HamsterManV2 Member

I find it helps to tell yourself that you are getting stronger by lifting the same weights at a lower bodyweight. You are becoming stronger pound for pound, and it is a necessity or else we would all be balloons lifting 500+lbs. Relative strength is just as important as absolute strength, and a balance is great.

* Eat adequate protein. On a cut you need more, I believe it is 0.8g to 1g of lean body mass (calculate this on google, you need an estimate of your bodyfat %). SOURCES * Keep lifting. This way your body knows not to get rid of muscle and it will instead cut from your fat stores. * Aim to sleep 8 hours. * Cardio helps but…

You need your starting weight so you know how many calories to eat. Bite the bullet and get on the scale. Eat -500 to -1000 calories from your TDEE to lose weight. Have weekly or monthly weight-ins at the same time every time (i.e. every morning after you use the washroom, or every night before you jump in bed on the same…

It doesn't matter what kind of method you are getting your calories, the only thing that matters is eating less calories than your TDEE. I.e. Juice diet, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, atkins, no carb, etc. All these fall under calories in <<< calories out. Of course you are stalling with your weight loss - you don't actually…

You can squeeze a short workout in every other morning - cut out your evening TV time, sleep, or whatever. Worse case scenario, do tabata style workouts (4 to 8 minutes long, non stop exercises till you are gassed and your time is up). You DEFINATELY have <10 minutes every day. You can build it with 1 pulling movement, 1…

We need your stats. Age, current weight, height. I personally think 20 lbs is too ambitious (10lbs in 2 months is already serious, depending on your weight). Basically, you calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). This is how much you eat to MAINTAIN weight. To lose 1 lb a week, eat -500 calories daily from…

Snack on baby carrots - you can eat a ton and its very miniscule amount of calories. That means you have to empty your house from junk food. Also perhaps smoke weed when you have lots of daily calories remaining, and you have prepared foods in the fridge (so you know you can eat everything in X Tupperware). I would treat…

Fork putdowns and table pushaways :smiley: Diet is king. The rest is for your personal preference.

As long as the calories you consume are less than the calories you burn, you will lose weight. That goes for all the diets/lifestyle choices (keto, paleo, no carb, zone diet, vegetarian, vegan, atkins, weight watchers, whatever). Find something that works for you and you can stay consistent with it over the long run. Some…

Cut your calories a little more. If you are not losing weight, you are not cutting enough calories. Just be consistent and honest with the numbers (no snacking and not counting). That includes alcohol.

-Reduce volume, keep intensity/weights same or slightly lower. -Lose weight at 1lbs per week. Any more and you might find yourself with increasing strength loss. Eat more if you are losing more than 1lb/week. -Carb cycling - consume 40% or more of your daily carb intake in your pre and post work out meals. This will fuel…

Find a program that works for you. What do you like doing? Running: c25k (couch to 5K) - running app / program for beginners, getting to your first 5K in 9 weeks. Strong Curves: resistance and cardio program made for women, emphasis on glutes. Requires gym so this might not be for you yet. Bodyweight Fitness: Read here and…

Calculate your TDEE - this is the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain weight. Eat a surplus of 500 of that amount daily for 1lb a week weight gain. Don't go over 500 calories because then it will just be stored as fat (there is only a certain amount of muscle one can build, rest of the nutrients gets stored…

If you are still 18%, I would keep cutting weight - you can still make strength and hypertrophy (size) gains while on a deficit unless you are an advanced lifter, especially with over 15% body fat. I would cut to about 12~15% bodyfat THEN bulk or slowbulk after. This way, you have a longer time to bulk and get more gains…

The lower your bodyweight, the less you can lose. I.e. a 250lb obese person can cut over 1000 calories from their TDEE for a loss of over 2lbs per week. Meanwhile, a short 120lb girl cutting that amount of calories would leave her flat with little energy throughout the day. A general recommendation is to aim for -10% to…

Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Milk, Babybel light, tofu, lentils, edamame, etc. Personally, every morning I mix 2% plain greek yogurt with 1 scoop of protein powder. Tastes really good IMO =240 calories, 9g carbs 5g fat and 40g(!) protein. Great way to start your day :smiley:

Weight loss is simply calories in < calories out. Diet is 90% of the battle. What you choose to be active in will help mostly in other ways (make you feel better, build muscles, increase cardiovascular capacity, etc. etc.). Simply put, if weight loss is your primary goals, then diet is what matters most. Everything else is…

It's not a diet, it's a way of choosing to live. Reaching your goals, getting fit, having the body you and everyone else wants but few achieve, etc. Remember it's a marathon not a sprint. "Dieting" implies stopping after you reach your goals. You are either cutting, bulking, or maintaining - it never ends nor should it.

DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness. Its normal when doing a new exercise / new rep ranges. Its fine, just hydrate and stretch and take 1 rest day or 2 if you need it. Soon, you won't ever get DOMS until you try something new again (meaning DOMS is not an indicator if you 'worked hard enough').

Agreed with larsminnaar. Look at this link with male bodyfat %. At ~15%, you should start seeing abs (maybe more pronounced post workout / with good lighting). If you cannot, either you have a higher bodyfat% or not enough abs muscles. It's good that you want to bulk to build muscles, then cut to reveal. Just be sure to be…

What are your stats? I don't think you will need 3000 calories to bulk unless you are very, very tall. Step 1 - Go on google and calculate your TDEE. This is your amount required to maintain weight. Eat +500 calories of that for +1lb of weight gain per week (3500 additional calories = 1 lb gained). Step 2 - Eating. You…

What are your stats? Age=25 weight=85lbs height=? Do you exercise? First off, calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) - this is how much you need to consume to MAINTAIN weight. Eating at +500 calories from that results in +1lb per week. Since you are a smaller person however, a more realistic approach is +10%…

A couple of things. First off, if you truly are 10% bodyfat, you do NOT have "ample reserves" to go on - you are skinny. If you want to stay and remain lean while building muscle, that is fine. The slang term online is "ottermode". Just be aware that you will build muscle more slowly than if you did a full bulk and then…

Your back is 'stiff' because you use your spinal erectors . Sore and stiff is fine, sharp pain and aches are not. Be sure to use your legs (hamstring then glutes specifically) as they should be the primary movers of the deadlift (while many other parts are used to stabilize your body). As for the rest of Stronglifts, if…

The joke is "Cut till you see abs, bulk till you hate yourself". Really though, you cut to reveal your abs/muscles, and then you bulk to gain strength and mass. You can always do a slow-bulk (+250 calories daily instead of +500) for slower strength and fat gains.

First off, you need to know your TDEE - that is the amount of calories you need to maintain weight. Eating at a +500 daily surplus results in 1lb gain per week . As a small person however that may be too challenging, so I recommend 10% to 20% surplus of your TDEE for slow and sure weight gain. Look for high caloric foods…

Calculate your TDEE, that is how many calories you burn in a day. Eat that amount to maintain weight. Eat +500 of that daily for +1lb per week, and +1000 of that daily for +2lbs weekly (though unless you are severely underweight, most of that will be fat so I do not recommend surpassing 1lb/week). Shakes, spreadables,…

When you don't feel you are in control, and cannot stop something you want to stop, it is an addiction. I suggest you get professional help from someone who specializes in this. It's a problem that you want to and deserve to solve

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Ever wonder why the New Year gym crowd quits the gym in 3 weeks? They push themselves too hard, and then get disappointed with lack of early results. Remember, the longer it takes to achieve something, the more permanent that change becomes. Just focus on losing 1-2lbs a week, one day you…

Protein and Creatine (Monohydrate, powdered version). Cheap and effective.