Please look below this ever growing FAQ for the purpose of this thread, the FAQ below is to cut down on similar questions in this thread.
================ FAQ ========================
Getting a few questions PM' etc, going to try and cover them all here.
Q: Can you give me the quick and simple version of a fat loss diet?
A: Depending on where people are coming from and what they tell me about current weight, BF%, previous exercise routines, health status, activity levels etc it differs but here's a real basic "for dummies" to work from , with ONE CAVEAT, this presume you are exercising with weights 3 a week plus doing some additional exercise on other days 2-3 days a week.
Get 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight in, this can come from whatever protein sources work for you, shakes, whole food etc.
Get about the same in carbs, give or take, this is the one variable that's hard to determine because it depends SO much on activity levels and workout volume etc. Some people need to go lower, some right down to more like .5 or so, it entirely depends on sensitivity to carbs but you can start at say 1g per per pound, do NOT exceed it, start there and move carbs down the scale if you have to.
Get about .4 grams per lb of bodyweight in fats.
Aim for about 12 calories per lb of bodyweight give or take for the first few weeks, keep a very careful eye on the scales but more importantly your body fat % and adjust, some people may need to go much higher and 12 calories per lb is to low, some sadly have to go even lower than 12 calories per lb.
Calories work like this.
1 g protein = 4 calories
1 g carbs = 4 calories
1 g fat = 9 calories.
Diet should be at about 35% Protein, 35% Carbs, and 30% Fat. This % split is also known as your Macro Nutrient split.
IMPORTANT NOTE< your macronutrient split is based on CALORIES, not grams. So 35% protein calories, 35% carb calories and 30% Fat calories.
Protein can go a little higher, carbs a little lower if the diet works out that way that day but essentially that's the baseline, fat should never go higher than 30%.
So ...Mythical man @ 200lbs.
* 12 calories per pound of bodyweight = 2400 calories per day for fat loss.
1g Proten per lb of bodyweight = 200grams
1g carbs per lb of bodyweight = 200 grams
30% of calories from fat 2400 calories /100 x 30 = 720 calories
9 calories per gram of fat = 720/9 = 80 grams of fat.
So..
200 g Protein @ 4 calories per gram = 800
200g Carbs @ 4 calories per gram = 800
80 grams of fat @ 9 calories per gram = 720
Total calories 2,320 near as damm your *12 with a small built in margin for the extra "butter"
Q: What do you recommend for workouts for fat loss?
A: For most, especially beginners whole body workouts are by far the most metabolically taxing, they burn calories like crazy and create a good core for most people new to weight training, they also by definition of the low volume of sets per bodypart work nicely within a calorie deficit where extended volume can be anti catabolic and even cortisol inducing running counter to what you're trying to achieve.
Here's a good whole body routine with details
Put aside 30 minutes 3x a week.
Mon/Wed/Fri
Tues/Thurs/Sat
Or similar.
Do 3 whole body workouts.
Just 2 sets per bodypart for the first month.
2 Sets , Dumbell Bench Press.
2 sets barbell rows (or dumbell rows)
2 sets shoulder press.
2 sets squats
2 sets calf raises (holding dumbell in your hand)
Thats IT.
If you're cardio isn't leg heavy more Squats to first in the routine, if not keep as is.
Take 4 seconds to lower the weight on each exercise.
Explode upwards on each exercise .
1 second pause at contraction point on each exercise.
This has what we call a cadence of
4-1-1
4 seconds to lower under tension
1 second pause at full tension
Immediate up again.
Do 10 reps for each set.
That will give you what is called a TUT (time under tension) of around 50 seconds per set which is perfect for fat loss and muscle growth.
Take a 60 second breather in between each set and 2 minutes in between the squats.
Keep a proper record of how much weight you lifted each time and how many reps you managed.
When you can reach 15 reps with the same weight increase the weight until 10 reps is as many as you can mange.
Do this 3 x per week, the workout if followed as above will be done and dusted in way under 30 minutes.
Within 2-3 weeks, you'll feel much better and you'll see some shape.
Q: How long should you stick to a whole body workout?
A: Depends on how long you've been training for generally but 3 months is a good guide, 3 months of busting your ass in the gym 3x a week on a whole body workout will deliver amazing results in the untrained.
