Post: #126

(03-02-2014 09:08 PM)CaP7 Wrote:  Update after 2 weeks of what I will call, "Slow Cut".

I've added the cardio. 45-50min with an average heart rate of 135bpm. (It takes 8-10 minutes to get my heart rate up to 130. The clock doesn't start until 130bpm). I was nervous that the added cardio would impact my strength. So far it hasn't, and I think the reasoning is that I never let my heart rate rise above 140bpm.

I am keeping detailed track of my lifts. This is a vital part of my strategy to not lose strength. You have to have a measuring point. Make an excel spreadsheet and put them in a 3-ring binder. No excuses here!

Now I'm at 3 heavy weight workouts per week and 3 cardio workouts.

Diet has been doing well too. The carrots and steamed broccoli snack bags I pack, give me afternoon energy. I've cut portions at meals across the board. The calories that I'm cutting are carbs. Less oatmeal in the morning, 2 eggs instead of 3, less rice, less tortillas. More vegetables. No alcohol so far.

I'm getting plenty of sleep as well.

I'm down ~5 lbs to 195. In the morning, my stomach area looks visibly tighter. I'll call it a two-pack.

12 weeks to go.

Sounds good. Low intensity steady state cardio is great for fat loss, and has the added benefit of building a good aerobic base. I know it's not popular these days due to the fad for HIIT, but most bodybuilders rely almost exclusively on LISS to get lean (along with diet of course), and they are the leanest and most muscled athletes around.

Post: #127

for weight loss paleo is amazing, i did that for 3 months and dropped 20 lbs, and i didnt even do it religiously...i used to eat whatever the hell i wanted and during the week no pop juice starches nothing just water, meat, protein shakes and fruits and veggies. I did 5x5 for 3 mths after and gained some solid mass, but then my knee fucked up and i stopped. good stuff though, it was very hard especially living in a greek household...too much mousaka hehe

Post: #128

My go-to diet when I need to cut a little body fat is what I call the "feria diet". I live in Costa Rica, and here a feria is Spanish for a farmer's market. I only eat what I can buy at the farmer's market - nothing more, nothing less. So I'm limited to meat, fish, chicken, pork, fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, oats, dairy, tortillas, and fresh bread. Since the feria is every Saturday morning (in my town), I only eat bread on Saturday morning.

Post: #129

Eat less calories than you need, try leangains, helps me stay below 10% year round.

Post: #130

(03-03-2014 12:31 PM)kbell Wrote:  Would it help with fat loss if you did more reps and a lower weight with weight lifting? So instead of 5x5 or 5x4, you do 6x5, or 6x4? And work up to 12x5 and 12 x4 at say 20% less max weight?

no. maintain intensity. however you can drop volume. thus from 5x5 to 3x5, or even 1x5.

Post: #131

Ive been doing low carb (under 25g a day) for about 10 days now. Have gone from 21.8 to 21.2% body fat and from 165 to 158. I do however noticed when using strip test I cant go from semi ketosis to full ketosis.

Any idea why? Too tired to work out so only been eating phase.

Post: #132

(03-03-2014 01:08 PM)Kieran Wrote:  

(03-02-2014 09:08 PM)CaP7 Wrote:  Update after 2 weeks of what I will call, "Slow Cut".

I've added the cardio. 45-50min with an average heart rate of 135bpm. (It takes 8-10 minutes to get my heart rate up to 130. The clock doesn't start until 130bpm). I was nervous that the added cardio would impact my strength. So far it hasn't, and I think the reasoning is that I never let my heart rate rise above 140bpm.

I am keeping detailed track of my lifts. This is a vital part of my strategy to not lose strength. You have to have a measuring point. Make an excel spreadsheet and put them in a 3-ring binder. No excuses here!

Now I'm at 3 heavy weight workouts per week and 3 cardio workouts.

Diet has been doing well too. The carrots and steamed broccoli snack bags I pack, give me afternoon energy. I've cut portions at meals across the board. The calories that I'm cutting are carbs. Less oatmeal in the morning, 2 eggs instead of 3, less rice, less tortillas. More vegetables. No alcohol so far.

I'm getting plenty of sleep as well.

I'm down ~5 lbs to 195. In the morning, my stomach area looks visibly tighter. I'll call it a two-pack.

12 weeks to go.

Sounds good. Low intensity steady state cardio is great for fat loss, and has the added benefit of building a good aerobic base. I know it's not popular these days due to the fad for HIIT, but most bodybuilders rely almost exclusively on LISS to get lean (along with diet of course), and they are the leanest and most muscled athletes around.

Update: I was remeasured at 16% BF this afternoon. I weigh 189. If you do the math from 21.5% BF and 201lbs starting, I gained ~1 lb of muscle and lost 12lbs of fat. This is reflected in my lifting log, where I have not decreased in strength in any exercise.

