[Distant Light]

Skimmed thread, still newbie BUT researched intensely...

#1 = Diet

I've been skinny fat majority of adult life...Party lifestyle shot up as high as 200lbs when generally 170-185lbs prior.

My problem was I've underate majority of my life. Hitting 2500kcals a day seemed daunting till recently seeing how much better I feel when hit kcals.

Been on and off this year (finally taking it seriously) as I want to be able to dance into old age (assuming I live to a natural age)

In 2014, for consciousness reasons...Drank exclusively water & ironically healthy foods is WHAT I CRAVE...2013, I could feel my body being sluggish

#2 = Check T-Levels & Research Optimization

I suspect I have an above average T-levels...

What I noticed in past few months though, my skinnt body is changing from good diet & T-level optimization.

I won't look like any bodybuilder in this lifetime (I never want to live the lifestyle of such people) but will surely grow into someone who is well ripped and looks good for his body type.

Through trail & error will maintain an ideal weight where I am not stuffing myself.

#3 = Check Out PHAT Routine

You won't neccessarily gain muscle size through heavy lifting, will just be able to move more weight.

Gotta hit moderate weight for volume

I still subtly look same size BUT slight muscle been carving me out + decent volume (wayyy too weak for the routine...Body must catch up)

However, I know I am 100% stronger despite similar body size.

Should not take 4 years to realize an issue. Do your research 1st...

Lots of foods & stuff that inhibits DHT & T-levels so add ontop of potentially low T levels and you have an issue.

I've been on inhibits BUT unaware of effects because mind over matter & genetic biochemistry. Could be blackedouted drunk and still craving sex. (Drugs knock my libido out though as other neurotransmitters take the wheel)

[RexImperator]

First time stepping on a scale in a month: Weighed in at 241.5 lbs this morning.

Progress: I've lost 8 lbs in one month so far. No doubt some of it (half?) will be water loss.

[Guitarman]

That's great progress Rex! Low carb/keto is clearly doing it for you. Realistically you will only lose on average 1-2 lb of body fat per week. Yes, 4lb may be water due to cutting out the carbs but who wants to carry 4lb of water with them??

Next step now you're on a healthy diet and keto ( fat burning) adapted is to mix some intermittent fasting into your regimen. IF is a 16-18 hour fast, which means eating at 7pm, then fasting till the next afternoon ( lunch at 1pm). Once you can skip breakfast with no issues then can try 24 hour fasts ( one meal a day).

The idea is that fewer, but individually bigger meals a day will allow your insulin levels to drop during the fast and you will be burning up body fat between meals. IF will also heal your insulin resistance.

At the moment I'm 42 1/2 hours into a planned 45 hour fast. I feel great and not hungry, have energy etc. I'm going to eat a cheese and ham salad at 4pm GMT ( no carbs) to break my fast.

Keep it up man you're doing great!

[RexImperator]

I've slowly started to reincorporate lifting, but I have gotten a lot weaker. Whereas in the past I was benching 230x8, yesterday I found 205x1 unusually hard to lift.

[RexImperator]

Well August looks like it was a bit of a bust. At one point I was down to 239lbs but overall I'd say weight loss has stalled and I'm back up to 241.5. Will have to readjust and drop calories further, apparently. I'm somewhat bored of the current diet, too.

I think adding back in lifting weights may be part of the problem. The fact is it makes you hungrier. I find it easier to eat less if I do no activity at all.

[General Stalin]

You should keep lifting while you diet. The result is two-fold: it will help you to maintain some strength as you lose size, and it will help you to burn more calories as you are doing work while in a caloric deficit. You will feel low energy in the gym but this is okay. Sticking to the meal plan is what is most important.

[realologist]

(08-31-2017 03:58 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  

Well August looks like it was a bit of a bust. At one point I was down to 239lbs but overall I'd say weight loss has stalled and I'm back up to 241.5. Will have to readjust and drop calories further, apparently. I'm somewhat bored of the current diet, too.

I think adding back in lifting weights may be part of the problem. The fact is it makes you hungrier. I find it easier to eat less if I do no activity at all.

That's because your body doesn't want to lose weight. It wants to stay the same. That's why your hungry Homeostasis is real.

Always remember any real change or real success you make in your life is going to come with struggle and failure and require discipline.