If you've already trained a lot with weights but had a lay off and are coming back I recommend 1 month of whole body workouts, it primes you're body perfectly for a split.
Q: Do you think whoel body workouts are better if on a mass gaining diet?
A: Depends again if your new to weight training but looking to gain mass and fat loss isn't the primary issue, then 2-3 weeks of whole body , low volume workouts to prime your body is ideal, but past that a split routine is superior for gaining mass when fat loss isn't the primary aim.
Q: Do you have a split routine ?
A: All the ones below work fine on splits, depending on the days you have available.
NOTE I do NOT recommend people who are focussing on fat loss follow a split without about 3months of whole body workouts behind them, this depends on your existing workout experience.
The 3 day Split, antagonistic option
Day 1: Chest, back
Day 2: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps
Day 3: Quads, Hams
The 3 day Split, push-pull option
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2: quads, hams, calves
Day 3: Back, biceps, forearms
The 4 day Split
Day 1: Chest, biceps, abs
Day 2: Quads, hams, calves
Day 3: Shoulders, Triceps, abs
Day 4: Back, calves
The 5 day Split
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Arms
Q. Do you need 1g of protein per lb to gain muscle ?
A: Strictly speaking, probably not for the average trainee, however the protein guide achieves much more than purely lean mass retention/growth. This thread covers many of those issues.
Q: 12 calories per pound for me at 200lbs is 2400 calories, isn't that to much to lose fat on ?
A: It entirely depends on you, your activity levels and various other factors, its' an industry standard guideline but you need to keep track of your body fat % and weight and adjust accordingly.
Q: 12 calories per pound for me at 200lbs is 2400 calories, isn't that to LITTLE to lose fat on ?
A: Again depends, it may well be, some people can lose fat os much as 15x bodyweight, you have to find a baseline and work from it individually, nobody can give you the perfect number, but 12 calories per lb is a solid guide if you're eating reasonably healthy and working out 3-4 per week weight weights plus some cardio.
Q: Are the diet details basically the same for muscle growth, I'm quite skinny, don't need to lose weight.
A: Pretty much although getting 1g protein per pound isn't so vital when you have an abundunce of calories and carbs to draw from, protein is probably a little over what's needed but acts as a good safe guard so. 1 g protein per lb of bodyweight, about .5g of fat per lb and fill up on carbs to hit your total calorie requirements.
Q: How many calories for weight gain ?
A: Hugely depends on general activity levels and current BF% but if you started at about 15 calories per lb and worked your way up from there to 25 calories per lb based on how much you gained each week you would be doing fine. Generally speaking newbies can gain significant muscle in the first 6 months, 25lbs+ is not unusual.
Q: I was losing fat fine on 12 calories per lb the first few weeks but now it's stalled a bit, should I cut more calories ?
A: NO, in fact the opposite, go and increase calories by 25% for 3-4 days, then weigh yourself 3 days after the end of that calorie burst, you'll find you've probably dropped a few more pounds and you'll be good to go back down to the 12 calories per lb again for another 2-3 weeks.
Q: What do you think of calorie cycling?
A: I agree with it and it works well but I don't prescribe it much here because of the complexcity of getting it right and over confusing people.
Q: If you had to give a "for dummies" version how would calorie cycling work.
A: The simplest way is to add/remove carbs, so for example, here's a diet of a natural bodybuilder friend of mine when he's cutting.
1.25g protein per lb of bodyweight.
.7 g carbs per lb of bodyweight.
.4 g fat per lb of bodyweight.
This works out for him at at 12calories per lb of bodyweight.
He eats like that mon, tues, thurs, fri, sat.
The on Sunday and Wednesday he doubles his carbs to 1.5g per lb
That allows him to sustain a pretty tough cutting diet but resets his maintenance levels and stops any plateus with the extra carbs/calories, it revolves around a whole complex issue of leptin refeeds , which is way beyond the scope of this thread but if folks want to calorie cycle "for dummies" this is the easiest way, 2 small carb increases each week.
That diet above by the way is responsible for a guys physique who looks so insanely awesome 100% naturally it's scary.
