glycogen and water - that will come out of your lean body mass so even if you believe your calipers you probably haven't lost much in the way of muscle mass.

Your diet seems ok. I'm cutting and am currently at 210lbs with ~18% bf and eat 1800 Cal. on off days and 2200 on lifting days with 150-200g of protein. I've been doing this for 3 months and just set a new round of PRs a two weeks ago so I don't think I'm losing any muscle mass. You might want to try shifting to a lifting program which emphasises low reps (2-5) and high weights (>70% 1RM). That'll help with the muscle retention.

Post: #18

Actually the problem you have right now is, you got a personal trainer.

some of those mfker's dont even know wtf they're doing.

hes making you focused on weight loss. not sure why,

you should be eating whatever and focused on building muscle.
Once you have muscle, it will eat away all that fat with clean dieting

Post: #19

Yeah I got the PT to make sure my form is correct, but I think the PTs where I am are of a lower quality than in the US. I feel good though even if the machine says I'm not much healthier.

Post: #20

(10-23-2014 09:02 AM)ao85 Wrote:  So I just got my body fat checked. In the last month, I've only lost about 1% of body fat, and at the same time I've lost as much muscle as fat. So, I'm quite disappointed and trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong so I can minimize muscle loss before starting bulking in winter.

With a Personal Trainer, I do a full body workout per week, with more emphasis on legs. Every week individually I also do one workout focused on upper body and one focused on lower body. With the PT, he emphasizes 3sets of 15-20 reps each. On my own I've been doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps each.

Food wise, trying to restrict calories since I'm cutting. With one or two cheat meals per week, in general on workout days I'm around 130-150 grams of protein per day, around 2000-2100 calories. Currently weigh 160 lbs.

Non workout days 110-130 protein per day, 1700-1900 calories.

I usually do 30-35% of calories from protein (including protein shakes), 30-35% of calories from fat, and 30-35% of calories from carbs. Minimizing sugar and other simple carbohydrates.

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong?

IMO you should be restricting calories as a last resort.


I would cut the carbs in increments first to see how your body responds. Then if you are not getting the results you want you do the same with the calories.