I must bve destined never to cut the BF

[daveclissold]

I've been training for around 12 weeks now, my initial intention was to cut BF and put on a little bit of muscle from lifting. I've researched and tweaked my diet and supplement intake, but I don't seem to besutting fat that quickly. I read heere that most people should be able to cut BF% by 10% in 12 weeks, however I've only been able to manage about 3-4%. My lean gains aren't shabby so can't complain too much.

Here is a typical day for me.

7am - wake up have 3 whole eggs and 1 slice of toast
7.30am - serving of muscle armour
8am workout - alternating weights - split to upperbody and legs/abs and cardio over 6 days sunday off.
10.30 - MetRX shake
1pm - can of tuna, 3 heaped spoonfuls of cottage cheese, and handful of spinach
3.30pm - piece of chicken and 4-5 lettuce leaves and a ON Whey protein shake with low fat milk.
6.30pm 4-5mile run
7pm - chicken breast and 2 veg
10.30pm - ON Whey protein shake

My macros are approx 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat and I drink somewhere in the region of 3litres of water a day. I have been taking thermogenics but am now coming to the end of the tub, so cut down on them a week ago, and will stop them in 3 days. One thing I've noticed recently since cutting down on the thermo's is a little bit of vascular definition in my forearm and hands that I haven't had before, is this a loss of water or BF that could be showing this?

What could be going wrong, is there something obvious that I can't see that is preventing me from losing the BF.

[Finnegan Bell]

How man lbs do u lose weekly?

[daveclissold]

Originally Posted by Kaaud

How man lbs do u lose weekly?

Last week I lost 4lbs, but its normally around 1-2

[axewars]

For some people, the bf% loss may come first followed by the lbs. coming off, for others, maybe such as yourself, the opposite.

Also, age is a factor:
My bodyfat is 2-3x more stubborn at age 26 than it was in my early 20's. Do not compare yourself to anyone; only compare yourself to your own (realistic) goals...

Don't forget your eyes may be deceiving you as well because your standards might be increasing now that you see the kind of change that is possible. I've seen some of your previous posts and I just read your diet you posted, you look to be on the right track. Just keep it up and don't worry about a thing, patience and dedication are key. Considering the circumstances, I'd say you're kicking bu++...

Hey...like your forum signature says: "one day at a time"

[elmcse]

For the past 4-5 weeks I have been following BSt's guide. I have noticed a big difference! Eating P, C and F for everymeal has made the difference for me.

recommend:
At least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight
At least 20% of your calories should come from healthy fats (40% POLYUNSATURATED, 30% MONOUNSATURATED, & 30% SATURATED)
Carbs are up to you (I PREFER TO KEEP COMPLEX CARBS AT BREAKFAST, PREWORKOUT, AND POSTWORKOUT)

Other important tips:
Meal size & frequency are not set in stone. (SMALLER/MORE FREQUENT MEALS YIELDS FOR OPTIMAL ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS & STABLE BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS)
I recommend P+C+F (P = Protein, C = Carbohydrate, F = Fat) in every meal except:
preWO (P+C)
immediate post workout (P+C)
and bedtime (P+F)
incidental fats in preWO and postWO are fine, but added fats are at your discretion
Eat your fruits & veggies!
Drink at least 1 gallon of pure water a day

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...1864731&page=3

[daveclissold]

Originally Posted by axewars

For some people, the bf% loss may come first followed by the lbs. coming off, for others, maybe such as yourself, the opposite.

Also, age is a factor:
My bodyfat is 2-3x more stubborn at age 26 than it was in my early 20's. Do not compare yourself to anyone; only compare yourself to your own (realistic) goals...

Don't forget your eyes may be deceiving you as well because your standards might be increasing now that you see the kind of change that is possible. I've seen some of your previous posts and I just read your diet you posted, you look to be on the right track. Just keep it up and don't worry about a thing, patience and dedication are key. Considering the circumstances, I'd say you're kicking bu++...

Hey...like your forum signature says: "one day at a time"

Thanks for the boost of confidence, its I really thought I could havee acieved something a little better. Perhaps I need to try and shave some time offmy run time, going to try and knock off 5 mins over the next 2 weeks

[Finnegan Bell]

Originally Posted by daveclissold

Last week I lost 4lbs, but its normally around 1-2

so whats wrong with that?? Last week I lost only 1 lb,and I did that on purpose,I was losing 3-4 lbs per week so I increased my calories to lose less than that.

[daveclissold]

Originally Posted by Kaaud

so whats wrong with that?? Last week I lost only 1 lb,and I did that on purpose,I was losing 3-4 lbs per week so I increased my calories to lose less than that.

I know that was a bad week because my water intake had dropped over the last week. Not sure whether or not it was a body fat loss or if it also combined lean mass.

[MCEpidemic]

Originally Posted by daveclissold

I read heere that most people should be able to cut BF% by 10% in 12 weeks

Where did you read this?

[ceno]

Originally Posted by axewars

My bodyfat is 2-3x more stubborn at age 26 than it was in my early 20's.

Yup...especially going below 14-15% takes forever...(in my case)