When you are 30+% bodyfat

[Big Digger]

Hi,

I would like to get some clarity on the theory that you cannot bulk up and get lean at the same time. I think this is only for people who are not obese, am I correct in thinking that? Seems to me if you want to get bigger muscles and leaner and you have a 48 inch waist, it really doesn't matter if I'm lifting weights and doing cardio daily. Am I wrong in thinking this?

[MBMETC]

any physical activity coupled with proper diet will net weight loss. in theroy one could add lean mass while reducing fat on a calorie deficite diet but it would mean every componet would have to be dialed in exactly, not an easy task for a beginner.

[gbrice75]

At 30% bodyfat, i'd be focused on nothing but reducing it. 30% bodyfat IS obese. You don't need to look like a Biggest Loser contestant to be considered obese.

[scotty51312]

at your stats it is possible to lose fat and gain lean bodymass at the same time. Its part of what we call Newbie gains. the less bodyfat you achieve, the harder it becomes to do this IMO. The initial shock of resistance training and cardio causes a faster change in bodymass composition than in more experienced athletes. Have you had bloodwork done? Do you know what your lipids look like?

[FireGuy]

At 30% bodyfat, i'd be focused on nothing but reducing it. 30% bodyfat IS obese. You don't need to look like a Biggest Loser contestant to be considered obese.

Very good advice right here, right now your focus should be entirely on your health, in other words getting your bodyfat levels down to a respectable level. Intense weight training can be part of that equation and you may end up adding some muscle in the process but right now diet and cardio are your two best friends.

[Big Digger]

at your stats it is possible to lose fat and gain lean bodymass at the same time. Its part of what we call Newbie gains. the less bodyfat you achieve, the harder it becomes to do this IMO. The initial shock of resistance training and cardio causes a faster change in bodymass composition than in more experienced athletes. Have you had bloodwork done? Do you know what your lipids look like?

Thanks for the info scotty! I have a Dr.s appointment Monday to get the blood work done. When I get the results, I'll post them to get some feed back.

[Big Digger]

any physical activity coupled with proper diet will net weight loss. in theroy one could add lean mass while reducing fat on a calorie deficite diet but it would mean every componet would have to be dialed in exactly, not an easy task for a beginner.

should I follow the 1g of protein/# to achieve the lean gains while consuming less and better kcal's? According to a kcal website, my basal metabolic rate is 3676 kcal. I'm going to follow a meal plan that's 2928 kcal's and gradually lessen the kcal's as I lose fat.

[FireGuy]

^I think you are overestimating the amount of lean mass you have if you have over 3600 calories for a BMR. Please show how you arrived at that number.

[Damienm05]

Very good advice right here, right now your focus should be entirely on your health, in other words getting your bodyfat levels down to a respectable level. Intense weight training can be part of that equation and you may end up adding some muscle in the process but right now diet and cardio are your two best friends.

Agreed with everything here but I'm glad you added the bold. Unless he's already got a lot of lean body mass (which I doubt because he probably wouldn't be < 30% body fat as a consistent gym goer) he will surely add muscle in the process of lifting heavy as part of his routine for getting lean. A caloric deficit for someone who's obese isn't the same as for someone fit.

I remember when I got back in the gym after a year off. I was crash dieting like crazy and eating minimally combined with excessive cardio. I still gained like the first couple months. It wasn't until bodyfat became a more scarce source of energy that gains slowed and became correlated with caloric/protein intake.

We get so wrapped up in thinking like bodybuilders once gaining mass becomes difficult. We sometimes forget that for the average person, just lifting weights with good form consistently WILL add lean body mass up to a certain point.

EDIT: Credit where it's due, just saw Scotty posted this exact same sentiment, lol.

[Big Digger]

^I think you are overestimating the amount of lean mass you have if you have over 3600 calories for a BMR. Please show how you arrived at that number.

