Using SL 5x5 to lose fat

[Koing]

How often do you weigh yourself?

Koing

 

[z1ggy]

How often do you weigh yourself?

Koing

eh idk maybe like, once a week or every other week?

 

[Koing]

eh idk maybe like, once a week or every other week?

Gotcha.

Here are my bw for the last 4 weeks:

22/04/13 90.5
23/04/13 90.4
24/04/13 90.4
25/04/13 89.9
26/04/13 90.1
27/04/13 89.3
28/04/13 88.8
29/04/13 88.5
30/04/13 88.9
01/05/13 89.1
02/05/13 89
03/05/13 89.1
04/05/13 88.2
05/05/13 88
06/05/13 88.5
07/05/13 88.2
08/05/13 89
09/05/13 87.8
10/05/13 88.3
11/05/13 88.3
12/05/13 88.9
13/05/13 88.6
14/05/13 88.2
15/05/13 87.8
16/05/13 87.9
17/05/13 88.2
18/05/13 87
19/05/13 87.4
20/05/13 87.2
21/05/13 86.9

I've only had about 2.5 days where I broke and had a binge LOL. But I'm okay now. It's easier once you get past a month.
Koing

 

[z1ggy]

I've only had about 2.5 days where I broke and had a binge LOL. But I'm okay now. It's easier once you get past a month.
Koing

Yeah in the beginning I generally don't lose much. It takes a solid 2 month before I notice much body weight change. It's like my body holds on to as much weight as it can then finally it's forced to let it go. Plus... the weight it's the huge deal for me, it's body fat %.

Tues:

cals:2260
protein 194
carb 173
fat 90

Little high on the fat today because I had some almonds. It's okay though I played floor hockey at night and did a ton of running.

 

[z1ggy]

Weds: deficit and lift
Note...Wasn't able to lift today due to some car accident on my road that blocked all outgoing traffic for a while. I did a brief home work out instead but not really the 5x5 routine.

cals-2313
protein-246
carb-197
fat-59

 

[z1ggy]

Thurs: deficit

Felt kind of crappy today. Not sure if it was because I didn't sleep well Weds, but I came home from work at 4 and fell asleep until 6, then just loafed around until I went to bed around 10. Not a very productive day...

cals- 2041
protein-196
carbs-180g
fats-64g

 

[z1ggy]

Okay so basically after a week I have lost zero weight. Actually weighed about .4lb heavier. So I think I am going to keep doing 5x5, however, I am going to aim for 2300 cals every day (instead of 2100 4 days a week and 2600 2 days a week) and toss in cardio 3-4 days a week also. I am going to try joining a local roller hockey team since I have played ice forever, and see if that will be any fun.

Fri
Cals:2566
protein-216
carbs-266
fats-63

lifts
squat-100x5
bench-120x5
row-95x5

 

[Koing]

There is absolutely no reason why you can't drop weight if you do it properly and be strict.

Don't let this one week set back give you any grief.

Your average calorie per day was 2382. You should have been able to drop some weight on those calories. But water retention plays a big part in initial weight loss.

You should weigh yourself every day and record it. You then can work out your weekly average weight. This is also more reliable over the first 4 weeks but long term your absolute weight should be going down anyway. E.g. one week I weighed in 0.9kg heavier than the previous week (I had a 6k binge the night before lol), but my 7 day average was down 0.26kg. Or another example my week to week weight was only down 0.1kg but my 7day average was down 0.86kg.

But if you only weigh yourself once every 7 days and you only have a few results it's hard to gauge what has gone on. Be strict and make sure you add all of your calories.

Koing

 

[z1ggy]

There is absolutely no reason why you can't drop weight if you do it properly and be strict.

Don't let this one week set back give you any grief.

Your average calorie per day was 2382. You should have been able to drop some weight on those calories. But water retention plays a big part in initial weight loss.

You should weigh yourself every day and record it. You then can work out your weekly average weight. This is also more reliable over the first 4 weeks but long term your absolute weight should be going down anyway. E.g. one week I weighed in 0.9kg heavier than the previous week (I had a 6k binge the night before lol), but my 7 day average was down 0.26kg. Or another example my week to week weight was only down 0.1kg but my 7day average was down 0.86kg.

But if you only weigh yourself once every 7 days and you only have a few results it's hard to gauge what has gone on. Be strict and make sure you add all of your calories.

Koing

Thanks for the advice!! I only weigh myself on lift days normally, because I don't have a scale at home. Maybe I will invest in one....

