I deal with this out of clients and questions online on the daily. And I won’t lie, it drives me insane.
When you’re trying to REALLY shed bodyfat, and get really lean, you need to re-frame your mindset FOR THAT.
Will there be a loss in strength? The longer you diet, and the deeper the deficit you get into? Yes. If you’re a real fat body then that might take a while. As your leverages change you will see certain lifts start to go down dramatically, but this is not an indication of muscle loss or wasting. It just means as the fat comes off, you have less of a leverage advantage with certain movements. Mainly things like squats and chest press variations. Shoulder press variations I see less of this.
When dieting hard, STOP fretting over what you’re lifting in the gym. It is insanity to me that guys freak out about this. Do you really expect to be at your strongest, or even equal to it, when you’re eating less, losing leverages, and have less energy to train???
It is NOT indicative that you lost muscle because you lost some strength. It is an indication that you have less ATP for stronger contractile power, that you have less energy for training, and that you lost some fat leverage over the lift.
That’s it! Stop worrying about the fact that you can’t lift what you did before.
Very funny been cutting weight for 2 weeks now and to the point where I start having harder time with weights normally much less effort, also feeling fatigued a little quicker. Thanks for he kick in the butt cause I need to drop some lbs.
Carbs are around 200 daily fat 90 protein 230 ish depending on what I do that day. Some of it is most likely extra physical activity I don’t normally do as in moving, some trips we’ve done etc. but I’ve just noticed some sets that are normally moderate heavy feeling a bit heavier. Honestly it could be all mental cause I know I’m at a caloric deficit. However I’ve never really had an issue with placebo effects. If something makes me weak I’m weak, if something gives me energy I have energy if not then, I feel nothing. <—that’s what she said…
5 9 216 this morning, started at 222 3 weeks ago. 7 years constant training however power lifting/ strength training focus. As my knowledge base increased I switched to strength focus. When I started I was morbidly obese and dropped 70 lbs (8 years ago roughly when I started dieting) I’ve gotten as low as 11% bf years ago and weighed around 169.8 roughly. My best lifts as of date are 500 squat 540 dead (hit 2 months ago) 380 bench military press 225 my best but I don’t test it often and I’m probably around 215 strict press at the moment
I’d say add some carbs back in. 200 carb, 90 fat, 230 pro puts you at roughly 2530 cals which is probably a good place for you this early in the diet. I dont how your metabolism is so its tough to say, but I’m assuming because you have a history of being at a higher bf % you probably are a slower ish type. So those macros look like a good starting point. That being said, if strength and energy are starting to drop off already, then I’d pull some protien and put some carbs back in. You can certainly hold all your muscle on 0.8- 1 g of p per lb of bodyweight. Are you on gear? If your on gear you might even be able to get away with even less protien.
No I’m purely natural never ran gear. I’ve though about that I may try that then add carbs lose a little protein. You think fats look decent. My maintenance calories when starting were at 3300. And I am pretty active but yeah my body wants to hold on to fat bad.