So you want a nice stomach

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Replies

  • giusa
    giusa Posts: 577 Member
    One more question...my MACROS are set at 40c/20f/40p, what is your recommendation? If I remember correctly somewhere in the 35 pages, must meet cal goals hungry or not, or is + or - 100 ok?

    :o ok, that makes 2 question, lol.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy :( ) Any thoughts?

    Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs

    @blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.

    Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.

    Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?

    The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.

    What would you recommend for someone with similar stats (add 5 pounds) to blankiefinder, but who couldn't lift heavy? (but could do bodyweight and light high rep resistance)

    @tomatoey Look into You Are Your Own Gym. There are ways to add resistance to body weight exercises. To recomposition you have to add lean mass and that requires progressive overload. You have to eventually use harder exercises or more weight. You have to challenge the muscles. Higher reps don't quite do it. Once you hit a certain point you are working on muscular endurance and it's less effective for hypertrophy.

    Thank you, usmcmp :) Right now I'm working around a couple of injuries, so I'm pretty limited in what I can do. Should I cut my calories, then, or wait to get better?

    @tomatoey I wouldn't cut calories more. Focus on healing. You'll want the resistance training to help you retain the lean mass.

    @usmcmp - I really want to thank you for your input, again, it really is appreciated. I was wondering if I could get your input on my routine?

    I do mostly rehab and bodyweight exercises every day (one wrist and knees are being rehabbed; chronic & unresolvable issue with ankle = can't do impact).

    So, most days, I do 1-2 sets of 30 reps of bodyweight partial squats, step-ups, back extensions, glute bridges, and various hip- and quad-related matwork. In addition, I do 2-3 sets of 12 leg curls and cable glute kickbacks. I focus on form, but I either add reps or resistance, or vary tempo, every time to try to get what I can from it.

    I also do the elliptical and stationary bicycle for 45 minutes, after I do the above exercises. I've been doing speed and resistance intervals on the bike, hoping the resistance might work synergistically with the other exercises to build muscle mass. Is that a good or bad idea? I've read that it can help reduce fat and build muscle (see this review). I've also read that cardio that's too intense can catabolize muscle, and that long, slow cardio (LISS?) like walking might be a better idea for calorie and fat-burning in a way that doesn't interfere with muscle growth (and it might give me some extra room to wiggle with calories).

    If you think high-resistance cardio would help build muscle, should it be done every day? Or would that interfere with recovery? Or would recovery not be that much of an issue because the progression I'm able to do with resistance activities is pretty minimal?

    Sorry to ask so many questions!
  • jadeliptrotx
    jadeliptrotx Posts: 1 Member
    Thank you
  • x311Tifa
    x311Tifa Posts: 357 Member
    Bump for sure
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy :( ) Any thoughts?

    Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs

    @blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.

    Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.

    I'm just bookmarking this post for myself because I'm approaching my goal weight (ish, I'm almost to my original goal, considering adding 5 pounds more to lose, we'll see) and want to transition to recomposition rather than just pure maintenance.

    Thank you so much for your advice. I've been reading along and lifting heavy since early December and already notice a huge difference in my arms, shoulders, and legs. That, and even though I have very little left to lose, I'm still dropping weight at a decent clip, even though I'm eating quite a bit more. Thank you, hungry muscles!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    I only lose weight when I do cardio on most days, but that is just me. I prefer to be able to eat a bit more, and have room for dessert, or a couple beers if I feel like it. If not, I have more wiggle room for the week, or I just lose a bit more quickly.

    @fatcity66 You're missing the point of my method though. We don't care about losing weight, we care about losing fat. There is a difference. As we diet we lose lean mass and fat mass. We lift or do some sort of resistance training to minimize lean mass loss. You will lose weight slower, but you'll lose more of it from fat. Meaning better body composition in the end. Body composition is the key to a flat stomach.

    Maybe so, but if I don't see results, I won't be motivated to stick with it. I have 40+ lbs left to lose and losing a pound a month is not going to cut it for me. :neutral_face:
    This is the method I used before, and got down to about 21% body fat from being in the 40s.

    Just to reiterate: the point of the OP is that if you want great (looking) abs, the key is to cut body fat. If you aren't motivated by anything except the number on the scale, then that is a perspective that you'll need to change in order to achieve this goal.

    If having great abs is not a priority for you, then this post doesn't meet your goals and you should seek out other advice that is in line with your goals.

