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[A Fish Aficionado]

I firmly believe that the focus on calories is at least somewhat responsible for our obesity epidemic.

Now, this is true. Given the amount of low calorie junk food, people do make the claim of "it's only 100 calories," so they consume more or ignore that calories add up. Same with diet soda as an excuse to overconsume.

 

[Dre]

Because it's like arguing with someone who is a Creationist. You can't simply ignore basic facts if it interrupts your worldview.

Zefah's right, your posting style does come across as rather condescending and you tend to make a drive-by post with a link from a carefully selected study or expert's opinion to "win" any occurring discussions.
We used to have a classy member like you in nutrition threads who wasn't really open for any discussions and who basically never accepted any other opinion other than his. I wonder what happened to that penguin.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

I don't think I have done any drive by posts, but I'll drop it.

Behind a paywall, but it illustrates why the fat scaremongering is bad science.
Heart attack on a plate? The truth about saturated fat

I'm only trying to help, if you guys think that I am that toxic, I'll leave. No need for forum drama.

 

[zephervack]

Cmon, enough of that shit.



It sounds like you've got a reasonable set in your diet there. Just watch how much you put in, weigh your food, track your calories, and it looks good to go. You MAY want to eliminate a couple of those sections and focus on 2 or 3 meals only that day, and make them larger.

I usually really struggle with "counting calories", whats the most effective method? MyFitnessPal app? and just type what I ate and hope for the best?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

I usually really struggle with "counting calories", whats the most effective method? MyFitnessPal app? and just type what I ate and hope for the best?

Don't need to hope when you can KNOW. Just be diligent and double down on discipline. Track everything, no matter what. I use MFP and it's as easy as it'll get.

 

[Irobot82]

Interesting stuff on saturated fats. I'll post this for my own personal evidence. This is a crosspost from FIT-GAF.

Last year was on Keto.

Triglycerides: Too low to register
Total Cholesterol 161 mg/dL
HDL 40 mg/dL
LDL: 45 mg/dL
Chol to HDLC Ratio: 4.0
Glucose: Too low to register
Blood Pressure: 112/64
BMI: 26.0
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 197

This year was coming off being lazier....

Triglycerides: 85 mg/dL +85 I have none when I keto?
Total Cholesterol 163 mg/dL +2 about the same
HDL 43 mg/dL +3 about the same
LDL: 103 mg/dL +58 I have none when I keto?
Chol to HDLC Ratio: 3.8 -.2 good
Glucose: 86 mg/dL +86 I had none on keto
Blood Pressure: 118/70 +6/+6 within average means
BMI: 28.3 +2.3
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 209 +12 I put on some weight.


So my takeaway is when I keto, my glucose, triglycerides and LDL all but disappear. My keto diet was lots of heavy cream, red meat and cheese, bacon (lots of bacon), and eggs cooked in bacon fat.

 

[Bowser]

I usually really struggle with "counting calories", whats the most effective method? MyFitnessPal app? and just type what I ate and hope for the best?

I've found calorie counting to be easy if, and only if, you eat basically the same stuff everyday (which, generally speaking, I do). I've got a little spreadsheet where I break down the calories, carbs, fat, and protein of 8-10 different "meals" (and before anyone jumps in, yes, I realize this is more of a guide and not an exact science) and I basically eat a subset of those all the time.

Now, I'm not saying I don't have days where I go out to eat or have those occasional days where I'm at a birthday party or an event and eat outside of my pre-planned meals. I mean, that's life, you're allowed to indulge once in a while. I go by the 80/20 rule...as long as you're eating well and working out 80% of the time, the other 20% where you fuck up and overeat or eat outside your diet won't kill you (unless you're doing something like downing an entire box of cookies or a whole cake, etc).

 

[Piecake]

Why "metabolism boosters" are bullshit

While there are certain foods — caffeine, chili spices — that will speed that rate up just a little, the change is so negligible, it would never have an impact on your waistline.

"These ‘metabolism boosters' might raise your metabolic rate to 1.05 calories burned per minute for a very short period of time," he said. "To put that in context, if you walk really slowly you can generally burn three calories per minute."

Besides the fact that metabolism boosting supplements may not work, there's also a surprising science behind that association between your metabolic rate and your weight.

