Starting a fat cutting program today!

[SP33Demon]

Background:
Ok, I decided that at the ripe old age of 31 I need to start a cutting program because my weight is getting out of control and I've gone up a pants size. Gaining weight and fast muscle mass has never been a problem for me but cutting belly fat is tough (endomorph). I eat relatively healthy but overeat is the problem. For example, I'll eat a salad but eat enough for two.

According to SC's stickied link, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is around 1850 (5-6, 185lbs). I want to create a calorie deficit and read on bodybuilding.com that around 10X your bodyweight is a good starting point for calories.

Plan:
Cardio 3X a week via jumproping or running, light weights 3X a week. Caloric intake will be around 1850 tops. Diet consisting of almonds, apples, mueslix, Alaskan Salmon, salads/veggies, turkey meat, edamame, and high quality protein (proteinfactory.com)

Concerns: According to SC's sticky, if you don't get enough calories then your metabolism will crash and you'll start storing fat. Will it be effective to be at my BMR, calorie wise, and still be able to exercise and not have my metabolism crash?


UPDATE: 6 lbs in 5 weeks! Just bought a digital scale to even more accurately calc my cals.

 

[darkxshade]

For you comparison, I started a cutting regiment about 2 months ago and ate roughly 2k calories/day. I was ~195lbs @ 5'8 and would guesstimate a body fat % of about low 20s.

As of today I'm at about ~180lbs and as of last week when I last checked, my body fat % has dropped to about 15.3% so it's prob already or will be under 15% this week.

I was already lifting 3x/week and have been on resistance training for years but never done serious cardio. I'd play sports or go biking but it was more of a recreational thing than an attempt at exercise. I also walk to work and everywhere else as I live in the city so take that for what it's worth. As far as diet is concerned, made only minor changes, I was already eating relatively healthy[in terms of the food I chose to eat] but lacked portion control.

The changes I made:

Instead of lifting after work, I did it during lunch 3x/week. And with that, instead of eating my lunch(usually a wrap of some sort) all at once, I'd eat half after the workout and save half for around 3-4pm and cut what I was usually eating around 3-4pm. I'd eat a banana or drink a whey protein shake at 11am-12pm.

So with my free time after work, I decided to run 5x/week. I mix it up, one day it would be a steady and slow jog within fat burning zone, other days it would be hiit, or I'd run across the bridge, etc.


Most of the weightloss came within the 1st month, I've been floating around 180lbs for the last 3 weeks but I wouldn't call it a plateau because my bodyfat % is still dropping. Or it may be my weight isn't going down because I started taking creatine again[because I was getting weaker with my lifts, prob muscle loss from all the cardio?] and my body is holding water weight.

Anyway, I'm sure what I'm doing is far from efficient but I find that it's working for me and I'm enjoying it so no point changing what isn't broke right? Hopefully this will help you measure your routine since we have somewhat the same starting stats?

edit: I'm 28

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: darkxshade
For you comparison, I started a cutting regiment about 2 months ago and ate roughly 2k calories/day. I was ~195lbs @ 5'8 and would guesstimate a body fat % of about low 20s.

As of today I'm at about ~180lbs and as of last week when I last checked, my body fat % has dropped to about 15.3% so it's prob already or will be under 15% this week.

I was already lifting 3x/week and have been on resistance training for years but never done serious cardio. I'd play sports or go biking but it was more of a recreational thing than an attempt at exercise. I also walk to work and everywhere else as I live in the city so take that for what it's worth. As far as diet is concerned, made only minor changes, I was already eating relatively healthy[in terms of the food I chose to eat] but lacked portion control.

The changes I made:

Instead of lifting after work, I did it during lunch 3x/week. And with that, instead of eating my lunch(usually a wrap of some sort) all at once, I'd eat half after the workout and save half for around 3-4pm and cut what I was usually eating around 3-4pm. I'd eat a banana or drink a whey protein shake at 11am-12pm.

So with my free time after work, I decided to run 5x/week. I mix it up, one day it would be a steady and slow jog within fat burning zone, other days it would be hiit, or I'd run across the bridge, etc.


