How much fat can you lose in 3 months?

I know many say "1 pound a week", but nothing ever goes as planned. So from your experiences, how much fat can one realistically lose in 3 months with proper diet and cardio and training, while keeping muscle?

It's been more like 3/4 of a pound a week for me. But I have increased my muscle mass while decreasing my body fat. I'm on a 40p/40c/20f diet at around 2200 to 2500 calories a day. I'm also doing a pretty solid 4-day split and numerous hours of cardio each week.

So to answer your question, based on my own experience I would say that 10 to 12 pounds would be a realistic goal. But if you also add muscle mass in that time, you would lose a fair amount of body fat in that period.

Good luck.

[QUOTE=Getsum]It's been more like 3/4 of a pound a week for me. But I have increased my muscle mass while decreasing my body fat. I'm on a 40p/40c/20f diet at around 2200 to 2500 calories a day. I'm also doing a pretty solid 4-day split and numerous hours of cardio each week.

So to answer your question, based on my own experience I would say that 10 to 12 pounds would be a realistic goal. But if you also add muscle mass in that time, you would lose a fair amount of body fat in that period.

Good luck.[/QUOTE]

So you actually gained muscle mass while losing body fat? This is exactly what I am trying to do, so telling me a little more about your experience would help a lot. I'm doing 7 days in the gym right now, 1 or 2 days a week of each muscle, and doing anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours of cardio 4 days a week.

*points to sig*

How can you gain muscle on a caloric deficit?

i had lost about 84 pounds i think, and i gained 2.5 pounds of muscle, but i was morbidly obese at 330 5'11 with 49 percent BF.

[QUOTE=BigMace255]So you actually gained muscle mass while losing body fat? This is exactly what I am trying to do, so telling me a little more about your experience would help a lot. I'm doing 7 days in the gym right now, 1 or 2 days a week of each muscle, and doing anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours of cardio 4 days a week.[/QUOTE]

BigMace, props for your efforts but what youi are doing will neither build mass nor shed fat. At seven days a week man you will quickly overtraiin and burnout and your body will eat its own muscle tissue so to spare precious fat. I know it is hard to do but give yourself a couple of off days where you just eat right and take it easy. Ya gotta rest man, good luck.

I just finished my third month and I lost 32 pounds. That was with a 500 caloric deficit, lifting 3 times per week and cardio 5 times per week (3 days of HIIT and 2 days of 45 minutes on the treadmill). I started at 216 and am now down to 184. I person who is bigger then I was could conceivably lose more weight then I did.

[QUOTE=BigMace255]So you actually gained muscle mass while losing body fat? This is exactly what I am trying to do, so telling me a little more about your experience would help a lot. I'm doing 7 days in the gym right now, 1 or 2 days a week of each muscle, and doing anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours of cardio 4 days a week.[/QUOTE]
Umm, check out my journal....everything I've this year is logged there. Here's a link: [url]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=388841[/url]

7 days in the gym each week is pretty rough. I always give myself one day a rest and sometime as much as 3 days off, it depends on how I feel. Listen to your body man. Your cardio level are about what I'm doing. I think it's very important to keep your protein level up if your trying to preserve muscle mass.

[QUOTE=abrunn11]I just finished my third month and I lost 32 pounds. That was with a 500 caloric deficit, lifting 3 times per week and cardio 5 times per week (3 days of HIIT and 2 days of 45 minutes on the treadmill). I started at 216 and am now down to 184. I person who is bigger then I was could conceivably lose more weight then I did.[/QUOTE]


Wow, nice job.

I've lost 38 total over a long period. I wanted a gradual change. Beginning of April I started my hardcore loss. I've lost 5.5 pounds since then and think I am maintaining my strength. I'm right on schedule for 2lbs a week. I don't recommend trying this for 3 months straight. It's pretty tough on my body. Right now my legs/knees are screaming at me. Going to need a nice resting period when May comes around.

You could get away with losing 20lbs though during the 3 month period. That's a pretty considerable change in appearance.

With a proper diet, workout program and so on, you should be able to lose 25-30lbs in 3 months (some of which will probably be lean mass/water weight though).

Ive been losing about 1.5-2lbs a week since February, while 75% of that loss is from fat (been doing calcs with body fat and so on).

Ive slowed down now though. I need to adjust my cals again.

