[fine69]

So I've been working out for a few months now. Its mostly been an on-and-off kind of thing but I've been working out 5/6 days per week for about a month now. I've put on some muscle also but what's bothering me is the fat that I've accumulated in the process of eating more and more food.

Honestly, I don't simply workout but annihilate myself by the end of the ~1.5 hr session and a little disappointed that in spite of all the hard work that I'm putting in, the gains aren't as significant as I wanted them to be, not to mention the paunch and double chin that's returned because I'm getting fatter in the process also.

I was thinking of taking the whey/creatine route (considering these are the safest) if that helps ease the gain process so wanted to know if you folks have faced something similar and how you solved this 'gaining muscle without gaining fat' puzzle.

EDIT: I don't mean to sound unrealistic and I know that I'd get a little fat during this whole proess but I've literally developed the fattest paunch that I ever had so trying to get around this if there's a better way.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by fine69

So I've been working out for a few months now. Its mostly been an on-and-off kind of thing but I've been working out 5/6 days per week for about a month now. I've put on some muscle also but what's bothering me is the fat that I've accumulated in the process of eating more and more food.

Fat accumulation happens when your calories intake is higher than your BMR+ calories burnt (In gym+walking+other physical activities). So you should limit your calorie intake to avoid fat accumulation. Also ensure that 50% calorie intake will be protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat for minimal muscle loss.

Originally Posted by fine69

Honestly, I don't simply workout but annihilate myself by the end of the ~1.5 hr session and a little disappointed that in spite of all the hard work that I'm putting in, the gains aren't as significant as I wanted them to be, not to mention the paunch and double chin that's returned because I'm getting fatter in the process also..

The key to proper exercise is not to exhaust yourself. this will only lead to
being lethargic and tired throughout the day. Key is to push yourself but not to overdo anything.

Originally Posted by fine69

I was thinking of taking the whey/creatine route (considering these are the safest) if that helps ease the gain process so wanted to know if you folks have faced something similar and how you solved this 'gaining muscle without gaining fat' puzzle..

This may not help unless you control your calorie intake.

Originally Posted by fine69

EDIT: I don't mean to sound unrealistic and I know that I'd get a little fat during this whole proess but I've literally developed the fattest paunch that I ever had so trying to get around this if there's a better way.

I lost 12 kgs weight while gaining muscles over 6 months period when I started gyming 2 years back. It is a myth that you have to add fat to gain muscles. My weight reduction happened due to cardio (50% of my effort/time went into running and 50% on strength exercises).

[fine69]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Also ensure that 50% calorie intake will be protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat for minimal muscle loss.

I don't really count calories and don't even want to get into it. I think I'll modify my diet a little, increase protein, decrease carbs and then see whether it changes anything. Ideally it should so lets see how it works.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

It is a myth that you have to add fat to gain muscles. My weight reduction happened due to cardio (50% of my effort/time went into running and 50% on strength exercises).

Well what I know from personal experience is that one can definitely add muscle while getting fatter . Now what remains to be seen is if I cut down on carbs a little and increase protein, whether I lose my paunch and continue to gain muscle.

In other news, I decided to order this resistance band set - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ZWS9DA/...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I had an old purple resistance band lying with me and decided to put it over my pull-up bar and the wide lat workout that I got out of it was amazing. I looked up on the net and voila! It seems that I can do every back workout like I would've on a cable machine using resistance bands. Good thing about resistance bands is that they force you to maintain proper form and contraction throughout the rep.

I was really struggling with back workouts at home and after having looked through what resistance bands can do, I think they'd make an excellent workout kit, even when I'm travelling.

[chinmaybaikar]

Originally Posted by fine69

So I've been working out for a few months now. Its mostly been an on-and-off kind of thing but I've been working out 5/6 days per week for about a month now. I've put on some muscle also but what's bothering me is the fat that I've accumulated in the process of eating more and more food

What you are going through is normal. Just cut down your carbs and try fine tuning the diet. No drastic changes like giving up on rice all together. This will aid in fat loss which is a slow process. Slowly all the fat from your arms, chest, shoulder area will be gone leaving some around the belly. It took me almost an year to fine tune the diet where I am building muscle and losing fat too.

Originally Posted by fine69

Till last week I was doing 20-22kg benchpress (excluding 12 kg rod) and while the shoulders were sore to a similar extent, at least I got a good pump in my chest. Yesterday I tried it with 25kgs and the only thing getting a pump was my anterior delts. I was very very careful with my form but nothing could help me really.

Try this.
Before you start pressing heavy, warm yourself up with pec deck fly. Nothing too heavy or too light. And a set of parallel bar dip. Always works like a charm. After this you'll feel the presses going easy. Let me know after the "International chest day"

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by fine69

What could possibly be wrong if my anterior delts are getting extremely sore after a benchpress while the pump in chest is totally missing.

Anybody faced something similar? I'm assuming anterior delts would definitely need to get strengthened before one can take heavy loads but is this how the progress usually is i.e. anterior delts need to be developed to a good extent before one can bench press heavy loads?

