We All Seem to Forget

We All Seem to Forget (Before and after pics)

Diet is first and foremost. I lifted weights for years and kept spinning wheels. It seemed I could never make any progress. Sure, I would get stronger, but I could never get rid of the dreaded spare tire. I would get bigger, but it was of the bloated ilk. It wasn't until I started eating right that I got in great shape.

Look, you can't get where you want to be if you don't eat right. You can get bigger, sure, but you can't get ripped like we all want. You can't eat anything you feel like and achieve your goals; it's impossible.

Find out what your body needs and set up a meal plan. It takes some time initially, but the results are worth the effort. I first learned it through leangains, but there are a multitude of websites where you can find it.

BMR: basic metabolic rate. Look it up. Do some research. It took me years to figure this out.

Stop spinning your wheels, and start getting what you want. Count calories. Again, count calories. You want to lose fat and gain muscle? Cut calories and keep protein high. You want to gain weight without adding fat? Count calories and go a few hundred over your BMR. Get scientific. It's a fix all.

If you want to make gains, get scientific about it.

Image evidence. Both pics are empty stomach, just after waking up.


Before calorie counting.


After calorie counting.


And I got stronger. Hit personal bests in squat and deadlift; 240x5 and 295x3 respectively. I weighed 142 lbs.

Unfortunately, far too many people use their diet as an excuse for a lack of hard work

DanZy said:

Unfortunately, far too many people use their diet as an excuse for a lack of hard work

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I respect your knowledge about dieting and lifting, DanZy, but I have to disagree with you here. I think most people use their hard work (cardio/ weightlifting) as an excuse to cheat on their diet. They think, "hey, I ran two miles today, so I can eat whatever I want." That's where they lose. People don't realize the importance of keeping track. Or they do, and just don't care.

I can't tell you how many people that have inquired about how I lost so much weight, only to scoff when I tell them that I counted calories. They blow off my advice like I told them the earth was flat! People are looking for an easy way out - they want you to tell them that they're big boned, and that it's harder for them. They have it so tough blah blah. They don't want to take responsibility for themselves.

Develop self-control, b1tches.

Realize that your mind is the key to losing weight. It's the decision that you want to be at point B rather than point A. How much do you want to be fit? Are willing to make the sacrifices that you need to? If not, then fvck off and keep being fat.

TyTe`EyEz said:

They think, "hey, I ran two miles today, so I can eat whatever I want."

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when it comes to this sort of mentality they have it the wrong way around. you need to eat for what training you are doing not for what training you have done.

never counted cals myself but have a decent idea of what I need to have in order to lose the weight while still stacking on the muscle. Yes I wholeheartedly agree though that counting cals gives you much faster results but just a system I prefer not to do. Using portion control and a strict diet of complex carbs, protein and fibrous vegetables I am losing an average of 1kg each week. but this diet is by no means long term sustainable it is a 12 week cycle. after 12 weeks then I can start bringing fats, fruits and dairy back into the equation slowly.

Diet is the biggest part of weight loss by all means. if you are morbidly obese you can lose weight by just changing your diet and accelerate it even faster with exercise. but if you are trying to lose that last 5-10kg then you are going to have to work your ass off to get it done. People need to come to realise that you need the proper nutrition to fuel your workouts so you can gain the most muscle and burn the most fat and keep working on an optimum level. So start eating for what you are going to do instead of eating for what you have done!

bodybuilding, weight loss and everything else to do with fitness these days is getting harder for a lot of people to wrap their heads around because all they are seeing is the marketing of the newest and most *cough revolutionary supplements being shoved down your throat on a daily basis. I know a few 100% natty blokes that haven't even put a protein shake up to their mouth let alone use creatine or messed around with the juice and they are some massive blokes. there is no substitute for discipline and hard work in both diet and exercise. All this 2minute abs this and 5minute buns that along with all these wonder pills and shakes that is all BULLSH!T hell if that was all true everyone would be competing in the Mr. Olympia comps.

Stort_Brød said:

People need to come to realise that you need the proper nutrition to fuel your workouts so you can gain the most muscle and burn the most fat and keep working on an optimum level. So start eating for what you are going to do instead of eating for what you have done!

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I respect your post, brother, and you seem like you know what you're talking about, but let me disagree a little bit.

I lost 20 lbs of fat, all while maintaining all of my muscle mass. I also made steady gains in all of my lifts. Squats, Deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, chin ups. Yep, all of 'em. I was stronger than I'd ever been. Guess what, I wasn't even eating breakfast!

I was working out fasted. That's on an empty stomach. I hadn't eaten in at least 16 hours. I went to the gym on nothing but BCAAs. Hit my lifts, went home and ate like I'd never eaten before. Ate like a boss. And I did that every day.