[Guitarman]

Do a 24 hour fast, then a 36 hour fast that will shock your body into fat burning without depressing your metabolism, which regular, calorie restricted eating will do.

A slowed metabolism will stall weight loss.

[Cambodian Creamsicle]

To be completely honest it sounds like you just have shit genetics. Don't mean to insult you, just being real with you. Testosterone is only one part of a complex system. Androgen receptor density, other hormones, neurotransmitters, etc, etc are all a big part as well.

Think of the obese chick at the club. Do you think she eats drastically different or exercises less than the hottie with big tits next to her? Pamela Anderson said she never exercised. When I was a teenager I hung out with some unathletic fat guys in my neighborhood. I was under 10% body fat and ripped eating McDonald's nearly every day (I worked there when I was 15) while they ate much healthier than me and looked like shit.

People really underestimate the genetic component. It sounds like your swimming upstream. You can take drastic measures like going keto + intermittent fasting and get on TRT, otherwise I wouldn't expect big changes. You can still train and eat healthy to stay fit and be healthy, but your body composition honestly probably won't change that much.

[Steelex]

True story. Not everybody gets the W.

[RexImperator]

Quote:

To be completely honest it sounds like you just have shit genetics. Don't mean to insult you, just being real with you. Testosterone is only one part of a complex system.

I've thought of this idea before: Perhaps physique and body composition is mostly a function of hormones. I can train/eat and get stronger, but I'll look fat: i.e. I'll deadlift 500+ And squat 450 (I was getting close to those numbers once), but at a bodyweight of 275. Or, I can lose weight, in which case I'll just be normal skinny-fat again. In either case, despite the weight loss or weight gain the percentage of body fat and overall body composition doesn't change too much. That is a possibility.

I'm still trying to lose weight to see what happens.

[pft123]

I weighted 190 6 months ago. Now, I am at 185 lbs, so very small change in actual weight but my pants size is down 2 sizes, my shoulder and arms are definitely bigger. More importantly, I look much better in my clothes. Through trial and error, I am getting the best results vs efforts/quality of life when I am intermittently fast and workout 3 times a week. Whereas in the past, I had tried to working out 5 times a day while eating 3 smaller meals, I wasn't getting strength gains and I felt tired and hungry, unsustainable for any long stretch of time.

[nomadbrah]

(09-03-2017 06:01 PM)Cambodian Creamsicle Wrote:  

To be completely honest it sounds like you just have shit genetics. Don't mean to insult you, just being real with you. Testosterone is only one part of a complex system. Androgen receptor density, other hormones, neurotransmitters, etc, etc are all a big part as well.

Think of the obese chick at the club. Do you think she eats drastically different or exercises less than the hottie with big tits next to her? Pamela Anderson said she never exercised. When I was a teenager I hung out with some unathletic fat guys in my neighborhood. I was under 10% body fat and ripped eating McDonald's nearly every day (I worked there when I was 15) while they ate much healthier than me and looked like shit.

People really underestimate the genetic component. It sounds like your swimming upstream. You can take drastic measures like going keto + intermittent fasting and get on TRT, otherwise I wouldn't expect big changes. You can still train and eat healthy to stay fit and be healthy, but your body composition honestly probably won't change that much.

Everyone can lose weight.

Losing weight is EASY, overcoming the mental resistance is HARD.

9 out of 10 times when people say they don't eat that much, they're not counting every calories, the butter, the nuts, the chocolate, the fizzy drinks or the alcohol.

If you struggle with losing weight because of genetics, the only way to go is intermittent fasting. If you're the kind of "big eater" that many overweight are, then it is much easier to train your body to have one massive feast meal a day instead of many small, which only leave you wanting.

Years before intermittent fasting became a thing, there was a book written called Warrior Diet. I fully recommend looking into that.

[RexImperator]

I'm realizing that I'm going to have to cut back to eating two meals per day in order to get through this plateau. I'm stuck at 240 lbs.

The other annoying thing is that out of the 25 lbs I've lost since winter, it looks like about 10lbs of it was muscle.

[churros]

(09-04-2017 08:16 AM)RexImperator Wrote:  

Quote:

To be completely honest it sounds like you just have shit genetics. Don't mean to insult you, just being real with you. Testosterone is only one part of a complex system.

