I really need some advice or guidance

[7Limey]

Thanks for reading and responding if you're willing to help.

So I used to workout like crazy but I stopped about 3 years ago when I started heavily abusing alcohol and I've been back in the gym for a month or so now trying to lose the weight I gained and get back to a good body shape.

I'm really bad at knowing what I should be doing nutrition wise. I'm working out 4-5 times a week weightlifting mostly with maybe 45 minutes of cardio a week total, 15 mins a day for 3 days, rest is weightlifting.

I've been trying to not eat carbs and fasting for 18-20 hours a day then working out and eating after the workout, but I keep seeing that toy need carbs if you're lifting heavy alot, and since when I have my food after fasting and after working out I usually just eat mostly meat and protein heavy foods. But then should i even avoid carbs if I'm eating so much protein? Because that wont mean I'll be in keto? And i dont even know if i should do keto if I'm pretty good at fasting, but then again should I even be fasting if I'm working out before I eat and that means I'll be on no carbs during a heavy workout?

I know its some rambling but I'm just so confused on the nutrition and dieting I really just dont know the best approach for someone who's trying to lose weight by mostly weightlifting and eating good I just dont know if I should avoid carbs, eat during the day and not fast? Should i eat carbs even though I'm trying to lose weight? It's so confusing.


I'm 6'1 210, i still have a good amount of muscle on me and I can see abs, just a belly and love handles from the 3 years of heavy alcohol abuse.

Thanks if anyone reads this and has any pointers at all

[SuffolkPunch]

Fortunately it's very simple and much of what you are doing is not necessary to achieve your goal. Focus only on the things that actually make a difference.

Firstly, set you goal. It sounds like you need to drop some fat at first. This means a calorie deficit - whilst getting enough protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals

Put what you eat into myfitnesspal. Start with a daily calorie target of (say) 2300 and stick to that religiously. Get at least 130g of protein and at least 60g of fat. Eat fruit and vegetables.

That's basically it. Other things you mentioned like fasting or carb avoidance are not necessary for this goal and you shouldn't try to complicate things unnecessarily.

[snailsrus]

Um just to clarify, are you still drinking a lot of alcohol? Because that would be a good area to cut back on if you’re trying to lose fat. I mean fasting and keto you can do, but it’s not going to have much benefit, like Suffolk mentions about to just keep it simple. Over complication generally leads to taking up a lot of time and not being able to be flexible, which in the long run means the results won’t be as sustainable

[7Limey]

Fortunately it's very simple and much of what you are doing is not necessary to achieve your goal. Focus only on the things that actually make a difference.

Firstly, set you goal. It sounds like you need to drop some fat at first. This means a calorie deficit - whilst getting enough protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals

Put what you eat into myfitnesspal. Start with a daily calorie target of (say) 2300 and stick to that religiously. Get at least 130g of protein and at least 60g of fat. Eat fruit and vegetables.

That's basically it. Other things you mentioned like fasting or carb avoidance are not necessary for this goal and you shouldn't try to complicate things unnecessarily.

Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate that. So I think I'll do that and not complicate it too much, I guess watching the calories religiously would be more beneficial than avoiding carbs and doing all of that. Thanks for the help

[alriva37]

I think in your case the fasting might be hurting more than helping. Try and track your macros if you feel that you are ready. Fasting will take away from your workouts and might hinder your progress in the long run.

Definitely eat carbs if you like carbs. My advice would be to stay away from foods that are hyper-palatable (fancy term for tasty af) as those foods are the easiest to overeat.

I hope you found that helpful!