~~StrongMeats Comprehensive Guide to Cutting for the Very Overweight/Obese~~

[StrongMeat]

Thanks for the quick response -- repped.

However: I had calculated bf% using online calculators with waist circumference of 48" and neck of 16", which is where I got 35% from. In the picture thread people said it was probably around there.

I feel like I eat a lot less than 2800 (or even 2000) usually and I'm still overweight... is it possible that I'm eating more than I think / things have more calories than they do?

For lunch (for the past year or two) I've been eating either chicken burrito bowls from Chipotle or those halal meals (rice + chicken + lamb). Dinner's all over the place but probably not more than a few hundred calories.

What is the likely reality, here?

the likely reality is obvious

it doesnt appear you are tracking cals, until you know exactly what those meals are calorie wise and protein wise you are spinning your wheels

1) know calorically everything you eat
2) lift weights 2+ times a week(ideally 3-4)
3) eat 1g protein minimum for every 20 cals ingested

your cutting range is going to be within 2000-2300 for the next month or so, log cals and fit it in.

if you arent lifting, it wont work out

i made this thread in April, and now im 149lbs doing the same thing(71 lbs overall lost)

it works, you just have to trust the methodology

-StrongMeat-

[Whartonian]

3) eat 1g protein minimum for every 20 cals ingested

your cutting range is going to be within 2000-2300 for the next month or so, log cals and fit it in.

i made this thread in April, and now im 149lbs doing the same thing(71 lbs overall lost)

Can you elaborate a bit about that protein point? So you're saying if I eat 2000 calories, that means it should have included 100 grams protein as part of that?

And congrats on your loss -- that's really impressive (I've seen your pics). I hope to be able to accomplish the same.

What are your macros, btw? Sorry if you've listed this somewhere (looked a bit and couldn't find)

[StrongMeat]

Can you elaborate a bit about that protein point? So you're saying if I eat 2000 calories, that means it should have included 100 grams protein as part of that?

And congrats on your loss -- that's really impressive (I've seen your pics). I hope to be able to accomplish the same.

What are your macros, btw? Sorry if you've listed this somewhere (looked a bit and couldn't find)

when i started 20/1 was the max ratio, now its 15/1

so in a sense, a meal that has 800 cals 30g protein, would not be acceptable, but a 600 cal meal with 30g protein would

the 20/1 is a maximum value, ideally you want as much protein as possible. But due to eating with friends family etc it may not always be feasible.

the guide works within a normal "diet," its not meant to be difficult. The important thing is knowing what you are eating above all else

-StrongMeat-

[tjwoody]

Problem is I have no idea how much food I should be eating every day and what macros to use (and yes I have read the sticky) -- it just seems like all these rules go out the window when you're sufficiently overweight

nah....they dont. reread it.

ur only 235 and over 35% BF? id be afraid of skinny fat. look through my bodyspace and see where i was at around 300 and where i was, at one point. do urself a favor, lift really heavy. i could have been skinny fat myself but picked up weight lifting about a few months into my "transformation".

if ur really lazy shoot for 3k cals with some cardio and weight lifting, get ~200 pro, 100 fats and the rest could go to carbs. but u could always shift some of those carbs into fats and even bump pro bit higher if u want. key is, log, monitor and adjust when needed.

u will hear many diff ways to diet too btw.

[Whartonian]

When you (and others) say "shoot for X calories" I never understand if this means "eat X calories" or "Eat calories and work out such that the net comes to X calories" etc.

[StrongMeat]

When you (and others) say "shoot for X calories" I never understand if this means "eat X calories" or "Eat calories and work out such that the net comes to X calories" etc.

its my opinion that you should not account for workout calories as you cant accurately track them, and if you want consistent fat losses accuracy and exactness are a must

so in the context of my guide, it is purely "eat x calories"

-StrongMeat-

[tjwoody]

its my opinion that you should not account for workout calories as you cant accurately track them, and if you want consistent fat losses accuracy and exactness are a must

so in the context of my guide, it is purely "eat x calories"

-StrongMeat-

I agree with this.

