Need Some Advice :)

[shaunus]

Gday lads,

Have no problem bulking up However, chasing some personal experiences and advice from you guys. Want to know what has and hasn't worked well for you guys to lose those last few kgs of abdomen fat. Can read cardio/diet all day but that is such a broad reply!

What I am after specifically is the following:

- Types of cardio you found worked the best - include duration, intensity, frequency etc

- Meals you found helped keep size whilst helping you become leaner, were they simple to make and cals etc.

- Supplements you found helped

- Things not to do

- Did you change your resistance training? If so why, what exercises were substituted with what?

Just after personal experiences NOT generic info

Cheers,

Shaun

[Birds]

High protein, high carb diet with minimal fats and sugary foods.

Volume training with heavy weights for calorie burning.

That keeps me around 10-12% bf

If I wanted to chase lower I would probably reduce my carbs and return to HIIT sprinting...but my workouts suffer and I feel lethargic as hell during them, if I do this.

[shaunus]

Thanks buddy. Basically confirmed my thoughts.

Incorporating cardio 3 x/week into my routine as of today

[Birds]

I know you don't want broad replies, but it really is a pretty simple equation of calories in and calories out. Eat clean, train harder. Fat is a product of excess calories and your body can't store fat if you're burning through more calories than you're getting. Hence anorexics do no exercise and look like a bag of bones; their caloric intake is at a deficit to movements in daily life.

Where some people go wrong with this principle, is thinking that they can live off fatty foods and sugary shit, as long as they are on a calorie deficit. Why this doesn't work: they spend their deficit calories on foods that don't support strength and muscle maintenance / growth. They will feel like shit and be unable to burn the same calories in the gym like they were previously, meaning they have to be on even more of a deficit to lose weight - vicious cycle. People also forget to count their regular Saturday night drinking session as a reason why they have an extra 3kg of body fat. A mate of mine stopped drinking on Friday and Saturday nights, lost ~7-8kg from that alone over several weeks.

The best way to diet, IMO, is with consistency. It may be boring, but if you eat the same foods everyday, you will be able to monitor your body much easier and you don't even have to count calories. Many aren't prepared to do this or don't have a lifestyle that can support it, but you are removing the food variable from the equation, so you will notice what changes to your exercise routine impact your body; what cardio does for your body fat. I eat basically the same foods everyday and my weight is never outside of a 1kg range...usually coming down to variance in water intake. It's not really even a diet, it is now just part of my daily routine and I love it. Doing this, I can have a whole day of eating fast food and not see a kg of it go to my stomach, because as soon as I return to my routine, the calories stabilise again.

[Birds]

Some simple, protein rich foods I love:

Tuna and cheese toasted sandwiches

Omelettes full of chicken and ham

Milk

Chicken fillets

Pasta with lots of meat

Cheese and Vegemite on toast

Practically live off those. They do have fat in them, but much more carbs and protein.

[Birds]

As for fat burning cardio:

Sprinting up hills (HIIT)

Basketball

But you don't need cardio to get to low body fat. If you are lifting weights properly at the gym, you will only need to modify your diet.

Whey protein is also a good supplement to have while on a deficit. Contributes the most protein for the least calories due to little carbs or fat.

[shaunus]

Killer posts mate. My diet is pretty basic. Will give a brief layout without getting technical with calories etc.

- Water and only water unless - mixing with protein powder or pre-workout (my day's get pretty hectic and I find it doesn't increase my workout capacity but helps keep me enthused and focused when training alone)

- Wholemeal roll (smoko and lunch) chicken and salad etc. Basic, easy to go get, cbf cooking atm and preparing meals but I will get onto that this week.

- 2 bananas between meals

- Dinner usually consists of either 2 x Chicken breasts or 2 x Steaks both with veggies. Throw in brown rice every now and then but that sh*t takes AGES to cook haha.

- 2 Protein shakes daily - one in morning on way to work and the other 30mins before workout. May increase it to 3 if needed but at this stage I don't think so.