    But I will still need to cut at least 40 lbs of body fat before I can even get to a point where seeing my abs is possible. I could build muscle at this point, but if I don't lose the fat on top of it, I will never see it.

    I'm not telling you to try to build muscle. I'm telling you that if you diet and do cardio you will lose muscle and fat. If you do diet, cardio and at least a couple of days of resistance training you'll lose mostly fat.

    Your choices are:
    -Cardio plus diet for fast results and when you reach where you think you'll see abs you'll need to cut even more fat (this is often referred to as skinny fat).
    OR
    -Some cardio, diet and resistance training for slower results, but you'll have less weight to lose in the long run because you keep your muscle and lose mostly fat.

    By all means do it your way and come back at your goal weight wondering why your body fat is still higher than you thought it should be. Pro-tip: It's easier to keep muscle than it is to build it.

    Pro-tip: I never said I didn't do any resistance training. I do both. You and your silly assumptions. LOLZ :disagree:
    20% is my goal body fat, which is pretty close to where I was before, so....I would be totally happy with that situation!

    It's pretty easy to assume when you are placing so much emphasis on cardio and don't even mention strength training. That was my entire point. In our conversation I never said to do less cardio. I said to make sure you are doing strength training and you just kept saying that you have to lose fat fast or you'll get discouraged. I'm not sure why you keep trying to argue.

    As I stated before, the point of my OP was to encourage people to lift (and not under eat). This has nothing to do with how much cardio you want to do (me saying I personally do less than an hour is to show that hours of cardio every week is not necessary for visible abs). It's about retaining lean mass through an appropriate deficit and resistance training to make sure you have good body composition in the end.

    I think you need to go back and read my OP. If you had no problem with me doing more cardio, I'm not sure why you responded to it like what I said was a bad thing. Because all I said was that I do more cardio to lose weight at a decent rate (1-2 lbs/week) and be able to eat more food. That was it. Anyway, goodnight!

    I'm not really sure why you responded to the thread or what you want from me. You just wanted to say that you do cardio every day? If that's what you like, do it. My response was simply to point out what my thread was really about. You lift? Great. That's it. That is all that my comments to you have been about. Focusing on fat loss, not weight loss. It sucks that you struggle with commitment when the scale doesn't move and you aren't alone in that. All I was trying to say to you from the beginning was to make sure you do some sort of resistance training.

    I was making a statement about cardio. I never said I wanted anything from YOU personally, did I? Anyway, go ahead and reply to this post and I will let you have the last word, as I can tell you really want it. LOLZ

    It really has nothing to do with me having the last word. I was the one who created this thread to help others. I check on it frequently. Usually when people post they're looking for help, but sometimes people respond to this thread with serious misconceptions about fat loss. Either way I try to help them. Your post sounded like one of the many posts through the last 34 pages that think you have to do lots of cardio to lose weight. I was simply trying to help you. Apparently you don't need it and just wanted to share that you do lots of cardio. Good luck on your future goals.

    Maybe I got a little snarky. I apologize. You have offered some solid advice, thank you.

    I appreciate that! We were both probably a bit rougher than necessary yesterday.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    giusa wrote: »
    One more question...my MACROS are set at 40c/20f/40p, what is your recommendation? If I remember correctly somewhere in the 35 pages, must meet cal goals hungry or not, or is + or - 100 ok?

    :o ok, that makes 2 question, lol.

    @giusa Macro set up should be something that you can adhere to. Most people find that 40% protein can be a bit hard to hit (they feel like they are eating tons of chicken to hit it). I would go somewhere around .8g to 1g per pound of lean body mass for protein, but the others is more of a personal preference and playing with the numbers.

    Being within 100 calories is a good idea (don't look at my diary, I've had the flu and eaten random stuff). I tell people to hit their calorie goals simply because less is not always better. If your average at the end of the week is close to your calorie goal then that's great. Hope that answers your questions.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    tomatoey wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy :( ) Any thoughts?

    Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs

    @blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.

    Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.

    Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?

    The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.

    What would you recommend for someone with similar stats (add 5 pounds) to blankiefinder, but who couldn't lift heavy? (but could do bodyweight and light high rep resistance)

    @tomatoey Look into You Are Your Own Gym. There are ways to add resistance to body weight exercises. To recomposition you have to add lean mass and that requires progressive overload. You have to eventually use harder exercises or more weight. You have to challenge the muscles. Higher reps don't quite do it. Once you hit a certain point you are working on muscular endurance and it's less effective for hypertrophy.