Q: I used the Harris Benedict formula and it says I need 100000 bazillion calories just to maintain.
A: I don't put any stock in online or old fashioned calcs, the margin for error is insane, the only accurate measure is you keeping a record of your weight up and down.
Q: Why are you so anti-traditional cardio ?
A: Cos it's **** , oh yeah it's **** and boring.
Q: Yeah but got anything more intelligent to say on the matter?
A: Ok , look I am not anti cardio, I do it myself but sitting on a stationary bike watching MTV isn't organic, it's not what I believe the body was intended to be used for. There are far more natural interesting and effective ways to burn fat and be in peak condition than mimicking a demented hamster.
Resistance training done right, "whole body workouts" will make you fitter, leaner and more functionally strong than any cardio based activity you can find, not to mention it also builds muscle and increases IGF and testosterone naturally in the body whereas cardio often does the opposite.
Check out any athlethes who are big on cardio, long distance runners yada yada, then check out sprinters or gymnasts etc and look at their development in their primary respective muscles, they both look lean but who has the physique ?
Lastly traditional cardio burns very few calories for the huge amount of time required to do it, you can burn in a 45 minute wholebody workout done right, twice to 3x the calories burnt on a bike and you'll also have a tight waist, broad shoulders, muscular legs , strong back and great biceps and triceps for your effort, none of which you'll get on a stairmaster.
Q: Does it matter what type of foods I eat as long as I hit my calories?
A: This is a big debate in nutrition circles of late, recent data has shown that in reality the difference in body composition between eating 2000 calories of entirely whole fresh,"clean" foods and 2000 calories of protein shake and biscuits to meet the same macro nutrient and calories has little effect on body composition or fat loss in general.
BUT, this doesn't make it ok or ideal, in the short term you may lose roughly the same amount of weight but you'll feel like crap, your body will become less efficienient at processing foods, your health will be in shatters due to the lack of vegetables, fibre, minerals and vitamins and you'll assimilate a lot less of the nutrients, your skin will go to **** and so on. So honestly, no, it probably makes little difference in the short term but this game is about more than how your abs look. I strongly subscribe to the 80/20 view, which is 80% foods we tend to classify as clean, chicken, tuna, beef, salmon, eggs, vegetables, fruits, yada yada, and 20% based on stuff you just like to eat which works for you, if you need that bowl of icecream to keep you sane, then eat it BUT make sure you have left enough calories in your diet to accomodate it.
Q:What supplements do you recommend for fat loss?
A: None, no supplements burn fat effectively, exercise and diet control whether you see your abs. The only one I can recommend connected to fat loss is a pre workout stimulant, they give you more energy, you work harder, you burn more calories/lift more weight, you get in better shape , that's about it for fat loss, even healthy fats don't burn the fat the media want you to believe they do.
Q: What about supplements generally ?
A: I think a decent protein powder is useful to get your protein intake up, a fish oil for various health reasons, a decent sports based multi-vit, perhaps some beta alanine and creatine for the bodybuilding guys, and at a push some aminos for the very hard training guys at the gym, that's about it.
Q: What would you say is the most important key to success, diet or training>?
A: Neither, the most important is keeping a log of what you do so you can manipulate your diet and training accordingly, that and consistency, going hell for leather for 2 weeks is nothing like as useful as consistently going for it at a decent pace for a month.
THIS POST IS NOW FULL, FAQ CONTINUED IN POST 8 BELOW or link here.
Feel free to hit the thanks button if this helped.
==================ORIGINAL FIRST POST BELOW ===================
There's been a recent splurge of interest in diet, workouts and so forth here and based on a number of PM's I have had, It seems there's quite a lot of confusion and a lot of people failing due to lack of motivation and consistency.
In my experience the best way to ensure you stick to a diet / workout is to be held accountable (1) and get praise and encouragement (2).
Would there be any interest in us starting a thread / section here where people who want to be motivated by others posted all their current stats, details and a target they want to achieve and the time scale and updated their progress each week or so?
That way when you're thinking of quitting you know you have a bunch of people following your progress and pushing you on and it's harder to just not bother.
Anybody interested in putting themselves on the line , if so I'll participate with photos etc and start the ball rolling but I want 10 people to put their hands up and agree to do the same.
