Hi, this is my first post on T-Nation, just looking for abit of help on fat loss.
here’s some basic stats first:
Years lifting: 6
weight: 206lbs (start weight (154lbs in 2008)
height: 74 inches (6’2)
body fat: (estimating between 11 and 13% using callipers) (start bf was 10% in 2008)
s-term goal: lose 1 lb. fat per week hopefully!
l-term goal: get down to 8% body fat by May/June 2014
Macros look like this: (sometimes it varies slightly but I stick to this more or less 99.9% of the time)
(this was worked out to the best of my knowledge from my BMR, TDEE and Macros with a 500kcal deficit) I sit at a desk 8 hours a day so im not very active between 9am and 5pm I eat all carbs before midday usually exept for green veggies I eat up until 7pm. Most of my nutrients come from real food with maybe 2 whey shakes per day (100% gold standard). I train 6-7pm with weights and 20 mins HIIT cardio per night. I drink water or green tea only.
Supplements I take through out the day split into 4 even doses:
Total mg/day:
Omega 3 - 4000mg
Green tea extract - 2000mg
CLA - 4000mg
multivits x 1
Caffeine 400mg
Ephedrine 90mg
My questions are:
how much cardio should I be doing ideally to lose 1lb body fat per week?
what kind of routine would you guys be splitting your muscle groups into for training?
heavy weights low reps or low weights high reps?
is there any other supplements that would help me reach my goals and are the dosages im currently running ok??
I think I have most of it planned out but any criticism or feedback would be hugely appreciated.
PS ive just finished my 2nd 12 week cycle of Test 400 @ 1ml e3d. So I know what ive lost between then and now is mainly water weight (4lbs in 2 weeks)
6g fiber daily seems awfully low in my opinion. I think a more appropriate goal is 20-30g. Nice work on the muscle growth and maintaining a low BF%. I’m jealous!
My take on the BF% thing is that is more dependent on diet than anything else. This site is an awesome resource for lifting routines of all sorts (bodybuilding, powerlifting, olympic lifting, etc.) so it depends on what your goals are in that area. Sounds like you might be more into bodybuilding, so choose a plan and stick with it long enough to see whether the results suit you or not. The weights used are described in the programs, and your fat loss goal doesn’t really change that. Cardio is also heavily discussed on this site, but a choice of HIIT post workout or LISS whenever (I’ve done this on lifting days at times and off days at others) is yours to make, depending on what you like and/or what produces results for you.
The diet is the main focus, though, and your goal of 1 lb per week is a reasonable approach. But who knows - with proper diet and supplementation, your BF% could drop without a significant loss in weight. The mirror and the calipers are your guide!
Your calorie count seems a bit low for your size, especially if you plan to lift 3+ times per week and do regular cardio. I’m shorter than you are at a similar bodyweight, doing no cardio lifting 4x a week, as a sedentary 42 year old and am maintaining on about 2,700 daily calories on average.
Your 1877 calories a day is based on rule of thumb. YOU will have to decide what that number is by tweaking every week until you find your sweet spot. According to BMI, I’m borderline obese at 6’3" 230lbs… You should list a typical day eating, you seem very low on fibre which would suggest you don’t eat your veggies.
up to you. I like to alternate 4 day SSC and 3 days HIIT.
Stick to the same routine. I took a deload, added “cardio”, kept my diet in cheque and make adjustments as needed.
Whatever your routine is. Now, you might find that if you are following a strength type program that your strength will diminish as you get closer to your goal. This is were that I found that peri work out nutrition was the advantage. It’s great to put on mass, amazing to shed off the fat.
HOT-ROX and Flameout would replace 4 of what you mentioned. I find HOT-ROX more effective for the stretch, as opposed to the long run.
Fat loss is not just about supplements (you can always look at the store and click on Fat-Loss), it’s about putting everything together. I personally think you will bonk on 1900 calories, but that is just my opinion.
Good luck, You have a very realistic goal and should be able to achieve.
Calories seem considerably low for a 6’2" male who trains and does HIIT. One pound a week is VERY doable but where are you going to cut cals from if you begin to plateau? It could put you at risk for doing harm to your metabolism if you’re not careful…just my .02
Another thought you may want to consider is to place your carbs around your workout rather than throughout the day when you are sedentary. You may experience better results and afford yourself more cals that way.
What is the rationale for your current macro breakdown? Is that you in your avi? If so, is this the eating regimen you used to get to your current point?
Thanks for all the feedback. I have took all of your comments on board and decided to up the calories by around 300kcals through fats and carbs… and place them more around my workouts. Ive looked into HOT-ROX and that could be a good alternative for when i run out of my current supplements.
To the last comment, yes that is me in my avi… that was take 3 days ago (roughly 2 weeks or so into this current diet) i was on a much more high density diet whilst i was bulking. Thanks for all your help.
Haha, It could be that it is just helping me stay more consistent, but I have been losing weight at a good pace since starting it and the majority is fat. It’s also very cheap to buy in bulk.
Wake up. Drink a cup of coffee and get your yohimbine. Light jog for 20-30 minutes. Try this a few times a week.
Yohimbine HCL - I hear good things about this supplement. But I have also seen or read somewhere that you need to take It at very specific times to gain maximum results, ie, first thing in the morning before breakfast and then again 30 mins post workout when glycogen stores are depleted. is this true? By the way I have weighed in today and lost that 1lb this week! happy days!
Too much insulin will nullify the effects. This is why morning is a great time to take it.
You will actually see dosages listed as -daily-, but the supplement has a very short half life, so you can take it multiple times through out the day. I eat my biggest meal at night and my other meals aren’t that big and are spaced apart, so I’ll sometimes take it a couple hours after a meal again after insulin levels have gone down again.
It’s best to pair with caffeine and some exercise though
At your size man, you should be able to lean up to the level you’re wanting to get to on over 2,000 calories a day. I’d take some time to address your metabolism before focusing solely on fat loss
Ok here’s the crack! I’ve taken all comments on board from you guys (so thanks a lot for the help!) and I’ve altered my diet slightly to these macros…
2,231 Kcal
77g Fat
75g Carbs (based in the morning and round workouts)
298g protein
14g fibre (upped from 6g with no supplements in place)
28g sugar (all natural no refined)
I will be ordering some Yohimbine soon and update you all on progress. Weighed in this morning at 203lbs so lost 3lbs in 9 days… so far so good!! strength is still on the up which is a great thing. Starting PCT on Thursday…shouldn’t be a problem along side ephedrine should it? - Cheers!
Hold out on a fatburner until later in the diet if you feel you need that extra push. The optimal intake of fiber for men is 48 grams a day, the RDA is 25 and they fall short. You could try to add more veggies and get more fiber.
Just keep monitoring progress and adjusting.