I went to a website (http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm) when searching for how many calories a day does the human body burn just to function. I filled in the necessary info, picked sedentary lifestyle, and that's the number that popped up saying what I need to consume daily to keep my current weight. According to the calculations in the p90x literature it seems like it should be 4100 kcal. I didn't know which one to go with, that's something I'll need to ask the Dr when I see her Monday. I just went to this site (http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi) and entered the measurements and it said I was 37.5% BF. I went back to the same site that calculated my BF and it says my BMR is 5005.61 kcal. Do you have the BMR and BF formula's so I can calculate them myself? And thanks for the input.

[FireGuy]

Well the site to me seems somewhat flawed from the outset. It's asking for your activity level to figure your BMR. BMR is how many calories your body burns at complete rest over a 24 hour period. Once you start inputting activity levels we are now talking about TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure which are two totally different things. For you to have a BMR of over 5k calories a day you would need to be carryin close to 400lbs of lean mass. Considering Jay Cutler probably carries 250lbs of lean mass I am going to assume there is a flaw somewhere in the equation. What is your current ht/wt and BF%? A pic would help out as well and then we can get started with some real world numbers.

[auslifta]

^ Agreed, 3Kcals seems alot for a beginner at 37% trying to lose fat.
Post up some photos and all of your stats.

[Big Digger]

Well the site to me seems somewhat flawed from the outset. It's asking for your activity level to figure your BMR. BMR is how many calories your body burns at complete rest over a 24 hour period. Once you start inputting activity levels we are now talking about TDEE or Total Daily Energy Expenditure which are two totally different things. For you to have a BMR of over 5k calories a day you would need to be carryin close to 400lbs of lean mass. Considering Jay Cutler probably carries 250lbs of lean mass I am going to assume there is a flaw somewhere in the equation. What is your current ht/wt and BF%? A pic would help out as well and then we can get started with some real world numbers.

So far my height is 6'3", 350 lbs and BF% is 37.5. The body fat is according to the second site I visited that had me put in my neck, hip, lower waist and waist around the belly button measurements along with height and weight. The second site didn't ask for activity level, just the numbers which I felt was more accurate. I'm going to ask the Dr all these questions when I get my physical on Monday. I'll get a picture up in a few days. I don't even think I can do that yet since I can't even look at someones profile because I don't have the numbers yet concerning post. So I wasn't worried about posting anything. The fact is I'm fat, very fat, uncomfortable fat, but luckily, I walk my two dogs at least 2 miles a day and can still squeeze out a few sets of 20 push ups. Real push ups not on my knees girl push ups.

[Big Digger]

I don't think I can post pictures, I don't have permission to enter my profile yet. I have to keep track of the post by going to my subscriptions page and see which ones are highlighted.

[FireGuy]

Using the Katch Mcardle equation and inputting your numbers your BMR is just over 2400 calories.

[FireGuy]

Now, I would also venture to guess those numbers are still overestimating the amount of true muscle you are carrying. Remember lean body mass accounts for all weight except fat and I assume you are carrying quite a bit of water as well. Those numbers are giving you 210lbs of lean mass, that would mean underneath all the fat you are one the most muscled guys on this forum. I think we can assume that is not the case. I mention this only as caution for using these formulas to compute dietary needs. I would error on the low side of things. I think your TDEE numbers came in right around 3600. Trust me, that is way too many calories for what you are trying to do.

[Big Digger]

Using the Katch Mcardle equation and inputting your numbers your BMR is just over 2400 calories.

Thanks FG! I got close to the same thing, 2514 kcal. I calculated my LBM to be 218.75 pounds and put that in the formula. Thanks for helping me calculate a good number to start with. Now I can get help to design a meal plan that will allow me to keep the LBM and cut the fat. Can you point me to a thread that helps with that?

[FireGuy]

How about posting your current diet up first. That will give us a starting point to work with. Please be as detailed as possible in regards to foods and portion sizes. Making a huge adjustment up or down from your current calorie intake is not the best way to do things. Would much rather gradually adjust the diet to where it needs to be.

