Fat burning program - need help tweaking

Stabshauptmann

My goal is to reduce my body fat %.
I've done my research, but am not seeing the results, so looking for advice.

Work out
45mins weights * 4 days. A weights session is two muscle groups * 3-4 exercises each. Each exercise is 3 sets of 6-10 reps.
Cardio two days a week on top of weights. Cardio is a 4km interval run and/or 400m swim.
Cycle 8km in the morning and evening on my non-workout days.

Diet.
I'm a 25 yo male, 188cm and 90kg. With the above workour routine, I think my maintenance is approx 3k calories per day.
this is what I actually ate today, weighing every piece of food. This is a typical day

Meal Gram Calorie Total

Breakfast 8am
2 Eggs 110 161.70
Mushroom 16 2.29
Pepper 45 4.53 168.52

Lunch 12:30
Chicken 180 180.00
Carrot 60 24.38
Cucumber 75 11.54
pepper 45 9.06 224.97

Pre workout 18:30
kiwi 70 34.30
Apple 82 43.46
Banana 120 114
Protein Bar 80 240 431.76

Dinner 22:00
Salmon 110 220.00
Carrot 60 24.38
Cucumber 75 11.54
pepper 45 9.06
Asparagus 66 14.14 279.11

Grand Total 1,104.36


No pasta, rice, potatos, bread. No dairy. No sauces. No chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks.
Snacks are occasional, and may be an apple, banana or carrot.

My vice - I have 6-8 pints a week; but I cant believe that this is the only reason I'm not seeing results.

I'm worried that I'm actually eating too much meat / protein and not running a calorific deficit.
edit: Not any more, now I'm just worried I'm bad at math or using incorrect calorie info

Any thoughts?

CianRyan

6-8 pints a week is a lot, if you can't cut them try sticking to 6-8 bottles. It won't stop the problem but it will help.
I'd fry with coconut oil instead of olive oil, much better for you.
Try and work in some HIIT's into your training.

I'm really no expert (duh...) but it takes time, especially after the initial loss. If you're doing weights and weighing yourself on a scale the results could be scewed (citation needed?) so try taking pictures and measurements instead.

nice_guy80

what 'weights' are you doing 4 times a week?
bit of overkill if you ask me

you'd be better off getting out on a bike for an hour

tmc86

nice_guy80 wrote: »

you'd be better off getting out on a bike for an hour

Keep the weights you already have cardio there.

How manageable is your weights routine i.e could you up the size of the weights with slightly heavier?

Have you checked your maintenance calorie level and what defecit is needed? Also check your portion size because you may be unknowingly consuming more than is needed (hard to tell without your BW & Height)

thegreatiam

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

My goal is to reduce my body fat %.
I've done my research, but am not seeing the results, so looking for advice.

Diet (typical day)
08:00 2 egg omelet with mushroom, onion and peppers how big are the eggs, how many mushrooms? etc
12:30 roast salmon salad with carrot, onion, sweetcorn, tomato and mixed leaveshow much salmon, a whole fish or just a slice?
18:30 grilled chicken breast with salad vegetableshow gid is the breast? what vegetables, how many?
22:00 post work-out steak and mushrooms (both fried in olive oil) with asparagus or running beans (steamed).a 6 oz fillet or a 24 oz rib eye? a tea spoon of olive oil or a cup? how much asparagus
no liquids? what are you drinking (soft drinks) each day. Drinks have calories too.

Is this 100% everything that you have eaten on a daily basis? no snacks, a burger when youre out on the booze?

My vice - I have 6-8 pints a week; but I cant believe that this is the only reason I'm not seeing results. Obvious problem is obvious. There are over 200 calories in each pint, so that is 1200-1600 calories extra a week that can easily be removed from your diet. Or almost 1/2 a pound of fat a week. Do you eat when you are drinking? if so what?

I'm worried that I'm actually eating too much meat / protein and not running a calorific deficit. not eating too much meat, but most definitely not running at a calorie deficit

Any thoughts?

Start to weigh your food, figure out your calorie allowance and stick to it.
Stop drinking completely until you get closer to your goal, slowly reintroduce it as you get better controlling your calories.

Why do you not think its the drink putting you over? the only thing in your diet that is not good is the drink. If you were eating 1600 calories of icecream a week I would tell you to stop that too.

