STUCK at 10 percent bf ... help....

[BigGuns29]

Hey everyone, I am currently about 13 weeks out from my first competition. I have been stuck at about 10% for a few weeks and the weight has stopped coming off. I am using the calipers to measure the bf too. So right my typical day looks like this, wake up 8:00am eat 1/4c fat free yogurt and 1/2c plain oats. after that at about 11:00 am I go and do stairmaster at 4.5 floors per minute for 30 minutes. then on a 15 incline on the treadmill, I walk at 3.2 mph for 20 minutes, then ride a seated bike for 10 minutes at 80rpm level 11 29mph. then done for morning. then go home (1:00pm) and eat a sliced chicken breast sandwich on whole wheat bread and a banana with all natty pb. (1 1/2 TBSP) then wait for 3 hours (4:00PM) then go back and do my workout. all sets are 2 minute rests between. after workout, I dring 51gram prot shake (beverly international ultimate) then about an hour later (7:00 pm) I eat about 2 New york strips (1lb) with little a1 sauce and a baked potatoe with mustard on it. at around 10:30PM I eat a TBSP of all natty pb and a glass of skim milk. Bed. I am currently 226lbs and feeling good, just feel like I am in a rut. I sometimes carb up once a week to shock the body, but not big difference just small correction within 2 days back down in weight then maybe loose a pound after. Does anyone that knows for certain have any clues what is going wrong or what I can do to make it better? I think my diet is clean, what do u think? Thanks...Also have clen, t3 , tren acetate, eq, and winny on call for last pre contest cycle . will begin soon within a week or so.

 

[marklm725]

try doing some running bro 2-3miles. Johnnie Jackson starts out his day EVERYDAY with a 2-3mile run. walking on a tread mill and stair stepping and biking may just not cut it for you with that diet that you have. karma welcome

 

[Bruce]

is your avi up to date cause that looks more like 15%. diet is the key man. no more steaks just chicken and brown rice and whey protein egg whites. running will def help as well. i am lean shredded mofo natty i would love some of your mass, but ive seen plenty of bros cut down fast with diet and cardio and clen will help for sure

 

[BigGuns29]

No the avi is about a 8 months old. that was at 285lbs, now I am at 226. about 23 weeks of the cardio and clean dieting. but yes you called it close, that was about 18% in the avi.

 

[BigGuns29]

Oh, and I have been using the red meat steaks in place of the chicken at dinner because of the latter part of the day nutrients in it compared to chicken.

 

[Bruce]

cool man. get that diet in check you'll be good. ask satch or machine01 they have some serious diets for that

 

[sweed]

dude.. you should be eating every 2 hours.. how many cals are u taking in?? im about 7 weeks out and takin in around 3200 cals. not much cardio yet, going to start soon.
need to eat at least 6 times a day, that'll get your motabolism going

 

[krishna]

Cut out the breads and add some protein in the morning.

 

[BigGuns29]

like just eat plain chicken breast with mustard on it for lunch with banana and 50g whey in morning with breakfast or treat it as a pre breakfast meal? just trying to dial it in. next week we are going to get me to carb deplete over 3-5 days to see how my body reacts. should be (not) fun.... thanks everyone for your input, keep it coming, this is why I came back to this board. the info really helps!!!

 

[Redshoteye]

like just eat plain chicken breast with mustard on it for lunch with banana and 50g whey in morning with breakfast or treat it as a pre breakfast meal? just trying to dial it in. next week we are going to get me to carb deplete over 3-5 days to see how my body reacts. should be (not) fun.... thanks everyone for your input, keep it coming, this is why I came back to this board. the info really helps!!!

If your worried about getting under a certain bf% cutting out the banana would help. Fructose does your body little good in a BB diet, especially pre-comp.

 

[azul]

You need more protein. I'd consume around 1.5g per lb of bodyweight while dieting.

 

[Outtlaw]

In addition to what everyone else said... if you're gonna eat beef, eat it in the morning. And if you're gonna stick with the beef, cut the peanut butter. And I'd cut out the yogurt as well.

