Dieting help

[RestoretheROAR84]

Hey all I could use some help with dieting. I tried the Atkins diet for a while, and while it helped me to lose weight I noticed significant losses in the weight room even while doing the same lifts. Once I put the carbs back into my diet I started to get stronger again but also fatter. Is it possible to both gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time? How do I make sure I'm eating enough to gain muscle yet little enough to lose weight? Are there certain types of carbs I should cut out of my diet?

 

[Warboss Alex]

yes, perfectly possible.. hopefully EFFORT or Throttle or A-Unit will chime 'cause I'm going to bed now, lol. otherwise I'll help you out tomorrow.

search for 'Fat Loss While Still Gaining Muscle'

 

[Throttle]

run a search and you'll find lots of stuff on gaining muscle while losing fat (it can definitely be done). but the two basic dietary ways to combine carbs + a low carb diet are either

a timed carb diet (complex carbs before lifting, simple carbs with your protein shake after lifting)

or

a partial carb diet (carbs any time, esp. complex carbs, but a carb cutoff several hours before bedtime, plus the carbs you get above).

the iron addicts forums have exhaustive discussion of these two options. IA himself favors the latter b/c compliance with the former is generally terrible.

 

[EFFORT]

whats your current situation?

Body weight, body fat %, height, max for bench, squats, deads?

 

[RestoretheROAR84]

I'm 5'8 and about 210 lbs right now. How do you figure out your body fat %?

 

[Fred Da Head]

Buy a Tanita (sp?) scale or use bodyfat calipers. If you can't do either, just look people up on forums and figure out what range you're in. Better to have an idea that's off by several points than not to have a clue.

 

[KnockoutJM]

I recently went through a major weight loss from 235 (fattttt) to now 166 (six-pack i'm lovin it). Heres some advice i typed to another person ill add it here too, it still applies.

Okay, I would like to try to offer some advice you. I have recently gone through a big weight loss/cutting (70 lbs (trust me), and made major diet changes which seem to have helped me.
I tried avoiding all fat/ un natural carbs at the beginning. I didnt touch any bread, or dairy products, only fruit and meat. With the fruit you get enough sugars in so your brain doesnt need the meat to run, and you get enough protein so you body can fortify itself. I ate a lot of Tuna fish (Plain or with lemon juice), and tons of 1% friendship cottage cheese, i actually like the stuff but i know a lot of other people do not.
While i diet (still am) on the weekend ill grill lean-thin sliced chicken cutlets and season with a little cajun pepper, or something like that, and for lunch i take a chicken cutlet, an apple, and a water bottle to school.
I would also reccommend bananas, grapes, or any other fruit high in potassium. The potassium will counter any sodium you intake, and will stop any bloating from the excess water, and will also help tone your muscles.
If you can, try to eat 1st meal within an hour of waking, then another about 2.5-3 after that, and another every 2.5-3 after that. Just eat when you are hungry, and stop when you aren't hungry anymore (not full).
Try to drink 1/2-1 gallon of water every day, and stop eating at like 7 pm or 3-4 hrs before sleep.
One major thing that helped me was taking vitamins. It seems so simple but it helped so much. I would reccommend Vitamin B complex+ a multi ( i took centrums) , and a Vitamin C (I mainly took for boxing so i didnt bruise, but a good immune system can always help).
I would suggest splitting your days into cardio primary with minor strength (maybe situps/pushups) and then primary strength with minor cardio (maybe a mile or 2 walk at about 5.2 mph). When you do Cardio do not go too weak, or too hard core. Too slow will just be a warm up, and will not do much than get your heart pumping. Too fast will strengthen your muscles/condition your body without removing any excess fat. If you can walk between 4.9-5.8 Mph that is the optimal fat-burn level, and if you walk/jog there it will really do a noticible difference.
Good Luck!

 

[RestoretheROAR84]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am starting to get a good idea of what to do to achieve success. I just have a couple more questions. A lot of people have said dairy, especially milk is a bad option. Does this apply to fat-free skim milk also, and what should I put into my diet to replace the calcium from milk?

 

[Warboss Alex]

yes, all milk is poison especially if you want to lean out, skim or otherwise.

calcium sources: broccoli, spinach, almonds.. calcium supplements if you feel the need.

 

[blinkwatt]

yes, all milk is poison especially if you want to lean out, skim or otherwise.

Not true. I'm dropping into the sub 9% bodyfat drinking at least a 1/2 gallon of fat free milk a day,my only rule with milk is to stop drinking milk 2 hours prior to bed.

 

[Kerpal]

Not true. I'm dropping into the sub 9% bodyfat drinking at least a 1/2 gallon of fat free milk a day,my only rule with milk is to stop drinking milk 2 hours prior to bed.

