# Calorie Levels to train well and lose weight



## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Hi there, came across your site after you posted on Cagewarriors. Interesting stuff you have to say. I must admit I have read so much conflicting info on weight loss my head is spinning. Low carb, cycle carb, refeed days blah blah etc!

Some interesting methods of burning fat ie Burn the fat feed the muscle and UD 2.0 really only seem to apply to bodybuilders that don't need as much get up and go as someone like me that needs to survive a 1.5-2 hour BJJ class with 30 mins of sparring at the end. 1200 calories does not equal energy to fight! Anyhow, according to your advice to only deduct 20% from your base level will leave me with about 1900 to eat each day. Having done some reckoning I am going to give it a go but must admit I am worried that I will put on weight even though it is gonna be clean food! The macros have ended up at about 40 30 30 by accident really.

If it helps I am 37, 5.7 and looking to drop form about 79kg to around 70. I put weight on really easy but find it hard to shift. I think I may have been snookering myself by eating too little. I was eating about 1500 last week and did drop about 1.2 but training was tough and I think my body was grinding to a halt metabolism wise.

Anyway, lets give it two weeks and see what happens.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Cheers. Will report back.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

So far, getting heavier. 79.6 today, but very early days and will give it a good 2 week chance before assessing calories and bodyfat.


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## FlikstRR (Dec 25, 2009)

for what its worth from a muppet beginner, could it be muscle weight rather than body fat? ive only being doing my regeime for about a week and a bit and i noticed a mild increase after a few days.. then a reduction.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Yeah, could be but I can vary quite a large amount day to day so not worrying about it. I really don't mind if I end up a stone heavier if my bf goes down! Will see over a longer period anyhow....


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## garf (Sep 27, 2009)

If your varying a lot each day, sounds like your often holding a lot water. That would indicate food intolerances & probably some degree of insulin resistance. Both would need dealing with to help you. It is rarely as simple as cal equations. If it was there would be a lot less out of shape people in the world


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## Si-K (Jul 23, 2007)

Just thought I would chip in here.

I have lost approx 11% bodyfat over 2 half months eating between 1700 & 1900 cals a day and lost about 4 pounds - I was aiming to stay as close to 12 stone as possible (my bodyfat is now roughly 12%), this gives me enough to train between 1 to 2 hors a day 6 days a week - I take one random day off a week and vary my calories as Thursday and Sunday I get a sleep in so eat slightly less (i.e 1700 cals) - this seems to shock my body a bit and keeps the fat loss going (and my body from getting used to the eating times and going stale) - for the record it took about 6 weeks for my body to react and I would suggest from my experience and from my mates who are personal trainers and professional cage fighters that they all say that if you start a "diet/new eating habits" give it 6 weeks - it was very weird but I saw almost no change and then around the 6 week mark bang, I lost loadsa fat over the next couple of weeks and I am now at a steady rate and think the extra 4 % I am gunning for will happen the same - just my opinion tho :thumb .

.....it seemed that my bodyfat was deep ab fat and it took a while for this inner fat to go even tho my diet and exercise got ramped up roughly 6 weeks earlier.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Cheers and well done. I will stick at it for a while.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Well, thought I would check in. Been sticking to the calorie level and thought I was getting somewhere. Was down to 78.4-78.8 and then weighed in today back at 80. WTF. Deep breath and keep on trying!


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## scrappercarter56 (Jan 23, 2010)

brigsy said:


> Well, thought I would check in. Been sticking to the calorie level and thought I was getting somewhere. Was down to 78.4-78.8 and then weighed in today back at 80. WTF. Deep breath and keep on trying!


I am new on here and hope you don't mind me making a comment.

You mention your weight going up, even though you are on a calorie restricted diet. I see you say you arn't to bothered about putting mass on as long as body fat comes down. Have you had your body comp checked??? You could be losing fat, but gaining lean mass (don't know your training regime), which if that's the case, no problem. Just jumping on the scales can be deceiving. When you weigh yourself, are you fully hydrated each time? or do you weigh at different times? this can give you false readings to. It's hard to say how to get round the problem without knowing all the in's and out's of your training. eating habits etc. You can end up going round in circles for ever.

All the best

Steve


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Ta for the reply. I weigh at the same time each day. I have reduced down to 1700 and the weight has gone down a tiny bit to 78 ish. Slow progress but I guess going somewhere. Doing intense interval training and hitting the weights. Suffering a bit from a back injury so can't train like I would wish.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Still plugging away. I had got down to 77.6 and then on Sunday had a day eating up to maintenance levels including a lamb stew etc. Woke up the next day at 79.2! Jeez, I have spent the last 30 days losing and putting on the same 2 kgs. FFS. Just got in from doing the Fat Burning workout Justin posted. My legs are mashed dude. I have been monitoring my bodyfat at the love handle area and nothing has changed there either. I am now trying to eat the same calories but cutting back starchy carbs and eating more protein.

I think my boring thread might be better moved to a diet section rather than S and C maybe.