    Thank you, usmcmp :) Right now I'm working around a couple of injuries, so I'm pretty limited in what I can do. Should I cut my calories, then, or wait to get better?

    @tomatoey I wouldn't cut calories more. Focus on healing. You'll want the resistance training to help you retain the lean mass.

    @usmcmp - I really want to thank you for your input, again, it really is appreciated. I was wondering if I could get your input on my routine?

    I do mostly rehab and bodyweight exercises every day (one wrist and knees are being rehabbed; chronic & unresolvable issue with ankle = can't do impact).

    So, most days, I do 1-2 sets of 30 reps of bodyweight partial squats, step-ups, back extensions, glute bridges, and various hip- and quad-related matwork. In addition, I do 2-3 sets of 12 leg curls and cable glute kickbacks. I focus on form, but I either add reps or resistance, or vary tempo, every time to try to get what I can from it.

    I also do the elliptical and stationary bicycle for 45 minutes, after I do the above exercises. I've been doing speed and resistance intervals on the bike, hoping the resistance might work synergistically with the other exercises to build muscle mass. Is that a good or bad idea? I've read that it can help reduce fat and build muscle (see this review). I've also read that cardio that's too intense can catabolize muscle, and that long, slow cardio (LISS?) like walking might be a better idea for calorie and fat-burning in a way that doesn't interfere with muscle growth (and it might give me some extra room to wiggle with calories).

    If you think high-resistance cardio would help build muscle, should it be done every day? Or would that interfere with recovery? Or would recovery not be that much of an issue because the progression I'm able to do with resistance activities is pretty minimal?

    Sorry to ask so many questions!

    haha where to dig in :)

    Glad you know your limitations and there are ways to get in cardio and strength training without impact exercises (I broke my pelvis and ankle, plus I have knee issues, so I understand). With the exercises I would increase sets and drop the reps to under 15. For some of them adding weight is as easy as putting on a backpack with books (or holding it to your chest depending on your balance).

    The link does support HIIT (which they call by a different name). The problem with HIIT is that most people do not put max effort in for the 30 seconds or minute of work. During running this would be a full sprint. Many people simply increase from a walk to a run and are actually missing out on the benefits of HIIT. I have read a few studies on cardio and if I remember correctly most of it simply comes down to appropriate calorie intake to reduce catabolism.

    High-resistance cardio will help with muscle conditioning. You could potentially build some mass, but appropriate resistance would at least be muscle sparing for the ones used (if you've seen serious bicyclist and trail runners they have insane legs). I wouldn't do it every day simply for injury recovery reasons.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    EWJLang wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy :( ) Any thoughts?

    Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs

    @blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.

    Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.

    I'm just bookmarking this post for myself because I'm approaching my goal weight (ish, I'm almost to my original goal, considering adding 5 pounds more to lose, we'll see) and want to transition to recomposition rather than just pure maintenance.

    Thank you so much for your advice. I've been reading along and lifting heavy since early December and already notice a huge difference in my arms, shoulders, and legs. That, and even though I have very little left to lose, I'm still dropping weight at a decent clip, even though I'm eating quite a bit more. Thank you, hungry muscles!

    @EWJLang Excellent! I'm thrilled to hear how well it's going for you! It's funny that you mention noticing the difference in arms, shoulders and legs. Most people freak out that their arms or shoulders change quickly and they feel it looks weird compared to the rest of the body. It's good to keep in mind that most of us lose from the outside in, so our arms lean out really early. Keep up the great work and I look forward to your success post ;)
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    EWJLang wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy :( ) Any thoughts?

    Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs

    @blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.

    Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.

    I'm just bookmarking this post for myself because I'm approaching my goal weight (ish, I'm almost to my original goal, considering adding 5 pounds more to lose, we'll see) and want to transition to recomposition rather than just pure maintenance.

    Thank you so much for your advice. I've been reading along and lifting heavy since early December and already notice a huge difference in my arms, shoulders, and legs. That, and even though I have very little left to lose, I'm still dropping weight at a decent clip, even though I'm eating quite a bit more. Thank you, hungry muscles!