- Drink between 3-4L/day of water

Will keep at it, throwing in the cardio and I should get the desired results. The previous problems I have found are I can lose weight no problem but I lose muscle mass. Which is NOT the result I want so will keep sticking at this and see how I go.

I'm avoiding cheeses, white breads, sauces, salts, soft drink, alcohol in general (but if I go out I usually only drink vodka, soda and fresh lime anyway as a healthier alternative than beer or sugary mixers) I just want to play it safe and see just what results I can achieve like this. My greatest concern is losing size!!!

[shaunus]

Using Gold Standard Whey

And have the perfect hill for HIIT in my street haha it's massive!

[Birds]

What are you having for breakfast?

Have you only just started this diet?

Have heard that protein is best consumed straight after a workout...probably be better off having one an hour before and one straight after workout.

How do you know when you've lost muscle mass? Are you judging by a lack of strength, visual body size or DEXA scans etc.? As long as you are lifting the same weights or more in the gym, you shouldn't drop much in the way of muscle mass whilst cutting. If you are losing strength then you may be on too severe a calorie deficit.

What does your exercise routine look like?

[Dani Boi]

Increase your calories. Judging by what you've posted that would be lucky to be 1500 calories then combine that with HIIT, it's no wonder you're losing muscle size. Diet looks nutritious though so keep that up.

In saying that though I don't know your body composition or needs.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Dani Boi

[rev210]

Some questions : to what extent or what is the point of the fat loss ? What level are you at now? How much do you weigh? How old are you?

To your questions;

-Types of cardio you found worked the best - include duration, intensity, frequency etc

* In the past I got leaner doing no cardio.

- Meals you found helped keep size whilst helping you become leaner, were they simple to make and cals etc.

*Pre-cook chicken meals that are good to eat cold and take it to work helps.

- Supplements you found helped

*I did work then ate well and appart from the odd shake, didn't require them.

- Things not to do

* Don't Drink booze without accounting for it or working it out.

* Don't have comfortable workouts or routines (That doesn't mean volume it means the whole process).

- Did you change your resistance training? If so why, what exercises were substituted with what?

* No. The diet does the work. Training intensity is not altered

[shaunus]

Im 5' 10", currently 85kgs, 25 yrs old.

At a guess my bf % is around 13, I was checked 6 weeks ago and came back @ 15% but I am definitely leaner now.

I still have some ok strength after altering my diet a few weeks ago. Some of my lifting stats are:

- Sets of and up to 40kg d/bell incline bench - 5 weeks ago was doing 50's

- Sets of and up to 22.5kg d/bell flys - 5 weeks ago was doing 27.5's

- 140kg Deadlift - 5 week's ago was doing 200

- 120kg Squats - 5 weeks ago was doing 160

- 30kg D/Bell shoulder press - 5 weeks ago was doing 35/37.5's

- 10kg - lateral exercises (straight armed) - 5 weeks ago was doing 15's

- 35kg preacher curls - 5 weeks ago was doing 45/50

So as you can see.....I'm pretty disappointed. I know that it wasn't just one thing that made me lose size/strength. I went overseas and came back with a fever and a severe chest infection that kept me out of action for a few weeks. I'm confident I will get back to where I was strength wise.

As for the amount of fat I would like to lose... About 3 or so years ago I got a bit out of shape and developed some fat around my mid section. I am in pretty dam good shape right now it's just I still have a little bit of belly fat on the front and sides. It's f*cking gotta go! hahaha. looks out of place! My guess is 5kgs of straight fat loss would be all my body needs to get below or close to 10% BF.

[Frosty]

If you have time add a fasted (empty stomach) walk (bout 1hr) or 20/25mins high intersity cardio on an empty stomach. Eat a high protein meal after with minimal carbs as CARBS actually stop the fat burning process.

Lower intensity is better in this instance as you are actually targeting fat and not just burning energy