Bench press is SUPPOSED to use anterior deltoids.
In fact, in my observations, bench press is far superior to over head press in terms of utilizing and developing the anterior deltoids.

Remember, the anterior deltoids contract to move the humerus (elbows) to the front of the shoulder and not any further (imagine you are punching someone). This movement happens quite perfectly when you do bench press with various extent of elbows tucked in.

In case of over head press, anterior deltoids work mainly only till the point your elbows about the level of shoulder, any further movement is mainly triceps and traps. Not convinced?

Try doing overhead press (even sans any weight) without moving your scapula a wee bit. You won't be able to lift the weight past your nose/eyes.

Now coming back to the bench press, how do you maximize the pecs involvement?
1. Pecs contract to move the elbow from wide open position (imagine Shahrukh Khan's arms in any of his song) to the front of sternum.
2. Delts contract to move the elbow from the side position (attention!) to the front of the sternum.

Triceps are ineffective in the lower half of the movement. But the upper half of the movement is primarily triceps. In fact the sticking point is where the pecs stop producing enough force and triceps are yet not able to produce enough force.

What does all this mean?
a) It means that in order to force pecs to work, one has to flare the elbows. HOWEVER, this is may turn out to be a dangerous practice for the shoulder joint (in case your arms are not rock steady) and preferably only done for very light weights - the ones that you can comfortably do >20 reps.
b) in case of the above, a safer method would be have a wide grip/flare open the elbows but not bring the weight down completely.
c) Forget about feeling the pecs in isolation. It is called compound for a reason. Bench press movement happens because Pecs, Anterior Delts and triceps contract. Similarly Rows happens because Lats, biceps, posterior delts contract.

[prashant.dinkar]

Guys,

I need some help with my fat loss plan.

I am a male with 5 Feet and 7 Inches of height of currently I weigh around 79 Kgs (175 Pounds.)

Maybe I am overwhelmed with the information but I am not even able to get my basics right.

That means even till now I am not able to calculate my maintenance calories! Please don't judge me I am not a lazy or dumb person, like I said that maybe I am overwhelmed.

As per IIFYM my maintenance calories should be around 2020 and for fat loss 1620 will be ideal one. But as per some other websites my maintenance calories should be 2900. That's a difference of almost 1000 calories!
Obviously I entered same particulars on every site.

Right now I am trying to follow 1620 calories diet but I am not losing any weight. Macros I follow are

Protein 140 Grams
Carbs 100 Grams
Fat 72 Grams

I am not able to hit my macros strictly but I am working towards it. I use Fitness Palto track my calories.

Can please help me with my macros and my calorie intake or point me to a reliable source.

Thanks in advance
Peace

[fine69]

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

I am not able to hit my macros strictly but I am working towards it. I use Fitness Palto track my calories.

Can please help me with my macros and my calorie intake or point me to a reliable source.

Are you working out also or starving yourself to lose fat? I tried counting calories and keeping a track of my macros but it was simply too much work.

Secondly, my mom wasn't able to lose weight while she was walking/jogging about 2 hours a day and hardly eating anything. It turned out it had something to do with her insulin process after she underwent a test. She went on medicines and once the insulin process was sorted she started losing weight. The food wasn't being broken down properly for digestion and absorption but medicines corrected that.

See a doctor because if you are really on 1.6k calories and still not losing weight then it might be something else also. All the best!

[prashant.dinkar]

Originally Posted by fine69

Are you working out also or starving yourself to lose fat? I tried counting calories and keeping a track of my macros but it was simply too much work.

Secondly, my mom wasn't able to lose weight while she was walking/jogging about 2 hours a day and hardly eating anything. It turned out it had something to do with her insulin process after she underwent a test. She went on medicines and once the insulin process was sorted she started losing weight. The food wasn't being broken down properly for digestion and absorption but medicines corrected that.

See a doctor because if you are really on 1.6k calories and still not losing weight then it might be something else also. All the best!

I am not starving.. Protein is quite filling and so is the fat.

Even with the macros mentioned above I get the freedom to eat almost half kg of chicken 10-12 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 2 protein shakes , a bowl of brown rice and loads of lettuce , broccoli , asparagus, cucumber etc everyday

Yes I lift 3 times a week and do HIIT 2 times a week.

As far as my understanding goes body goes into "Starvation" mode when your calorie intake is less then 800. This is when body tries to store all the food assuming that there is some crisis situation going on.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

I am a male with 5 Feet and 7 Inches of height of currently I weigh around 79 Kgs (175 Pounds.)

Right now I am trying to follow 1620 calories diet but I am not losing any weight.

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

Even with the macros mentioned above I get the freedom to eat almost half kg of chicken 10-12 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 2 protein shakes , a bowl of brown rice and loads of lettuce , broccoli , asparagus, cucumber etc everyday

Yes I lift 3 times a week and do HIIT 2 times a week.

