Can I lose 20 pounds of fat in 6 weeks...

[needtoknow]

And how do I do it?

[azntothamax]

And how do I do it?

It's achievable. Do you have the motivation to do it?
FIRST join the gym.
Lastly, use their equiptments.
Threadmill, bike, elliptical, stuff like that

[Biff_McFresh]

If you have a high BF %, it might be attainable, probably some muscle would go along with it though.

[DJohnson]

I'd say it's only attainable if you're over 250lbs.

If you take it slow (1-2lbs a week) then you'll look much better at the end. You'll look like a bodybuilder instead of some PoW camp survivor.

[Phosphate bond]

And how do I do it?

If you have an enormous amount of muscle capable of oxidizing 70,000 fat calories in 6 weeks then it would be possible.

If your fat oxidation capabilities can not consume this amount of fat then you'll likely lose muscle if calories are too low and that means you are probably becoming too weak to train like you used to . As your fitness continues to decline due to "detraining" and muscle catabolism the problem will get more difficult to handle. This is why I say take your time if you need to and get enough calories so that you can train effectively.

[Camel Baron]

I'd say it's only attainable if you're over 250lbs.

If you take it slow (1-2lbs a week) then you'll look much better at the end. You'll look like a bodybuilder instead of some PoW camp survivor.

Listen to him, he has a very good point.

[skelooth]

And how do I do it?

you can't. Even at 300lbs it would be hard to attain.

[Adonisanemone]

20lbs of fat in 6 weeks, no problem.

You and a buddy both shed 10lbs in that time and youll hit that goal. If you try it on your own you need to lose over 1/2 lb a day of fat, good luck with that. Youll end up looking like mr burns, and once you drop the 20lbs of fat in 6 weeks. Youll probably end up losing 5 - 10lbs of muscle. Try for 12 weeks, that give you time to build strength, preserve muscle, and lose the fat. And as a bonus once you get off that weight, you wont feel drained and desire to eat everything in site.

THE FASTEST WAY TO LOSE FAT IS SLOOWWWW!!!!!!

[PapaRingo61]

I've lost 19 lbs in about 8 weeks, but I lost my first 10 or so the wrong way. All I did was cut my calories waaaay down. The last lbs I have lost on a well structured diet that I have made for myself with the help of fellow posters on here and a bunch of my own research. Find out what works for you, and losing fat the right way will not only be much more beneficial for the way you look, but the diet will also be more enjoyable. I am rarely hungry, and I get to eat some good food too (steak, grilled salmon, almonds, oh my!)

If you're interested you can check out my thread here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...14#post6465014

It'll show you everything that I am doing, and maybe you can find some good information.

[HatesFat]

I've lost 19 lbs in about 8 weeks, but I lost my first 10 or so the wrong way.

Water weight... only way to know for sure is to do bodyfat measurements, or at the very least waist/hip/abdomen circumfrence measurements... maybe...

[PapaRingo61]

Well, trust me, I am losing it the right way now. My waist is down 3 inches, and you can see the change visibly in my mustle tone and body, not just on a scale. Ellipticer helped me a ton with formulating a diet, and I haven't strayed from it at all for close to a month now.

[needtoknow]

Thanks guys for the opinions and advice. Based on what I read in the forums this is my plan. BTW I'm 5'9, 210, and I estimate about 18% bodyfat based on a rough estimate by a trainer at my gym.

I'm going to eat about 1200 calories a day, 200 grams protein (mostly cottage cheese and protein shakes) broken up into 6 meals. (its cheap and i cant cook)

I'm going to do about 45 minutes of HIIT cardio on the elliptical machine everyday and hopefully this will rev up my metabolism.

I plan on lifting 3 days a week, standard split and i may throw in another meal on those days.

...and after 2 weeks of this I plan on trying a no-carb , no excercise , all protein diet for a week or two. I'll still eat about a 200 grams of protein. I figure my metabolism will still be high from the two weeks before...no carbs means ketosis...i'll preserve my muscle by maintaing my protein intake and i wont destroy too much from excercise. After 1-2 weeks on this diet..Ill go back to the program i described before.

I'm basing this plan on what i read in the "pre-contest", ketosis, and fat loss posts.

