So I have been cutting for a while now. I got lazy and was out of the gym for some time. In my avatar I was at 192 around 12% BF. I got up to 218 at around 26% BF after a few years of not working out or caring.
I started cutting down by eating 1600 cals and lifting regularly. The first 8lbs were easy. But once I hit 210, it started dragging out and stalling. I wasn't losing as much weight as I was. So I upped it to 1800cals. BAM, instant weight loss. I got down to 205 and that started dragging out and stalling. I bumped it to 2100. BAM! Instant weight loss. I got down to 201. I started stalling again. I upped it to 2500. BAM! Perfect caloric intake. I have been losing 2lbs a week for two weeks now. I'm down to just under 15% BF right now.
The point is that I have been reading about guys eating soooo little calories and end up stalling and then eating less and running more. All you are doing is losing muscle as well as fat. It's OK to eat!!!!! The longer you have been working out, the more your metabolism increases, and the more your body is starved for calories.
I'll start to slowly increase my calories to reduce my weight loss as I near 192-194lbs. Then I will slowly increase them to maintenance, then to a bulking state where I will try and gain .5-1lb a week - tops.
Figured I would just share my experience in hopes that it helps someone else.
|
-
06-18-2010, 11:35 AM #1
You CAN eat too little and I'm proof!
-
06-18-2010, 11:39 AM #2
-
06-18-2010, 11:39 AM #3
-
06-18-2010, 11:40 AM #4
-
-
06-18-2010, 11:46 AM #5
-
06-18-2010, 11:49 AM #6
-
06-18-2010, 01:12 PM #7
-
06-18-2010, 01:55 PM #8
-
-
06-18-2010, 02:58 PM #9
-
06-18-2010, 04:40 PM #10
It's weird to me how different people are. I think agree, but only to an extent. I don't know why one body would treat food and nutrients completely differently than another body, unless its a rarity. I am just speaking anecdotally, but I think people who react differently to the same way of eating, are actually not eating exactly the same, or there's some other variable that's not being considered, like how they are exercising or some other unknown.
-
06-18-2010, 04:42 PM #11
-
06-18-2010, 05:51 PM #12
-
-
06-18-2010, 05:58 PM #13
-
06-18-2010, 06:34 PM #14
Unfortunately there is no scientific basis for what your suggesting, that increasing calories helps you lose more fat. One has to understand what exactly is happening, it is not that simple and this oversimplification is what leads to so much of the bro science out there. Everyone loves hearing that eating more will help them lose more weight hence people are quick to agree and disregard everything surrounding it.
While I don't feel like delving and finding all the scientific studies for you I can if you really want me too, but here are some possible explanations for what you experienced.
First off, when one experiences a large deficit in their calories, cortisol levels in the body go up, which in turn can cause your body to retain water. While it may not seem you are losing weight on the scale, you are still losing fat. The reason you suddenly dropped weight everytime you upped your calories? Your bodies stress level goes down, cortisol decreases and you release the water weight, hence the illusion that upping your calories helped you lose weight.
Another thing to understand is that ones ideal deficit is very dependant on their body compisition and how much fat they have stored in their body. I believe a study shows that each pound of fat in your body can produce up to something like 31-32 calories for energy a day, therefore if you know your body fat percentage and calculate how many pounds of fat you have in your body and multiply it by 31 you can get a rough estimate as to who how much weight you can lose without comprising your lean mass too much.
So for example if you are 180 lbs at 20% bf, that give you about 36 lbs of fat, 36x31=1116 cal from fat a day, (compared to for example, someone with 100 lbs of fat which would allow them to lose near a pound of fat a day) which is a little less than a third of a pound this would lead you to believe you can lose about 2 lbs of fat a week, but you have to account for the fact that every day as your fat mass decreases, so does the amount of calories you can derive from your fat a day, and therefore your ideal deficit decreases every day, along with the speed of the weightloss.
Obviously it will give you a pretty rough estimate. But at the least you can begin quantifying what type of deficit will achieve what you want to achieve.
-
06-18-2010, 09:18 PM #15
-
06-18-2010, 09:19 PM #16
-
-
06-18-2010, 09:46 PM #17
-
06-18-2010, 09:48 PM #18
-
06-18-2010, 09:54 PM #19
-
06-18-2010, 10:00 PM #20
-
-
06-19-2010, 12:10 AM #21
-
06-19-2010, 12:39 AM #22
-
06-19-2010, 01:02 AM #23
-
06-19-2010, 01:36 AM #24
- Join Date: Apr 2010
- Location: Rochester, Michigan, United States
- Posts: 6,463
- Rep Power: 297917
Great info MrRR, I wanted to know more about cortisol effects, that was very fascinating, thanks
Same. I'm bulking right now, but even still I have trouble some days getting enough in and if I don't, my performance suffers tremendously along with my recovery. And to reiterate what MrRR stated, lean mass impacts one's metabolism and caloric needs to boot. There are so many variables at play with different people that it's wise not to rule anything out if you start stalling inexplicably. At the end of the day, if you're taking in less calories than maintenance...
Good topic OP, I'll remember this if I start stalling when I do my cut.I will stand firm, I refuse to kneel - The fury in me is divine
My dark grave awaits, my fate is revealed - But I'm not afraid to die
If you have any problems or need advice, feel free to ask
-
-
06-19-2010, 02:58 AM #25
-
06-19-2010, 03:08 AM #26
-
06-19-2010, 07:45 AM #27
-
06-19-2010, 07:51 AM #28
No excuse. Using a variety of nutrition calculators and such, I was told (at the time based on my activity level) that I should eat 1,600 cals a day to lose 2lbs a week. If I calculate it it out now, it would tell me 2,000. That simply is just too little.
Not an excuse to eat more, it's just what is working for me. A lot, and I mean a lot, of people go on a diet and eat too little and stall out. If combining that with increased activity level, then you are not giving your body the necessary calories it needs.
-
-
06-19-2010, 08:21 AM #29
well i've been on too low calories since march 10th
but the problem started 4 days ago .. i feel hungry now ALL THE TIME
like if i eat my breakfast 10 minutes later i'm very hungry
too low calorie works for me but i feel very tired at end of the day
plus i do cardio 2 times a day total of cardio 2 hours a day
but i don't measure food no need for it
break fast 1 to 4 egg whites + tobasco sauce + bit of pita whole wheat bread
lunch chicken breast + onions
dinner : tuna can
some times i take 2 apples in between or some pine apples
thats my diet
i'm so close to get the damn 6 packs but those lower abs are killing me not showing till now
dono how long have to wait to see them ........................
oh and my stats on bodyspace was around 2 weeks after starting my cut
cuz i bulked up to 210 lbs (dirty)Beast
-
06-19-2010, 08:22 AM #30
Similar Threads
-
Can you eat too little on this diet?
By wonderboy87 in forum KetoReplies: 6Last Post: 05-01-2009, 09:31 PM -
Holy Crap! You can eat too LITTLE?
By gmmat in forum Losing FatReplies: 18Last Post: 05-16-2008, 11:22 AM -
my word! you can eat eggs and bacon and lose weight!
By lespaulsarecool in forum Losing FatReplies: 20Last Post: 06-18-2006, 08:13 AM -
My gf wants to know all the foods you can eat on a diet to loose weight -- and more.
By rurkster in forum Female BodybuildingReplies: 2Last Post: 12-05-2003, 12:21 AM
Bookmarks