 

[TheAssholeFomerlyKnownAsDBBT]

Hey everyone, I am currently about 13 weeks out from my first competition. I have been stuck at about 10% for a few weeks and the weight has stopped coming off. I am using the calipers to measure the bf too. So right my typical day looks like this, wake up 8:00am eat 1/4c fat free yogurt and 1/2c plain oats. after that at about 11:00 am I go and do stairmaster at 4.5 floors per minute for 30 minutes. then on a 15 incline on the treadmill, I walk at 3.2 mph for 20 minutes, then ride a seated bike for 10 minutes at 80rpm level 11 29mph. then done for morning. then go home (1:00pm) and eat a sliced chicken breast sandwich on whole wheat bread and a banana with all natty pb. (1 1/2 TBSP) then wait for 3 hours (4:00PM) then go back and do my workout. all sets are 2 minute rests between. after workout, I dring 51gram prot shake (beverly international ultimate) then about an hour later (7:00 pm) I eat about 2 New york strips (1lb) with little a1 sauce and a baked potatoe with mustard on it. at around 10:30PM I eat a TBSP of all natty pb and a glass of skim milk. Bed. I am currently 226lbs and feeling good, just feel like I am in a rut. I sometimes carb up once a week to shock the body, but not big difference just small correction within 2 days back down in weight then maybe loose a pound after. Does anyone that knows for certain have any clues what is going wrong or what I can do to make it better? I think my diet is clean, what do u think? Thanks...Also have clen, t3 , tren acetate, eq, and winny on call for last pre contest cycle . will begin soon within a week or so.

you're not eating enough food...doing TOO much cardio IMO

I see that your first meal is at 1PM Not good, you wake up at 8am and have basically nothing (1/4c fat free yogurt and 1/2c plain oats) in you when you go do your cardio...that yogurt/oat small portion is gonna run through your system before you walk out the door at 226lbs. Chicken breasts, Whey, Lfat Cottage Cheese, Lean ground beef in the am should be your proteins for meals. Complex carbs should be rolled oats in the am with Whey shake, Yams, Rice, Potatoes is all I'd eat for carbs. Def. up your protein with these sources and mess around with these complex carb grams ed.

 

[gymratforlife]

I needed to read this also I am in the same boat as you bro.K coming around to every1.

 

[shape]

whats your intensity level during ur cardio sessions

over 70% MAX HR you are working your heart muscle--great but wont aid BF loss

keep it between 65-70%max---thats the fat burning zone

just in case someone doesnt know MAX HR calc its 220-minus your age
divide that by 65-70 and u have your fat burning target HR

 

[gymratforlife]

Does any1 know the website were you can get your bmi and how many calories you nned according to your body weight to maintain the same weight?

 

[wallcrawler]

I've never tried this but I read that you can get past a plateau of fat loss by staggering your calories. It works like this:
You eat the right amount of calories you need to support your lean body mass for a few days. That would be considered 100% of the calories you need. Then you would start on this schedule: 1 day of 100% calories then 2 days at 70% of you calories. Keep repeating this 3-day cycle. And be sure you're eating 6-7 times a day.
The way it works is when you drop your calories your body thinks there is a shortage of food and slows down your metabolism but this takes a coup,e of days. So you eat 100% on day 1 to keep your metabolism up. On days 2 and 3 your metabolism stays high but your cals are lower so your body burns more fat. On the fourth day, just before your body slows down its metabolism, you're back at 100% and your body thinks everything is ok and keeps the metabolism high.
If you try this, please post up and let us know if it really works trhe way I've read its supposed to.

 

[BigGuns29]

I dont know if this will help clear things up or not but here is a little more info

pre- present cardio & diet regimen stats: what my avi is
285lbs
19%bf
30yr
6'1"
40"waist

now:
226lbs
10%bf
30yr
33-34" waist
been doing this about 25 weeks so far

 

[Joe Stenson]

whats your intensity level during ur cardio sessions

over 70% MAX HR you are working your heart muscle--great but wont aid BF loss

keep it between 65-70%max---thats the fat burning zone

How does HIIT work then?

 

[Joe Stenson]

I can't believe this thread's gone 18 posts without someone asking him how many calories it is that he's consuming. That's the first thing one needs to look at...always.

I've never tried this but I read that you can get past a plateau of fat loss by staggering your calories. It works like this:
You eat the right amount of calories you need to support your lean body mass for a few days. That would be considered 100% of the calories you need. Then you would start on this schedule: 1 day of 100% calories then 2 days at 70% of you calories. Keep repeating this 3-day cycle. And be sure you're eating 6-7 times a day.
The way it works is when you drop your calories your body thinks there is a shortage of food and slows down your metabolism but this takes a coup,e of days. So you eat 100% on day 1 to keep your metabolism up. On days 2 and 3 your metabolism stays high but your cals are lower so your body burns more fat. On the fourth day, just before your body slows down its metabolism, you're back at 100% and your body thinks everything is ok and keeps the metabolism high.
If you try this, please post up and let us know if it really works trhe way I've read its supposed to.

