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View Full Version : Eat for total bodyweight vs Eat for lean mass only...



djdougcollins
06-12-2011, 02:29 PM
I'm having an incredibly hard time losing weight as of late. Altogether on my journey of 5+ years, I've lost nearly 100 pounds of total weight, but as with so many other people, the last 20 or 30 pounds is nearly impossible to get off. I've tried keto, carb cycling, etc etc.. and while I have seen some results and progress, sthat stubborn belly and love handles will not go away.

So, I'm just curious on people's thoughts on this. I know I'm almost 200 pounds of lean mass and about 50 pounds of fat. Should I maybe switch up things and start my calorie consumption based on lean mass only, or stick with total body weight? Obviously, my fat cells don't need to be fed, but my lean mass does. I lift 5 times a week, and do cardio on all but leg day. I want to keep the muscle I have, but lose that stubborn last 20! So low carbs eating for 200 pounds, or low carbs eating for the full 250? I always throw in about 6 hours of cheating every week, and depending on how hard I lift, I have a lower fat, higher carb day to replenish my stores. I just wonder if maybe I'm simply taking in too many calories.

I currently eat 3500 to 3700 calories a day on training days. If my Body Bugg i wore for months in correct, I burn between 4000 and 4500 calories a day on training days and a little shy of 4000 on non-training days. I know a massive calorie deficit will put my body into starvation/storage mode, but I wonder if maybe something closer to 3000 calories is what I need. Thoughts? Suggestions? Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

jnwaco
06-14-2011, 08:51 AM
Eat less.

kyoudaiai
06-20-2011, 07:27 AM
well try to eat less or increase activity for a week and see what happens. if you feel fatigued all the time now take 2 weeks off everything and eat at your maintenance and some moderate carbs during the day then get back at it again.

djdougcollins
06-20-2011, 06:52 PM
well try to eat less or increase activity for a week and see what happens. if you feel fatigued all the time now take 2 weeks off everything and eat at your maintenance and some moderate carbs during the day then get back at it again.

I already work out 5 to 6 days and have a standing job, so increasing activity is out. I've decreased my caloric intake for the past week to about 2500 calories a day (250-300g protein, 75-100g carbs, rest fat). If nothing else, I'm much more "dry" than I have been in quite some time. My strength hasn't appeared to go down either. So I'm going to stick with this for at least 6 weeks and see what happens. I don't see how this can't result in some fat loss. We'll see what happens!

HalcyonDays
06-22-2011, 12:50 AM
I already work out 5 to 6 days and have a standing job, so increasing activity is out. I've decreased my caloric intake for the past week to about 2500 calories a day (250-300g protein, 75-100g carbs, rest fat). If nothing else, I'm much more "dry" than I have been in quite some time. My strength hasn't appeared to go down either. So I'm going to stick with this for at least 6 weeks and see what happens. I don't see how this can't result in some fat loss. We'll see what happens!

250-300grams of protein is more than you need. That's a good place to cut your calories. 175-200grams a day should be enough.

djdougcollins
06-22-2011, 06:41 PM
I try to eat about a gram per pound of weight per day, and try to keep my carbs and fat fairly moderate. I'm pretty carb sensitive. My body just loved to be fat :-(. 75-100g of my protein comes in the form of whey (first thing AM, pre and post-workout), so it's not really from food sources. Doing my best not to sacrifice any of my hard earned muscle (hardgainer here) and keep my strength up.

k9pit
07-11-2011, 02:39 PM
I try to eat about a gram per pound of weight per day, and try to keep my carbs and fat fairly moderate. I'm pretty carb sensitive. My body just loved to be fat :-(. 75-100g of my protein comes in the form of whey (first thing AM, pre and post-workout), so it's not really from food sources. Doing my best not to sacrifice any of my hard earned muscle (hardgainer here) and keep my strength up.

While protein shakes are good for their purpose, overdoing them can be bad. I've been getting better results by cutting out as many random protein shakes as possible. Shakes don't really fill you up (me at least) at all so I don't know about you but it's nothing for me drink a protein shake first thing in the morning and then wanna eat more.

I stopped drinking them first thing in the morning as I'd still be hungry after and calories add up fast when you're trying to stay in a targeted macro range. At least food keeps you fuller longer. The only time I drink them now are post workout OR if I need to meet my overall macros for the day before bed and I'm not really hungry. I was taking in about 225g+ protein a day, but now I've scaled back to 190g.

For pre workout I rather eat food 1 to 1.5 hours earlier than a shake because it feels like I have something "in the tank". If I get totally lazy I'll eat a ON Whey Crisp protein bar for a meal replacement because at least (as it's a bar) it'll fill me up so that I'm not hungry for the next 2 hours or so.

It's possible to make strength gains on a cut (as long as you're not cutting too low). I have.