When you need to drop fat quickly to get shredded, you might have to say, “screw healthy lifestyle eating habits”, and take a more aggressive approach. It’s great to eat healthily and maintain low body fat. But what if you only have 2 months to lose 20 lbs? What if you are trying to get from a decent 12% bodyfat to a ripped 6% bodyfat? Well, now it’s time to talk about jumping on a hardcore diet to melt off the fat and show those hard-earned abs.
How to Forget About Healthy Eating Habits and Get Straight Up Ripped
10 Tips to Get Straight Shredded
- Eat fewer calories. Diet is responsible for 75% of your progress, if not more. Start by multiplying your DESIRED bodyweight by 12. This is your daily maintenance calorie intake. Eat this many calories for a week, then…
- If you don’t lose any weight, subtract 400 calories.
- If you only lose 1-2 lbs, subtract 200 calories.
- If you lose 3 or more pounds, don’t change a thing.
- If you lose more than 5% of your total body weight in a week, you might want to consider actually adding 200-300 calories back into your diet because you do NOT want to lose muscle mass.
- Eat more often. Divide up your total calories equally, and eat every 3 hours.
- Targeted carbohydrate intake. Cut carbs out of your diet completely except for during and immediately after your workout. To clarify…
- Eat 1 apple within 15 minutes of your weightlifting or sprinting workout.
- Sip Gatorade or 1/2 a Serving of Biotest Surge during your weightlifting or sprinting workout.
- Drink 1 Serving of Biotest Surge within 20 minutes of the end of your weightlifting or sprinting workout.
- If you must eat carbs during the day, make them complex fibrous carbs such as green veggies, brown rice, and unflavored oatmeal.
- Eat mostly protein and healthy fats. Eat any and all meats and cheeses. Choose fish and chicken as often as possible, but all meat is sanctioned on this kind of diet. Just don’t eat too much of it. Consider supplementing with Fish Oil and Flax Oil supplements, or choose Biotest Flameout and protect against inflammation too.
- Increase fluid consumption. Drink 1 gallon of water or Crystal Lite each day. You might drink more than a gallon during a workout day.
- Don’t skip or skimp workouts. Weightlifting and/or sprinting should occur a minimum of 3 days per week, for a minimum of 45 minutes per session.
- Move more. Anything extra that you do to burn calories will help. Try these ideas…
- Instead of watching TV, take a walk or play a sport.
- Instead of playing online, go outside and play with a kid.
- Instead of the elevator, take the stairs.
- Add 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio whenever possible. (Moderate intensity is because you don’t want to over-tax your body into over-training on a hypo-caloric diet.) However, I do not agree with adding cardio to the end of your weight training session. I believe the concerns should be separate: cardio in the morning, weightlifting at night, or vice versa.
- Stick to a Routine. If you stick to a plan you will have more success than if you try to include too much variety. Have ham and eggs for breakfast, protein bar for a snack, chicken salad for lunch, fruit for a snack, exercise, high protein low carb meal for dinner, cottage cheese or meat for a snack, then go to bed early. Clearly, you can modify what I’ve written here, but you get the idea.
- Track your progress. Setting goals and tracking your weights and measurements will go a long way to keeping you motivated throughout your diet. Here are some tracking ideas…
- Body weight vs. body fat. Go to a gym and have a trainer test you with calipers. It’s not that accurate, but if you have the same person do it, at the same time of day, once a week, you will have an accurate measure of progress.
- Measure all your body stats including neck, arm, chest, waist, thigh, and calf.
- Record each workout in a workout log, specifically the main lifts. Try bringing a notebook to the gym.
- If you lose body fat and maintain everything else, then you’ll know you’re doing something right. If you lose body fat; lose inches in the waist; gain inches on the neck, arms, chest, or legs; and increase your training weights; well then you’ll know you’re doing everything right.
- Snap before and after photos. Try taking a picture once a week, perhaps on the day you get your body fat tested.
- Also, consider recording your diet. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, and how many total calories, fat, and protein you ingest. It’s a pain in the ass, but keeping nutrition logs in my 20s contributed to my vast knowledge of nutritional information to this day.
