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Thread: Need guidance

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
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    Default Need guidance

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    Hello,

    I just discovered SS and started my LP on May 22. I have a few concerns/questions, but my biggest involves diet. My journey to "get fit" began last year at 258 pounds. And it wasn't a good 258 pounds at 5' 11.5" and 41 yrs old. So I started doing Atkins and some IF to lose weight. I dropped to 198 pounds at my lowest but I fell off the wagon around the holidays (from Thanksgiving until New Year's) and my weight shot up to 212. I maintained that weight until I began the program last month. After reading SS, Practical Programming, and The Barbell Prescription, I decided to ditch Low Carb and try to just eat reasonably and increase my calories and protein. I have since gained around 9 lbs and am worried about gaining too much weight. When I decided to lose weight in the beginning, it was because of the typical factors that an overweight, middle-aged man faces...elevated A1C, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. I currently take a beta blocker for my high BP but no other medications other than a daily aspirin.

    My question: What type of diet would you recommend for me given my health profile? Go back to a low carb/ketogenic approach? Or just not worry too much about the weight gain? I am now at 220/221 lbs.

    In case it is relevant, my lift progression is:

    Squat: From 95 in the beginning to 185 my last workout
    Deadlift: From 135 to 265
    Press: From 95 to 115
    Bench: From 135 to 165

    Thanks for any help/guidance you can give.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    4,613

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by millertime0299 View Post
    Hello,

    I just discovered SS and started my LP on May 22. I have a few concerns/questions, but my biggest involves diet. My journey to "get fit" began last year at 258 pounds. And it wasn't a good 258 pounds at 5' 11.5" and 41 yrs old. So I started doing Atkins and some IF to lose weight. I dropped to 198 pounds at my lowest but I fell off the wagon around the holidays (from Thanksgiving until New Year's) and my weight shot up to 212. I maintained that weight until I began the program last month. After reading SS, Practical Programming, and The Barbell Prescription, I decided to ditch Low Carb and try to just eat reasonably and increase my calories and protein. I have since gained around 9 lbs and am worried about gaining too much weight. When I decided to lose weight in the beginning, it was because of the typical factors that an overweight, middle-aged man faces...elevated A1C, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. I currently take a beta blocker for my high BP but no other medications other than a daily aspirin.

    My question: What type of diet would you recommend for me given my health profile? Go back to a low carb/ketogenic approach? Or just not worry too much about the weight gain? I am now at 220/221 lbs.

    In case it is relevant, my lift progression is:

    Squat: From 95 in the beginning to 185 my last workout
    Deadlift: From 135 to 265
    Press: From 95 to 115
    Bench: From 135 to 165

    Thanks for any help/guidance you can give.
    Thanks for posting buddy! My thoughts are that you should not be gaining weight if you are already carrying extra weight. Given the numbers you are pushing, it's not justified from that standpoint, but sure let's give the program more time. My suggestion for you is to definitely work on keeping your fat in the ~50-70 range and no higher. If your body likes to put on fat, then the easiest way to keep it off is to watch your fat intake and make sure you are getting enough carbohydrates, protein, and fiber to both train and optimize your cardiometabolic profile.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
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    Default

    Thanks for taking the time to respond, Robert. It is much appreciated.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Georgetown KY
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    Default

    Absolutely agree with what Mr. Santana wrote. I was in the same situation as you, started out relatively heavy and got it down to a more reasonable weight.

    There are a lot of prominent figures pushing low carb now a days, and I definitely let it get into my head. As my fat intake started creeping up, so did my weight. After hearing Mr. Santana on Barbell Logic podcast he definitely reframed my macro nutrient intake. Carbs are your friend here.

    One thing he said that really help me was, studies have shown that your body adapts to how many carbohydrates you are intaking. If you eat more carbs, you'll burn more carbs (up to a certain point I'm sure)

  5. #5
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by millertime0299 View Post
    Thanks for taking the time to respond, Robert. It is much appreciated.
    You are very welcome!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    Phoenix, AZ
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by samking7185 View Post
    Absolutely agree with what Mr. Santana wrote. I was in the same situation as you, started out relatively heavy and got it down to a more reasonable weight.

    There are a lot of prominent figures pushing low carb now a days, and I definitely let it get into my head. As my fat intake started creeping up, so did my weight. After hearing Mr. Santana on Barbell Logic podcast he definitely reframed my macro nutrient intake. Carbs are your friend here.

    One thing he said that really help me was, studies have shown that your body adapts to how many carbohydrates you are intaking. If you eat more carbs, you'll burn more carbs (up to a certain point I'm sure)

    All very true. Obviously, if you eat enough carbs you'll go into denovo lipogenesis but extremely difficult to hit a caloric surplus if fats are kept low. In the words of Rip "It's hard to eat 5000 calories "clean.""

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