Most of the weightloss came within the 1st month, I've been floating around 180lbs for the last 3 weeks but I wouldn't call it a plateau because my bodyfat % is still dropping. Or it may be my weight isn't going down because I started taking creatine again[because I was getting weaker with my lifts, prob muscle loss from all the cardio?] and my body is holding water weight.

Anyway, I'm sure what I'm doing is far from efficient but I find that it's working for me and I'm enjoying it so no point changing what isn't broke right? Hopefully this will help you measure your routine since we have somewhat the same starting stats?

edit: I'm 28

Nice writeup dark, thanks for your information. Maybe you were losing muscle because of the cardio like you said? Another important thing I read is to intake roughly your bodyweight in protein. Maybe you need to up your protein a little?

Just formulated a diet that should work:

Wake up - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
Breakfast@work - 350 cals (1 cup milk + 1/2 cup of Mueslix)
Mid morning snack - 170 Cals (18 almonds)
Lunch - 550 cals (sandwich - 5 slices of low sodium turkey, 2 slices of bread)
Mid afternoon snack - 80 Cals (apple)
Get home - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
*Workout - 3 Days cardio, 3 days light weights*
Dinner - 500 cals (variable lean protein product + veggies).
------------------------
1850 Calories

Not sure that this will give me enough protein, but I can always sub a snack for another shake if I have to.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Nice writeup dark, thanks for your information. Maybe you were losing muscle because of the cardio like you said? Another important thing I read is to intake roughly your bodyweight in protein. Maybe you need to up your protein a little?

Just formulated a diet that should work:

Wake up - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
Breakfast@work - 350 cals (1 cup milk + 1/2 cup of Mueslix)
Mid morning snack - 170 Cals (18 almonds)
Lunch - 550 cals (sandwich - 5 slices of low sodium turkey, 2 slices of bread)
Mid afternoon snack - 80 Cals (apple)
Get home - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
*Workout - 3 Days cardio, 3 days light weights*
Dinner - 500 cals (variable lean protein product + veggies).
------------------------
1850 Calories

Not sure that this will give me enough protein, but I can always sub a snack for another shake if I have to.

Based on my own research, I read that protein intake should be roughly equal to your *lean* bodyweight. So if you're 185lbs but have say 20% bf then you really only need to consume about 150grams of protein. That's why the formula varies[some say .8*bodyweight, or 1*lean weight, etc], it actually really depends on how active you are.

Additionally as far as your diet goes, I could never be that strict with planning and stay on that schedule consistently so if you can do it, more power to you. It's why I adjust my current diet incrementally until it becomes unmaintainable and hope it's adequate at that point.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Background:
Ok, I decided that at the ripe old age of 31 I need to start a cutting program because my weight is getting out of control and I've gone up a pants size. Gaining weight and fast muscle mass has never been a problem for me but cutting belly fat is tough (endomorph). I eat relatively healthy but overeat is the problem. For example, I'll eat a salad but eat enough for two.

According to SC's stickied link, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is around 1850 (5-6, 185lbs). I want to create a calorie deficit and read on bodybuilding.com that around 10X your bodyweight is a good starting point for calories.

Plan:
Cardio 3X a week via jumproping or running, light weights 3X a week. Caloric intake will be around 1850 tops. Diet consisting of almonds, apples, mueslix, Alaskan Salmon, salads/veggies, turkey meat, edamame, and high quality protein (proteinfactory.com)

Concerns: According to SC's sticky, if you don't get enough calories then your metabolism will crash and you'll start storing fat. Will it be effective to be at my BMR, calorie wise, and still be able to exercise and not have my metabolism crash?

First of all, let me ask why you are going to do light weights? Depending on your goals, heavier weights might be quicker, easier to recover from, increase strength, and put a even greater priority on muscle retention.

Also, in the sticky, I mention to eat slightly above your BMR. To be perfectly honest, you could probably eat 1800-2000 calories for this cut. I think that that range would be fine for cutting and your metabolism wouldn't drop. When I said that, I was referring to people who go on crash diets at 1000 calories a day. You'll be alright.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Nice writeup dark, thanks for your information. Maybe you were losing muscle because of the cardio like you said? Another important thing I read is to intake roughly your bodyweight in protein. Maybe you need to up your protein a little?

