Body fat target.

[DuncanM]

Eleven said:

I am actually taking 2400mg this week. It's Poliquin magnesium glycinate.

The stuff has a very noticeable effects - I feel like I am on stimulants, yet my sleep is a LOT better. I also find that I need to visit the toilet more often and sometimes quite swiftly...

I am finding that I am quite sweaty, which I suspect is the magnesium.

I am also eating loads more. But I am making every meal high protein, snacks are protein too. If I had increased my intake like this a few weeks back I would now be lardy, but that has not happened.

Facially I am looking way fresher and not haggard. I am also looking more defined and large - which wasn't actually the purpose of the exercise. I have had a couple of people comment that I look like I have been hitting the gym more, whereas the opposite is true I am actually spending far less time in the gym. I look like my muscle is where I am holding water, not on top of it.

My body fat distribution seems to be changing too. My umbilical (lower belly) is a better covered, under arm has reduced. My face looks squarer, my neck / chin area is no flabbier despite my face looking better covered.

I have stopped weighing myself outside of visits to see the nutritionist, but I suspect I am heavier than before I started.

My carb night has been extended to every seven days. I am allowed some carbs with my evening meal and a dessert as a treat. I had lemon tart and clotted cream last week, it was superb.

I haven't been very good at staying off the booze at weekends. I am trying to stick to G&T but boy is it boring. Wine with dinner is unavoidable at weekends.

I am not sure where all this is going, but I look and feel way better. I don't feel hungry all the time as I previously did. It will be interesting to see whether I can get down to a good BF percentage without feeling hungry.

I started at 19.1% and need probably to define a target. In accordance with my PH username, and somewhat arbitrarily, I am going to say 11%.

Thanks for the info, it is very interesting to me as Magnesium is supposed to excellent for Arthritis also.

Do you mind telling me where you're buying it from?

Regards

Duncan

[Eleven]

DuncanM said:

Do you mind telling me where you're buying it from?

Not here I won't because it's from the nutritionist. If he disappoints me I will say so and don't want to have named him here. But email me and I will give you details by all means.

I would caution against taking huge doses of magnesium without first speaking to a specialist though.

[DuncanM]

Eleven said:

DuncanM said:

Do you mind telling me where you're buying it from?

Not here I won't because it's from the nutritionist. If he disappoints me I will say so and don't want to have named him here. But email me and I will give you details by all means.

I would caution against taking huge doses of magnesium without first speaking to a specialist though.

Ahh right, no worries, please keep us updated as it seems like a very interesting change in diet/work out so far .

[Eleven]

DuncanM said:

Eleven said:

DuncanM said:

Do you mind telling me where you're buying it from?

Not here I won't because it's from the nutritionist. If he disappoints me I will say so and don't want to have named him here. But email me and I will give you details by all means.

I would caution against taking huge doses of magnesium without first speaking to a specialist though.

Ahh right, no worries, please keep us updated as it seems like a very interesting change in diet/work out so far .

Will do. It's certainly more profound a change than I was expecting.

[Digger]

I've recently started taking ZMA, purely to try to ensure more quality sleeping hours, so I am that bit more 'fresh' for when I'm back in the gym first thing in the morning.

A 3 capsule serving contains c.450mg Magnesium, 30mg Zinc, & 10.5mg Vit B6.

[Eleven]

Okay, another two weekly check-in. Body weight up 2kg, body fat 0.1% lower, however the locations of the body fat are changing. I am leaner around the hamstrings, triceps, subscapular and fatter at the knee and umbilical. The knee is apparently indicative of stored toxins, the umbilical either stress or increased male pattern fat storage.

I am still pursuing a cycling ketogenic diet, carb night every seven days. However the nutritionist is going to send me over a more prescriptive meal plan. I am also going to taper down the magnesium.

Generally I am feeling good. I am rarely feeling hungry now and have more energy to train. The initial gains have slowed; I looked a lot fresher initially and still look that way. My appearance has not reverted to that of a twenty year old!

I am looking stocky and muscular with a good frame - at 5ft 10 and 14 stone the options are either that or lard arse and I prefer the former. The target being 11% BF, the nutritionist seems to think my body weight will be about the same, just changed composition.

[DuncanM]

Nice update, I like the idea of staying a similar weight but improving your shape/physique

[TwistingMyMelon]

DOn't laugh guys, but any tips for dealing with a gaunt face when losing BF?

I'm a keen cyclist , always ramp the miles up in the spring summer and what little fat round me drops off

At the moment I can see (my misses more than me) what little fat on me drop off round my waist, trouble is my face and neck goes a bit gaunt and "bony", happened last year and year before, I look back at the photos then and I look soo bloody skinny and not "too" healthy. Ironically I felt great , as I do now, consistent energy and never ill.

I actually prefer to carry a little body fat and am eating lots of protein and carb rich food, for example I had 2 huge pork chops last night, with new pots and salad, followed by 3 x Magnums (ice cream!). I burnt about 1200 calories, through cycling to and from work (as I do most days)

I do kettlebell & circuit training workouts so I have a bit of upper body tone & muscle

I still have a little fat over my abs, but not that much as I am a 28/30 inch waist

Any tips for looking more healthy when low on bf , guess the only option is more sleep! I cant really eat any more proper food and my appetite is more than healthy!

[MacGee]

Facial exercises. Like more smiling and frowning. Clenching helps too.

