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How do I go from fit to LEAN?


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Hey everyone,

 

I've been fit for a long time. I can lift heavy, run long distances and hike mountains. I train at a cardio/strength circuit training boot camp 6 days a week. But with the muscle I've gained remains a layer of fat, the famous last ten pounds. I've tweaked my diet several times and have incorporated more strength training and hikes. I'm trying to find that perfect picture of diet and exercise that will allow me to go from being fit to being LEAN. I know many have made this transition. What was your experience? The most important things you put into practice? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

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To get lean you need to lose weight.. duh. So diet is of primary importance. Adjust your calories so that you lose slowly. Losing quickly means the amount of muscle to fat ratio you are losing is increased. Regardless, you need to be aware that when you lose weight you will lose some fat and some muscle (and strength). Don't let that discourage you.. you can build back the muscle.. and usually quite quickly because of 'muscle memory'.

 

Sorry, I don't have a lot of advice on dieting. I can usually lose just by cutting out beer... hahah.

 

I think there are a lot of other posts here that might help you out as far as diet goes.

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Hi BodySoulUnity,

 

I was in the same position as you. Very fit, but couldn't get lean. Found out I have really low testosterone. I have since found out we have an epidemic of low testosterone due to the many chemicals we are exposed to. I would get that checked out first. I am going through a restart therapy and it seems to be working quite well. Boosted my testosterone up 600% so far. I just hope it stays there when I stop the meds.

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  • 1 year later...

Why did you choose/decide to resort to meds to bring up your testosterone? Just curious

 

My 2c is if someone was going to get their bloods done there would also be other markers I would get checked too, rather than just solely focusing on what your testosterone levels are. Depending on how accommodating your GP is I would ask to get as many of these checked as posible:

 

CRP

Lipids (HDL, LDL + total) and blood glucose levels ~ will need to be taken in a fasted state

ALT/AST (fatty liver will slow metabolism as well as place greater strain on all of your other major organs)

T3/T4 levels

Creatinine

Haematocrit

Ferritin

B12

Vitamin D ~ not sure what it's like in the States but here in NZ doctors are unwilling to check Vit D levels unless necessary.

 

 

The results of all of those will give you a great base to start from. Let us know how you get on MF.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Why did you choose/decide to resort to meds to bring up your testosterone? Just curious

 

My 2c is if someone was going to get their bloods done there would also be other markers I would get checked too, rather than just solely focusing on what your testosterone levels are. Depending on how accommodating your GP is I would ask to get as many of these checked as posible:

 

CRP

Lipids (HDL, LDL + total) and blood glucose levels ~ will need to be taken in a fasted state

ALT/AST (fatty liver will slow metabolism as well as place greater strain on all of your other major organs)

T3/T4 levels

Creatinine

Haematocrit

Ferritin

B12

Vitamin D ~ not sure what it's like in the States but here in NZ doctors are unwilling to check Vit D levels unless necessary.

 

 

The results of all of those will give you a great base to start from. Let us know how you get on MF.

A zinc deficiency and overtraining can also cause decreased test levels. I've been there and I ended up taking clomid for a few months which definitely helped. I also started taking zinc and I decreased my training volume. Now my test levels are normal. I think overtraining was the biggest culprit though.

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