Want To Really Lean Up. But My Metabolism Is Slow. Advice Please.

[buckthorn]

So, since new year I've really reduced drinking, work out HIIT at the gym for 1-2 hours per day, including a job full of manual labor. My diet has been mostly good, consisting of about 2k cal a day.

So far I have lost about 5-6 lbs. Hard to tell because my metabolism fluctuates. I am happy with that, the only problem is that my target weight is 165 and I am about 195 now. I have a muscular frame covered in a layer of gross finasteride-induced fat, that seems very hard to shed.

What kinds of supplements ACTUALLY help raise metabolism, safely? Any other activities I should be doing? I started doing pushups and sit ups in the evening to boost my metabolism before sleep as well.

THANKS YOU BEAUTIFUL b****s.

 

[kj6723]

HIIT, strength training, and some form of calorie restriction are basically the only legit things I know of to seriously lose weight

Sounds like you're already doing most of that. 5-6 lbs in a month isn't great but it isn't terrible either....are the pushups and situps your only strength training though? Maybe add in some more extensive lifting workouts, the more muscle the more calories you will burn while inactive

How do you know your fat is finasteride induced?

 

[kj6723]

This hormonal-induced fat is so painful to shed... I have lose like 8 kg but some fat just won't go away
You could also have gained muscle which is heavier than fat.

I would advise to stop eating dairy as well, drink lots of water and doing water fasting from time to time. Fasting could help reboost your metabolism.
Apart from that I think it's a matter of time

Been a while Pas

What's with the new anti-dairy fad on here lately? Been seeing it pop up in a number of threads lol

 

[kj6723]

Hey Kj
According to the celebrity nutritionist Philip Goglia
‘While many people consider dairy to be a protein, the body will utilise it first as lactose, or milk sugar. Therefore, people who believe that they can get sufficient protein in their daily diet from eating dairy products are misinformed. Instead dairy as a food is phlegm and mucus producing – disruptive to digestion causing in most people bloating and gas… as well it is inflammatory and will elevate triglyceride levels and the risk of increased sugar sensitivities. Another important consideration is that nearly all adults have an inherent inability to utilise dairy products and are, therefore, lactose intolerant. Aside from possibly elevating cholesterol, a diet rich in dairy products, such as butter and cheese, is going to create digestive difficulties. Asthmatics do not consume dairy because it is phlegm producing and will inhibit oxygen consumption/utilisation.’

So basically because it can give you the shits and cause mucus build up? I feel like this isn't a big deal if you don't have respiratory problems or lactose intolerance, as long as you're eating it in some sort of moderation

 

[barfacan]

Im pretty sure cultured sour dairy like yogurt or kefir has no lactose, or very little.

Anyways bucko, have you tried going keto? Or at least low carb?

 

[buckthorn]

HIIT, strength training, and some form of calorie restriction are basically the only legit things I know of to seriously lose weight

Sounds like you're already doing most of that. 5-6 lbs in a month isn't great but it isn't terrible either....are the pushups and situps your only strength training though? Maybe add in some more extensive lifting workouts, the more muscle the more calories you will burn while inactive

How do you know your fat is finasteride induced?

because, I just know. I had the same exact diet and work out routine when I started finasteride, maintained at lean, muscular 162 for ten years. The one year I took finasteride, I gained like 20 lbs. Made no sense, except from a hormonal perspective. Must have been the estrogen increase. I was bloated as well.

I have a feeling it will come off relatively fast now though, which is good.

My regimen consists of lifting moderate to heavy weights, then immediately running 5-6 sets of stairs, followed by running around the track 1-2 times...basically until I physically cannot anymore from exhaustion. then repeat this routine probably 6-8 times, with 1-2 minute breaks in between.

There is not a single person at my gym that can keep up with me, even when I'm overweight. When I was lean, I was just a beast. sorry if that sounds egotiscal, but it's at least one thing in my life I pride myself on.

 

[buckthorn]

Im pretty sure cultured sour dairy like yogurt or kefir has no lactose, or very little.