Is an all protein diet suicide to my muscle mass? Im thinking if i dont excercise Im not tearing any muscle down...ur body burns fat for energy...and its only for two weeks max so my metabolism cant slow down that much.

[Biff_McFresh]

I'm going to eat about 1200 calories a day

Stop right there. Go research more.

[Phosphate bond]

If you try it on your own you need to lose over 1/2 lb a day of fat, good luck with that.

I can only imagine that you have to be a real machine to mobilize 1750+ calories from fat storage to oxidize them in muscle and keep this up for 6 weeks.

Having high muscle mass and being in "trained" condition definitely helps though.

[Phosphate bond]

Stop right there. Go research more.

Your right. 1200 calories a day in combination with likely low fat oxidation capability means he'll literally run himself into the ground.

After a "suicide attempt" like that it will be even harder to get out of the hole.

[Khryz]

Thanks guys for the opinions and advice. Based on what I read in the forums this is my plan. BTW I'm 5'9, 210, and I estimate about 18% bodyfat based on a rough estimate by a trainer at my gym.

Alright, shouldn't be a problem to reach your goals.

I'm going to eat about 1200 calories a day, 200 grams protein (mostly cottage cheese and protein shakes) broken up into 6 meals. (its cheap and i cant cook)

As someone already stated, wow 1200 calories is wayyy too low. The problem level is perfect, but the items you listed aren't. You can't live on protein shakes alone, unless you combine the whey powder with some grinded oats for example, which a lot of people do. You fats should be 20% of your diet coming from EFA's, MCT's, good fats like nuts, olive oil, avocado, etc. At 210 pounds, you should be eating at least 2,500 calories a day, and you will lose weight at this level.

I'm going to do about 45 minutes of HIIT cardio on the elliptical machine everyday and hopefully this will rev up my metabolism.

45 minutes and HIIT don't really mix. If you're able to go for 45 minutes then it's not high enough intensity. HIIT should only last abotu 20 minutes before you feel like you're going to throw up. Any longer at that high of intensity (which obviously isn't high enough) and you'll possibly start catabolizing muscle mass.

I plan on lifting 3 days a week, standard split and i may throw in another meal on those days.

Good idea. It's recommended to eat more on weightlifting days to stimulate muscle growth. I would actually recommend you eat at maintenance level here, with the other 4 days of the week in a deficit. You don't want to lose weight too fast or muscle will go with it.

...and after 2 weeks of this I plan on trying a no-carb , no excercise , all protein diet for a week or two. I'll still eat about a 200 grams of protein. I figure my metabolism will still be high from the two weeks before...no carbs means ketosis...i'll preserve my muscle by maintaing my protein intake and i wont destroy too much from excercise. After 1-2 weeks on this diet..Ill go back to the program i described before.

Can I ask why? That's a bad idea. Eating only problem will tell your body that since protein and amino acids are the only nutrients you're ingesting, that it should start using protein, amino acids, and existing muscle tissue for fuel and energy leaving bodyfat where it is. You figure you're metabolism will still be high from eating 1200 calories? Wow .. Don't get caught up on the no-carb, no-fat, etc diets. As long as you regulate your calories so you lose 1 pound a week, which is 500 calorie deficit a day, do cardio 3-4 days a week, lift - you will burn fat!! Do NOT starve yourself because your body will go into starvation mode, shut down all fat burning systems as a safety precaution (sent down through thousands of years of human evolution) and will burn muscle.

I'm basing this plan on what i read in the "pre-contest", ketosis, and fat loss posts.

Is an all protein diet suicide to my muscle mass? Im thinking if i dont excercise Im not tearing any muscle down...ur body burns fat for energy...and its only for two weeks max so my metabolism cant slow down that much.

Yes, it's a bad idea. You need to eat a balanced diet, with lots of healthy fats (important), good protein sources of chicken, meats, tuna, cottage cheese .. complex carbs such as oats, yams, potatoes, brown rice, pasta, etc. You're metabolism will slow down a lot if you eat 1200 calories a day. After 3-4 days of eating at that low a level you will go into starvation mode and fat-loss will stop, although weight loss might continue (mostly muscle).

[needtoknow]

2500 calories?...really?....that seems like so much...I dont have a fast metabolism...but ok..I recognize I need to bump up my calorie intake.

