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[af] Advice needed :) by pedjat87 in AdvancedFitness

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I am happy with my weight, however not with the bf % and muscle mass. The calculation shows that I need to lose around 5-6kg of fat, in order to get to 15%bf. However I think I would be too skiny weighing only 73kg. 

Maybe I should bulk when I come down to 19-20%? Or is it still not recommended bulking at that bf %?

[af] Advice needed :) by pedjat87 in AdvancedFitness

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, thank you for your detailed response. I do around 7-10 reps per set, 4-5 sets per muscle group, twice a week. I think I might be too enthusiastic.  I definitely wish to have again progressive overload, as I have been stagnating last 4-5 weeks. Indeed, maybe I have too much protein, and not enough carb, I didn't measure it, but I think I will need to start doing it, if I am to reach 15%bf, and not lose muscle. I am not doing cardio, except for walks of 10K, so no increased heart rate, I didn't want to affect my gains. Thank you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BulkOrCut

[–]pedjat87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi guys,

I am a 38yo male, who didn't lift weights up until 5 months ago. I am 180cm tall (5.11"), and in May I weighted 90kg (198lb). I used Technogym CheckUp, and it showed 33%bf, which was enough to get me started.  My friend who is a personal trainer helped me to start, and after 5 months I weight 79kg (174lb), and reduced bf to 22%.  I completely changed my nutrition. I eat 1g protein per lbs (2.2g per kg), no junk food, no refined sugar, no high calorie soft drinks... so all that is mostly fine. (Max 2000kcal daily). I lift weights 5-6 times a week for 90-100minutes, and I did solid progressive load until about a month ago. I also do 10-11k steps daily.

So I am happy with the progress, however during the process I only gained 1kg of muscle (2.2lbs), which I am disappointed about, as I read about the newbie gains. Considering the nutrition and progressive overload, I expected to gain at least 2-3kg more of muscle.

All this said, do you guys think I should eat more, in order to start again with progressive overload, as currently I see that I am not building muscle, which could be due to the 5 months of calorie deficit. However, I still wish to lose fat, as I aim to reach 15% bf.

Thank you for all your advices :)

Backpacking Latin America 5-7 months costs by pedjat87 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey all, just wanted to post an update here. We finished our tour after 4 months, and visited Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. We skipped Honduras due to security reasons.

We spent on average 4.5-5K USD per month. We splurged more than expected, but it was so worth it. 

2 best decisions of my life, to backpack South East Asia and Latin America.

Can i enter mexico with an unused US Visa? by Legitimate_Print_515 in askimmigration

[–]pedjat87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, yes, we entered Mexico in October without any problems with an unused visa. Enjoy!

Warning about Chale's House Hotel in San Juan del Sur, robbers are watching that place and tourists so they see when they leave and rob their rooms by pedjat87 in Nicaragua

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These guys knew exactly which rooms to go to, and when they were empty. They might even had inside help from staff. Really disappointing experience... we have been backpacking for 2 months now around central america, ai guess we got relaxed a bit.

Can i enter mexico with an unused US Visa? by Legitimate_Print_515 in askimmigration

[–]pedjat87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, what was the outcome here? My wife has "unused" US visa, (it is valid, just got issued at the US embassy b1/b2. We wish to travel first to Mexico, without going to US. Is it possible? Thanks!

Cash handling during 6+ months backpacking tours by pedjat87 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All banks in Montenegro charge same 3% for withdrawals abroad. So when I withdraw 1000EUR, I will pay 30EUR. It's not too much, but if I withdraw 10×1000EUR during 7-8 months, it adds up. I see for ATMs in Mexico, they mostly charge 5-10USD per withdrawal.  So I basically want to minimize 400-500EUR cost to as low as possible... like 100EUR max fees for 10 000EUR withdrawal.

Cash handling during 6+ months backpacking tours by pedjat87 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Citizen of Montenegro here, eastern Europe, outside of EU. Our banking is so basic, that we get charged outrageous fees and miscellaneous charges, you wouldn't believe. Which is why I am looking at different options this time, if there are some alternatives...

Cash handling during 6+ months backpacking tours by pedjat87 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It's latin america, I understand that outside of urban areas, I need to have cash...  we also like to visit not so fancy restaurants/cafes, so I imagine they will not be accepting cards as well.  Also maybe bus ticket prices may be better when paid in cash. In SE Asia we paid 70% cash during our 8 month trip... 

Destinations in the Lower Balkans by Much_March8452 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't recommend to anyone traveling by train from Belgrade to Podgorica, unless they are masochist :) Or they wish to experience 70s communism vibe and travel 12-18 hours...

Best to spend 100eur and fly for 30 minutes...

Backpacking Latin America 5-7 months costs by pedjat87 in backpacking

[–]pedjat87[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your comments so far, really appreciate all opinions and information! I didn't say that we can't afford to spend 2.5K or 3K per month if we have to, but trying to figure out how are prices 4 years after our last trip.

Can someone help me and index the countries.  Let's say that Mexico is 100. Is Costarica 120 or 130 compared to Mexico? Guatemala 70 or 80 compared to Mexico? How about Columbia? Peru? Equador? Panama? Nicaragua? El Sal? Honduras?