[Big Digger]

Now, I would also venture to guess those numbers are still overestimating the amount of true muscle you are carrying. Remember lean body mass accounts for all weight except fat and I assume you are carrying quite a bit of water as well. Those numbers are giving you 210lbs of lean mass, that would mean underneath all the fat you are one the most muscled guys on this forum. I think we can assume that is not the case. I mention this only as caution for using these formulas to compute dietary needs. I would error on the low side of things. I think your TDEE numbers came in right around 3600. Trust me, that is way too many calories for what you are trying to do.

Don't assume too much, but I understand seeing that I believe most people on a forum like this have been pencils their whole life. When I was a kid, a fat kid because I've always eaten poorly, I wasn't running and playing football all the time, but benching transmissions and 18 wheeler differentials helping my father work on our cars or his truck. I haven't worked out in a long time, but I've always been on and off with push ups and dumb bells. Approximately 7 or 8 years ago, I was benching 90# dumb bells for sets of 8-9, and that was the end of my workout. Meaning I started with 40's or 50#'s and worked my way up 10#'s a set. After I hit the 90, I'd work my way back down to where I started. My best bench was on incline @ 345 for 3 reps. I never did it again, because I think it was a little much for the time. I also had a power rack in my bedroom and running 2 dogs 3 miles a day. But with all that I still wasn't eating right. After Hurricane katrina, I moved, got a desk job (before the storm I was always on my feet because I worked at an auto part store) and everything went down hill from there. I still have a 20" bicep and separation in my tricep when i flex it. It's probably got 2-3" inches of fat on it, but I still have a slight separation.

Also, I want to loose fat as quick as possible but not so fast that my skin cant keep up, and i'm lean but still just as embarrassed to take my shirt off as I am now. I can't afford that surgery.

Maybe I'll start with the 2900 kcal meal plan and work my way down. It has to count for something that I'll be consuming that many calories in health food versus fast and fried food. I know me, and if I get too hungry to quickly, I make bad decisions. What I'm really trying to curb is the carbohydrate craving, and if that's you in your profile picture, I doubt you know about that. Trust me it's a muther****er when it hits.

[Big Digger]

How about posting your current diet up first. That will give us a starting point to work with. Please be as detailed as possible in regards to foods and portion sizes. Making a huge adjustment up or down from your current calorie intake is not the best way to do things. Would much rather gradually adjust the diet to where it needs to be.

i don't really have one yet. the meal plan I was going to follow was made for me by my trainer when i was doing muay thai a few years ago, and it's high in carbs. I emailed him a little while ago and asked if he still trains so I can see if he can make me another plan. Right now, my meal plan is safeway grocery for salad for lunch, stay the hell out of fast food places and try very hard not to eat sweets. Sweets are my downfall, i don't eat lots of fried food, but bread and sweets kill me.

[Damienm05]

Copy/Pasted over some info. Looks like we've got a realistic BMR sorted out (still high, I'm sure) - so it's more for food choices.


Part 1 - The basics

If you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. If you burn less, you will gain weight (via muscle, fat, or both depending on the food choices and planning). Period. There are 3500 stored calories in one pound of body fat. 3500 negative calories equals one pound of fat loss. So let’s break it down a little further, based on our individual statistics and goals.

Stats – BMR and TDEE are the two figures that can tell us a lot about how we should be eating based on our goals.

Let’s start with BMR. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. AKA – how many calories you burn each day by just sitting on your ass. In order to figure out your BMR, you need to know what your lean body mass is. In turn, you need to know what your body fat percentage is.

If you don’t know your body fat percentage, remind me to test it for you before we proceed. If you’d rather not do a caliper test, just tell me and I’ll give you a pretty good visual estimate.

