good post maverick (say hello to iceman) i would add DO weigh yourself everyday however to keep a close eye on your eating for that day. if your weight JUMPS UP (>4 or 5lb) take pause might indicate overeating for the day.
Enter the intraday bodybuilder.Quote from Maverick74:
...Improvement in trading and in health happen very slowly over time even though we all want to get rich now and get fit now!
RTM?Quote from Maverick74:
...The problem with rapid weight loss or even rapid muscle gain is it throws your body out of whack. It's not natural and it won't last because your body has a tendency to fight any rapid change in your body whether it's good or bad...
Quote from killthesunshine:
"a muscle wasting mess on your hands"?? ROFL!
where is this "muscle wasting" research you allude to?
ps i do not expect you to have it![]()
Quote from nitro:
Thanks for all the replies. I read them all and try to take it to heart as best I can. All of them are very interesting, particularly the one about testosterone. I don't have enough data nor am I taking scientific readings, but it seems that my testosterone level has gone down. Another counter intuitive reaction as far as I am concerned. I am beginning to believe that some level of fat is actually better than none at all as far as sexual system is concerned...
I still have not lost weight this week. I even worked out on the weekend with some intensity. My entire upper body is thickening, and I beginning to see clear signs of belly loss. My legs are thinning. Now I see love handles more prominently though. Ugh.
Every time I make progress, something new bugs me. Reminds me of that cartoon where this guy is stuck to the side of a damn, and has a finger in all these holes trying to stop the water from rushing in, with new holes to plug constantly appearing. If he takes his finger out of one hole to cover another...
Quote from ShoeshineBoy:
Nothing personal but I can tell you're not a lifter and/or not over the age of 25-30. When you lift you can actually feel when you are putting on muscle and you can feel when you are shrinking. And if you cut calories or overtrain or don't get enough protein, you can tell nothing is happening.
And have you ever lost weight and tried to maintain you muscle? I doubt it. There was recent study that found 35% protein helped maintain muscle mass during weight loss. Again, the protein helped greatly.
Anybody who has put on muscle and then tries to "cut" fat quickly knows that this is a battle. That's why the 35% protein study was a big deal.
But I don't even understand for sure what you're arguing about. Are you arguing that you can put on muscle and drop calories? Are you arguing that you can maintain your testosterone and drop calories significantly? You seem like the kind of guy who likes to argue, but I don't even know what the fight is about...

Quote from Gabfly1:
Judging by what I have seen over the years, I think bodybuilders consume more protein than is good for them, to the potential detriment of their liver and kidneys. As for losing fat, obviously the only way to do so is to consume fewer calories than you expend. I agree it is quite the challenge to build muscle while losing fat at the same time. To the extent that I wanted to lose fat, I wouldn't be eating with a view to gaining size until I got sufficiently lean. I know that some guys just pack on the bulk and then trim down, but that strikes me as messy and just a setup for another challenge. I think size comes in second to leanness, from both a health and aesthetic standpoint. And if I wanted to gain size, which I had done in the past, I would certainly not be willing to sport additional body fat while getting there. But maybe that's just me.

Quote from killthesunshine:
i'll start here...first of all you can't "feel" your muscle growing. if i'm wrong on this show us your objective evidence.![]()
you also stated definitively that anyone eating less than 3000 cals will end up a "muscle wasting mess".
still waiting for this from you![]()
well?![]()
Quote from nitro:
Thanks for all the replies. I read them all and try to take it to heart as best I can. All of them are very interesting, particularly the one about testosterone. I don't have enough data nor am I taking scientific readings, but it seems that my testosterone level has gone down. Another counter intuitive reaction as far as I am concerned. I am beginning to believe that some level of fat is actually better than none at all as far as sexual system is concerned...
I still have not lost weight this week. I even worked out on the weekend with some intensity. My entire upper body is thickening, and I beginning to see clear signs of belly loss. My legs are thinning. Now I see love handles more prominently though. Ugh.
Every time I make progress, something new bugs me. Reminds me of that cartoon where this guy is stuck to the side of a damn, and has a finger in all these holes trying to stop the water from rushing in, with new holes to plug constantly appearing. If he takes his finger out of one hole to cover another...