[throttleking]

Guys,

I am 34 and 5.6" tall, I used to workout few years back but was never consistent. Started working out in Oct after a gap of 5 years. Initially focused on weight training and cardio, I weighed about 70kgs then with good amount of belly fat. My main aim was to lose fat and gain muscles. Changed my diet and added 3-4 scoops of whey protein daily. Muscle gain was very good and I also began to look leaner, but gained 2kgs more. However due to some health reasons I had to stop weight training and protein intake. Took that as an opportunity to lose weight, and continued to play squash and lots of running. Focused on my high fiber diet and cut down on carbs at night(only soups and salads). It has definitely worked like a dream, and I lost about 7kgs in last three months and I look very lean as well, current weight 65kgs.

At this stage I dont really want to lose weight anymore, and perhaps want to put on muscle weight. I would like to go upto 75kgs. I am about to start my weight workout, and will be focusing towards gaining muscle mass. My question is, despite of losing 7kgs, I still have good amount of belly fat, otherwise I look lot leaner. My waist is 31" and my belly is 32.5". How do I go about reducing those few inches further? Not that I want 6 packs but definitely want to go for absolutely flat tummy. Please advice.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by throttleking

Guys,

I am 34 and 5.6" tall, I used to workout few years back but was never consistent. Started working out in Oct after a gap of 5 years. Initially focused on weight training and cardio, I weighed about 70kgs then with good amount of belly fat. My main aim was to lose fat and gain muscles. Changed my diet and added 3-4 scoops of whey protein daily. Muscle gain was very good and I also began to look leaner, but gained 2kgs more. However due to some health reasons I had to stop weight training and protein intake. Took that as an opportunity to lose weight, and continued to play squash and lots of running. Focused on my high fiber diet and cut down on carbs at night(only soups and salads). It has definitely worked like a dream, and I lost about 7kgs in last three months and I look very lean as well, current weight 65kgs.

At this stage I dont really want to lose weight anymore, and perhaps want to put on muscle weight. I would like to go upto 75kgs. I am about to start my weight workout, and will be focusing towards gaining muscle mass. My question is, despite of losing 7kgs, I still have good amount of belly fat, otherwise I look lot leaner. My waist is 31" and my belly is 32.5". How do I go about reducing those few inches further? Not that I want 6 packs but definitely want to go for absolutely flat tummy. Please advice.

I would suggest a lot of ab exercises. Do as many crunches as you can. Also if you want to continue taking supplements go for whey which has zero carbs. Isopure is a good one. Under no circumstances opt for fat burners, I have a friend who's struggling with the side effects of fat burners. Go natural and read up ab exercises on the internet. I am sure bodybuilding.com will have something for you.

If you're returning to weights after a gap, I would suggest hold up protein intake till you make up for the time lost. As you'll realize your lifting capacity would have gone down. Take it slow and then really focus on muscle gain. Avoid carbs and do plenty of crunches. For absolutely foolproof exercises a forum like bodybuilding will be perfect for you.

[throttleking]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

I would suggest hold up protein intake till you make up for the time lost. As you'll realize your lifting capacity would have gone down. Take it slow and then really focus on muscle gain.

Can you please elaborate? are you saying that I should not start taking the whey protein for some time after starting the workout? if yes for how long?

I pretty much follow what is there on BB.com

[shashank.nk]

Hi Guys,

I started weight training 2 weeks ago and mainly do lat workouts,seated fly, incline bench press. Over the last few days i've observed my ability to lift weights goes down significantly as the week progresses!

On Mondays I can do 20 push-ups,3 sets of pull ups (15 each set) and go as high as 25 kg when doing lat workouts. Come to wednesday or thursday, i struggle to do 10 push ups, can't lift more than 11kgs be it lat work outs or seated fly, bench press is max 2.5 kgs, anything more and I struggle.

I eat 6 eggs a day for proteins, but otherwise the diet has seen no change. Its predominantly rice and veggies. I hardly eat any fruits or drink milk. Weekly twice I eat chicken.

Is this normal or should I be changing my diet/workout ?

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by throttleking

Can you please elaborate? are you saying that I should not start taking the whey protein for some time after starting the workout? if yes for how long?


I pretty much follow what is there on BB.com

What I meant was that you should go easy on the whey protein to avoid the extra calories since you're looking to flatten your belly. The other option is to use low/no carb supplements. What do you use?

