How do so many of the people who post here have a low enough bf% to where they can see their abs and have such good...

I never get any sauce or dressing in my meals. I'm counting my calories with myfitnesspal, so I know where I'm at in terms of calories.
My TDEE is roughly 2700 calories. I'm eating anywhere between 2000-2100 calories a day. I've checked my TDEE through multiple calculators to make sure I have the right number.
Well I'll ditch subway then. But even at chipotle I make sure to get brown rice and no salsa. I'll try to eat more veggies. But what's wrong with using a protein shake to meet my calorie count? My protein has virtually no carbs in it.
Does cardio do anything other than burn calories? In that case couldn't I just eat less?

You're not going to make it, sorry pal

>700 below maint

Careful dipping too low. Do a refeed week at maintenance and then scale back to -500.

Also step up your training. Superset your lifts with abs, and not pussy shit like crunches. Controlled leg lifts, twisting pistons, starfish crunches. Decrease rest time, add calisthenic circuits, do more HIIT, etc.

>so I know where I'm at in terms of calories.
No you don't. You think you are at -700, you are actually at -250 (based on your weight lost). Stop thinking you are right, you aren't, your results prove it.
>I've checked my TDEE through multiple calculators to make sure I have the right number.
You are supposed to adjust it based on weight loss, it's a ballpark estimate. TDEE could very well have overshot. In fact, most people way overestimate their daily activity levels which causes inflated TDEE's. Granted you are fat, it's very likely you did this.
>Well I'll ditch subway then. But even at chipotle I make sure to get brown rice and no salsa.
Ditch fast food user. What you pay in 2 days for chipotle covers near my entire diet posted in the comment above yours. You also don't know what is in it, clearly.
>I'll try to eat more veggies
Do, not try.
>But what's wrong with using a protein shake to meet my calorie count
Drinking calories isn't satiating, granted you are fat, you will need a diet you can stick to, liquid meals isn't something that is easy to stick with. Also, protein powder is a supplement, if you are using it as a crutch in your diet than your diet is wrong.
>Does cardio do anything other than burn calories? In that case couldn't I just eat less?
The less you eat, the harder it is. Harder it is to stick with it, to hit protein goals, to hit fat goals, to hit micronutrient goals etc. Cardio is also good for heart health and can be used to fix up diet slips.

Tell me how to make it senpai. Reminder I'm living in a dorm so convenient access to certain foods is kind of a challenge
So what you're saying is that I should drop my calories by even more until I see results?
>Ditch fast food
I'll try. But keep in mind I'm at school, and they made me buy a meal plan with my housing, so I'll have to eat their dormitory food twice a day. I'll try to pick out the healthiest things I can obviously, but still I'll have to work with this.
And ok I'll step up my broccoli game. Can I get by on just brocolli or are there other veggies I HAVE to add in order to make it.
And as for cardio, I heard HIIT is best for my goals, but my question is should I do it while fasted first thing in the morning, or after I've eaten something? I never do HIIT cardio for over 20 min because I don't want to risk burning muscle.

>Tell me how to make it senpai.
You seem to really not know anything about anything. So read the sticky to start, lurk a lot more. Stop assuming you know everything and be prepared to make both sacrifices and mistakes.

>I'll try. But keep in mind I'm at school, and they made me buy a meal plan with my housing, so I'll have to eat their dormitory food twice a day. I'll try to pick out the healthiest things I can obviously, but still I'll have to work with this.
I have no sympathy. You buy fast food everyday, you have the money to spend on actual food, you just aren't doing it.
>And as for cardio
Do what you enjoy.

>I'll try
Stop saying that, no you won't. You will either make changes or you won't. At least now you know that what you are doing is both useless and wrong.

I've read the sticky and I've lurked. But what I've done so far doesn't seem to be working.

Where can I buy actual food? I only eat fast food because I don't know how to cook or have the time to prepare something myself.

Yohimbine, nigga.

Check this here infopic.

Don't listen to this guy.
You buy food at a grocery store. There has got to be one near your uni. Get a hot plate and a pot + pan. Then chicken breast, brown rice and veg. Keep it simple. Google how to cook them. Essentially apply heat until they look edible.

>Where can I buy actual food?
A supermarket. Meat and frozen vegetables should be your staple.

>But what I've done so far doesn't seem to be working
Because what you are doing is shit. You live on fast food and wonder why you don't have a 6 pack? Fuck off. Also quite sure the sticky says to adjust your caloric targets based on real world feedback, which you haven't done. Also don't think it tells you to eat fast food everyday.

>I only eat fast food because I don't know how to cook
What are you a child? If you can't cook a piece of chicken in the oven or microwave frozen vegetables you may be legitimately retarded.

