Need reassurance

[Zoongas]

After 2 years of ups and downs, and now spending time reading through the great feedback posted on this site. I now believe I may be on the right track, however if anyone out there could let me know their thoughts, this would be greatly appreciated.

I am 130 lbs, 5ft 6", and have been struggling with carrying excess body fat (not sure of %). My training programme consists of 3 - 4 days of weight training going to failure, cardio 4 - 5 days (25-30 mins). My diet is eating 5-6 small meals a day with what I believe is the right proportion of P, C, F. I have cycled Clen, ECA and small amounts of Deca and Winstrol. This is where the frustration begins.

At times I have seen some great results, but cannot manage to maintain them!!! I know underneath all of this fat is muscle waiting to show through, as I can feel it, but the problem is I cannot shake the bloody fat off. I have spent this morning reading the feedback on the Birth Control Pill, and yes I am, and have been taking this for 14 years. I now believe this could be the cause of the stubborness of my b.f. So today the pill packet went into the bin and a doctors appt. made to look into other methods (IUD seems to be the favorite option).

Question is: Could the pill have been the problem all along or if not can you give feedback if there is any other hurdle that I should be aware of ??

My boyfriend is seeing tremendous gains with cylces of Test, T3 and Clen, and I do not want to be left behind...

Many Thanks
Zoongas

 

[Temple]

Are you consistent with diet and training?
How many calories a day and what are the percentages?
Are the sources clean or are you eating junk?
Just looking at it I would say that you need to go at least 45 min preferably an hour of cardio 4 days rather than what you are doing now if you are not getting the results you want.

 

[Zoongas]

My diet consists of: 120 gms P, 84 gms C, 54 gms F per day. Occasionally a little bit of chocky is eaten, but other than that all meals are healthy. Never really been one for fatty, salty food only chocky cravings.

 

[Temple]

Just eyeballing it it looks like about 1500 cals per day. I did that same thing and like you became very frustrated at the lack of results. How long have you been eating that few calories? What worked for me is to increase my calories to 2500 per day and do 2 60 min cardio sessions per week max, lift my ass off in the gym, supplemented with a little anavar, gained about 10# of muscle in 12 weeks and some fat as well. I have now upped the cardio to 4-5 60 min sessions while keeping my calories the same and the fat is coming off, when that stops working I will tweak the diet a bit. I really beat hell out of myself for a long time and didn't get what I wanted and was given the above advice from a couple of people who I deeply respect (Lobo and IG), my body now responds to just minor changes and less effort. I know that it is going to be another 6 months before I start looking like I want to but there is no doubt that I will get there.

 

[Temple]

also the pill isn't doing you any favors and you may need to add some topical yohimbine hcl to get the estrogen related fat off.

 

[Sassy69]

I would agree w/ Temple. Not too sure about the birth control - I was on a low estrogen/progesten pill for 15 years and went off in February. I haven't seen any major differences in body fat. Also I did two natural body building competitions last year and theonly thing that got my body fat down was morning cardio on an empty stomach.

I followed a diet that was about 1500 cal, hi protein, low carb, low fat, for about 8 months during which I did two competitions. The fallout was that after the 2nd competition I wasn't able to drop my bodyfat anymore. Basically I ballooned up and haven't been able to drop bf despite continuous clean dieting, training like a mofo and cardio. Just as you can start stagnating when you don't change up your lifting routine, it seems that you can get stuck if you follow an "extreme" diet for too long. I'm going back to a 30% protein. 50% carb, 20% fat diet for a while to see if I can't kick my metabolism back into gear and drop the weight. Jeez, I'm in the gym almost 2x per day now, doing morning cardio and night lifting. Hoping to see results...

Check what Temple says and see if that works. Sometimes you can only try to manipulate your body so much for results when you have to go back to basics and let your metabolism figure out where it needs to run naturally first.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Good Luck! I am also going to try the topical yohimbine hcl thing too....

 

[BigEasy]

A BF% profile would be very good information to know before going too much farther in your quest. It would give you the baseline for objectivly measuring your body composition. This is good because when you get below 16-18% visuals may cause you to sacrafice LBM from your solid areas whist chasing a percieved bad area. After all your hard work, that would be a real shame!!