Looking at the cals though...just by eating I am under my weekly maint. by 2100, so I would need to exercise off another 1400 per week to lose 1 pound per week. Seeing as my cardio I only burn about 250...I shouldn't expect to lose 1lb/week the way I am eating.

If I keep it closer to 2200 a day Plus my lifting and cardio 3 days a week, plus roller hockey 1-2 times a week, I think I can get the 3500 deficit I would need for 1lb fat loss per week.

I didn't post my weekend calorie log because it is not very strict because I am so busy, but I try as best I can to stick to the weekly diet plan, my meals might be spaced further apart or I might cheat a little bit.

Today I will be in NYC with my g/f for a date, so we are going to try and find the healthiest place we can.

 

[Wyndru]

I wish I could eat 2300 calories a day and lose weight. Even at 1700, SL 5x5 and cardio on off days I barely lose any weight each week.

 

[Koing]

I wish I could eat 2300 calories a day and lose weight. Even at 1700, SL 5x5 and cardio on off days I barely lose any weight each week.

How much do you weigh and what is your bf%?

I refuse to believe that on 1700 calories you are not able to drop weight. How are your measurements? Are your clothes feeling looser? Are you new to training weights?

I think a minimum you should be able to drop 1lb every 2 weeks.

Koing

 

[Koing]

Thanks for the advice!! I only weigh myself on lift days normally, because I don't have a scale at home. Maybe I will invest in one....

Looking at the cals though...just by eating I am under my weekly maint. by 2100, so I would need to exercise off another 1400 per week to lose 1 pound per week. Seeing as my cardio I only burn about 250...I shouldn't expect to lose 1lb/week the way I am eating.

If I keep it closer to 2200 a day Plus my lifting and cardio 3 days a week, plus roller hockey 1-2 times a week, I think I can get the 3500 deficit I would need for 1lb fat loss per week.

I didn't post my weekend calorie log because it is not very strict because I am so busy, but I try as best I can to stick to the weekly diet plan, my meals might be spaced further apart or I might cheat a little bit.

Today I will be in NYC with my g/f for a date, so we are going to try and find the healthiest place we can.

Got to be strict and yes get your own scales. You can not rely on scales at the gym. You must weigh yourself the same time each day. Morning post toilet is the best as that is more reliable than what you are wearing to the gym and massively varies on what you ate and drank.

Koing

 

[Wyndru]

How much do you weigh and what is your bf%?

I refuse to believe that on 1700 calories you are not able to drop weight. How are your measurements? Are your clothes feeling looser? Are you new to training weights?

I think a minimum you should be able to drop 1lb every 2 weeks.

Koing

I'm not sure of my BF%, but I'm around 200lbs at 5'11". I've been doing SL 5x5 for about 2 years now, but I don't really push myself though, my normal workout weights for squats is only 215, dl 265, bench 155, ohp 105 and bo row 135. I have just been maintaining that weight while I've been dieting. My cardio is 30 mins moderate elliptical on every non lift day.

The myfitnesspal app put me at around 1800 calories to lose 1 lb per week, and I have lost some weight over the past 8 weeks, but less than 1lb per week (I've lost about 6 lbs.).

I notice that if I slip up and go a couple of days at anything more than 2000 calories I plateau and sometimes even gain weight, which is why I don't think I could even maintain a 2300 calorie diet and lose weight (although technically anything under 2500 I should lose, right?).

I don't even log my exercise in myfitnesspal because if I did I'm sure I'd be gaining with the calories it adds to compensate for the exercise.

Maybe my problem is water retention from salt. From day to day sometimes I vary 4 or 5 lbs, but I only actually log my weight in the app on Monday mornings, which is usually after I ate something on the weekend I shouldn't have. Like you suggested to z1ggy, I might also start logging daily, it might give me a better indication.

OP...Sorry man for dumping this in your thread, I just saw your calorie intake and was wishing I could get away with that...I've been so damn hungry haha.

 

[z1ggy]

OP...Sorry man for dumping this in your thread, I just saw your calorie intake and was wishing I could get away with that...I've been so damn hungry haha.

MY fitness pal sucks, switch to Lose it!! Fitness pal doesn't calcuate your TDEE right at all. I was around 200lb when I first got that app, and it was telling me to net around 1800 a day. That's incredibly low, and will most likely result in slowing down your metabolism and harming your fat loss goals (if that's what you wanting).

I am really amazed though that you've maintained weight at 1700-1800 cals. If anything, you'd still lose weight... but a lot more muscle than you would otherwise...

PS my TDEE (total cals I need in a day given by activity level) is 2600 and I weigh 190.

