A little advice about my diet

[woodswise]

I dieted down from well above 24% a few years back to 16% recently (currently at 18%).

I used the type of diet you are using initially, and over the past year and a half, when cutting, I have used a regular ketogenic diet. I have never used a cyclic ketogenic diet because my trainer recommends against it on the theory that if you're coming out of ketosis every week, you'll not be burning fat for half the week. I realize guys who do CKD say they don't come out of ketosis if they keep their carb cycling low enough. At some point I may try it, but not so long as I have so far to go.

For your situation, my thinking is, if I were in your shoes, I would continue the diet I was on and start measuring and logging my food, and get the ratios of protein to carbs and fat so they are consistent day to day. Then start making adjustments (e.g. more protein, less fat; or more protein, less carbs, and keep fat below 100g; etc.). Weighing my portions and logging my food into a diet calculator, has made the biggest difference in my progress compared to everything else I have tried.

If you are losing 1.5 lbs per week on average you are doing great and if you can keep that up over another 3-4 months, you should get well below 20%.

I recommend a day off now and then, and have a small dessert or other treat, or even a whole cheat meal, just don't go crazy.

I started AAS when I was at 24% and don't regret it one bit. But when blasting, I have always bulked up, and when cutting I have always cruised, so I am not wasting the opportunity to gain muscle provided by AAS.

Good luck with it and keep us posted!

 

[woodswise]

I should say that for me the ketogenic diet has worked well, but it is very hard to stay strict on it. I have not had a lack of energy, so long as I get into ketosis, but the few days of initial transition are hard. The hardest part is not getting too many carbs in my diet. There are so many opportunities at parties, eating out, etc. that I found myself having a small cheat once a week or so, and that really messed up the diet. If you are going to use a ketogenic diet, my recommendation is that you stay very strict.

Also, the last time I used the keto diet, I lost 35 lbs over 4 months, but my %bf increased by 1.5% (lemme tell you that made me unhappy). I think that is because I lost a lot of water, etc., but also because the last few weeks I was not in as much as a Kcal defecit as I should have been. Keto diets are hard, period.

 

[HDH]

Thanks bro! Yeah I knew the machines had a calories burned display, just want sure how accurate that was. I will keep trucking along! I have gotten a bit slack on my diet and exercise in the past few weeks partially due to a shoulder injury. But I'm feeling better every day and I'm ready to kick my self in the ass and get back on track.

Thanks for the support!!

The machines do vary on cals. I go to two gyms and cals aren't the same even on a tread with same incline and same mph. I've even seen calibration done on em. I try to stick to one gym for cardio now and use the same stuff.

HDH

 

[HDH]

I dieted down from well above 24% a few years back to 16% recently (currently at 18%).

I used the type of diet you are using initially, and over the past year and a half, when cutting, I have used a regular ketogenic diet. I have never used a cyclic ketogenic diet because my trainer recommends against it on the theory that if you're coming out of ketosis every week, you'll not be burning fat for half the week. I realize guys who do CKD say they don't come out of ketosis if they keep their carb cycling low enough. At some point I may try it, but not so long as I have so far to go.

For your situation, my thinking is, if I were in your shoes, I would continue the diet I was on and start measuring and logging my food, and get the ratios of protein to carbs and fat so they are consistent day to day. Then start making adjustments (e.g. more protein, less fat; or more protein, less carbs, and keep fat below 100g; etc.). Weighing my portions and logging my food into a diet calculator, has made the biggest difference in my progress compared to everything else I have tried.

If you are losing 1.5 lbs per week on average you are doing great and if you can keep that up over another 3-4 months, you should get well below 20%.

I recommend a day off now and then, and have a small dessert or other treat, or even a whole cheat meal, just don't go crazy.

I started AAS when I was at 24% and don't regret it one bit. But when blasting, I have always bulked up, and when cutting I have always cruised, so I am not wasting the opportunity to gain muscle provided by AAS.

Good luck with it and keep us posted!

I gotta watch on the going crazy for a cheat meal now since CiCis pizza opened back up (all you can eat ).

HDH

 

[flex001]

I should say that for me the ketogenic diet has worked well, but it is very hard to stay strict on it. I have not had a lack of energy, so long as I get into ketosis, but the few days of initial transition are hard. The hardest part is not getting too many carbs in my diet. There are so many opportunities at parties, eating out, etc. that I found myself having a small cheat once a week or so, and that really messed up the diet. If you are going to use a ketogenic diet, my recommendation is that you stay very strict.

Also, the last time I used the keto diet, I lost 35 lbs over 4 months, but my %bf increased by 1.5% (lemme tell you that made me unhappy). I think that is because I lost a lot of water, etc., but also because the last few weeks I was not in as much as a Kcal defecit as I should have been. Keto diets are hard, period.

I'm curious about the increase in bodyfat. I'm a personal trainer (which honestly means nothing) also and to my bodybuilding clients, I mainly recommed cycling carbs in order to avoid destroying muscle tissue (which would lead to an increase in bf%). If you lift weights during ketosis, you can and most likely will destroy muscle due to the lack of glycogen. You must carb up in order to replenish lost glycogen and repair the broke down muscle tissue. If you continue to tear it down with no way of building it back up, that spells trouble. Now if you stick to cardio only, during a continuous Ketogenic state, you should be fine.