Need to lose 35 lbs to get to peak cutting weight, pics included... any tips?

[hussbey]

I am currently 33 years old, ive been lifting weights since I was 15. When I was 18 I did a highschool bodybuilding show (pausing for the.... "aww, how cute" responses... take a minute lol) anyway, I was 210 and in 3 months I got down to 175 and was able to be the leanest I have ever become. I did cardio twice a day, morning and evening, on the elliptical. I ate very clean and the fact that I was in a competition really helped push and motivate me in to becoming as lean as possible. I have never been able to get into the same shape since then. I did take fat burners and even took clenbuterol at the time in order to get lean.

I am currently 33 years old and I can no longer tolerate fat burners. If I take a fat burner, it means hell for my wife and kids lol. Currently, I workout and lift weights everyday. I started doing HIIT cardio and have no problem upping my cardio and activity level. I have tried completely cutting out carbs but sure enough, I rebound hard. Just twice this past week, I've woken up in the middle of the night and binge on carbs because my body is screaming for them. There has to be an easier way.

I train 6-7 days a week and do 5-6 days of HIIT cardio. I eat fairly clean overall and avoid fried foods and junk food, I just haven't been able to get over the hump.. any tips? Do I just need more time? I've gone hard the past 2 months and have seen great results but the fat is still there and it becomes discouraging when your body is aching and your hurting and you don't see the results right away.

I have a friend who does BJJ and he is shredded, he hasnt touched many if any carbs in the past 3 years. He tells me that he avoids carbs but when he does cheat, he really goes all out but does so few and far between. My problem is that I feel like shit and my workouts suffer when I cut out carbs, even more importantly is the fact that I am struggling with late night carb cravings and carb loading at night as a result.

I know there has to be an easier way, nothing in life should be so difficult... if it was, many people wouldn't be able to get abs... and I know many people who were once overweight but have been able to get lean and see their abs.

Also, I've noticed that the majority of people who are lean and who have abs, look skinny as hell as compared to the body type I want of being lean and fairly "big". Do I just need to be patient and trust the process? Are there any hacks or tricks?

I've also noticed that the more I increase my HIIT cardio, the more my lifts suffer when weight training....

 

[CJ]

If HIIT isn't working for you, try replacing it with regular old steady state LISS cardio. You say it's affecting your workouts, that's not good. Ultimately, you're just using cardio as a means of burning some extra calories, not to get good at it. So if one type isn't working for you, don't be married to it. And do not let it affect your workouts. You need to keep/build that muscle.

I've also found that HIIT makes me hungry as hell. It seems like it's a signal to my body, saying..."oh, we're doing this now, better eat to fuel it". But if I just hop on a bike for a light pedal, or go for a walk, it doesn't affect my hunger levels at all. Still burns energy though, and doesn't affect my workouts. If anything, getting a little blood moving seems to help my legs recover a bit faster.

FYI, I've never dieted down for a show though, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[chandy]

Also depending on how you are in the gym add in mini workouts between your sets. Like if u take 2 min between sets u could easily do some not fast paced jumping Jacks high knees, crunches, something to add in a little work and keep your heart rate really pumping. It doesn't really affect affect your workout once u find jr pace and just do them for maybe 15-30 seconds depending on if rest time.

I'm also with CJ about going for a longer walk if u can over HIIT my body will think it is starving afterwards and it just isn't worth it over a slower pace. As long as time allows.

 

[Thatgoodfellow]

Try focusing more on strength training. Cut the cardio way back. The two definitely should accompany and compliment each other but it’s usually one sided towards either way of exercise. Find a good program and follow it.

 

[CohibaRobusto]

Look, I'm a newb and don't know shit, but I do know that low carb/keto is not good for body building. You need carbs for energy and to build muscle. Don't do that for any longer than a week or two to shed a few quick pounds.

Focus on calorie intake and eating healthy. A good, easy read is Nancy Clark's sports nutrition guidebook. It will tell you all you need to know.

I did keto for about 3 weeks while lifting, and it was the worst I've felt/performed since I started. Yes, I lost like 8-10 lbs in the first 10 days, but then it leveled off and I was just left feeling like crap. My heart rate would go up to 160 while walking. You said it yourself. Get that idea out of your head.

Keep up the good work man, you got a good head start as young as you are.

 

[dk8594]

My last show was when I was 17 so no I wont’t say you were doing it at 18 was cute. I would say you got a heck of a learning experience much earlier than most.

Remember, back when we were teens we got a heck of a lot more and had no where near the day to day bullsh$t ( read stress) that we have in later years.

If you are thinking carb vs no carb it might not be as black as white as most make it out to be. I found it more to be about carb timing. Want to have them there for your workouts, but not 24:7. Look up modified keto if you are curious. There is a good book out there by Lyle MacDonald (spelling) . Ridiculous price on amazon but you can find it as a pdf with some good google searching.

As a reference point, I was able to perform in the gym and remain in ketosis on 50-75 grams of carbs a day.

 

[CohibaRobusto]

Yeah agree with what dk said... I have heard about guys doing carb cycling. It's over my head right now, but you should look into that.

 

[ATLRigger]

Carb cycling is simple: fuel ur workouts accordingly. Rest days would be ur lower carb days.