 

[z1ggy]

Got to be strict and yes get your own scales. You can not rely on scales at the gym. You must weigh yourself the same time each day. Morning post toilet is the best as that is more reliable than what you are wearing to the gym and massively varies on what you ate and drank.

Koing

Yeah monday morning I weighed 189.5 and that was after oatmeal and about 20oz of water.

Lifted Friday and Monday...Hit all my 5x5's with out a problem. OHP was difficult at the end but I still got all 5 reps clean. I also played inline hockey yesterday so I probably burned a bunch of calories then, too.

Tonight I have floor hockey.

For the most part my diet has been pretty consistent and is also basically the same foods day in day out. I am pretty good at hitting about 2300 everyday, somedays I actually end up a little bit under. I think for now I will post a bit less frequently seeing as things aren't changing much now. I will update if I get any questions, insights or if other people just want to post me questions, etc. I will also post weekly lift updates, too.

 

[Koing]

Yeah monday morning I weighed 189.5 and that was after oatmeal and about 20oz of water.

Lifted Friday and Monday...Hit all my 5x5's with out a problem. OHP was difficult at the end but I still got all 5 reps clean. I also played inline hockey yesterday so I probably burned a bunch of calories then, too.

Tonight I have floor hockey.

For the most part my diet has been pretty consistent and is also basically the same foods day in day out. I am pretty good at hitting about 2300 everyday, somedays I actually end up a little bit under. I think for now I will post a bit less frequently seeing as things aren't changing much now. I will update if I get any questions, insights or if other people just want to post me questions, etc. I will also post weekly lift updates, too.

Why weigh yourself after food and water? Don't you have scales at home? Not being able to weigh yourself properly at home is a horror show in trying to track your weight accurately.

I don't really care for myfitnesspals TDEE calculator. I only use it to track calories and macros. Any software is going to have a rough estimate on what your TDEE is. Adjust accordingly according to your actual weight loss after the initial month.

Koing

 

[Koing]

I'm not sure of my BF%, but I'm around 200lbs at 5'11". I've been doing SL 5x5 for about 2 years now, but I don't really push myself though, my normal workout weights for squats is only 215, dl 265, bench 155, ohp 105 and bo row 135. I have just been maintaining that weight while I've been dieting. My cardio is 30 mins moderate elliptical on every non lift day.

The myfitnesspal app put me at around 1800 calories to lose 1 lb per week, and I have lost some weight over the past 8 weeks, but less than 1lb per week (I've lost about 6 lbs.).

I notice that if I slip up and go a couple of days at anything more than 2000 calories I plateau and sometimes even gain weight, which is why I don't think I could even maintain a 2300 calorie diet and lose weight (although technically anything under 2500 I should lose, right?).

I don't even log my exercise in myfitnesspal because if I did I'm sure I'd be gaining with the calories it adds to compensate for the exercise.

Maybe my problem is water retention from salt. From day to day sometimes I vary 4 or 5 lbs, but I only actually log my weight in the app on Monday mornings, which is usually after I ate something on the weekend I shouldn't have. Like you suggested to z1ggy, I might also start logging daily, it might give me a better indication.

OP...Sorry man for dumping this in your thread, I just saw your calorie intake and was wishing I could get away with that...I've been so damn hungry haha.

You have to push yourself in the gym. Maybe not all the time but you should be working hard at least 2 out of your 3 sessions a week. You can have an easier session but the other 2 you have to go at it. Doesn't matter how much you lift but you have to work hard according to your strength levels.

8 weeks and 6lbs is good man. Just keep at it. Imagine another 8 weeks and another 6lbs

The bit about 2500 calories is different for everyone. It all depends how your body responds to calories and what your TDEE is. If you aren't losing weight on 2000 or 2200 it is too much for your TDEE. You have to be as honest as you can with yourself and log ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING to make it accurate.

Is that 4 or 5lbs from morning to evening? Or 4-5lbs from one day to the next when you eat the same calories? My weight swings about 2.5-3.3lbs from morning to evening weight but my weight is consistent if I eat properly.

Weigh yourself everyday as I advised ziggy so you can build out your 7 day average and see if this tracks down after 3-4 weeks etc.

My calorie intake. Dude I'm hungry as well mate. It's about will power and how much do you want to lose weight. I believe if you really want it you will do whatever it takes. Just be as strict as you can.

Koing

 

[z1ggy]

^^^Drinking water and eating foods that arent many cals, but fill you up helps.

For me, I drink like 80oz of water at least a day, and I eat foods like oats and yams, which fill me up like crazy, but don't have tons of cals. Some meals I have to force myself to eat, otherwise I would skip.