As you will notice you might not be able to lift as much. But as it goes you'll return to the grind sooner than you expect.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Hi Guys,

I started weight training 2 weeks ago and mainly do lat workouts,seated fly, incline bench press. Over the last few days i've observed my ability to lift weights goes down significantly as the week progresses!

On Mondays I can do 20 push-ups,3 sets of pull ups (15 each set) and go as high as 25 kg when doing lat workouts. Come to wednesday or thursday, i struggle to do 10 push ups, can't lift more than 11kgs be it lat work outs or seated fly, bench press is max 2.5 kgs, anything more and I struggle.

I eat 6 eggs a day for proteins, but otherwise the diet has seen no change. Its predominantly rice and veggies. I hardly eat any fruits or drink milk. Weekly twice I eat chicken.

Is this normal or should I be changing my diet/workout ?

Buddy this is complicated. There can't be such a major difference unless it's got to do with your life style. Are you resting/sleeping well ? Do you eat something before you work out? How many days in a week do you workout and how sets and reps are you pulling off on more optimum days?

I can't see why there should be such a major difference. Out of personal experience, if I miss out on a meal or I don't get enough sleep my weight lifting ability suffers.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Buddy this is complicated. There can't be such a major difference unless it's got to do with your life style.

Are you resting/sleeping well ?

Yes. I sleep for 7 hrs a day. Only problem is I sleep at odd hours,3am-10am as I have exams and I prefer studying at night.

Do you eat something before you work out?

Mostly no. I eat at 3 pm and then there's dinner post work-out at around 10 pm or so.

How many days in a week do you workout and how sets and reps are you pulling off on more optimum days?

I workout for 6 days a week. On the more optimum days, I do 15 reps for the first set,12 and 10 for the 2nd and 3rd respectively. I stop with 3 sets. On the other days, 10 a set is max!

My workout schedule is like this:

Cycling: 5-6 mins
Warm up: 10 mins
Push ups: 5 mins
Pull ups: 6-10 mins
Lat/Seated Fly/Bench a or diff combo:30 mins
Cardio: Either Treadmill or elliptical 15 mins

[throttleking]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

What I meant was that you should go easy on the whey protein to avoid the extra calories since you're looking to flatten your belly. The other option is to use low/no carb supplements. What do you use?

As you will notice you might not be able to lift as much. But as it goes you'll return to the grind sooner than you expect.

Abhishek, its been only one month i did not lift, but continued to run and plau squash, so stamina which I had gained is very much there, and I am sure I will be able to lift as earlier in 10 days time. I am currently taking / will be taking Jack3d - pre workout, Dymatize Elite - 3 scoops daily, CGT - 10 post workout 1 serving.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Mostly no. I eat at 3 pm and then there's dinner post work-out at around 10 pm or so.

So wait are you saying that you eat lunch and then after a while go hit the gym in the evening or are you working out on an empty stomach?

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

So wait are you saying that you eat lunch and then after a while go hit the gym in the evening or are you working out on an empty stomach?

I finish my lunch by around 3pm and hit the gym at 7pm, I don't have anything in between. I have 3 eggs when I lunch, and the other 3 at dinner. Should I split these and have 3 at lunch,2 before work out and 1 at dinner ?

How many hrs before workout should I eat ?

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I finish my lunch by around 3pm and hit the gym at 7pm, I don't have anything in between. I have 3 eggs when I lunch, and the other 3 at dinner. Should I split these and have 3 at lunch,2 before work out and 1 at dinner ?

How many hrs before workout should I eat ?

Ideally you should consume something before you work out. One egg post work out isn't enough as that is when you need proteins the most. Try some snack like a brown bread with egg an hour before you exercise and see if it makes any difference.

[alpha1]

To all those who take in whey/etc protein powder:
How do you ascertain whether what is printed as nutrition content is actually there?
e.g. Say Powder X claims pure whey isolate, 0% carbs, 90% proteins ... blah blah ...
Is there any testing done by independent 3rd party certifying authority which validates the claim?

Also I did a Rupee per gram of protein analysis, the protein powders being sold in India (Indian brands as well as foreign ones) are at least twice as costly (some are up to 4 times) as normal non-veg meal like eggs, chicken, fish (river), beef.
(If you observe I have deliberately kept out sea food and mutton - which are grossly overpriced these days)

Coupled with the fact that most non-veg source of food are carb free - which means you have a choice of adding as much carbs (via bread, drinks, fruit etc) as per your needs. (Keto for fat loss, high carb for muscle gain)

This needs a serious thinking ...