================ FAQ ========================
Getting a few questions PM' etc, going to try and cover them all here.
Q: Can you give me the quick and simple version of a fat loss diet?
A: Depending on where people are coming from and what they tell me about current weight, BF%, previous exercise routines, health status, activity levels etc it differs but here's a real basic "for dummies" to work from , with ONE CAVEAT, this presume you are exercising with weights 3 a week plus doing some additional exercise on other days 2-3 days a week.
Get 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight in, this can come from whatever protein sources work for you, shakes, whole food etc.
Get about the same in carbs, give or take, this is the one variable that's hard to determine because it depends SO much on activity levels and workout volume etc. Some people need to go lower, some right down to more like .5 or so, it entirely depends on sensitivity to carbs but you can start at say 1g per per pound, do NOT exceed it, start there and move carbs down the scale if you have to.
Get about .4 grams per lb of bodyweight in fats.
Aim for about 12 calories per lb of bodyweight give or take for the first few weeks, keep a very careful eye on the scales but more importantly your body fat % and adjust, some people may need to go much higher and 12 calories per lb is to low, some sadly have to go even lower than 12 calories per lb.
Calories work like this.
1 g protein = 4 calories
1 g carbs = 4 calories
1 g fat = 9 calories.
Diet should be at about 35% Protein, 35% Carbs, and 30% Fat. This % split is also known as your Macro Nutrient split.
IMPORTANT NOTE< your macronutrient split is based on CALORIES, not grams. So 35% protein calories, 35% carb calories and 30% Fat calories.
Protein can go a little higher, carbs a little lower if the diet works out that way that day but essentially that's the baseline, fat should never go higher than 30%.
So ...Mythical man @ 200lbs.
* 12 calories per pound of bodyweight = 2400 calories per day for fat loss.
1g Proten per lb of bodyweight = 200grams
1g carbs per lb of bodyweight = 200 grams
30% of calories from fat 2400 calories /100 x 30 = 720 calories
9 calories per gram of fat = 720/9 = 80 grams of fat.
So..
200 g Protein @ 4 calories per gram = 800
200g Carbs @ 4 calories per gram = 800
80 grams of fat @ 9 calories per gram = 720
Total calories 2,320 near as damm your *12 with a small built in margin for the extra "butter"
Q: What do you recommend for workouts for fat loss?
A: For most, especially beginners whole body workouts are by far the most metabolically taxing, they burn calories like crazy and create a good core for most people new to weight training, they also by definition of the low volume of sets per bodypart work nicely within a calorie deficit where extended volume can be anti catabolic and even cortisol inducing running counter to what you're trying to achieve.
Here's a good whole body routine with details
Put aside 30 minutes 3x a week.
Mon/Wed/Fri
Tues/Thurs/Sat
Or similar.
Do 3 whole body workouts.
Just 2 sets per bodypart for the first month.
2 Sets , Dumbell Bench Press.
2 sets barbell rows (or dumbell rows)
2 sets shoulder press.
2 sets squats
2 sets calf raises (holding dumbell in your hand)
Thats IT.
If you're cardio isn't leg heavy more Squats to first in the routine, if not keep as is.
Take 4 seconds to lower the weight on each exercise.
Explode upwards on each exercise .
1 second pause at contraction point on each exercise.
This has what we call a cadence of
4-1-1
4 seconds to lower under tension
1 second pause at full tension
Immediate up again.
Do 10 reps for each set.
That will give you what is called a TUT (time under tension) of around 50 seconds per set which is perfect for fat loss and muscle growth.
Take a 60 second breather in between each set and 2 minutes in between the squats.
Keep a proper record of how much weight you lifted each time and how many reps you managed.
When you can reach 15 reps with the same weight increase the weight until 10 reps is as many as you can mange.
Do this 3 x per week, the workout if followed as above will be done and dusted in way under 30 minutes.
Within 2-3 weeks, you'll feel much better and you'll see some shape.
Q: How long should you stick to a whole body workout?
A: Depends on how long you've been training for generally but 3 months is a good guide, 3 months of busting your ass in the gym 3x a week on a whole body workout will deliver amazing results in the untrained.
