8 Weeks

CattOfTheGarage

So you currently have muscle.

You plan to lose weight unreasonably fast before your trip, and you've said you expect to lose muscle mass. So you're going to lose some fat, OK, and you're also going to knowingly drop muscle. Why? To look good?

Then you say this is OK because you're going to overeat while you are away. Unless you are also weight training during the trip, the weight you gain will be all fat.

So you are directly trading muscle for fat.

This makes no sense to me. And I don't understand at all how losing this weight will make the trip more enjoyable. Not one bit.

(and the idea that you will get yourself used to good habits by establishing bad ones does not stand up to scrutiny).

Machka9

misskarne wrote: »

Giuliaborg wrote: »

Hello ktrulez!
You discussion inspired me and I opened a similar one... but shorted. It's called 4 weeks because I don't feel strong enough for 8 weeks at the moment :-)
I'll visit you here to see how it goes then. I also have have short holiday after the 4 weeks, but it's gonna be a skiing holiday so no bikini required! ;-)

Are you kidding? You ignored every single kitten post in here that points out how unhealthy the OP's method is?

But ... it isn't unhealthy, is it.

He just wants to lose at the higher end of the recommended amount by eating a decent amount (2000 calories/day) and exercising. Tell us what's unhealthy about that.

I'm struggling to see what the problem is.

Giuliaborg

misskarne wrote: »

Are you kidding? You ignored every single kitten post in here that points out how unhealthy the OP's method is?

Hi @misskarne
I'm not kidding and I have read all the previous posts. I like the aspect of having the focus on a limited period of time, and I think it could be a good strategy if a person does not have a big amount of weight to lose, neither very unhealthy habits to change, because it helps in staying focused for a period. This is what I meant by saying that his discussion inspired me.
I agree that loosing many kilos in a short period of time is not healthy and it shouldn't be encouraged. However @ktrulez seems to be already aware of that, and many people pointed this out already. So I thought there was no benefit in mention this again, and I commented on what I considered a positive aspect.

ktrulez

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

So you currently have muscle.

You plan to lose weight unreasonably fast before your trip, and you've said you expect to lose muscle mass. So you're going to lose some fat, OK, and you're also going to knowingly drop muscle. Why? To look good?

Then you say this is OK because you're going to overeat while you are away. Unless you are also weight training during the trip, the weight you gain will be all fat.

So you are directly trading muscle for fat.

This makes no sense to me. And I don't understand at all how losing this weight will make the trip more enjoyable. Not one bit.

(and the idea that you will get yourself used to good habits by establishing bad ones does not stand up to scrutiny).

@CattOfTheGarage What's the point of having muscle when your body fat % is high enough to hide them? I consider my figure bulky, would like to look lean muscular, athletic body.

Correct me if I am wrong, but when you are losing this much weight at a short amount of time, I am sure there is some muscle mass that is attributed to the loss. That percentage however is small I would guess. The goal is to drop the weight (fat) to obtain a lower BF%.

CattOfTheGarage

What's the point in having muscle??

1. It is what actually makes your body move around
2. It burns calories
3. It's difficult to replace

Muscles are not just there for decoration!

You will not get a lower BF% by losing muscle. You can only get it by losing fat and preserving muscle. Your approach will only end with you being smaller at the same BF%, which is generally known as "skinny fat".

I'm not really talking to you any more as you are so clearly convinced of your approach and not open to contrary advice. I'm talking to others who might be reading your posts and thinking it's a good idea.

misskarne

Your heart is a muscle, OP.

PAV8888

Effect of Two Different Weight-Loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-Related Performance in Elite Athletes: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3519021&d=1310193169

ktrulez

PAV8888 wrote: »

Effect of Two Different Weight-Loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-Related Performance in Elite Athletes: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3519021&d=1310193169

thanks @PAV8888 i'll give it a read

ktrulez

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

What's the point in having muscle??

1. It is what actually makes your body move around
2. It burns calories
3. It's difficult to replace

Muscles are not just there for decoration!

You will not get a lower BF% by losing muscle. You can only get it by losing fat and preserving muscle. Your approach will only end with you being smaller at the same BF%, which is generally known as "skinny fat".