Your metabolism takes at least 4 days of near starvation level calories to crash (unless you're doing copious amounts of cardio as well). So, I guess you can say the plan you suggested is safe as there's no chance of a metabolism shutdown of any sort, but he could certainly press the issue a little further imo.

 

[TheAssholeFomerlyKnownAsDBBT]

I can't believe this thread's gone 18 posts without someone asking him how many calories it is that he's consuming. That's the first thing one needs to look at...always.

no need to ask a true bb can look at the food he said he's eating and guesstimate and know in general what the answer is...answer is not Much

 

[Joe Stenson]

no need to ask a true bb can look at the food he said he's eating and guesstimate and know in general what the answer is...answer is not Much

I could do that too, but that's not the point. Chances are if he didn't post the numbers, he doesn't know them. And that's probably his #1 problem right there...

 

[wallcrawler]

I can't believe this thread's gone 18 posts without someone asking him how many calories it is that he's consuming. That's the first thing one needs to look at...always.



Your metabolism takes at least 4 days of near starvation level calories to crash (unless you're doing copious amounts of cardio as well). So, I guess you can say the plan you suggested is safe as there's no chance of a metabolism shutdown of any sort, but he could certainly press the issue a little further imo.

Well then do 70% for 4 days or 60% for 3 or 4 days. I asumed he would know what would be 100% of the calories he needed to equal his TDEE.
One more thing, on your lower cal days, cut cals from carbs first and try to at least get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, preferably more, to maintain the muscle gains you've made. And continue to lift heavy.

 

[BigGuns29]

believe me dude, i looked at the numbers, and they are as follows

my maintenance calories at 225lbs with a bmr of 15 is about 3375 calories

the food goes as follows

yogurt 60 cals
oats 150 cals
bread 140 cals
chicken 280 cals
banana 105 cals
peanut butter 150 cals
steaks 16oz ny strip 800 - 900 cals
steak sauce 60 cals
baked potatoe 100 cals
mustard=0
skim milk 170 cals
peanut butter 150 cals

between 2165 and 2265 cals per day

puts me in a caloric deficit of between 1100 and 1200 per day.

strength and muscle size staying same, burning approx 600 cals during morning cardio , who knows what I burn during afternoon workout.

 

[gymratforlife]

believe me dude, i looked at the numbers, and they are as follows

my maintenance calories at 225lbs with a bmr of 15 is about 3375 calories

the food goes as follows

yogurt 60 cals
oats 150 cals
bread 140 cals
chicken 280 cals
banana 105 cals
peanut butter 150 cals
steaks 16oz ny strip 800 - 900 cals
steak sauce 60 cals
baked potatoe 100 cals
mustard=0
skim milk 170 cals
peanut butter 150 cals

between 2165 and 2265 cals per day

puts me in a caloric deficit of between 1100 and 1200 per day.

strength and muscle size staying same, burning approx 600 cals during morning cardio , who knows what I burn during afternoon workout.

I am at the same exact point you are at bro,everything adds up but the BF is stuck and not going down or if it is its very slow.I think we probably just need a couple days off the gym and eating normal to reset our systems and get metabolism stocking again.Its the only solution I can think off anymore I have checked and rechecked everything in diet/training 1 million times and its all there.

 

[Joe Stenson]

Well then do 70% for 4 days or 60% for 3 or 4 days. I asumed he would know what would be 100% of the calories he needed to equal his TDEE.

50% for 3-4 days would be even better .

One more thing, on your lower cal days, cut cals from carbs first and try to at least get 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, preferably more, to maintain the muscle gains you've made. And continue to lift heavy.

Yup, get your protein and EFAs, keep everything else low.

 

[Joe Stenson]

between 2165 and 2265 cals per day

puts me in a caloric deficit of between 1100 and 1200 per day.

strength and muscle size staying same, burning approx 600 cals during morning cardio , who knows what I burn during afternoon workout.

I highly doubt your metabolism has slowed down much as others have alluded to,especially if you're carbing up once/week.

If ~2200 cals isn't cutting the mustard, you're going to have to drop them. That's really all there is to it. Even if it's just for a couple days/week, try going to the 1500 cal level. Try to place your heaviest workouts around your carb-up; strength shouldn't drop much, if at all, if you're doing that.