Also your advice on HIIT makes sense...what kinda heart rate am I looking for?...on the elliptical machine I can usually push it up to 160-165...is the idea to just always try to increase it?...also doing HIIT I only burn on average maybe 3-400 calories and i work in an office and sit all day. Where are all those extra calories gonna go?


My thinking with the protein diet was that I have read up on the "protein sparing modified fast" and I know bodybuilders cut out carbs alot before a show and then "carb load the day of a show...it seemed like a good short term idea to drop some extra weight...not something u can live off of...just a quick boost

[Khryz]

2500 calories?...really?....that seems like so much...I dont have a fast metabolism...but ok..I recognize I need to bump up my calorie intake.

You might not have a fast metabolism, but eating 1200 calories is just asking for starvation mode and metabolic shock from decreasing calories so drastically. At 160 pounds, my BMR is close to 1900 calories. At 50 pounds heavier than me, you should be around 2,500 calories for your BMR. That does not mean your maintenance level - that's the level at which your body burns calories just to stay alive. Maintenance for me is 2,500 calories which is not to lose or gain weight. For you maintenance is probably closer to 3,000 so 2,500 + cardio + weight lifting will mean even more. Trust me, you don't want too much of a deficit.

Also your advice on HIIT makes sense...what kinda heart rate am I looking for?...on the elliptical machine I can usually push it up to 160-165...is the idea to just always try to increase it?...also doing HIIT I only burn on average maybe 3-400 calories and i work in an office and sit all day. Where are all those extra calories gonna go?

As hard as possible for 30 seconds in the high interval, and as easy as you want to in the rest interval for around 1 minute - then repeat till you can't go anymore. Try to break your time each time. Give at least 1 day's rest in between - trust me you'll feel like you got hit by a bus if you do this right. You will most likely burn 400 calories during the session, but it's AFTER the HIIT cardio that will burn even more calories, because HIIT produces an after-burn calorie effect through excess post exercise oxygen consumption.

My thinking with the protein diet was that I have read up on the "protein sparing modified fast" and I know bodybuilders cut out carbs alot before a show and then "carb load the day of a show...it seemed like a good short term idea to drop some extra weight...not something u can live off of...just a quick boost

Bodybuilders that are shooting to attain around 4-5% BF will cut carbs, along with a host of other things like water, sodium, etc to cut water weight (key word). They are not burning fat here. And after the show, they eat whatever they want because they're not dieting anymore, or until the next show. Cutting out carbs won't be a quick boost, it's a step backwards. You're eliminating water weight at this pound which is what pro's do. After you "go back on your diet after this phase" you will just gain all the water weight back.You do not need to go on the PSMF diet, that's for people at over like 350 pounds and 30% BF. You DON'T need that, and it'll only leave you at a smaller, skinny, weaker, and frail looking you now.

I'm pretty sure everyone will agree with me here. At 18% BF you do not need to be going on any crazy diets yet. Once you get down to around 12-13% then you can start going on cyclical type diets, which have been proven to be very effective. Now, all you need is a balanced diet, moderate calories, high protein, moderate carbs, and moderate fats. Do cardio, lift weights and get plenty of sleep and rest and you will drop that 5% of BF in no time.

[MATT 022206]

Very Possible,

Especially Easy If You Dont Mind Using A E/c Stack And You Can Do Morning Cardio With A Good Diet

[DJohnson]

Never go under 10 times your weight in calories. So that'd be 2100 for you. If you want to lose faster, do more cardio.

Make sure you lift weights.

There's no point in getting more than 1g of protein per pound of body weight other than to take away calories you're getting from carbs. Protein isn't magic. Your body either has enough protein or it doesn't. It doesn't see that you have a "protein surplus" and put it into muscle or anything.

Try 40/40/20 at 2300 calories a day. Lift and do cardio 5 days a week. Do extra cardio as you see fit.

[Khryz]

More protein, more protein sythesis. However, is there's a limit on that then the people eating 500-600 grams of protein a day didn't find one. 1g/lb of bw is the minimum in my opinion - but everyone that has eaten over 2x their bw are only seeing even better results. However, one could say that only due to the large calorie surplus overall, not just protein. Oh well, to each his own.