I've changed my weightlifting routine from 3x/week to 4x/week. Mon/Tues I do 3 sets of 15 reps and hit every body part. Thurs I do a full body workout with machines at 6-12 reps. Saturday I max the power lifts at reps of 3-5. Couple of sets each, full-body.

Usually get 1-2 cardio sessions in a week.

The end of March was tough, with going out of town, drinking hard one weekend, Vegas one weekend. I've buckled back down for April and am living pretty clean. I feel like the diet is on point. Still doing only 1 dessert per month...since Christmas.

Abs are starting to show better in the morning.

It's going to get a lot harder to go from 16% to 11%, than from 21% to 16%. I'll have to really up the cardio...

Post: #133

The fastest way to lose body fat..

Stop Eating!

Seriously, go on a "fast".. Just do vegetable juice for a few days.

That's the fastest way to lose body fat.

Post: #134

(04-10-2014 01:54 AM)Giovonny Wrote:  The fastest way to lose body fat..

Stop Eating!

Seriously, go on a "fast".. Just do vegetable juice for a few days.

That's the fastest way to lose body fat.

My friends that have visible six packs all say the only way to get a six pack is to not fucking eat anything. Like some sort of Mega-Fast. What they do is borderline anorexic. Here's their plan, probably not safest way to lose weight, but this is definitely effective:

Day 1: As much water as you want.
Day 2: ONE protein shake with two scoops in water and ice ~ 500 calories, a small plate of family dinner, for example 3oz of steak and some broccoli ~ 800 calories. As much water as you want.
Day 3: As much water as you want.
Day 4: Water and a protein shake.
Day 5: Same as day 2.
Day 6: Protein shake in the AM and then water.
Day 7: Same as day 4.

Repeat for another week if you really want, but would definitely not recommend for long term.

The calorie deficits, for an average fit, 175 pound dude at 5'10 would be 3500, 2500, 3500, 3000, 2500, 3000, and 3000 calories respectively. That equates to about 6 pounds of fat lost per week, because there are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat if I'm not mistaken.

Weight loss is 90% diet, and a diet where you simply say "I'm not gonna eat today" is very, very easy to follow. Consult a doctor before embarking on any sort of weight loss plan or exercise regimen.

Post: #135

(04-10-2014 02:33 AM)Switch Wrote:  My friends that have visible six packs all say the only way to get a six pack is to not fucking eat anything.

Day 1: As much water as you want.
Day 2: ONE protein shake with two scoops in water and ice ~ 500 calories, a small plate of family dinner, for example 3oz of steak and some broccoli ~ 800 calories. As much water as you want.
Day 3: As much water as you want.
Day 4: Water and a protein shake.

This is a very drastic, extreme, and dangerous way to get a 6-pack.

There are much healthier and practical ways of doing it.

Have you ever seen an athlete with a 6-pack. That athlete probably eats alot.

I have a decent 6-pack for a 38 year old. Here is a sample of my diet:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal, fruit, protein shake

snack -- nuts

Lunch -- Lean meat, beans, rice, vegetables

snack -- protein shake, small fruit

Dinner -- Lean meat, vegetables

Of course, I also exercise alot and burn a lot of calories. That is really the key to keeping a 6-pack, you must not have a large excess of unused calories or fat in your diet.

There is no reason to starve yourself in order to get a 6-pack. Starving yourself is only in the case of emergency.

Post: #136

(04-10-2014 01:54 AM)Giovonny Wrote:  The fastest way to lose body fat..

Stop Eating!

Seriously, go on a "fast".. Just do vegetable juice for a few days.

That's the fastest way to lose body fat.

I know this thread is titled "The fastest way to lose bodyfat." But there's a lot of good stuff in here, and I didn't want to start a new thread just for me.

"Stop eating" is terrible advice for me. I've been lifting heavy and eating for 9 straight months. If I stop eating, I'll lose the muscle gains that I worked so hard for.

"Stop eating" places your body in starvation mode, which makes your body actually store more fat to survive. Source is Lyle McDonald from bodyrecomposition.com. I bought a couple of his diet plans and I respect his work.

I was a triathlete. Tall and lanky. Naturally good at cardio. When someone like me stops eating, they turn to "skinny fat." I think "skinny fat is worse than fat. My experience.

Stop eating probably works for someone who is naturally large and has natural power. Someone with plus 23% body fat. My opinion.

Post: #137

(04-10-2014 12:18 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(04-10-2014 02:33 AM)Switch Wrote:  My friends that have visible six packs all say the only way to get a six pack is to not fucking eat anything.

Day 1: As much water as you want.
Day 2: ONE protein shake with two scoops in water and ice ~ 500 calories, a small plate of family dinner, for example 3oz of steak and some broccoli ~ 800 calories. As much water as you want.
Day 3: As much water as you want.
Day 4: Water and a protein shake.

This is a very drastic, extreme, and dangerous way to get a 6-pack.

There are much healthier and practical ways of doing it.

Have you ever seen an athlete with a 6-pack. That athlete probably eats alot.

I have a decent 6-pack for a 38 year old. Here is a sample of my diet:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal, fruit, protein shake

snack -- nuts

Lunch -- Lean meat, beans, rice, vegetables

snack -- protein shake, small fruit

Dinner -- Lean meat, vegetables

Of course, I also exercise alot and burn a lot of calories. That is really the key to keeping a 6-pack, you must not have a large excess of unused calories or fat in your diet.

There is no reason to starve yourself in order to get a 6-pack. Starving yourself is only in the case of emergency.

This is very close to my current diet. I only have protein shakes during my weight workouts though. I do 2 eggs every morning instead.

I think you need more fat in your diet. I don't believe in lean meats at all. I used to eat only lean meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, sirloin). Now I eat ribeye, thigh meat, drumsticks, hamburger with the fat. I've experienced better muscle gains with the added fat.

Another positive with fat...and this is entirely my opinion...so take it for what it's worth, is that it helps produce more testosterone. My total T was tested at 930 after 9 months of lifting heavy (for me), zero cardio, and adding lots of fatty meat to my diet. Unfortunately I don't know what my levels were before I started, while I was doing triathlon training at high heart rates.

Post: #138

(04-10-2014 11:54 PM)CaP7 Wrote:  If I stop eating, I'll lose the muscle gains that I worked so hard for.

I was answering the question as it was stated. "Losing body fat as fast as possible"

If the question was -- "Losing body fat as fast as possible while still maintaining muscle mass"

I would have answered differently.

(04-11-2014 12:02 AM)CaP7 Wrote:  I think you need more fat in your diet. I don't believe in lean meats at all. I used to eat only lean meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, sirloin). Now I eat ribeye, thigh meat, drumsticks, hamburger with the fat. I've experienced better muscle gains with the added fat.

Thanks for pointing that out!

I'm going to have a big steak tomorrow!

Post: #139

(04-10-2014 12:18 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  This is a very drastic, extreme, and dangerous way to get a 6-pack.

There are much healthier and practical ways of doing it.

Have you ever seen an athlete with a 6-pack. That athlete probably eats alot.

I have a decent 6-pack for a 38 year old. Here is a sample of my diet:

Breakfast -- Oatmeal, fruit, protein shake

snack -- nuts

Lunch -- Lean meat, beans, rice, vegetables

snack -- protein shake, small fruit

Dinner -- Lean meat, vegetables

Of course, I also exercise alot and burn a lot of calories. That is really the key to keeping a 6-pack, you must not have a large excess of unused calories or fat in your diet.

There is no reason to starve yourself in order to get a 6-pack. Starving yourself is only in the case of emergency.

Totally agree. However, taking entire days off from food works best for me when I'm cutting because that is the easiest way for me to stick to a regimen. I don't have very much self control around food, especially my mom's cooking. So it is easiest for me to control my weekly caloric intake by not eating 2-3 days in a week. I feel a lot of guys are the same way.

I was going to do a post on this forum regarding building muscle and fat loss within the next few weeks, but then I broke my wrist and haven't been able to workout at all, so my body's atrophying like crazy. Hopefully I can build muscle back up quickly once my wrist heals so I can include pics in that writeup. I figure it's one way to contribute to the forum because my game is, safe to say, low level.

Post: #140

(02-18-2014 12:17 AM)CaP7 Wrote:  It seems like a good time of year to simultaneously bump this thread, share my goals and process, and hold myself accountable by posting it.

Goal: 12% body fat by Memorial Day Weekend. Currently I am 36yo, 6’3, 200lbs, and 21.5% BF, measured by a personal trainer via the 7-step skinfold test. That’s 43lbs of fat. I’ll need to lose 22lbs of fat to hit my goal.

Workout Numbers: I squat 205lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set, leg press 420lbs at 12 reps on the 3rd set, and bench 155lbs 10 reps on the 3rd set (I work in pushups to failure immediately after each BP set). Shoulder DB press is with 45lbs at 10 reps on the 3rd set.
I’ve been lifting 3x a week faithfully for the last 9 months, and stretching/activating separately, for 45 minutes, an additional 3x a week. It took me 3 months to rebuild my proper squat form after throwing out my back last spring.

Diet Background: 12 months ago I weighed 180 while training for my last sprint triathlon with a weak back. In June of 2013, I started from ground zero with weightlifting and went back to the basics, using a personal trainer. The last 10lbs to 200lbs was the hardest. I did it by consuming loads of animal fats and eating peanut butter at my desk at work every morning and every afternoon. I didn’t drain the fat from cooked hamburger, didn’t cut the fat off of the rib-eye steak, and was liberal with the olive oil. I reduced chicken and turkey breast white meat and substituted heavily marbled meat instead.

4 months ago I recalibrated the diet and gave up dairy, sweets, pasta, and limited bread. I used potatoes, rice, oatmeal/granola, and whole grain crackers for carbs. I ate a couple of fruits in the morning (apples, raisins, dates) and a nice romaine or spinach salad with tomatoes at night.

Process Going Forward:
1) The first 2 weeks I will start up cardio again; 3x a week. This morning I held my heart rate at 130-135bpm for exactly 60 minutes. In my triathlon training last year, I trained at 175bpm for 60 minutes. My max heart rate was 200 last year.

2) Coinciding with the addition of Cardio, I will continue to lift 3x a week, since I want to maintain as much of my muscle gains as possible. I realize that this will be next to impossible. I will continue consuming 1g protein per lb of body weight.

3) Diet will be reduced from ~3000 calories to ~2500 calories daily. This will be easy for me. During the past 4 months, I ate every time I was even remotely hungry. I’ve been full for the past 4 months. For the first two weeks, I will simply eat at the same intervals, only with smaller portions.

a. I’ve found that cold, lightly steamed carrots and broccoli taste good. This week I will keep 3-4 baggies of them in the fridge at work and take them to lunch with me. They will be my substitute for fries/bread. The benefit in steaming them, is that you can eat them in 3 minutes instead of 15 minutes of chewing raw veggies.

b. Increase water intake. It’s been recommended to me that I get 1oz water per lb of bodyweight. This is a ton of water and it makes you pee all the time. Forget sleeping through the night. I’ll expand on this in a post later on.

c. I’ll have to quit drinking. This shouldn’t be that hard. I rarely have more than 3 drinks a night anyway. We’ll see how it goes. No beer for sure.

d. Props to MikeCF for recommending Quest protein bars. 200cal, 20g protein, taste great, and the added bonus of not melting in your car. These are great!

Motivation for this is that I’ve realized that my best game comes in the summer time at pool parties and at the beaches. It’s definitely where I have the most fun, and I want to have my best summer yet in L.A. and Vegas.

Critique is welcomed.

Update. Caliper test this morning came in at 14% with my weight at 185lbs. That means I've lost 17lbs of body fat.

My strength has tapered off about 15% across the board in all of my lifts. Glucose preworkout drinks and fat burners got me through the last couple of weeks for intense workouts.

I have to say that my diet over the last month just wasn't where it needed to be. Even though I eat 'clean', it really takes another level of discipline with the diet to approach ~10% bodyfat (for my age and body type). Measured food, food prep, and carbohydrate composition and timing is where I think I struggled.

Going forward, I'm going to relax for a couple of months, still hit the gym hard, and apply what I learned for the next go around.

My next goal is to fix my squat form. I do somewhat of a Good Morning and a squat combined. There's some flexibility issues that I have to overcome and some core strength that I need to increase.

Post: #141

(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.

The best way is controlling your intake of calories rather than eating more. And physical exercise, regular sleeping habits are necessary to all.

Post: #142

Intense martial arts training and dancing for a total of 25-30h/week do it for me. I more often lose weight than gain.

Cant do basic cardio to save my life, but martial art/boxing is even better IMO. It involves a lot more pain and pain burns fat.

Post: #143

Just weighed myself today and lost 1 kg in a week. Which is what I wanted. I believe everyone should figure out what works best for them, but for me, this is still king:

Intermittent Fasting:

Yes, in the beginning you will hungry and weak in the day time, but after a few days, you adapt to understanding you won't eat during the day. I just have two eggs around noon and that's it. I have enough energy still to do 1-1.5 hours of hard workouts, though not energy enough for really heavy lifting.

Cardio:

1 hour cardio every second day, lifting 1 hour every other day. I aim to burn 600-800 cals pr hour so high intensity and short breaks between sets when lifting.

Diet:

Only fresh, prepared food. No junk food, no beer. I am very partial to salmon which fills you up a lot. The important thing is to know how much calories is in your food. Keep in mind stuff like olive oil is incredibly calorie rich. One spoon is 120 calories! Get your calories from fish and meat primarily, it fills you up much more than carbs.

The above works, try it out if you think you can do the intermittent fasting and fasted cardio.

Post: #144

Simple.

Eat 1800-1900 calories a day. Doesn't matter where they come from, so long as a lot of it is from protein.

Take a walk in the morning.

Lift in the afternoon.

Take a walk at night.

You'll lose weight, trust me.