I'm not really talking to you any more as you are so clearly convinced of your approach and not open to contrary advice. I'm talking to others who might be reading your posts and thinking it's a good idea.

@CattOfTheGarage i think my intake of protein should help me preserve my muscle during the challenge. in addition i am spending a hour in each workouts solely on weight training. prior to the challenge i was doing 1.5 hours of weight training only difference is that i am adding cardio to close my lifts.

i'll take a progress pic on week 4 to compare to my week , appreciate you dropping in though.

Machka9

Giuliaborg wrote: »

misskarne wrote: »

Are you kidding? You ignored every single kitten post in here that points out how unhealthy the OP's method is?

Hi @misskarne
I'm not kidding and I have read all the previous posts. I like the aspect of having the focus on a limited period of time, and I think it could be a good strategy if a person does not have a big amount of weight to lose, neither very unhealthy habits to change, because it helps in staying focused for a period. This is what I meant by saying that his discussion inspired me.
I agree that loosing many kilos in a short period of time is not healthy and it shouldn't be encouraged. However @ktrulez seems to be already aware of that, and many people pointed this out already. So I thought there was no benefit in mention this again, and I commented on what I considered a positive aspect.

Exactly!!

Not all of us are coming from the perspective of being very large or having a lifetime of bad eating/exercise habits.

I know for me, I spent most of my adult life eating a reasonable number of calories, eating a decent diet, and exercising quite a bit ... and I have been slender most of my life.

I gained weight relatively recently for several reasons, but when I signed up with MFP, I was more than ready to get back to a normal-for-me way of eating (lots of veg, lean protein, whole grains, some fruit and dairy, etc. ... and not high quantities of it all). For me, it was simply a return to normal.

And I wanted to lose the weight relatively quickly to keep up the motivation and also to get back to doing the things I did when I was lighter. I'm not getting any younger and didn't want to wait around for years for that. So I adopted the 16 week approach, and it worked for me.

ktrulez

End of week 2 updates:

Starting weight before challenge, 193lbs

Week 1 (02/06/17) weigh in: 191lbs
Week 2 (02/13/17) weigh in: 188.5lbs

2/8 week total weight loss: 4.5lbs

Did some extra cardio this past week because of a snow storm; stayed below 2000 calories, so far no need to adjust calories, carb intake which makes my life a lot easier during the challenge.

Week 3 starts today which mean I will look to incorporate HITT into one of my workout days this week, looking forward to a change from all the LISS I have been doing.

Hope everyone has a good week, continue to stay strong, and strong willed!

ktrulez

End of week 3 updates:

Starting weight before challenge, 193lbs

Week 1 (02/06/17) weigh in: 191lbs
Week 2 (02/13/17) weigh in: 188.5lbs
Week 3 (02/20/17) weight in: 186.5lbs

3/8 week total weight loss: 6.5lbs

So week 3 has come to a close, down another 2 pounds. Numbers are changing however I feel my physical appearance has not changed much. Still so much work to be done, going into week 4, half way mark of the 8 week challenge feeling good about the fat loss. Still on track on hitting my challenge goal, would be somewhat pleased to finish sub 179. Very attainable and I think tracking what I eat is keeping me level headed as I have been busting my butt at the gym, always has, but with logging my diet is finally coming along.

Been spinning quite a bit for my LISS days, I think I have discovered a liking to biking. HITT on the other hand, not so much. I am doing one minute on (9.0 mph), one minute off (3.5mph), to think I have 5 more HITT sessions, dreading it (lol).

Staying under 2000 cals, interesting to note, I know going into it the challenge my fat macros were extremely low, however I have been averaging easily 63-65g of fat in the past 3 weeks.

Will take pics of the end of week 4 to compare prior to challenge; if i learn how to upload pics, will post here

Hope everyone has a good week, continue to stay strong, and hit your goals!