[needtoknow]

thanks for all the advice guys...


I'm convinced...I've seen "fat skinny" guys after the protein sparing modified fast... that just seems foolish...I guess the only way to go about it is the right way..im just disappointed that no matter how hard I'm willing to work and what I'm willing to do I can't seem to speed up the process...

Damn those "Bally" gym adds...those girls looked pretty good after only 30 days...had me all confused...

[needtoknow]

...is there any benefit to doing some low intensity cardio, lets say walking at a 4 mile an hour pace on and incline after HIIT?...there's a point in HIIt where I just cant get my heart rate up anymore and my legs are jello...

[Phosphate bond]

...is there any benefit to doing some low intensity cardio, lets say walking at a 4 mile an hour pace on and incline after HIIT?...there's a point in HIIt where I just cant get my heart rate up anymore and my legs are jello...

You are probably better off increasing the rest intervals instead if you want to comprimise.


I think the intensity spikes really do help burn the fat (higher caloric burn still oxidizes more fat even if some is carbohydrate) released during the low intensity part as well as give you a legitimate training effect that makes it easier later on. You might be in the early stage where your body is just not efficient at it.

A lot of talk about prolonged low intensity being carbohydrate sparing, but it still is a wasting process overall. I used to do it (based on certain beliefs I later realized were wrong). It never made me feel as good as doing intervals.

[Khryz]

...is there any benefit to doing some low intensity cardio, lets say walking at a 4 mile an hour pace on and incline after HIIT?...there's a point in HIIt where I just cant get my heart rate up anymore and my legs are jello...

I agree to what Phosphate said. Honestly, if you can even WALK after an HIIT session, you're not going hard enough!! Don't worry about burning calories with HIIT - there's so much more advantages HIIT promotes than just calorie burning - it's where the calories come from that makes the difference! Low-intensity, or anything below 65-70% VO2 max will use fat as fuel during exercise. You might think that's good, but after cardio is over, energy expenditure balances out and your body starts to burn glycogen as fuel afterwards for the rest of the day at a higher percentage. With HIIT, you burn glycogen mostly (especially during the high intervals), so that means that you will be burning mostly fat post-HIIT for the rest of the day, for up to around 24 hours (much longer than low-intensity). Additionally, HIIT promotes insulin sensitivity, nutrient paritioning for muscle growth, increase free-fatty acid oxidation, and increases glycogen storage potential.

Just look at it this way, like someone already said, you go to the gym, look outside, those people who are walking are all still overweight. The ones at the gym with the slammin' bodies or ripped physiques are the ones sweating their asses off.

If you want to walk occasionally then it's fine - but don't let it be the basis of your cardio routines. Just keep doing HIIT and you will build up your tolerance a lot quicker than doing low-intensity, which would equal much more work completed.

[Gibblets]

No.

[XPinion]

I lost over 20lbs of fat in maybe 4 weeks, just by eating right. I wasn't even exercising that much. Didn't lose any muscle at all, and I'm still going strong. Well, the rate has slowed down now. But it's still fine.

[PapaRingo61]

4 weeks, xpinion? That's almost 3/4 of a lb a day. Now, someone correct me if I am wrong, but there has to be no possible way of doing that and not losing muscle unless you are immensley obese right?

[Phosphate bond]

I lost over 20lbs of fat in maybe 4 weeks, just by eating right. I wasn't even exercising that much. Didn't lose any muscle at all, and I'm still going strong. Well, the rate has slowed down now. But it's still fine.

That would be 5 lbs a week which means you would need to have the neccessary fitness and/or muscle mass neccessary to oxidize 2500 calories of fat directly from your adipose.

That's an enormous fat oxidation requirment and unless you also had the appropriate amount of carbohydrate to go along with it you'd be in ketosis pretty quick. That's all assuming you can even mobilize this in the first place (You definitely would need really good hydration at the very least. This is due to the fact that a lot of fat such as sub-q abdominal never gets enough blood flow during exercise due to diversion of circulation to muscle instead). The hydration is merely one obstacle to mobilizing fat.... there is a bunch of others too. I'm not saying it's that simple.

[Khryz]

Yeah that's pretty much impossible unless he is very obese.