A little routine goes a long way. Before you know it, your life revolves around it.

now that you mention the fasting and all that brings me to the next part of it all. just like there are so many different workout routines there are equal if not greater amounts of diets. yes fasting does work there are plenty of people who do it. it all works out to be the same though as in when you got home and ate like a mad man you still wouldn't have eaten more ( well I hope not ) than you would have if you were eating regular meals throughout the day. so technically the total days calorie intake was approx the same but just ingested at a different rate. so your body is still getting X amount of fuel just in one hit instead of a steady stream.

I see no harm in all these different diets just like the different training styles and regimes you just need to figure out what works best for you. and of course fasting or any other diet for example what I'm doing with just complex carbs and protein is not a long term sustainable practice. it is for short term no more than 6 months or so to dramatically drop the weight. after that it is all about finding your maintenance intake levels so you neither gain nor lose weight or even going on a bulking cycle if you are trying to gain muscle fast.

The problem I see with a lot of people who diet is that once they get to their goal weight they all of a sudden revert back to their old ways of eating junk or eating more hence why they end up back at square 1 being a fatty again. they don't change their lifestyle to a healthy maintenance. note the keyword LIFESTYLE a diet is a short term thing and it will always remain like that, but to change your lifestyle it means that it is an ongoing practice over many years.

now all of this isn't to say you can never eat another chocolate bar or have another beer ever again. more that you just need to be conscious of these decisions and not make a HABIT of it.

I love how all the fitness industry has transformed over the years and has now become a science it is extremely interesting when you start to read into it all. but just remember nothing beats HARD WORK. it is no longer the saying " no pain, no gain" while it is still very relevant it is now transforming into "no brain, no gain"

I LOVES ME SOME PAIN, SWEAT AND IRON!!! oh and getting to eat heaps of food haha. and b!tches come and go but the iron will always be at your side and will never let you down.

Right on, brother.

Stort_Brød said:

now that you mention the fasting and all that brings me to the next part of it all. just like there are so many different workout routines there are equal if not greater amounts of diets. yes fasting does work there are plenty of people who do it. it all works out to be the same though as in when you got home and ate like a mad man you still wouldn't have eaten more ( well I hope not ) than you would have if you were eating regular meals throughout the day. so technically the total days calorie intake was approx the same but just ingested at a different rate. so your body is still getting X amount of fuel just in one hit instead of a steady stream.

I see no harm in all these different diets just like the different training styles and regimes you just need to figure out what works best for you. and of course fasting or any other diet for example what I'm doing with just complex carbs and protein is not a long term sustainable practice. it is for short term no more than 6 months or so to dramatically drop the weight. after that it is all about finding your maintenance intake levels so you neither gain nor lose weight or even going on a bulking cycle if you are trying to gain muscle fast.

The problem I see with a lot of people who diet is that once they get to their goal weight they all of a sudden revert back to their old ways of eating junk or eating more hence why they end up back at square 1 being a fatty again. they don't change their lifestyle to a healthy maintenance. note the keyword LIFESTYLE a diet is a short term thing and it will always remain like that, but to change your lifestyle it means that it is an ongoing practice over many years.

now all of this isn't to say you can never eat another chocolate bar or have another beer ever again. more that you just need to be conscious of these decisions and not make a HABIT of it.

I love how all the fitness industry has transformed over the years and has now become a science it is extremely interesting when you start to read into it all. but just remember nothing beats HARD WORK. it is no longer the saying " no pain, no gain" while it is still very relevant it is now transforming into "no brain, no gain"

I LOVES ME SOME PAIN, SWEAT AND IRON!!! oh and getting to eat heaps of food haha. and b!tches come and go but the iron will always be at your side and will never let you down.

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Preach!

can I get an AMEN brother!
I SAID CAN I GET AN AAAAAMEN BROTHER

(in my best stereotypical negro preacher voice)

TyTe`EyEz said:

I respect your knowledge about dieting and lifting, DanZy, but I have to disagree with you here. I think most people use their hard work (cardio/ weightlifting) as an excuse to cheat on their diet. They think, "hey, I ran two miles today, so I can eat whatever I want." That's where they lose. People don't realize the importance of keeping track. Or they do, and just don't care.

I can't tell you how many people that have inquired about how I lost so much weight, only to scoff when I tell them that I counted calories. They blow off my advice like I told them the earth was flat! People are looking for an easy way out - they want you to tell them that they're big boned, and that it's harder for them. They have it so tough blah blah. They don't want to take responsibility for themselves.

Develop self-control, b1tches.

Realize that your mind is the key to losing weight. It's the decision that you want to be at point B rather than point A. How much do you want to be fit? Are willing to make the sacrifices that you need to? If not, then fvck off and keep being fat.

Click to expand...

You're right there but what I'm getting at is that so many people will blame their diet for a lack of results when they haven't done the work.
This is a great thread

Stort_Brød said:

The problem I see with a lot of people who diet is that once they get to their goal weight they all of a sudden revert back to their old ways of eating junk or eating more hence why they end up back at square 1 being a fatty again.

Click to expand...

As a born again fatty, this statement brought home the bacon.

you shouldn't be bringing home any bacon if you want to stay ripped haha
oooh ok who can't resist a lil bacon. just not too much

Stort_Brød said:

you shouldn't be bringing home any bacon if you want to stay ripped haha
oooh ok who can't resist a lil bacon. just not too much

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I'm gonna argue bacons corner.

Excess carbs are the reason for the spare tyre. Bacon is protein. Bacon is your friend.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T_obaO46Bo

Here's proof!^^^

ok ok settle down 'MURICA haha that video is an instant classsic

As I said "just not too much" so in moderation!!!

heres one for you Purefilth

http://bacontoday.com/top-10-reasons-bacon-is-actually-healthy-for-you/

Stort_Brød said:

you shouldn't be bringing home any bacon if you want to stay ripped haha
oooh ok who can't resist a lil bacon. just not too much

Click to expand...

You can eat bacon while dieting/staying ripped, Google flexible dieting. Your body doesn't know whether you get your calories from junk food or whole food.

Purefilth said:

I'm gonna argue bacons corner.

Excess carbs are the reason for the spare tyre. Bacon is protein. Bacon is your friend.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T_obaO46Bo

Here's proof!^^^

Click to expand...

Excess carbs? No. Maybe you meant to say excess sugar?

When eating over your maintenance requirements, nutrients are used the following ways (Taken from http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nu...utrient-storage-and-nutrient-oxidation.html):


Fat
Size of store relative to daily intake - Very high
Oxidation increase due to intake - Low

Carbohydrate
Size of store relative to daily intake - Roughly equal
Oxidation increase due to intake - High

Protein
Size of store relative to daily intake - Moderate
Oxidation increase due to intake - Moderate

Alcohol
Size of store relative to daily intake - None
Oxidation increase due to intake - Perfect

Protein - Some of it is oxidized for energy while others are converted into other things (including glucose and ketones) for use elsewhere. Used to repair muscle tissue, and maintain other organs.

Carbohydrates - Eat more carbs and you burn more carbs (you also store more glycogen); eat less carbs and you burn less carbs (and glycogen levels drop). This occurs for a variety of reasons including changing insulin levels (fructose, for example, since it doesn’t raise insulin, doesn’t increase carbohydrate oxidation) and simple substrate availability. And, as it turns out, fat oxidation is basically inversely related to carbohydrate oxidation.

So when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and burn less fat; eat less carbs and you burn less carbs and burn more fat. And don’t jump to the immediate conclusion that lowcarb diets are therefore superior for fat loss because lowcarb diets are also higher in fat intake (generally speaking). You’re burning more fat, but you’re also eating more.

Fat - Ingested dietary fat has little impact on fat burning in the body; that is, when you eat dietary fat, your body doesn’t increase fat oxidation. One exception is if an absolutely massive amount of fat (like 80 g) is consumed all at once but even then the effect is fairly mild.

Alcohol - There is absolutely no store of alcohol in the body. None whatsoever. Effectively, alcohol is seen as a sort of metabolic ‘toxin’ or ‘poison’ to the body. And this means that alcohol oxidation is 100% perfect, that is, the body will effectively do everything in its power to get rid of the alcohol increasing alcohol oxidation to maximum (which means decreasing the oxidation of other nutrients consumed with that alcohol) so that the alcohol can be gotten rid of.

Now, your liver can only hold about 50 grams of fructose/100g sugar before it starts getting converted to fat. When you read food labels and it says:

Carbohydrates - 70g
Sugar - 30g

In that 30g of sugar, half is glucose and the other half is fructose. The remaining carbs (40g) are starchy (used to refill glycogen). Fructose also comes in the form of fruit, but you need to eat a ridiculous amount of fruit to get 50g of fructose.

So your liver can store 50g of glycogen in the form of fructose, by which you can get it through: fruit (50g fructose) or sugar (100g sugar= 50g fructose).

Starchy carbohydrates are 99% of the time stored as muscle glycogen. The more muscle you have, the more starchy carbohydrates you can consume. The rare instance where starchy carbohydrates can be stored as fat are:

1. Prolonged massive carb overfeeding: I'm talking 3+ days where carbs make up over 100% of your total daily caloric requirements.
2. When dietary fat intake is absurdly low (<10%)
3. There is some evidence of a slight increase in denovolipogenesis in situations of insulin resistance.

What happens when the standard American diet is full of junk foods which are high in fat AND sugar? Walla, the current obesity epidemic. The sugar is getting converted to fat after x amount is consumed, and any fat that is eaten alongside, isn't getting burnt off.

By the way, if you're in a deficit and protein intake is high, it doesn't matter whether you get your remaining calories from fat or carbohydrates. The deciding factor comes down to personal preference (whether you like carbohydrate or fat based foods).

OR

Depending on your insulin sensitivity (See point 3 a couple of paragraphs up). You can sort of tell how your insulin sensitivity is by the way you feel after eating a high carbohydrate meal.

Good insulin sensitivity= Energetic after consuming carbs.
Bad insulin sensitivity = Sluggish, lethargic after eating carbs.