Time To Lose Some Fat

[ToyStory]

Hi all!

I'm 6', 193.6lbs but 20.4% BF (measured with some weird apparatus but seems accurate to what I see)

I started at 145 and 17% BF and got to 195 in 6-7months and recently graduated to intermediate. I want to lose some BF% and gain a little more lean mass.

My program currently is a Bill Starr 5x5 but I've tweaked a little in order to make one of the weeks press emphasis and I deadlift on Friday instead the light day. Anyway I came up with this plan for fat loss and some lean gains at the same time.

-Do my current program
-Eat 2.2-2.5/per kg protein, cut the carbs to just fruits
-Add morning walking for 40min to 60 min on recovery days. I would add running but I have bad knee.

Is this enough to see some fat loss in the next 4 weeks for example? I would like to get 15-17% BF. This is low-enough for me.

[Mr.City]

why 4 weeks?

[ZenGeek]

I had some pretty good success losing fat doing intermittent fasting and very low carb.

I basically just skip breakfast and eat from midday to 8pm. That was fine. I lost plenty, I also ate plenty and made some good gains...
Then I started low-carbing from health concerns and I had real difficulty doing sets across. The strength was still there, just not the work capacity. Maybe resrict carbs to the two meals before your next training session? I can't tell you becuase it didn't work for me. I just know that it's great on a cut.

[Tamara Reynolds]

Post some pics, and I will tell you if you look good the way you are now. If you do, then you shouldn't worry about bodyfat. There is a good chance that I will tell you that you are too skinny, and we all know how important my opinion is.

But, in all seriousness, if you want to lean out, cut all processed foods, processed sugar, grains and alcohol. I've never measured protein, but make each meal protein first, fat second, veggies third.

[ToyStory]

Post some pics, and I will tell you if you look good the way you are now. If you do, then you shouldn't worry about bodyfat. There is a good chance that I will tell you that you are too skinny, and we all know how important my opinion is.

But, in all seriousness, if you want to lean out, cut all processed foods, processed sugar, grains and alcohol. I've never measured protein, but make each meal protein first, fat second, veggies third.

I don't look fat especially with clothes but what's the point for me to continue bulking up when I'm already over 20% BF. I made a mistake in my above post I'm 21.4% BF not 20%. The problem with me is that I have some fat on me but my overall build is still small especially upper body.

[ToyStory]

I had some pretty good success losing fat doing intermittent fasting and very low carb.

I basically just skip breakfast and eat from midday to 8pm. That was fine. I lost plenty, I also ate plenty and made some good gains...
Then I started low-carbing from health concerns and I had real difficulty doing sets across. The strength was still there, just not the work capacity. Maybe resrict carbs to the two meals before your next training session? I can't tell you becuase it didn't work for me. I just know that it's great on a cut.

That's what I was planning to do. I don't do sets across since I'm on Bill Starr and it calls for ramped sets so the work capacity probably won't be a problem. Actually I like it better because at some point I was taking 15minutes between sets when I was doing SS. The workout takes less time with ramping. You also do a back-ff set on medium day which I like.

[veryhrm]

What kind of machine gave you the 21.4% number ?

Also, and this is just curiosity on my part, where did you end your SS beginner prog in terms of weight for your exercises ?

Anyway, if you want to go to 15% from the numbers you posted you'd have to get down to 174.5 (assuming no muscle loss) which seems pretty low for a 6' guy who has tapped out the LP... but maybe you're not too muscular yet ( though then i'm led to wonder how you would have finished your linear progression so soon...)
But yeah you'd have to lose 20 lbs assuming no muscle loss and 5 lbs a week seems like a tall order for the modest changes you suggested.

Personally i've never been able to lose more than ~2 lbs a week (except through serious fasting, but that was pretty miserable and beyond the water and glycogen i have no idea what kind of tissue i lost. Research suggests that a lot of it would have been muscle). For me even the 2lbs / week required 1500-2000 cals of lowish carb (prob 20%) eating on top of exercise. (though i wasn't doing SS in those days).

[ToyStory]

What kind of machine gave you the 21.4% number ?

Also, and this is just curiosity on my part, where did you end your SS beginner prog in terms of weight for your exercises ?

