The 'Ask Narkissos' Thread: "Diet, training, and supplements 101"

[chest6]

Originally Posted by Narkissos

That she does.

Our diets are about identical... differing in portion-size and overall kcal-count.

Our supplementation regimes don't differ that much either.

-N

I hate you...

Ive been lookin for some1 like that forever...I think 99.9999% of women eat crap all day like everyone else. Everyone I've started to talk with is turned off instantly by me lifestyle

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by Hide

Nark, come clean now. ;D

Do your girl own you in the squat and Deadlift?

LMAO.

Very nearly :)

Originally Posted by chest6

I hate you...

Ive been lookin for some1 like that forever...I think 99.9999% of women eat crap all day like everyone else. Everyone I've started to talk with is turned off instantly by me lifestyle

^^I find it depends on where you meet the girl.

If you meet a chick in the gym... talk to her if you see her out socially.

And there... that's a potential like-minded individual.

Picking up a boozer in a bar is a thumbsdown.

[Ness]

Nark,

Ive been cutting now for 8 weeks. I do cardio "fat burning zone" or 65% for 20 minutes 1st thing in the morning and 20 minutes at night before my 6th meal. Here is a typical week: Cardio 5-6 days in a row with 1-2 days off. Same with my weight training. I feel that I am not overtraining because my strength has improved in most areas and maintained in others.

At the start of my cutting, I was eating 3000 +/- cals ed. I gradually reduced that to 2000-2200 cals ed. I dropped about 1-2 lbs a week for 4-5 weeks and now my weight is holding firm. The last 2 weeks, I have had a slight increase in vascularity and muscle hardness, however, my weight is the same.

I would like to drop another 1-2% b.f. to acheive my goals. I am hesitant to drop below 2,000 calories. Here is a quick breakdown of my diet:

Roughly: Protein 300 gr, Cho 100 gr, Fat 30 gr, 2000 cals

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by Ness

Nark,

Yo Ness.

Originally Posted by Ness

Ive been cutting now for 8 weeks. I do cardio "fat burning zone" or 65% for 20 minutes 1st thing in the morning and 20 minutes at night before my 6th meal. Here is a typical week: Cardio 5-6 days in a row with 1-2 days off. Same with my weight training. I feel that I am not overtraining because my strength has improved in most areas and maintained in others.

At the start of my cutting, I was eating 3000 +/- cals ed. I gradually reduced that to 2000-2200 cals ed. I dropped about 1-2 lbs a week for 4-5 weeks and now my weight is holding firm. The last 2 weeks, I have had a slight increase in vascularity and muscle hardness, however, my weight is the same.

I would like to drop another 1-2% b.f. to acheive my goals. I am hesitant to drop below 2,000 calories. Here is a quick breakdown of my diet:

Roughly: Protein 300 gr, Cho 100 gr, Fat 30 gr, 2000 cals

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Congrats on adhering to a cutting regime.

Before i can address your questions lemme point out what i gather from what you've presented.

1. You started your cardio at too frequent of a level. From this point you can only go higher. You should've done cardio in cyclic increase.. because now you've reached a plateau.

2. I can't tell anything from your kcal intake. '3000'; '2200'; '2000' are all generic numbers.

'Generic' as i don't know your weight and body composition... Your activity level; nothing about you 'cept that you're a young-adult male in a cutting phase.

Fill in the blanks and i will be better able to assist.

Off the top of my head you have two avenues.. You can drop cardio for a week..and bump kcals (while keeping training intensity high).

Or you can bump cardio (in two 4-week cycles)... while keeping kcals the same as they are at present... and rest/reassess at the end of 8 weeks.

Of course, the above is just generic advice.

Hit me up in this thread.

-N

p.s. congrats again.

[Ness]

Originally Posted by Narkissos

Yo Ness.

Congrats on adhering to a cutting regime.

Before i can address your questions lemme point out what i gather from what you've presented.

1. You started your cardio at too frequent of a level. From this point you can only go higher. You should've done cardio in cyclic increase.. because now you've reached a plateau. THIS MAKES A LOT SENCE.

2. I can't tell anything from your kcal intake. '3000'; '2200'; '2000' are all generic numbers.

'Generic' as i don't know your weight and body composition... Your activity level; nothing about you 'cept that you're a young-adult male in a cutting phase. 30yrs old, 5'9", 192lbs, 9-10% BF, WORKOUT 5 days/ew, CARDIO same, I work at home on a computer. From what I've experienced, 2400-2600 kcals/ed is my maintainance level.

Fill in the blanks and i will be better able to assist.

