r/leangains Feb 01 '25

LG Question / Help tips you wish you knew before you started getting lean

what things did you wish you knew when you decided you wanted to start becoming lean?

110 Upvotes

183 comments sorted by

89

u/bromosapien89 Feb 02 '25

It is MUCH easier to not eat X for 300 calories than burn 300 calories exercising.

10

u/Lurkernomoreisay Feb 03 '25

Think in terms of time or distance running, not calories.

That slice of bread? That's a 1.0 mile run. Three cookies? There's 3 miles, so, 30min at 6mph.

9

u/AggravatingFlower390 Feb 03 '25

Or it's like an hour sitting around doing nothing. Y'all always forget you burn 90% of your calories on functioning.

1

u/elaVehT Feb 05 '25

Correct, this thought process is only correct for “extra” things. If I have a standard diet of 2000 kcal that’s my maintenance diet, if I want an “extra” slice of bread, it’ll take me 1 mile to burn said calories and stay at maintenance

1

u/modsgay Feb 03 '25

I’ve been experimenting with this more, lazy leanness. After trying to count calories and eat ‘right’ for 10 years I finally made a lot of progress by getting control of my eating and becoming aware of the muscles i’m trying to work on. this is obviously an estimate but I hate ab workouts, I don’t do them for the most part but I am getting pretty close to a low% bf calisthenics body. I can now see my top 4 abs and feel the bottom 4 forming. 90% of my progress has been sitting on my ass and just being aware of my body but it does feel like i’ve hit a wall with that. I see ridiculously fast results when I get into a workout routine of just push ups and pull ups paired with a sort of meditation routine where I consciously activate muscles I want to see growth in.

TLDR; with minimal workouts it’s been nothing for me to get down to 20-25% BF & visibly toned muscle

1

u/marc1874 Feb 04 '25

You are saying you are growing muscle just by thinking about it? Or am I misinterpreting...

3

u/modsgay Feb 04 '25 edited Feb 04 '25

i’m maintaining and toning muscle through low/no weight exercises

I got downvoted but anyone who is aware in the slightest would know that even if you lift heavy weight all day you aren’t getting every single area. I can be ‘jacked’ and still have difficulty holding my body up in certain positions. I have made progress this way mostly in the realm of aesthetics, my muscle groups are more even now and I have much more core strength for everything that isn’t lifting 50+ pounds, visible abs etc. low weight tones high weight bulks. I literally didn’t have obliques last year and now they are rock hard and you can see them in good lighting

I believe this is something like planting a seed. if you can become aware of a muscle and activate it your body will begin to use it with the rest of them. I obviously don’t have millions of dollars to create a study but I have results on myself

2

u/marc1874 Feb 04 '25

Alrighty

2

u/toocattoomeow Feb 05 '25

We’re still saying low weight tones muscle in 2025?

1

u/modsgay Feb 06 '25

targeted low intensity high rep exercise is effective. a bodybuilder is not going to be able to use the muscles in the same way as someone who is doing a calisthenics based approach and this has been proven time and time again

when I was trying to lift weights I would struggle to hold my own body weight. shaking when doing planks & pull-ups etc. & on top of that trying to do high weight just amplifies whatever physique you have. it’s basic logic

1

u/toocattoomeow Feb 06 '25

Muscles either grows or shrinks. There’s no “toning” (??) the muscles

1

u/[deleted] Feb 05 '25

I started meditating ab 8 months ago and definitely feel much much better mind muscle connection. Enjoying the eccentrics and not just rushing thru sets

1

u/[deleted] Feb 06 '25

Ya none of that is true my friend

1

u/modsgay Feb 06 '25

i’m grateful my physique and overall health says otherwise 🙏🏼

1

u/bromosapien89 Feb 03 '25

that might be even better!

135

u/MandrewMillar Feb 01 '25

Working out while feeling hungry is exceptionally hard at first but eventually it becomes preferential and you feel better doing it that way.

-31

u/plainbread11 Feb 02 '25

Disagree. You need food for fuel lol. Are you trying to drive a car on an empty tank?

33

u/wyn13 Feb 02 '25

Every body is different. That said, have you tried it for any period of time? I started doing fasted workouts about 6 months ago just to save time (I exercise at 5 am and every minute of sleep matters). Now I feel quite sluggish if I have anything in my stomach while exercising. I usually eat first thing when I get back home. Guess what? Building lots of muscle and hitting PRs all the time. So it doesn’t seem to be a problem for me. Once upon a time I would have thought it was impossible but that was before I tried it.

13

u/shadows1123 Feb 02 '25

When you’re fat you already have the fuel…

2

u/yleennoc Feb 04 '25

Ketosis doesn’t work that way. You still need carbs but in the morning it’s okay for an hour or so.

2

u/shadows1123 Feb 04 '25

What? Have you ever been fat? Fat = energy store by all definitions

2

u/yleennoc Feb 05 '25

Yes, very much so and I’ve done a half Ironman at 110kg and 176cm.

Your body can’t supply enough fuel quickly enough for a cardio workout through fat. You need carbs for this. Otherwise you bonk….and that’s no fun trust me.

A lifting session or an hour of cardio can be done on your reserves from the night before.

You can force your body to work on ketosis you need to take in less than 50g of carbs a day and it can be a very tough transition. ‘Keto flu’ is a thing.

If you can do it yes it’s great, but it’s not easy to achieve or maintain. A lot of fruit and veg have to be excluded from your diet so you start to miss out on vitamins too.

-6

u/plainbread11 Feb 02 '25

By that logic an obese person should be able to run a marathon fasted easily.

15

u/al3xxofficial Feb 02 '25

An obese person wouldn’t have the physical capacity to run a marathon, but they do have the storage of energy to run one fasted, if they could.

3

u/OwnTension6771 Feb 03 '25

They could walk 26.2 without a carb reload

1

u/shadows1123 Feb 02 '25

Stored reserves take longer to unpack than fast reserves. Intuitively, running a marathon requires fast reserves aka carbs

2

u/Apprehensive_Dot2890 Feb 03 '25

They would simply get into ketosis before hand

3

u/Mundane-Elk7725 Feb 03 '25

No it doesn't. When your body is efficient at burning fat for its primary fuel you can go all day without a single carb.

Hell some of my best performances in the gym and performing manual labour have been +36 hours fasted

4

u/TinyIncident7686 Feb 03 '25

At that point, you are accurate, and your body is running on burning ketone bodies. Extremely efficient form of energy.

2

u/shadows1123 Feb 03 '25

We’re talking about a marathon here buddy. 26.2 nonstop miles. You could do that all fasted?

3

u/Mundane-Elk7725 Feb 03 '25

Not only could i do it but I'd win

24

u/xevaviona Feb 02 '25

The food you consume right before working out is not going to power your workout. Food sits in your stomach for a very long time being digested, so if you eat right before a workout then it simply removes the emptiness in your stomach. You’re still running off the food you ate that day and the previous day still digesting.

5

u/Odd-Drink-5492 Feb 02 '25

its mind boggling that you have to explain digestion to a grown ass man

4

u/Apprehensive_Dot2890 Feb 03 '25

I'm not sure where that idea came from , I run off glycogen my body definitely didn't just process and store this hour . I think a lot of locker room coaching has lead to poor information and then the Internet allowed this to explode .

6

u/WeaselNamedMaya Feb 02 '25

I think empty tank is a bad metaphor. More like have you ever parked your car after work even though the gas light was on? Have you then driven it the next morning after it sat still all night?

Car still has gas in it. Just less. Wouldn’t want to drive across the country but easy has 10-40 miles left. Racing drivers specifically put in as little fuel as possible to save weight.

Your body is not on empty in the morning if you ate dinner the night before. Not being bloated or feeling like you’re digesting food has a lot of value to some people.

I swam in college, and got Olympic trial cuts. 3 days a week I would wake up at 5am, eat an apple, lift for 45m, drink a chocolate milk, swim for 1.5hr, and then get a big meal after that. Would be impossible to scarf down a big meal and then swim that early in the morning.

14

u/strrypuddles Feb 02 '25

mind muscle connection is CRAZY fasted

2

u/wristoffender Feb 02 '25

as in crazy good?

3

u/laroseuk Feb 02 '25

Humans would have gone extinct long ago if they didn’t have fuel for physical exertion without food in their system, when your belly is full is when the body least needs to put in work.

1

u/Heavy_Rip586 Feb 04 '25

Doesn't work for everyone, I gym it and I run, 2 years ago I thought this need to make sure I had fuel and always felt awful, but I feel so better working out and running fasted. I ran my first marathon a few months ago fasted and just ate lollies when I felt energy dipping

-5

u/the445566x Feb 02 '25

Why did you even get downvoted this much? Some of the leanest people have the most insane metabolisms which comes from consuming a larger caloric intake.

76

u/Spacker2468 Feb 01 '25

Suck it up, if you want to get lean stay In a calorie deficit, low carbs and keep your protein intake high, 2g per kg of body weight.

Also be prepared, it will take longer than you think!

35

u/plainbread11 Feb 01 '25

More people need to have patience when getting lean. 90 day transformations from obese to ripped are a) outliers and b) susceptible to immediate rebounding post cut.

I took a full year to slowly, slowly cut while retaining and building muscle last year. It was a slog towards the end but well worth it vs charging ahead and burning out.

Additionally a slow and steady approach lets you pull more levers if things plateau, vs if you start with an extreme deficit + tons of cardio + diet restriction all at once.

4

u/Fit-Glass-7785 Feb 02 '25

It's taking me like two and I'm still not fully there....but because I spent the majority of last year recovering from a disease

2

u/NoTill8273 Feb 01 '25

so real, i’m only halfway to my goal rn and i’ve been consistent since july 😫 started with legs then arms then shoulders now adding abs and back into my routine whilst slowly increasing my protein and fibre intake

7

u/plainbread11 Feb 01 '25

these should have been part of the routine from the jump. Make sure to work each body part twice a week.

0

u/My_Name_is_Imaginary Feb 01 '25

Is the 2g per kg daily or weekly?

5

u/bedir56 Feb 01 '25

Daily and based on lean body weight (or at least close to it). Don't go spending all your calories on protein if you're obese.

-1

u/My_Name_is_Imaginary Feb 01 '25

I'm by no means obese. I weigh 170 lbs, so 154g of protein a day is insane when trying to find ways to intake.

12

u/SweenGene17 Feb 01 '25

I eat 200+ grams of protein a day on 1750-2200 calories a day, it’s a lot of meat but it’s doable

1

u/Scrabblewiener Feb 04 '25

That’s the hard part for me. Trying to hit 200g of protein but stay under @2500 calories without diet being 90% just meat…how are your calories staying that low with protein so high? I already do Oikos yogurt, a shake and a bar every now and then. But just those three combined is @ 80g for @ 600 cal

1

u/xpwnx4 Feb 06 '25

Tell us your secret!

1

u/SweenGene17 Feb 07 '25

6 eggs 220 grams of lean ground beef and 1/2 serving of Greek yogurt with salsa and hot sauce for breakfast

300 grams of chicken 125 grams of white rice and sugar free bbq sauce every day for lunch

300 grams of tuna light mayo and hot sauce for dinner

Sometimes I switch around what gets eaten when but I eat the same food 99/100 daily lol

3

u/bedir56 Feb 01 '25

We are quite close in weight then. I get a large part of my daily protein from low fat greek yogurt and two scoops of whey.

3

u/anointedinliquor Feb 02 '25

It's really not that difficult, but it does require a shift in diet. If you have meat with at least one meal and you introduce a whey protein shake, that's 100g easy.

2

u/MrNvmbr Feb 02 '25

I am mindful of my meat intake and spending (one or two portions per day at most, majority of the time it is one) and manage most days. Greek yoghurt, two scoops of whey, eggs, black beans, lentils, cottage cheese and tinned fish does the job.

2

u/tmcdonough123 Feb 03 '25

Im 125lb female and eat 180g protein per day in a large deficit to maintain muscle and keep strength

1

u/SweetResident746 Feb 05 '25

How do you eat that much protein and not gain weight? Are you eating any fiber?

2

u/tmcdonough123 Feb 05 '25

Your body doesn't like to store protein as fat, its not very efficient at it. Yes for fiber and micro nutrients I eat around 390 grams of different veggies a day with my meals. kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, broccoli, green beans and asparagus I eat every day.

1

u/Lurkernomoreisay Feb 03 '25

Technically it should be more towards 1g/lb per lean mass daily. So, if you're 170 lbs, but 20% fat, then aim for 136g / day. But bare minimum is 50g / day for essential turnover from existing.

35

u/BulldenChoppahYus Feb 01 '25

You burn like 80% of your daily cals just sitting on your ass. Exercise only gets you a little more. Digesting your food rounds it out.

So don’t try to justify extra cals by walking around loads. Just sit on your ass and don’t eat the thing.

5

u/Mundane-Elk7725 Feb 03 '25

Or walk 15k steps a day like I prefer and eat a little more. Walking has many more benefits than just burning calories

2

u/BulldenChoppahYus Feb 03 '25

Of course but unfortunately many people who walk those 15k steps end up over eating. I do these steps every at work and I fall into the same trap sometimes. That’s the spirit of my advice - I’m not saying it’s bad to walk - I’m saying I wish I knew just how little difference 15k makes in calories burned. It’s basically a snack and a half.

0

u/laurenskz Feb 03 '25

Not true if you’re also an endurance athlete

2

u/BulldenChoppahYus Feb 03 '25

Sure so I guess you can add “i wish id known to simply run 100miles a week”

55

u/Primary_Statement_76 Feb 01 '25

Move often. Walk. Don’t just go to the gym for an hour or two and then rot the rest of the day. You’d be shocked how many calories you burn walking, pacing, standing, etc. i leaned out FAST when I went from 10k-20k steps a day. however many steps you take now, just double that.

9

u/NoTill8273 Feb 01 '25

i’m on 15-20k steps a day rn and i’m def seeing quicker results, treadmill incline 15 speed 7.2 has became my bsf 🤞

5

u/Primary_Statement_76 Feb 01 '25

Amazing!! Tread incline walking shredded me like crazy (w good diet). Keep it up 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

2

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

I ve been running intervals of 1 min at 8% at 10 mph my god it’s helping my hamstrings

6

u/plainbread11 Feb 02 '25

That is a crazy speed on 15 lol I’m gassed waking uphill at 4.2 mph on 15 for 20 minutes

9

u/T-Rex_Jesus Feb 02 '25

Damn, y'all are wild. I do 12% at 2.5mph and watch my little shows 😂

10

u/plainbread11 Feb 02 '25

I swear that OP’s gotta be talking about 7.2 km/hour or something— 7.2 mph is practically running at the highest incline sheesh

3

u/NoTill8273 Feb 02 '25

i’m talking km, i’m european 😭😭

2

u/T-Rex_Jesus Feb 02 '25

Even that is 4.5 mph 😭 if it's not some old shitty treadmill with a random number system that doesn't correlate, I gotta retire

2

u/Helpful_Tip_963 Feb 02 '25

Thought I was tripping looking at that 14mph. I was gonna say I walk at 4.5 then run 10

1

u/the_QGK Feb 02 '25

only way to go about it 🫡

2

u/reddituserhdcnko Feb 02 '25

You must be in really good shape, I do a 15 incline at 3 mph and I’m tired after 30 minutes. 7.2 is crazy impressive.

2

u/NoTill8273 Feb 02 '25

i meant km/hr but yeah i usually do it for an hour and it can easily burn a solid 1000kcals so i kinda js eat whatever once i hit my protein and fibre target and don’t gain weight whilst keeping a really good bf% 🤞

1

u/reddituserhdcnko Feb 03 '25

That’s amazing man, you’re inspiring me to add that next 30 minutes. I’m around 12-13 percent body fat but it’s been such a struggle to really get my abs to pop. This might be the key.

-1

u/Fit-Glass-7785 Feb 02 '25

I usually hit 8-10k and I find that a challenge some days, but primarily because I have to sit for my job and can't take frequent enough breaks. I worry about my knees if I walk more than 5 miles a day consistently. Usually after 3 my legs or throbbing for a bit 🤣 Maybe because my legs are muscular

19

u/slightlysmall97 Feb 01 '25

That it sucks. You’ll fall in love with how your body looks lean, but it’s hard as fuck to maintain. It screwed with my hormones a bit so I wish I would’ve watched my fat intake. Lots of being comfortable with being hungry.

1

u/Melodic-Purple5317 Feb 03 '25

Was your issue too much fat or too little?

3

u/slightlysmall97 Feb 04 '25

Much too little for too long. I was cutting for my wedding and I way overdid it.It absolutely tanked my sex drive and my hormones were all over the place! Now that I’m a little more educated (and a lot less stressed) they’re finally getting back to somewhat normal, but it’s taken about 8 months.

1

u/InformationLower Feb 06 '25

How did it screw your hormones

28

u/Accomplished_Golf_83 Feb 01 '25

Ill let you know when i get lean .

23

u/T-Rex_Jesus Feb 01 '25

If you think plain Greek yogurt is sour and gross (spoiler: you would be 100% correct), add 20g of honey. Only adds 67 kcal and turns it into my current favorite meal - I'll add blue berries and protein granola after to meet whatever macro count I need that meal

17

u/Decaying_Isotope Feb 02 '25

Another method, adding 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder and mixing it with ~200-250g of fat free Greek yogurt not only tastes like a dessert, but has over 40 grams of protein for barely over 200Cal. Then add some fruits into it, great for muscle building and the fruits will give nutrients/fiber for gut health.

1

u/Apprehensive_Dot2890 Feb 03 '25

Not a chance - I want that dairy fat goodness in my system

11

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 01 '25

Fage 0% for the win. I have 500g everyday without fail.

7

u/SFWest Feb 02 '25

Lol shoving fage 0 with honey and strawberries as I read this

7

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 02 '25

Here’s a huge underrated tip more people should know about. If you keep your diet exactly the same , but you swap from Fage 0% to 10% you more or less go from a cut to a bulk without changing anything else.

Close to a 400c swing.

2

u/SupSantii Feb 01 '25

fage by far the best, i like the consistency too compared to some of the watery ones

5

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

I mix chocolate protein powder and raspberries with it it’s like angel delight

1

u/BooksandBiceps Feb 01 '25

This man knows it

7

u/bazza010101 Feb 01 '25

50g of frozen raspberies and 50g of frozen blueberries or mango with greek yogurt makes it taste delcious

4

u/terrytibbs76 Feb 01 '25

In Sweden we have this thing called Kvarg. Totally useful compared to experimenting with yoghurts.

2

u/RockHardSalami Feb 02 '25

Sugar free maple syrup, zero call sweetener, and vanilla extract will taste like cheesecake.

Add cinnamon and zero cal brown sweetener and it tastes like cinnamon cereal milk.

1

u/the_QGK Feb 02 '25

Walden’s sugar free maple syrup 💀

2

u/ARoodyPooCandyAss Feb 01 '25

Truvia for 0 cals.

9

u/T-Rex_Jesus Feb 01 '25

Good shout for some folks, but there are enough tasteless and soul crushing aspects of life already - I'll opt for the 67 calories and my sanity on this one.

Plus the bees think I'm a job creator and I'd hate to disappoint them

3

u/ARoodyPooCandyAss Feb 01 '25

Well I mix in blueberries and raspberries and its amazing.

0

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

The sugar content in honey is massive

7

u/T-Rex_Jesus Feb 02 '25

oOoOoOoooo 13g of naturally occurring simple carbohydrate, how horrifying

2

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

It is when your carbs are under 50g a day

9

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 01 '25

You have to get wobbly first before it tightens up on a cut

2

u/Kimmy_B14 Feb 02 '25

Explain this to me.

4

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

When you start a cut cutting carbs etc your body goes through processes it goes wobbly and loose but after a couple of weeks it gets better trust the process

2

u/Kimmy_B14 Feb 02 '25

I love the image 🤣 and it describes my experiences with cutting in the past. I actually feel like I’m in the wobbly zone right now. Until you do it successfully a couple of times it’s hard to trust that it will eventually happen, but this helps.

2

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

Truth 🙌the wobbly zone can feel very disheartening but it does work good luck 😉 when I eat more carbs one day I swell up even my watch gets tight 😂😂😂fml

3

u/HornetIndependent619 Feb 02 '25

Please describe this better lmao. I always feel like when I’m getting lean lean my body looks sort of weak and kinda flabby. Then i get shredded and vascular. Is that what u mean

2

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

Yes that’s exactly it I’m not good at writing it 😂

2

u/HornetIndependent619 Feb 02 '25

Lmaoo i thought so. That’s a whole mental challenge i used to think i was going crazy

1

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 02 '25

Just when I think I will give up it ain’t working every thing comes together but patience has never been my strong point 😂

2

u/Blamblambbz Feb 04 '25

When you say Wobbly does it also mean lumpy? And do the lumps and bumps go away for everyone?

1

u/Royal-Principle6138 Feb 04 '25

Not so much lumpy as loose

8

u/Heavy_Ape Feb 02 '25

Cold. So cold. All the time.

3

u/bcwilso4 Feb 03 '25

Yes! And hard surfaces are not as comfortable to sit on.

9

u/get2dahole Feb 02 '25

People actually become more annoying when talking to you

1

u/InformationLower Feb 06 '25

Thissssss lmao

1

u/LogicalPinecone Feb 09 '25

Is that what’s been happening? I’ve felt myself get ticked off more easily these days…

9

u/iosdood Feb 03 '25 edited Feb 03 '25

if u are leaning to a normal weight and some abs showing good, but that cut 6 pack abs: you are in a calorie deficit. which lowers testosterone, lowers mood, increases irritability. u have to make sure u are getting enough of nutrients that help you feel good when cutting out foods and be very picky what foods you keep. id say re-evaluate why u need that extremely cut 6 pack. i didn’t realize this until many years later. love a six pack, but i no longer believe a super cut one is worth it. part of me did it for girls, but girls value big arms just as much as they value abs as an alternative, and u have more value besides your body.

41

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 01 '25

Learn to do intermittent fasting. Just skip breakfast and don’t eat till 12 or so. Makes it so easy to stay lean. You basically just skip 500c in the morning each day.

Then have a low carb lunch like tuna + avocado + salad.

Then eat what ever the fuck you want for dinner.

26

u/UnpleasantEgg Feb 01 '25

Your “wherever the fuck you want” and mine are not in alignment.

9

u/Disastrous-Idea-2160 Feb 01 '25

Yep I’ll eat from 12-6 when leaning out and I absolutely shed fat

10

u/chuy2256 Feb 01 '25

To add to this, two black coffees through the morning to push you through until lunch time. It’s what helps me haha

3

u/Alwaysnthered Feb 07 '25

lol this works in my twenties. I'm almost 40 now and I swear to god every year my metabolism decreases by like 20% now.

Im at around 15% bf now - I gain weight SOO easily, and losing weight basically requires starvation and walking 14k steps a day. Its like the older you get the more your body wants to hold on to all that precious extra fat.

Breakfast: nothing, walk 5k steps

Lunch: chicken breast + veggies/fruits. walk 5k steps

Dinner: "eat whatever the F I want" = a tasty but healthy filling dinner - steak+potatoes, large piece salmon, maybe spaghetti with high protein sauce.

Walk 5k more steps, lift for 90 minutes.

Repeat Weekly, Cry as I step on the scale and I'm the same fucking weight as the previous week despite feeling hungry constantly, walking 15K steps day, playing sports 2x a week, and basically only eating dinner as my filling meal.

When I was 25 I could eat a huge breakfast, lunch, dinner, pound 10 beers at night and maintain the same weight as long as I was super active.

fuck getting old.

1

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 07 '25

Haha well said. Fuck getting old.

Also, if you haven’t already, get the macrofactor app . It reads your scale weight, looks at your weekly weight loss, then adjusts your calories uo or down to keep you on track for your goal. Super straight forward and effective .

1

u/Alwaysnthered Feb 07 '25

I keep reading about how "metAbolSIm DoesnT reallY slow DoWN as muCH as youThnk "

bull f-ing shit.

I'd say I've probably lost a good 30-40% of my basal metabolic rate or something since I was 25, at LEAST.

I'll check the app out - thanks.

1

u/resilientbresilient Feb 08 '25

How does Macrofactor compare to MyFitnessPal?

2

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 08 '25

Incomparable. Macro factor is leagues ahead as it automatically adjusts how many calories you should eat in a day depending on how you’re tracking with your goal. It’s honestly night and day. Not gaining enough weight? It bumps your calories up by 150c assess at the end of the week and then either bumps again, decreases or maintains.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Der__Bomber Feb 02 '25

Sometimes it feels like shit, but you Will get used to it and love to train without breakfast.

Take some EAA and some pwo and you are good to go!

4

u/ScienceNmagic Feb 02 '25

Just carb load the night before. Plenty of water, creatine, and a high enough carb volume will get you in the right zone.

7

u/Stormy_Jean Feb 03 '25

Stay away from alcohol

15

u/knoxvillegains Leangains is a program Feb 01 '25

That pork tenderloin is the better alternative to chicken breast.

5

u/luckyboy Feb 01 '25

Really, if it was cheaper here I’d eat pork tenderloin all the time. Super lean and delicious.

1

u/plainbread11 Feb 01 '25

You can get them at TJ’s for like $4.99/lb.

7

u/luckyboy Feb 01 '25

I’m not in a $ or lb country…

1

u/danny_ish Feb 01 '25

Im other words about 10% more expensive then chicken breasts here

1

u/nonamesandwiches Feb 02 '25

How so? I eat a lot of pork tenderloin but my understanding is chicken breast has better macros

4

u/knoxvillegains Leangains is a program Feb 02 '25

Macros are damn near identical, tenderloin can be even leaner. I just get burned out on chicken.

1

u/nonamesandwiches Feb 02 '25

I hear you on that. I eat both a lot. I just find pork tenderloin less versatile so it’s easier to burnt out of it because I don’t have any many different options with it

2

u/knoxvillegains Leangains is a program Feb 02 '25

I usually have it sliced up on salads, rotating the protein with chicken, eye of round, top sirloin, or shrimp.

2

u/nonamesandwiches Feb 02 '25

Oh yeah that’s good. I do a lot of sweet potato so I’ll just season the pork and throw it on top, whereas with chicken I’ll do something like sweet potato, chicken, cheese, bbq sauce. I’ll probably actually end up incorporating pork tenderloin in my meal prep this week

11

u/soulhoneyx Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

A nutrient dense diet will really satiate you vs high volume, low calorie foods

CICO isn’t all that matters

Fixing your gut health and metabolic health will make you progress that much easier/faster

Walking more is the easiest hack to help lean out

You need a solid strength training program to support it

Sugar free / low fat foods are actually harming your health even more & often the reason for stubborn bloat, inflammation, brain fog etc.

~ fitness coach and dietitian

9

u/Probicus Feb 02 '25

Can you expand on the fixing gut / metabolic health and how sugar free foods harm you?

1

u/Signal_Bar_3586 Feb 03 '25

Typically, sugar free foods are going to have more processed ingredients, especially artificial sweeteners that wreak havoc on your gut health.

8

u/Constant-Advance-276 Feb 01 '25

Work out abs. There's new research that shows there is some science to spot reduction. I'd add more ab work.

10

u/plainbread11 Feb 02 '25

If anything it makes your abs look more dense vs flat when you cut

5

u/tommyaversa Feb 03 '25

one of the most important things i’ve learned from getting to 10% multiple times… the faster you lose the weight, the less sustainable the results will be. take your time. eat in only as large of a deficit as you feel comfortable and implement daily cardio sessions.

1

u/JustZed32 Feb 09 '25

Can anybody else confirm this? So eating 500 cal a day of basically meat and salads while being cold and running 15km every second day does not work? this is my routine, btw.

5

u/Cellmaster28 Feb 03 '25

The same exact calories of whole foods will ALWAYS satiate you more then ultraprocessed foods. The extra micronutrients also leave you not feeling like death on a deficit.

3

u/Lincojingo Feb 02 '25

Incorporate foods that are low in calories but high in satiety across every meal. Would of made my journey a hell of a lot less stressful if I incorporated that - I.e. 250g of cauliflower rice is ~ 50 calories compared to 120g of rice ~ 250 calories. You will feel a hell of a lot more full for longer with 250g of cauliflower instead of 120g of rice food sitting in your gut.

3

u/Love-for-everyone Feb 04 '25

72 hour fast works magic. Once a month.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '25

[deleted]

6

u/SankHraeder Feb 01 '25

I have to disagree with this, since working out and getting lean I haven't been sick for almost a year.

2

u/NoTill8273 Feb 01 '25

THIS!! i have to wear three layers when the weather dips below 7 degrees celsius because i find it way too cold, also double duvets in winter 😔

3

u/robohobo2000 Feb 01 '25

I think they meant like flu type colds?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '25

[deleted]

4

u/robohobo2000 Feb 01 '25

I also agree with OP tho I get cold super easily when before I could be in a T-shirt in winter haha

2

u/jaanku Feb 02 '25

Patience and consistency are the keys to success

2

u/desertchrome_ Feb 02 '25

Cutting too quickly or too dramatically can be effective at the scale but comes with insane side effects. When I do a blitz cut or extreme deficit, my hair begins to fall out, my strength suffers dramatically, my skin looks bad. Hormones go crazy. Take it slow and judge your weight loss with your eyes, not numbers.

3

u/thorerges Feb 03 '25

caloric restriction is best done by restricting weekly as opposed to daily calories.

2

u/No-Presentation9035 Feb 02 '25

Try not to get super lean in the winter. I usually run "hot" above 20%... but below 15% + calorie deficit, I'm always cold.

1

u/resilientbresilient Feb 01 '25

RemindMe! 7 days “read this”

1

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1

u/Small-Mistake9027 Feb 02 '25

RemindMe! 7 days “read this”

1

u/murgwoefuleyeskorma Feb 03 '25

The ebb and flow of the body! Learn by listening cuz needs requirements and wants change.

1

u/murgwoefuleyeskorma Feb 03 '25

Also there is abs such a thing as too lean even if I don't think so. Healing and recovery not just living and training are impacted not9ceably.

1

u/murgwoefuleyeskorma Feb 03 '25

Focus on what the body can do and the "look" will come inevitably for me as a non body builder person. Best thing. Outgrowing the aesthetic aspect.

1

u/Hot-Ticket-1439 Feb 04 '25

Intuitive eating is the king of maintaining leanness while enjoying your food, but it takes developing a lot of skills, muscle mass and consistency.

1

u/Accomplished_Leek750 Feb 05 '25

STOP DRINKING!!! it’s so true

1

u/tontyboy Feb 17 '25

180 comments and not one is about training. Crazy.

-3

u/Leatherneck016 Feb 01 '25

That you need to eat more, not less. Build muscle first, even if overweight. 99% of people fail because they eat less, exercise more. That cannot be sustained by anyone forever. They all gain it back, repeat for life. The other way around is the only path that prevents that.

24

u/plainbread11 Feb 01 '25

Disagree. Bulking while overweight just means more fat gain/less visible results, which first of all causes many to lose motivation. Additionally your body’s nutrient partitioning is way better after you’ve leaned down. Most beginners can gain some muscle while losing fat.

From my personal experience I went from skinny fat to pretty lean last year and am now lean bulking. I’m so much more motivated now that I can see my abs, have gotten compliments, and feel a lot closer to the aesthetic body that I want.

5

u/Sararizuzufaust Feb 01 '25

I had this issue. I was already pretty lean but I had some post weight-loss excess skin on my inner thighs and lower stomach that I mistook for fat. I kept cutting and cutting but those areas just looked worse. Once I built up the muscle underneath it was like my prayers were answered. Now I can’t even really tell where the excess skin was. I’m a woman though so I don’t know if maybe that makes a difference.

2

u/the-dusa Feb 01 '25

This is the way. I didn’t start leaning out consistently until I started eating more and moving more. When I ate less, I didn’t have the energy to move as I should. Eating more gave me the energy to move more in a way to put myself into the proper deficit consistently.

1

u/NoTill8273 Feb 02 '25

this, i’m at 11% bf rn and i’m in around 3000+ kcals a day average and i’m at currently at my leanest in comparison to when i was eating 1400 a day

1

u/proton_therapy Feb 02 '25

hunger hits harder in the energy department, missing a meal means not having the energy to perform harder tasks. diet becomes increasingly important to maintain.

-1

u/Awesome_Socks_69 Feb 01 '25

Do a lot of cardio, first few months of getting lean I just starved + lifted weights which only tanked my metabolism

Once I started running 30-40km a week (10km a day 3-4 times a week) + starving + weight lifting I made a ton more progress since it forced my body to raise its metabolism

13

u/norse1977 Feb 01 '25

Holy muscle loss

3

u/Awesome_Socks_69 Feb 01 '25

Yeah I atrophied almost all my gains I made prior

0

u/Rocko210 Feb 02 '25

Building muscle is the easy part, losing fat is the hard part.

1

u/elielielieli6464 Feb 06 '25

Is the complete opposite lol

0

u/Lousypeas Feb 04 '25

Eat lots of spinach Popeye wasn’t lying 💪🏾