How much fat do you need to lose? it seems like you may be getting low already so I dont imagine you have far to go, be strict. REALLY strict. just for the next month or so and you will make improvements.

Stabshauptmann

Thanks very much for the level of responses!

CianRyan
My running is interval running, but I'll start going to spinning classes too. Cheers.

nice_guy80
The majority of advice I have seen is that weights, not cardio is the best way to burn fat.

tmc86

How manageable is your weights routine i.e could you up the size of the weights with slightly heavier?

I do 8 exercises of 3 sets & 8 reps per set. I'm usually unable or barely able to complete my last set. To go heavier I'd need fewer reps. Whats your advice?

Have you checked your maintenance calorie level and what defecit is needed? Also check your portion size because you may be unknowingly consuming more than is needed (hard to tell without your BW & Height)

Yes, I did check this. I'm 186cm and 90kg, and my maintenance is approx 3k calories. I dont know what deficit I need, my aim is to burn fat which is not necessarily the same as losing weight.

thegreatiam
Really not so easy for me to cut back the drinking further; it was 20 - 30 pints a week. I've tried going dry, I can't hack it.

Thanks for the advice on weighing my food. I've been looking for calorie guides for basic foods but I'm not sure I'm getting the math right. I'd say portion size is what I need to work on.

Today I'm changing it up.
My 18:00 meal I'll move to 22:00 and ditch the steak. I'll weigh it before hand and calc calories.
I've had 2 apples, a banana and a kiwi as pre workout fuel.

CianRyan

The beers are killing you, man!
At least try a light beer, or drink bottles slowly.

Get some sprints into the jog. For example, jog for a minute then sprint for 10 seconds and keep it going for 5 minute blocks.
Or head for the mountains on your bike, that'll help.

Stabshauptmann

CianRyan wrote: »

The beers are killing you, man!
At least try a light beer, or drink bottles slowly.

Get some sprints into the jog. For example, jog for a minute then sprint for 10 seconds and keep it going for 5 minute blocks.
Or head for the mountains on your bike, that'll help.

As I've said, my run is already of the interval training variety.

6-8 pints is a lot of calories, but to say its killing me is hyperbole. It's on the low side for a 25 year old male, well within what the doctor recommends; and I've made a huge reduction from what it was.

CianRyan

Well fair enough, I'm 22 and I'd have 4 or 5 every two months.
It may be normal but it's ****e for losing weight.
If you want to keep drinking them then that's your choice.

Stabshauptmann

Ok, I weighed my food, and I used google to find calorie values for vegtables, other values I took from the labels. If this is right, I am running a huge calorie deficit, so my first thoughts are that I'm bad at math.

Meal Gram Calorie Total

Breakfast 8am
2 Eggs 110 161.70
Mushroom 16 2.29
Pepper 45 4.53 168.52

Lunch 12:30
Chicken 180 180.00
Carrot 60 24.38
Cucumber 75 11.54
pepper 45 9.06 224.97

Pre workout 18:30
kiwi 70 34.30
Apple 82 43.46
Banana 120 114
Protein Bar 80 240 431.76

Dinner 22:00
Salmon 110 220.00
Carrot 60 24.38
Cucumber 75 11.54
pepper 45 9.06
Asparagus 66 14.14 279.11

Grand Total 1,104.36


My maintenance is circa 3k calories as a 25 year old male, 188cm, 90kg, and moderate exercise.

Today I did my shoulders and legs in the gym:
3 exercises for legs and 3 for shoulders; 3 sets of 6 reps each at a heavier weight than normal for each exercise.

Topped off by a 500m swim.

I'm doing something wrong somewhere, either in my calcs or my exercise, because the pounds should be falling off me.

Can anyone spot any odd looking numbers in my calorie calc?
Am I not doing enough exercise? Maybe 6 exercises isnt enough (I was caught for time today though, would normally be 8)?

CianRyan

How long are you resting between sets?
You want to keep everything together and keep the heart rate up.

Burkatron

You're running a2k calorie defecit a day, there's your problem! Eat more food & hit 500 - 1k defecit. You're still losing weight just at a slower rate as (it's possible) your metabolism is slowing down,google adaptive thermogenesis!

metamorphosis

I surprised it took to post 12 for someone to notice the INSANE deficit that is crazy to run!

tmc86

metamorphosis wrote: »

I surprised it took to post 12 for someone to notice the INSANE deficit that is crazy to run!