I think you could up the protein that's for sure!!

With 1600 calories a day, you lift and do HIIT also and you aren't losing weight. Assuming the information you provided is correct you seriously need to go see a doctor. I mean are you saying you are surviving on 1000 calories a day and still not losing weight!! (500-600, at least, consumed during workout)

[prashant.dinkar]

Originally Posted by fine69

I think you could up the protein that's for sure!!

With 1600 calories a day, you lift and do HIIT also and you aren't losing weight. Assuming the information you provided is correct you seriously need to go see a doctor. I mean are you saying you are surviving on 1000 calories a day and still not losing weight!! (500-600, at least, consumed during workout)

You are hell bent to send me to a doc
I am 100% sure that I don't burn 600 Calories during my weight training sessions or my HIIT sessions.

Maybe I should try to up my fat and carb intake. Lets see I will play around with macros or try intermittent fasting.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

Even with the macros mentioned above I get the freedom to eat almost half kg of chicken 10-12 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 2 protein shakes , a bowl of brown rice and loads of lettuce , broccoli , asparagus, cucumber etc everyday

No wonder you are not losing weight
On a serious note, are you sure all this adds up to just 1600 calories? To me this looks like quite a lot. And you have not mentioned things like for how long are you following this diet and exercise plan and what is the difference(if any) in your weight and body fat% after you started this program.

[prashant.dinkar]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

No wonder you are not losing weight
On a serious note, are you sure all this adds up to just 1600 calories? To me this looks like quite a lot. And you have not mentioned things like for how long are you following this diet and exercise plan and what is the difference(if any) in your weight and body fat% after you started this program.

Man everybody is critiquing my diet

Half KG Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast : 566 Cals
10 Egg Whites : 170 Cals
2 Whole Eggs : 130 Cals
2 Protein Shakes : 220 Cals ( I take it in Water)
Bowl Of Brown Rice : 250 Cals

Total : 1326 Cals

Remaining 300 comes from Veggies , Oive Oil , Cottage Cheese , Dark Chocolate etc

I have been doing this very strictly from last 2 Months.. before that I was doing it but not very religiously ..
In last 2 Months I have lost around 4 Kgs .. But the problem is now my weight is not moving at all.

Fat % I am not sure but my guess is around 25-28%

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

Man everybody is critiquing my diet

Half KG Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast : 566 Cals
10 Egg Whites : 170 Cals
2 Whole Eggs : 130 Cals
2 Protein Shakes : 220 Cals ( I take it in Water)
Bowl Of Brown Rice : 250 Cals

Total : 1326 Cals

Remaining 300 comes from Veggies , Oive Oil , Cottage Cheese , Dark Chocolate etc

I have been doing this very strictly from last 2 Months.. before that I was doing it but not very religiously ..
In last 2 Months I have lost around 4 Kgs .. But the problem is now my weight is not moving at all.

Fat % I am not sure but my guess is around 25-28%

Well, are you game to experiment a bit?
I see that you are trying to become a Paleolithic here.
How about trying Neolithic?

You have a target of 1600 kcals.
How about you trying to get those 1600 kcal almost exclusively by consuming grains (cereals, pulses, legumes), starchy plants (potatoes, sweet pot, yam, taro etc) and vegetable?

Q: Will you lose existing muscles and strength?
A: Well are there visible bulging muscles today?

Q: What is the worst case scenario that you stand to lose?
A: One month of no result = you reaching your desired goal by 1 month.

[prashant.dinkar]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Well, are you game to experiment a bit?
I see that you are trying to become a Paleolithic here.
How about trying Neolithic?

You have a target of 1600 kcals.
How about you trying to get those 1600 kcal almost exclusively by consuming grains (cereals, pulses, legumes), starchy plants (potatoes, sweet pot, yam, taro etc) and vegetable?

Q: Will you lose existing muscles and strength?
A: Well are there visible bulging muscles today?

Q: What is the worst case scenario that you stand to lose?
A: One month of no result = you reaching your desired goal by 1 month.

Thank You.

I have always been told that I need at least .8 grams of protein/lb of body weight in order to minimize the muscle loss while on a cut. And thats what I have been trying to do.

My original question was - Have I calculated my maintenance calories correctly? But never mind.

Honestly I didn't get anything mentioned in bold.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by prashant.dinkar

You are hell bent to send me to a doc

If one consumes lesser calories than what they are burning during a day and still not losing weight then that's not normal. Also, one might not always lose weight at the pace they expect but not even moving a kg in 2 months raises some questions.

So its either that 'calories consumed' > 'calories burnt', which means your calorie counting process is flawed or something else. My advise on seeing the doctor was based on the assumption that 'calories consumed' < 'calories burnt' for you.

EDIT:

I have always been told that I need at least .8 grams of protein/lb of body weight in order to minimize the muscle loss while on a cut. And thats what I have been trying to do.

Lot of broscience exists on the web. Start with a sustainable lifting & eating process and see how your body reacts before your conform to what most say.