You need to make things simple esp when you start or u wont stick with it. 2k cals i think is low for u and pers would rather see u start at 2500 or even 3k with like an hour of cardio a week and some started weight lifting program.

Basically what Strongmeat listed in his guide i did with exceptions.

i took a month and worked on diet slow, fixing one thing at a time.
i pers didnt weight lift for a month or two into it mainly cause of my own physical issues. But once I did start lifting I loved it! I lifted pretty extreme, prob to extreme and at times I was doing 6 days a week...dumb though for a newb but i made good progress.


U MUST track cals. thinking u are getting 2k cals a day can EASILY be 3k cals or more!

[Whartonian]

My concern is that the difference between those two thresholds (2800 using 35% bf estimate, 2300 using height) is 500 calories, which is pretty serious. If I am aiming to cut down by 2 pounds per week, can't I just eat 2000 calories? If I am really at 2827 total, then I'd be operating at -827 deficit. If I am really at 2300 total, that's -300 deficit.


forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122681961&p=920882313&viewfull=1# post920882313

For pictures (so someone can tell me if they think I am more likely 2800 total or 2300 total). Warning: They're really disgusting pictures (yes, I'm aware that's self-defeatist/low self-esteem).

[StrongMeat]

My concern is that the difference between those two thresholds (2800 using 35% bf estimate, 2300 using height) is 500 calories, which is pretty serious. If I am aiming to cut down by 2 pounds per week, can't I just eat 2000 calories? If I am really at 2827 total, then I'd be operating at -827 deficit. If I am really at 2300 total, that's -300 deficit.


forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122681961&p=920882313&viewfull=1# post920882313

For pictures (so someone can tell me if they think I am more likely 2800 total or 2300 total). Warning: They're really disgusting pictures (yes, I'm aware that's self-defeatist/low self-esteem).

weight loss isnt the goal, fat loss is

the way the guide is setup, it leaves wiggle room for activity cals, so realistically eating between 2300-2500 may net you 2-3lbs lost a week

try it for 2 weeks by the book, then make a decision

-StrongMeat-

[Awexome]

Great stuff! For me, a major tipping point was when I found out cardio isn't necessary for fat loss. I really despise cardio, I find it boring and most sports cause me knee pain :/ (luckily hasn't caused me any trouble when lifting, it would appear impact is the problem). My successful combination so far is the Stripped 5x5 program, EC stack, IF, and the fact that I got laid off and have had all day every day to focus on making a healthy lifestyle into habit. The lack of stress has been wonderful and luckily I have a decent financial cushion to support me at a minimum til I get back to work; food, gym membership, rent and bills covered for the next 6 months with unemployment insurance added in, assuming I can't find another job which is doubtful where I live).

Do what you gotta do! This site is great for keeping me on track as well.

[tjwoody]

like SM said, start at the a cals amount and readjust.

pers i rather start higher then lower.

[tjwoody]

My concern is that the difference between those two thresholds (2800 using 35% bf estimate, 2300 using height) is 500 calories, which is pretty serious. If I am aiming to cut down by 2 pounds per week, can't I just eat 2000 calories? If I am really at 2827 total, then I'd be operating at -827 deficit. If I am really at 2300 total, that's -300 deficit.


forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122681961&p=920882313&viewfull=1# post920882313

For pictures (so someone can tell me if they think I am more likely 2800 total or 2300 total). Warning: They're really disgusting pictures (yes, I'm aware that's self-defeatist/low self-esteem).

i saw ur pics.

do urself a favor, do the 2800 and just learn to track cals. get ur ~.4g in fats, around 175g of pro should cover u and rest of ur cals where u want to but get them in carbs imho.

[Whartonian]

Sorry, .4g fats?