>or have the time to prepare something myself
If you can't make time, you won't make it. You will have to make sacrifices, if it was fucking easy everyone would be walking around massive and shredded.

>One more time
You thought you would get ripped on fast food and protein shakes? You are an idiot.

>I've read the sticky and I've lurked
Evidently a lie or you haven't lurked enough.

I HAVE to cook? There isn't a microwaveable or cold cut option? I'm an EE major at UCLA. I barely have enough time to go to the gym. I munch on protein bars in between meals, and get something quick on the go in between classes while studying. I can't spend this much time at my dorms kitchen. The sticky says it's just calories in and calories out that determine whether I lose or gain weight. As long as I keep my protein high, and my sugars carbs and sodium low, does it really matter where the food comes from? Like I don't have the time to make meal prepping my second job. Isn't there anything I can do? Any other option? I can manage increasing my veggie load, but using a pot and a pan and a stove, holy shit.

>fat burner

people actually fall for this shit? i thought it was only women

You asked how people look good, I told you. If you can't or won't do those things, you won't get the results.

Stop looking for bullshit shortcuts.

You aren't going to get shredded eating fast food and munching on protein bars (which must be costing you).

I take 30 mins to do all my meal prep for the week. I just put 3.5kg chicken in the oven and then portion it out into 14 containers, 7 of those get 1/2 an avocado and the other 7 frozen mixed veggies. I eat tinned salmon, I make a big batch of pumpkin soup.

>using a pot and a pan and a stove, holy shit.
You don't have the basic ability to look after yourself. You won't make it.

It might be a meme but I always cut with intermittent fasting and it works for me

You're not working out hare enough you fucking pussy.

Also read the fucking sticky.

he means dnp nerd

There's no fridge in my dorm room to store stuff :/
I do a 6 day ppl split, lifting hard for 90 minutes each day. What do you do?

>I do a 6 day ppl split, lifting hard for 90 minutes each day. What do you do?
FUCKING LOL

You are the stereotypical walking dipshit beginner.

Every excuse under the sun to ensure you don't do any of the hard work, all the talk, none of the gains and to top it all off you are a fucking idiot.

What's your lifts at big boy

>There's no fridge in my dorm room to store stuff :/
lol you really are a walking bucket of excuses. You couldn't track down a fridge? Buy a cheap one off of craigslist.

Its only been 1 month. Possible posture issue as well. I've lost 17lbs and am like 12% bf but still have live handles so some of us just have different fat deposits so it takes longer to reach a given area

I started lifting in April, bulked till July, then started cutting, just started ppl this month. But here you go. Everything is in reps of 5 though, I haven't checked my 1rpm
OHP: 95 lbs
Bench: 155 lbs (de loaded last week and currently at 145 lbs)
Squat: 190 lbs
Diddies: 230 lbs
That's against my housing contract

Dude you are so full of excuses.

Also laughing at you chatting shit with fucking piss weak lifts.

You have also been lifting for under three months and have already switched between bulking and cutting as well as routine.

You aren't going to make it. At all.

Your diet is wrong, your routine is wrong, your mentality is wrong.

Well I was doing a shitty brosplit, and linear progression had stopped for me, so I decided to switch to ppl until my weights hit intermediate level.
And I bulked from 130 lbs to 170 lbs, and decided I need to trim my fat before I try gaining weight again.
How is what I'm doing wrong?

>How is what I'm doing wrong?
After this I'm done babying you in this thread. I refuse to believe you are this stupid, at this point it's ignorance.

>linear progression had stopped for me
Those lifts are WAAAY to low for linear progression to be spent. You were doing something wrong. Probably the fact you were on a bro split with no progression scheme. I've recently been training my younger sister and her OHP and Squat have both surpassed yours and she is still progressing linear. She is a short, thin female.
>so I decided to switch to ppl until my weights hit intermediate level.
So you set a strength goal, but then didn't take a routine that helps you hit strength goals? Sounds dumb.
>130 lbs to 170 lbs
40 lbs in 2 months? You fucked that up completely, totally, utterly. In ever way shape of form, what in the fuck were you doing? You keep saying you have lurked or read the sticky, clearly you fucking ignored every useful bit of info you read. Pray tell, where did the sticky say to put on 5lb a week whilst doing a brosplit?

>How is what I'm doing wrong?
Here is a better question. What are you doing right? The simple answer: nothing.

>started lifting in april at 130lbs
>bulk til july at 170
>gained 40 lbs in 4 months

hate to tell you this, but its not muscle...

Is 40 lbs in 9 months better? I can still see my top 4 abs in natty lighting

Not him obviously, but just curious. I thought it was pretty good but I wonder if I should keep going. 130 > 170 lbs, 6'0

> I'm an EE major at UCLA

Well shit. No wonder user can't find any real food. There's probably nothing within a thousand miles. The poor souls who inhabit this little traveled backwoods eke out a subsistence living.

Food?! Where is he going to find food! Tell him quickly or he'll scrape by on Subway and Chipotle.

>Is 40 lbs in 9 months better? I can still see my top 4 abs in natty lighting
1lb a week is a +500 calorie surplus. Rule of thumb is that you will add at most 2lb muscle a month and this will come with fat gains. Honestly 40lb in 9 months looks spot on for a 500 calorie surplus with a 4lb water weight swing. Granted that, I'd say you added somewhere around 36lb actual mass with 50% of that being muscle.

Obviously these are ball park guesses and could be well off if you didn't progress lifts or didn't eat enough protein or didn't add weight evenly over that time etc etc.

TLDR: 40lb, my guess, 4lb water weight 18lb muscle 18lb fat.

I know, but I looked too skinny before so I wanted to look healthier and fuller. I still have nearly no fat on my legs or arms, my body genetics makes it all go to my stomach area.
I stopped bulking at 160 and ate at mainenence. Once I hit 170 I got scared and decided to cut until I can see my abs, then do a slow gradual bulk to ensure I don't get too fat again.
And my PPL routine incorporates both strength training for all my main lifts, and hyper trophy for all my accessories. Bench and OHP I alternate between strength training on one day and hyper trophy on the other day. That way I can build aesthetics while still getting my weights up.

And I'll admit, I didn't find Veeky Forums or the sticky until a month ago.

A little generous probably, since I didn't know what the fuck I was doing for the first few months and only did arms/chest/abs.

Thanks for the insight

>at 160 and ate at mainenence. Once I hit 170
IF YOU PUT ON 10LB YOU WERE NOT EATING AT MAINTENANCE.

IF YOU AREN'T LOSING WEIGHT YOU ARE NOT EATING AT A DEFICIT.

Oh my God you are fucking retarded. I've spent hours in this thread trying to explain simple shit to you.

>And my PPL routine incorporates both strength training for all my main lifts, and hyper trophy for all my accessories. Bench and OHP I alternate between strength training on one day and hyper trophy on the other day. That way I can build aesthetics while still getting my weights up.
Let's be clear, you are dumb. Everything you have done so far has been wrong. I have no faith that your PPL is a good routine.

You are killing me here user.

A good trick is to buy a tape measure and calipers.

You can measure your weight and key body parts every week and track them. Plot them in a spreadsheet and track your growth against desired. For example track chest growth and mark where it would hit your goal, also track waist growth and caliper pinches to see fat fat gain.

Works wonders.

>what is gaining muscle weight?
And the ppl I'm doing right now I got straight off of the top result on /r/fitness, and the comments are nothing but positive. I think I'll be good doing this until my main lifts hit intermediate level, then I plan to do PHAT.
And it sounds like I should perhaps cut my calories more. Is there a TDEE calculator besides the one in the sticky you'd recommend? Otherwise I think I should keep at where I'm at right now, and see how much weight I lose by the end of the month.
How much weight should I lose per week/month to know I'm at a good deficit?

kill yourself

>>what is gaining muscle weight?
There is a natural limit to how fast you can gain muscle. You exceeded that almost 10 times over. You gained fat.

Also, if you eat at maintenance but put on 10lb, where did the 10lb come from?

>the ppl I'm doing right now I got straight off of the top result on /r/fitness
/r/fitness is a hive mind or retardation. You are a beginner, accept that, do a beginner routine.

> I think I'll be good doing this until my main lifts hit intermediate level
They never will. You aren't on track to achieve that.

>And it sounds like I should perhaps cut my calories more
Perhaps? Perhaps? How thick are you?
> Is there a TDEE calculator besides the one in the sticky you'd recommend
You don't need a fancy new calculator. You have real data. You know what you eat, you know you aren't losing weight. Take your current diet and cut 500 calories from it. Spoiler alert, it's the fucking fast food and takeaway meals that you live off of.
>How much weight should I lose per week/month to know I'm at a good deficit?
Finally, objective proof of what I have suspected all along, you are full of shit. You haven't lurked, you haven't read the sticky.

Go fuck yourself user. You stupid fat piece of shit. I hope you are never happy.

Yeah I'd love some calipers to know for sure. Too fucking lazy to bother getting some though, when I generally feel satisfied knowing my abs are visible even though I'm far from shredded.

And I figure as long as I keep increasing weight and eating I'll get bigger. Tracking improvement every week would help but would make it like a chore for me

>Yeah I'd love some calipers to know for sure. Too fucking lazy to bother getting some though, when I generally feel satisfied knowing my abs are visible even though I'm far from shredded.
You can buy them online for less than 10 bucks faster than you can reply to this post. Buy once, have forever.

Even if you aren't concerned about waist fat, you can pinch chest to gauge chest fat vs chest muscle on a bulk for example.

>And I figure as long as I keep increasing weight and eating I'll get bigger. Tracking improvement every week would help but would make it like a chore for me
Yeah I'm a bit of a fuckwit so I don't mind updating graphs when I wake up on a Saturday.

I have read the sticky, but it was like a month ago and I don't remember where in the sticky it was mentioned. If you know it off the top of your head that would be very helpful

I do know it off the top of my head, but I hate you.

Jesus fucking Christ Veeky Forums no point in saving a sinking ship

>I do a 6 day ppl split, lifting hard for 90 minutes each day. What do you do?
Holy fuck I just burst out laughing in a study room. DYEL you retarded, delusional, narcissistic motherfucker? If you actually are having that hard a time eating veggies you must not have never eaten in your school's cafeteria. I go to OU and consistently eat from the salad bar (spinach, fresh green beans, tomatoes, olives, baby corn, grilled chicken, deli turkey) and have no trouble maintaining a healthy diet, even as a third year aerospace engineering major. You literally will not make it until you stop being such a whiny little excuse for a human being.
tl;dr FUCK OFF

>Jesus fucking Christ Veeky Forums no point in saving a sinking ship
I've literally spent all day trying to help this guy.

I want to kill myself.

True. I guess I'll buy some then, see how fatty I really am. Guessing around 12-13%

Add 5%, at least. I've never seen someone guess their own bf% and not be 5% over.

Think so? I always read that if you can see abs in natty lighting you're under 15%. Either way I guess I'm buying calipers so I'll have a better idea soon.

>Think so? I always read that if you can see abs in natty lighting you're under 15%. Either way I guess I'm buying calipers so I'll have a better idea soon.
Really depends on the individual and their fat distribution. Certainly if you can see the bottom rung so to speak you would have to be relatively lean (or fucking massive).

do you mean under?

People who guess they are 10% are normally 15% and up.

People who guess they are 15% are normally 20% plus.

Well I can only see the top 4 really, so I'm not that lean (I'd like to be someday though)

So jealous that your cut is 1900 cals and I've gotta go to sub 1500

>So jealous that your cut is 1900 cals and I've gotta go to sub 1500
Do cardio. When it was summer I was swimming a few km's and it pushed my cutting calories up to 2300, really comfortable cut.

When I did my first ever cut I went to 68kg at 5'10", I've added a good bit of mass since then and I'm now sitting around 80kg and far more active in general. It means I get to eat more (which is good, because cooking is a big hobby).

I, too, am a beginner looking to lose my gut. So to sum up this thread, the answer im looking for is just to simply eat better? Any recommended food plamning websites? Any advice for a guy who cant smell and hates how bland veggies are?

>So to sum up this thread, the answer im looking for is just to simply eat better?
If you aren't in control of your diet, you won't hit your goals. So get used to eating the same things a lot.

>Any recommended food plamning websites
Use myfitnesspal to plan out a diet, then just stick to that with minimal variation.

> Any advice for a guy who cant smell
Don't fart in a crowded room

>hates how bland veggies are?
Suck it up. I'm eating 250g chicken breast and 250g microwaved frozen veggies right now. I'm not doing it because it tastes good.

>stop eating fast food
>you can't lose weight that way
People, there is a difference between healthy and unhealthy weight management. You could eat pure McDonalds at a deficit for months and still lose fat. Your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and all would be shit, but you could still lose weight. Hence the terms "clean cut/bulk" and "dirty clean/bulk"

Brother Ogus fits ice cream into his meals if he has spare calories for the day

OP, you are obviously not tracking every calorie, or you need to drop on your deficit.

custommealplanner.com/
Read around on Scooby's site, he is your guru to fitness

>Brother Ogus fits ice cream into his meals if he has spare calories for the day
And the Hodge Twins eat take out every day. Do you know what their secret is? Hint, you inject it.

>Read around on Scooby's site, he is your guru to fitness
I'll second this. Scooby is a bit Dad science but he will put you on the right path.

Will do.
>Don't fart in a crowded room
>thinking i dont intentionally do this on a regular basis

Thank you

is subway really considered fast food? I thought it was one of the healthiest options out there.

Some of us were burn this way

Holy hell this thread. For any and all parties asking about dieting, please seak the Diet section of the sticky. I believe it is the third, but even if it isn't it's hyperlinked in the table of contents to prevent strain from scrolling.

how many cals do i have to be below maintenance to lose half a pound per week?

250

so 1 gram equals 1 calorie?

No.

1 gram of carbs or protein = 4 calories. 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. Roughly.

Gay.

I eat chipotle burrito in one sitting and still have abs.

Oh jesus christ dude READ THE FUCKING STICKY fuck.

Here let me do it for you
>The best tool I've found to calculate these numbers is the Fat Loss Calculator from Scooby's Workshop. Fill in your data there, and then look at the "Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE)" box. Use that number to set your goal. If you'd like to lose one pound (~3500 calories) per week, subtract 500 calories from that number. If I need to eat 3000 calories a day to maintain my weight, I will lose one pound a week eating 2500 calories a day. Conversely, I will gain one pound a week eating 3500 calories a day.

>Fats. 9 calories per gram
>Proteins. 4 calories per gram
>Carbohydrates ("carbs"). 4 calories per gram.

Listen to me, I am no Zyzz. My gains are minimul and Veeky Forums would not mire my aesthetics. But I ***read*** the fucking sticky, and then I read it again and again and again. And then I opened it up countless other times as I questioned something in particular. You, though, are failing and making us newbies look bad. Stop it.

>>Literally breakfast is a protein shake
>Lunch I get a roast beef sandwich from subway or a chicken bowl from chipotle
>Dinner I have steak or chicken breast
>I have a protein shake post workout
>I have another protein shake before bed

well as it turns out, inducing an insulin response 5 times a day isn't conductive towards weight loss!

What does that even mean?

insulin inhibits lipolysis. stop eating so fucking often if you want to get lean.

I was told that I'm supposed to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going. And just adjust the size of my portions according to how many calories I'm going for. But whether I'm bulking of cutting, I was told that I'm supposed to eat 6 times a day. Is this false information?

>I was told that I'm supposed to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism going
>Is this false information?

yes, it's wrong. eat less often. try 18/6 or 20/4.

What does 18/6 or 20/4 mean?

fast for 18-20 hours, fit all of your calories in during the 4-6 hour window. this ensures your glycogen levels are low enough that lipolysis takes place. ideal meal timing is post workout.

I pretty much did this during Ramadan. I didn't see any gains

>I pretty much did this during Ramadan

neat. do it again.

at least he is good at getting repeating digits. and they are all sevens.
you aren't that bad either.

700 calories of fat and protein or 700 calories of carbs... I started keto 2 months ago and ive lost 30 lbs and my calories are 2012. 286 g of fat and 123 g of protein and under 10 carbs. I also run 5 miles do 100 situps push ups and squats

why does eating veggies help you burn fat?

Thats over 700 calories also there is about 5-10 grams of sugar from the shit from subway and the same for Chipotle stop eating carbs also if your eat to much protein at once it will convert to sugar and be stored also drink a gallon of water a day so it flushes the fat out get some CLA 3000 saffaron oil fuck off with that fat burner shit its fake. green tea extract helps

Are you braindead ? He said 700 below maitenance not exactly 700 you stupid fuck.

Meme. Time of having meals doesnt matter.

Cuck.

It can be two things

Either you have not cut for long and well enough

OR

you just lack the muscle mass to look like that. Obviously, your chest and arms are not going to be protruding and dominating your looks if there is not a whole lot there to begin with.

Body pics would help.

Try 25% fag.

It's cals in cals out. Don't worry about how often you eat. I usually eat 7-8 times a day and my progress has been great. If you keep eating less than your tdee you'll lose weight. Simple as that.

That's what you get for being helpful instead of posting memes. I hope you've learned your lesson.

Have you tried running? Like sprint intervals or just running 1.5 miles as fast as possible every other day? For me that's the only possible way to lose weight along with swimming to lean my body out. Remember that your starving your body with a deficient diet like that. It won't want to lose the fat. Increase your diet and run. Run like a fucking horse.

Here's what you do
>Meat
Frozen chicken breasts and ground beef are the cheapest, there are a gorillion recipes on google so don't try to say some shit like "i don't know how to cook" figure it out
>Veggies
Go to store. Pick frozen veggies (brocolli, mixed, anything green really). Cook and eat frozen veggies with meal.
>Carb
Rice or Potatoes are your best options. Again, hard to fuck up rice or potatoes. Get a rice cooker and just do anything but fry the potato.

Wa la you have a pretty complete diet that will help you lose weight. Count the calories and eat some fruit/leafy veggies once in a while for vitamins and shit