how long to see progress?

[toyboxx]

well i have been at this for 11 months now, and i have not gotten very far but i have build a lot of muscle. i have went up in weights , 10lbs on my biceps and 25 on back and about 50lbs on legs, somewhere in that range anyway. i stared at 115lbs and now i have gained to 122lbs, but most of it is fat. i have added 4.5 inches to my body, and i went up almost 2 sizes in jeans. anyway before i was lifting 4 days and doing very little or no cardio at all and eating around 1800cals balancing my macros. Well that did not work. So i have been doing cardio 4 to 5 days a week , 30 min sessions and 3 of the days are 15 min of hiit followed by 15min of low intensity. Im also still lifting 4 days a week. I have benn followong this routine for 5 weeks and i have not lost much fat, i still weight he same and i have lost an inch. my diet right now is high fat and protien and minimal carbs, i have one serving in the morning of comlex carbs and the rest i get from veggies and at night i will have one serving of complex carbs. i recently started taking lipo 6 fat burning pills, but i also take creatine monohydrate , glutamine, and bcaa. so can antyone tell me whats going on??? i really need help

[LyingSac]

well i have been at this for 11 months now, and i have not gotten very far but i have build a lot of muscle. i have went up in weights , 10lbs on my biceps and 25 on back and about 50lbs on legs, somewhere in that range anyway. i stared at 115lbs and now i have gained to 122lbs, but most of it is fat. i have added 4.5 inches to my body, and i went up almost 2 sizes in jeans. anyway before i was lifting 4 days and doing very little or no cardio at all and eating around 1800cals balancing my macros. Well that did not work. So i have been doing cardio 4 to 5 days a week , 30 min sessions and 3 of the days are 15 min of hiit followed by 15min of low intensity. Im also still lifting 4 days a week. I have benn followong this routine for 5 weeks and i have not lost much fat, i still weight he same and i have lost an inch. my diet right now is high fat and protien and minimal carbs, i have one serving in the morning of comlex carbs and the rest i get from veggies and at night i will have one serving of complex carbs. i recently started taking lipo 6 fat burning pills, but i also take creatine monohydrate , glutamine, and bcaa. so can antyone tell me whats going on??? i really need help


I think you are putting on muscle with the fat content staying the same.My trainer believes in muscleing up first the cutting out.Believe me if you saw these bodybuilders and fitness competitors in the off season or during "bulking phase" it'll shock you.I guess what i'm trying to say is if you are going to be serious about sculpting there is gonna be times when were not so atractive.Keep your final goals in mind.Set a target date,and don't get discouraged.PS...i'm an old married man,but you're cute as a button...Roy

[kimm4]

well i have been at this for 11 months now, and i have not gotten very far but i have build a lot of muscle. i have went up in weights , 10lbs on my biceps and 25 on back and about 50lbs on legs, somewhere in that range anyway. i stared at 115lbs and now i have gained to 122lbs, but most of it is fat. i have added 4.5 inches to my body, and i went up almost 2 sizes in jeans. anyway before i was lifting 4 days and doing very little or no cardio at all and eating around 1800cals balancing my macros. Well that did not work. So i have been doing cardio 4 to 5 days a week , 30 min sessions and 3 of the days are 15 min of hiit followed by 15min of low intensity. Im also still lifting 4 days a week. I have benn followong this routine for 5 weeks and i have not lost much fat, i still weight he same and i have lost an inch. my diet right now is high fat and protien and minimal carbs, i have one serving in the morning of comlex carbs and the rest i get from veggies and at night i will have one serving of complex carbs. i recently started taking lipo 6 fat burning pills, but i also take creatine monohydrate , glutamine, and bcaa. so can antyone tell me whats going on??? i really need help

I will tell you that creatine adds water weight for sure! You need to post a sample of your daily diet as it's easier to take a look and trouble shoot what might be going on. What's your macro breakdown of protein, carbs and fats. The 1800 at this point would be more maintenance for your stats...but again hard to tell when there's not diet listed.

At your height and weight that's lean...it takes years to add quality muscle to a frame...so patience is needed :)

[gecko...]

Yes - for your height and weight you are already really lean. I'm your height but almost 15kilos heavier! :o

Its so frustrating to be working your @rse off and not seeing results.

[freebirdmac]

If you lost an inch, you lost fat. Forget the damn scale! Also, two pant sizes is nothing either. Sounds like you did really good building muscle and now you just need a slow leaning out to see them. Do take it slow so you keep those muscles you worked so hard for. Hopefully you'll see more inches lost and find out your weight stayed pretty steady.

[toyboxx]

I will tell you that creatine adds water weight for sure! You need to post a sample of your daily diet as it's easier to take a look and trouble shoot what might be going on. What's your macro breakdown of protein, carbs and fats. The 1800 at this point would be more maintenance for your stats...but again hard to tell when there's not diet listed.

At your height and weight that's lean...it takes years to add quality muscle to a frame...so patience is needed :)

well, im eating around 170 prot and 55 fat and minimal carbs, i eat 4 servings of veggies a day and two servings of comlex carbs, usually one in the morning and one at night. so i dont know if i should add more carbs or not?? im also eating around 1600 cals a day. a personal trainer has me on this diet right now, so thats why im doing this. is creatine monohydrate a good supplement to be taking?

[toyboxx]

i also always go into the transformation pages, and these women go from frumpy to fabulous, and i think im doing everything there doing, i look at there diets and routines and some of them say they did in 16 weeks! what the hell???

[kimm4]

i also always go into the transformation pages, and these women go from frumpy to fabulous, and i think im doing everything there doing, i look at there diets and routines and some of them say they did in 16 weeks! what the hell???

keep in mind you're already lean...what is your body fat at now? it takes a long time to add muscle to a lean frame and patience is key! you will gain some nice strength from taking creatine and lifting heavy...i'm talking really pushing yourself above and beyond will help to add more muscle for sure.

[toyboxx]

keep in mind you're already lean...what is your body fat at now? it takes a long time to add muscle to a lean frame and patience is key! you will gain some nice strength from taking creatine and lifting heavy...i'm talking really pushing yourself above and beyond will help to add more muscle for sure.
i think my bf is high, its probably around 23%, is there any personal trainers on here that will really help you out, i will pay them, i live in a small town and i cant get a personal trainer around here, i would have to drive 45 min to the next gym. thats what really sucks!

[Beefcupcake]

You said that you went up in weights but how heavy are you really lifting? Are you really pushing yourself? I'm very lean too and have been adding muscle *very slowly* but I already see big changes. I do not want to do a bulk phase since I don't like how puffy my stomach gets (it's the first thing to get big lol!) Anyhow, my body composition has been changing but that's because I've been increasing my weights as much as I can (I've been training for about 9 months) If you're not adding muscle is because you're not lifting heavy in order to challenge them and grow them.

[Beefcupcake]

Oh, and I forgot to add that I don't do any cardio for now to preserve the muscle I have but my diet is pretty good.

[freebirdmac]

well, im eating around 170 prot and 55 fat and minimal carbs, i eat 4 servings of veggies a day and two servings of comlex carbs, usually one in the morning and one at night. so i dont know if i should add more carbs or not?? im also eating around 1600 cals a day. a personal trainer has me on this diet right now, so thats why im doing this. is creatine monohydrate a good supplement to be taking?

With your stats you should be eating more and focusing on muscle gains. It's going to be really hard and a slow process to gain much mass at that cal level. Reducing bf is great, but if you lack muscle mass it isn't going to give you the results you want. Ideally you'd like to bulk for a good six months then lean out.

I know, believe me I know, how hard it is to continually ignore the bf and go for muscle. I've swapped out a good 8 pounds of body fat in the last year and it'll probably take another 8 to get my legs leaned out. But no way could I have lost 16 pounds of body fat to start with. I'd have ended up weighing 96 pounds! I'd at least up the cals and get some mass on for the next 4 months. You can do it with a minimal amount of additional body fat gains.

[Deborah_Lyn]

for your stats - BMI- 19.69

BMI Guidelines Weight Status
BMI
Below 18.5 Under Weight
18.5 - 24.9 Normal
25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
30.0 and above Obese


You're no where near 23% BF. Probably even a bit lower than 19.69 because you have built up muscle. BMI is very screwy for BBers.

Don't get discouraged! Do what you can and do it well, and it will fall into place.


How frequently are you raising your weights? I'm pretty timid about upping my weights, but the ladies here have shown me the light and I have been raising them.

"but most of it is fat"

I'm confused about this. Unless you are eatting huge amounts (and you are not by your pictures and what is posted) I think you've only out on lean muscle, not fat. Your arms are very lean, toned look and your legs, from what I see look the same.

maybe lower the cardio so you don't loose as much mass? excess calorie burn takes away it as you are expending that much more energy. Maybe cut it down 1 or 2 x a week? give yourself a break?

Shake thing up a bit and see what happens. That's become my main focus because my body keeps adapting to what I'm doing, so I have to alter it about so I have to recondition my body in different ways.

Good luck!

[toyboxx]

for your stats - BMI- 19.69

BMI Guidelines Weight Status
BMI
Below 18.5 Under Weight
18.5 - 24.9 Normal
25.0 - 29.9 Overweight
30.0 and above Obese


You're no where near 23% BF. Probably even a bit lower than 19.69 because you have built up muscle. BMI is very screwy for BBers.

Don't get discouraged! Do what you can and do it well, and it will fall into place.


How frequently are you raising your weights? I'm pretty timid about upping my weights, but the ladies here have shown me the light and I have been raising them.

"but most of it is fat"

I'm confused about this. Unless you are eatting huge amounts (and you are not by your pictures and what is posted) I think you've only out on lean muscle, not fat. Your arms are very lean, toned look and your legs, from what I see look the same.

maybe lower the cardio so you don't loose as much mass? excess calorie burn takes away it as you are expending that much more energy. Maybe cut it down 1 or 2 x a week? give yourself a break?

Shake thing up a bit and see what happens. That's become my main focus because my body keeps adapting to what I'm doing, so I have to alter it about so I have to recondition my body in different ways.

Good luck!

SINCE THAT PICTURE I HAVE GAINED 11 LBS. AND YES MOST OF IT IS MORE FAT, BECAUSE MY PANTS DONT FIT ME ANYMORE. AND I HAVE GAINED 4.5 INCHES IN MY BUTT, BELLY AND WAIST I KNOW IM LIFTING AS HEAVY AS I CAN, I LIFT UNTILL I CAN BARELY LIFT ANOTHER REP, I M ON A PLAN RIGHT NOW, I HAVE BEEN ON THIS FOR 2 MONTHS, I START WITH 2 SETS OF 8 TO 10 REPS AND THE NEXT IS 3, THEN 4 THEN 5 AND BACK DOWN TO 2 AND THROWING IN CARDIO 4 TO 5 DAYS A WEEKS FOR 30 MIN. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 12 WEEKS AND I HAVE LOST AN INCH. HERE ARE SOME OF MY STATS

8 TO 10 REPS

DEADLIFT 70
LEG PRESS 155
BB SQUATS 70
LEG EXT 70
LEG CURL 65
TRICEP PUSHDOWN 55
STAIGHT ARM PULLDOWN 60
DB SHOULDER PRESS 12
DB UPRIGHT ROW 12
BICEP CABLE CURL 50
BB CURLS 20, NOT INCLUDING THE WEIGHT OF THE BAR

I HAVE KEPT A LOG SINCE I STARTED A YEAR AGO AND I HAVE WENT UP A LOT IN WEIGHT IN SOME AREAS.

[freebirdmac]

It's gotta come down to your diet. Either you're not getting enough cals, too many cals, or low carb/high fat is not what will work for you. I'm sure you've posted it before, but what have your cals and macros looked like?

Also, are you saying you're doing 8-10 reps, then 3, 4, 5 reps? That's also a ton of cardio.

[toyboxx]

It's gotta come down to your diet. Either you're not getting enough cals, too many cals, or low carb/high fat is not what will work for you. I'm sure you've posted it before, but what have your cals and macros looked like?

Also, are you saying you're doing 8-10 reps, then 3, 4, 5 reps? That's also a ton of cardio.

I KNOW EVERYBODY IS PROBABLY SICK OF ME POSTING THREADS, IM SORRY!!

YES I THINK ITS MY DIET TOO, IVE TRIED EATING 1800 CALS 170 PROT 160 CARBS AND 35 FAT IT IT SEAMED TO WORK BUT NOT WELL, THEN I DROPPED MY CARBS DOWN TO 130, EATING 1700 CALS A DAY, IVE THEN RAISED MY CAL INTAKE TO 2000 UPPED MY CARB INTAKE TO 190 THAT RELLY DID NOT WORK, I GAINED 5 LBS IN FAT I BELEIVE, SO CURRENTLY IM EATING 1600 CALS, 100 CARBS, MAINLY VEGGIES AND 65 FAT AND 170 PROT I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 9 WEEKS, I HAVE WENT UP IN WEIGHTS, ESPECIALLY MY LOWER HALF, NOT MUCH ON MY UPPER. BUT YES IM ALSO DOING 8 TO 10 REPS, THIS ONE GUY IS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW, BUT LIVES 3 HOURS FROM ME TOLD ME I SHOULD DO A 8, 6, 4, THEN 20 REPS, SO DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO A 3,4 AND 5, AND DO I CHANGE THE WEIGHT AND MAKE IT HEAVIER??? HE TOLD ME TO DO THE OTHER WAY AROUND BUT WHATEVER WORKS, AND CUT SOME CARDIO??

[freebirdmac]

Yeesh. What a struggle! Reading through the history it struck me that 40/40/20 at 1800 worked, just not enough. Lowering carbs didn't help until you were down to 1600 cals. But again not well. Raising cals didn't help out either. So assuming your exercise routine has been constant I'd do 40/40/20 at 1600 cals. Some people do not do well with higher fats, even when they lower carbs. Even a 50/30/20 would be good. For now, keep your exercise routine the same and just make the diet change. It'll be easier to figure out what's what that way.

[kimm4]

I KNOW EVERYBODY IS PROBABLY SICK OF ME POSTING THREADS, IM SORRY!!

YES I THINK ITS MY DIET TOO, IVE TRIED EATING 1800 CALS 170 PROT 160 CARBS AND 35 FAT IT IT SEAMED TO WORK BUT NOT WELL, THEN I DROPPED MY CARBS DOWN TO 130, EATING 1700 CALS A DAY, IVE THEN RAISED MY CAL INTAKE TO 2000 UPPED MY CARB INTAKE TO 190 THAT RELLY DID NOT WORK, I GAINED 5 LBS IN FAT I BELEIVE, SO CURRENTLY IM EATING 1600 CALS, 100 CARBS, MAINLY VEGGIES AND 65 FAT AND 170 PROT I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 9 WEEKS, I HAVE WENT UP IN WEIGHTS, ESPECIALLY MY LOWER HALF, NOT MUCH ON MY UPPER. BUT YES IM ALSO DOING 8 TO 10 REPS, THIS ONE GUY IS A PERSONAL TRAINER I KNOW, BUT LIVES 3 HOURS FROM ME TOLD ME I SHOULD DO A 8, 6, 4, THEN 20 REPS, SO DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO A 3,4 AND 5, AND DO I CHANGE THE WEIGHT AND MAKE IT HEAVIER??? HE TOLD ME TO DO THE OTHER WAY AROUND BUT WHATEVER WORKS, AND CUT SOME CARDIO??

I'm confused? What is seemed to well but not to well mean? I think one of the biggest problems is you keep changing your numbers. How long do you stick with a plan before you make changes? You need to find a solid plan and stick to it. I would stick with 1600 calories with a 40/40/20 or 50/25/25 split...something like this should work ok based on your stats. I'm not one for the high fat diets and I think with you already being lean...it's just no a good choice for you.

Give the 1600 calories a good go for a solid 5-6 weeks and see what happens...then go from there...you'll find something that works no doubt!!

[toyboxx]

Alright, I Will Start From There, But Should I Try A Lower Amount Of Rep And How Many Sets Or Just Keep My Routine The Same?? But Less Cardio

[freebirdmac]

I'd stay with the 3 sets in the 8-12 range. Doing a burnout of 20 lighter weight reps on some exercises after your working set is great on some exercises. But I would not do it on all of them. It's pretty taxing. I don't think I'd do it for more than one upper body body part and one lower body part. I've done it on the last quad exercise and the last back/tri/bi exercise. Haven't used it on shoulders or chest and don't think I would.

Keep the cardio for now. See how the diet changes go before making a bunch more changes.

[LuckyDog]

Yeesh. What a struggle! Reading through the history it struck me that 40/40/20 at 1800 worked, just not enough. Lowering carbs didn't help until you were down to 1600 cals. But again not well. Raising cals didn't help out either. So assuming your exercise routine has been constant I'd do 40/40/20 at 1600 cals. Some people do not do well with higher fats, even when they lower carbs. Even a 50/30/20 would be good. For now, keep your exercise routine the same and just make the diet change. It'll be easier to figure out what's what that way.


This is a great post. Personally for me I have to diet moderate protein, moderate carbs, low fat. And when I cut calories I actually do better leaving the carbs moderate and lowering protein (to a point) and fat.

Also consider if you are pushing too hard. You body needs recovery to drop weight and gain muscle. I'm not saying slack just assess if you need a day off or to lower cardio. It may actually help your progress.

[toyboxx]

well i guess i will try that for now and just do the 40/40/20 or 40/30/20 and drop 2 days of cardio, but i think its either got to be the fat or carbs that is screwing me up, either im to high or to low??? im going to stick with 1600 cals first and then go from there!

[freebirdmac]

Sometimes small adjustments work the best. I do best at 40/30/30 with an occasional higher carb day. But if I go higher on the fats and lower on the carbs on a regular basis, I can very quickly see that I'll head in the wrong direction at the same cal level. For others it's the opposite. I know there are some ladies who lean out best at 50/30/20 or 50/25/25. Stick with whatever macros you choose for several weeks or until you really see it's taking you in the wrong direction. Then make minor adjustments. One great thing is that you are logging your diet. While the answer may not pop out at you, all of that data can help others analyze what's going on. But you have to stick to a plan long enough. If you aren't gaining nor losing, you will have to give it several weeks. Fat loss and muscle gain isn't linear. I've seen, with slow fat loss, a physical change about every 5 weeks. If I had changed up my diet in the interim I could have been left spinning my wheels. I'll only make a quicker change if it's clear I'm going in the wrong direction. And that it's not due to hormones or water weight or food reactions.

What you decide to do about cardio is probably irrelevant. Diet is the biggest factor. A session or two of HIIT instead of steady state would be good.

[toyboxx]

thanks so much!