32/M, I’ve done it, I’ve lost 70 pounds, what’s next?

[bpplee]

I’ve dropped from 265 to 195 but body fat percentage is still higher than ideal. At the moment exercise is really only cardio. Am looking to incorporate weights to build muscle I have lost.

But, maintaining a deficit is starting to seem like the easy part.

Do I work on body fat percentage next? If so, how?

Do I eat in surplus to build muscle and then go back to a deficit?

Do I continue in a deficit, introduce weights and increase protein?

 

[clarissa_]

@bpplee Congrats on the progress.

Whatever you do from here, make sure you:

• do resistance training 3-5 times a week. Focus on getting better at the major compound movements: pull-ups, rows, incline press, flat press, squat, rdl. Don’t overdo volume, but push close to failure.
• track your protein and get enough of it: .8-1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Try to get the majority from lean food sources, but you can absolutely supplement with whey
• prioritize recovery: optimizing sleep hygiene, increasing deep sleep time, consistently getting 7+ hrs of sleep in total each night, sleeping and waking up at the same time.

Chances are, if you do these 3 things, you will see improvements regardless of your caloric state.

In a surplus, you will likely gain muscle the fastest but you will also gain some fat and you must be prepared mentally for that. after focusing so much about weight that may be challenging. You don’t need a surplus bigger than 200-300 calories.

On maintenance, you may see recomp (build muscle and burn fat simultaneously) but it will be slow, and you should be mentally prepared for that. Results won’t be noticeable for long periods, but as long as you are progressing on your lifts, you should be confident that things are going the right direction.

 

[victorray]

@clarissa_ 1g protein per POUND of bodyweight? Surely you mean kilo of body weight. Are you saying he should consume 200g of protein a day?

 

[spart0n]

@victorray Yes, 1g/pound is the rule of thumb. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/the-three-laws-of-protein/

 

[losebell1992]

@victorray If you want to build muscle, 1g/ lb has been the standard "broscience" line forever. I think some dietician or whatnot did a study and proved that anything past .8 g/ lb is unnecessary, but to your question, yes you need more protein. To build muscle, you need a lot of protein. To survive you don't need near as much. But if you want to be strong you need more protein.

 

[clarissa_]

@losebell1992 No added benefits to muscle building beyond .82 g per lb of bodyweight, but as someone who has helped many people achieve transformations, I can tell you that the added protein helps keep you full longer. Many people fail with diets because they overestimate their protein intake and because they are constantly battling cravings.

 

[clarissa_]

@victorray I recommend a range not a precise number. For OP, .8-1 is 156-195 g of protein per day. Why are you fixated on the end range?

I recommend this range because studies show that you can keep making better gains upwards of .82 grams per lb of bodyweight. added protein after that aids with satiation. Plus, thermic effect of protein is greater than fat and carbs.

 

[eatpraylove]

@clarissa_ I've seen .7 to 1g....1g tends to make the math easy for most and gives yiu a buffer on each end

 

[littleg6]

@victorray

1g protein per POUND of bodyweight? Surely you mean kilo of body weight. Are you saying he should consume 200g of protein a day?

Welcome to bro science. 1g/lb is maybe useful to pro lifters trying to gain that extra 0.1% on their lift.

But it sounds cool to tell people to eat more proteins and no one want to "waste" a training session by not eating enough. So it stays...

True is, past 1.2-1.4g/kg, you are usually better off cutting alcohol, sleeping better, doing mobility/yoga to progress. But that's not as sexy.

 

[clarissa_]

@littleg6 Funny how you chose to ignore the fact that I used a range from .8g per lb (which is not bro science and I am happy to site sources). Everyone is focusing on the 1g.

The reason why I recommend upwards of 1g is NOT because more protein is going to build more muscle but because protein is more satiating per gram than either carbohydrate or fat, and it has a higher thermic effect than either of the other two macronutrients.

It’s not about what is “sexy” it’s about what is more beneficial overall. More protein, even if he goes over 1g per lb won’t hurt.

 

[littleg6]

@clarissa_ No, 0.8g/lb is also accepted to be quite extreme (it's ~1.6g/kg). It's the upper limit of what has been found to have a positive effect in SOME studies.

More protein, even if he goes over 1g per lb won’t hurt.

Except it does. Because these extra calories mean people get less fibers and less from other micronutrients.

The reasons Americans eat too little fiber is because they load up on meat & dairy, added with very refined carbs. So they skip all the fibers. And the push is to add more dairy and more proteins, not more plants and whole fibers.

 

[clarissa_]

@littleg6 Either you are being intellectually dishonest or you genuinely assume his daily total calories are less than 1000, if you think the added protein is going to rob him of fiber and micro nutrients.

156 grams of protein is is only 625 calories. Where the hell are the rest of the calories going?!

 

[littleg6]

@clarissa_ I'm not intellectually dishonest. I eat normal food and they ALWAYS come with other components that add calories.

156g of proteins from lean fish is about 1100 kcal. Zero fiber.

156g of proteins from Parmigiano is about 1760kcal because of the fat.

And I'm not even counting sausages or fatty cuts of fish or meat.

So yeah, on a 200kcal diet, it's tough to get enough fibers with so much proteins.

 

[clarissa_]

@littleg6 Come on now, no one is going to get all of those from a single food source, let alone cheese ffs.

There are plenty of foods that have protein and fiber, such as legumes and whole grains.

Also on a 2,000 calorie diet, there is still 1,375 calories.

I am done discussing this now.

Good luck on your own journey.

 

[lyolagrace93]

@bpplee There is no right answer. You should start some sort of weight training. If you find it hard to continue losing weight I would start increasing calories slowly and start focus a little on preformence goals for your training. After 3 months it can feel much easier again to cut calories. Prolonged calorie deficit is hard on the body when you start reaching your goal weight. Do it in small steps.

 

[nrg23]

@bpplee What’s next? A maintenance break of at least half the time you have been dieting to lose the fatigue. Add in some resistance training to add muscle mass. then see if you like the results from weight training and if you want to continue weight training for size or diet more to get down

 

[godlovesart]

@bpplee You start lifting!! I lost 170lb before I started lifting.

The 10lb I gained of muscle made a bigger aesthetic difference than the fat loss did!

 

[adragseth]

@bpplee That’s awesome man

Sounds like you got it going on

I would maybe look a new sport or hobby that requires you to use your body and mind in different ways so you can have fun and have more of a challenge rather than a body fat or weight number goal which you have been doing for a while

For myself that turned into spartan racing

I haven’t done an actual race yet but aiming to do one really allowed me to not worry about my weight or muscle mass and just workout my cardio and overall health and recovery which is something I needed to do more than just lose a little fat or gain a little muscle because now if I get leaner or gain muscle I know it’ll be able to help the spartan racing I’m trying to get into

 

[pheadablessed]

@bpplee More protein. Fewer carbs and fats. Much more walking. Increase strength training as you get closer to your desired bf%.

 

[tmflo]

@bpplee without knowing your height I would say option 3. Maintain deficit, up the protein, start a beginner weight lifting program like stronglifts or starting strength.