"We've measured the resting metabolism in lots of skinny people and in lots of people with serious weight problems, and everything in between," said Dr. Jensen. "Whether you're above or below average, skinny or obese, as a rule you cannot say obese people have lower metabolism rates than lean people. That's just not true."

For this reason, Dr. Jensen says you can't blame a slow metabolism for being overweight. That number on the scale is more probably related to things like appetite control, activity level, and calorie intake than anything else.

Pretty interesting since a common explanation for being overweight is a slow metabolism. Well, that seems to be complete BS. Good news is, people have control over how much they weigh Bad news is, people have control over how much they weigh

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm only trying to help, if you guys think that I am that toxic, I'll leave. No need for forum drama.

Personally, I'd rather you didn't. I've enjoyed reading some of the stuff you've posted and links you have shared.

I just don't like personal insults, is all. It just derails any discussion that may have been possible and puts people on the defensive.

Why "metabolism boosters" are bullshit

Pretty interesting since a common explanation for being overweight is a slow metabolism. Well, that seems to be complete BS. Good news is, people have control over how much they weigh Bad news is, people have control over how much they weigh

I do feel like you can eat and change your lifestyle in a way that gives you a metabolic advantage, so to speak. We have anecdotal evidence that certain people are able to eat a whole lot more than most other people without gaining any fat. I think it really comes down to hormones, stress factors, type and level of activity, feeding vs. fasting windows, and macro/micro nutrient composition of each meal.

Unfortunately, so much research doesn't seem to care "what" people are eating, which typically is carb-heavy mixed meals. I guess that makes sense, since that's what most people are eating, but I really think a lot of the research needs to get more granular for us to be able to understand what the causative mechanisms are to fat gain/loss.

 

[Sadetar]

Why "metabolism boosters" are bullshit

Pretty interesting since a common explanation for being overweight is a slow metabolism. Well, that seems to be complete BS. Good news is, people have control over how much they weigh Bad news is, people have control over how much they weigh

I don't know about those "metabolism boosters", but the rate of metabolism can affect your weight, if you have a condition that actually fucks up your normal system. I know I have been eating a whole lot of crap during my life which is the main reason I became fat, but I will still say that hypothyroidism did affect and I certainly also gained weight because it slowed my metabolism. If my medication doesn't work, I without a shadow of a doubt gain weight. If I would now drop my everyday thyroxine pill and would continue working out and eating as I am, I wouldn't be able to lose weight at the same rate as I am currently. I don't say I couldn't lose weight, but it would be tremendously harder for me.

So yes, slow metanolism according to my own experience can have a factor what comes to gaining fat, but if it does then you most likely are sick and it isn't normal.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

So my takeaway is when I keto, my glucose, triglycerides and LDL all but disappear. My keto diet was lots of heavy cream, red meat and cheese, bacon (lots of bacon), and eggs cooked in bacon fat.

Triglycerides and glucose going way down makes sense with a high fat diet, but LDL probably shouldn't be going down so much. It should stay around the same or even rise somewhat along with HDL in a high fat diet. Or at least, that seems to be what happens to most people.

Then again, a simple LDL measurement is a very poor indicator of any kind of heart disease risk factor. You need to get much more granular than that to make a judgment either way.

 

[Irobot82]

Triglycerides and glucose going way down makes sense with a high fat diet, but LDL probably shouldn't be going down so much. It should stay around the same or even rise somewhat along with HDL in a high fat diet. Or at least, that seems to be what happens to most people.

Then again, a simple LDL measurement is a very poor indicator of any kind of heart disease risk factor. You need to get much more granular than that to make a judgment either way.

I agree, but these were the best results I could get for free. I may ask my doc for a more indepth test.

 

[robox]

Our food has 3 main properties we're concerned with, Fat, Protein and Carbs. Protein and carbs both have 4 calories per gram, while fat has 9 calories per gram. So if something has 5 grams of fat, it has 45 calories, something with 5 grams of protein has 20 calories. Add them all together to get your total calories from a meal. When it comes to carbs, there is a bit more to it in the form of fiber. Fiber cannot be used by the body, it goes in and comes out as is. Due to this, fiber is not to be counted against your total carbs for the day. If an item has 20g carbs per serving, and 5g of that is fiber, then the net amount of carbs in that item is only 15g of carbs. Net carbs are the ones that matter, fiber does not. Please keep in mind that in europe, the carbs are already subtracted on the label, it is in the US where you have to do the calculations yourself.

this calculation is pretty mindblowing. it seems so axiomatic that i wonder why this isn't taught and becomes common knowledge. i feel like this has been kept from me.