I'm a big fan of cyclical diets. In 5 days you're hitting a 6000 calorie deficit right now. I think you'd see better results if that deficit was a result of 4 1500 cal days and 1 5000 cal day (carb-up), instead of 5 days of a steady calorie levels.

 

[BigGuns29]

I save my carb up day for leg day. I eat whatever is in sight, chicken, steaks, potatoes, its all good food, just more of it. and also more yogurt & PB

 

[jstrick2]

I don't know what you are running....

but, is there a chance you might be taking in too little calories?

Mainly just a general question to everyone...not an opinion.

 

[Joe Stenson]

I save my carb up day for leg day. I eat whatever is in sight, chicken, steaks, potatoes, its all good food, just more of it. and also more yogurt & PB

It's called a CARB-up day for a reason.

Carb-ups involve basically zero fat, lower levels of protein than other days (so maybe 1g/lb bodyweight), and the rest is carbs.

What you're doing is simply a "refeed" or even a fairly clean "cheat day".

 

[Outtlaw]

I save my carb up day for leg day. I eat whatever is in sight, chicken, steaks, potatoes, its all good food, just more of it. and also more yogurt & PB

You just dont want to get rid of the pb and yogurt do you?? Well, you'll learn.

 

[krishna]

I was stuck at 10% forever. Now I am 9 or less. I cut out milk and breads. Stick with whole grains, veges, moderate fruit, and nuts for carbs. If anyone is interested in my diet or routine, let me know. I was thinking about doing clen, but have dropped below 10 without it, so I'm gonna keep with my current regimin until I hit a barrier.

 

[krishna]

Oh and I do take in sugar post lifting but not post cardio.

 

[timtim]

could try adding more protein and fat.

could add carbs and subtract fats.

there are a bunch of things you could do. i think the problem is the calories are really low. i'm 185 at 5'5" eating the same calories. if you think you lowered your metabolism, take 3 weeks at maintenance calories (during this time carbs and protein should be higher with less fat). when you go back to the cutting calories, remove carbs and a little protein and add fats in their place.

theres good advice on this post by a bunch of people, could try a few of the suggestions and see what works.

 

[gymratforlife]

could try adding more protein and fat.

could add carbs and subtract fats.

there are a bunch of things you could do. i think the problem is the calories are really low. i'm 185 at 5'5" eating the same calories. if you think you lowered your metabolism, take 3 weeks at maintenance calories (during this time carbs and protein should be higher with less fat). when you go back to the cutting calories, remove carbs and a little protein and add fats in their place.

theres good advice on this post by a bunch of people, could try a few of the suggestions and see what works.

You are my size only one inch shorter.What bf% are you at now?

 

[timtim]

i got tested a few weeks back at like 9.2%, now i'm tighter.

 

[gymratforlife]

i got tested a few weeks back at like 9.2%, now i'm tighter.

Damn you are a big fucker.I am at around 12% right now maybe a bit lower trying to get to single digits.

 

[timtim]

thanks. stayed lean throughout the winter, around 12% could still see abs. started dieting in the beginning of may.

been doing a good amount of cardio

 

[gymratforlife]

thanks. stayed lean throughout the winter, around 12% could still see abs. started dieting in the beginning of may.

been doing a good amount of cardio

I can see my abbs pretty good right now.This picture was about 4 weeks ago I am a bit leaner now

 

[timtim]

cant see it, i'm not platinum

 

[badassy]

dropping your cals down to 1600 a day is just crazy..... i would up them before i would drop them..... also you have been dieting for 25 weeks?..... thats a long time to be dieting your body needs a rest....

 

[Outtlaw]

No the avi is about a 8 months old. that was at 285lbs, now I am at 226. about 23 weeks of the cardio and clean dieting. but yes you called it close, that was about 18% in the avi.

Now that I've been thinking, something is not right. If you were 18% bf at 285 then you would be shredded at 235lbs. But your 226 and still at 10%. Your calculations were way off bro, no offense. You've already dropped 60lbs and your still at 10%. You shouldnt have to drop that much bodyfat. You shouldnt end up bulking more than 40lbs or so over your contest weight. If you bulk up to 285, you should be comming in at like 235-240, minimum. If this isnt your 1st time dieting down, then there's something you're not doing right.

 

[wallcrawler]

Now that I've been thinking, something is not right. If you were 18% bf at 285 then you would be shredded at 235lbs. But your 226 and still at 10%. Your calculations were way off bro, no offense. You've already dropped 60lbs and your still at 10%. You shouldnt have to drop that much bodyfat. You shouldnt end up bulking more than 40lbs or so over your contest weight. If you bulk up to 285, you should be comming in at like 235-240, minimum. If this isnt your 1st time dieting down, then there's something you're not doing right.

