Well, you're in a lot better shape than me most likely. I basically lift weights pretty intensely and then do moderate aerobics afterward. But I deliberately don't push myself too hard as I like to work out every day and, if I kill myself, then I end up overtraining. I don't have a definitive answer on the above. To be honest I think young guys can do just about anything, i.e. be fit and simultaneously lean out and put on a little muscle. But I certainly can't prove that... If anyone finds a study on that, post it please...
A few things: 1. Let's say your baseline calorie level is 3000 where you neither gain or lose weight. In general, if you want to put on muscle, you have to eat a little past this baseline, i.e. an extra 300 calories per day. 2. If you cut calories much below this baseline, your testosterone will drop like a rock. This is anti-muscle. 3. If you drop calories significantly, your body begins to "feed upon itself" and you will go "catabolic", i.e. muscle-wasting instead of muscle building. Stress, reduced calories, lack of sleep (which is a stressor) - all of these can put you in a catabolic state. This medscape article says that, theoretically, you can lower calories and retain your lean mass if you have no stressors. But that is very theoretical. From all I've seen, everyday life coupled with low calories = bye bye muscle tissue. http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/432384_4
complete HS. one must cut calories to lose fat mass. no one can predict what impact that will have on their testosterone, that's a blanket statement (ps he needs far less than 3000cals/day)
Actually, the threshold for whacking your testosterone is about 15% according to the research. Let's say your baseline to neither gain nor lose weight is 2,500 - I chose 3,000 just for a round number plus Nitro is a heavy exerciser it sounds like. The research shows that if you eat as little as 2,125, your testosterone will start to plummet. Cortisol levels can also start rising and then you've got a muscle-wasting mess on your hands. I wasn't arguing that you shouldn't cut calories to lean out - I was arguing that in general it's better for guys to lose weight gradually. And, btw, there are many other reasons as well for gradual, steady weight loss...
Also, I think it's ironic that you claim calories are less than 3,000 per day when that is the typical level for a more vegetarian lifestyle and some of the healthiest cultures eat in this range...
Thanks for all the replies. I read them all and try to take it to heart as best I can. All of them are very interesting, particularly the one about testosterone. I don't have enough data nor am I taking scientific readings, but it seems that my testosterone level has gone down. Another counter intuitive reaction as far as I am concerned. I am beginning to believe that some level of fat is actually better than none at all as far as sexual system is concerned... I still have not lost weight this week. I even worked out on the weekend with some intensity. My entire upper body is thickening, and I beginning to see clear signs of belly loss. My legs are thinning. Now I see love handles more prominently though. Ugh. Every time I make progress, something new bugs me. Reminds me of that cartoon where this guy is stuck to the side of a damn, and has a finger in all these holes trying to stop the water from rushing in, with new holes to plug constantly appearing. If he takes his finger out of one hole to cover another...
"a muscle wasting mess on your hands"?? ROFL! where is this "muscle wasting" research you allude to? ps i do not expect you to have it
Nitro, I cannot stress enough the concept of gradualism as it pertains to weight loss or muscle gain. Your frustrations stem from the fact that you are not seeing the results fast enough. Think of a trader who starts trading today. What would you tell him? You would tell him to prepare to spend the better part of the next 5 years going through various cycles both up and down. Improvement in trading and in health happen very slowly over time even though we all want to get rich now and get fit now! The problem with rapid weight loss or even rapid muscle gain is it throws your body out of whack. It's not natural and it won't last because your body has a tendency to fight any rapid change in your body whether it's good or bad. The guys I know who are in the best shape, the guys that make it look easy, took years and years to get fit. They focused on very minimal gains. This allowed their body to slowly transform with out the evolutionary restraints that will try to hold you back. This is why many talk about a lifestyle change vs the concept of a "diet". A diet is something that has a beginning and an end. A lifestyle is permanent. A lifestyle will allow for the slow gradual change that will be the new "permanent" you. Not the temporary you that is the result of some radical routine to force a result to happen quick. If you eat well and exercise well over time your body will change slowly. Watching the scale every day is like a new trader that watches every up tick and down tick in their p&l. It's a waste of time.