Hmm, weight loss

[FitnessModerate]

I've lost 10lbs in 6 weeks, despite doing lots of weight training. I have measured fat loss during the period, so I hope I'm doing things right. I'm definitely taking the clean bulking approach, rather then the pure bulk which would def have me gaining wait. I consume on average 1700 calories. Macros: 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs.

Stats: 5'6", 14.5% bodyfat as of 1/31/08, 130.8 lbs as of 2/23/08, male, 31

[Erik]

I've lost 10lbs in 6 weeks, despite doing lots of weight training. I have measured fat loss during the period, so I hope I'm doing things right. I'm definitely taking the clean bulking approach, rather then the pure bulk which would def have me gaining wait. I consume on average 1700 calories. Macros: 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs.

Stats: 5'6", 14.5% bodyfat as of 1/31/08, 130.8 lbs as of 2/23/08, male, 31

Bulking and losing weight? Sounds like you need more calories.

[Blondell]

I've lost 10lbs in 6 weeks, despite doing lots of weight training. I have measured fat loss during the period, so I hope I'm doing things right. I'm definitely taking the clean bulking approach, rather then the pure bulk which would def have me gaining wait. I consume on average 1700 calories. Macros: 40% fat, 40% protein, 20% carbs.

Stats: 5'6", 14.5% bodyfat as of 1/31/08, 130.8 lbs as of 2/23/08, male, 31

You're not eating enough.

[FitnessModerate]

Bulking and losing weight? Sounds like you need more calories.

Ok, maybe I'm really cutting and trying to gain some muscle at the same time. Call me crazy, nutso and bananas but I like this approach better then bulking. I should mention that I feel fantastic.

[Blondell]

Ok, maybe I'm really cutting and trying to gain some muscle at the same time. Call me crazy, nutso and bananas but I like this approach better then bulking. I should mention that I feel fantastic.

As fantastic as you may feel, you'll be hard pressed to add muscle mass.

[Blondell]

I hope that didn't come off harsh. :oops:

[FitnessModerate]

As fantastic as you may feel, you'll be hard pressed to add muscle mass.

I'm very reluctant to ramp up the calories to 2700 or so. I feel that I'll just get bloated and fat. Let's put it like this, I'm deathly scared of adding fat to try to add muscle too. I want the best of both worlds, lose the fat and gain SOME muscle. I'm not trying to gain 20lbs of lean muscle in the next year. Just a bit.

[Blondell]

Understandable. But, what is your body going to gain lbm mass from if it doesn't even have enough to sustain itself at it's current weight?

You HAVE to eat if you want to gain. There's no way around that.

[jaleena]

You're reluctant to go up to 2700...but there IS a lot of room between that and the 1700 you're dieting on. 2100 might be a place to start, should at least get you to even keel, if not slowly gaining. And yes, you're going to have to be willing to gain a little fat to gain muscle unless you're very detrained or starting drugs. Just how the body works.

[FitnessModerate]

Understandable. But, what is your body going to gain lbm mass from if it doesn't even have enough to sustain itself at it's current weight?

You HAVE to eat if you want to gain. There's no way around that.

What would you recommend as far as #calories for my weight?

[FitnessModerate]

You're reluctant to go up to 2700...but there IS a lot of room between that and the 1700 you're dieting on. 2100 might be a place to start, should at least get you to even keel, if not slowly gaining. And yes, you're going to have to be willing to gain a little fat to gain muscle unless you're very detrained or starting drugs. Just how the body works.

My biggest goal is getting rid of my love handles and ab fat. Everything else is pretty much secondary.

[Blondell]

What would you recommend as far as #calories for my weight?

Jaleena has given a nice suggestion above. You can always start out at a couple hundred above maintenance and go from there. 2700 cals is not necessary unless you have a super fast metabolism.

[Blondell]

My biggest goal is getting rid of my love handles and ab fat. Everything else is pretty much secondary.

Then you are not ready to bulk. Focus on fat loss until you reach a point that you are satisfied. At that time, you can begin to increase cals and go into bulking. Just my suggestion based on what you have posted. :)

[FitnessModerate]

Then you are not ready to bulk. Focus on fat loss until you reach a point that you are satisfied. At that time, you can begin to increase cals and go into bulking. Just my suggestion based on what you have posted. :)

Yeah but I have to make sure that I don't lose muscle during this fat-loss period. So I have to keep a caloric deficit to keep losing the fat, but at the same time not lose muscle. Decisions, decisions...