[cnh57811]

Sorry, .4g fats?

Per lb of lbm was implied, i believe.

[Whartonian]

Gotcha, thanks

[shamrockceo]

Hmm, using the calculator that you linked, I put in my age, weight, and height in inches. Then I plugged in the values you instructed, and I got a Total Calories of 3410 for a day. However, if I plug in the body fat percentage or 44% that my Tanita scale tells me I have, I get a Total Calories of 2603 per day.

I have been eating 1800-1900 calories per day for the past month and initially went down from 333 lbs to 318lb, but now I'm sort of stalled. So, I went searching on what may be wrong and came across this thread. Now I'm confused on whether I need to eat 1800-2100 calories per day OR eat 2600-2900 calories per day.

I calculated up all the garbage per day (on average) I was eating consistently for years to gain all that weight, and I figure it was around 3500-4000+ calories per day (about 1800 calories per day just in soda alone - it's virtually all I drank, sadly). So, given that, it makes more sense to start higher with the 2600-2900 calories per day range, but just want to make sure as I'm a bit confused by the numbers now and don't want to delay my progress any more.

What do you think? Thanks.

[StrongMeat]

the protein macro and the lifting are what makes this work

while yes you should still lose weight with a more significant deficit, losing weight that fast at your size isnt smart

remember the 20/1 ratio and trust the method. but at the same time dont neglect lifting

as i said earlier, without lifting you will lose more than fat. At your size you could very well have a significant muscular base but in the process of cutting 120-150 lbs you may lose a good chunk of it. Slow and steady and focus on getting stronger while maintaining a reasonable deficit

every 20lbs or so recalculate your maintenance using the same 20/3/1 method

hope this helps

-StrongMeat-

[shamrockceo]

the protein macro and the lifting are what makes this work

while yes you should still lose weight with a more significant deficit, losing weight that fast at your size isnt smart

remember the 20/1 ratio and trust the method. but at the same time dont neglect lifting

as i said earlier, without lifting you will lose more than fat. At your size you could very well have a significant muscular base but in the process of cutting 120-150 lbs you may lose a good chunk of it. Slow and steady and focus on getting stronger while maintaining a reasonable deficit

every 20lbs or so recalculate your maintenance using the same 20/3/1 method

hope this helps

-StrongMeat-

Ok cool, so I should definitely still to the higher calorie range then. I'm currently following All Pro's
Beginner routine. Just started it 1 week ago, though, was lifting at home the 3 weeks before that
with some dumbbells and my own routine, but not seeing good results.

The 20/1 protein ratio is great, as I've been looking and easily able to find acceptable foods anywhere
I could possible want to go, so that should be really easy to do. Chick-fil-a seems awesome for that,
pretty much everything there fits the guidelines.

Obviously as time goes on I'll likely have to cook, but for now I just want pure convenience while I'm
really learning all this stuff, so if that works, awesome.

Thanks for the quick reply and this thread, it's really helping me wrap my head around all this.

[StrongMeat]

Ok cool, so I should definitely still to the higher calorie range then. I'm currently following All Pro's
Beginner routine. Just started it 1 week ago, though, was lifting at home the 3 weeks before that
with some dumbbells and my own routine, but not seeing good results.

The 20/1 protein ratio is great, as I've been looking and easily able to find acceptable foods anywhere
I could possible want to go, so that should be really easy to do. Chick-fil-a seems awesome for that,
pretty much everything there fits the guidelines.

Obviously as time goes on I'll likely have to cook, but for now I just want pure convenience while I'm
really learning all this stuff, so if that works, awesome.

Thanks for the quick reply and this thread, it's really helping me wrap my head around all this.

really go hard in the gym, not lifting consistently early on ended up losing me a great deal of muscle/strength

the slower the process and the higher the strength, the better youll look at the end

should avoid zig zagging and continuous cut and bulk cycles if possible

-StrongMeat-