losing it all?

dcamell

I'm a 6' male, currently weighing in at 167 pounds, the lightest I've been in my adult life. In spite of how far I've come, I still feel fat. My stomach, and my upper arms, have some jiggle to them, and unless loose skin jiggles, I'm still toting around fat. This seems absurd and frustrating to me, given I'm several points stably into a healthy bmi range.

I can still lose, and I feel like I ought to. I've strength trained my entire weight loss journey up until now, but frankly I'm starting to think I should just concentrate only on losing weight, even if fat and muscle alive come off. At this point I can only hope and pray that at 150 I'll be rid of all the fat. It's getting frustrating to see my weight dipping into such low ranges, lower than I'd ever thought I'd go, and still look even a bit flabby. It's starting to feel like I could like bad at 130, ajd I know well enough that a male ought not weigh that little. Should I keep pressing, Is that really my only option aside from giving up? Is it loose. Skin maybe? How can I know?

Mykaelous

Perhaps go in for hydro static testing and find out what your body fat is at. It costs about 50 bucks but it will give the most accurate BF measurement available outside of an MRI. If you are below 12% then I would focus on lifting weight. How much are you benching? If you aren't benching at least 200 lb's during your workouts at your height then that could be part of your problem. If you are under 12% BF and are benching 200+ lb's and still feel you are "fat' then it could be a body image problem because at those two metrics your body should look aesthetically better than 90% of the populace.

MelodyandBarbells

Pics?

If you've lost all your weight it could be time for bulk/cutting cycles with hopes of adding more muscle and subsequently losing fat, rather than continuing to lean out.

What strength training program did you follow? What range of weights do you lift?

Kotuliak

Tagging 'cause I'm curious to hear the answers...

dcamell

EDIT: PLEASE BE PATIENT, I'VE SWITCHED TO A DESKTOP COMPUTER, TRYING TO ORGANIZE IMG TAGS ON MY PHONE WAS A MISTAKE.

I'll preface this by apologizing if I really am just pissing and moaning over a body image issue. I promise I don't do it to be cute or dramatic, as I know some do, and yes, I know there are those struggling worse than I am. But again, to me, I look bad.











And no, I can't bench 200. As I've Carrie on through my caloric deficit, I've actually been capable of lifting less and less. I started at 150 when uneasy heavier, now struggle to do 130. I've done weights o Is two day split, doing upper body/legs one day, core and back exercises on the alternating day, for a total of four to five days each week.

My approach has more or less been to attempt the next increment (usually five pounds) up from what I did the previous workout. I've not only failed to gain muscle mass, I've failed to gain strength itself, indeed losing it. This in spite of supplementing with whey to attempt to preserve all possible muscle mass.

SLLRunner

I'm a 6' male, currently weighing in at 167 pounds, the lightest I've been in my adult life. In spite of how far I've come, I still feel fat. My stomach, and my upper arms, have some jiggle to them, and unless loose skin jiggles, I'm still toting around fat. This seems absurd and frustrating to me, given I'm several points stably into a healthy bmi range.

I can still lose, and I feel like I ought to. I've strength trained my entire weight loss journey up until now, but frankly I'm starting to think I should just concentrate only on losing weight, even if fat and muscle alive come off. At this point I can only hope and pray that at 150 I'll be rid of all the fat. It's getting frustrating to see my weight dipping into such low ranges, lower than I'd ever thought I'd go, and still look even a bit flabby. It's starting to feel like I could like bad at 130, ajd I know well enough that a male ought not weigh that little. Should I keep pressing, Is that really my only option aside from giving up? Is it loose. Skin maybe? How can I know?

I would say to keep weight training? 150 sounds thin for a 6 fit tall guy.

Supertact

You have like no muscle dude.

Time to bulk and lift weights.

You are under weight as it is, don't lose anymore.

Here's your pics.

dcamell

You have like no muscle dude.

Time to bulk and lift weights.

You are under weight as it is, don't lose anymore.

Although I'm still in the process (and failing, the only time it's posting anything, it's a notice that the user has moved or deleted the img from photobucket, even though copying and pasting the URL I've got on my clipboard to a different web browser seems to be working, frustrating.) of trying to get my images up, I'm going to reply to this.

