Hey Guys,

Been losing weight pretty good with minmal muscle loss since January 24. I have dropped my weight from 205 on January 24, to 160LBS as of Today. I feel great, and this is the second time I've lost this weight; I've lifted weights and lost a lot of weight once before; but I gained it back. Anyways, I have hit a point where I would like to increase the rate of fat loss a little more. Up until about 165lbs I was losing a steady 2lbs a week, recently it has stumbled to a crawl; I am even more strict with my diet now. I

Basically I focus on getting around 2000 calories a day, focussing on low fat dairy, whole grains, lean meats, lots of water, protein shakes, peanut butter, fruits and veggies. I try to stick to about a 50% Greens, 30% Carbs and 20% Protein. I try to limit my saturated fat intake, no refined carbs, no carbs 4 hours before bed. Diet wise, I believe im right on the dot.

Weight train 3 days a week, full body; moderate-heavy weights.
HIIT Cardio 3 Days a week for 30min
Running on Sundays with Rope Skipping..

Basically, what I'm trying to find out is:
A) Should I decrease caloric intake even further? perhaps 1700 calories?
B) Should I begin a bulking phase?
C) Should I increase cardio to do it even on Weight Training Days?

My Photos (http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-6/1023819/BeforeAfter.JPG)

I've posted these pictures to show my progress, argh. I look like an idiot lol :lol:

Basically, I think my definition has definitely increased.. I mostly been thinking I will up my cardio??? I need advice.. Thanks

Heres some more pictures, different lighting. Wow, Lighting does make a huge difference; I cant wait for the day when I will look good in every photo regardless of lighting/flash.. Anyways, tell me what you think.. Thanks a lot, your opinions mean a lot.

P.S Ignore the hair and looking generally crappy, its 2:07AM!

Pic1 (http://www.villagephotos.com/members/viewimage.asp?id_=13020585)
Pic2 (http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=13020586)
Pic3 (http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=13020587)
Pic4 (http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=13020588)

Matt

Hey Guys,
Basically I focus on getting around 2000 calories a day, focussing on low fat dairy, whole grains, lean meats, lots of water, protein shakes, peanut butter, fruits and veggies. I try to stick to about a 50% Greens, 30% Carbs and 20% Protein. I try to limit my saturated fat intake, no refined carbs, no carbs 4 hours before bed. Diet wise, I believe im right on the dot.


you look like you've made some really good improvement :tucool:

I have a question though... why do you list Greens and Carbs seperate??? greens ARE carbs... so your eating 80% carbs, only 20% protien and no good fat??? why??? you're trying to build muscle you should have a LOT more protien and you NEED good fats in your diet... try adding flax seed oil, almonds, and natural peanut butter to your diet... also try for either a 50/30/20 (protien/carb/fat) or 40/40/20 ratio for your diet... you'll see some really positive results from doing this :gl:

edit: I just noticed that you do list peanut butter in the quote above... but you don't list your good fats in your ratio's... your getting at least a little bit... but is it natural peanut butter or the sugary stuff (Jeff, Peter Pan, etc)?

Well, I use 100% Natural PB only and I incorporate flax seed into my protein shakes. I regularely eat salmon (every other day, alternating with Chicken breast) As for fats, I try to use Olive Oil wherever possible for good fats. Generally I'm just really trying to perfect my diet right now as well, so for example most of my meals consist of if you looked at my plate:

Veggies Over 1/2 the Plate
About 1/4 Lean Meat
Rest with Complex Carbs such as Brown Rice or Black Beans

How many calories should I be getting? I'm guessing around 2000ish..

Thanks for the feedback.

Oh yeah, I also eat almonds almost every day; about 20. ANd Marinate all my meats in Olive Oils and other seasonings.

Matt

you look like you've made some really good improvement :tucool:

I have a question though... why do you list Greens and Carbs seperate??? greens ARE carbs... so your eating 80% carbs, only 20% protien and no good fat??? why??? you're trying to build muscle you should have a LOT more protien and you NEED good fats in your diet... try adding flax seed oil, almonds, and natural peanut butter to your diet... also try for either a 50/30/20 (protien/carb/fat) or 40/40/20 ratio for your diet... you'll see some really positive results from doing this :gl:

edit: I just noticed that you do list peanut butter in the quote above... but you don't list your good fats in your ratio's... your getting at least a little bit... but is it natural peanut butter or the sugary stuff (Jeff, Peter Pan, etc)?

Maybe it's the fruits? :d_confuse

Diet sounds good. Increase calories slowly intill you maintain. Maintain for 1-2 months, then start cutting again. You might even put on some muscle while you maintain.

Most people can simply not sustain 2lb/week weight loss for months on end and often stall out at higher BF%. Your body and mind need time to adjust. It may not be what you want to hear, but if you are really in for the long-haul, sometimes talking a 'break' or 'breather' really helps.

You've made great progress, you have muscle, don't loose it my trying to continuously cut deeper. Increase calories slowly and you shouldn't put on much if any fat and hopefully won't get into a rut.