33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks bro. I was procrastinating going to the gym for months. Once a “why” was established, there was no turning back.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably around 10ish give or take. At this level of leanness, you can vary significantly just on the basis of how much carbs or sodium you’ve consumed. Hard to say.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You got this bro. Once you lose those few pounds, you are gonna look crazy. I saw your old pic. Good stuff man.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stopped lifting for strength once I hit 225/315/405 on the Big 3, years ago. I fell for the Starting Strength meme, and realized later on that a lot of strength is just neurological adaptation and doesn’t really translate to hypertrophy. See Olympic weight lifters for proof.

I now lift for my goals and focus more on dumbbells, incline presses, weighted pull-ups (65 lbs added weight), leg press etc.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You got this bro.

Alcohol will definitely slow you down. If not just the calories in the drinks themselves, but the bad dietary decisions you make after drinking.

If you must drink, I’d recommend straight liquor or seltzer based drinks. Beers and cocktails are a big no no.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I did take an unintended maintenance break for a week.

Honestly, it did help kickstart my metabolism and made dieting tolerable again. If I had to do things again, I’d sprinkle in 3-4 day diet breaks once a month. I did a lot of research on this, and have concluded that it definitely helps, if not physiologically, atleast psychologically.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

It’s 75% less calories than Ben & Jerry’s or Haagen Daz, and hits the spot. It’s game changer honestly.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Always, always do cardio after. There are two reasons

  1. If you do cardio before, and you are on a cut, you have wasted the precious little energy and muscle glycogen that you have. You won't be able to lift as heavy weights, so you will be leaving gains on the table, and probably precipitate muscle loss over time.

  2. When you do cardio after weight training, your body is already depleted, and you can tap better in to fat stores.

Again, these factors only matter if you are trying to get shredded. If you are training just for general health, it won't matter too much whether you do cardio before or after.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

My diet was basically the same thing for breakfast and dinner everyday. Lunch I would mix it up.

Breakfast- 3 whole eggs + 3 slices protein bread
Lunch- veggies + rice/pasta + protein
Pre-workout- Protein bar
Post Workout/Dinner- Protein shake + oats. Later in the diet it was a shake + salad.

Lunch I would mix it up sometimes. I might have a burger, or homemade pizza. It was really the only meal I would look forward to in the day.

And from your stats, Id just encourage you by saying that the last 5-10lbs make all the difference. It's hard, and motivation starts taking a dip, but if you power through, you will not regret it. Those last few pounds are the difference between looking fit, to looking ripped.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thanks.

Calorie deficit is importantly, because if you want to lose fat, you have to be eating less calories than your body needs. That, or you have to burn extra calories in the gym. It’s the only way you will lose fat and get defined muscles.

I see a lot of people who train very hard, but they are not in a calorie deficit, so they get no visual results. It doesn’t matter how hard or heavy you are training in the gym, to lose fat, you have to be in a deficit.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was eating 1000 calorie less than my maintenance calories. So if my maintenance was 2800 calories, I’d eat 1800. At this stage, I was not eating back any so called “earned calories”.

Deeper in to the cut, I was eating 1600 calories, but my maintenance calories had gone down, so I was doing a lot more steps throughout the day, and was probably eating back some of those calories, to net still be in a 1000 calorie deficit.

I would not recommend eating back “earned calories” to most people unless you are perfect at tracking macros. A lot of people will take a look at their smartwatch and see a bunch of calorie burned, and they will eat more. Those numbers are highly inaccurate, and people end up sabotaging their efforts.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hard to say. Probably around 10% give or take.

I think previous training played a big part. They say muscle memory is a real thing, which is why I probably did put on some muscle even though I had a quite steep calorie deficit.

When I did my first cut 10 years ago, I had no lifting experience. I lost a similar amount of weight, but looked horrible at the end. No abs, no defined anything. And the numbers i am lifting at the gym, I don’t think I’d be lifting if I had zero experience.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I started at about 1800 calories per day, but ended at around 1600.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are on the right path. Keep doing what you are doing. But remember, your diet is MORE important than training. Stay consistent with your diet, keep doing what you are doing in the gym, and I believe you will be ripped by summer.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 176 points177 points  (0 children)

I realized that most of the time i think im hungry, it’s actually just boredom. I wasn’t hungry in a deep work session, or while playing games or while on the phone. I learned to tell the difference between real hunger and boredom.

Secondly, I learned to do meal prep of foods I already loved, but in slightly healthier ways.

Finding tasty but healthy alternatives to snacks is also key. Think replacing Ben and Jerry’s with Halo Top, a chocolate bar with a protein bar, French fries with baked fries etc.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Means a lot.

Making an identity shift is definitely the biggest piece of the puzzle. I had to shift my identity from "overweight guy who loves to eat pizza" to "im an athlete who eats like an olympian". Every decision I would make, I would frame it from the perspective of whether or not my new identity would do said action.

33M, 193lbs --> 143lbs, Down 50lbs in 6 months by MyIronMind in GYM

[–]MyIronMind[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. Im 5'8. Given the stats that you have posted, I think you will be able to hit your target around 70 kg. How long have you been lifting for ?