Also, it will provide a method of objectivly tracking your progress in the LBM gains area, without having to wonder if it's really fat or water. Water and some BF is a fact of life for some individuals due to genetics and hormonal sensitivity. No need in working against yourself needlessly when it comes time to supplement with AS, you can be sure with accurate BF measurments.


BTW, it seems to me that at 130#, 5"6" you are pretty close to non-comp ideal for a BB with good definition. What are your goals?


BE

 

[Zoongas]

Not sure of my BF.

I guess like a lot of of us I'm looking for a nicely defined/cut physic - but not as developed as a BB.

Thanks,

Z

 

[Bikini Mod]

All excellent advice before me.

Here is a bit of a different spin on things. Have you considered backing off on the cardio for a bit? You know, in combination with the extreme diet and all that cardio your metabolism has adjusted and has been in "starvation mode" ie holding on to fat for dear life as it believes that you are starving.

Before my first bbing comp last year I was doing 5 sessions p/week (45 min at a clip), 5 am on empty stomach and three more eve sessions. I was told THE FIRST thing I had to do was cut back on cardio - PERIOD. The first week after that I did hardly any and yes I did gain fat. But my body quickly adjusted and I slowly increased the cardio as the weeks progressed. I began about 8 weeks out at 18%bf at 118# (I'm 5'3 1/2") and competed at 10% at 112# - without the use of A/S....the following week did another show, cleaned up diet further and changed the "water intake thang" and came in at 8% at 109#.

Of course, my diet was also waaaaaaaay off.

Just a thought - any body else?

 

[Zoongas]

I have taken the advice of cutting back my cardio over the last 3 weeks (couldn't do much with a sprained back) however, I am about to begin again. I have worked with my diet and am now eating 6 meals a day, high carb(P - 60gms, C - 200 gms, F - ).

My question is, should I leave the calories as they are or look at changing the ratio ? I am aiming to do approx 3 - 4 days, 40 mins of cardio and 3 days weight training per week.

My goal as mentioned earlier is to become athletic (lean) not to build to much muscle.

Also, just read a post on effects on insulin with taking T3 and Clen. I have struggled to keep my body fat low and have always found that on completion of a cycle on Clen or T3, I tend to put on more body fat than when I first began ? Thought it was all in the mind..........

 

[Phemomena]

I have taken the advice of cutting back my cardio over the last 3 weeks (couldn't do much with a sprained back) however, I am about to begin again. I have worked with my diet and am now eating 6 meals a day, high carb(P - 60gms, C - 200 gms, F - ).

does this mean you plan to eat NO FAT?? eeek!.... fat will not make you fat... you NEED healthy fats... they do so much for you... i suggest flaxseed oil at the least... check around for dosages, i take cocktail of mixed omega 3, 6 and 9 oils twice a day...

is there a reason that you've decided on high carbs and low protein... this isn't know to lean people out... people ususaly eat high carbs when BULKING... eating protein isn't going to magically make you more muscular... if you don't want to get more muscular, then just cut back on lifting weight...

phem

 

[new@gettinbig]

You should be taking in at least 1 gram of protein per lb of your bodyweight, and you really need to cut back the carbs a bit if you are looking to lose weight and lean out. When it comes to dieting you have to play around with it a bit and see what works for you, try cutting carbs after 4pm, or do a rotating diet and go 2 days low carbs, 1 day high carbs....there are several different ways you can do this, email me if you want some diet ideas. But you NEED fat like stated above, you can not lose weight on a low-fat, no fat diet, it WILL NOT WORK! you need fats like olive oil, flax oil, natural peanutbutter etc. At least 1-2 tbsp a day. Put them on your salad or in a shake. Why dont you post a sample of what you are eating now on a typical day. Then we can better help you, email me if you want a sample diet or some help.....

 

[Zoongas]

Sorry, forgot to mention that I am taking Flaxseed Oil and eating almonds throughout the day. I realise I need to increase my protein to 1gm/1 lb body weight, however it is the right portion of carb's that I struggle with.....

Does anybody have a method of calculating this ?

 

[Bikini Mod]

New@gettinbig gives waaaaaaay sound advice!

The whole carb/protein/fat ratio thing does NOT have to be as complicated as some make it out to be. Unless you are an elite level athlete.

This is a VERY SIMPLE way of working things out - no scale/no calculations.....adjust serving sizes to your weight and height. (I am 5'3" at the time I was given this diet for competition I was about 118# at 18/19% bf. At the end of 8 weeks or so, I competed at 10%bf, 112#...of course, there were adjustments to the diet and activity level along the way...but this is a good start).