Just formulated a diet that should work:

Wake up - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
Breakfast@work - 350 cals (1 cup milk + 1/2 cup of Mueslix)
Mid morning snack - 170 Cals (18 almonds)
Lunch - 550 cals (sandwich - 5 slices of low sodium turkey, 2 slices of bread)
Mid afternoon snack - 80 Cals (apple)
Get home - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
*Workout - 3 Days cardio, 3 days light weights*
Dinner - 500 cals (variable lean protein product + veggies).
------------------------
1850 Calories

Not sure that this will give me enough protein, but I can always sub a snack for another shake if I have to.

Based on my own research, I read that protein intake should be roughly equal to your *lean* bodyweight. So if you're 185lbs but have say 20% bf then you really only need to consume about 150grams of protein. That's why the formula varies[some say .8*bodyweight, or 1*lean weight, etc], it actually really depends on how active you are.

Additionally as far as your diet goes, I could never be that strict with planning and stay on that schedule consistently so if you can do it, more power to you. It's why I adjust my current diet incrementally until it becomes unmaintainable and hope it's adequate at that point.

Yeah, I'm probably going to have to adjust to meet the 150 requirement because 2 shakes = only 42g. By dinnertime I'd have to eat 80ish grams which probably isn't always going to be feasible.

Well considering I love my breakfast, going to keep that static. Lunch and dinner, I'll switch up. Hell I can switch up the snacks too if it gets too boring.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Background:
Ok, I decided that at the ripe old age of 31 I need to start a cutting program because my weight is getting out of control and I've gone up a pants size. Gaining weight and fast muscle mass has never been a problem for me but cutting belly fat is tough (endomorph). I eat relatively healthy but overeat is the problem. For example, I'll eat a salad but eat enough for two.

According to SC's stickied link, my basal metabolic rate (BMR) is around 1850 (5-6, 185lbs). I want to create a calorie deficit and read on bodybuilding.com that around 10X your bodyweight is a good starting point for calories.

Plan:
Cardio 3X a week via jumproping or running, light weights 3X a week. Caloric intake will be around 1850 tops. Diet consisting of almonds, apples, mueslix, Alaskan Salmon, salads/veggies, turkey meat, edamame, and high quality protein (proteinfactory.com)

Concerns: According to SC's sticky, if you don't get enough calories then your metabolism will crash and you'll start storing fat. Will it be effective to be at my BMR, calorie wise, and still be able to exercise and not have my metabolism crash?

First of all, let me ask why you are going to do light weights? Depending on your goals, heavier weights might be quicker, easier to recover from, increase strength, and put a even greater priority on muscle retention.

Also, in the sticky, I mention to eat slightly above your BMR. To be perfectly honest, you could probably eat 1800-2000 calories for this cut. I think that that range would be fine for cutting and your metabolism wouldn't drop. When I said that, I was referring to people who go on crash diets at 1000 calories a day. You'll be alright.

Hey SC, good to see ya. I said light weights because I don't have much space in my apt so I only have a dumbell with about 50lbs of interchangable weight. Hence I'm relegated to higher reps which kind of sucks, but my main goal is to slim and not bulk (so not joining a gym!). The only problem will be squats and deadlift, I can do pushups to substitute for benchpress (think running back Herschel Walker who only did calesthenics and was huge). But all in all, I'm not concerned with bulking but toning and destroying my body fat. Also keep in mind that my shoulder's a little messed up from powerlifting back in the day (235 incline bench killed me), almost to the point where it took me months to rehab just to do a basic set of pushups again.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Hey SC, good to see ya. I said light weights because I don't have much space in my apt so I only have a dumbell with about 50lbs of interchangable weight. Hence I'm relegated to higher reps which kind of sucks, but my main goal is to slim and not bulk (so not joining a gym!). The only problem will be squats and deadlift, I can do pushups to substitute for benchpress (think running back Herschel Walker who only did calesthenics and was huge). But all in all, I'm not concerned with bulking but toning and destroying my body fat. Also keep in mind that my shoulder's a little messed up from powerlifting back in the day (235 incline bench killed me), almost to the point where it took me months to rehab just to do a basic set of pushups again.