If you've already trained a lot with weights but had a lay off and are coming back I recommend 1 month of whole body workouts, it primes you're body perfectly for a split.
Q: Do you think whoel body workouts are better if on a mass gaining diet?
A: Depends again if your new to weight training but looking to gain mass and fat loss isn't the primary issue, then 2-3 weeks of whole body , low volume workouts to prime your body is ideal, but past that a split routine is superior for gaining mass when fat loss isn't the primary aim.
Q: Do you have a split routine ?
A: All the ones below work fine on splits, depending on the days you have available.
NOTE I do NOT recommend people who are focussing on fat loss follow a split without about 3months of whole body workouts behind them, this depends on your existing workout experience.
The 3 day Split, antagonistic option
Day 1: Chest, back
Day 2: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps
Day 3: Quads, Hams
The 3 day Split, push-pull option
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2: quads, hams, calves
Day 3: Back, biceps, forearms
The 4 day Split
Day 1: Chest, biceps, abs
Day 2: Quads, hams, calves
Day 3: Shoulders, Triceps, abs
Day 4: Back, calves
The 5 day Split
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Arms
Q. Do you need 1g of protein per lb to gain muscle ?
A: Strictly speaking, probably not for the average trainee, however the protein guide achieves much more than purely lean mass retention/growth. This thread covers many of those issues.
Q: 12 calories per pound for me at 200lbs is 2400 calories, isn't that to much to lose fat on ?
A: It entirely depends on you, your activity levels and various other factors, its' an industry standard guideline but you need to keep track of your body fat % and weight and adjust accordingly.
Q: 12 calories per pound for me at 200lbs is 2400 calories, isn't that to LITTLE to lose fat on ?
A: Again depends, it may well be, some people can lose fat os much as 15x bodyweight, you have to find a baseline and work from it individually, nobody can give you the perfect number, but 12 calories per lb is a solid guide if you're eating reasonably healthy and working out 3-4 per week weight weights plus some cardio.
Q: Are the diet details basically the same for muscle growth, I'm quite skinny, don't need to lose weight.
A: Pretty much although getting 1g protein per pound isn't so vital when you have an abundunce of calories and carbs to draw from, protein is probably a little over what's needed but acts as a good safe guard so. 1 g protein per lb of bodyweight, about .5g of fat per lb and fill up on carbs to hit your total calorie requirements.
Q: How many calories for weight gain ?
A: Hugely depends on general activity levels and current BF% but if you started at about 15 calories per lb and worked your way up from there to 25 calories per lb based on how much you gained each week you would be doing fine. Generally speaking newbies can gain significant muscle in the first 6 months, 25lbs+ is not unusual.
Q: I was losing fat fine on 12 calories per lb the first few weeks but now it's stalled a bit, should I cut more calories ?
A: NO, in fact the opposite, go and increase calories by 25% for 3-4 days, then weigh yourself 3 days after the end of that calorie burst, you'll find you've probably dropped a few more pounds and you'll be good to go back down to the 12 calories per lb again for another 2-3 weeks.
Q: What do you think of calorie cycling?
A: I agree with it and it works well but I don't prescribe it much here because of the complexcity of getting it right and over confusing people.
Q: If you had to give a "for dummies" version how would calorie cycling work.
A: The simplest way is to add/remove carbs, so for example, here's a diet of a natural bodybuilder friend of mine when he's cutting.
1.25g protein per lb of bodyweight.
.7 g carbs per lb of bodyweight.
.4 g fat per lb of bodyweight.
This works out for him at at 12calories per lb of bodyweight.
He eats like that mon, tues, thurs, fri, sat.
The on Sunday and Wednesday he doubles his carbs to 1.5g per lb
That allows him to sustain a pretty tough cutting diet but resets his maintenance levels and stops any plateus with the extra carbs/calories, it revolves around a whole complex issue of leptin refeeds , which is way beyond the scope of this thread but if folks want to calorie cycle "for dummies" this is the easiest way, 2 small carb increases each week.
That diet above by the way is responsible for a guys physique who looks so insanely awesome 100% naturally it's scary.
Q: I used the Harris Benedict formula and it says I need 100000 bazillion calories just to maintain.