[QUOTE=Gibblets]How can you gain muscle on a caloric deficit?[/QUOTE]
It might have to do with my body type being a mesomorph. But there's absolutely no denying the fact that my forearms, biceps, triceps, chest, back, thighs, calves have made nice gains during this last 8 months while I've lost around 7 inches of fat off of my abdomen. I've lost 28lbs and 13% body fat during that period. I'm the type of person that carries nearly all of my fat in my gut, and look naturally built when my body fat is low. I’m trying to eat at around 500 calories or so below my maintenance level and I keep my protein to at least 200g per day. The supplements I’m taking are Creatine, whey protein, sometimes soy protein, green tea, lipo 6, chromium picolinate, fish oils, fiber pills and a multivitamin.

Nice...this is good news to me...makes me feel that I am striving for a real goal. I actually have from May 1st until September 1st to cut...so I have 4 months to drop 20-25 pounds.

So would you all suggest that I keep an eye on my weekly weight and corresponding caloric intake so to keep the weight loss between 1-2 pounds per week?

And also, when people say you lose 1 pound per week, is that kinda like on average, or do you really get 1 pound lighter from week to week? I know that when you bulk, sometimes you gain 3 pounds here, and 0 pounds there, but if you average it all out, it comes out to be 1 pound a week gain.

[QUOTE=Gibblets]
So would you all suggest that I keep an eye on my weekly weight and corresponding caloric intake so to keep the weight loss between 1-2 pounds per week?[/QUOTE]

I weigh myself every Friday morning right after I wake up and then take a bf calculation. Weigh yourself the same time every week for consistency and do not do it more than that (become obsessive).

You should be losing 1-2lbs per week or you might be losing too much lean body mass. At first, you might drop alot of water weight, so dont be afraid.

[QUOTE]And also, when people say you lose 1 pound per week, is that kinda like on average, or do you really get 1 pound lighter from week to week? I know that when you bulk, sometimes you gain 3 pounds here, and 0 pounds there, but if you average it all out, it comes out to be 1 pound a week gain.[/QUOTE]

I literally have been losing 1.5-2lbs a week (since middle of february). I started at 198 and am now 185.

I keep the calculations in a spreadsheet. It really seems to give you an idea of control over your body. Very cool feeling.

Ive slowed down the past 2 weeks though. I think I need to adjust my calories again.

Also, I do a cheat meal once over the weekend. I eat whatever I want for that meal. My metabolism just eats it up and it doesnt affect me at all.

It also keeps me sane while watching tv (I can watch a fast food commercial and not be mad that I cannot have something).

Good Luck!

Thanks. I'm gonna be posting a log here in a few weeks. Hell, I might even post it now.

This week and the next, I'm just counting calories to figure out how much I've been eating recently.

If u do what I did in 6 weeks you can lose about 30-35 pnds. However, I don't think you can retain all of your muscle with my method... probably something like 80% of it though and you might actually see gains (depending on exactly what you eat and the type of work-out you're doing).

I am doing circuit training for now with my new bowflex (previously I had been just lifting weights at the gym, but this lil toy lets me work-out damn near any time I want and so I only really have to use the gym 1-2's a week for the leg work). Total body 3 days a week. With every other day cardio and you get one whole day off each week (Sunday).

I made sure to take my multi-vitamin, flaxseed gel, and plenty of protein throughout the day (tho someone commented on my diet and said I may need much more protein... I try to have at least 2-3 protein shakes a day and that alone is 80~g of protein).

I ate lots of chicken and turkey and kept my meal calorie and fat size small and the carb/protein levels high. It looked like this 60% carb, 30% prot, 10% fat; however I am thinking on changing it to 50%, 40%, 10% or something like that based on what I'm reading on the forums.

Week 1 & 2 - 1500~ calories
Week 3 & 4 - 1300~ calories
Week 5 & 6 - 1100~ calories (not there yet, but getting there - so far I've lost 25~ pnds)

You may need to adjust the calories a little depending on your age and weight (I'm 18 and started out about 255 - aimin for 195-200~). Also note DO NOT count the protein shakes in with your daily calory intake =). It's almost like a nice on-going cheat (most protein shakes are 100-200 calories).

Once I get cut down to my desired weight I plan on change'n my workout routine to 3 on 1 off (each day being a different muscle group ie Day: Chest and Shoulders with an easy cardio every day including my day-off). And my calorie intake will look something like 2000-2500~ w/ lots of protein.