With your bf % in hand, here’s the formula:

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Total weight x bf % in decimal form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

For example:

I am 6'1 210 lbs at 10% body fat... so I would multiply 210 by .10 (converted from percent to decimal) = 21 lbs

210 – 21 = 189 lbs lean body weight

189 / 2.2 = 86.0 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 86) = 2227.6 BMR (this is high for the average person)

Now that we have a BMR figure, we can move on to TDEE. Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is how many calories we actually use during the day via our BMR and activities such as work, exercise and various tasks. We can figure this number out with simple math but be honest because this figure is to be the cornerstone of your diet and healthy lifestyle. We need to determine your activity level. We’ll choose from a few levels:

1 If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): Calorie - Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2 If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3 If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4 If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5 If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For example:

I train with weights 5 days for 90 minutes per week. I play hockey three times per week
for 90 minutes. I do 60 minutes of cardio training 5 times per week as well. In addition to games, I also practice my sport 3 times per week for 90 minutes. Either via skating or puck/shooting drills. All are high-intensity. I am between very and extra active. Let’s say BMR x 1.8. My TDEE is 4010.

This is how many calories you can eat and still break even. To lose weight, we must eat below this number. To gain, we must eat above it. 1000 calories below your TDEE daily, will result in negative 7000 calories per week. Remember, 3500 calories is one pound of fat loss; so you’re losing two pounds per week. And that’s with just diet alone. Now, let’s factor in additional caloric deficit via cardio. Say, you also run for 45 minutes in the morning and burn 600 calories in the process. That puts you at negative 1600 calories per day. Now we’re talking four pounds per week. Imagine (and I don’t recommend this) if you ate 1500 below your TDEE and ran for 2 hours per day, burning 1600 calories in the process, putting you at negative 3200 calories daily. Now we’re talking about a pound per day. You could be at your goal weight in a matter of weeks. However, this would destroy your BMR and make you gain weight back quickly if you started eating normally again without a gradual increase in calories over several months. The most appropriate course of action with regard to sustainable results and metabolic health is to be as patient as possible and do more cardio while maintaining a minimal deficit to ensure your body is as nourished as possible while on a fat loss regiment.

Part 2 – Exercise.

I’ll keep this part short and sweet because we’ll do the real work in this area during our sessions in the gym. There are only two major types of exercise that will help you realize your goals.

1 Resistance training: AKA – lifting weights. In doing this, we shred our muscle tissue and force our body to rebuild it, bigger, stronger, and leaner than it was before. This is our body responding to the strain, becoming better prepared to handle it next time around. In rebuilding muscle tissue, our bodies require lots more nutrients and calories. For example, if you work out hard and feel sore the next day, your body is, at this point, a calorie burning machine. Some experts say we burn as much as 30% more calories in a sedentary state in the days following strong workouts. Basically add 30% to your BMR if you lift weights. Ya dig?


2 Cardiovascular training: There are many types and ways to employ this type of training. At a high body fat percentage; high intensity cardio is going to be most effective. This means keeping your heart rate highly elevated (about 80% of max) for more than 20 minutes at a time, usually via running. Our bodies burn calories at an incredible rate when doing this and unless we have tons of carbohydrates and stored glycogen in our body (we’ll get into carbs later) – will have no choice but to burn some fat for energy in this state as well. At a low body fat percentage when the goal is to preserve muscle and gradually shed that last bit of stubborn fat, I recommend low intensity cardio. This involves longer sessions at fewer heart beats per minute (65% of max heart rate). The calorie burn is not equivalent to interval or high intensity cardio but in this heart rate range; fat is targeted, while lean tissue and muscle glycogen are spared. Anyway, enough said, right? Do cardio, create a caloric deficit, burn body fat, lose water weight by sweating, which makes you feel thin. It’s huge.


Part 3 – Diet - Macronutrients:

I love analogies. Let’s use a good one. Think of your perfect body as a house that you must build. You’ve figured out your BMR and TDEE, so you know the exact specs of the property you have to work with. I’ve told you how exercise affects weight loss and how much of a caloric deficit we must create to lose said weight; so you know how to build - you understand architecture. You also know the pace you intend on losing weight at based on these other factors, so you know it will be harder to get your house built in weeks as opposed to months. The only thing left is the tools/building material you must use and because you don’t know how to eat, you still can’t build anything. At least, not well. Sure, you can starve yourself for a few months but you’ll just gain all the weight back in 2-nights of binge drinking – you’re house will fall down!