Anyway, if you want to go to 15% from the numbers you posted you'd have to get down to 174.5 (assuming no muscle loss) which seems pretty low for a 6' guy who has tapped out the LP... but maybe you're not too muscular yet ( though then i'm led to wonder how you would have finished your linear progression so soon...)
But yeah you'd have to lose 20 lbs assuming no muscle loss and 5 lbs a week seems like a tall order for the modest changes you suggested.

Personally i've never been able to lose more than ~2 lbs a week (except through serious fasting, but that was pretty miserable and beyond the water and glycogen i have no idea what kind of tissue i lost. Research suggests that a lot of it would have been muscle). For me even the 2lbs / week required 1500-2000 cals of lowish carb (prob 20%) eating on top of exercise. (though i wasn't doing SS in those days).

To be really honest I don't want to lose weight. I just want to burn some fat while maintaining some even minimal muscle mass gains. I know you will say it's not possible but I think it is based on the information I've read you can lose some fat while gianing musle but you should not expect dramatic changes. I'm fine with that I just want to lose just a little bit of fat and that's it.

I ended SS with those lifts

SQ - 95 - 290x4 (best 5RM was 285)
BP - 65 - 180x5
OH - 45 - 120x5
DL - 95 - 396 x2 (best 5RM was 375)
PC - 55 - 150x3

The BF% was measured with some device that scans you while you hold it with straigh arms. I think it's accurate. Both measurements (BF 17% and BF 21.4%) were done with the same device. Usually in one of the local parks here there is "fat measureing center" during the summer and you get to measure your BF using the above apparatus.

[King_mob]

Basically, weight loss or gain is a function of calories. Deficit or Surplus. Pick one.
No need to go low carb - cycle it.
Intermittent Fasting (IF) meal patterning has good success rates for maintaining weight while losing fat so read up on the research over at leangains.com if you want pointers for your own routine.

[veryhrm]

To be really honest I don't want to lose weight. I just want to burn some fat while maintaining some even minimal muscle mass gains. I know you will say it's not possible but I think it is based on the information I've read you can lose some fat while gianing musle but you should not expect dramatic changes. I'm fine with that I just want to lose just a little bit of fat and that's it.

I ended SS with those lifts

SQ - 95 - 290x4 (best 5RM was 285)
BP - 65 - 180x5
OH - 45 - 120x5
DL - 95 - 396 x2 (best 5RM was 375)
PC - 55 - 150x3

The BF% was measured with some device that scans you while you hold it with straigh arms. I think it's accurate. Both measurements (BF 17% and BF 21.4%) were done with the same device. Usually in one of the local parks here there is "fat measureing center" during the summer and you get to measure your BF using the above apparatus.

That arm to arm BIA is probably overestimating your bf% because having done SS, your lower body muscles which this thing doesn't even measure, are considerably more developed than the norm. At the very least try to find a place that has a 4-point BIA machine (measures from feet and hands at the same time). Your doctor or gym may have one.

Anyway, not sure what you mean about not wanting to lose weight. bf% = fat / ( fat + lean mass ) . Increasing lean mass is a slow and hard process. One that should be undertaken, but it's very hard for a non-novice (heck even for most novices) to actually deacrease bf% through lean mass increase.

[ZenGeek]

Basically, weight loss or gain is a function of calories. Deficit or Surplus. Pick one.
No need to go low carb - cycle it.
Intermittent Fasting (IF) meal patterning has good success rates for maintaining weight while losing fat so read up on the research over at leangains.com if you want pointers for your own routine.

Basically yes. But the body doesn't calculate the total food input and then figure out if there is a surplus. Food also affects us hormonally and these changes may be more or less conducive to losing fat or gaining muscle. Also some foods may have other benefits or detriments to health.

I understand your point that theres usually no reason to get caught up in the details, it's just interesting to me though.

[King_mob]

Your completely right of course, it is more complex than simple calorie adjustment. The IF protocol is effective because it apparently changes the hormonal impact of food.
Current level of body fat is big factor to consider in any diet for instance - i would never GOMAD, as im a fat fuck to begin with. But my point stands, and that is why i qualified it by saying basically, as you pointed out, that the first thing to consider and what should be more prevalent in your dietary choices is caloric intake. There's little point cycling your macronutrient balance or performing intermittent fasting or eating an anabolic diet etc etc, if at the core of it your not being (even coarsely) aware of the caloric content of your food. As a rule of thumb, and what seems to work well in myself and my friends, is -20%/+20% of maintenance depending on your goal. Once you've got that nailed, pay mind to what ZenGeek highlighted.