Anyways bucko, have you tried going keto? Or at least low carb?

yeah, I am relatively low carb now, consuming only 15-20% daily value.

 

[buckthorn]

Wow that's impressive (and sexy )

SUP BOO?!?! U GOOD BOOOO?!?! anyways, I don't really eat dairy anyways because I am a but lactose intolerant i think. it hurts my stomach.

 

[Mrpositive]

I have a lot of knowledge and experience in dieting, as I'm fairly serious about my training. You will need to either lower your calorie intake, or up ur TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which means basically move more, or train more. I would lower calories to 1800 and see how far that takes you. When/if you hit a plateau after reducing calories to 1800, I'd introduce more cardio to get you over the finish line, as you can't really lower your intake more, well you can, but I would rather do more cardio at this point.

You can't expect to keep losing weight on the same caloric intake, and the same training regime all the way down to your end goal.

Lets say you need 2k calories a day to maintain 195lbs, at 165lbs you wont need 2k cals to maintain, maybe 1800cals.

a 250lbs male requires more calories at said weight, than a 160lbs male to maintain, same goes for dieting. You will have to reduce ur intake or up ur training, there's no way around that. Unless you wanna do drugs (clenbuterol, DNP, T3/T4).

Also you can't just look at the digits on ur scale, you need to measure in addition. You can still be reducing ur bodyfat while the weight is staying still (adds more muscle, while losing fat) or ur body keeps holding water due to CR (caloric restriction) which is stressful for the body. You also need to weight urself at the same time, on the same day consistently (you will weigh more at night time, due to fluids and food still in ur stomach). Also if you eat alot of salt, that will also make ur body hold water. So there's a shitton of factors that can contribute to why you are not seeing a decline in weight.

This was abit messy written, as I was in a rush, and I'm not english speaking (Scandinavian). Hope some of it was helpful.

 

[Mrpositive]

Also note that I did not write anything about the macronutritions. Just make sure you eat about 140-180g protein, and you'll be good. High carb, low carb, high fat/low fat, PSMF, 5:2, Intermediate fasting, is just really up to what you find the easiest to live with, what fits you the most, and what makes you perform the best.
I like intermediate fasting, as I like bigger meals (2 big meals a day), but that's just because that fits my lifestyle. Im to lazy to cook 4-6 times a day, and my body gets more satisfied with 2 big meals.
In the end, its all about cals in vs cals out, and finding the approach which is sustainable for you in the long run.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

So, since new year I've really reduced drinking, work out HIIT at the gym for 1-2 hours per day, including a job full of manual labor. My diet has been mostly good, consisting of about 2k cal a day.

So far I have lost about 5-6 lbs. Hard to tell because my metabolism fluctuates. I am happy with that, the only problem is that my target weight is 165 and I am about 195 now. I have a muscular frame covered in a layer of gross finasteride-induced fat, that seems very hard to shed.

What kinds of supplements ACTUALLY help raise metabolism, safely? Any other activities I should be doing? I started doing pushups and sit ups in the evening to boost my metabolism before sleep as well.

THANKS YOU BEAUTIFUL b****s.

Since you're so serious about it, it might be worthwhile for you to get your BF% measured, either with calipers or a dexa scan. The calipers are probably cheaper.

The supplements that are known to help metabolism, such as ephedra and yohimbine, are generally not safe. Caffeine gives a modest boost. However, you will need supplements if you happen to be deficient in some vitamins or minerals. That can be discerned in an annual physical, GPs can order blood tests for those.

Good sleep helps metabolism. Are you sleeping well?

That said, 6 lbs a month is a great result.

Another change that you can make is to add a 2-5 day fast once a month. Fasting has been measured to preferentially reduce organ/abdominal fat, which is worse for you than subcutaneous fat. Abdominal fat slows down metabolism and increases estrogen.

The carbs that you do eat are probably better eaten earlier in the day, due to higher insulin sensitivity . There was a study on that recently which made me change my mind on the topic.

 

[michaelle]

I am pretty sure that you should eat healthy and try to exercise often