    @EWJLang Excellent! I'm thrilled to hear how well it's going for you! It's funny that you mention noticing the difference in arms, shoulders and legs. Most people freak out that their arms or shoulders change quickly and they feel it looks weird compared to the rest of the body. It's good to keep in mind that most of us lose from the outside in, so our arms lean out really early. Keep up the great work and I look forward to your success post ;)

    I'm pretty small all around, so some nice definition in my shoulders and a lift of the butt were welcome! I'm still a little squishy in the middle (and in low-rise jeans, that makes for an appalling muffin top) so I'm still looking to get my BF% down a bit. I'm at probably 19-20%, judging from the online measurement calculators and these nifty calipers I got on Amazon....I'd like to get it down to 16-17% and hopefully be less Pillsbury Dough-Mom....

    Current Goal: Deadlift more than my body weight by March 1. I'm closing in!
  • lamos1
    lamos1 Posts: 167 Member
    Following
  • bornforbattles
    bornforbattles Posts: 63 Member
    A nice stomach is going to be 95% nutrition. You can do all the ab work you want but if your diet sucks you will never see your abs or have a "toned" look.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    A nice stomach is going to be 95% nutrition. You can do all the ab work you want but if your diet sucks you will never see your abs or have a "toned" look.

    That's why calorie intake is the #1 point. #2 is to preserve lean mass, so you lose mostly fat.
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
    Bump for when I get closer thanks op
  • zraizam
    zraizam Posts: 4 Member
    bump
  • angelfish257
    angelfish257 Posts: 81 Member
    bumping this page so i can find it again - thanks OP!
  • QueenMother14
    QueenMother14 Posts: 438 Member
    great!
  • 427_Cobra
    427_Cobra Posts: 13 Member
    A nice stomach is going to be 95% nutrition. You can do all the ab work you want but if your diet sucks you will never see your abs or have a "toned" look.
    What he said ^^^^^
    Having said that, without the 5% proper exercise, you'll never look great, just skinny.
  • SaraBelle0312
    SaraBelle0312 Posts: 328 Member
    These are my stats using the website you gave

    I am 5'4", 195lbs with a 35in waist which gave me 27% body fat and 142 lbm. It has my TDEE at 1941 kcals, which means I need to be eating ~1550 calories? That is 100% sedentary and no exercise and I will just lose weight doing that? I know kitchen is MOST of the weight loss, but provided I eat correctly, I'll just lose weight doing that? Seems unrealistic/too good to be true.
  • ilirlena40
    ilirlena40 Posts: 9 Member
    Hi Usmcmp, I want to get abs (flat stomach). I'm on a calorie deficit, so will i get a flat stomach if I eat anything I want as long as I'm in a calorie deficit?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    427_Cobra wrote: »
    A nice stomach is going to be 95% nutrition. You can do all the ab work you want but if your diet sucks you will never see your abs or have a "toned" look.
    What he said ^^^^^
    Having said that, without the 5% proper exercise, you'll never look great, just skinny.

    @427_Cobra that's why the first point is calorie deficit, to cut the fat. The rest of it is for body composition. Just telling people that nutrition is important isn't very helpful. That's why I spent time laying out how to put it all into action.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    edited February 2015
    These are my stats using the website you gave

    I am 5'4", 195lbs with a 35in waist which gave me 27% body fat and 142 lbm. It has my TDEE at 1941 kcals, which means I need to be eating ~1550 calories? That is 100% sedentary and no exercise and I will just lose weight doing that? I know kitchen is MOST of the weight loss, but provided I eat correctly, I'll just lose weight doing that? Seems unrealistic/too good to be true.

    @SaraBelle0312 The body fat could be wrong, but the calorie goal is correct. You will lose weight eating 1550 calories per day (which is actually below your calculated BMR). You can even have pizza or ice cream as long as you are accurate and eating 1550 calories you'll lose weight. Making sure you get adequate protein and resistance training are going to be important for making sure that the weight you lose comes mostly from fat instead of fat and lean mass, which happens when you just diet or diet and cardio. It might seem too good to be true, but it's not. Your body burns around 1600 calories keeping you alive and about another 300 showering, cooking, walking to the bathroom, etc.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    ilirlena40 wrote: »
    Hi Usmcmp, I want to get abs (flat stomach). I'm on a calorie deficit, so will i get a flat stomach if I eat anything I want as long as I'm in a calorie deficit?