Well, let me ask you this - do you intend to just lose weight and then stop exercising? Also, the method of bulking is the same as the method for cutting. The only difference is diet. It seems to me that your set up at home is going to be lacking some core components for strength gain, for most efficient weight loss, and for overall continuation of a healthy lfiestyle. I would honestly suggest joining a gym if you can. I know times are tough and money is sparse, but if you want to look good and get healthier, I feel that your set up right now isn't going to allow you to do that to the best of your abilities (especially without a way to squat or deadlift). Also, it is good to continually progress in weight because it continually puts a stress on muscle maintenance. If you get to the point that you're doing these weights for 10ish reps, then the workout would approach the bodily effects of cardio. The body's emphasis on keeping muscle will be less than if you lifted continually heavy loads. Keep that in mind when you go through all this.

 

[Pantlegz]

Just formulated a diet that should work:

Wake up - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
Breakfast@work - 350 cals (1 cup milk + 1/2 cup of Mueslix)
Mid morning snack - 170 Cals (18 almonds)
Lunch - 550 cals (sandwich - 5 slices of low sodium turkey, 2 slices of bread)
Mid afternoon snack - 80 Cals (apple)
Get home - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
*Workout - 3 Days cardio, 3 days light weights*
Dinner - 500 cals (variable lean protein product + veggies).
------------------------
1850 Calories

I'm not sure about you but all that liquid in the morning wouldn't make me feel full and I would be dieing until lunch. might wanna throw in some real food, unless you have the willpower of a god.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Hey SC, good to see ya. I said light weights because I don't have much space in my apt so I only have a dumbell with about 50lbs of interchangable weight. Hence I'm relegated to higher reps which kind of sucks, but my main goal is to slim and not bulk (so not joining a gym!). The only problem will be squats and deadlift, I can do pushups to substitute for benchpress (think running back Herschel Walker who only did calesthenics and was huge). But all in all, I'm not concerned with bulking but toning and destroying my body fat. Also keep in mind that my shoulder's a little messed up from powerlifting back in the day (235 incline bench killed me), almost to the point where it took me months to rehab just to do a basic set of pushups again.

Well, let me ask you this - do you intend to just lose weight and then stop exercising? Also, the method of bulking is the same as the method for cutting. The only difference is diet. It seems to me that your set up at home is going to be lacking some core components for strength gain, for most efficient weight loss, and for overall continuation of a healthy lfiestyle. I would honestly suggest joining a gym if you can. I know times are tough and money is sparse, but if you want to look good and get healthier, I feel that your set up right now isn't going to allow you to do that to the best of your abilities (especially without a way to squat or deadlift). Also, it is good to continually progress in weight because it continually puts a stress on muscle maintenance. If you get to the point that you're doing these weights for 10ish reps, then the workout would approach the bodily effects of cardio. The body's emphasis on keeping muscle will be less than if you lifted continually heavy loads. Keep that in mind when you go through all this.

Actually, I just remembered that I can go to the gym for free (g/f's apt complex). However, my goal is to lose weight and increase stamina for daylong 15 mile hikes on the weekends with my family. My second goal is to be able to jumprope for 15 minutes straight (can only do 5 before my calves burn out due to weight). Getting too bulky would only hinder me for both goals and put more pressure on my joints which have already taken a beating in the past 20 years (track sprinter, powerlifter, football, baseball). Like you said, eventually the weight will be easy to lift @ 10 reps and that's pretty much all I want to be happy. Maybe I'll reconsider in a month after vanity kicks in. All in all, I already look good but the waistline needs to be chin-checked asap. It's the only thing that slightly affects my confidence.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: Pantlegz1

Just formulated a diet that should work:

Wake up - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
Breakfast@work - 350 cals (1 cup milk + 1/2 cup of Mueslix)
Mid morning snack - 170 Cals (18 almonds)
Lunch - 550 cals (sandwich - 5 slices of low sodium turkey, 2 slices of bread)
Mid afternoon snack - 80 Cals (apple)
Get home - 100 cals (Protein shake with water)
*Workout - 3 Days cardio, 3 days light weights*
Dinner - 500 cals (variable lean protein product + veggies).
------------------------
1850 Calories

I'm not sure about you but all that liquid in the morning wouldn't make me feel full and I would be dieing until lunch. might wanna throw in some real food, unless you have the willpower of a god.

