Theres so many threads here but almost never actual accounts of people going from out if shape 20-30% bodyfat to a ripped/lean 8-10%
Getting lean (sub 10%) with muscle definition is much harder than dropping from say 30% to 20% body fat.
Because (and especially more for former fat people) a portion of your fat is visceral fat (fat that wraps around your organs). Visceral fat isn’t all bad, it protects your organs. But to get rid of some of that deep fat you need to train very hard and fast consistently or have a very finely tuned diet.
A lot of people sub 8% body fat make careers out of it, via social media or competing. It’s not easy to lose that visceral fat, especially if you’re only fasting. It’s much easier to lose subcutaneous fat (the fat beneath your skin).
I’m in the process of trying to get to sub 12% body fat (have gone from 30% to 15% from fasting). If you want any tips or tricks don’t be afraid to ask.
You’re in a perfect position to do a body re composition.
Basically, your body is covered in an energy source (fat) so you dont need to take in any additional energy for quite some time. Fat is an ideal fuel source for anything that is anaerobic, like weight lifting, and low intensity activities like walking. You dont want to just get shredded with no muscle or you’re just gonna look skinny and flat, you want to lose fat to unveil your skeletal muscle.
So my suggestion would be…
Exercise: start resistance training 3 times a week (every other day, ) with basic bodyweight movements like pushups, body weight squats, pullups, maybe invest in a set of 20 or 25 lb dumbbells for curls and shoulder exercises. Do 2 or 3 sets to start of each exercise just short of failure and add sets as your body starts to recover faster, aka when youre not getting sore/tired from 3 sets, move to 4 then 5 and so on as you progress over the months.
Diet: As I said you dont need any energy sources coming (carbs/fats) in since you’re covered in energy already (fat). Track your protein intake and aim for a little over 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Minimize carbs and fats as much as possible so you burn your body fat for fuel, and utilize the protein for cell repair. No alcohol for obvious reasons, its poison, enough said.
Don’t do any cardio! Yes, cardio will help you lose fat quicker, but it will also increase your hunger. Getting lean has little to do with being “in shape” or “physically fit” and everything to do with being able to cope with eating less food than you want to. I know guys with amazing cardio that can cycle for 30 miles without breaking a sweat, but they’re 80 lbs over weight because their diet is horrible. If youre feeling good on your rest days, you can go for 30 minute walks to help in the recovery process.
Do this and you will become a new person. This routine will get you down to 12%, really no reason to go sub 12%, you’ll have abs and still be in a homeostasis that will allow you to return to maintenance calories and continue to build muscle.
I’ll let you know. i plan on doing this later this month. I’m probably at 30 percent range of bodyfat
not sure if I’ll have ripped muscles with the lower fat as my goal isnt external appearance but I do exercise and lift weights.
even cole doesn’t have the picture perfect abs you see in magazines yet he is lean and strong
my wife is going out of town for several weeks and I’m going to dry fast / water fast etc.
the macrofactor app is very helpful in me losing weight by calorie counting at the current moment. the app figures out your true tdee, not a guesstimate like other apps