I've thought of this idea before: Perhaps physique and body composition is mostly a function of hormones. I can train/eat and get stronger, but I'll look fat: i.e. I'll deadlift 500+ And squat 450 (I was getting close to those numbers once), but at a bodyweight of 275. Or, I can lose weight, in which case I'll just be normal skinny-fat again. In either case, despite the weight loss or weight gain the percentage of body fat and overall body composition doesn't change too much. That is a possibility.

I'm still trying to lose weight to see what happens.

I think I already asked this, but do you do cardio? It seems obvious that squatting and deadlifting are going to bulk you up.

[RexImperator]

I don't but I walk a lot in the city. Nothing wrong with bulk IMO if it's the right kind...

Not everything is negative, however. On the plus side, I can do more chin-ups than before.

I have read about the warrior diet and I suppose what I am doing during the week is somewhat similar: eat breakfast in the morning, and then fast all day until a late dinner. Somehow this is easier to do on a low carb / high fat diet.

Just wish I didn't have all this fat to lose so I could go back to getting stronger.

[churros]

You should integrate swimming into your program 3x weekly to preserve physique and burn a shit ton of calories.

[Guitarman]

Rex- don't skip the mid day meal - skip breakfast instead and start introducing fasts into your regimen. If you have to - have a BPC in the morning.

I've been doing 96 hour fasts recently and the level of ketosis I get to is off the scale.

I've lost 3-4 lb of fat ( not muscle) on each fast.

I'm in my fifties so if I can continue to lose weight on keto / LCHF and fasting it should be easy for you provided you're doing keto correctly.

[Australia Sucks]

I remember seeing a you tube video about a guy (ages ago) who with doctor supervision and supplementation (vitamin pills, etc) fasted for a full 12 months continuously (No food for a whole year. Just water and supplements) and lost a huge amount of weight (he was mega mega fat to begin with though so his body had massive fat stores to burn).

I wonder in Rex's case if going on a full 30 day fast would do him any good? (I am not saying its a good idea, I am just thinking out loud/asking).

[Sidney Crosby]

^ That's way too extreme for what he needs/wants.

If he could somehow follow an RFL diet or a keto diet like tons of people have already suggested he would have no problem. He could lose 10lbs a month or more with those diets.

[General Stalin]

Stay in the gym while you diet you won't lose so much muscle. The body is an efficient machine. It will not burn the material that you use. If you are still using the muscle mass that you have then your body will be more apt to burn your fat stores to make up for caloric deficit than it is to burn your muscle.

[RexImperator]

(09-24-2017 02:30 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

^ That's way too extreme for what he needs/wants.

If he could somehow follow an RFL diet or a keto diet like tons of people have already suggested he would have no problem. He could lose 10lbs a month or more with those diets.

This is a good point so maybe I should revisit the RFL Handbook's guidelines no that you mention it.

Weight: 240
BF%: 25-26% (Cat. 3)
Recommendation: 1g to 1.25g protein per lb LBM = 180g to 220g per day
Strategy: Reduce fats and carbs as much as possible to get calories as low as possible.

The problem I see it is this:

RFL Handbook Wrote:

Table 2: Low-fat and low-carbohydrate protein sources
Skinless chicken breast: watch out for various flavorings on commercial products
Low-fat fish: tuna, cod, halibut, flounder, lobster, crab
Extremely lean red meat: 95-98% fat free
Fat free dairy: includes fat free cheese and cottage cheese, see note on dairy below
Egg whites
Beef jerky: can contain quite a few carbs depending on the flavoring Protein powder: see comments below

...Most of those foods taste terrible, aside from cod, lobster and crab, but you always drench those in butter and or/bread crumbs...

It does look like am going to have to figure out some more recipes using skinless chicken breast, though. It's not too bad as long as it's not overcooked, but it gets old very fast.

[Steelex]

If getting a good body was easy everyone would do it.

[ThrustMaster]

Age? Height, weight.

I started 5x5 about 10 years ago. It definitely made me stronger, but the real physical changes came when I went to a 6 day split. I was 40
When I started lifting, I’m 50 now and I’m considered “ripped”, I swapped easily 30lbs of fat for muscle. 3 days a week with a shitty diet and probably no training isn’t going to get you anywhere.

[RexImperator]

Quote:

Age? Height, weight?

Stats
Age: 42
Height: 73in/185cm
Weight: 240 lbs. (Was 265 6+ months ago.)
Body Fat Estimate: 26%