Either that or his constant diet below his TDEE has slowed his metabolism and he's become catabolic. If that's the case and his stats are correct I calculate that he has lost around 30 lbs of hard earned muscle.

285 lbs - 51.3 (body fat @ 18%) = 233.7 lean muscle mass

226 - 22.6 (body fat @ 10%) = 203.4 lean muscle mass

233.7 - 203.4 = 30.3 lbs of muscle lost. Damn!

Staying on a caloric deficit for longer than 3 or 4 days is not good. Your body starts burning muscle for energy and storing fat. Do low-cal for 3 or 4 days then jump back up to 100%. Maybe make that your high-carb day(?).

 

[gymratforlife]

Either that or his constant diet below his TDEE has slowed his metabolism and he's become catabolic. If that's the case and his stats are correct I calculate that he has lost around 30 lbs of hard earned muscle.

285 lbs - 51.3 (body fat @ 18%) = 233.7 lean muscle mass

226 - 22.6 (body fat @ 10%) = 203.4 lean muscle mass

233.7 - 203.4 = 30.3 lbs of muscle lost. Damn!

Staying on a caloric deficit for longer than 3 or 4 days is not good. Your body starts burning muscle for energy and storing fat. Do low-cal for 3 or 4 days then jump back up to 100%. Maybe make that your high-carb day(?).

You know from my own experience Id say you are 100% correct my friend.I just dieted like him for almost 3 months and did a shitload of cardio per day and trained 7 days a week to get stuck at around 12% bf also.Now I am going back to bulking for a few months then gona come back to cutting when done with an aproach like the one you mention here.

 

[BigGuns29]

dropping your cals down to 1600 a day is just crazy..... i would up them before i would drop them..... also you have been dieting for 25 weeks?..... thats a long time to be dieting your body needs a rest....

Man, if you seen me before I started dieting, you would shit!!! If you saw me now, (all this hard work later) you would tell me not to stop. If I could figure out a way to post pics I would. I actually like eating this way. it is filling and does keep me disciplined (foodwise) I am just looking to change it or something else to keep the results going forward. I never want to go back where I was.

 

[gymratforlife]

Man, if you seen me before I started dieting, you would shit!!! If you saw me now, (all this hard work later) you would tell me not to stop. If I could figure out a way to post pics I would. I actually like eating this way. it is filling and does keep me disciplined (foodwise) I am just looking to change it or something else to keep the results going forward. I never want to go back where I was.

Ive decided to just bulk and say the hell with it.A good bulking cycle will definetly reset my metabolism if thats the issue.I am going to do clean bulking of course so trying to gain minimal fat.This is were I am at right now bf% wise and starting to bulk now hopefully to put on a good 15lbs of lbm in the next 4 months maybe more.

 

[BigGuns29]

Here are my before and after (10%) pics. This is where I am stuck!!!!

 

[gymratforlife]

Id say your around 14% in those bro.You see my picture I am probably 12% there and you can almost see all my abs.At 10% you should be able to see all your abs very clearly.

 

[BigGuns29]

I am 10% now bro, with calipers from my trainer, Dr., and the BSU sport fitness (exercise science) professor all using either calipers or handheld. and yes, there is absolutely no lighting in the photo, but you can see all of my abs. I am sure you are not trying to burst my bubble or anything, but I am not going to argue with people that are professionals at figuring bodyfat.

 

[mrhoon]

I have to agree that cals are too low. I'm 6'3, and was stuck at 250 for a long time. My cals were 1800 to 2200. I upped my cals to 2400 to 2800, and kept everything else the same and I've dropped another 15 pounds in 2 months. Good luck.

 

[BigGuns29]

Now that I've been thinking, something is not right. If you were 18% bf at 285 then you would be shredded at 235lbs. But your 226 and still at 10%. Your calculations were way off bro, no offense. You've already dropped 60lbs and your still at 10%. You shouldnt have to drop that much bodyfat. You shouldnt end up bulking more than 40lbs or so over your contest weight. If you bulk up to 285, you should be comming in at like 235-240, minimum. If this isnt your 1st time dieting down, then there's something you're not doing right.

This is my first time dieting down and my 1st contest. my skin on my thighs is about 7mm so they are obviously the first thing coming in. I lost most of my ass in there somewhere. I went from a 40 inch waist to a loose 33 now.

 

[krishna]

Check your pm's bro.