[Blondell]

Yeah but I have to make sure that I don't lose muscle during this fat-loss period. So I have to keep a caloric deficit to keep losing the fat, but at the same time not lose muscle. Decisions, decisions...

As long as you're getting in your pro and not overtraining, you should be fine w/ the cal intake you are currently at for fat loss AND retaining muscle.

How many grams of pro are ya getting daily? Are you taking fish oils?

[FitnessModerate]

As long as you're getting in your pro and not overtraining, you should be fine w/ the cal intake you are currently at for fat loss AND retaining muscle.

How many grams of pro are ya getting daily? Are you taking fish oils?

Def aiming for 70g a day. In that regard, I finally got myself protein powder(EAS chocolate) that I consume every day after a workout. I get the rest of my protein from meat, milk, cottage cheese, cheeses, eggs, fish, peanuts, pistachios, and peanut butter. I def get enough fish oils from stuff like sardines and I consume a fish oil capsule once a week.

[Blondell]

Def aiming for 70g a day. In that regard, I finally got myself protein powder(EAS chocolate) that I consume every day after a workout. I get the rest of my protein from meat, milk, cottage cheese, cheeses, eggs, fish, peanuts, pistachios, and peanut butter. I def get enough fish oils from stuff like sardines and I consume a fish oil capsule once a week.

Not enough protein. Aim for your bodyweight (130g/day). Fish oil capsules have been found to be most beneficial at 6g/day.

As your cals decrease, you should increase your pro. to guard against catabolism.

[FitnessModerate]

Not enough protein. Aim for your bodyweight (130g/day). Fish oil capsules have been found to be most beneficial at 6g/day.

As your cals decrease, you should increase your pro. to guard against catabolism.

6g of fish oil a day? Each one is 1200mg, so that would be 5 of a day... Do you consume that much?

[Blondell]

6g of fish oil a day? Each one is 1200mg, so that would be 5 of a day... Do you consume that much?Yes, 5 of them @ 1200mg. And, yes, I do. Many here do so. Erik will tell you the same thing. ;)

[FitnessModerate]

Yes, 5 of them @ 1200mg. And, yes, I do. Many here do so. Erik will tell you the same thing. ;)

The problem is there is a total lack of studies about the negatives of megadoses of fish oil.

[smuggie]

Def aiming for 70g a day. In that regard, I finally got myself protein powder(EAS chocolate) that I consume every day after a workout. I get the rest of my protein from meat, milk, cottage cheese, cheeses, eggs, fish, peanuts, pistachios, and peanut butter. I def get enough fish oils from stuff like sardines and I consume a fish oil capsule once a week.


The problem is there is a total lack of studies about the negatives of megadoses of fish oil.

That's not a megadose. That's the recommended dosage. One capsule a week is doing nothing for you.

[smuggie]

FM, except under special circumstances you can't build muscle while eating at a deficit, just as you can't lose fat while eating at a surplus.

You need to work on one goal at a time. You also have to accept that you'll gain some fat while bulking.

[FitnessModerate]

That's not a megadose. That's the recommended dosage. One capsule a week is doing nothing for you.

However, Blondell recommends 6g/day which is a megadose and there are no studies that show what are the potential side-effects of that. I'm very wary of megadoses period. I already take my multivitamin and get lots of nutrients from food, I get Omega-3s from fish.

[smuggie]

However, Blondell recommends 6g/day which is a megadose and there are no studies that show what are the potential side-effects of that. I'm very wary of megadoses period. I already take my multivitamin and get lots of nutrients from food, I get Omega-3s from fish.
Why do you call it a megadose?

[smuggie]

However, Blondell recommends 6g/day which is a megadose and there are no studies that show what are the potential side-effects of that. I'm very wary of megadoses period. I already take my multivitamin and get lots of nutrients from food, I get Omega-3s from fish.

And it's not Blondell who recommends it. It's based on the recommendation to get 2-3 grams of combined DHA/EPA per day, which entails taking four to six fish oil capsules, at a minimum (depending on the strength of the ones you take), per day.

[FitnessModerate]

I think for now what I'll do is up my fish oil intake to 2400mg per day for a while. Then I'll think about ramping up to higher as I do more research.