In fairness the OP edited the pst to include calorific details but that is a crazy deficit!

OP as Burkatron said, you need to be hitting much higher calories - check g'em's post in the stickies to work out your maintenance calories and those needed for activity levels then subtract a 500 calorie deficit for weight loss.

It's not bad math you're just not eating enough.

If you have worked out you need 3k calories for maintenance you need to add your calories needed for your exercise and then subtract 500 for a weight loss deficit.

The reason you didn't hit 8 reps in your last session is because you hadn't consumed enough calories for the day.

Your body will turn to your muscles to compensate for the lack of calories and energy from food so to prevent muscle wastage you need to be consuming more calories.

Also kiwis and bananas are great for postwok out as they are fast releasing sugars and will therefore keep your blood sugar levels at a constant rather than spiking before a workout. When you're adding in more calories maybe put them into a small meal/snack around 11am and 3pm if you are going to keep the same diet you posted.

Stabshauptmann

This makes sense, because I was upset that I wasnt able to complete the same routines I previously had, and thought some of my muscles were getting a bit flabby.

I admit I have clearly made a mistake with my diet, now how to fix it.


Step 1
I "calculated" my maintenance level straight from:
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

and described myself as moderately active. That seem fair?

Step 2
How can I calculate the calories needed for my exercise?
I can use a treadmill to calc the calories I burn running, but I dont know how much I'm using swimming or using weights.

Step 3
Whats the best way to arrange the food in my diet?
I could add in two more small meals as suggested, do you think I'm getting the right balance of carbs, protein and fat? The advice from the net seemed to be to focus my diet on protein so I was thinking of making my two new meals protein shakes. Thoughts?

edit: I miss yogurts, weetabix, milk and indian food. Any chance of putting them back in since I clearly have a lot of calories to make up?

Can't stress how much I appreciate the advice and help, it would have been a big mistake to continue the way I was going.

thegreatiam

metamorphosis wrote: »

I surprised it took to post 12 for someone to notice the INSANE deficit that is crazy to run!

There was no description of his food amounts or his physique when the thread started.

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

thegreatiam
Really not so easy for me to cut back the drinking further; it was 20 - 30 pints a week. I've tried going dry, I can't hack it.
If this is the case then you need to look into it further. I drink a lot, and I can easily stop for a few months
There is a difference between cant and don't want to.

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

Step 1
I "calculated" my maintenance level straight from:
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

and described myself as moderately active. That seem fair?

Step 2
How can I calculate the calories needed for my exercise?
I can use a treadmill to calc the calories I burn running, but I dont know how much I'm using swimming or using weights.

Step 3
Whats the best way to arrange the food in my diet?
I could add in two more small meals as suggested, do you think I'm getting the right balance of carbs, protein and fat? The advice from the net seemed to be to focus my diet on protein so I was thinking of making my two new meals protein shakes. Thoughts?

edit: I miss yogurts, weetabix, milk and indian food. Any chance of putting them back in since I clearly have a lot of calories to make up?

Can't stress how much I appreciate the advice and help, it would have been a big mistake to continue the way I was going.

Calculate from the post in the stickies. You want the BMR without adding your activity since you want to add in your exercise yourself.

It sounds, from your numbers, you have forced your metabolism to adjust and slow down. SO you may need to correct that at first.

Eat a sold balanced diet for a few weeks at your maintenance calories. Try to consume exactly what you burn.

As far as the food you miss, you may eat what you please. Its not the food that you eat that will affect you but the amounts.
I would save the indians (takeaways) for occasional treats and try to keep track of the calories they are worth
(if its indian food you are making your self then that will be better as you can control what is in it.)

tmc86

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

Step 1
I "calculated" my maintenance level straight from:
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

and described myself as moderately active. That seem fair?

Step 2
How can I calculate the calories needed for my exercise?
I can use a treadmill to calc the calories I burn running, but I dont know how much I'm using swimming or using weights.

Step 3
Whats the best way to arrange the food in my diet?
I could add in two more small meals as suggested, do you think I'm getting the right balance of carbs, protein and fat? The advice from the net seemed to be to focus my diet on protein so I was thinking of making my two new meals protein shakes. Thoughts?

edit: I miss yogurts, weetabix, milk and indian food. Any chance of putting them back in since I clearly have a lot of calories to make up?

