So you want a nice stomach
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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?
ok, that makes 2 question, lol. 0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder 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!1 -
Thank you1
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Bump for sure0
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blankiefinder 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!0 -
Some_Watery_Tart 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.
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.1 -
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? 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.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder 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.0 -
blankiefinder 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
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blankiefinder 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!0 -
Following1
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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.
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bornforbattles 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.
That's why calorie intake is the #1 point. #2 is to preserve lean mass, so you lose mostly fat.1 -
Bump for when I get closer thanks op0
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bump0
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bumping this page so i can find it again - thanks OP!0
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great!0
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What he said ^^^^^bornforbattles 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.
Having said that, without the 5% proper exercise, you'll never look great, just skinny.
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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.1 -
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?0
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