Low bf% / Dieting and always being fired up

[RazorRambo24]

I'm at the lowest bf% ive been at in a while. Dexascan had me at 7%. Since then I had a week or two where I ate pretty poorly just because I started cramping up and feeling off.. Mostly because I really dehydrated myself shortly after the scan just to come in really lean and hard for a beach party where I knew other dude who are super bodybuilding types were gonna be there.. im just competitive by nature so I wanted to look the best lol. So currently I might be at 8% or so.

I know it sounds kinda stupid for someone who doesn't compete in bodybuilding events to really try to push it to look as good as possible just to show off around others.. But, its less about showing off, and more about wanting to have the best physique lol. I would do bodybuilding competitions but I think its just not my forte and my legs naturally are just not as huge. My overall frame isnt that big. I just know I make b.itches wet wherever I go and thast good enough for me. I wish I had broader shoulders but it is what it is.. still look bette rthan alot of dudes.

But yeah, I mean I feel like im always ready to just be passionate af about anything. Its like a good fired up, rather than being on edge.. I'm keeping my carbs low but not too low since I don't want to feel like sh.t. Makes no sense to work so hard and diet for so long just to throw it away. I mean I'm definitely going to start upping the carbs though closer to the end of the summer and my inclination tells me that I want to bulk through the fall and winter, since I'm teetering around 175-178 lbs .. Would love to be like 185 shredded.. thats like the dream. 200 would be a bit too much for me I think but you never know .. i got my formulas down pretty well when it comes down to diet and regiment

I am glad im off the caffeine/ephedrine stack though. That sht had me feeling sick quite often. Its a classic/oldschool fat burner stack that includes caffeine/ephedrine/aspirin but i use yohimbine extract, ginseng and some other sht to help the fat burn. Ofc my diet/recomps last way longer than a standard cut. I rather do things comfortable and then go hard near the end than just try to kill myself for 16 weeks... especially because i dont use all the crap bodybuilders use.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I can't mess with that stack...tried it once and thought my heart was about to explode out of my chest.

I am sensitive enough to caffeine where I have to limit my intake to one cup of coffee a day...

I'm working my way down from 35+% in mid January to around 15-16% now and from 244 lbs to 187 lbs as of this morning. Really frustrated I let myself get that heavy over the winter as I fell off the wagon hard and basically stopped working out for 2 months and was eating like crap.

Hoping to be around 10-11% by the end of August and then work on maintaining that through the winter this time...something I struggle with every year. Gotta stay focused this time. It's way way too hard to do this in my late 40s now.

Happy that my BFR training seems to really be helping my arms grow as they are almost 17 inches(like 16.85"...between 16.75 and 17 on the tape measure) now while dropping weight which is at least 1.5" larger than they were at the same weight before.

Triceps have always grown very well, biceps have always struggled. Biceps along with forearms is really the only body part that struggles to grow. Everywhere else I tend to be able to put on size and muscle relatively easily.

Feeling pretty beastly overall, rocking the tank tops to get some color for when it's a full go with the six pack. Not sure if I will get there this year, might be a next year project.

 

[RazorRambo24]

I can't mess with that stack...tried it once and thought my heart was about to explode out of my chest.

I am sensitive enough to caffeine where I have to limit my intake to one cup of coffee a day...

I'm working my way down from 35+% in mid January to around 15-16% now and from 244 lbs to 187 lbs as of this morning. Really frustrated I let myself get that heavy over the winter as I fell off the wagon hard and basically stopped working out for 2 months and was eating like crap.

Hoping to be around 10-11% by the end of August and then work on maintaining that through the winter this time...something I struggle with every year. Gotta stay focused this time. It's way way too hard to do this in my late 40s now.

Happy that my BFR training seems to really be helping my arms grow as they are almost 17 inches(like 16.85"...between 16.75 and 17 on the tape measure) now while dropping weight which is at least 1.5" larger than they were at the same weight before.

Triceps have always grown very well, biceps have always struggled. Biceps along with forearms is really the only body part that struggles to grow. Everywhere else I tend to be able to put on size and muscle relatively easily.

Feeling pretty beastly overall, rocking the tank tops to get some color for when it's a full go with the six pack. Not sure if I will get there this year, might be a next year project.

Nice! That's a huge cut. Definitely gets a bit tougher for some to get from the 15-16% mark down to single digits but I think after a while of learning how to cut properly you get it down pretty well.. Paying attention to how your body works for so many years and how it reacts to certain forms of dieting is pertinent to making things easy. and 17" arms is not bad at all. Keep at it. I'm sure that BFR training will do you good. I got some big arms but I always had good arm genetics. Only downside is I have to train my biceps and triceps more frequently than some because I lose hardness otherwise.. especially if i have weeks where im on vacation and not training consistently.

I try to keep my body well balanced from head to toe. My calves need some work but everyone thinks i look good /fine. But I'm always super critical.. not a perfectionist per say, but just always thinking I need to improve something or another.

and yea man its a nice feeling when you get real shreddy.

 

[tightgrp]

I'm at the lowest bf% ive been at in a while. Dexascan had me at 7%. Since then I had a week or two where I ate pretty poorly just because I started cramping up and feeling off.. Mostly because I really dehydrated myself shortly after the scan just to come in really lean and hard for a beach party where I knew other dude who are super bodybuilding types were gonna be there.. im just competitive by nature so I wanted to look the best lol. So currently I might be at 8% or so.

I know it sounds kinda stupid for someone who doesn't compete in bodybuilding events to really try to push it to look as good as possible just to show off around others.. But, its less about showing off, and more about wanting to have the best physique lol. I would do bodybuilding competitions but I think its just not my forte and my legs naturally are just not as huge. My overall frame isnt that big. I just know I make b.itches wet wherever I go and thast good enough for me. I wish I had broader shoulders but it is what it is.. still look bette rthan alot of dudes.

But yeah, I mean I feel like im always ready to just be passionate af about anything. Its like a good fired up, rather than being on edge.. I'm keeping my carbs low but not too low since I don't want to feel like sh.t. Makes no sense to work so hard and diet for so long just to throw it away. I mean I'm definitely going to start upping the carbs though closer to the end of the summer and my inclination tells me that I want to bulk through the fall and winter, since I'm teetering around 175-178 lbs .. Would love to be like 185 shredded.. thats like the dream. 200 would be a bit too much for me I think but you never know .. i got my formulas down pretty well when it comes down to diet and regiment

I am glad im off the caffeine/ephedrine stack though. That sht had me feeling sick quite often. Its a classic/oldschool fat burner stack that includes caffeine/ephedrine/aspirin but i use yohimbine extract, ginseng and some other sht to help the fat burn. Ofc my diet/recomps last way longer than a standard cut. I rather do things comfortable and then go hard near the end than just try to kill myself for 16 weeks... especially because i dont use all the crap bodybuilders use.

Besides the herbs and stimulants, what is your standard protocol for cutting? What are your macros as far as % calories from fat, protein and carbs? Are you taking any testosterone?

 

[EyeBRollin]

Besides the herbs and stimulants, what is your standard protocol for cutting? What are your macros as far as % calories from fat, protein and carbs? Are you taking any testosterone?

I am pretty low bf myself (10% approx, maybe lower).

I cut out almost all alcohol and fat. Only fat I consume is some extra Virgin olive oil as a salad dressing base, and naturally occurring fat in nuts, seeds, and fish.

Also, removed all refined carbohydrates. My macros are probably 10-20% fat, 20-30% protein, 50-70% carbs.

 

[tightgrp]

I am pretty low bf myself (10% approx, maybe lower).

I cut out almost all alcohol and fat. Only fat I consume is some extra Virgin olive oil as a salad dressing base, and naturally occurring fat in nuts, seeds, and fish.

Also, removed all refined carbohydrates. My macros are probably 10-20% fat, 20-30% protein, 50-70% carbs.

How's your testosterone? trt? There are studies and in my own experience, low-fat (<25% of calories) reduces testosterone.

 

[RazorRambo24]

Besides the herbs and stimulants, what is your standard protocol for cutting? What are your macros as far as % calories from fat, protein and carbs? Are you taking any testosterone?

I don't really do traditional cuts anymore. I do whats called a body recomp.. It's basically like cutting but you're trying to maintain your weight/even gain muscle while burning fat. so you're eating tons of protein, and taking supplements to promote fat burning and retain/ gain muscle. Traditional cutting its real hard to maintain muscle while losing calories. Muscles dont just "go away" easily-- but, what happens is glycogen, water, phosphates and other minerals release from the muscle, in turn looking like you are losing muscle.. This happens on a carb deficit. So what I do is, I eat more protein, keep carbs low, keep fats moderate or sometimes higher.. have one day where I have high carbs (carb cycling), but I also take in liquids with a bunch of different key nutrients and minerals in them.. which in turn helps feed the muscle.

The only other difference is during my recomp I will take something like, in the past , clenbuterol in additional to a supplement stack that I know works for me real well. Id ont mess with hormones/steroids because they can shut down your HPTA, and can be counterintuitive. Like your HPTA can affect how much HGH your body produces, it can shut down your testes, mess with your levels of LSH and FSH.. not good stuff at all. But clenbuterol is known to help build both in increased muscle tissue while improving the rate at which you burn fat without messing with the HPTA. It builds tolerance fast and has a long half life so you kinda pyramid it up in dosage, pyramid it down and or take breaks for 1 week off and then get back on it..

I 100% do not recommend anyone to get on Clenbuterol.. I got used to it using it for years on and off in the spring to get ready for the summer. It has noticeable side effects that will definitely make people think you started doing meth or something..hands get shakey, you become alot more twitchy and feel like your body wants to just move and twitch alot. You'll sweat alot in ordinary situations. Can also be dangerous for your heart.

I stopped using clenbuterol when I started doing the classic ECA stack. Just because doing Clen with ECA stack is really risky for your health. I got friends who are pretty advanced in all ths sht.. they mess with thyroid drugs to help their cuts and stuff..like t3/t4.. I don't mess with that .. Anything that can seriously affect any glands in my body/natural hormone production I stay away from.

P.S. Clen does not help gain considerable muscle .. just incase anyone was wondering.

 

[tightgrp]

I don't really do traditional cuts anymore. I do whats called a body recomp.. It's basically like cutting but you're trying to maintain your weight/even gain muscle while burning fat. so you're eating tons of protein, and taking supplements to promote fat burning and retain/ gain muscle. Traditional cutting its real hard to maintain muscle while losing calories. Muscles dont just "go away" easily-- but, what happens is glycogen, water, phosphates and other minerals release from the muscle, in turn looking like you are losing muscle.. This happens on a carb deficit. So what I do is, I eat more protein, keep carbs low, keep fats moderate or sometimes higher.. have one day where I have high carbs (carb cycling), but I also take in liquids with a bunch of different key nutrients and minerals in them.. which in turn helps with the muscle gain.

The only other difference is during my recomp I will take something like, in the past , clenbuterol in additional to a supplement stack that I know works for me real well. Id ont mess with hormones/steroids because they can shut down your HPTA, and can be counterintuitive. Like your HPTA can affect how much HGH your body produces, it can shut down your testes, mess with your levels of LSH and FSH.. not good stuff at all. But clenbuterol is known to help build both in increased muscle tissue while improving the rate at which you burn fat without messing with the HPTA. It builds tolerance fast and has a long half life so you kinda pyramid it up in dosage, pyramid it down and or take breaks for 1 week off and then get back on it..

I 100% do not recommend anyone to get on Clenbuterol.. I got used to it using it for years on and off in the spring to get ready for the summer. It has noticeable side effects that will definitely make people think you started doing meth or something..hands get shakey, you become alot more twitchy and feel like your body wants to just move and twitch alot. You'll sweat alot in ordinary situations. Can also be dangerous for your heart.

I stopped using clenbuterol when I started doing the classic ECA stack. Just because doing Clen with ECA stack is really risky for your health. I got friends who are pretty advanced in all ths sht.. they mess with thyroid drugs to help their cuts and stuff..like t3/t4.. I don't mess with that .. Anything that can seriously affect any glands in my body/natural hormone production I stay away from.

I'm all natural. Recent experience → long term caloric deficit (30% deficit, >2weeks, 2.4 g/kg protein, 10% carbs) negatively affected the htpa in that it greatly lowered sex hormones and free t4/t3. 2 weeks out of deficit and things are returning to normal. Cannot seem to break below the 10-12% barrier yet but I have a few more experiments to try.

What is your protein intake level?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Besides the herbs and stimulants, what is your standard protocol for cutting? What are your macros as far as % calories from fat, protein and carbs? Are you taking any testosterone?

I do 5:2 fasting, carb cycle around it and keep protein at 40%. High carb days it's 40/40/20 C/P/F, medium days it's 30/40/30 and low carb days it's 20/40/40.

2 high, 1 medium and 2blow each week plus the two fast days which are obviously low since I'm not consuming anything.

I use this calculator to get calories, which is a really good one even if you don't want to carb cycle, IMO, and update it every morning:

Carb Cycling Calculator – Fitness Volt

Use our carb cycling calculator to accelerate weight/fat loss and reach your goals faster. Carbohydrates are a macronutrient...

fitnessvolt.com

Then I input the calories and macro info into MyFitnessPal and log my food intake throughout the day.

I also stick to a relatively small list of about 60ish foods that I eat, virtually all 1 ingredient foods that are not processed or packaged. Essentially if it comes in a bag or box I don't eat it.

Dairy is mostly out(I eat cow cheese sometimes when I get tired of goat cheese), but will NEVER consume concentrated dairy(ie Whey or Greek Yogurt), no wheat anything, no breads, no refined sugars or HFCS, no trans fats.

My treats to myself are dark chocolate which I eat almost every day, 1-3 squares and Dole Whip, which I will eat in the summer when I go out for ice cream.

Always make sure you have built in treats and things you like to eat or you will likely not do well.

Sample High Carb Day:

Breakfast:

1 cup steel cut quick oats
1 cup blueberries
1 scoop Green Pea Protein
1 scoop Brown Rice Protein
1 scoop Collagen Peptides

Lunch:
1 large sweet potato
Big salad containing:
Grilled chicken 160-180g
Spring Mix 2-3 cups
Baby carrots 100g
Mushrooms 75-100g
Goat cheese crumbles 30-40g
1 square dark chocolate

Afternoon snack:
Apple
10-12 raw almonds
1 square dark chocolate

Dinner:
Basmati Rice 1 cup
Broccoli Florets 100g
Grilled chicken 160-180g
1 square dark chocolate

Probably some other things in there, I'd have to go look at my food logs but that's a good sample of what I try to eat...always try to eat the rainbow every day in terms of fruits/vegetables.

Workouts are 4x intense resistance training for 20-25 mins at a time, pilates 1 day a week, and walking for 30-60 mins 4-5x a week.

I will also mix it up and do double workouts and half walking on 4 weeks on and like 6-8 weeks off. So workout in the morning, shorter walk after or on lunch, and then workout again at night. Always needs to be a minimum of 4 hours and usually try for at least 6 between them to harass the best response.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Sample for a low carb day diet would be something like:

Breakfast:
Smoothie containing:
1-2 cups coconut/almond milk
Strawberries 150-200g
1 scoop Green Pea Protein
1 scoop Brown Rice Protein
1 scoop Collagen Peptides
1 TBSP Chia Seeds
1/2 Avocado
Ice

Lunch:
1 can mackerel(rinsed to try and get out as much sodium as possible)

Salad containing:
Spring Mix 2-3 cups
Mushrooms 75-100g
Banana peppers 50g
1/2 avocado
Raw pumpkin seeds 20-25g
Goat cheese crumbles 30-40g

Afternoon Snack:
10-15 raw almonds
2 squares dark chocolate

Dinner:
Omelette consisting of:
2 eggs/4 egg whites
1 cup chopped kale
Broccoli florets 50-75g
Onion 75-100g
Goat cheese crumbles 30-40g
Zucchini 100-125g

1 square dark chocolate

 

[EyeBRollin]

How's your testosterone? trt? There are studies and in my own experience, low-fat (<25% of calories) reduces testosterone.

It was 453 before the low-fat no meat diet, then 465 after 3 months of low-fat no meat. I am not worried about it. I still get fat, just from healthier sources.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I'm all natural. Recent experience → long term caloric deficit (30% deficit, >2weeks, 2.4 g/kg protein, 10% carbs) negatively affected the htpa in that it greatly lowered sex hormones and free t4/t3. 2 weeks out of deficit and things are returning to normal. Cannot seem to break below the 10-12% barrier yet but I have a few more experiments to try.

What is your protein intake level?

That caloric deficit is too sharp, IMO.

Try upping calories to around so you are in a 17-18% deficit.

Think about it from the bodies point of view. Why the hell would it worry about sex when it feels like it's starving and doesn't have enough calories to function on a daily basis?

It basically starts shutting down all non essential functions to try and survive and maintain the best it can with what it has to work with.

Sex hormones are a luxury during that time. One it can't afford.

When you realize the body's main function is continued survival, and the three main necessities are sleep, food and water, it helps really paint clearer pictures of why some things don't work the way you think they will.

Your body doesn't want to lose weight or fat. It actually wants to hold onto fat as much as possible. It's your body's savings account. You have to convince it that it's OK to spend some money in that account because you'll have enough food available to replenish it if needed at a later time.

Cutting calories by that much for that long sends the exact opposite message.