Yeah, the morning shake definitely sucks but it's essential to shuttle protein asap after "fasting". Oh, and I don't take the milk + mueslix until an hour after the protein shake so it's not too bad.... except the 8g of dietary fiber in the mueslix = immediate bathroom trip!

 

[SP33Demon]

Finally bought a scale to help track my progress.

Update after week 1: 190lbs, 28% bodyfat (according to scale). Did 3 cardio sessions, 3 lifting sessions.
Notes: Turned out I was above 185 lbs. Kept below 1800 calories every day during the week.

 

[Koing]

Keep us updated man!

Just make sure your consistent with the time of day your weighing yourself. Check out your morning compared to your evening post dinner weight, funky 3-5lbs ahey?!

Koing

 

[The Sauce]

At the age of 37 (now 38) I decided to do the same thing. Started at 24% body fat. Just dropped under 9%. I did the following. 6 meals-per-day. Total calories was fixed at BMR (for me about 2100/day) Each meal containing at least 30g protein. Breakdown was 45% protein, 35% carb, 20% fat. HIIT and heavy weights about 5 days/week. 9 months later I dropped 35# and can see a six pack for the first time in my life...at 38 years old.

You need to lift to get rid of the belly fat. There are hormonal advantages to resistance training that you wont get from cardio or light weights that can help defeat that gut. Do not eat less than BMR or you will lose muscle. Good luck.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: The Sauce
At the age of 37 (now 38) I decided to do the same thing. Started at 24% body fat. Just dropped under 9%. I did the following. 6 meals-per-day. Total calories was fixed at BMR (for me about 2100/day) Each meal containing at least 30g protein. Breakdown was 45% protein, 35% carb, 20% fat. HIIT and heavy weights about 5 days/week. 9 months later I dropped 35# and can see a six pack for the first time in my life...at 38 years old.

You need to lift to get rid of the belly fat. There are hormonal advantages to resistance training that you wont get from cardio or light weights that can help defeat that gut. Do not eat less than BMR or you will lose muscle. Good luck.

Thanks for that info man. I actually did do resistance training this weekend for the first time. Just nautilus machines, but dam they had some friction and I'm sore today.

My main question now is: As I'm losing weight, will BMR change constantly? For example, I'm 190 lbs right now and my BMR is 1877 calories. If I lose weight down to 180, the BMR calculator now says 1814 calories. Should I adjust accordingly, or do 50 calories over really matter that much? How many calories over BMR should I worry about?

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: Koing
Keep us updated man!

Just make sure your consistent with the time of day your weighing yourself. Check out your morning compared to your evening post dinner weight, funky 3-5lbs ahey?!

Koing

Hehe thanks for the encouragement!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: The Sauce
At the age of 37 (now 38) I decided to do the same thing. Started at 24% body fat. Just dropped under 9%. I did the following. 6 meals-per-day. Total calories was fixed at BMR (for me about 2100/day) Each meal containing at least 30g protein. Breakdown was 45% protein, 35% carb, 20% fat. HIIT and heavy weights about 5 days/week. 9 months later I dropped 35# and can see a six pack for the first time in my life...at 38 years old.

You need to lift to get rid of the belly fat. There are hormonal advantages to resistance training that you wont get from cardio or light weights that can help defeat that gut. Do not eat less than BMR or you will lose muscle. Good luck.

Thanks for that info man. I actually did do resistance training this weekend for the first time. Just nautilus machines, but dam they had some friction and I'm sore today.

My main question now is: As I'm losing weight, will BMR change constantly? For example, I'm 190 lbs right now and my BMR is 1877 calories. If I lose weight down to 180, the BMR calculator now says 1814 calories. Should I adjust accordingly, or do 50 calories over really matter that much? How many calories over BMR should I worry about?