- Intelligent use of supplements. You might want to use some supplements to help the fat loss process, give you more energy, and decrease or reverse muscle loss in a hypo-caloric state. Here is what I recommend in order of importance…
- A multivitamin such as Centrum Adult.
- Protein powder to make protein shakes, or protein bars for snacks.
- Biotest Hot Rox Extreme gives you energy, facilitates fat loss, and helps maintain muscle on a low-calorie diet. What else do I need to say?
- Branched Chain Amino Acids. I prefer XTend by Scivation as a pre-workout drink that you can also sip during and after your workouts.
- Biotest’s Flameout is rich in healthy fatty acids, is great for your joints, and helps decrease inflammation.
- Antioxidant superfoods compound such as Raw Greens Whole Food Powder for all the green vitamins and minerals you should be getting through food but are probably not.
Final Thoughts
So that does it. Just stay strict, keep on top of your calories, eat good and eat often monitor progress, and don’t touch carbs unless you are using them to benefit your workouts. It takes a lot of hard work, discipline, consistency, and to get extremely shredded, 100% focus for days to weeks on end.
Using these tips you can accomplish your wildest dreams of being ripped. By maintaining a few of these tips you can stay pretty ripped throughout the year. Just don’t forget to bulk a bit in the offseasons to increase density and muscle mass. Best of luck!!
The only thing I would add is if you are in your mid thirties or older get your hormone levels checked. Men that have low testosterone levels will find it almost impossible to cut fat off the stomach.
hey iv been training the last year and been taking weight gainers went from 75kg to 90kg i have stored fat on my chest from this wil this go now that i go back to just protein shakes, i love the weight gain but i used to be fit looking now look more tubby, does this go now that il be training harder with a good diet,thanks
Dude, I feel your pain. I’ve been there. Make sure that you don’t try to lose fat too quickly or you will jeopardize your recent gains. Instead focus on maintaining muscle mass, increasing strength, and losing 3-4 pounds of fat a month. Six months seems daunting now, but if you stick with it you’ll find yourself stronger and leaner 6 months from now, the time will have gone by in a flash, and you will be uber-grateful that you stuck with it.
Excellent straightforward and accurate thanks
Hey im 15;6′;220lbs.. I’ve been training for a couple of years with just weights (being trained by my dad a former powerlifter and bodybuilder) but just recently I’ve been trying to cut fat. I eat a high protiens diet without a lot of carbsand train every day. I mix my cardio with the weight training and always include HIIT so that i get a good afterburn effect but my fat just refuses to leave. I was wonderin if you had any advice I could use
You need to look at your diet. If you can’t lose fat, you need to change your diet. Those are the facts. Keep training super-heavy while dieting, and you should be able to maintain all of your strength and muscle mass. Look into Intermittent Fasting if you haven’t already.
5’9
137 lbs
bodyfat: 11%
age: 15
I have done 3 cycles of werewolf mass gaining, and am halfway through my first of werewolf stength and am wondering if there was some way for me to go to 6-8 percent bf in the next mo or two while still making some muscled gains. I currently have a 4 pack which is fairly visible but im looking for a bit more. I feel like I eat pretty healthy and unprocessed food. I am wondering if its because im 15 and its still hard to get rid of baby fat or something.
It could be the baby fat, but seriously it’s pretty hard to maintain a 6 pack year round unless you are genetically gifted. Focus on adding about 10 pounds of muscle and a ton of strength, and I bet you will still get leaner if you eat really clean.
Everyone on here seems to be pretty big.
22 y.o Male
Height: 5’7
Weight: 150
I just started going to the gym the past 2 months and have made significant gains in lifting. I have been following the fat loss for men routine primarily. However after hitting a slump I am switching to a 3 X 5. My issue is I want to put on 10 -15 lbs of muscle but at the same time burn what fat I have (mostly in my stomach probably from lots of beer in college) and get “shredded”.
Should I increase my caloric and protein intake and get up to 160 first and then move to this diet. Any help would be appreciated.
I typically recommend for people to lose fat first, then focus on gaining muscle when they’ve reached a comfortable bodyfat level. However, being that you only weigh 150 lbs, maybe you should try to gain 10 lbs of muscle in the next couple of months before switching over to a fat loss routine. I recommend 3 months of Werewolf Training followed by 3 months of fat loss for men.
