Cutting 20 Pounds

[Mullen]

I have been on a diet that allows me 2000 Cal, 200g Protein, 100g Fat, and up to 100g Carbs. So far I have dropped from 214 to 204 in the last couple of months. I have stayed at 204 for the last month. I usually hit the gym 3 days a week and ride my bike 10 miles or so 1 or 2 days a week. I have been keeping a food log and have a food scale to keep my numbers correct. My goal is to get down to a lean 185, then build muscle up to 200.

According to a body fat calculator online, I am at 25%. Does this sound right? I would like to get down to 15% or so and am willing to put in the work to do it.

Here is where I am now:

I didn't want to post photos, but you guys can probably give me better feedback this way. As you can see, I carry a lot of my weight around my stomach and hips. This is what I want to get rid of.

Should I change anything in my diet? What else can I eat for breakfast aside from eggs (which is all I eat now)?

Should I try to cut down or can I lose this section by building my upper body and doing more cardio? Should I start running or using an elliptical? Should I change my work out to more reps with less weight?

Sorry for all the questions, but I thought it would be better to ask them all in my own thread than to hijack other peoples' threads.

Thanks for any help.

 

[jagbender]

All I have for breakfast is 46g of whey / casein protein

 

[jagbender]

How tall are you, age etc?

 

[ThreeGigs]

Hit the weights harder to burn glycogen stores in the muscle, and lower the fat and increase the carbs, keeping the calories at 2000. Be careful of what you drink, make sure you're not drinking calories you're not counting. I've found (for me), that it's easier to burn off carbs than fat because I'm not very active all through the day.

Also, increase the amount of dairy (i.e. calcium) you're eating. Guys are lucky in that if we increase calcium, we tend to lose fat a little more easily from the belly.

 

[Built]

Hit the weights harder to burn glycogen stores in the muscle,

Hitting the weights hard is always a good idea.

and lower the fat and increase the carbs,

While cutting, this is not what I would do, but it seems to work for you, ThreeGigs.

keeping the calories at 2000. Be careful of what you drink, make sure you're not drinking calories you're not counting.

This is very good advice.

I've found (for me), that it's easier to burn off carbs than fat because I'm not very active all through the day.

For equal calories, it's calories in, calories out.

Also, increase the amount of dairy (i.e. calcium) you're eating. Guys are lucky in that if we increase calcium, we tend to lose fat a little more easily from the belly.

Good call.

ThreeGigs, have you ever been truly fat? Some of the details differ when you've lost a significant amount of weight.

To the OP - 20% looks about right - you carry a pocket on your tummy (I carry a pocket on my legs, believe me I know how frustrating this can be when you're working hard and starving!)

Have you had your hormones checked? If not, go get your androgen levels tested.

 

[ThreeGigs]

ThreeGigs, have you ever been truly fat? Some of the details differ when you've lost a significant amount of weight.

I was never really 'fat'. But I was definitely overweight. In late August last year, my boss gifted me with a 3-month membership at the gym he goes to, since I had been making noises about wanting to drop weight and get in shape. I went from 91 kilos to 86 kilos in that time, and lost my gut. When my membership to that gym expired, I joined another, more convenient gym. At that time I looked almost exactly like the OP. I also started reading up on everything related to diet, fitness and muscle building. I joined a few forums and began reading up on advice posted, and I was especially inspired by you and your posts. I tried keto for awhile, but it really wasn't working for me. I think that's because what I was basically doing was a recomp, which is what I think the OP is trying to accomplish. I just didn't have the muscle mass to make keto, or a high fat-low carb approach work, and looking at the OPs pics, I think he's in the same boat I was. Same body shape, and same fatty areas.

What I found that worked for me was more carb calories than fat calories, because I think the carb calories tended to be stored as glycogen replenishment, which I could burn off in 2 hours of hard work at the gym (about 1200 kcals in a 2-hour workout). After I started 'real' weight training at the new gym, the diet change really made a difference. I think the low amount of carbs pushed my system into pulling more protein for gluconeogenesis, and was hindering my attempts to build new muscle. Meanwhile the generally sedentary (outside of the gym) lifestyle and work I have wasn't really burning much fat in the off-times.