I've been lifting all along. I've been supplementing. I've recorded what I was able to lift, for how many reps, every day I've gone in a notepad I take with me. Everything I've heard is that even if I can't gain muscle mass, I ought to be able to gain absolute strength, i.e., the capability to lift more, even at a deficit. I've -lost- lifting capacity on my deficit, in spite of supreme diligence and consistency in attendance at the gym.

Supertact

You have like no muscle dude.

Time to bulk and lift weights.

You are under weight as it is, don't lose anymore.

Although I'm still in the process (and failing, the only time it's posting anything, it's a notice that the user has moved or deleted the img from photobucket, even though copying and pasting the URL I've got on my clipboard to a different web browser seems to be working, frustrating.) of trying to get my images up, I'm going to reply to this.

I've been lifting all along. I've been supplementing. I've recorded what I was able to lift, for how many reps, every day I've gone in a notepad I take with me. Everything I've heard is that even if I can't gain muscle mass, I ought to be able to gain absolute strength, i.e., the capability to lift more, even at a deficit. I've -lost- lifting capacity on my deficit, in spite of supreme diligence and consistency in attendance at the gym.

Checking your diary you just quick add every thing.
What was your protein intake during your cut?
You can't gain muscle while cutting and only maintain your strength if you kept
you protein up.
Are you doing a routine or just randomly lifting things?

giggitygoo

Pics?

If you've lost all your weight it could be time for bulk/cutting cycles with hopes of adding more muscle and subsequently losing fat, rather than continuing to lean out.

What strength training program did you follow? What range of weights do you lift?

I agree with this assessment so far. Sounds like you may actually need to go into a bulk phase, and add some muscle mass

EDIT: checked out your album, and you're actually quite slim. You just have a bit of skin from losing quickly. Lifting progressively, on a calorie surplus can help the appearance of loose skin from rapid weight loss.

Mykaelous

EDIT: PLEASE BE PATIENT, I'VE SWITCHED TO A DESKTOP COMPUTER, TRYING TO ORGANIZE IMG TAGS ON MY PHONE WAS A MISTAKE.

I'll preface this by apologizing if I really am just pissing and moaning over a body image issue. I promise I don't do it to be cute or dramatic, as I know some do, and yes, I know there are those struggling worse than I am. But again, to me, I look bad.




And no, I can't bench 200. As I've Carrie on through my caloric deficit, I've actually been capable of lifting less and less. I started at 150 when uneasy heavier, now struggle to do 130. I've done weights o Is two day split, doing upper body/legs one day, core and back exercises on the alternating day, for a total of four to five days each week.

My approach has more or less been to attempt the next increment (usually five pounds) up from what I did the previous workout. I've not only failed to gain muscle mass, I've failed to gain strength itself, indeed losing it. This in spite of supplementing with whey to attempt to preserve all possible muscle mass.

If I was you I would find a UFC figther, or athlete that is your height and looks like what you want to look like and set your goal to his weight. Perhaps have a goal to only gain .5 lb's a week that's 250 calories more than your TDEE. Eat that and focus on weight training. You don't really burn that many calories while weight training, so I would only credit yourself a free post workout milkshake instead of trying to calculate the calories burned and eating them back. Continue to do cardio but limit yourself to a short 20 min. pre work-out HIIT(High intensity interval training) to maintain your cardiovascular health and increase your VO2 max. I would recommend a basic training regiment that focus's on compound exercises. There are a lot of great threads on this on bodybuilding.com so I would recommend doing your research, but keep in mind that at your level you won't need to make it complicated to see improvement. Monitor your weight and gains. If you aren't improving your strength you should step up your calorie intake by another 250 calories. Good luck.

Edit: Now that I can see your photo's I would definitely say that you want to focus on weight lifting. You just have a lot of excess skin from loosing so much weight. If I was in your shoes I would definitely up my calorific intake. Your priority should be to gain as much muscle mass as possible, even if that means gaining some fat. Don't worry too much about gaining a little bit of fat because you know how to loose it, and once you build some extra muscle it will be that much easier. Like I said find an athlete, set a goal, and let us know how you are doing a month down the line.

giggitygoo

It would also be helpful to know what your goal is. What look are you going for?