Can you please recommend a low carb high protein 5 meals a day diet for vegetarians?
You would really have to talk to a nutritionist about that. I do have a detox diet coming up, but it’s not vegetarian. Sorry.
Male 35
5’11”
173
11% body fat
trying to get down to around 166, 4-6% bodyfat. According to a gazzillion calculators, I need about 2200 calories daily to sustain, and 1800ish to lose a pound a week. In my diet, I’m eating / getting around 1400-1700 a day, and that’s before deducting any burned calories from my workouts. I do about 40 minutes of cardio, 3 times a week at a fairly high intensity, 165 to 180 beats per minute, and lift moderately heavy on alternating days. I eat about every 2.5 to 3 hours, going between a real food and Myoplex Protein shakes, yet, I can’t seem to shed any fat?
Take a whole new approach and try Intermittent Fasting. You can find those articles posted on the homepage and I will soon add them to the menu at the top of the page. Are you sure your calories are accurate? Are you keeping a food log?
Thanks, I’ll check out the Intermittent Fasting section. And yes, I log everything I eat, based on the nutritional values on everything I consume, in caloriecount.com
Hi steve
male
Age:16
Height:5 feet 4 inches
Weight:98Ibs
Body fat: ?
I do a lot of rock climbing and i want to get more muscle mass in my shoulders, pecktorals, and fore arms i don’t have alot of free time what diet/work out regime do you suggest.
Thanks.
Gaining muscle mass is not conducive to rock climbing. You should try for strength and endurance instead. If you specifically want more muscle mass regardless of how it affects your rock climbing, then you should try the Werewolf Training for muscle gains routine on this site.
ok and what about when it comes down to prty, wath shoul i drink cuz i know beer is bad for the belly so hwat kind of drink is bettter???
If you have to drink beer at a party, drink a low carb/low calorie beer like Bud Select or Michelob Ultra Lite. They taste a little lite and have less alcohol, but they both only have about 99 calories per bottle. Now, if you just want to get a buzz or you don’t want to drink beer, you should opt for a Rum and Diet Coke, Gin and Diet Soda Water, Vodka and Flavored Water or Diet fruity Soda. If you want a drink that does have calories but it slightly on the healthier side, you could try a Bloody Mary or even a Screwdriver.
Steve,
I am 37 yrs old, 188 lbs, 6 ft even. About 5 months ago I weighed 230 lbs. In the last 4 weeks I have lost ~23 lbs by weight training 3 days on 1 day off and walking a mile (3mph) in the morning and evening. I also walk about 1.5 miles (about 2mph) during my workout to gauge time between sets. I occasionally run about 1/2 a mile after lifting but nothing farther than that. I definitely have my muscle tone back and seem to be putting on muscle mass and also seem to getting more “cut” but I have no means to determine my % body fat. Now that you have a little background here are my questions
1.) Have I lost weight to rapidly the last few weeks?
2.) I have been weighing myself after my workouts consistently, is this a bad idea?
3.) I have been taking in about 1200-1500 Kcal a day with about 80-100g of protein (any more protein and my calories push 2k). Am I cutting calories to radically? I feel I am getting results but I am hungry ALL THE TIME (I have simply put up with it thus far)and tend to get head rushes a lot if I stand up fast.
4.) Finally, I have been using Metrx big100 bars to replace 1 to 2 meals a day while taking a multivitamin. I eat tons of fresh fruit and veggies as well. I really just want to know if what I am doing is safe or too much too fast. Any feedback is appreciated. My ultimate goal is not to get huge, but to have well defined muscles that are tone and strong.
David I think that it would be a good idea to cut back on water consumption. I notice that when I do this I lean out around the stomach area. What I have found out is that you can actually drink too much water, it may sound crazy but try it it works!
hI Steve, the same guy from above with 12% body fat my calorie intake is around 2200, should I do more cardio and mix up my calorie intake? Thanks a lot!
Hi Steve, my first time writing this.