    @ilirlena40 To a degree, yes. You need adequate amounts of each macronutrient (carbs, fat, protein) as well as micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). If you plan everything well you can easily have things you love still. You can lose weight eating only pizza and ice cream, but you won't be filling your bodies needs. You could have some ice cream every day if you filled the rest of your calories and macros with fruits, vegetables and lean meats.
  • rossscobie
    rossscobie Posts: 13 Member
    I go through the motions like most people...look lean...then other times look chubby around the mid rift...what would you say...should i be working from a deficit...my calorie intake is 2000, my protein Around 150 -160grams a day usually achieve it....i really struggle with hitting my carbs....would you say this has am effect
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    rossscobie wrote: »
    I go through the motions like most people...look lean...then other times look chubby around the mid rift...what would you say...should i be working from a deficit...my calorie intake is 2000, my protein Around 150 -160grams a day usually achieve it....i really struggle with hitting my carbs....would you say this has am effect

    @rossscobie Sounds like you have water retention issues if you look lean then look chubby. Although as you get even leaner the water retention is less and less noticeable. Carbohydrate intake and water retention from that usually goes to the muscles, not to the fat or subcutaneous tissues. Carbs or lack of are not causing water retention, inadequate water intake or high sodium cause the water retention.
  • SaraBelle0312
    SaraBelle0312 Posts: 328 Member
    Thanks! You look amazing and give lil ol me hope :)
  • rossscobie
    rossscobie Posts: 13 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    rossscobie wrote: »
    I go through the motions like most people...look lean...then other times look chubby around the mid rift...what would you say...should i be working from a deficit...my calorie intake is 2000, my protein Around 150 -160grams a day usually achieve it....i really struggle with hitting my carbs....would you say this has am effect

    @rossscobie Sounds like you have water retention issues if you look lean then look chubby. Although as you get even leaner the water retention is less and less noticeable. Carbohydrate intake and water retention from that usually goes to the muscles, not to the fat or subcutaneous tissues. Carbs or lack of are not causing water retention, inadequate water intake or high sodium cause the water retention.

    So you think i should increase water? I drink around 2litres a day... As well as 6 black coffees...what is high in sodium il try amd cut out?if i add u can u look at my food diary
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    rossscobie wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    rossscobie wrote: »
    I go through the motions like most people...look lean...then other times look chubby around the mid rift...what would you say...should i be working from a deficit...my calorie intake is 2000, my protein Around 150 -160grams a day usually achieve it....i really struggle with hitting my carbs....would you say this has am effect

    @rossscobie Sounds like you have water retention issues if you look lean then look chubby. Although as you get even leaner the water retention is less and less noticeable. Carbohydrate intake and water retention from that usually goes to the muscles, not to the fat or subcutaneous tissues. Carbs or lack of are not causing water retention, inadequate water intake or high sodium cause the water retention.

    So you think i should increase water? I drink around 2litres a day... As well as 6 black coffees...what is high in sodium il try amd cut out?if i add u can u look at my food diary

    I think you should cut back on the coffee. If you are struggling with energy you need better/more sleep. Your lack of carbs, fruits and vegetables is another culprit for low energy. You have some meat and almost no fruits or vegetables. Your chinese take-away has lots of sodium. You're also either not logging accurately or seriously under eating. Try just sticking with 2000 calories and eat more carbs (some from fruits and vegetables).
  • rossscobie
    rossscobie Posts: 13 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    rossscobie wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    rossscobie wrote: »
    I go through the motions like most people...look lean...then other times look chubby around the mid rift...what would you say...should i be working from a deficit...my calorie intake is 2000, my protein Around 150 -160grams a day usually achieve it....i really struggle with hitting my carbs....would you say this has am effect

    @rossscobie Sounds like you have water retention issues if you look lean then look chubby. Although as you get even leaner the water retention is less and less noticeable. Carbohydrate intake and water retention from that usually goes to the muscles, not to the fat or subcutaneous tissues. Carbs or lack of are not causing water retention, inadequate water intake or high sodium cause the water retention.

    So you think i should increase water? I drink around 2litres a day... As well as 6 black coffees...what is high in sodium il try amd cut out?if i add u can u look at my food diary

    I think you should cut back on the coffee. If you are struggling with energy you need better/more sleep. Your lack of carbs, fruits and vegetables is another culprit for low energy. You have some meat and almost no fruits or vegetables. Your chinese take-away has lots of sodium. You're also either not logging accurately or seriously under eating. Try just sticking with 2000 calories and eat more carbs (some from fruits and vegetables).

    Yeah sleep i do struggle with...i sometimes have a vegetable with meat...just not alot...i am never tired or lack of energy when am in the gym. Yeah chinese takeaway was a one off. Cool il give it a bash
  • Good to know im on the right track :-) i follow these well!