PS. If any one has questions and comments would always be open to hear em.

ktrulez

End of week 4 updates:

Starting weight before challenge, 193lbs

Week 1 (02/06/17) weigh in: 191lbs
Week 2 (02/13/17) weigh in: 188.5lbs
Week 3 (02/20/17) weigh in: 186.5lbs
Week 4 (02/28/17) weigh in: 185.5lbs


4/8 week total weight loss: 7.5lbs

The streak has finally ended. Was averaging a 2 pound loss, week 4 losing just 1 pound. All good, not disappointed, almost expected it to come sooner or later. Got to sit back and be pretty happy with the progress and results. Still lots of work to do, week 5 is up, which mean I will be increasing my LISS duration and maintaining 1 HITT session.

No real need to cut calories, still losing weight with current caloric goals and macros.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, time to grind, and reach our goals!

Have a great week, will touch base soon!

ktrulez

End of week 5 updates:

Starting weight before challenge, 193lbs

Week 1 (02/06/17) weigh in: 191lbs
Week 2 (02/13/17) weigh in: 188.5lbs
Week 3 (02/20/17) weigh in: 186.5lbs
Week 4 (02/28/17) weigh in: 185.5lbs
Week 5 (03/06/17) weigh in: 185.5lbs

5/8 week total weight loss: 7.5lbs

Didn't see this one coming... stagnant, zilch, nada, no changes in weight. Was I disappointed this morning, sure I was; didn't last long though. Soon after I felt reinvigorated, last 5 was somewhat grueling in the sense that I was putting in a lot of work hours and was just going to the gym without much purpose. I would still get in my lifting time as well as my LISS/HITT for the week, but felt like I was going through the motions.

Week 6, new week, feeling refreshed. still have a solid 3 weeks to get after it.

Determined to have better results by the end of week 6! Hope you all have a great week!

ktrulez

Missed updating this thread, was caught up with work and was fighting off minor illness. Feeling much better now, let's get to the updates.

Start of week 7 updates:

Starting weight before challenge, 193lbs

Week 1 (02/06/17) weigh in: 191lbs
Week 2 (02/13/17) weigh in: 188.5lbs
Week 3 (02/20/17) weigh in: 186.5lbs
Week 4 (02/28/17) weigh in: 185.5lbs
Week 5 (03/06/17) weigh in: 185.5lbs
Week 6 (03/13/17) weigh in: 185lbs
Week 7 (03/20/17) weigh in: 183.5lbs

7/8 week total weight loss: 9.5lbs

High level recap, weight did not change much from week 4-6, all done in the morning of the week. Diet did not change still eating and staying under a 2000 caloric goal. Been on and off with my macros, have days that I exceed my carbs and fats; not hitting protein. I would attribute the sudden change in weight of the start of week 7 weigh in to a longer LISS program (45mins). Getting my LISS in primarily on the spinning bike, going to gauge week to week to see if 45 mins is the sweet spot for the continued downward trend.

On another note, went out for St. Pattys and to a birthday event, was tracking my alcohol consumption (calories). Drinking moderately, 1000-1200 calories easy; leads me to believe on this trip coming up that my liquid calories from alcohol consumption would easily topple over 10,000 calories.

Still have 2 more weeks, would be nice to see 17X prior to trip. Have a great week everyone!

Catch you all later!

Harbin2017

My apprentice at work (early twenties, about 5,5) was into bodybuilding and when he did his cutting phase he literally ate only protein. To begin with his figure resembled the OPs. He lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. He ate steamed fish, cottage cheese, protein shakes... his journey was successful but i don't know how he brought so much willpower for such an imbalanced diet for 8 weeks.

Machka9

Harbin2017 wrote: »

My apprentice at work (early twenties, about 5,5) was into bodybuilding and when he did his cutting phase he literally ate only protein. To begin with his figure resembled the OPs. He lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. He ate steamed fish, cottage cheese, protein shakes... his journey was successful but i don't know how he brought so much willpower for such an imbalanced diet for 8 weeks.

It's only 8 weeks ... it's not hard to stick to something for a couple months.

My supervisor sticks to chicken, quinoa, and broccoli diets for a month or two in preparation for his comps.

Seffell

ktrulez wrote: »

@Afura been working out for a year. 8 week challenge is to shock the body, will return from my vacation with a realistic however challenging goal to lose the remaining pounds. Appreciate the word!

Causing your body to go through a shock is never a good idea. Why would you even consider such a thing? But don't answer me, I can see that you've made your mind already.
Your body - your problem.