Can't stress how much I appreciate the advice and help, it would have been a big mistake to continue the way I was going.

First off muscles are 70% water so make sure that you're drinking plenty throughout the day. Muscles don't grow during weights sessions, they grow when they are resting following a workout so post workout nutrition is important and also quality sleep.

Estimating calories burned through exersise is always difficult. To avoid this there is a clearer formula which Mellor posted in another thread yesterday. For a weight loss of approx 1/2 lb per week;

BW lbs x 12 = calories needed to lose weight.

i.e 198.416lbs x 12 = 2,381

So from your current diet (1104kcal) you need to consume an additional 1,277kcal but this will still be enough to lose weight.

I wouldn't make the two additional meals protein shakes, you're better off trying to get it from food but if it's easier for you, you could make 1 meal and a protein shake. Shakes can be bulked up with things to like berries/nuts/cottage cheese/oats/peanut butter because you may still struggle to hit an extra 1277kcal through two shakes.

1,277 kcal is a nice amount to be playing with. Nothing wrong with yoghurts (I have low fat natural yoghurt every morning and one after lunch), milk, weetabix (have earlier in the day without sugar obv) so introduce them back in if you miss them - you'll be more likely to follow a clean diet if you're enjoying your food rather than eating leaves and being miserable! You'll get your protein from the milk and yoghurt too.

protein:carb:fat ratio

1g protein = 4 kcal
1g carbs = 4 kcal
1 g fat= 9 kcal

e.g I use a 40:40:20 split which gives me plenty of protein, plenty of carbs and enough healthy fats. This is meant to be the ideal ratio for the majority of people but then again see what works for you.

So if your weight loss calories are 2,381 (as above) you need to split these between the three groups. You can then workout the grams needed of each type e.g.

40% of 2,381 = 952.4kcal / 4kcal (1g protein) = 238g protein 40% same for carbs (238g)
20% fats = 476.2kcal / 9kcal (1g fat)= 52.9g

P:C:F
40:40:20
238g:238g:52g

you could still have indian food but you could make a healthier version yourself at home or if you are eating a takeaway/restaurant meal just ensure that its within your daily calorie targets. No harm in cutting it out for a while though - you get out what you put in. Once you start noticing results and continuing to eat clean you'll probably find your cravings disappear and you'd rather eat healthy! that's what happened to me anyway!

tmc86

First result on Google - http://www.healthyindianrecipes.co.uk/

I'm sure if you had a better look you'd find some suitable recipes!

Stabshauptmann

Cheers. Still trying to figure out how many calories I burn during work out, if I cant figure it out today I'll just use the BW lbs x 12.

Had some fruit at 10:30 and off to the shop now to get my afternoon snack ready for about 3.

thegreatiam

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

Cheers. Still trying to figure out how many calories I burn during work out, if I cant figure it out today I'll just use the BW lbs x 12.

Had some fruit at 10:30 and off to the shop now to get my afternoon snack ready for about 3.

Invest in a heart monitor, can be got cheap, for all cardio. that will be the only way to really know.

All other exercise is a little hit and miss. You can only really get ball park figures.

dor843088

Stabshauptmann wrote: »

This makes sense, because I was upset that I wasnt able to complete the same routines I previously had, and thought some of my muscles were getting a bit flabby.

I admit I have clearly made a mistake with my diet, now how to fix it.


Step 1
I "calculated" my maintenance level straight from:
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

and described myself as moderately active. That seem fair?

Step 2
How can I calculate the calories needed for my exercise?
I can use a treadmill to calc the calories I burn running, but I dont know how much I'm using swimming or using weights.

Step 3
Whats the best way to arrange the food in my diet?
I could add in two more small meals as suggested, do you think I'm getting the right balance of carbs, protein and fat? The advice from the net seemed to be to focus my diet on protein so I was thinking of making my two new meals protein shakes. Thoughts?

edit: I miss yogurts, weetabix, milk and indian food. Any chance of putting them back in since I clearly have a lot of calories to make up?

Can't stress how much I appreciate the advice and help, it would have been a big mistake to continue the way I was going.

You only need to do one simple thing . Hire a bodybuilding coach . He will give you a solid training routine and your macros to hit for the week and also fix your metabolism if needed. Plus you can eat almost whatever you like within reason once you hit your macros .