 

[z1ggy]

So far everything is still going well. Small update on the lifts:

Squat- On 115
Bench-on 125
OHP-on 80, although I suspect by 90 I might need to deload
Row-on 105
DL-on 125

No real struggles yet except for the OHP. I have been doing abs at the end of each work out and sometimes some cardio. I hadn't seen my g/f in about 2 weeks and I saw her this past weekend, and she says I am looking a bit slimmer.

 

[z1ggy]

Been so busy for the last week, didn't have time for an update.

More or less it was a crazy busy week. I had 3 sports games, and I had to clean my house friday like crazy because my girl friend was coming in from out of town, then we spent the weekend together. So long story story, I didn't lift at all, but I did do quite a bit of running, and I ate pretty well, too. I also invested in a weight scale so I can weigh myself in the mornings. Once I get that set up I can report daily weights and then come up with a weekly average.

 

[z1ggy]

So I got the weight scale...Yesterday I was 188lb. Forgot to weigh in this morning, so I will do it tomorrow morning.

So far I have enjoyed the 5x5 routine, but I feel like since I am not eating to gain weight, or even maintain weight, I am going to hit my peak on this routine rather quickly. I have read about how your body can build muscle and lose fat at the same time... but it just seems so difficult because you need to tweak your diet daily...Eat this & that at the right times, etc etc.

I think for now I am going to just stick with eating healthy and clean, around 2000 net cals a day, and switch back to less sets and higher reps, but still focus on all compound lifts. More or less, I am going to lift just enough to keep the muscle I have, and then eat right and do lots of cardio to help burn the fat.

So basically I am going to keep on the same 5x5 lifts, but do 3x12 instead with out putting on 5lb more each day. I will probably put on 5lb more every 3 weeks when I change up my routine. Ie, do flat bench at 135lb for 2 weeks, then the 3rd week do flat dumbell with 50 or 55's, then the next week go back to flat bench at 140lb.

The idea is that even if I lose a tiny bit of muscle, and even some strength...
that's ok. I have realized my body in general can gain fat/muscle pretty fast if I eat a lot, so once I get to my ultimate goal of 10-12% body fat, I will start the real 5x5 again.

 

[z1ggy]

Update:

Weigh in now at 186. Weight loss is a little slower than I'd like, but I've been super busy with work and life, and I've slacked a bit on the cardio sessions. I am mainly doing higher reps with lower weights right now, because lifting heavy felt kind of useless.

Goal right now is 10% body fat at 170lb by Oct. 31.

 

[Koing]

What you lift doesn't matter so much when you are cutting as long as the weights are between heavy to fairly moderate. E.g between 4-12reps. As long as you work the muscle it will be fine.

Remember when you are cutting the idea is to just stimulate the muscle to preserve it. Your diet is the most important aspect in losing fat.

I've switched to doing 3sets of 6reps heavy as I can on all of my exercises apart from squats. I was doing 3sets of 12s for about 10 weeks.

Koing

 

[z1ggy]

What you lift doesn't matter so much when you are cutting as long as the weights are between heavy to fairly moderate. E.g between 4-12reps. As long as you work the muscle it will be fine.

Remember when you are cutting the idea is to just stimulate the muscle to preserve it. Your diet is the most important aspect in losing fat.

I've switched to doing 3sets of 6reps heavy as I can on all of my exercises apart from squats. I was doing 3sets of 12s for about 10 weeks.

Koing

This is the work out I am doing this week. Trying to eat around 2k cals everyday, 180g protein, 120g carb and 60g fat (roughly).

Ball push up- 3x10
stationary lunge-3x12 <---super set

Chin up-3x10
Hamstring curl on ball- 3x12 <---super set

Push up w resistance band- 2x12
Ball squat- 2x12 <---- super set

Resistance band row- 2x12
Supermans-2x12 <----- superset

Then cardio which will be
5 min warm up

1min high intensity
2mins low/medium intensity <---- repeat this 4 times

4-5 min cool down

 

[Koing]

This is the work out I am doing this week. Trying to eat around 2k cals everyday, 180g protein, 120g carb and 60g fat (roughly).

Ball push up- 3x10
stationary lunge-3x12 <---super set

Chin up-3x10
Hamstring curl on ball- 3x12 <---super set

Push up w resistance band- 2x12
Ball squat- 2x12 <---- super set

Resistance band row- 2x12
Supermans-2x12 <----- superset

Then cardio which will be
5 min warm up

1min high intensity
2mins low/medium intensity <---- repeat this 4 times

4-5 min cool down

Cool man. See how you weigh in 7 days and 14 days You should be able to drop a good 2lbs within 2 weeks if you are eating on point and training

Koing