Off the top of my head you have two avenues.. You can drop cardio for a week..and bump kcals (while keeping training intensity high).

Or you can bump cardio (in two 4-week cycles)... while keeping kcals the same as they are at present... and rest/reassess at the end of 8 weeks.

Of course, the above is just generic advice.

Hit me up in this thread.

-N

p.s. congrats again.

Thanks for the words of encouragment and help. Talk to you soon!

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by Narkissos

1. You started your cardio at too frequent of a level. From this point you can only go higher. You should've done cardio in cyclic increase.. because now you've reached a plateau.

Originally Posted by Ness

THIS MAKES A LOT SENCE.

:)

Originally Posted by Narkissos

2. I can't tell anything from your kcal intake. '3000'; '2200'; '2000' are all generic numbers.

'Generic' as i don't know your weight and body composition... Your activity level; nothing about you 'cept that you're a young-adult male in a cutting phase.

Originally Posted by Ness

[color=orange]30yrs old, 5'9", 192lbs, 9-10% BF, WORKOUT 5 days/ew, CARDIO same, I work at home on a computer. From what I've experienced, 2400-2600 kcals/ed is my maintainance level.

Originally Posted by Narkissos

Fill in the blanks and i will be better able to assist.

Off the top of my head you have two avenues.. You can drop cardio for a week..and bump kcals (while keeping training intensity high).

Or you can bump cardio (in two 4-week cycles)... while keeping kcals the same as they are at present... and rest/reassess at the end of 8 weeks.

Of course, the above is just generic advice.

Hit me up in this thread.

-N

p.s. congrats again.

just separating the quotes for legibility.

-N

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by Ness

Nark,

Ive been cutting now for 8 weeks. I do cardio "fat burning zone" or 65% for 20 minutes 1st thing in the morning and 20 minutes at night before my 6th meal. Here is a typical week: Cardio 5-6 days in a row with 1-2 days off. Same with my weight training. I feel that I am not overtraining because my strength has improved in most areas and maintained in others.

At the start of my cutting, I was eating 3000 +/- cals ed. I gradually reduced that to 2000-2200 cals ed. I dropped about 1-2 lbs a week for 4-5 weeks and now my weight is holding firm. The last 2 weeks, I have had a slight increase in vascularity and muscle hardness, however, my weight is the same.

I would like to drop another 1-2% b.f. to acheive my goals. I am hesitant to drop below 2,000 calories. Here is a quick breakdown of my diet:

Roughly: Protein 300 gr, Cho 100 gr, Fat 30 gr, 2000 cals

30yrs old, 5'9", 192lbs, 9-10% BF, WORKOUT 5 days/ew, CARDIO same, I work at home on a computer. From what I've experienced, 2400-2600 kcals/ed is my maintainance level.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Ok..

You started at 3000 kcals 8 weeks ago... and you've established that your maintenance is 2500 kcal ave.

Your 'maintenance' as projected by you, would this factor in working out? (i think not honestly)

If no.. then why drop sub-maintenance like you have done?

That's a double-negative... because the addition of weight-training and cardio as you've done will've already put you in a caloric deficit.

So right now i'd fathom you're shooting yourself in the foot.

Because the macros you listed above don't even add up to 2000 kcals.

You're sub-sub-maintenance (1870 kcals is a LONG way off from 2400... trust me.. )

Ok..that being said.. you can get away with what you're doing for a while.. It's obvious that it has been 'working' thus far... because admittedly you made progress.

The question is now.. what do you do?

Well.. you could add a refeed which'd put you around maintenance kcals every 7 days.

That is one option.

-N

[Ness]

Nark,

Thanks for your reply. I agree that I am calorie deficit. Since I have not attempted a true cutter before, I was using my strength as a guide. My strength stayed the same in the majority of my lifts and increased in others. As a result, I allowed my calorie intake to get low enough to where I was seeing a drop of a pound or two a week.

I understand that this might work for a while like you mentioned, so Id like to now take a proactive approach to correct my "balance." I am very happy with my results to date (of course, Id like to lose even more fat) but my long term goals are to build true lbm.

When you suggested a "refeed" every 7 days, where you talking about eating 2500-2700 +/- calories once a week? Sorry if these questions seem to be elementary.
Thanks for your response.

[Narkissos]

2600 kcals one day per week.. correct.

Clean foods however.. not the cheating nonsense that gets pushed on the boards :)

-N

[Ness]

I never cheat!!! Okay I sat down and ate 4 pizza slices once in the past 10 weeks, lol.
Thanks, Nark