Male
Age:23
height 5 feet 4 inches
Weight: 135lbs
Body fat: 12%
My question is, I do hiit cardio 3 times a week plus strength training and I do them on alternate days ( Exercise 6 times a week), it been 2 weeks but I can’t seem to shed body fat around my lower abs. What should my calorie intake be? and how many grams from PROTEIN, FAT, AND CARBS, my goal is get down to 7 to 8% body fat.Thanks
David, RE: ectomorphism and trouble with a bit of fat over your abs even at low BF percentages, have you tried watching your sodium and water intake? Especially if you are sodium-sensitive, and do not secrete it easily from your kidneys, you may be taking on too much Na+ w/o realizing it. Make sure to stay hydrated. Second, some people have food sensitivities, which cause them to retain water and/or fat. Dr. Mark Hyman, the integrative wellness M.D., has written several good books on this topic. Note that food sensitivities are not the same as full-blown allergies and anaphylatic shock as some people have, for example, to certain kinds of nuts or peanuts. These are low-level pro-inflammatory foods, such as gluten, casein or other dairy proteins, soy, or certain families of plants. Environmental toxicity of certain kinds can promote your problem also. Finally, fat deposition is genetically-controlled, and certain people simply have more trouble getting very lean than others, even when following a strict regimen like you have. If you down to 5-6% BF, that is already very low. I bet you look great, so why not be pleased with your success? I’d love to have 6% BF myself!
Age: 16
Weight: 170lb
Height: 5’6″
Body Fat: 16%
Hey Steve,
I really liked this article. I had a quation I am going to lower my body fat this summer to really get shredded and lose my belly. I wanted to ask if what I am doing will help me lower my bf. I do a 5×5 full-body weight lifting routine 3x a week and also do Hiit on the treadmill on saperate days 2x a week for around 20 minutes with 1minute full sprint followed by a 30 second jog. I have started a diet based on 2000 calorie diet. I have cut out all sugars, fried foods ect. Don’t drink anything else but water all day. I would like to know if this will help me get the results I want. Are there any diets you recommend? Thank You
Steve, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I started working out about two months ago and am seeing great progress as far as getting some muscle added, but at 5’10” and 195, I’m still squishy in the middle and around my face. I’m looking for more of a swimmer look than haas mass, so I will be putting this plan into action next week. I’ll update in a month on my progress. Hopefully it will be “shirt off” time before the summer hits.
I’ve always been an avid lifter, and as a total ectomorph, I’ve always been pretty lean no matter how I diet. However, I’ve always had a thin layer of fat on my abs, even when I’ve been down to 5-6% BF at my peak. I am pretty strict on my diet and I basically follow all of the above tips. So, I’m kind of at a loss.
Any tips for someone who’s pretty experienced at exercising and watching his diet to get rid of that last tiny bit of fat over the abs? Not that I am even a amateur bodybuilder, but maybe some guidance in the way of how a bodybuilder would get lean for a show?
thanks
Thanks Steve. Ill see what happens.
Aaron: The first thing you should do is switch to full body training three times a week. Then add in 2 HIIT workouts on your off days. Take at least one full day off each week, 2 days off would be better. I have a feeling if you are using a TotalGym, that you are not pushing yourself with the intensity you really need to make progress, but I could be wrong.
Patrick: I have you pegged at around 1900 calories a day if your goal weight is 155 lbs. Your fat loss might have plateaued because your metabolism is in hibernation mode. Kick up your calories to 2100 and lift heavy weights for 3 weeks, then bring it back down to 1900 and start doing two 45 minute full body workouts, 1 HIRT workout, and 2 HIIT workouts during the week; then add one 45 minute endurance workout on the weekend if you must. Once you’ve reset your metabolism and changed your training up a bit, let me know if you’ve started losing fat again.
Yes, I put down every food and drink that i consume every day onto my iphone which has a calorie tracker. I workout 5 days a week, everyday working a different muscle group. I do cardio every other week. I have a set of free weights that I use for my workouts and i also have a TotalGym.
Height: 6?3
Weight:216
Age:17
BF:23
Hey Steve, I was wondering if you can help me with this. I’ve been working out for about 2 months now, and ive been dieting only taking in about 1950 calories a day. I am also taking acai and green tea pills to help with the diet. I am trying to get toned and maybe a six pack, but there is only one problem. For some reason i can not lose body fat. I do cardio and everything but nothing seems to shed the pounds away from my lower abdominal area. You have any idea what I can do to change that?
Aaron: Are you sure you’re only getting 1950 a day? Are you keeping a food log? Are you weightlifting 2-3 times a week and using HIRT or HIIT 2-3 a week for cardio? If not, you should. I would need to know more about your diet and exercise plan to make further comments.
Steve,
I’m already doing your generic workout, as I commented on that article, but had a question about diet. To give you a basic idea, I’m 23, 5’6″ and 187 lbs. My goal is to lose about 20 more pounds, maybe more, to get between 155-160 lbs. My diet right now is based on cutting calories (I take in around 1300 a day, a little more on weight lifting days) as well as carbs. I lift 3 days a week, and do cardio 2-3 days a week, with one of those days usually being HIIT.
When I do eat carbs, it’s in the form of either veggies at lunch/dinner or multi-grain toast with breakfast (eggs, fruit). Is this OK? My weight loss has plateaued at this point, and I’m wondering how to get it going again. I just purchased a bottle of Hot-Rox, so I’m going to try that, but I was also wondering if whey protein would be a good supplement, maybe for the morning instead of the toast. Any type of advice/tips would greatly appreciated, though I do recognize that I can only give you a general overview of my diet, etc. without having met you.
Thanks again for all your hard work on the site.
rAy: It is really hard for me to design a workout and diet routine for you, without really getting to know you. Besides, I’m not really licensed to do that anymore, whether I have the know-how or not.
I think that to get in shape for a D1 football program, you are going to have to maximize your strength, speed, and power. I’ll assume you know how to train, since you only asked me for a diet plan.
I’m not sure which position you play, but at 177 lbs I think you need to gain a little weight in the form of muscle, but not bulky muscle – functional muscle. That means lifting for speed and power. Olympic lifts, plyometrics, sprints, jumping drills, core lifts. You should be adding in some HIIT routines for sure. Agility drills are a must.
I’m thinking 2700 calories is the minimum you should be getting, probably 180-200 grams of protein a day. Complex carbs all over place, with a proper post workout shake containing at least 25 grams of hydrolyzed when protein and 50 grams of dextrose. Healthy fats are important too. Break your nutrition up into 6 meals a day and eat at least 15-20 grams of protein at each meal.
Work on football-specific performance for the next 3-4 months and then you can worry about stripping off an excess fat before preseason training begins.
I am not a football coach, but that is my 2 cents.
ay steve you got anything for me yet ?
Are these good supplements for 1. Muscle gain and 2. Burning fat while muscles are untouched :
1. Maximuscle Cylone or Promax
2. Maximuscle Thermobol
Are these good supplements ? If so i will take both every day at the same time. Any suggestions on others maybe ?
Toby: I have no experience with those supplements, sorry.
Sorry for being a nag steve but i would definently take supplements but im not sure if its safe at my age. Any reccomendations if so maybe a very weak fat burner or muscle builder =) ?
Toby: Please see 2 Step Muscle Gain and 2 Step Fat Loss on the sidebar. Also consider Biotest Hot Rox Extreme for fat burning and protein + Xtend + NOXplode + Biotest Surge for muscle gain.
And if you reccomend HIIT please give me a sample workout on how to lose the most fat – I do not mind if its 2 hours long ( which i know it wont be ) or 5 mins long. I will do anything to lose the fat on my abs while losing the least amount of muscle but i know i can get back the standards i had if sacrifice is needed.
Hi again steve im really confused about what to do for fat loss round the abdominal area. I have a standard cross trainer, jump rope and an exercise bike. I cant really afford to pay my mum to get all the different foods iust live of weetabix and toast with no butter every 3 hours and drink galons of water inbetween. What should I do for each exercise focusing on losing that last bit of fat to show my well earned 6 pack and obliques and how often should i do this ? Oh and yes to give you an idea im 5’5 ft and I weigh 7 stone. If you look at the ad at the top of the screen called ” Get ripped in 30 days … ” i am basically the 1st picture wanting to get to picture 2 and i play football 3 times a week. And that diet with the weetabix i only do that on an odd sunday when i stay in all day.
Trey: Honestly man, I don’t see the point of running in a sweatsuit unless it’s cold out. All that will do is make you lose water weight and dehydrate you right quick.
I don’t know what your “sports pe” class really entails. What is the intensity? Duration? Exercises? Frequency? If that class is not too intense, you may consider lifting in the PM 2-3 nights a week.
I think the majority of your weight loss will come from your diet. Make sure you lift, practice HIIT cardio sessions, do your plyos, and make sure to get in extra sport specific training. Your diet should be high in protein (180-200 g) with moderate carbs and fat, keeping total calories low enough to lose fat but high enough to retain muscle. 2460 calories each day seems like a good place to start, then decrease that amount by 100 calories a week if you’re not losing at least 2 pounds of fat a week.
That’s just a guess.
Height: 6’1
Weight:177
Age:19
Ay Steve I’m a football player currently in college but takeing time off football to get in shape and be prepared to earn that roster spot. I work out M W F and I’m trying to get my body fat, diet and workout right to prepare me for maybe a D1 or D2 school, preferably D1. But I wanted to know if you could help me with a certain strict diet that I can abide by to get me on the right path, I’m hungry literally and as far as meet my goals so can you please give me your best shot.
Thanks
height:5`8
weight:95kg
age:21
im a bodybuilder i trained so hard but the problem is that i have a bulkey body in looks im pretty much builder but coz of bulk in my body im not sharp so plz suggest me some effective supplements to get sharp please.
Adeel: What? If you want to get lean, you should use Biotest Hot Rox Extreme plus HIIT cardio. Do it.
quick question about excercise. on here you say about doing sprints but then you go on to say about only doing moderate intensity cardio as to not put your body into hyper-caloric state just wandering on what you meant
thanks alot and i am having fun with youre workouts
scott
Scott: you can use either one of those products separately or together.
height:6`1
weight:205
age:16
BF:?
hello steve i am just niw comming off of football season and i found your article. I am a line man, but i dont want the exdtra body fat. i want my muscle mass to go up and i want my overall streingth to go up… idk if i am putting myself thru too much or not but i plan on running in a sweatsuite for thirty mins in the morn, then i have sports pe wich is an alternation of lifting and plyometrics, and then i dont know if i should do anything after school. i would like input on whether im doing too much or too little. i want to be the best that i can be. thanks.. trey
hello steve. i was wandering on this get shredded plan would soya milk (unsweetened) be harmfull to me i switched from milk because of the carbs and sugars in it i only have it in my coffee or tea but i myt have a few in the day cheers for now mate..
scott
Scott: I really don’t think it would make much of a difference. Do the soya.
Hi Steve, I havent weighed myself in pounds yet but i know im 7 stone dead on. I was wondering if I am doing to much exercise i have all the Mens Fitness Magazines and I know every exercise inside out with or without a barbell and i workout every single night for 45 mins aiming for muscle mass on different body parts e.g upper back then shoulders then pectorals etc. Do you think im doing too much for my age im just obssesed with fitness not just with body building but performance too oh yer and im 5 and a half foot.
Seriously Toby? I think you might be a troll just trying to stir up some trouble, but I’ll answer you anyway. You grow and adapt when you rest. If you workout 7 days a week, you can’t rest. Start working out only 3-4 times a week but double the intensity of those workouts. Now you will see progress.
No you are all right steve!! He said he works out different parts every night. In that case you can work out every night as long as you only do two muscle groups a night. This is how I train for my events in Body building. I rest of sundays but every other day I’m working out. Keep doing what your doing and lift heavy, Muscle failure is the key.
hi there was wandering on how long to follow this for before having a carb load day or meal .. knowing that everyone is unique how long untill it hinders youre progress and goals come to a plateau.. i have been following this for few weeks now but with a days carb loading and wasnt sure if this would be slowing me down cheers
scott
Scott: cheat meals and carb loading will slow you down unless you really know what you are doing. If you are dieting super strict, like nearly Atkins style, then a carb load once a week will work. If you are following a modified Atkins where you can eat from 70-100 grams of complex carbs a day targeted around your workouts, then 1 sensible cheat meal each week will be OK, but it’s only one meal and you can’t go nuts with it. If you are just trying to eat a healthy diet on a daily basis then you need to modify your diet so that you don’t crave a cheat meal… a healthy life-long diet does not involve weekly cheat meals.
Hey, JUMP ROPE 1000 TIMES EVERY OTHERDAY
AND WATCH AND BE BLOWN AWAY
hello there again iv weighed myself again and am actually 206lbs i had weghed myself before after drinkin a few liquids which bought me up too 15st 4lbs should i drop some calories from 2000 as i am not losing much a t the moment thanks
thanks very much mate cleared that up for me .because i have been following youre 3×5 now for a while and have been doin quite well apart from losing BF …THANKYOU
height:6`2
weight:15st 4lbs
age:25
BF:13%
hello steve im following youre “shred” article and just wandered if i am doing it right as you said to choose DESIRED weight so without realising i chose 180lbs thinking it wasnt far of my weight. I have already deducted 400 calories of the original 2160 protein is round the 160g-180g mark and fats are ok but not as high as i like.
What do you rekon? would apreciate your comment back thanks alot aaron.
aaron: Well I can’t really imagine at 6’2 that you would want to get down to 180 lbs. Your numbers certainly don’t add up. At 225 lbs and 13% bodyfat, if those numbers are accurate, you have 195 lbs of lean mass (muscle, bone, organs, etc…) and about 30 lbs of bodyfat. Certainly you can’t get down to 180 lbs without losing 45 lbs. So you are planning to lose 15 lbs of lean mass in addition to all 30 pounds of bodyfat? I don’t think so.
I would think 200 lbs would be more realistic, if not still slightly aggressive. Furthermore, 2000 calories sounds better at your height. When you get down to 210 lbs you should reevaluate your goals. You might find that you are happy stopping at 205 lbs and turning your focus back to building muscle.
Great article Steve, I have been dieting and this helped me out, just sucks because most of my food are carbs, they are the cheapest. Thanks again
Rich: Carbs are not only cheapest, but also usually the easiest to prepare. Anything you can dump ready-to-eat out of a box or bag into a bowl, is both convenient and probably not that good for you.
Hi Steve. Is there any point in doing crunches and not doing a full body workout? For some reason I get really sleepy after exercise so I’m trying to avoid that. I got 2 major issues, I can’t lose belly fat and I have a hard time when i get hungry again after eating. I was told to eat small meals throughout the day, so i tried. But I keep getting hungry throughout the day and i don’t feel that it’s working for me. If this helps, i’m only 5’3 and i weigh 135.
Alina: I’m not entirely sure what you are asking here. If you want to lose fat you are going to have to accept being a little hungry once in a while. What are your goals? How much are you currently eating? If you get tired after exercise, you should follow your exercise up with a post workout shake followed by a small post workout meal.
Height: 5’10
Weight: 200
Age: 16
Bf: ?
I’m only 16 and I can deadlift 450 bench 225 clean 170 and squat 340. Is this good? Could you please e-mail me at [removed by admin]
I need some feed back about it. It would be much appreciated.
Cody:
First of all, you should not try to post your email address in blog comments. Nothing good will come of that.
Secondly, your numbers are good for a 16 year old. I suppose the numbers you gave me are all 1 rm? If so, you have obviously been doing something right. Keep on lifting heavy and you will be a monster by the time you are 18, and even bigger in your 20’s. Trying to play college football or something?
Paolo:
Meat and cheese are high in protein and fat, and very low in carbs, which makes them both great choices for a fat loss diet.
Hi,
A little confused on this. So the first thing the article states is to cut calories, but then it goes on to say eat as much cheese, meat and fats as you want. Isn’t cheese one of the worst things to eat since they are just empty calories, and a ton of them too?
Thanks.
Cheese isn’t empty calories. Cheese has fat, yes, but it also has protein and is carb-free, which makes it a perfect food to eat on a low-carb diet.
Age : 21
hieght : 6’1″
weight : 78 kg
I am abodybuilder and spend 45 minutes in doing heavy exercises . I am often suffer with back pain.I am also have a problem with my diet. so please diagnose me about diet an d back pain release
Saqib:
I can’t diagnose you with anything. I am not a medical professional. Go have a doctor check on your back. If the case is only tight hamstrings, then you should stretch your hamstrings for 10 minutes after every workout. Other than that, I have no idea what’s wrong with you.
For diet, do a search on this site for anything to do with diet and nutrition, and read it all.
Saqib, your post is very vague in terms of your complaint – so take this advice with a grain of salt. See a medical professional, and perhaps get an Rx for some PT sessions if necessary. Many weight-lifters, even young men, have flexibility problems due to neglecting that aspect of their training in favor of lifting. Many guys also develop muscle disbalances due to over-training anterior muscles, and under-training posterior ones. Last, hamstrings need constant work or the muscles shorten with disuse. A good physical therapist or trainer can assist you with these issues. Many lifters benefit from yoga or pilates. As a middle-aged man, after a lifetime of lifting and resistance training, I discovered that fitness is more than hoisting heavy weights. You have to have a more balanced approach. Over-doing anything, even something as beneficial as weight-training, can and does lead to problems eventually. Another great way to lengthen those shortened, hypertrophied muscle fibers is to swim for your cardio. Swimming is among the most effective total-body workouts around, and can be of great benefit to lifters.
It is easy on your joints, improves flexibility, elevates your cardio-pulmonary capacity, and also is good exercise for muscles that lifters sometimes neglect. Check it out. My brother – a life-long competitive swimmer – could probably still pass special forces training, and he is in his 50s. It’s no lie – swimming is the real deal if you go about it the right way and train smart.
Stop Lifting so heavy, Go to the cyropractor, Quit lifting for a week. If you are Body building take 1.5 Grams of protein Per 1lbs of body weight.
I am a 22 year-old male and I have been lifting for a year with good muscle gains. Unfortunately I have also gained fat. I have just read the article and I have been making all the wrong decisions. After reading this I will hopefully achieve a comfortable body fat percentage. I will keep everyone posted.
-Shannin
You should totally make a plan and stick with it. I hope you will come back and post another comment with your progress stats.
Hi Steve – great articles – thanks!
I have one question though, relating to this article.
You state: “Eat any and all meats and cheeses.”
Isn’t cheese extremely high in fat? Surely eating a lot of cheese will hamper your progress? Just wondering!
Thanks
Excellent tips Steve, I will particularly benefit from the part were you talk about calorie intake and how you calculate your daily calorie needs to lose fat.
Thanks!
Height: 5’11
Weight: 168
Sex: Male
Body Fat: ?
Ive been working out for the last 2 months and I have seen a little of difference and where I think im going wrong is the diet?? Thank god ive found this article I think its going to help and I will keep you posted.
[…] While looking at my starting goals, I found that there is a need to tweak some of them or add more to them in order to really see even better (hopefully) results. So, I made some actions more specific such as eating certain kinds of food at particular times of the day instead of saying that I will eat “clean.” However, I’d like to keep these changes to myself for now even though I plan to reveal them at the end of this challenge. Some of the concepts I’m trying to follow are from Turbulence Training, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, Eat Stop Eat, and Precision Nutrition. Some of my strategies are also pretty simple and available to the general public already just like this article from Project Swole. […]
I was looking for some sound advice today to ramp up my progress and I found it today when I googled “Project Shred”. This is what I thought up for myself when I decided I needed to get serious. This is excellent information. I will be checking back in!
Thanks.
Excellent article.
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 177lbs
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Bodyfat: 11%
I’m an avid weightlifter and I diet hard too. I only recently started dieting, but I’ve just finished a very successful bulking cycle (jumped up to 190lbs 16% BF) and now I’m back down. I gained way too much BF on the bulk, but I also gained 22lbs of muscle in one month 🙂
Time to cut and I will re-post my new stats after the cycle. I won’t mess this one up either – woo Spring Break!!
I look forward to seeing your new stats. Have you heard anything about this guy Anthony Roberts who is supposed to be some expert in AS, but just got his website siezed? – I guess there is a story about him on steroidtimes.com with some odd cartoon. Anyone know more details?”
im currently 5’9,220 lbs,male, age 21 with 30% body fat i want to get the vin diesel built..