[Hoofy]

TwistingMyMelon said:

I do kettlebell & circuit training workouts so I have a bit of upper body tone & muscle

I still have a little fat over my abs, but not that much as I am a 28/30 inch waist

Any tips for looking more healthy when low on bf , guess the only option is more sleep! I cant really eat any more proper food and my appetite is more than healthy!

Stop doing so much non-cycling cardio-based stuff then. Train to build muscle rather than circuit training. Your lower abs will look better for it. You will look better for it.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Hoofy said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

I do kettlebell & circuit training workouts so I have a bit of upper body tone & muscle

I still have a little fat over my abs, but not that much as I am a 28/30 inch waist

Any tips for looking more healthy when low on bf , guess the only option is more sleep! I cant really eat any more proper food and my appetite is more than healthy!

Stop doing so much non-cycling cardio-based stuff then. Train to build muscle rather than circuit training. Your lower abs will look better for it. You will look better for it.

Think I will drop the circuits and lower weight kettlebells for compound lifts and dumbbells

Anyone recommend some abs exercise routines ?

[Hoofy]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Hoofy said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

I do kettlebell & circuit training workouts so I have a bit of upper body tone & muscle

I still have a little fat over my abs, but not that much as I am a 28/30 inch waist

Any tips for looking more healthy when low on bf , guess the only option is more sleep! I cant really eat any more proper food and my appetite is more than healthy!

Stop doing so much non-cycling cardio-based stuff then. Train to build muscle rather than circuit training. Your lower abs will look better for it. You will look better for it.

Think I will drop the circuits and lower weight kettlebells for compound lifts and dumbbells

Anyone recommend some abs exercise routines ?

Yes, defo do compound stuff - bench press, squats, deadlifts, shoulder press - all heavy.

And that's your ab routine covered.

[Eleven]

Another 2-week check in.

I have gained another 2kg in body weight, lost 0.5% body fat - now I am 92kg, 16.3% BF.

I am LOOKING stocky and muscular, people are commenting upon it and asking if I'm hitting the gym more. The truth is I am spending less time in the gym than I have for a couple of years.

I have still been on a cycling ketogenic diet, in theory every 8th day I have a carb night. In practice it has been every 7 days and I've had carbs, and lots of them, lunchtime onwards. I have also been rotating foods and obtaining nutrition from different sources each day.

The coming two weeks I will be having more carbs each evening, not cycling in the same way. I await the written recommendations to confirm how many.

Interestingly I am eating way more than I was before I started all of this, haven't cut out very much, and am losing fat.

[Animal]

Can you pm me details of your nutritionist?

[dirty boy]

Eleven said:

Another 2-week check in.

I have gained another 2kg in body weight, lost 0.5% body fat - now I am 92kg, 16.3% BF.

I am LOOKING stocky and muscular, people are commenting upon it and asking if I'm hitting the gym more. The truth is I am spending less time in the gym than I have for a couple of years.

I have still been on a cycling ketogenic diet, in theory every 8th day I have a carb night. In practice it has been every 7 days and I've had carbs, and lots of them, lunchtime onwards. I have also been rotating foods and obtaining nutrition from different sources each day.

The coming two weeks I will be having more carbs each evening, not cycling in the same way. I await the written recommendations to confirm how many.

Interestingly I am eating way more than I was before I started all of this, haven't cut out very much, and am losing fat.

Sounds pretty decent progress. I did similar, started off at 20% BF, got the nutritionist (as seen above - Stephen Box) I now eat 2,800 calories a day (was eating 1,800) and am at 13% BF and can deadlift 190kgs whereas when I started, 80kgs was a lot.

[Hoofy]

Hang on. Did your nutritionist recommend the keto diet?

[dirty boy]

Hoofy said:

Hang on. Did your nutritionist recommend the keto diet?

Sorry, NO.

I doubt he would either, but each individual is different.

I'm borderline permanent paleo with a tendency to load up towards fish. Got baked cod, salmon fishcakes (made with coconut flour) and tuna steaks this week. I try to have fish three times a week minimum. I BBQ'd whole Sea Bass on Sunday...awesome.

As I sit in an office, I have a black coffee with coconut oil when I wake, then I don't eat until around 11:30/12. I have a protein and carb source prior to the gym at 1pm.

I have a cheat day every Monday, it's only a cheat day through convenience and I play futsal 9pm, so I tend to burn that st off. Last night I had 2 eggs a tin of beans and two waffles for tea....the food of kings!! Although i'd eaten chicken salad, mackerel, fruit, berries and nuts all day.

[Hoofy]

I didn't mean you!

[Eleven]

Hoofy said:

Hang on. Did your nutritionist recommend the keto diet?

Yes, though I was already using keto. Though the nutritionist has modified my diet a LOT. I am eating far more, not feeling hungry, gaining lean mass, losing fat. S'all good...

...The downsides are finding the time to cook meat a lot, having to be far more strict about everything, the cost of decent supplements and perversely putting on a lot of mass. I wanted to lose fat, gain muscle and be about the same size. However, I am gaining size at the moment.

[Hoofy]

I'm just trying to figure out which bit is down to the nutritionist and which bit is down to general dieting/bulking advice.

I can see you:
-do keto
-take supplements
-take the nutritionist's advice (so you're changing things from his original advice, surely?)

See what I mean:?