So, let’s talk tools baby. Let’s talk food. First off, there are only 3 types of foods/macronutrients. Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. That’s it.

Protein – 4 calories per gram - Building material. Bricks. You can’t gain energy from protein, you can only use it to build muscle/skin/hair/nails. It’s basically just amino acids and it’s what our bodies are made of. As such, we need lots of it. 1g of protein per body lb is a good number to shoot for. Go as high as 2g per body lb if you’re lifting weights and trying to build muscle. For example, I am 210 lbs and I eat between 300-400 grams per day. Conventional wisdom states that our bodies can only break down so much at one time, so we want to eat 20-40 grams of protein in every meal, several times per day. However, more and more literature to the contrary is being published every day and there is no hard evidence to support the 20-40g “max absorption” concept. Still, with regard to metabolic health and maintaining a balanced diet, splitting your daily protein intake up among many smaller meals is going to be most efficient. Protein, being building material only and not energy/labor – the body can rarely find a reason for it to be stored as fat. If you must over-eat – make it lean meat/fish.

Carbs – 4 calories per gram - Think of these as human labor for your house. Think of sugar as dudes you pick up out front of home depot and oatmeal as a skilled carpenter. Both are carbs, both serve very different purposes. Carbs do not build muscle; they are simply an energy source. As such, they should only be eaten/used when we need energy. Any carbs we ingest before bed or before watching a movie, or something sedentary are not used as energy, and as such, are stored in the body as glycogen (glucose/water in our muscles that we will use when doing high-intensity exercise). Once our glycogen reserves are full, they are stored as fat. Yes, they will make you fat. Carbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy. As such, I will teach you what carbs to eat and when.

Fats – 9 calories per gram - Like carbs, fats are an energy source, not a building material like protein. They provide nowhere near as much energy as carbs however and are not the body’s preferred source. With regard to our house, think of fats as the glue/cement. They provide much needed essential fatty acids, which are great for joint/organ health, metabolism, and increase our protein synthesis (body’s ability to make use of the protein we give it). Going back to our analogy, cement/glue increases the effectiveness of bricks! If we give our bodies the right fats, it will be able to burn stored body fat quickly as it won’t see any use in keeping it. Remember, like carbs – not all fat is good and ALL fat is high in calories so watch out. A tablespoon of peanut butter can be a good addition to a meal. Snack on 5-6 tablespoons means you’ve just eaten over your TDEE for the day.

Part 4 – Diet – What to Eat:
Acceptable proteins for your healthy lifestyle diet:
The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.
Ground beef (93% lean or better)
Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
Chicken breas
Turkey breast
Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
Salmon
Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
All shellfish
Venison
Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the
good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated
fat!
1 Bacon
2 Sausage
3 Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
4 Pork and beef ribs
5 Pork/Lamb chops
6 Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
7 Duck
8 Chicken legs/thighs
9 Chicken skin
10 Cheese


Acceptable Carbs for your healthy lifestlyle:
Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.
1 Oats/Oatmeal
2 Grits/Cornmeal
3 Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
4 Sweet potato (the best choice)
5 Butternut squash
6 Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
7 Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
8 Brown rice
9 Ezekiel bread
10 Swedish grain bread
11 Gluten free bread
12 Wheat couscous
13 Corn
14 Quinoa
15 Lentils
16 Beans
17 Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black List:
1 White pasta
2 White bread
3 Baguette
4 Bagels
5 Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
6 White couscous
7 White rice
8 You get the idea…


Don’t get discouraged upon reading this list. I still make desserts all the time with whole
grain flour and splenda. I buy bagels and baguettes at the health food store that use
complex carbs as a base. If you’re dedicated, you don’t have to miss out 100%


Acceptable fats for your healthy lifestyle:
We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.
1 Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
2 Natural almond butter
3 Cashews
4 Almonds
5 Peanuts
6 Flax seeds
7 Flax seed oil
8 Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
9 Fish oil
10 Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
11 Chia seeds
12 Grapeseed oil
13 Macadamia nut oil
14 Coconut oil (very low smoke-point, should not be heated directly)

