Overweight bodybuilder

batflap
batflap Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, I'm new here, been using the MyFitnessPal app for a while now and it was really helping my diet, but recently I hadn't been losing any weight at all so I deviated in despair from my diet and gained a further half stone in the last few months :/

I now weight 15.5 stone I'm 6ft and around 25% bodyfat, I've been bodybuilding for near 2 years as well,
My current caloric goal is around 1700 calories a day, I need enough to build muscle (200g+ protein a day) but not too much

you guys got any ideas on how I can shed this fat reasonably fast without losing muscle? any diet ideas? macros? I'm moving out soon so I can buy my own food and rigorously stick to that diet

I really need help, gaining half a stone after I'd been working so so hard has really damaged my dreams of becoming healthy and athletic :/

hope you can help,
cheers.
Will.

Replies

  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    Step 1: Open up your diary so we may analyze what you've been eating, as well as what macronutrient goals you have.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    If you aren't in a huge hurry to lose the weight, I'd say use a conservative deficit and make sure you are still weight training and getting plenty of protein.
  • batflap
    batflap Posts: 4 Member
    I've asked a personal trainer at my local gym and he's all for the low carb diet, problem is, my workouts suffer tremendously when I'm on a low carb cycle,

    Ideally I would like to lose fat quite fast, but I'm unsure of how 'extreme' a diet plan I should adopt because I want to maintain muscle mass
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    I've asked a personal trainer at my local gym and he's all for the low carb diet, problem is, my workouts suffer tremendously when I'm on a low carb cycle,

    Ideally I would like to lose fat quite fast, but I'm unsure of how 'extreme' a diet plan I should adopt because I want to maintain muscle mass

    Maintain your protein intake (or increase it) while reducing your calorie intake, creating a caloric deficit. Increasing your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) by taking periodic walks or whatnot (in addition to your regular workouts) can help as well. The thing is, while removing calories and maintaining the amount of protein you tend to lose your calories from carb sources. If you can find a sweet spot in carb reduction that doesn't kill your lifting, but still gives you a steady loss that would probably be best.
  • batflap
    batflap Posts: 4 Member
    yeh I'll give that a go :) cheers man

    what sorta ratio do you reckon? I'm currently trying to get 200g protein maybe 30g fat, do you think 150-200g carbs will do or is that too much?

    I'm going to start doing more cardio, seeing as there's this huge argument between HIIT and steady working best, I'll start doing 2 days of each a week after workouts again

    cheers all
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Your testosterone response is actually pretty dependant on carbohydrates. Low carb for guys is sort of a bad idea. Instead determine your TDEE and subtract 20%. Here's a great site I use. www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
  • ccllnply
    ccllnply Posts: 13 Member
    I've asked a personal trainer at my local gym and he's all for the low carb diet, problem is, my workouts suffer tremendously when I'm on a low carb cycle,

    They, like most personal trainers, is talking pure and utter ****e. A low carb is not going to help you in anyway. They might as well say go on a low Vitamin C diet (except that carbs will affect your lifts a lot more)

    Eat a small calorie deficit, get LOADS of protein, continue lifting, do bodyweight exercises and do lots of cardio. I'd recommend HIIT but it really depends on what you enjoy, be in sport or some other hobby. HIIT is more effective than, say, jogging but there's no point doing HIIT once a week out of lack of motivation when you'd gladly go jogging every day. Try to mix it up and do both but do the one you enjoy more.

    I hate to bring up old cliches but there is no quick fix, especially if you want to keep muscle. You didn't put all that fat on in one day don't expect to lose it in one day
  • CarlKRobbo
    CarlKRobbo Posts: 390 Member
    1. As per the ifcal site...

    2. 1700 at 15.5 Stone? I recomped at 2600 at 13 Stone!!

    3. At least 1g protein per 1lb of BW to maintain.

    4. Loose more than 1/2lb's a week, and you liable to loose muscle

    5. Don't be scared of Fat (30g is very low) or Carbs, You'll need both to recover\train.

    6. If you don't want to loose Muscle, Cardio is probably best being kept short (HIIT). A few a week.

    7. Six packs are created In the kitchen, Nail your diet, open the diary so people can see.
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    I would go to a good gym one that trains in body building, Olympic weight training etc. My daughter is an Olympic weightlifter she has to have 1gram of protein per pound of body weight which is 275 pounds. They have tested her and with only bones, muscles, and organs she would weigh 170 pounds. You need to speak with someone knowledgeable, She trains 6 days a week 2 to 3 times a day, up to 6 hrs a day and burns approximately 15,000 calories depending whether she is training heavy or light so the amount and severity of training also plays into the amount you train and the calories you need. Good Luck ........ P.S. she does very, very little cardio in her training.
  • batflap
    batflap Posts: 4 Member
    cheers all :) SO much more useful feedback than other places I've been on.

    I'm moving out soon so I can really re-*kitten* my diet (I'll have to be frugal with my diet because I'll be poor anyway!)

    I'll also move my calories to 1800-2000 and try some more HIIT cardio during the week. I'm an art student, so other than working out I'm rather sedentary haha also I'll stay losing a steady 1lb bodyfat a week, I've been gradually losing weight for about 4 years now so I know it takes a while :P It's just mocking to be stuck at 'chubby' level and not lean after so long you know :S

    cheers for all the help, means a lot!
    Will
  • iarelarry
    iarelarry Posts: 201 Member
    Unless you're equipped with an arsenal of steroids and other strong chemical compounds, shedding body fat quickly while retaining muscle mass is impossibru!!! Of course the rare exceptions are those genetic freaks aka BBC

    For the natural athlete and the majority of us, in order to lean out and keep as much of your muscle tissue as possible... you'll need to diet slowly. Like ~1lb weightloss a week...

    tumblr_m3h2x9JOXb1ruoy68o1_400.gif
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    There are many sites for recipes but my daughter puts recipes for starving athletes her bog is ......prettystrongblog@yahoo.com she will also answer questions and if you want her to do a topic she is looking for topics to write about in her blog. Its interesting and informative. She will be gone about a week she is going to Venezuela to represent the USA for the Pan Am Games.
  • h9dlb
    h9dlb Posts: 243 Member
    You only gain weight if you eat excess calories, so I guess you are estimating what you eat. Weigh all your food and log everything you put in your mouth, even if its a tic tac.

    Carlkrobbo above tells the truth

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