 

[dk8594]

Adding to my earlier response to address your hitt training.

For me, cardio is the surest way to feel exhausted and HITT has always guaranteed that my gains will cease. To keep from exhaustion and some of the inflammation I get when doing tons of cardio I have found it easier to quit trying to burn more calories and just concentrate my efforts on eating fewer of them.

increasing your calorie burn and decreasing your calorie intake are both cards you can play. Nothing says you have to play every card in your hand at once.

And fat burning is a long game. Be the tortoise not the hare.

 

[joeyirish777]

I've been in your shoes except throw in long distance weighted running 2x/week and swimming everyday.

3 hours of training a day wont get you a 6 pack in and of itself. not even 6. Giving into cravings at night are what's stopping you.

those cravings are a message from your body though... eat more during the day so it has enough nutrients to repair at night.

if you feel your lift will suffer... swallow a nice pinch of salt before the workout and pour a bit of gatorade into your water. +PMA

 

[brock8282]

First thought is how the hell are you not completely burned out. 6-7 days a week of training + hit cardio. That’s way too much. Recipe for quick burnout and strength suffering. When you are overtraining cortisol levels raise so the body has a harder time burning fat and more muscle loss happens. 4-5 days of training a week is a good spot. Focus on lifting heavy and don’t worry about burning calories while training. Focus on building/ retaining muscle. Hit cardio is great when utilized correctly. Remember it impacts recovery so don’t over do it. what works best for me is a short hit cardio session like 6-8 20 second sprints on an assault bike with 40-60 second low intensity periods between sprints. Gets the body in a better fat burning state and then follow that with low/ medium intensity cardio for whatever period of time is needed like 20-40 minutes. I usually do that part on a treadmill on an incline.

with the diet, remember being in a calorie deficit is most important. I prefer low fat more carb dieting. Better for fueling training, keep most the carbs around the workout. Make sure you are diligent with either eating same meals day in and day out or very good at counting macros. Make small adjustments when progress slows down and most importantly be patient. Your body can only burn so much fat in a week. People that have big drops typically are depleting too much water and glycogen from the muscle and workouts suffer so more muscle loss happens

 

[Rhino99]

First thought is how the hell are you not completely burned out. 6-7 days a week of training + hit cardio. That’s way too much. Recipe for quick burnout and strength suffering. When you are overtraining cortisol levels raise so the body has a harder time burning fat and more muscle loss happens. 4-5 days of training a week is a good spot. Focus on lifting heavy and don’t worry about burning calories while training. Focus on building/ retaining muscle. Hit cardio is great when utilized correctly. Remember it impacts recovery so don’t over do it. what works best for me is a short hit cardio session like 6-8 20 second sprints on an assault bike with 40-60 second low intensity periods between sprints. Gets the body in a better fat burning state and then follow that with low/ medium intensity cardio for whatever period of time is needed like 20-40 minutes. I usually do that part on a treadmill on an incline.

with the diet, remember being in a calorie deficit is most important. I prefer low fat more carb dieting. Better for fueling training, keep most the carbs around the workout. Make sure you are diligent with either eating same meals day in and day out or very good at counting macros. Make small adjustments when progress slows down and most importantly be patient. Your body can only burn so much fat in a week. People that have big drops typically are depleting too much water and glycogen from the muscle and workouts suffer so more muscle loss happens

 

[lfod14]

Also depending on how you are in the gym add in mini workouts between your sets. Like if u take 2 min between sets u could easily do some not fast paced jumping Jacks high knees, crunches, something to add in a little work and keep your heart rate really pumping. It doesn't really affect affect your workout once u find jr pace and just do them for maybe 15-30 seconds depending on if rest time.

I'm also with CJ about going for a longer walk if u can over HIIT my body will think it is starving afterwards and it just isn't worth it over a slower pace. As long as time allows.

THIS! I did Jim Stoppani's Shortcut to Shred program and that's exactly what it was all about, all rest periods replaced with mini HIIT sessions. Took fat off like a champ!

 

[BrotherIron]

Incorporate SM training as your conditioning. You'll drop weight, get stronger, and have fun too.

 

[Gabriel]

An old but still true method of burning fat...Cardio in the morning before any food intake..Your last meal around 6 or 7pm...by 7 or 8am it should be consumed.. therefore,fat will be processed for fuel..But plan a proper recovery meal right after..Warning.. once the Keystone acids are released and the fat starts burning,be careful..do some research before trying...

 

[Ortiz7983]

An old but still true method of burning fat...Cardio in the morning before any food intake..Your last meal around 6 or 7pm...by 7 or 8am it should be consumed.. therefore,fat will be processed for fuel..But plan a proper recovery meal right after..Warning.. once the Keystone acids are released and the fat starts burning,be careful..do some research before trying...

Can’t go wrong with old school info if it works!!

 

[In2Deep]

35lbs is quite a bit for a show. For someone interested in competing it is best to stay consistent. Its not realistic to stay at 4-5 percent all year but it is realistic to stay about 15. Hopefully this isn't something that is coming up soon. 35lbs you should be at minimum of 2-3 months out. Otherwise your calorie deficit and workouts will diminish any gains you are trying to show off.

 

[ATLRigger]

Big
Lean
Natural
Pick two. You can’t have all three.