Yes, your BMR will change. However, if you're in a ~500ish calorie deficit to begin with, an extra 63 calories won't really slow progress too much. I suggest staying slightly above BMR so staying at the same calorie intake will be fine. If you feel that you'd like to adjust your calories as you lose weight, feel free to do so. Just know that you don't really have to. Good luck!

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: The Sauce
At the age of 37 (now 38) I decided to do the same thing. Started at 24% body fat. Just dropped under 9%. I did the following. 6 meals-per-day. Total calories was fixed at BMR (for me about 2100/day) Each meal containing at least 30g protein. Breakdown was 45% protein, 35% carb, 20% fat. HIIT and heavy weights about 5 days/week. 9 months later I dropped 35# and can see a six pack for the first time in my life...at 38 years old.

You need to lift to get rid of the belly fat. There are hormonal advantages to resistance training that you wont get from cardio or light weights that can help defeat that gut. Do not eat less than BMR or you will lose muscle. Good luck.

Thanks for that info man. I actually did do resistance training this weekend for the first time. Just nautilus machines, but dam they had some friction and I'm sore today.

My main question now is: As I'm losing weight, will BMR change constantly? For example, I'm 190 lbs right now and my BMR is 1877 calories. If I lose weight down to 180, the BMR calculator now says 1814 calories. Should I adjust accordingly, or do 50 calories over really matter that much? How many calories over BMR should I worry about?

Yes, your BMR will change. However, if you're in a ~500ish calorie deficit to begin with, an extra 63 calories won't really slow progress too much. I suggest staying slightly above BMR so staying at the same calorie intake will be fine. If you feel that you'd like to adjust your calories as you lose weight, feel free to do so. Just know that you don't really have to. Good luck!

Ok, thanks for the info. Another question that popped into my head yesterday was: What if I don't eat the required amount of calories (BMR level)? Yesterday I was off by about 150, but: a) Wasn't hungry and b) It was before bedtime I realized this. Granted, it was my day off so I didn't really use a ton of calories either. Is this going to be ok for offdays (i.e. not reaching 1850 calories if I miss a meal)?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: The Sauce
At the age of 37 (now 38) I decided to do the same thing. Started at 24% body fat. Just dropped under 9%. I did the following. 6 meals-per-day. Total calories was fixed at BMR (for me about 2100/day) Each meal containing at least 30g protein. Breakdown was 45% protein, 35% carb, 20% fat. HIIT and heavy weights about 5 days/week. 9 months later I dropped 35# and can see a six pack for the first time in my life...at 38 years old.

You need to lift to get rid of the belly fat. There are hormonal advantages to resistance training that you wont get from cardio or light weights that can help defeat that gut. Do not eat less than BMR or you will lose muscle. Good luck.

Thanks for that info man. I actually did do resistance training this weekend for the first time. Just nautilus machines, but dam they had some friction and I'm sore today.

My main question now is: As I'm losing weight, will BMR change constantly? For example, I'm 190 lbs right now and my BMR is 1877 calories. If I lose weight down to 180, the BMR calculator now says 1814 calories. Should I adjust accordingly, or do 50 calories over really matter that much? How many calories over BMR should I worry about?

Yes, your BMR will change. However, if you're in a ~500ish calorie deficit to begin with, an extra 63 calories won't really slow progress too much. I suggest staying slightly above BMR so staying at the same calorie intake will be fine. If you feel that you'd like to adjust your calories as you lose weight, feel free to do so. Just know that you don't really have to. Good luck!

Ok, thanks for the info. Another question that popped into my head yesterday was: What if I don't eat the required amount of calories (BMR level)? Yesterday I was off by about 150, but: a) Wasn't hungry and b) It was before bedtime I realized this. Granted, it was my day off so I didn't really use a ton of calories either. Is this going to be ok for offdays (i.e. not reaching 1850 calories if I miss a meal)?

Nope. Always reach BMR at the very least. If you don't, your body will slow your metabolism to save energy and your weight loss will come screeching to a stop. I usually suggest that people take in a couple hundred calories above BMR for this reason - even if they're a little bit short, they tend to always be above BMR. Don't be short of your BMR though. It will negatively affect your weight loss.

Hunger doesn't necessarily represent caloric status. I mean, you could eat 800 and if it were all fat and leafy greens, you'd feel alright. Also, hunger will subside a bit when your body goes into a sort of starvation mode so don't use hunger as a guide to how many calories you should take in. Also, eating before bedtime is fine. Your body will use for energy since you're in a caloric deficit. It won't hinder weight loss greatly.

 

[SP33Demon]

Thanks for that tip SC. I upped my calories to 100 above BMR just in case.

After weighing in Saturday morning before eating (same as before), I dropped 1 lb (189) and lost 1.2% Fat (28 down to 26.8). Pleased with my results but I can probably do more cardio and top that.

Notes: Stuck to the schedule for over 90% of the time. Friday night I probably went a little over my calories limit by 200 or so, but woke up Saturday morning and worked out. Had pizza last night which is hard to calculate when it's a diner since they don't post nutrition info, so just had to budget and guesstimate. However I don't think one or two days slightly over (200-300 cals) is going to make a huge difference in the long run as long as I'm sticking to the diet almost every day.

 

[SP33Demon]

Dropped another lb to 188, although fat % stayed the same so it was probably just water weight. I didn't really have much time to do cardio last week (only 2 sessions and light weights) so for all intents and purposes I stayed about the same. I'm going to try and make time to hit cardio hard this week but I'm happy I'm still holding my gains without doing much aside from counting cal's.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Dropped another lb to 188, although fat % stayed the same so it was probably just water weight. I didn't really have much time to do cardio last week (only 2 sessions and light weights) so for all intents and purposes I stayed about the same. I'm going to try and make time to hit cardio hard this week but I'm happy I'm still holding my gains without doing much aside from counting cal's.

All ya gotta do it watch calories to lose/maintain weight. Good job at getting the hang of that a bit better. Always push forward though. Try to lose that pound this week. It'll make you want it more. Good luck, man.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Dropped another lb to 188, although fat % stayed the same so it was probably just water weight. I didn't really have much time to do cardio last week (only 2 sessions and light weights) so for all intents and purposes I stayed about the same. I'm going to try and make time to hit cardio hard this week but I'm happy I'm still holding my gains without doing much aside from counting cal's.

All ya gotta do it watch calories to lose/maintain weight. Good job at getting the hang of that a bit better. Always push forward though. Try to lose that pound this week. It'll make you want it more. Good luck, man.

Thanks SC you've been a great help. I actually just found out I read the lunchmeat nutritional label wrong so I was actually under my BMR by about 100-200 cals for the past 2 weeks. I thought sandwich = 500 cals but it was really 300 b/c it said 3 slices of turkey = 50 calories and I misread that as 50 a slice, so 6 slices = 200 miscalculation. Hopefully this didn't put me into the starvation range and stunt my gains.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Dropped another lb to 188, although fat % stayed the same so it was probably just water weight. I didn't really have much time to do cardio last week (only 2 sessions and light weights) so for all intents and purposes I stayed about the same. I'm going to try and make time to hit cardio hard this week but I'm happy I'm still holding my gains without doing much aside from counting cal's.

All ya gotta do it watch calories to lose/maintain weight. Good job at getting the hang of that a bit better. Always push forward though. Try to lose that pound this week. It'll make you want it more. Good luck, man.

Thanks SC you've been a great help. I actually just found out I read the lunchmeat nutritional label wrong so I was actually under my BMR by about 100-200 cals for the past 2 weeks. I thought sandwich = 500 cals but it was really 300 b/c it said 3 slices of turkey = 50 calories and I misread that as 50 a slice, so 6 slices = 200 miscalculation. Hopefully this didn't put me into the starvation range and stunt my gains.

Well, at least you found a potential problem and dealt with it. Now you know to read a bit more carefully and you may have saved yourself weeks of confusion. Just look forward now Your metabolism, if it did drop, should come back up a little bit. If you're really worried about it, you can have a day where you eat at maintenance to try to get your metabolism back up. Some people use that technique. I don't know how well it works, but if can't hurt to try.

 

[slightlyhuman]

good job sp33demon. glad to hear you're making awesome progress.

keep it up! :beer: