Iv'e been training for years. Most of those years were spent trying to gain muscle mass. And I did nearly 50 pounds(some good weight,some bad), but now I would like to lose some weight around my midsection. The HST routine is great but I'm not seeing any results with my midsection. I don't want to do too much cardio because I'm scared that I'll lose a lot of weight. Any Ideas?
getting rid of the fat
- Thread starter matt a
- Start date
D
Dianabol
Guest
Dear matt a,
For starters, we could start cutting some calories. I'm assuming you still are training ala HST, and that you have a good idea of how much you are eating every day.
Make sure you have 1gm or so of protein per pound of LBM, then cut calories from carbs then fat sources. Do not let carbs drop below 100gm per day, and drop your calories gradually i.e. drop your daily intake of calories by 300 for a week then see what happens. If need be, throw in an extra set or two of work sets depending on how well you tolerate the increased volume.
See what happens over two weeks, then either cut more calories or increase your work sets, whichever suits you better. It will come to a point where you will need cardio depending on how ripped you wish to get, but for now, try the above and see.
Ideally, fat-loss with minimal muscle loss is in the area of 1-1.5lb per week. Anything more and you are losing muscle.
Godspeed, and happy HSTing
For starters, we could start cutting some calories. I'm assuming you still are training ala HST, and that you have a good idea of how much you are eating every day.
Make sure you have 1gm or so of protein per pound of LBM, then cut calories from carbs then fat sources. Do not let carbs drop below 100gm per day, and drop your calories gradually i.e. drop your daily intake of calories by 300 for a week then see what happens. If need be, throw in an extra set or two of work sets depending on how well you tolerate the increased volume.
See what happens over two weeks, then either cut more calories or increase your work sets, whichever suits you better. It will come to a point where you will need cardio depending on how ripped you wish to get, but for now, try the above and see.
Ideally, fat-loss with minimal muscle loss is in the area of 1-1.5lb per week. Anything more and you are losing muscle.
Godspeed, and happy HSTing
Matt-
Welcome to the forum! What does your diet look like? This is really the first place to start. If you're eating too much, and especially if you're not eating clean, HST isn't going to help you much. Also, if you want to cut, it's probably a given that you'll need to introduce some cardio into your routine. There are two ways to approach cardio if you want to spare as much muscle as possible- HIIT, which may provide optimal muscle sparing, or low-intensity, which may result in a loss of some muscle mass, but probably not as much as prolonged vigorous exercise.
I've found, at least for myself (and my German genes), that HST combined with low- to moderate-intensity cardio on off days, and HIIT on lift days keeps the fat at bay. And, I'm still growing, so this routine ain't hurting me there. However, you have to take into account that your caloric needs decrease as you age. Some of the young bucks in here can eat upwards of 3500cals/day, but if *I* did that, I'd look like Humpty-Dumpty in no time. For me, at 55 years old, 6 feet, 190 pounds at 14% BF, 1800-2000cals/day is perfect even with all the cardio I do. And even at that intake, I still gain LBM, modestly, but that's OK with me.
In short, it depends on your goals, but if you're looking to cut, you'll need to eat less, incorporate cardio, and be patient. Keep your loss to no more than one pound/week (lest you start to lose LBM). After you've come down in weight to where you want to be, then you can start working on carefully bulking (realizing, of course, that you'll inevitably gain a little fat during the process, which you'll cut on the next cycle).
It might help if you post your diet- we can give you feedback on that. In the meantime, good luck- it can happen! About 6 years ago, I went through the same thing you are now- I went from 225 to 170 (not worrying too much about LBM loss at that point- the priority was getting to a healthy BF), and then I spent about two years adding 20lbs LBM. It's all in the priorities, man!
Jake
Welcome to the forum! What does your diet look like? This is really the first place to start. If you're eating too much, and especially if you're not eating clean, HST isn't going to help you much. Also, if you want to cut, it's probably a given that you'll need to introduce some cardio into your routine. There are two ways to approach cardio if you want to spare as much muscle as possible- HIIT, which may provide optimal muscle sparing, or low-intensity, which may result in a loss of some muscle mass, but probably not as much as prolonged vigorous exercise.
I've found, at least for myself (and my German genes), that HST combined with low- to moderate-intensity cardio on off days, and HIIT on lift days keeps the fat at bay. And, I'm still growing, so this routine ain't hurting me there. However, you have to take into account that your caloric needs decrease as you age. Some of the young bucks in here can eat upwards of 3500cals/day, but if *I* did that, I'd look like Humpty-Dumpty in no time. For me, at 55 years old, 6 feet, 190 pounds at 14% BF, 1800-2000cals/day is perfect even with all the cardio I do. And even at that intake, I still gain LBM, modestly, but that's OK with me.
In short, it depends on your goals, but if you're looking to cut, you'll need to eat less, incorporate cardio, and be patient. Keep your loss to no more than one pound/week (lest you start to lose LBM). After you've come down in weight to where you want to be, then you can start working on carefully bulking (realizing, of course, that you'll inevitably gain a little fat during the process, which you'll cut on the next cycle).
It might help if you post your diet- we can give you feedback on that. In the meantime, good luck- it can happen! About 6 years ago, I went through the same thing you are now- I went from 225 to 170 (not worrying too much about LBM loss at that point- the priority was getting to a healthy BF), and then I spent about two years adding 20lbs LBM. It's all in the priorities, man!
Jake
age:22
Height:6'3"
Weight:225lbs
Thanks, here is my diet:
MEAL 1
6:30 6 eggs (2 yolks)
2 cup Cream of Wheat
water
MEAL 2
9
0 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
MEAL 3
11
0-12
0 12” subway tuna melt
1 cup rice
water
MEAL 4
2:30 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
POST-WORKOUT
3:30-4
0 1 scoop weigh protein
5 grams creatine
MEAL 6
6
0 8 oz lean ground beef
2 cups pasta
salad
water
MEAL 7
8
0-9
0 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
Vitamin C/Multi-vitamin/ceatine/weigh protein
Height:6'3"
Weight:225lbs
Thanks, here is my diet:
MEAL 1
6:30 6 eggs (2 yolks)
2 cup Cream of Wheat
water
MEAL 2
9
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
MEAL 3
11
1 cup rice
water
MEAL 4
2:30 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
POST-WORKOUT
3:30-4
5 grams creatine
MEAL 6
6
2 cups pasta
salad
water
MEAL 7
8
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
Vitamin C/Multi-vitamin/ceatine/weigh protein
age:22
Height:6'3"
Weight:225lbs
Thanks, here is my diet:
MEAL 1
6:30 6 eggs (2 yolks)
2 cup Cream of Wheat
water
MEAL 2
9
0 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
MEAL 3
11
0-12
0 12” subway tuna melt
1 cup rice
water
MEAL 4
2:30 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
POST-WORKOUT
3:30-4
0 1 scoop weigh protein
5 grams creatine
MEAL 6
6
0 8 oz lean ground beef
2 cups pasta
salad
water
MEAL 7
8
0-9
0 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
Vitamin C/Multi-vitamin/ceatine/weigh protein
Height:6'3"
Weight:225lbs
Thanks, here is my diet:
MEAL 1
6:30 6 eggs (2 yolks)
2 cup Cream of Wheat
water
MEAL 2
9
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
MEAL 3
11
1 cup rice
water
MEAL 4
2:30 2 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
POST-WORKOUT
3:30-4
5 grams creatine
MEAL 6
6
2 cups pasta
salad
water
MEAL 7
8
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 piece fruit
milk
Vitamin C/Multi-vitamin/ceatine/weigh protein
OK, so you're *not* middle aged!!! Your diet looks pretty danged good- pretty clean, although you're eating 45-50 grams of fat just in your peanut butter. And probably about 10-15 grams of saturated fat as part of that (assuming you're eating a commercial brand). I'd get rid of one PB serving entirely, and substitute one of the remaining two with a handful of almonds- muchbetter for you, and pretty rich in O-3s. Not that fats alone cause weight gain- they don't, but you are adding a lot of cals in there that could be better as protein. BTW, have you thought about substituting the Cream of Wheat with oat bran every now and then? It's very similar in taste and texture, and an excellent source of soluble fiber- just a thought.
Anyway, I think you need to add cardio!
Jake
I
imported_goal220
Guest
Jake is right on the money. Your diet does look pretty good with the exception of the peanut butter. Unless is 100% pure peanut butter (which can taste pretty narsty) it`s loaded with hydrogenated oil. Trans-fats are killers . . . literally. Replace the peanut butter with peanuts, almonds and walnuts. You`ll be much healthier for it. You may also want to add some light cardio to your regime on off days.
Try replacing the pasta and bread with the same or greater carb equivalent from veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, beans and other low GI vegetable sources. You`ll get the double bonus of maintaining a stable blood sugar and eating heathier. Drink more water. It takes some getting used to and it`s more trips to the can but well worth it.
Let us know how things progress.
Goal220
Try replacing the pasta and bread with the same or greater carb equivalent from veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, beans and other low GI vegetable sources. You`ll get the double bonus of maintaining a stable blood sugar and eating heathier. Drink more water. It takes some getting used to and it`s more trips to the can but well worth it.
Let us know how things progress.
Goal220
I just checked the labels on two different brands of peanut butter and both of them list "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils" as the third ingredient after peanuts and sugar. They don't list the exact quantity, but that is enough to scare me off. Besides, I like the taste of natural peanut butter!
I
imported_goal220
Guest
--D--
Looks like your right and I`m wrong on the trans fats in PB. I suppose I`ll eat my humble pie with peanut butter! Even so, there`s still a lot of sugar in peanut butter and although I`m off the mark on the trans fats part I still maintain Matt would be better off eating nuts in place of peanut butter. Peanuts glycemic index rating is much lower than peanut butter which does count for a lot when trying to lose weight.
Goal220
Looks like your right and I`m wrong on the trans fats in PB. I suppose I`ll eat my humble pie with peanut butter! Even so, there`s still a lot of sugar in peanut butter and although I`m off the mark on the trans fats part I still maintain Matt would be better off eating nuts in place of peanut butter. Peanuts glycemic index rating is much lower than peanut butter which does count for a lot when trying to lose weight.
Goal220
I
imported_ectoman
Guest
There's sugar and trans fats and lots of junk in PB if you buy brands that contain these. My brand has one ingredient in it. Peanuts. It's called 'Just Peanuts', not all PB is the same. Just read the ingredients and don't buy junk.[b said:
I quite agree about PB when cutting. It's not a good idea as there's quite a bit of saturated fat in PB. Replace the PB with skim milk. More protein and less fat.
Remember the big five when cutting:
tuna
chicken breast
skim milk
cottage cheese
rabbit food (celery, carrots, lettuce etc.)
water
Stick with these and the weight will fly off.
I
imported_dkm1987
Guest
Sorry, but I've been lax in keeping things tidy, so I moved this to Diet and Nutrition
[xeno]Julios
New Member
You can estimate the relative quantity of a given ingredient by its order on the list of ingredients.
The peanut butter I used to eat (which was the dominion equality brand), had hydrogenated vegetable oil as its 2nd or 3rd ingredient.
It was also loaded with corn syrup, which from what I understand is not healthy at all for your blood sugar levels or keeping off fat.
I avoid anything that has even a hint of trans fatty acids - avoid anything with the name "hydrogenated" (even if it's partially), and "shortening".
The peanut butter I used to eat (which was the dominion equality brand), had hydrogenated vegetable oil as its 2nd or 3rd ingredient.
It was also loaded with corn syrup, which from what I understand is not healthy at all for your blood sugar levels or keeping off fat.
I avoid anything that has even a hint of trans fatty acids - avoid anything with the name "hydrogenated" (even if it's partially), and "shortening".
Tom Treutlein
New Member
Almonds don't contain Omega 3's...
I
imported_dkm1987
Guest
Omega 6, yes but not the most. About 10g per 100g of nuts.[b said:
Omega 3, what Aaron said.