The Formula for Getting Lean

Nastycrow

Nastycrow

Mr. BlobTitz
Staff member
Originally posted by: HelioKnows
Date: October 25, 2015 at 09:55 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Okay so long story short. Before I was fat, now I am not so fat. I lift weights pretty much religously now 3 times a week. I am pretty damn buff with quite a bit of muscle mass. I have pretty much been eating whatever, with phases of healthy food in between. Like I said, I have a pretty substantial amount of muscle built up but I also have some flab. My project this winter is to eliminate as much of the fat as possible while keeping the muscle. I know the basics of dieting and calorie deficits and all that. I just thought I'd ask ya'lls opinion on the situation. I've gotten to be pretty damn beasty but I wanna lean out, any tips?
 
Originally posted by: HelioKnows
Date: October 25, 2015 at 09:57 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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I am 6'1 215lbs by the way. Three years ago I was 285 lbs.
 
Originally posted by: TapEmOut
Date: October 25, 2015 at 11:25 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Cut your calories by a bit? Ask @Imhungry4444
Good job on the not being fat anymore thing
 
Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 11:59 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Depends on how fast you want to do it. You said by winter, so that's plenty of time for a 10 week BF% reduction plan. There's 3,500 kcal per lb of body fat. I would go for a slow, gradual cut at a 500 kcal per day deficit. You'd be losing 1 lb per week. Obviously you want to preserve as much muscle as possible, which is the name of the game when leaning out. Aslong as you continue to lift heavy and hit your daily macronutrient's you'll be golden come winter. You can do cardio if you want but it's not necessary. It'll help, but you're going to lose weight based on your diet. Plain and simple. Lifting and cardio facilitate caloric expenditure. Pretty simple:
Eat at a 500 kcal deficit
Hit your daily macros
Lift heavy
Do cardio if you want
 
Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: October 26, 2015 at 12:49 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Losing weight is about 90% diet and 10% exercise, if that.
Getting super lean after you've already dropped the weight is more like 60/40 when it comes to diet/exercise. Diet is still paramount, but getting huge arms and having a 6-pac requires more exercise for the composition aspects.
You need to really clean up your diet (especially the older you are), cutting down on carbs/sugars in particular.
You also need to put in the work in the gym, and you will need to put in the cardio for the composition aspect.
It doesn't mean you need to run 40 miles a week, but you should do some type of interval training a few days a week while continuing to lift.
 
Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 03:52 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Also, be mindful of recovery. Eating a deficit, you won't be able to recover as fast as you would like if you continue to lift heavy. I would recommend lowering the volume a bit. I personally like to do maximal strength training when leaning out to preserve and increase strength. You won't be able to make much if any hypertrophic gains, but there's no reason you can't improve your peak force. So a program like 5X5 would be a good focus.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 08:22 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Myself, I wouldn't eat at a deficit, I'd eat at maintenance and up my
cardio
. The only macro I pay attention to is protein, making sure I get what my lean body mass needs per gram+.
Eating at a deficit, while I'm sure it works for a period of time, there's no way of telling your body, yeah I want you to use up my fat stores now and not my muscle mass, I'm under the impression your own unique physiology is going to determine which source the body prefers; although, newer science seems to think it has a lot to do with your own personnel
micro-biome.
(ie gut flora) So I subscribe to the school of giving the body everything it needs and making the machine do more to attain the goal it desires.
Understand as well, there's no losing body fat while not losing lean body mass
,
nor is there a, gaining muscle mass while not at the same time increasing your body fat
.
That's just how it is.
As far as the
cardio
, I recommend increasing it with one of the multiple methods that you yourself find enjoyable, you know, something that you'll stick with.
The reason why I recommend upping
cardio
, is because the
LUNGS
are the primary excretory organ for weight loss. After your fat (triglycerides) are broken down by the body, the greater percentage of whats left are exhaled through the lungs in the form of carbon.
 
Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 08:35 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Fight Genome said:
Myself, I wouldn't eat at a deficit,
I'd eat at maintenance and up my cardio
. The only macro I pay attention to is protein, making sure I get what my lean body mass needs per gram+.
Eating at a deficit, while I'm sure it works for a period of time, there's no way of telling your body, yeah I want you to use up my fat stores now and not my muscle mass, I'm under the impression your own unique physiology is going to determine which source the body prefers; although, newer science seems to think it has a lot to do with your own personnel micro-biome
.
So I subscribe to the school of giving the body everything it needs and making the machine do more to attain the goal it desires.
Understand as well, there's no losing body fat while not losing lean body mass
,
nor is there a, gaining muscle mass while not at the same time increasing your body fat
.
That's just how it is.
As far as the cardio, I recommend increasing it with one of the multiple methods that you yourself find enjoyable, you know, something that you'll stick with.
The reason why I recommend upping cardio, is because the LUNGS are the primary excretory organ for weight loss.
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You would still be eating at a deficit at the end of the day, and week in your DCA. Thermodynamics still apply. This method would be the same as eating at a small deficit in order to slowly reduce body fight in order to spare as much lean body mass as possible. Not saying you shouldn't do it. It all comes down to ones goals and level of patience. This method would be a much slower process, but still effective. As would eating at moderate caloric deficit. At the end of the day; it's a marathon, not a sprint. This method, that method, it's all relative.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 08:58 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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imhungry4444 said:
You would still be eating at a deficit at the end of the day, and week in your DCA. Thermodynamics still apply. This method would be the same as eating at a small deficit in order to slowly reduce body fight in order to spare as much lean body mass as possible. Not saying you shouldn't do it. It all comes down to ones goals and level of patience. This method would be a much slower process, but still effective. As would eating at moderate caloric deficit. At the end of the day; it's a marathon, not a sprint. This method, that method, it's all relative.
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No I'd be eating at maintenance, the deficit would come from the increase in caloric expenditure through activity. In the context I provided I'd be taking in the amount of protein per gram / per pound of lean body weight I carry, or want to carry . So say at 180lbs @12% body fat, I'd be consuming 158 grams of protein at the minimum and close to 237 grams of protein per day at a maximum. (just alternate between training days and off days)
By doing that I don't have to count calories, nor measure my energy expenditure through exercise. It's simple.
I then measure results with a scale, the mirror, a tape measure and bio-impedance.
 
Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 09:05 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Fight Genome said:
No I'd be eating at maintenance, the deficit would come from the increase in caloric expenditure through activity. In the context I provided I'd be taking in the amount of protein per gram / per pound of lean body weight I carry . So at 180lbs @12% body fat, I'd be consuming 158 grams of protein at the minimum and close to 237 grams of protein per day at a maximum.
By doing that I don't have to count calories, nor measure my energy expenditure through exercise.
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It's still relative. At the end of the day, you will be at a caloric deficit through caloric expenditure. 6-10% TEF, 70% RMR, and the rest caloric expenditure from physical activity throughout the day/week. You can eat 237g of protein at whatever deficit or maintenance you desire, the thermodynamic effect of energy balance is still the same. It's like this, you can eat at a 250 kcal daily deficit, or eat at maintenance and burn 250 kcal through extra cardio. The effect is going to yield the same results at the end of the day. Both scenarios you can eat at the macronutrient distribution you desire.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 09:14 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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imhungry4444 said:
It's still relative. At the end of the day, you will be at a caloric deficit through caloric expenditure. 6-10% TEF, 70% RMR, and the rest caloric expenditure from physical activity throughout the day/week. You can eat 237g of protein at whatever deficit or maintenance you desire, the thermodynamic effect of energy balance is still the same. It's like this, you can eat at a 250 kcal daily deficit, or eat at maintenance and burn 250 kcal through extra cardio. The effect is going to yield the same results at the end of the day. Both scenarios you can eat at the macronutrient distribution you desire.
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Ahh no. Seeing as you're so big on thermodynamics, first explain to me how you arrive at this statement.
imhungry4444 said:
There's 3,500 kcal per lb of body fat.
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Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 09:29 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Fight Genome said:
Ahh no. Seeing as you're so big on thermodynamics, first explain to me how you arrive at this statement.
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Your method is using metabolic specificity for a
energy
deficit. My method is using metabolic efficiency through an
energy
deficit. Both of us take different roads in different cars but the destination is still the same.
Energy in < energy out
Whether you expend that energy through physical activity or a TEF/RMR, makes no difference. That 3500 kcal will be burned all the same.
Your method most likely spares more LBM compared to mine. But like I said earlier, it's all up to ones goals and level of patience.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 09:37 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Well, when you can explain how there are 3500 kcal per pound of body fat, I'll accept your calculations as true.
imhungry4444 said:
There's 3,500 kcal per lb of body fat
.
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Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 09:41 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Fight Genome said:
Well, when you can explain how there are 3500 kcal per pound of body fat, I'll accept your calculations as true.
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It's a rule of thumb which has been disputed as of late. Just like a TDEE from any internet calculator. It's a starting point to base ones measurements off of. Like a serving size on a food label. Everybody's physiology is different. Adjustments are made based on results. Again, like a TDEE.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 10:05 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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imhungry4444 said:
It's a rule of thumb which has been disputed as of late. Just like a TDEE from any internet calculator. It's a starting point to base ones measurements off of. Like a serving size on a food label. Everybody's physiology is different. Adjustments are made based on results. Again, like a TDEE.
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A starting point with a huge margin for error. Which means with all the calculations, they're off.
Which is why I subscribe to measuring protein intake and don't worry about calories.
But yeah I know we're quibbling about definition basically, or I am anyway,ha. When you say
imhungry4444 said:
Eating a
deficit, you won't be able to recover as fast
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I don't wrap my head around that, I see it as eating less, which I don't do.
I know I have a very different perspective in how I view food than you. With you food it seems is just a calorie, whereas for me it's nutrients. It's those nutrients that help me get my goals not the calories, I've never counted calories for a diet in my life, nor have I measured energy expenditure as a means to an end.
And I've been able to increase my muscle mass or decrease my BF% at will.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 10:11 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Oh and I'll also add I think that IIFYM diet is a bunch of bulls---, ha. lol
 
Originally posted by: imhungry4444
Date: October 26, 2015 at 10:12 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Fight Genome said:
A starting point with a huge margin for error. Which means with all the calculations, they're off.
Which is why I subscribe to measuring protein intake and don't worry about calories.
But yeah I know we're quibbling about definition basically, or I am anyway,ha. When you say I don't wrap my head around that, I see it as eating less, which I don't do.
I know I have a very different perspective in how I view food than you. With you food it seems is just a calorie, whereas for me it's nutrients. It's those nutrients that help me get my goals not the calories, I've never counted calories for a diet in my life, nor have I measured energy expenditure as a means to an end.
And I've been able to increase my muscle mass or decrease my BF% at will.
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I respect that a lot and in a way I envy it as well. At times, meal planning, calorie counting, and macronutrient distribution can be very monotonous. At this point though, it's become habitual. I think one day I'll stop counting calories/macros and starting looking at food for what it really is rather than face value. But that comes with a experience. Which is what I don't have.
 
Originally posted by: Fight Magnet
Date: October 26, 2015 at 10:21 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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imhungry4444 said:
I respect that a lot and in a way I envy it as well. At times, meal planning, calorie counting, and macronutrient distribution can be very monotonous. At this point though, it's become habitual. I think one day I'll stop counting calories/macros and starting looking at food for what it really is rather than face value. But that comes with a experience. Which is what I don't have.
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It's definitely a learned value; I've always leaned more to the "instinctive training" variables for the most part, but with age it's also easier to get a feel for what works. Where as, when younger it was all about over thinking a lot of it. Just wait till you get to that peak shape you're looking for then have to realize it's not maintainable in the long run, that sucks.
 
Originally posted by: LighthouseKeeper
Date: October 27, 2015 at 02:11 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/the-formula-for-getting-lean.67627/
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Just be genetically gifted like me
 
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