If it's lean and muscular, you need to gain muscle weight. I know this is tough to do for someone who has worked so har to lose nearly 100 pounds. Seriously impressive.

dcamell

You have like no muscle dude.

Time to bulk and lift weights.

You are under weight as it is, don't lose anymore.

Although I'm still in the process (and failing, the only time it's posting anything, it's a notice that the user has moved or deleted the img from photobucket, even though copying and pasting the URL I've got on my clipboard to a different web browser seems to be working, frustrating.) of trying to get my images up, I'm going to reply to this.

I've been lifting all along. I've been supplementing. I've recorded what I was able to lift, for how many reps, every day I've gone in a notepad I take with me. Everything I've heard is that even if I can't gain muscle mass, I ought to be able to gain absolute strength, i.e., the capability to lift more, even at a deficit. I've -lost- lifting capacity on my deficit, in spite of supreme diligence and consistency in attendance at the gym.

Checking your diary you just quick add every thing.
What was your protein intake during your cut?
You can't gain muscle while cutting and only maintain your strength if you kept
you protein up.
Are you doing a routine or just randomly lifting things?

Yes, I do just quick add everything. I'm loose about macros, but In essence my food breakdown during a given day is one of a few things: eggs for breakfast (high protein), protein granola/nut bars during my shifts at work (which are equal grams protein and carbohydrates), and my dinner/late night stuff, which is often some sort of soup (chicken, or clam chowder) and at the very end of the night, frozen fruit (admittedly, pure carbohydrates.) With the 32grams of protein per whey shake per day, I've got to be near 100 grams of protein. It'd be hard to eat much more protein and maintain my deficit, barring replacing the fruits with nuts, and I sort of like the variety I get from fruit.

My lifting routine is a 50/50 split, five days a week, day 1 is bicep curls/hammer curls/bench/butterfly/leg press/leg curl, day 2 is row/tricep press/dead lift/back extensions/core (mostly crunches.)

dcamell

It would also be helpful to know what your goal is. What look are you going for?

If it's lean and muscular, you need to gain muscle weight. I know this is tough to do for someone who has worked so har to lose nearly 100 pounds. Seriously impressive.

At this point, just lean, honestly. If I flex an arm, one can feel that it's pretty solid, it just looks a little bad with what hangs down adjacent to the armpit.

Hypothetically, let's pretend my arms weren't a concern at all, and that I was happy with my chest (which I kind of am, and now this thread's making me insecure about that, heh.)

Let's pretend that it was entirely my midsection that's bothering me. Looking at that guy, in those photos, would dropping more weight through sustained deficit fix anything for him in that regard? Because that guy feels like he has lots of unsightly excess in the abdominal area that mock his uphill battle against twenty eight years of obesity and the further difficulties of attempting weight loss as a type I diabetic.

Mykaelous

Your mid section is connected to you pelvis, chest and back. Expand the muscle in those areas and your midsection will lean out. Mind that you should work out your entire body.

giggitygoo

It would also be helpful to know what your goal is. What look are you going for?

If it's lean and muscular, you need to gain muscle weight. I know this is tough to do for someone who has worked so har to lose nearly 100 pounds. Seriously impressive.

At this point, just lean, honestly. If I flex an arm, one can feel that it's pretty solid, it just looks a little bad with what hangs down adjacent to the armpit.

Hypothetically, let's pretend my arms weren't a concern at all, and that I was happy with my chest (which I kind of am, and now this thread's making me insecure about that, heh.)

Let's pretend that it was entirely my midsection that's bothering me. Looking at that guy, in those photos, would dropping more weight through sustained deficit fix anything for him in that regard? Because that guy feels like he has lots of unsightly excess in the abdominal area that mock his uphill battle against twenty eight years of obesity and the further difficulties of attempting weight loss as a type I diabetic.

Your midsection is quite lean, actually. You just have some skin left from losing so much weight. I honestly don't think that losing any more weight would do you any good. You need to do a body recomp to get that arm definition, and mid-section you're looking for.