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## FlikstRR (Dec 25, 2009)

dude im almost exactly the same as you.. no obvious physical differneces.. no weight change ( in fact I've gone up!) dispide a radically different diet.. and actually doing exercise every day at gym and 4 times a week at classes.

motivation is hard to keep.. but must battle on.. soon as i see some results it will all be good.. same for you im sure. :happy:


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks mate. It is hard to keep strong on the diet etc without any results.


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## garf (Sep 27, 2009)

Food inolerances? Maybe leaky gut problems. Do you hae problems with bloating or food cravings?


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Leaky gut! WTF! Don't bloat as far as I can tell, although I am a bit puffy with fat! Food cravings wise, if I don't eat starchy carbs for a while i start to think about them alot and crave them but that's probably normal. I have a very sweet tooth and can't eat one biscuit, it's the whole packet or nothing, so I go for nothing to combat it.


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## FlikstRR (Dec 25, 2009)

serious question... do you find you get grouchy/grumpy when craving starchy foods.. or if you go without for a while???

if so.. might be worth just doing a checkup at doctors.. just to be sure..


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

No, just can't focus mentally very well. Down to 77.4 today from 79.2 on Monday morning. That would be good if I hadn't done the same journey three times this month! Going to a wedding tomorrow so will have a few drinks and no control over food. Prob be doing the same journey again come Monday. Hey ho.


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## OUTCOLDFIGHTCLUB (Jan 22, 2010)

Make sure your eating 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily from lots of different sources. Have a bulk of your carbs first thing in the morning and before training, just try to keep yourself a bit hungry througfhout the day but do not starve yourself!


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Ta.


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## garf (Sep 27, 2009)

Deffinatly insulin resistant if you cant stop @ 1. That will need adressing as you've clearly got blood sugar issues. Leaky gut is an intestinal prob where food particles can leak through into the bloodstream & cause intolerance/ allergic response which can be anything from water retention to joint problems. For people withoug insulin resistance a simple calories equation usually works, not so for thos with insulin resistance. I now as I'm insulin resistant myself & have been dealling with that on & off for over a year. If you can find a good nutritional therapist or PT with a biosignature qual I highly reccomend forking out the cash to get it sorted.

To many people are always looking for the simple answes/magic pill to things. It rarely works that way. Take short cuts & your only shortcutting your health / carreer


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

If I was insulin resistant (Not sure what that means) What does that mean in relation to fat/weight control? I have now been dieting for 38 days and only lost 2.8 kgs. I don't think I am taking short cuts. It's taking ages.


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## garf (Sep 27, 2009)

Insulin resistance basically means that your body is resistant to insulin storing the nutrients in your muscle cells. If the cells arent taking it in, there's only 1 place for it to go & thats stored as fat. Its a metabolic problem that comes from to many carbs & is a pathway to diabetes. Its a little more complicated than that explanation, but thats part of what happens. Obviously that has implications for fat loss.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks, with that in mind how does one counter it in general?


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## joeedoom (Jul 31, 2009)

What are your BMR calories?

It sounds to me like you are eating too little. Weight loss shouldnt be about how little you can eat and lose weight but how much you can eat and still lose weight. Personally, I dont agree with eating any less than 200kcals beneath your BMR. As your working out hard, I would suggest eating your BMR, what do you reckon you burn during a work out?Lets say for arguments sake its 300kcals, if your eating 200kcals less than BMR then thats 500kcals less per day. If your diet is right then thats 7 days per pound. 12 weeks of this gets you to 5.5kg of fat off your body. Again, if your diet is right that's 5.5kg of blubber.

Your 77kg so I would imagine that weighing 72.5kg having lost 5.5kg of fat would leave you quite lean and job done.

Working way under BMR works for many people, but not everyone. Obviously, my opinion on this is directly shaped by what works for me, I dont drop anything unless I'm at BMR.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks mate. Thats a nice detailed post. Cheers.

Gonna re-read and digest the info.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

My BMR is 1730. I'm eating at that level.


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## joeedoom (Jul 31, 2009)

1730? That can not be right for someone who is exercising. Thats less than a womans.

Your BMR should include your lifestyle.

Harris/Benedict formula:

BMR = 66 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in yrs) x your lifestyle. I exercise 5 times a week so I multiply the above result by 1.55.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Sure. I responded/misunderstood what you meant by BMR. With Harris Benedict to maintain, my TDE is about 2400 for me. To lose it would be around 1900 but that did nothing for me.

I am booked to see a Nutritionist next week. I have been fighting this weight for so damn long now and have read so many conflicting things I don't know where to turn. Hope to get somewhere this way.

Thanks for your help. Appreciated.


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## joeedoom (Jul 31, 2009)

Its likely that the nutritionist will tell you the same things you have read, with their preference for certain methods. They may be able to highlight something thats wrong though.

You need to give each method a serious opportunity to work, whether its calorie defecit, calarie neutral or keto.


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## garf (Sep 27, 2009)

Good luck. Hope they can give you a clearer picture of whats going on.


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## brigsy (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks. Will report back.


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