Hope this helps!

[QUOTE=Gibblets]
This week and the next, I'm just counting calories to figure out how much I've been eating recently.[/QUOTE]

Personally, I do not technically count calories, but my diet remains pretty consistent.

3-4 healthy meals a day (bkfast, lunch, dinner and sometimes a light snack too).
3 whey protein shakes (mid morning, mid afternoon and post workout).
Little or no carbs after 8pm.
Try to get at least 30-40g of protein per meal.
Multi-vitamin

[QUOTE=Gibblets]Nice...this is good news to me...makes me feel that I am striving for a real goal. I actually have from May 1st until September 1st to cut...so I have 4 months to drop 20-25 pounds.

So would you all suggest that I keep an eye on my weekly weight and corresponding caloric intake so to keep the weight loss between 1-2 pounds per week?

And also, when people say you lose 1 pound per week, is that kinda like on average, or do you really get 1 pound lighter from week to week? I know that when you bulk, sometimes you gain 3 pounds here, and 0 pounds there, but if you average it all out, it comes out to be 1 pound a week gain.[/QUOTE]
Well, I actually gained about 6 pounds when I first started lifting again in August, went from 220 to 226, but that's because I was eating way too much combined with the lifting threw me into a bulk. I put a stop to that and was working on doing some cardio along with messing with my diet. I didn't get my diet comepletely dialed in until around the December/January time frame and that's about when I started following the 40p/40c/20f ratio.

As far as keeping your eye on things, I'd say take some pictures and then take all of your measurements ASAP. One of the greatest signs of my own gains is the belt I wear with my jeans, I recently had to add a new hole to it and the end sticks out so far that I have to fold it back in. People are always impressed when I show them the worn out hole I used to use on a daily basis and the hole I'm using now, it's a huge difference. What I'm getting at is that you need to strive for a realistic 1 pound a week, losing the fat that slowly will probably allow you to keep your muscle mass and maybe even gain some. I personally think that people end up losing muscle mass because they lose their weight too damn fast. I mean, how can anyone expect to do otherwise losing 2 to 3 pounds a week? I also don't consider myself on a diet anymore; this is the way I live now.

I normally weigh myself twice a week, usually on Tuesdays and Saturdays when I first wake up and after I use the restroom.

Igneus-

1100 calories is way to few for a 200+ pound man. Your body is going to be cannibalizing your muscle for fuel. A 500 caloric deficit from your natural BMR is sufficient, there is no reason to starve yourself. This is not a race to see how fast you can lose weight. When you stop with the diet that you are on, all the muscle weight that you lost will be replaced with fat. I suggest aiming to lose 1-2 pounds per week with a clean 40/40/20 diet for the best, healthiest and longest lasting results. This is strictly my opinion, if it works for you and it attians your personal goals, more power to you.

[QUOTE=abrunn11]1100 calories is way to few for a 200+ pound man. [/QUOTE]

I absolutely agree.

I think that is even below what the human body needs to function.

You will see a big loss of energy if you havent already.

How much you can lose in 3 months is proportional to how fat you are. I lost 40 lbs in the first two months of my big cut, but I was obese at 300 lbs. Later, Odin

ive been reading a lot on carbohydrate cycling, might wanna try that.
Im going to start beginning monday.

[QUOTE=Gibblets]How can you gain muscle on a caloric deficit?[/QUOTE]
noob gains.

[QUOTE=frodo]noob gains.[/QUOTE]

Ooooooo to bottle up and sell those noob gains!

[QUOTE=frodo]noob gains.[/QUOTE]
True enough, your going to experience some really good gains your first coupe years of working out. But on the same token, most of the people posting here in this forum probably fall into that category. I mean hell, if you’re still cutting after that long you're probably doing something really wrong. I’ve been lifting weights off and on since I was 14 years old so I’m not completely new to working out, but 10 years of a sedentary desk job did cause me to pack on some serious weight. It’s all falling into place and coming under control now though.

I wanted to clarify a few things. Those intake calories are without my protein shakes.... My actual calorie intake each day on the week 5 & 6 will probably be about 1800 - I don't count my protein shakes, etc as part of my pure food calorie intake... I try to seperate them... perhaps I shouldn't because I do get some odd responses. But that particular diet (and it may sound kinda funny) was recommended by the bowflex for maximum fat loss and muscle gain (I told you it would be funny)... I beefed it up with lots of protein and extra cheat calories that aren't fully explained in the just the food intake.. but I figured you could assume that each protein shake is 100-200 calories if not more plus the little extras you consume each day ie your sport beverage (mine is gatorade because of the dex). Perhaps I should have made my post a lil longer lol... But if you think that my idea is bad... Also note that other than my work-out and cardio I'm almost inactive for the rest of the day (I take classes online, etc).

So you recommend a low calorie diet over carb cycling?

I tell you what... Try both...

Try cycling carbs... maitaining just a healthy diet without watching calories... Watch your loss and gains in the next 3 weeks... Then just try my diet suggestions for 3 weeks.. see which one you're more comfortable with... Don't worry about either of these hurting your body.. It's not going to be for a long extended time.

Just remember to start out high calorie food intake 1500 each day for the first 2 weeks.... consume those 2-3 protein shakes and your favorite sport bev (this will put you over the 2000 calories a day..) To change things up a bit from mine for you I'd do 40% carb, 40% protein, 20% fat (good fats... try to get u some flax seed)... Multi-vitamins are very good for you as well. Also try to consume at least 1 gallon of ice-cold water each day (you can gradually work your way up to this and eventually your body will be requesting this much water... like hey I want water NOW!)...

Workout M-T-F (and you have the option of walking every day to add in that extra cardio or jumping rope which-ever you prefer...they say walking will on an empty stomach in the morning will not only work your muscles, but burn calories without take'n too much from your muscle):
As far as work out goes.. Here's an example 2 week starter circuit training:
Leg Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Leg Extensions: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bench Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bicep Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Regular Crunch: 30 reps - failure.
Regular Situps: 12 reps - failure.
2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions (suck it in, hold it, and flex those tummy muscles)

Then on 3 and 4 step it up (it may seem like a lot but really it's not and you can probably do 2 sets of 8 reps if you really wanted to and just bump up the time it takes to do the workout from 25 to 35~):
Leg Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Leg Extensions: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bench Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Press: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Shoulder Shrug: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Bicep Curls: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Skull Crushers: 12 reps maximum weight you can handle.
Resisted Crunch: 12 reps - failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Crunch: 30 reps - failure.
Resisted Situps: until failure maximum weight you can hold on you.
Regular Situps: 12 reps - failure.
2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions (suck it in, hold it, and flex those tummy muscles)

Hope this helps some.

Im currently on a calorie deficit and gaining muscle, measurements went up in size and waist and abdomen went down in size.. lifts increased as well!!

[QUOTE=Graphite]Im currently on a calorie deficit and gaining muscle, measurements went up in size and waist and abdomen went down in size.. lifts increased as well!![/QUOTE]

I was looking at your gains and such in your quote. Very f'n nice bro! Keep up the good work.

Why do you suggest such high reps? Wouldn't it be better to keep it heavy?

Max-OT baby, that's the best way (in my opinion)

[QUOTE=Gibblets]Why do you suggest such high reps? Wouldn't it be better to keep it heavy?[/QUOTE]

I can usually do more weight with 12 reps instead of 2x8 or 3x8 (body building style reps). This is perfect for building muscle, burning calories, and you can still get that near failure effect when using enough weight... And my muscles still recover just fine.

I gave you a sample circuit routine that you can complete without killing yourself. You can try less reps if you want (about 8), but this is what I've found that works best.

Hope this works bro!

I appreciate all the help you all have given me so far. I will take this advice and use it to make my own diet and training split. I'll be posting from now on in my cutting log. You can find it in this section.

Thanks.

[QUOTE=Gibblets]Why do you suggest such high reps? Wouldn't it be better to keep it heavy?[/QUOTE]
I lift heavy, for strength, more than I do high reps with lighter weight. That being said, right now the routine I just started has me doing sets of 12 for 2 weeks, then sets of 8 for 2 weeks and then sets of 4-6 for 2 weeks. I think there are some good uses for high rep exercises, like I have some drop sets added into my current routine, and I do those with medium weight, but the main exercises will still be focused on low reps with heavy weight.

Generally speaking, I lift to get stronger and gain muscle mass and I do cardio and control my diet to lose body fat. But it's also good to take a week off and mix things up from time to time and that's what my current routine is going.