A: I don't put any stock in online or old fashioned calcs, the margin for error is insane, the only accurate measure is you keeping a record of your weight up and down.
Q: Why are you so anti-traditional cardio ?
A: Cos it's **** , oh yeah it's **** and boring.
Q: Yeah but got anything more intelligent to say on the matter?
A: Ok , look I am not anti cardio, I do it myself but sitting on a stationary bike watching MTV isn't organic, it's not what I believe the body was intended to be used for. There are far more natural interesting and effective ways to burn fat and be in peak condition than mimicking a demented hamster.
Resistance training done right, "whole body workouts" will make you fitter, leaner and more functionally strong than any cardio based activity you can find, not to mention it also builds muscle and increases IGF and testosterone naturally in the body whereas cardio often does the opposite.
Check out any athlethes who are big on cardio, long distance runners yada yada, then check out sprinters or gymnasts etc and look at their development in their primary respective muscles, they both look lean but who has the physique ?
Lastly traditional cardio burns very few calories for the huge amount of time required to do it, you can burn in a 45 minute wholebody workout done right, twice to 3x the calories burnt on a bike and you'll also have a tight waist, broad shoulders, muscular legs , strong back and great biceps and triceps for your effort, none of which you'll get on a stairmaster.
Q: Does it matter what type of foods I eat as long as I hit my calories?
A: This is a big debate in nutrition circles of late, recent data has shown that in reality the difference in body composition between eating 2000 calories of entirely whole fresh,"clean" foods and 2000 calories of protein shake and biscuits to meet the same macro nutrient and calories has little effect on body composition or fat loss in general.
BUT, this doesn't make it ok or ideal, in the short term you may lose roughly the same amount of weight but you'll feel like crap, your body will become less efficienient at processing foods, your health will be in shatters due to the lack of vegetables, fibre, minerals and vitamins and you'll assimilate a lot less of the nutrients, your skin will go to **** and so on. So honestly, no, it probably makes little difference in the short term but this game is about more than how your abs look. I strongly subscribe to the 80/20 view, which is 80% foods we tend to classify as clean, chicken, tuna, beef, salmon, eggs, vegetables, fruits, yada yada, and 20% based on stuff you just like to eat which works for you, if you need that bowl of icecream to keep you sane, then eat it BUT make sure you have left enough calories in your diet to accomodate it.
Q:What supplements do you recommend for fat loss?
A: None, no supplements burn fat effectively, exercise and diet control whether you see your abs. The only one I can recommend connected to fat loss is a pre workout stimulant, they give you more energy, you work harder, you burn more calories/lift more weight, you get in better shape , that's about it for fat loss, even healthy fats don't burn the fat the media want you to believe they do.
Q: What about supplements generally ?
A: I think a decent protein powder is useful to get your protein intake up, a fish oil for various health reasons, a decent sports based multi-vit, perhaps some beta alanine and creatine for the bodybuilding guys, and at a push some aminos for the very hard training guys at the gym, that's about it.
Q: What would you say is the most important key to success, diet or training>?
A: Neither, the most important is keeping a log of what you do so you can manipulate your diet and training accordingly, that and consistency, going hell for leather for 2 weeks is nothing like as useful as consistently going for it at a decent pace for a month.
THIS POST IS NOW FULL, FAQ CONTINUED IN POST 8 BELOW or link here.
Feel free to hit the thanks button if this helped.
==================ORIGINAL FIRST POST BELOW ===================
There's been a recent splurge of interest in diet, workouts and so forth here and based on a number of PM's I have had, It seems there's quite a lot of confusion and a lot of people failing due to lack of motivation and consistency.
In my experience the best way to ensure you stick to a diet / workout is to be held accountable (1) and get praise and encouragement (2).
Would there be any interest in us starting a thread / section here where people who want to be motivated by others posted all their current stats, details and a target they want to achieve and the time scale and updated their progress each week or so?
That way when you're thinking of quitting you know you have a bunch of people following your progress and pushing you on and it's harder to just not bother.
Anybody interested in putting themselves on the line , if so I'll participate with photos etc and start the ball rolling but I want 10 people to put their hands up and agree to do the same.
Last edited: