case study

[jpt]

ok so i have seen pretty good results on my current diet and training routine. i do however think i may need to switch it up a little as i feel progress has slowed down. when i say progress i mean i've been lossing bf but maintaining muscle mass. i have been keeping my muscle gains pretty much since i started dieting 3 months ago (have lost a little size ....arms went from 16.5 inches to 16 but my chest, shoulders, back and legs are still the same measurements). bur recently i stopping thining out and seems like i'm stuck in neutral. wondering what my options are since i don't want to give away any mass i have... i'm in no rush and couldn't give a sh!t about doing this in a rush b/c the summer is here...i'm 27, engaged, and pretty much facing the fact i will never have another days fun again in my life. sorry for the rant...stress man.

anyway...lifting 3 days a week...one body part per week...extremely happy with my weight training....still lifting as heavy as i was before my diet (about 8 pound ago...now 168lbs) doing HIIT twice a week on the eliptical for 20 minutes

since i've posted my diet on here before i'll just give the macros...

2200 cals 250g pro 150g carbs 40g of fat

i'm btwn 10.5%-11.5% bf

56% protein 34% carbs 10% fat is how the diet looks

i know the percentages are off but i have seen very good progress thus far. i need to up my fats and lower my carbs...my only prob with that is every meal is pretty much chicken or egg whites with brown rice and oats. ( and course my veggies) i don't want to eat protein by itself (without carbs) because of what i've been reading on the board how it won't get absorbed without carbs...

like today i had cottage cheese w/ pineapple (very small piece) and eggwhites with oats so i have almost consumed 50g of carbs so far and i still have 5 meals left. alot more chicken to come and some tuna...but each meal is accompanied by 20g of carbs (which really isn't much)...to help absorption...should i abandon a carb source completely with one of my meals? don't think that is a good idea...i have already pretty much cut it into 20g with each meal...about 140g-150g total...not sure if i can cut it more b/c it's bascially nothing now. plus i don't want to lose my muscle mass.

i think i'll add another HIIT session and keep the diet the same...i'll let you guys know how it works out.


pls feel free to give me your diagnosis

 

[SgtSlaughter]

First off, great job with the progress thus far.

From what you've analyzed yourself, I think you know what you need to do as far as diet is concerned.

And eating chicken and veggies for most of the day is done by many on here (don't forget Olive Oil and maybe some Sea Salt).

As far as your training... IMHO: You should increase to 4-5 days of weight because your goal IS to Maintain, if not gain LBM throughout this cutting period.

Diet should be manipulated first before you start running daily marathons... quick way to lose LBM.

HIIT 2-3 times a week should suffice for now... switch up the diet and training schedule ... post results

 

[jpt]

ok...tried to throw some karma at you but i have to spread it around first haha.

your right...i have learned alot about my body over the past 3 months and really appreciate everyones help and insight along the way. i think my diet is pretty tight...can prob tweak a little...was thinking the same thing with the olive oil. i'm going to throw in another HIIT session and give it 2 weeks...i should see resullts. if my progress is still stagnant it's back to the drawing board. i will def keep you posted on progression! and damnit i need to get pics up b/c i def look alot better then what i started! i get home feed the dog cook by that time it's 9 and all i want to do is sleep!

thx sarge!

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

I think you're right to do a bit of carb cutting and maybe a bit of fat cutting too. I also think some other things could help like 'eating what when' and changing a bit of 'what' you are eating. My thoughts for you....

Mentally. Don't get trapped into a mental case of what I like to call the 'smalls'. A lot of people, primarily men can have this happen when cutting after a lengthy (or life-long) period of being the biggest guy at the gym or in a group. Many BB competitors have this occur too. A lot of the 'size' one may carry can be fat - and also lean tissue takes up ~ 30% less space than fat. So while one may appear more compact and dense overall, the weight may not be less on a scale. Also, a lean muscular build looks denser and larger to the eye than a higher bodyfat look. So first off I just wanted to say - don't be worried if your 16.5 bicep drops to 16 or less, because it will look better after you drop the fat anyway.

I didn't see your original diet or macros, but I saw you mentioned pineapple and cottage cheese. While this protein source is okay, it can be made better if you rinse the cottage cheese and just use the curd (possibly in a salad or blend it up into a protein shake or oatmeal). The milk sugars are not beneficial nor is the high sugar in the pineapple. Try strawberries instead.

Eat your carb sources at the morning meal and the lunch meal (on a 5 meal a day regime this would be meals 1 and 3). If you are post workout it is also beneficial to take in a protein shake post workout with a carb/protein combination such as Mass Maker from Beverly. Its just what I use, I'm not hocking it. On workout days only this would add a 6th or additional meal.

You can command a lot of lean tissue changes with just diet changes and not the addition of another cardio session whereby you may be offering your body a negative effect.

Try something like this:

Meal #1
6 egg whites - 1 yolks
8 oz. chicken, turkey, lean beef or tuna
1 cup oatmeal

Meal #2
6 oz. chicken, turkey or tuna
1 cup vegetables
-or-
Clean protein only shake in 14oz water

Meal #3
2 cups salad containing choice of salad vegetables, 1 roma tomato, 2 tbsp Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing like Newman's Own, 1 tbsp feta cheese, 6 walnut halves
7 ounces tuna or other lean protein
6 oz sweet potato -or- 1 cup brown rice

Meal #4
6 oz. chicken, turkey or tuna
1 cup vegetables
-or-
Clean protein only shake in 14oz water

Meal #5
8oz lean beef
1 cup fibrous vegetables like green beans, spinach or asparagus

*Every Monday and Thursday eat the following meal in place of one regular meal: 1 cups brown rice, 6-8oz sweet potato, 1-4oz. banana, with 1 tbs. real butter plus 1 cup vegetables

Also, 1 and 1/2 gal of water daily. Hope this helps.