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).
1 Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
2 Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
3 Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
4 Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
5 Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[auslifta]

If you have the time waych the vids in this thread http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...rn-how-to-Diet
Just to learn the basics of how your body reacts, I watch it every now and then. The right amount of protein is your friend. Too much and you can put on fat from it. I wouldn't follow a Muay Thai diet, they need alot of carbs for the intense training they do. You really need to cut down on your sugar, its the killer. There is a time and amount for it, but not for fat loss. Try lots of lean protein, -chicken breast, fish, turkey, eggs..... Carbs from -quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, and fats from nuts, avocado, fish.....

Try to only drink water and protein shakes. Avoid fruit juice.

[Big Digger]

Thanks Damien (or Wolverine or Vega) and auslifta. I'll check them out. Gotta go study for a test in the morning. I'll talk to you guys later.

[nunyabizness]

I started out around 33%, but am certainly not finished yet. One regret I have is that I did nothing but cardio and 1200-1500 cals a day at the beginning. I lost 20 lbs really fast, but I'm betting at least half was muscle.

If I could go back in time I would done the following:

1. Begun the Starting Strength program (or any beginner program with good lift descriptions) right off the bat,
2. Low intensity cardio on all non-lifting days,
3. Cals nearer to the 2000 mark, with more cals around workouts and less on the off days. I'm smaller and older than you though, so the calories probably are too low for you.

Anyhow, just a couple of thoughts I had.

[Big Digger]

I started out around 33%, but am certainly not finished yet. One regret I have is that I did nothing but cardio and 1200-1500 cals a day at the beginning. I lost 20 lbs really fast, but I'm betting at least half was muscle.

If I could go back in time I would done the following:

1. Begun the Starting Strength program (or any beginner program with good lift descriptions) right off the bat,
2. Low intensity cardio on all non-lifting days,
3. Cals nearer to the 2000 mark, with more cals around workouts and less on the off days. I'm smaller and older than you though, so the calories probably are too low for you.

Anyhow, just a couple of thoughts I had.

Thanks for dropping by nunya! After thinking about it, I got what FireGuy was saying about the kcal's I was thinking about were too high. If I ate that many kcal's, I'd be feeding the fat also. I think by calculating my lean body mass, I need to base my intake on that number and not what I weigh now or even 50#'s less. I can't get to a "real" gym yet, but I was going to use all this fat to my advantage by doing the p90x workout. I'm also going to see just how much my insurance plan covers regarding seeing a dietician and see about getting a meal plan from them. I'm trying to keep the LBM I have now, possibly gain 5#'s LBM and shed the fat. I'm going to look up the Starting Strength program. Thanks!

[nunyabizness]

P90 likely won't help you to retain the muscle you have and will probably be murder on your joints. You can probably pick up some second hand sand weights and a cheap bench to get started. At the beginning all I did was put my barbell on the bench press arms, get under it, then stand and do squats.

I outgrew that fairly quickly. I sold that gear and picked up a cheap set of olympic weights and made my own squat stands out of 2 concrete filled buckets and some 2x4's. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

Eventually I bought this inexpensive rack that meets my needs.



I picked up two rubber stable mats, put some cheap Walmart carpet under them, and picked up a used bench. Good to go!

[Big Digger]

Thanks for the suggestion nunya. Unfortunately, I don't have the room for a weight set yet. Oh how I miss my power rack! After doing a little reading, I'm going to go for mine with the p90x and kettlebells. I decided I don't need to be worried about increasing my LBM, just eat right to try an maintain it while I shed some fat.

[Damienm05]

I think P90X is a great program for your current situation/goals.

[Ronald10]

Hi guys,,,
In my view your thinking a bit wrong.You are currently having a large amount of fat percentage in the body.If you want to burn the fat along with bulking.I advice you to spend as much time as you can in the Gym.Spending more and more means that you are burning your fat and getting your muscles got bigger and bigger.Be extra conscious about the food.Use the food that is rich in protein and have just a small amount of Fat in it.