Need Help on Weight Loss! (URGENT)
I've been cutting for several months now and I'm down by 10.8kg, averaging a 1lb loss per week. For the last two months I have been stuck on the same weight (around 83kg), I never go above this weight, I'll also sometimes drop to 81kg, which I'm sure is just water weight or other as I'll go back to 83kg within a few days. Most of the fat left is around my lower-mid back, a lot around the external obliques and lower abdomen.
Here's a summary of my daily nutrition macros at current:
2000 Kcal Per Day (PD)
P: 120 - 130g
C: 180 - 240g
F: 60 - 70g
Supplementation:
Whey Protein - 60g PD
BCAAS - 20g PD
Fat burner - Pretty much a caffeine pill to be honest (Consumption stops when I adjust to a high dosage).
This obvious indication is that my Carbs are too high although i have lowered this to around 100g for around a week at a time and saw no difference. Going lower than 100g or going on Keto is quite hard due to low energy and food being expensive (I'm a student).
Training is strong and consistent, 6 days per week, training each muscle 2/3 times per week with 45 minutes of steady state cardio on the treadmill every day (HR = 135-145 bpm). Have tried switching things up (Tri sets, Giant sets, pyramids, longer eccentric movements etc).
Can anyone help out? Expected reply would be to drop the calories, is this the only option left?
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You can't drop calories any lower. They are to low already. Sounds to me like are suffering from metabolic fatigue. You cals are to low and you are training to much your body recognizes this and slows down your metabolism to save whatever fat it has remaining. Gauranteed to happen when you drop cals to low. You are going to have to reset your metabolism and start dieting from scratch again unless you want to burn up muscle cause that is what your body is going to burn up first before using the fat since you have damaged your metabolism. The real kicker now is that it is going to be easier to gain fat once you start eating normal again since you will have a lower metabolism from burning off the muscle.
You need to reboot if you want to successfully drop anymore fat and spare your muscle. What I would do is refeed for at least a week and two would be better. Bump cals to 750+ above your TDEE for that period. What you should notice is a huge jump in lean body mass since your nutrient partitioning should be favorable to lean mass over that time frame. If you are still gaining lean mass keep the train rolling for as long as you can and then start dieting since this is what is fixing your metabolism. Now your metabolism will be reset and revved up and make you ready to lose fat and not muscle with further dieting. There is alot more to successful dieting than just cutting calories. Have a structured weight loss plan and you can get to uber low bodyfat AND spare muscle at the same time.
https://www.eroids.com/forum/training-nutrition-diet/weight-loss/structu...
I’ve heard one of the best way to “reset” yourself during a cut is to drop the diet completely for a few weeks or so and just eat “normal” for that time, within reason, and then go back to the plan. I haven’t tried it. What do you think about this philosophy?
Hope your right. The holidays derailed my diet.
I know right! My glycogen storage is full to the top, lol
It will help to reset but you are missing the opportunity to actually build some lean tissue during the reset phase if you are just eating maintenance. The window for lbm gains are huge after coming out of restricted calorie phase. I just hate to miss out on that and every little extra bit of muscle you can put on will shift your body composition more favorably and will increase your metabolism to make fat loss that much easier when you start dieting again. Both ways will help reset metabolism, just need to do what you feel comfortable with and try a little experimentation to see what works best.
Does this work both ways? Is the window for fat loss equally wide open coming out of a surplus calorie phase?
Thanks
Exactly. That is the whole premise behind cycling bulking. Just like when you start a bulk notice how quickly the weight piles on and then tapers off , now notice how when you start a diet the fat melts off like butter and then slows down. Maximize both phases, lean mass and fat loss with cycling bulking. When fat-loss is goal you stay in the diet down phase for longer periods and reboot with a min-bulk. When bulking you stay in the bulk phase longer and reboot with a min-cut when gains diminish or turn to all fat. Maximize the quick muscle gains and fat loss gains with cyclic bulking. Really no reason to be stagnant which will happen if you stay in one phase for too long. You should either be gaining muscle or losing fat.
Sorry, I read your cyclic bulking thread but I’m a little confused on how exactly to do it. Say my energy needs for maintenance is around 3,300 and I’m eating 4,100 during the mini bulk phase. Do I drop my calories to maintenance for a week? Lower but slightly above maintenance? Slightly below? Well below? What’s the best way to structure this?
I assume you are talking about the reset phase. I like to have a difference in calories of at least 1000. So if you are eating around 800+ above your TDEE I would drop to at least 200 below for your mini-cut. You don't have to go to far below baseline because with this technique it is more the abrupt difference in cals that helps to shock the body and reset insulin senstivity and not so much how far below TDEE you go. Just getting slightly below is plenty. I would never go 500 cals below your TDEE when doing this. There is no need to. Now what you need to figure out is how long you need to stay with a mini-cut and how long you can stay in your bulk for. The better shape you start out in the less time you will have to spend in the cut phase obviously. This is the only way I bulk now. Fastest way to put on muscle and hardly any fat. Nothing but a win win scenario. I like to start out at min of 12% and run it up to 14% and then hit my mini-cut. You know it is time to start the bulk back up when you get back to your original body fat or even less. For me the mini-cuts last about 10 days and bulks are 4-5 wks. Remember to account for gains in lbm when setting up cals for the next min-bulk. At the very end of the bulk you should be at about the same body fat as when you started but with an appreciable gain in lbm. Huge positive change in body composition. No need to be fat after a bulk. If you end up fat after a bulk I call that a fail in my book.
In other words, each mini bulk should be slightly more aggressive than the last?
Thanks for sharing this stuff with us
I typically exerience about a gain of 2lbs/wk when on the bulk so I have alot of new mass to account for with each round of bulking to make sure I get adequate cals. I like to add in 21-23 cals per pound of lean body mass I gain. What I typically experience and like to follow is the 80/20 rule. I can expect 80% of that new weight to be lean body mass and 20% fat. If you have a real fast metabolism bump those numbers up to 25-26 cals/lb lbm.
Now another huge point that pushes the lbm gains and fat loss to a whole new level with this approach is nutrient timing and macro ratios. To much to get into right here and now but I think I have to update that cyclic bulking post with some more specifics. That was just a broad overview of the overall concept.
So my TDEE is around 3000/3100 kcal PD (According to Fitbit data based on HR recording 24/7) with training, so I'd go to around 3800 straight away?
Appreciate all the advice.
I personally bump my cals up 1000 over my TDEE when coming out of a diet phase to reset metabo and build lbm but to many people freak out over that much so they seem to be somewhat more comfortable with 750 so do whatever you are comfortable with. You should actually gain some lean body mass during that time frame you are eating which will make it easier to cut when you start restricting cals again. This is basically one of the principles of cyclic bulking if you are familiar with that. You are just kind of doing it in reverse order with the focus primarily on cutting and not bulking. Just don't drop cals to low to fast once you start dieting again cause you will suffer metobolic fatigue in a relatively short time and once again hit a plateau and have to do a reboot. Now with your metabolism reset, follow that structured diet protocol to ensure you stay in fat burning mode as long as possible and prevent any plateaus.
Thanks, I understand now fully. Also I've been doing steady state Cardio 45 minutes daily, how should this be restricted? Dial it down a lot?
When you get back on your cal restriction diet I tend to limit cardio at first. 3-4 sessions per wk is tops. Then when I hit a plateau I add in another session. Once I hit another plateau, then another session gets put in and so on. Don't throw everything and the kitchen sink all in at once. Do that and you set yourself up for metabolic fatigue right away. Piece things in slowly as needed so you are dropping 1 to 2 lbs max per week. When you run out of cardio then start carb cycling. Then add in some fat burners and so on.
So after the two weeks or so, I'd go on 3600/3700 kcals with a few Cardio sessions a week, then every time I plateu with weight loss, lower the calories by 50/100?
What is your TDEE?
It's around 2800-3000
It's around 2800-3000
I’d ditch the BCAAs, swap the whey for fibrous whole foods, and the caffeine pills for black coffee or unsweetened green tea. Whey protein is notorious for surging insulin even if it is a low carb food.
I wouldn’t lower your carbs. That’s not the answer. You’re trying to lose fat, not water weight and performance in the gym. They’re low as they are.
Would swapping the whey make that big of a difference?
basskiller89The thermogenic effect of whole food is greater as well
I call it the meat sweats
basskiller89I’m going to use that lol
Correct. Basically your body has to expend more energy to digest solid foods versus liquids
basskiller89I agree 100%
Absolutely. Whey is in and out. Very quickly digested. Foods digest much slower, allowing you to absorb more nutrients and stay fuller longer. Plus you’ll save money.
I only ever recommend liquid protein immediately after training.
I see, that's the only time I ingest whey, straight after my workout, before Cardio. I'll stop taking it and see what happens.
How often do you have refeed days?
Maybe once every week or two weeks.
How many years training do you have?
Sometimes you won’t see the scale move but if your endurance is increasing or you’re able to lift more you’re still making progress. Look up makwa’s posts on cyclical cutting for some help on designing your diets.
Training for 5 and a half years, last 3 years have been consistent and proper.