This is really, really, really common for people who lose a lot of weight. They end up at their goal weight, but not quite liking what they see in the mirror. Massive weight loss can leave you soft, and with little muscle definition. You've done a great job, really! More weight loss isn't the answer.

I'm in the middle of a re-comp myself, and it was mentally challenging coming to terms with gaining weight. However, I can say that I am quite pleased with the results. Here's what 1 month of gains + heavy lifting did for me. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/giggitygoo/view/squat-progress-1-month-comparison-pictures-675028 These photos were taken 1 month apart.

My suggestion: search for some threads on body recomposition here. Some really great advice has been given out by folks much more knowledgeable than I. If you need some tailored help, mid-afternoon will be the best time to make a new post and get responses. The people 'round these parts are quite helpful

EDIT: to say congrats on you progress so far! The amount you've lost is incredible.

Mykaelous

It would also be helpful to know what your goal is. What look are you going for?

If it's lean and muscular, you need to gain muscle weight. I know this is tough to do for someone who has worked so har to lose nearly 100 pounds. Seriously impressive.

At this point, just lean, honestly. If I flex an arm, one can feel that it's pretty solid, it just looks a little bad with what hangs down adjacent to the armpit.

Hypothetically, let's pretend my arms weren't a concern at all, and that I was happy with my chest (which I kind of am, and now this thread's making me insecure about that, heh.)

Let's pretend that it was entirely my midsection that's bothering me. Looking at that guy, in those photos, would dropping more weight through sustained deficit fix anything for him in that regard? Because that guy feels like he has lots of unsightly excess in the abdominal area that mock his uphill battle against twenty eight years of obesity and the further difficulties of attempting weight loss as a type I diabetic.

Your midsection is quite lean, actually. You just have some skin left from losing so much weight. I honestly don't think that losing any more weight would do you any good. You need to do a body recomp to get that arm definition, and mid-section you're looking for.

This is really, really, really common for people who lose a lot of weight. They end up at their goal weight, but not quite liking what they see in the mirror. Massive weight loss can leave you soft, and with little muscle definition. You've done a great job, really! More weight loss isn't the answer.

I'm in the middle of a re-comp myself, and it was mentally challenging coming to terms with gaining weight. However, I can say that I am quite pleased with the results. Here's what 1 month of gains + heavy lifting did for me. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/giggitygoo/view/squat-progress-1-month-comparison-pictures-675028 These photos were taken 1 month apart.

My suggestion: search for some threads on body recomposition here. Some really great advice has been given out by folks much more knowledgeable than I. If you need some tailored help, mid-afternoon will be the best time to make a new post and get responses. The people 'round these parts are quite helpful

EDIT: to say congrats on you progress so far! The amount you've lost is incredible.

Someone's been doing their squats. Good work.

dcamell

Alright, there's a clear consensus that I need to hit the weights...harder. as said, I've been hitting them all along. Can I really expect tuning up to a caloric surplus to make so much a difference, that my gradual decline in strength will turn around into a steady upswing? I'm concerned because advice I've seen here seems to conclude that one should be able to build strength (not muscle mass) even at a deficit, yet I couldn't even maintain despite a diet that, if not favoring protein, at least kept it in balance with carbs.

Finally, I'm fairly near poverty. I know I don't want to create a caloric surplus with highly affordable and convenient Twinkies, but eating an extra 500 calories a day (a guess, I've been at a daily 1800 on just deficit) in decent proteins seems expensive. Are there any suggestions for cheap, rich protein sources?

Edit: besides more eggs. I'm fine with them, really, they're great, but I eat a dozen a week, need a little variety.

Supertact

Like people have said, I'd consider going on a bulk. 300-500 cals over maintenance and add more protein at least 1g per pound,

Do that with a good starting strength routine like all pros or strong lifts and you'll gain muscle. You need to be in a calorie surplus.

The best protein for cheap is going to be whey powder, meat on sale and fish on sale. Def eggs and lentils/beans

Protein is definitely the most expensive out of the 3 macros.

giggitygoo

I rely heavily on eggs, peanut butter, beans and lentils for cheap protein. Also, a good protein shake should net you close to 25-30 grams. Pretty inexpensive comparatively. They have some really solid, inexpensive ones at Walmart and costco.

