Post: #1

Hello guys,

As you guys can see in the title I don't know what to do now but let me start from the beginning. As a child, I was always a big lad and always the biggest in school but it didn't really bother me at the time. Growing up this puppy fat stayed with me and turned into man fat..... Six months ago I started going to the gym to sort myself out and become a "better version of myself". In the first 3 months, I had seen loads of gains in the right areas and massive losses in fat, which in was more than happy about. Since then my body weight has stayed at 105KG and just won't budge. Is this temporary? or is there something I need to change? to get back to a muscle building fat losing routine again?

I fear that I just won't move on or improve anymore when I am loving the outcome already but know I could do better. I'm a complete newbie so I know that there must be something I am doing wrong or something I could improve.

ME:
25 years of age
6ft tall on the dot
105 KG of muscle but more fat
4 x 45-minute sessions a week (to fit around work)
Weight training only + Don't really do any cardio

If there is any other information that you guys need that could help you help me, just comment below and I will get adding it on. Really looking forward to speaking with you guys and seeing what your all thinking!

Thanks

Post: #2

Some things I recommend you try...
Warning: These may take you out of your comfort zone.

1) Diet: Seafood, Meat, Vegetables, Fruits and Nuts.
Eat only these foods, no need to count calories (full stomach is OK) and don't cheat.

2) Intermittent Fasting: 2 options
A] Wait until Noon before you start Eating
B] Stop eating at 6pm

3) Weightlifting is your only activity?
It is great that you Lift, this puts you above 90% of most Men in Modern Western Society.
You'll quickly notice that a majority of RVF'ers do a whole lot more than that.
We love Martial Arts, Yoga, Calisthenics and a wide variety of Outdoor Activities.
Just to name a few things.

Post: #3

You should be aiming for 80kg really. I'm 74-80 at the same height as you. If you eat 2000 calories a day (plus what you burn off), you'll get there in a few months. Get 150g of protein in your 2000 plus carbs (contrary to advice above). You'll need carbs to get the most out of your workouts. Intermittent fasting will help with calorie restriction but I don't believe in the other so called benefits really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzKoXIuxb5Y

Compound lifts 3/4 times a week. Lift heavy 6-8 reps, 3 times. I do a 20 minute cardio set (run or spin) then 60 minutes weights 3 times per week and on those days eat more if I'm in a cutting phase.

Post: #4

80Kg is the weight I was trying to hit but as said above I don't really seem to be losing weight when looking at the scales. How many carbs would you suggest?

I find it hard not to introduce carbs into my meal because it's basically a plate filler and it's empty without. I need some for of supplement that is like a carb but has no carbs if that makes sense. The intermittent fasting will be no problem and I can get on that asap.

Post: #5

Just prepare two different veggie sides with your meat if you are ambitious. Grill a steak and have a side salad and then a cooked veg to replace your typical grain rice or potato side dish. Off the top of my head:
-marinade eggplant slices in red wine vinegar, olive oil and some sea salt and pepper for twenty mins then grill
-Fry up some cabbage with a little bit of onion, maybe toss in a few sliced tomatoes for a flavor boost
-Steam some cauliflower and mash it with a bit of butter and garlic salt for mashed potato substitute
Lots of other crap you can do, broccoli, zucchini, green peppers come to mind. Just remember that veggies that grow above ground are low carb compared to root vegetables that grow underground such as carrots and sweet potato. So when in doubt, if it grows above ground and isn't a grain, you're gold. Make sure you use a good seasoning with your veg, a great bet is BRAGGS all purpose seasoning blend. Or whatever you have in the UK, just look for one with no salt because it's easier to control salt flavor when you deal with salt alone.

For salads just do whatever, I like Caprese salads with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato with a splash of balsamic and oil, maybe pad it out with some spinach. All those Atkins diets are ok with Cheese so that's a good safe bet. A regular romaine salad with some Jack cheese is tasty too, pad it out with a tomato and cucumber. Just make sure you are not using store bought dressings and just experiment with oils and vinegars with herbs and seasonings.

Good starting point and if you can maintain that then you can start fine tuning down the road. Sometimes all you can do is a bit better than the day before so just stay consistent

Post: #6

First, you need to know that while you are building muscle you won't always be losing the weight you think you need to. Don't focus on a specific number if you are coming down from a rather rotund radius.

I've probably got a somewhat similar predisposition to gaining weight as you do. And as others have suggested 2000 calories for you will feel like hell if you are actively working out.

You haven't listed your average days worth of food, do you drink sodas? those milkshakes from starbucks? are you pounding down unhealthy food?

What's your average daily caloric intake? If you are good to work with numbers, find out roughly how much your body needs in a day and how much you're exercise burns and work that into a deficit.

Post: #7

(03-11-2017 11:56 PM)cascadecombo Wrote:  First, you need to know that while you are building muscle you won't always be losing the weight you think you need to. Don't focus on a specific number if you are coming down from a rather rotund radius.
...

^This. Don't worry about your weight so much. Focus on consistently living a healthy lifestyle. Losing weight takes time after you lose a lot quickly as a newbie.

Nutrition is probably the most important factor. It can be complex and different for everyone so always try to keep improving in this area. ScrapperTL and dongiovanni are both partially correct with what they say about carbs. If you are focused strictly on losing weight then cutting out carbs will work. If you are trying to lose weight and maintain muscle/strength then it typically depends on the individual. If you are trying to make gains in muscle or performance then you will probably need the carbs.

Drink a lot of water. Try to cut out things that will make you retain water such as alcohol and caffeine. A lot of bodybuilding supplements also have a lot of caffeine, sodium, creatine, and other fillers that you want to avoid when trying to lose weight.

Be careful where you get your advice from. A lot of guys just want to tell you what they do in their workouts but that might not be what works for you or your goals.

The best lifting for losing weight is compound sets and lifting heavy which is usually 5 reps or less per set. However, lifting weights is probably not the only thing you want to do if you want to lose a lot of fat. Any type of cardio will work. If you want to maintain muscle/strength and performance then long fast-paced walks or high intensity exercises like sprints usually work better than typical "cardio" such as jogging.

I've always liked StrongLifts and Starting Strength as workout programs for learning to do the compound lifts with excellent form and having enough off days to do other things, although you might want to reduce the squat/deadlift volume if you are doing a lot of walking and sprints on the off days. Greyskull LP and 5/3/1 are also great and have a lot of different options. I think those two are better after learning the compound lifts but you can't really go wrong with any of these as long as you learn to do the exercises correctly.

Post: #8

You fool, caffiene is a diuretic and reduces water retention.

Post: #9

Caffeine reduces water retention in the short term but increases water retention in the long term because your body's natural reaction to dehydration is to try to hold on to as much water as possible.

Drinking a lot of water throughout the day is one of the best ways to reduce water retention because you are signaling to your brain that there is a constant supply of water. Dehydration has the opposite effect.

Post: #10

(03-12-2017 04:07 PM)birthday cat Wrote:  Caffeine reduces water retention in the short term but increases water retention in the long term because your body's natural reaction to dehydration is to try to hold on to as much water as possible.

Drinking a lot of water throughout the day is one of the best ways to reduce water retention because you are signaling to your brain that there is a constant supply of water. Dehydration has the opposite effect.

If this is true I may by changing my breakfast habits in the morning.

Post: #11

Loads of info guys so I'm going to try to give some back.

As for my daily calorie intake I'm not 100% sure but here is what I roughly have
My daily calorie intake:
Water intake - maybe 1L
7 am wake up - 12 am bed time
4 x 3 in 1 Nescafe sachet
1 x Coke can
Lunch: Minced pork with eggplant and rice ( for example, it changes daily)
Dinner: Coconut Chicken curry with rice ( for example, it changes daily)
Then at least a sweet a day ( chocolate bar, desert )

All of my meals are freshly prepared daily nothing is premade. I have been trying to cut done on portion size and carbs but I'm feeling really hungry and powerless when I'm at the gym. is there anything I can do to help this?

Thanks guys!!!!

Post: #12

Yeah. Your diet is complete shit.

What is up with your breakfast?? That's not what a man eats for breakfast.

Drop the coke and drop the sweets. Get some optimum gold standard whey.

I'll write you a semi proper diet tommorow, because right now you are literally shitting on all your efforts with your diet.

Post: #13

This is the feeling I have been having but I'm awful when it comes to diet and just need advice and pointing in the right direction.

I don't eat breakfast that first meal is lunch.

Looking forward to tomorrow! Thanks!

Post: #14

Ok I'm not going to write it out ounce by ounce, but you need to learn to calculate your own food and calories. We're going to go with approx 13 calories per pound of bw and 1.2 grams of protein per pound.

3000 calories
280 grams of protein per day.

So with that, you're going to divide that protein up over 5-6 meals, you pick the sources. I suggest whey, chicken, steak, fish, eggs or milk. But you have to calculate it so that at the end of the day you end up ingesting 280 grams of protein, over 5-6 meals.

So calculate that up, figure out how many calories that is. Let's say it's 1500 calories. Well that gives you 1500 calories left. Pick and choose from whatever you want, just try and limit the blatant junk food. As long as it doesn't exceed your remaining calories, you're good. If you are going to eat junk, pair it up with a protein. For instance if you're going to eat captain crunch cereal, eat it with liquid egg whites, whey protein and milk.

I reccomend you eat clean healthy food, but the priority is getting in the fucking protein and staying at 3000 calories.

Go figure out what you're going to eat and exactly how much and how many calories it has, and post it here. We will go from there.

I put another poster, H1N1, on a similar diet, high protein. 2 weeks later his body weight is the same and he's seeing veins in his abs.

Post: #15

(03-13-2017 11:27 AM)Steelex Wrote:  I suggest whey, chicken, steak, fish, eggs or milk.

Just out of curiosity, why does turkey never come up? I read somewhere it's supposedly healthier as turkeys get fed less hormones and antibiotics and can't really be confined in ultra-small cages the same way chicken do because of their size.
Now I'm no tree hugger but I seen some vids of how chicken are raised and some of them show some pretty disgusting shit.
No clue if that translates to healthier/better meat quality but I'm curious on your take about that.

Post: #16

Nothing wrong with turkey.

Post: #17

by at least, you mean several sweets in. a day and only one on a good diet day?

eat larger portions with your meals. the meats n veggies. that will give you good energy.

Post: #18

Unfortunately out of just about every meat in the world the one I don't like is Turkey. there is something in texture and taste that doesn't do it for me. But as said above it must be a lot better for you.,

Post: #19

It's ok if you like it but honestly imo chicken is better as far as taste and protein.

Post: #20

Snowflake,

To be honest I think anytime you can eat grass fed beef, or free range poultry, or ocean caught fish, it's going to have some sort of positive effect on your physique. How much is up for debate, but better is better.

The trouble is affordability. If you're willing to pay for the good stuff then more power to you, and it will do you well.

Post: #21

(03-13-2017 09:19 PM)Steelex Wrote:  Snowflake,

To be honest I think anytime you can eat grass fed beef, or free range poultry, or ocean caught fish, it's going to have some sort of positive effect on your physique. How much is up for debate, but better is better.

The trouble is affordability. If you're willing to pay for the good stuff then more power to you, and it will do you well.

I would love to incorporate a few pounds of grass fed beef into my diet per week, but holy shit is it expensive. I haven't seen it for less than $10/lb, and it's hard to get on board with that when the corn fed trash is one foot away in the refrigerated case. Which, since it is antibiotic-laden trash, I usually end up bypassing and going for cage free eggs; or, what I've been doing a lot of lately is lamb.

I can get some fresh, juicy lamb shoulder cuts for $5/lb, or super meaty neck bones (lots of collagen and great simmered in tomato sauce) for $2.79/lb. Lamb is an excellent source of zinc and other minerals which are beneficial to testosterone levels. Plus, while I don't know for certain I would suspect, at least in the States, that lamb is in general a cleaner choice than mass-produced beef, chicken, or pork, as there's light demand for the meat in the U.S. and thus it wouldn't make commercial sense to employ industrialized methods of raising the meat (whether that takes place domestically or in NZ).

Post: #22

(03-13-2017 11:27 AM)Steelex Wrote:  Ok I'm not going to write it out ounce by ounce, but you need to learn to calculate your own food and calories. We're going to go with approx 13 calories per pound of bw and 1.2 grams of protein per pound.

3000 calories
280 grams of protein per day.

So with that, you're going to divide that protein up over 5-6 meals, you pick the sources. I suggest whey, chicken, steak, fish, eggs or milk. But you have to calculate it so that at the end of the day you end up ingesting 280 grams of protein, over 5-6 meals.

So calculate that up, figure out how many calories that is. Let's say it's 1500 calories. Well that gives you 1500 calories left. Pick and choose from whatever you want, just try and limit the blatant junk food. As long as it doesn't exceed your remaining calories, you're good. If you are going to eat junk, pair it up with a protein. For instance if you're going to eat captain crunch cereal, eat it with liquid egg whites, whey protein and milk.

I reccomend you eat clean healthy food, but the priority is getting in the fucking protein and staying at 3000 calories.

Go figure out what you're going to eat and exactly how much and how many calories it has, and post it here. We will go from there.

I put another poster, H1N1, on a similar diet, high protein. 2 weeks later his body weight is the same and he's seeing veins in his abs.

Doesn't 3000 calories seem like a lot being as I need to be loosing fat aswell? Just asking?

As of the plan above I will try and place together a better meal plan and weight etc then post it back up here for you guys to adjust where it's needed. Thanks again guys

Post: #23

Well given that you're 105kg, you probably will lose weight at 3000 cals if you're eating more often and going high af protein.

Post: #24

Also, this what a very interesting watch. His view on building muscle makes sense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzKoXIuxb5Y

Post: #25

Clean up your diet and start lifting. So long as you eat cleanly, lift, and do cardio you'll lose weight and stary to gain muscle.