Meal One = 1 serving protein
1 serving complex carbohydrate
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate


Meal Two = 1 serving protein
1 serving complex carbohydrate
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate


Meal Three = 1 serving protein
1 serving complex carbohydrate
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate


Meal Four = 1 serving protein
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate


Meal Five = 1 serving protein
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate


Meal Six = 1 serving protein
1 serving fibrous carbohydrate




Protein ( 20 – 25G ) = lean chicken, turkey, beef, fish, low fat cottage cheese, eggs, natural peanut butter SPARINGLY

1 whole egg = 4g of protein
1 egg white = 3 g protein

Complex Carbohydrate = One yam (about the size of your fist), ½ C oatmeal, ½ C brown rice

Fibrous Carbohydrate = VEGGIES


After weight training workout have one Meal Replacement Shake w/water ONLY!

Begin program with 30min cardio sessions on empty stomach 3 X’s per week
Weight training 4 X’s per week

Day 1 – Chest , Biceps, Abdominals
Day 2 – Legs, Calves
Day 3 – Off
Day 4 – Back, Abdominals
Day 5 – Shoulders, Triceps, Calves
Day 6 – Off
Day 7 – Off
Cycle Repeats

Recommended reference = The Corinne T Netzer Encyclopedia of Food Values

*********

There is no ONE way to do this. This is basic and a good starting point. Yes you DO NEED FAT and yes, you should take in at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight.

I have given this basic diet and training regimen to a few women and the changes in thier bodies have been DRAMATIC and satisfactory.....if they stuck to it and made the necessary adjustments along the way.

The changes will NOT be overnight, however, and you can not give up after a week or two and decide that "it just isn't working".

GOOD LUCK.

 

[Zoongas]

Thanks bikinmom and new@gettingbig for the very sound advice. Bikinimom, I like the simplicity of your plan and will actively commence following this today. It is nice to see that it does not have to be so complexed, with my busy lifestyle being out and about all the time, this makes life much easier.

Shall keep you informed with my results.......

 

[Bikini Mod]

YOU'D BETTER.....OR ELSE!

 

[chabbah]

Bikinimom, you didn't include any portion recommendations for flaxseed oil in your diet plan. Why not? I don't eat peanut butter, so I take flaxseed oil. Help?

 

[Zoongas]

Bikinimom, I have a few questions on the programme.

When you state 1/2 cup oatmeal/rice etc, is this cooked or uncooked. Is bread allowed here ?

Also, is fruit included in the fibrous carbs ?

I have started, but just need to clarify the above to enusre I am on the right track and will have no setbacks...........

Many thanks

 

[keiko]

I'm not bikinimom, but I'll butt in.

As she posted--fibrous carbs= veggies. Even fruits with relatively high amounts of fiber will slow your fatburning.

I always use uncooked 1/2 cup measurements.

Don't eat bread, it's not got enough fiber.

 

[Bikini Mod]

Keiko is correct.

As for the fat ratios - I am not a diet expert. The plan I listed is basic and what I use. There should be enough fat in the whole foods listed (ie salmon, beef, chicken, etc). From what I have been told by those who know a WHOLE LOT more about diet than me, that a TBSP of flaxseed or olive oil (though from what I am told the flaxseed oil is preferential) p/day is MORE than adequate for the average woman.

The way that I have also been taught to see how much fat I need. When I am dieting hard (we are talking precontest) and I am soooooooo hungry that I can NOT wait for my next meal then I need to add fat into the mix to slow the absorption of the carbs and protein. When I get to this point I simply eat a little olive oil from the spoon (YUCK!) with my first one or two meals until I feel "balance" ....ie I am not DYING until my next meal.

Perhaps this may be very simplistic, but it works for me.

Like I said before, there are few among us who are SERIOUS competitors. I do not count myself in this group either. I only need to alter my appearance to be where a client needs me to be. I have been doing this for a while and I know my body well. I will not be standing next to anyone for comparison, so as long as my clothing and my mirror say that I am where I need to be - then I am happy!

If any of the diet EXPERTS would like to chime in and explain "scientifically" the hows and whys PUH-LEASE DO!!!

If there is anything else, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer clearly.