+1, although I'm not drinking quite as much, maybe 1/4-1/3 gallon a day. I do some pretty intense workouts though, none of this walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 5 mph nonsense.

 

[Throttle]

conversely i've damn near stopped drinking milk of any % over the last 2 months and it doesn't appear to be making a significant extra dent in things. treat milk as a simple carb source if you're lactose tolerant (if not, well, you know why you should avoid it entirely)

 

[Warboss Alex]

Not true. I'm dropping into the sub 9% bodyfat drinking at least a 1/2 gallon of fat free milk a day,my only rule with milk is to stop drinking milk 2 hours prior to bed.

(and this also goes for Kerpal) You are using only individual data to come to that conclusion. As well as still being a teenager, your pictures show you have an ecto or ecto-meso base which means you will be able to handle more foods and carbs than most people. Just because YOU do fine with milk doesn't mean you can make a blanket statement saying it's fine.. without knowing anything about RestoreTheRoar's food allergies and tolerances I cannot say 'milk is fine' - in my experience the majority of people do much better without milk, especially when trying to get ripped, hence my recommendation of 'no milk'. If he gets his desired results with milk in the diet more power to him. But I don't anyone who's suffered from removing milk from their daily intake.

And just because you can lose fat with milk doesn't mean it's good for you. I can lose fat drinking a gallon of diet coke a day but that wouldn't be doing my health any favours. If you're talking organic/raw milk then that's better than most (but still, most people in the world are lactose intolerant to some degree), but I've talked to people in the dairy industry and commercially produced milk is disgusting (as well as hormones you get blood and faeces in the milk vats as well - his words not mine).

 

[simon]

And just because you can lose fat with milk doesn't mean it's good for you. I can lose fat drinking a gallon of diet coke a day but that wouldn't be doing my health any favours. If you're talking organic/raw milk then that's better than most (but still, most people in the world are lactose intolerant to some degree), but I've talked to people in the dairy industry and commercially produced milk is disgusting (as well as hormones you get blood and faeces in the milk vats as well - his words not mine).

Have you given up the feta then? That stuff rocks my world...on occasion.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Have you given up the feta then? That stuff rocks my world...on occasion.

nope, that's from goat's milk predominately. entirely different process - for what it's worth I do buy the ones directly imported from Greece or Cyprus though.

been trying to eat semi-healthily lately so I have a lot of chicken/tuna salads with olive oil and some feta. it's so intense in flavour you don't need a huge amount either, it's good stuff.

 

[Drum&Bass]

yes, all milk is poison

I don't like being wrong, and I remember when there was a debate about milk..but, ever since I eliminated milk from my diet I've been digesting and feeling much better. I'll never willingly go back to drinking milk again. I now take calcium tablets.

 

[simon]

nope, that's from goat's milk predominately. entirely different process - for what it's worth I do buy the ones directly imported from Greece or Cyprus though.

been trying to eat semi-healthily lately so I have a lot of chicken/tuna salads with olive oil and some feta. it's so intense in flavour you don't need a huge amount either, it's good stuff.

Aah. Yeah it's got a completely different taste and texture than other cheeses. Looking forward to the Summer when I can stuff myself silly with it in Crete. When I was last in Greece the yoghurt they had was so awesomely thick. Mmm.

 

[blinkwatt]

Just because YOU do fine with milk doesn't mean you can make a blanket statement saying it's fine..

Some of my lifting buddies and I have very similar diets and they are 6% bodyfat and less,and they drink more milk then me,lucky s.o.b.s!

without knowing anything about RestoreTheRoar's food allergies and tolerances I cannot say 'milk is fine'

Very true!


Yes,it can take a couple weeks for your stomach to get used to 8+ cups of milk a day,but in the end it's worth it.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Simon, the 'Total' 0% yogurt is actually really healthy, 9g protein/4g carbs per 100g and zero fat, and it's awesome. Greek yogurt is strained, hence the thickness.

As for the feta in Crete, it's even sharper than the regular stuff from the mainland. We got fed it a lot when I served in the army there.. I couldn't touch the stuff for a long while lol

 

[Warboss Alex]

Some of my lifting buddies and I have very similar diets and they are 6% bodyfat and less,and they drink more milk then me,lucky s.o.b.s!

If they're 6% bodyfat while drinking milk that gives you a clue about their metabolisms.

Yes,it can take a couple weeks for your stomach to get used to 8+ cups of milk a day,but in the end it's worth it.

personally, my ass would bleed on even a quarter of that. we're all very different but we're all human beings, and shouldn't be drinking something meant for baby cows. but hey, if you can handle it...