...so if fiber can't be used by the body, why is it touted to be so valuable to the diet? i hear recommendations to eat more fiber and labels that proclaim that product is high in fiber. why? what's it for?

 

[Bowser]

this calculation is pretty mindblowing. it seems so axiomatic that i wonder why this isn't taught and becomes common knowledge. i feel like this has been kept from me.

...so if fiber can't be used by the body, why is it touted to be so valuable to the diet? i hear recommendations to eat more fiber and labels that proclaim that product is high in fiber. why? what's it for?

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/fiber-its-natures-broom.html

 

[Fireblend]

So I have a question. Some days ago in this very thread someone said eating "many times a day" rather than only 3 or 2 or whatever didn't do a thing, which surprised me since I've heard lots of times (including from my dietitian) that distributing your food intake throughout the day makes you lose weight faster. Now that that article about metabolism was mentioned I was reminded of that. Do you guys have any source for that particular claim?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

So I have a question. Some days ago in this very thread someone said eating "many times a day" rather than only 3 or 2 or whatever didn't do a thing, which surprised me since I've heard lots of times (including from my dietitian) that distributing your food intake throughout the day makes you lose weight faster. Now that that article about metabolism was mentioned I was reminded of that. Do you guys have any source for that particular claim?

Here's a start:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985

 

[dralla]

So I have a question. Some days ago in this very thread someone said eating "many times a day" rather than only 3 or 2 or whatever didn't do a thing, which surprised me since I've heard lots of times (including from my dietitian) that distributing your food intake throughout the day makes you lose weight faster. Now that that article about metabolism was mentioned I was reminded of that. Do you guys have any source for that particular claim?

It's a myth. And it's kind of sad that your dietition would say that.

 

[paolo11]

Is drinking a chocolate protein shake (ingredients are banana, 1 serving of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup, 1 scoop of protein shake and 1 small scoop of non fat vanilla ice cream) in the morning good for losing weight?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Is drinking a chocolate protein shake (ingredients are banana, 1 serving of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup, 1 scoop of protein shake and 1 small scoop of non fat vanilla ice cream) in the morning good for losing weight?

Depends.

Why are you putting chocolate syrup in there? And the banana? What's your macro ratios? Are you trying to gain weight? Protein shakes are meant to help you hit your calorie and protein limits if you have issues getting to them, not as a meal replacement. And ice cream? It sounds like you're making a goddamn dessert. Why are you eating a dessert for breakfast? Bad idea.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Is drinking a chocolate protein shake (ingredients are banana, 1 serving of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup, 1 scoop of protein shake and 1 small scoop of non fat vanilla ice cream) in the morning good for losing weight?

By itself, that shake won't make or break your ability to lose weight. What are you eating for the rest of the day? What type of exercise do you engage in and how frequently?

Also, that sounds fucking delicious.

 

[turtle553]

It's a myth. And it's kind of sad that your dietition would say that.

I think some diet advice that is presented as scientific (eat small meals often) is often more practical. So in this case the practical implication would be small meals often so you don't get hungry and eat too much at bigger meals.

 

[bennywhatever]

So I have a question. Some days ago in this very thread someone said eating "many times a day" rather than only 3 or 2 or whatever didn't do a thing, which surprised me since I've heard lots of times (including from my dietitian) that distributing your food intake throughout the day makes you lose weight faster. Now that that article about metabolism was mentioned I was reminded of that. Do you guys have any source for that particular claim?

I think the only thing that is good for is people with Acid Reflux. Other than that, I've never heard of it having any benefit.

What kinds of cold drinks do you guys like? I'm trying to find an alternative to Ski (a local drink similar to Mello Yello), and I don't want to drink warm/hot tea or coffee on these hot days.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

I think the only thing that is good for is people with Acid Reflux. Other than that, I've never heard of it having any benefit.

What kinds of cold drinks do you guys like? I'm trying to find an alternative to Ski (a local drink similar to Mello Yello), and I don't want to drink warm/hot tea or coffee on these hot days.

Coke Zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7-sckiDlI4

 

[Koriandrr]

while we're on the subjects of shakes/smoothies. I'm in love with my blender, so I do my daily green smoothie, because i'm not a big fan of green veggies and I'd rather take them in liquid form.

What are your favourite healthy smoothie recipes? How do you make the green ones drinkable? I personally use a green apple, kiwi and lime to make it taste nice.

That's also my reply to the cold drinks question. I love doing some home made lemonade or OJ with crushed ice in the summer

 

[bennywhatever]

That stuff's gross I'm not a fan of brown drinks, except Dr. Pepper sometimes.
I do like Fresca though. It's just never on sale.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

That stuff's gross I'm not a fan of brown drinks, except Dr. Pepper sometimes.
I do like Fresca though. It's just never on sale.

You're not down with the swirl? For shame.

Sprite Zero is good too.

 

[Koriandrr]

I stopped actively drinking fizzy drinks like a year ago, now when I try a bit of coke, even zero or sprite I just get sick with the sweet taste. Even though it has no sugar it makes my mouth and teeth feel like they're covered in sugar. I don't think I'll ever go back to drinking fizzy drinks. Once you drop them completely you just realise you don't need them at all.

 

[bennywhatever]

while we're on the subjects of shakes/smoothies. I'm in love with my blender, so I do my daily green smoothie, because i'm not a big fan of green veggies and I'd rather take them in liquid form.

What are your favourite healthy smoothie recipes? How do you make the green ones drinkable? I personally use a green apple, kiwi and lime to make it taste nice.

That's also my reply to the cold drinks question. I love doing some home made lemonade or OJ with crushed ice in the summer

I make smoothies sometimes, usually fruit ones. Fruit is just expensive sometimes when it's out of season here.
I'll usually make blueberry or strawberry smoothies using frozen fruit, non-fat vanilla yogurt and milk.

 

[paolo11]

Depends.

Why are you putting chocolate syrup in there? And the banana? What's your macro ratios? Are you trying to gain weight? Protein shakes are meant to help you hit your calorie and protein limits if you have issues getting to them, not as a meal replacement. And ice cream? It sounds like you're making a goddamn dessert. Why are you eating a dessert for breakfast? Bad idea.

I am trying to lose weight. I am mixing syrup, protein whey, ice cream and peanut butter on a blender. Is that ok?

 

[Bowser]

I am trying to lose weight. I am mixing syrup, protein whey, ice cream and peanut butter on a blender. Is that ok?

Um, if you're looking to drop weight, you should maybe drop the peanut butter, probably cut out the banana, and definitely the syrup and ice cream.

Seriously man?

Ice cream?

It doesn't have to be that hard. Mix some milk (fat free or 1% or unsweetened almond) or water with your scoop of protein. That's your shake.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

I am trying to lose weight. I am mixing syrup, protein whey, ice cream and peanut butter on a blender. Is that ok?

No, blending it makes no difference.

Cut out all of that. Use water and whey protein. If you NEED it to be better, add unsweetened almond milk. You are eating a dessert for breakfast, that will not help weight loss on a basic level.

 

[paolo11]

Ok, thanks.

I want to take my weight loss slow but constant. I am trying to do 1 pound drop per week.

I cross fit 3 times per day.

So are these good snacks:

a) Almonds

b) Beef Jerky

 

[God Dayumm]

I cross fit 3 times per day.

#dead

In that case add the banana and peanut butter back into your shake. And whole milk. In fact it doesn't even matter lol

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Ok, thanks.

I want to take my weight loss slow but constant. I am trying to do 1 pound drop per week.

I cross fit 3 times per day.

So are these good snacks:

a) Almonds

b) Beef Jerky

What is your macronutrient breakdown? Maintenance calories?

 

[Bowser]

Ok, thanks.

I want to take my weight loss slow but constant. I am trying to do 1 pound drop per week.

I cross fit 3 times per day.

So are these good snacks:

a) Almonds

b) Beef Jerky

I don't want to sound like an ass, but...what does this even mean?

Check out one of the calorie calculators to get a gauge of how much you should be eating to maintain your current weight (e.g. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ ; use sedentary for your activity level if you have a desk job). Then, eat at anywhere from a 10-20% deficit to that for 2-3 weeks, then gauge progress and decide if you need to either eat more or less.

For example, I'm 26, 5'6", 135 lbs. My maintenance TDEE calories are 1,845. So if I wanted to lose more weight, I'd lop off anywhere from 150-300 calories (I wouldn't recommend going above a 20% deficit unless you are really overweight/obese). If I wanted to increase strength, I'd probably eat at a 5-10% surplus (i.e. 90-180 calories extra). This does not take into account your exercise regimen obviously so you would have to adjust for that as well.

You can't just throw different "healthy" foods together and think that's gonna help you lose weight.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

#dead

In that case add the banana and peanut butter back into your shake. And whole milk. In fact it doesn't even matter lol

Maple syrup and ice cream with everything.

Go for it.

I didn't even know you could get into a Crossfit gym without being indoctrinated into Paleo eating first.

 

[paolo11]

Sorry, my brothers. I go Crossfit 3 days per week. Sorry about that.

So, is it ok to do that shake?

 

[RumblingRosco]

Sorry, my brothers. I go Crossfit 3 days per week. Sorry about that.

So, is it ok to do that shake?

Here's the thing: we need to know how tall you are, how much you weigh, your age, your gender, maybe a rough estimate of your body fat percentage, your current total calorie intake (and the grams of carbs/fat/protein you consume), etc before anyone can give you a yes-or-no as to whether that shake is OK.

Read Bowser's post thoroughly and give that calculator a go as I think we're working on too little information to really help you here.

 

[Bowser]

Sorry, my brothers. I go Crossfit 3 days per week. Sorry about that.

So, is it ok to do that shake?

Let's just do a quick calc, without knowing your maintenance calories, of this shake (I'm making assumptions):

8 oz fat free milk: 90 cal, 0g fat, 12g carbs, 8g protein
1 medium banana: 105 cal, 0g fat, 27g carbs, 1g protein
1 serving PB (2 tbsp, all natural): 180 cal, 16g fat, 7g carbs, 8g protein
1 tsp chocolate syrup: 15 cal, 0g fat, 4g carbs, 0g protein
1 2.5oz scoop vanilla ice cream (assuming regular/full fat here): 170 cal, 10g fat, 17g carbs, 3g protein
1 scoop whey: 120 cal, 1g fat, 2g carbs, 25g protein

Add it all up, you get 680 cal, 27g fat, 69g carbs, 45g protein.

That's a monster dessert. Not a nutritional shake.

Alternative:

8oz Unsweetened Almond Plus 5X Almond Milk: 40 cal, 2g fat, 1g carbs, 5g protein
1 scoop whey: 120 cal, 1g fat, 2g carbs, 25g protein
Total: 160 cal, 3g fat, 3g carbs, 30g protein

 

[Slayer-33]

Add it all up, you get 680 cal, 27g fat, 69g carbs, 45g protein.

That's a monster dessert. Not a nutritional shake.

Holy fucking shit lol. 1 drink

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Sorry, my brothers. I go Crossfit 3 days per week. Sorry about that.

So, is it ok to do that shake?

NO

NO NO NO

NO NO NO NO NO

You build it like a dessert. You CAN still lose weight by drinking it but it is a foolish idea and will likely set you back as you can get those calories through FAR better and bigger things.

 

[MrToughPants]

Holy fucking shit lol. 1 drink

Ehhh, my morning shake is 1300+ cal.

 

[Bowser]

Ehhh, my morning shake is 1300+ cal.

Yeah, but you're also admittedly trying to eat 4,000-5,000 cal/day

This guy is trying to lose weight by making a shake with ice cream and chocolate syrup...

 

[Slayer-33]

Ehhh, my morning shake is 1300+ cal.

You savage beast

 

[MrToughPants]

Yeah, but you're also admittedly trying to eat 4,000-5,000 cal/day

This guy is trying to lose weight by making a shake with ice cream and chocolate syrup...

Oh I agree, especially for cutting, just making a point that it's a pretty weak shake.

I'd throw a blurberry pie in there for good measure.

 

[Bowser]

Oh I agree, especially for cutting, just making a point that it's a pretty weak shake.

I'd throw a blurberry pie in there for good measure.

Definitely a weak shake for a guy of your size.

I'd venture to say the majority of GAF is not at your size though

I think I'm like a third (maybe a fourth) of your size lol

 

[Slayer-33]

I am going to need the collective help of nutri-gaf soon. I'll post some goals when it comes to a certain macro I want to run both for cutting up and gaining. I want to run this thing lets say on 6 week surplus (gain) and 4 week cutting phases.

And the whole macro for off days bs too.

Also all of this is needed to be done via intermittent fasting too. I can deal with it. 16 hours + hell even 18+ of fasting phases

 

[Bowser]

I am going to need the collective help of nutri-gaf soon. I'll post some goals when it comes to a certain macro I want to run both for cutting up and gaining. I want to run this thing lets say on 6 week surplus (gain) and 4 week cutting phases.

And the whole macro for off days bs too.

Also all of this is needed to be done via intermittent fasting too. I can deal with it. 16 hours + hell even 18+ of fasting phases

IF isn't too bad. Just make sure you drink a lot of water while fasting (and coffee, helps blunt hunger as well). For the past 2 weeks I've been running a 16/8 IF with my feeding window being 8am (post workout) to 4pm.

 

[Slayer-33]

IF isn't too bad. Just make sure you drink a lot of water while fasting (and coffee, helps blunt hunger as well). For the past 2 weeks I've been running a 16/8 IF with my feeding window being 8am (post workout) to 4pm.

Nice man, any fat loss you've noticed? I know it's early..

For me I really need to focus on planning all of this shit out since I work 12am to 8am. I do get my 7-8 hours of sleep and am awake usually from 5:30pm onwards and I've been going to the gym consistently for once these past two weeks.. I def want to sprinkle in P90X/Yoga into what I'm trying to do. It all seems to be like a lot to plan but I think the nutritional aspect is the hardest to get down right.

I have already completed P90X successfully a couple of times and actually stuck to a diet I planned to the letter pretty much for a ton of months, the problem for me was that it was static and the macro never changed, looking back at what I was doing I noticed that the macro was done incorrectly. I definitely know what I'm doing much better now and have a general understanding of many more important things about nutrition.

I skipped doing Yoga X too.. That's a mistake I'm not willing to make anymore. Even though I saw some pretty damn good results from just doing P90X and lost a lot of body fat which I have gained back due to just ridiculous eating habits. Thankfully my metabolism hasn't let me go past the weight range that I usually stayed in before even doing P90X.

It's time to get serious about everything, I was considering making a Nutri-gaf thread a while back but I'm glad the OP did with this one.

 

[Bowser]

Nice man, any fat loss you've noticed? I know it's early..

For me I really need to focus on planning all of this shit out since I work 12am to 8am. I do get my 7-8 hours of sleep and am awake usually from 5:30pm onwards and I've been going to the gym consistently for once these past two weeks.. I def want to sprinkle in P90X/Yoga into what I'm trying to do. It all seems to be like a lot to plan but I think the nutritional aspect is the hardest to get down right.

I have already completed P90X successfully a couple of times and actually stuck to a diet I planned to the letter pretty much for a ton of months, the problem for me was that it was static and the macro never changed, looking back at what I was doing I noticed that the macro was done incorrectly. I definitely know what I'm doing much better now and have a general understanding of many more important things about nutrition.

I skipped doing Yoga X too.. That's a mistake I'm not willing to make anymore. Even though I saw some pretty damn good results from just doing P90X and lost a lot of body fat which I have gained back due to just ridiculous eating habits. Thankfully my metabolism hasn't let me go past the weight range that I usually stayed in before even doing P90X.

It's time to get serious about everything, I was considering making a Nutri-gaf thread a while back but I'm glad the OP did with this one.

Honestly haven't really been tracking too terribly much on it. I've been dieting pretty consistently in some way shape or form for 20 straight months now. When I first started I was pretty flexible with cheat meals and also wasn't tracking macros or anything, just trying to get in better shape. Since around February of this year, I've become a lot more meticulous with it, working out more, setting macros, tracking my intake, little if any cheats (it takes all I have to not walk into a Chipotle and order a giant burrito with all the fixins with a side of chips and guac lol).

I'm already fairly lean at this point (I'm 5'6", went from ~175 lbs Jan 2013 to my current 135; I'd estimate I'm around 13-14% BF). I've been trying to cut down to 11-12% BF and have been on a 20% deficit for the past 6 weeks on a ultra low carb/keto-ish diet (only just now incorporated IF though). Honestly, I'll probably cut for another few weeks and then take a break for 2 weeks (eat at maintenance and up my carbs). I'm pleased with my appearance except for that damn lower belly/lower back flab haha. Always the last to go...