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Ideally you should consume something before you work out. One egg post work out isn't enough as that is when you need proteins the most. Try some snack like a brown bread with egg an hour before you exercise and see if it makes any difference.

Thanks a lot! Will try it out and see if it helps. May be increase the egg count if needed

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Also I did a Rupee per gram of protein analysis, the protein powders being sold in India (Indian brands as well as foreign ones) are at least twice as costly (some are up to 4 times) as normal non-veg meal like eggs, chicken, fish (river), beef.
(If you observe I have deliberately kept out sea food and mutton - which are grossly overpriced these days)

Coupled with the fact that most non-veg source of food are carb free - which means you have a choice of adding as much carbs (via bread, drinks, fruit etc) as per your needs. (Keto for fat loss, high carb for muscle gain)

This needs a serious thinking ...

Interesting. I am assuming that when you did a price comparison, you didnt just equate 1 gram of whey to 1 gram of egg/chicken/beef etc, and that you did factor in the cost of taking these foods to a state where they can be consumed.

Also, i read somewhere that one advantage of whey protein is that it gets absorbed by the body more efficiently than the protein found in eggs etc.

[throttleking]

Has anyone ever ordered supplements from global websites like bodybuilding.com or amazon? apart for shipping are there any additional charges, like import duty or something when the product reaches your home? Shipping charges are very high, almost doubles the price if you order the single item, does it include import duty and all? Any other disadvantage?

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Interesting. I am assuming that when you did a price comparison, you didnt just equate 1 gram of whey to 1 gram of egg/chicken/beef etc, and that you did factor in the cost of taking these foods to a state where they can be consumed.

Also, i read somewhere that one advantage of whey protein is that it gets absorbed by the body more efficiently than the protein found in eggs etc.

Lets do a simple exercise here itself:

1. Eggs
Protein content = 12.6%
Weight of 1 egg ~ 50 g
Cost of 1 egg = Rs 4

So how much is the price per gram of protein?
Well, assuming that I discard the yolk, it makes the weight = 30 g
Protein content = 30*12.6% = 3.78 g.
And it costs Rs 4
THEREFORE we have Rs 1.05 per gram of protein.



Since we wish to make this into a preparation lets add 50% (restaurant markup!!!) over this to make it palatable for daily needs (actually eggs can be had just boiled or fried, adding very little to the cost, same way chicken or beef can be straightaway pan fried/broiled - thus adding very little to the cost)

But in any case, let's work the worst possible scenario = Rs 1.6



***


2. Cheapest Whey powder - looks to be an Indian brand called Venky's
2 kg for Rs 3000 (actually the price is slightly higher)
Protein content = 65%
So how much protein is in the container?
2000*65% = 1300 g
How much do you pay for it?
Rs 3000

So THEREFORE we have Rs 2.5 per gram of protein
Let me not add the cost of milk to it.


***

1. Whey is NOT better than egg protein or other animal proteins. Whey being better than others is what the marketing companies would want you to believe (much like Sunflower is the best oil for heart, and the rest is not)

2. Also note that I discarded the yolk (because Abercrombie models don't prefer taking any fat). But if you add yolk, the price per gram drops drastically. (almost half of what we worked out)

3. In spite of loading the egg heavily, and giving discounts to Whey we can see that whey is easily at least 1.5 times more expensive

4. I have considered Indian brand which uses whey concentrates. If you pickup and foreign brand using whey isolates, you will be dumbstruck at how these companies are robbing you. (becomes 4 times more expensive)

5. In case of boneless chicken it works out to be Rs 1.4/g and for boneless beef it works out to Rs 1/g (yes, with 50% restaurant markup, and accounting for less absorption than eggs)

6. The second worst thing is that when you pay 2-4 times more per gram of protein, you cannot be sure that you are indeed getting 70%-90% proteins, because who is validating the claim? For all you know, it may actually be 1 g of whey isolate, 10 g of Whey concentrate, and 50 g of rice flour!

7. But hey! The worst thing is in case you don't have certification/validation done - there is no way for you to determine based on your body's performance. If the protein content of you favorite whey powder is actually 40% instead of the claimed 80%, I would be darned if you will EVER come to know that based on your lifting performance or lean body mass. Performance and LBM fluctuate more because of training and fatigue and consequently hormone levels, rather than minuscule changes in nutrition levels.