So, in a nutshell, with my lifestyle a diet consisting of more carbs that I can burn off in a 2-hour window got me past a stalling point, and allowed me to add muscle while maintaining an 83-85 kilo weight range for the past 5 months. I'm thinking that the OP might benefit from the ability to burn what he eats at a time of his choosing, rather than rely on basal metabolism to burn off the fat throughout the day. And the calcium advice was something I found out a few years ago. Milk, cheese and yogurt have been diet mainstays for me.

 

[Built]

Calcium is indeed critical, especially for those of us who eat a lot of protein.

Thanks for sharing that. My only concern is appetite - carbs make many of us former-fatties hungry - so we either overeat or feel miserable all the time. I worry the OP may run into this. This is my only real concern with what you suggest, but the OP could always try it to see if it helps. Some folks love keto (hand goes up), but some hate it and truly do better on a higher-carb diet. Good to know people who have tried both and post up their experiences.

 

[Mullen]

Calcium is indeed critical, especially for those of us who eat a lot of protein.

Thanks for sharing that. My only concern is appetite - carbs make many of us former-fatties hungry - so we either overeat or feel miserable all the time. I worry the OP may run into this. This is my only real concern with what you suggest, but the OP could always try it to see if it helps. Some folks love keto (hand goes up), but some hate it and truly do better on a higher-carb diet. Good to know people who have tried both and post up their experiences.

I know what you mean about pigging out on carbs. I have always been, like that; if there was a slice a bread on the table, I would eat it, even if I was full. That was a REALLY hard habit to break. I do think that I need to remain on a low carb diet, as I feel that I would go back to the way I was otherwise. Maybe after I cut a few more pounds I will try to switch to higher carbs, but I'm not sure that I have all the required will power to limit myself just yet.

Hit the weights harder to burn glycogen stores in the muscle, and lower the fat and increase the carbs, keeping the calories at 2000. Be careful of what you drink, make sure you're not drinking calories you're not counting. I've found (for me), that it's easier to burn off carbs than fat because I'm not very active all through the day.

Also, increase the amount of dairy (i.e. calcium) you're eating. Guys are lucky in that if we increase calcium, we tend to lose fat a little more easily from the belly.

I am really good about watching what I drink. About 5 years ago I was 260 pounds and pure fat. Once I saw that number on the scale, I decided to change. I completely cut out all soda and sugary drinks. To this day I still have not had a single sip of soda. I only drink water, milk, and black tea. I will occasionally have a blue Monster (low carb). I have Lean Body RTDs, which I use later in the day to control my hunger, but those are always accounted for in my numbers. I am a senior mechanical engineering student, so keeping track of numbers is sort of my thing haha.

I will start taking in more calcium, I know that I have been lacking on that. I haven't been drinking much milk, since it is high in calories and sugar, but from what I have gathered over the last few days on the forums, it's okay to drink it. How about yogurt and cheese? Any type or brand that is best? I used to eat a lot of yogurt (was never a big cheese fan), but found that it was all full of sugar, so I stopped.

I will also start hitting the gym harder. I have been working out solo for the last year or so (on and off), so it has been difficult to push myself. I have a buddy who has similar fitness goals as myself, so we are going to start working out together next week. This should help me stay motivated.

By the way, I am 26 and 6'3".

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[ThreeGigs]

I prefer low fat yogurt, but if you're going for a keto style diet, regular is fine. Cheese is cheese, for the most part. It's high in both fat and protein along with calcium, and goes well with the keto diet.

As for the carbs, well, I tried the low carb diet and I was fine with it, but I wasn't gaining any muscle, really. So I switched things up and started eating less fats and more carbs, and voila... muscle started appearing again. Like I mentioned above, I think because I'm pushing my cardio sessions much harder and longer than most others on here, I tend to burn a lot more glycogen than most. But that means my muscles are in a glycogen depleted state, and so will pull glucose from the bloodstream to replenish glycogen. That means the carbs I eat are more likely to wind up as glycogen, which I'll burn in my next cardio session, than as fat which takes a longer time to burn.

Now, I'm definitely a newbie to weightlifting/bodybuilding, and I'm certainly not carrying as much muscle as most people on these forums, and I think you're probably more similar to me than to others, which is why I chimed in with advice. I think a lot of the posters on forums like this forget what it was like when they were just starting out, and so the advice tends to be more useful for people with a greater percentage of muscle than average. Muscle burns calories even when not in use, which is why keto works so well for muscular types. Sitting at a desk they probably burn as many calories as I would while walking around my school. That style won't really work for me yet, but the 'store and burn' style does, at least as long as I keep a significant portion of my muscles in a glycogen depleted state, which requires some rather tough workouts.

 

[Built]

Actually, keto works great for obese sedentary folk. That's why the Atkins diet works so well for these people.

 

[dirtwarrior]

I heard HCG and the diet that goes along with it works good

 

[sassy69]

I heard HCG and the diet that goes along with it works good

Any diet w/ 500 cals / day will "work". "Good" is debatable..

 

[dirtwarrior]

argeed

 

[Mullen]

I prefer low fat yogurt, but if you're going for a keto style diet, regular is fine. Cheese is cheese, for the most part. It's high in both fat and protein along with calcium, and goes well with the keto diet.

As for the carbs, well, I tried the low carb diet and I was fine with it, but I wasn't gaining any muscle, really. So I switched things up and started eating less fats and more carbs, and voila... muscle started appearing again. Like I mentioned above, I think because I'm pushing my cardio sessions much harder and longer than most others on here, I tend to burn a lot more glycogen than most. But that means my muscles are in a glycogen depleted state, and so will pull glucose from the bloodstream to replenish glycogen. That means the carbs I eat are more likely to wind up as glycogen, which I'll burn in my next cardio session, than as fat which takes a longer time to burn.

Now, I'm definitely a newbie to weightlifting/bodybuilding, and I'm certainly not carrying as much muscle as most people on these forums, and I think you're probably more similar to me than to others, which is why I chimed in with advice. I think a lot of the posters on forums like this forget what it was like when they were just starting out, and so the advice tends to be more useful for people with a greater percentage of muscle than average. Muscle burns calories even when not in use, which is why keto works so well for muscular types. Sitting at a desk they probably burn as many calories as I would while walking around my school. That style won't really work for me yet, but the 'store and burn' style does, at least as long as I keep a significant portion of my muscles in a glycogen depleted state, which requires some rather tough workouts.

I picked up some non-fat Greek yogurt to help with the calcium, plus it's loaded with protein.

The taking in more carbs makes a lot of sense to me. Once I get into a more intense work out routine, I will follow your lead and see what it does for me. I know what you mean about people forgetting what it's like to be the newbie. I am a member on many off-road forums and see the seasoned vets get pissed at the newbies or offer them poor advice. Thanks for your advice man, it's much appreciated.

 

[Elson]

Also, increase the amount of dairy (i.e. calcium) you're eating. Guys are lucky in that if we increase calcium, we tend to lose fat a little more easily from the belly.

You got a source for that? I wanna read it, seems really interesting.

 

[mario_ps2]

Any diet w/ 500 cals / day will "work". "Good" is debatable..

Yes it will work but boy...will you burn your hard earned lean muscle...

 

[ThreeGigs]

You got a source for that? I wanna read it, seems really interesting.

Obesity - Calcium and Dairy Acceleration of Weight and Fat Loss during Energy Restriction in Obese Adults

Or just Google calcium abdominal fat loss

 

[Elson]

Obesity - Calcium and Dairy Acceleration of Weight and Fat Loss during Energy Restriction in Obese Adults

Or just Google calcium abdominal fat loss

Thanks.

 

[Merkaba]

I heard HCG and the diet that goes along with it works good

I can't believe you seriously mentioned HCG....

 

[Mike Haysham]

Hello Mullen it is a great effort man and you cut 20 pounds and you did nice job to lose weight and i think keep struggling hard and keep on loosing more weight like this. Reduce some of your belly fats best of luck!