More fuel should see a marked improvement in strength gains. You're also going to need to take a heavier focus on your nutrition. I'm willing to bet that if you were more strategic with your fuel (unfortunately not all delicious delicious twinkies) you would feel better all around.

Of course these are all opinions based on my personal experience, but I think you're headed down the right path here!

Wish you the best of luck, and for more responses you may want to revive this thread tomorrow. We're on skeleton crew right now

Edit: saw the bit about eggs. Here's some other stuff: Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, tuna....I'll add more if I can remember.

And DEFINITELY use a lifting program. Adding structure will really help you progress.

Mykaelous

Alright, there's a clear consensus that I need to hit the weights...harder. as said, I've been hitting them all along. Can I really expect tuning up to a caloric surplus to make so much a difference, that my gradual decline in strength will turn around into a steady upswing? I'm concerned because advice I've seen here seems to conclude that one should be able to build strength (not muscle mass) even at a deficit, yet I couldn't even maintain despite a diet that, if not favoring protein, at least kept it in balance with carbs.

Finally, I'm fairly near poverty. I know I don't want to create a caloric surplus with highly affordable and convenient Twinkies, but eating an extra 500 calories a day (a guess, I've been at a daily 1800 on just deficit) in decent proteins seems expensive. Are there any suggestions for cheap, rich protein sources?

In my experience you can build muscle while at a deficit, but it is difficult and requires precise tuning of your diet to fit your physique and genetics. Even so while loosing weight it would take me 2-3 times as long to put on the same muscle that I did while at a surplus.

You've got to make sure you are hitting the weights hard and to exhaustion. Do some thorough research on the subject, but as a general rule you should be shaking to complete your last 3-5 reps.

I hear the Walmart protein powder is the cheapest source of protein from any source. Arnold recommends 1g per lb. and i think that is a good upper limit for protein intake. If you have spare calories after hitting that limit feel free to spend them on whatever you want.

dcamell

I rely heavily on eggs, peanut butter, beans and lentils for cheap protein. Also, a good protein shake should net you close to 25-30 grams. Pretty inexpensive comparatively. They have some really solid, inexpensive ones at Walmart and costco.

More fuel should see a marked improvement in strength gains. You're also going to need to take a heavier focus on your nutrition. I'm willing to bet that if you were more strategic with your fuel (unfortunately not all delicious delicious twinkies) you would feel better all around.

Of course these are all opinions based on my personal experience, but I think you're headed down the right path here!

Wish you the best of luck, and for more responses you may want to revive this thread tomorrow. We're on skeleton crew right now

Edit: saw the bit about eggs. Here's some other stuff: Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, tuna....I'll add more if I can remember.

And DEFINITELY use a lifting program. Adding structure will really help you progress.

Heh, I haven't been eating Twinkies, in case I gave that impression. The last processed food I ate was sugary breakfast cereals that I phased out six weeks ago for my ghetto egg mcmuffin each morning, which Is two scrambled eggs on wheat toast with cubed galaxy cooked in and topped with a slice of cheese.


I already ncorporate sardines, so tuna isn't as appealing. I guess the suggest suggetion I've seen that's a solution for both my calorie deficit and my protein needs Is peanut butter; I've missed the stuff ever since I went on a deficit nearly ninety pounds ago.

d0v3r13

10oz of beef jerky at <$10, 1 oz serv. 80 cals, 13g pro $1/serv. (Target, Market Pantry brand)

chicken <$1.99/lb 8 oz serv. 250 cals, 52g pro $1/serv.

nonfat plain greek yogurt ~$4/quart 8 oz serv. 134 cals, 24g pro $1/serv.

i use the greek yogurt a little at a time on top of eggs, or soup or tacos or anything that i would normally think to use sour cream, or you can add 8 oz to the fruit you already eat and bump up the protein content very easily. if you are ok with fake sugars you could even add a small packet of your preferred sweetener or just use honey. its also a really easy way to bump up **protein** content if you bake by using it instead of butter.

anyway, these are my fave 3 protein sources and i consider them to be very cheap. plus they're very healthy, although if you are concerned about sodium you might want to skip the beef jerky or plan around it.

edit: stupid word mix up...makes more sense now.