Fat loss = Weakness to cold climate?

[HeyWTF]

I started working out this year and shed about 20 lbs in 10 months or so. I do not know how much of that is fat or muscle, but my love handle has definitely shrunk and my overall body appears more athletic, so I do believe I lost fat and gained some muscle along the way.

Then I have experienced something strange of late. As the season changes I feel more sensitive to low temperature. I had always preferred a cold weather to a hot (and humid) weather, and had no issue dealing with early winter chillness or early spring frostiness. But this year I feel like I have to wrap myself with a blanket at 68~70F room temperature. Is it part of aging? (I am 40) Or does fat loss have anything to do with it?

 

[tenpoundsleft]

I started working out this year and shed about 20 lbs in 10 months or so. I do not know how much of that is fat or muscle, but my love handle has definitely shrunk and my overall body appears more athletic, so I do believe I lost fat and gained some muscle along the way.

Then I have experienced something strange of late. As the season changes I feel more sensitive to low temperature. I had always preferred a cold weather to a hot (and humid) weather, and had no issue dealing with early winter chillness or early spring frostiness. But this year I feel like I have to wrap myself with a blanket at 68~70F room temperature. Is it part of aging? (I am 40) Or does fat loss have anything to do with it?

No, it's a sign you're not getting enough Tren.

 

[HeyWTF]

Well, I am not sure I will ever get to know King Tren. I have been preparing for my first cycle (Test) like forever.

 

[HeyWTF]

Could anyone tell me what my body fat percentage is at? I am currently 5'10" and 175 lbs. (100% natty if that matters)

 

[tenpoundsleft]

Could anyone tell me what my body fat percentage is at? I am currently 5'10" and 175 lbs. (100% natty if that matters)

Asian?

20% or so.

No need for you to get a cycle, do these things :

Eat clean - cut that white rice
Squat, rack pull, and do dips religiously - minimum 3 times per week
Get blood work done, full panel, ref other thread

Good luck, you'll see huge changes in just a few months.

 

[HeyWTF]

I do those things. But I am 40 now and I feel like the clock is ticking. Other things in life are changing, too, which makes me believe now is the time to pull the trigger. I have wanted to try out gears since I was in college!

 

[tenpoundsleft]

I do those things. But I am 40 now and I feel like the clock is ticking. Other things in life are changing, too, which makes me believe now is the time to pull the trigger. I have wanted to try out gears since I was in college!

I hear you, I got started on this around 49-50 (54 now, soon to be 55).

But you REALLY haven't made enough progress to justify going on a cycle.

Have you done bloodwork? That is #1 for now. If you have shit natural levels, yeah, then go for it. But if you have decent natural test levels, you REALLY need to make more progress first. At least drop the BF% down to 15 or less.

Check my pix and you'll see how I've gone from 175 to 220 over a period of 3 years - you're only 40, lots of time left, don't jump on the TRT train too soon.

Edit: no offense, but your diet must be crap - tell us what you really eat

 

[Evom1]

You really shouldn't go on cycle with that much body fat. Cut down to about 10% body fat and then you can go on cycle and grow.

Your diet is Definitely the issue. And train legs harder

 

[HeyWTF]

My diet

Breakfast: Coffee, occasionally a donut or two
Lunch: A giant bowl of mixed green salad
Dinner: Regular dinner
Snack: Popcorn, a fruit or two, sometimes yogurt

I also drink a gallon of water a day.

"Regular dinner" consists of things that we eat for dinner.. regularly. Steak, Fish, Pasta, Chinese, Gyros, what have you. I eat as much green during the day which keeps my dinner portion in check. My diet may not be tight but I was able to lose 20 lbs in conjunction with my workout (3~4 days a week) this year. In the past every time I lost weight through some sort of diet I ended up gaining it back but this time I feel like it is maintainable. What can I do to improve on it?

@Evom1: I agree my legs need a lot of improvement.

 

[HeyWTF]

Oh, and I can only get a bloodwork through my physician. It is not possible to get a 3rd party bloodwork in my state. Thank you for your help, tenpoundsleft.

P.S. I am not sure 10% bf is attainable for me. I think 15% is a more reasonable goal, and indeed I have planned to bring my weight down to 160 lbs or so and stay there. (original goal) That is another 15 lbs from my current weight and I might be able to do it in a couple of months. Do you think at 160 lbs my bf will be close to 15%?

 

[Evom1]

Diet is without a doubt your issue

Do some research. No more donuts, yogurt, or fruit.

Let's have you eat 5x per day, every time you eat you want no less than 35g protein per meal.

Focus on
Protein chicken, egg whites, beef, steak, fish

Carbs Oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes

Fats Whole eggs, olive oil, almonds

 

[tenpoundsleft]

My diet

Breakfast: Coffee, occasionally a donut or two
Lunch: A giant bowl of mixed green salad
Dinner: Regular dinner
Snack: Popcorn, a fruit or two, sometimes yogurt

I also drink a gallon of water a day.

"Regular dinner" consists of things that we eat for dinner.. regularly. Steak, Fish, Pasta, Chinese, Gyros, what have you. I eat as much green during the day which keeps my dinner portion in check. My diet may not be tight but I was able to lose 20 lbs in conjunction with my workout (3~4 days a week) this year. In the past every time I lost weight through some sort of diet I ended up gaining it back but this time I feel like it is maintainable. What can I do to improve on it?

@Evom1: I agree my legs need a lot of improvement.

That's an AWFUL diet - no wonder you're still so fat, and haven't put on much mass. No offense, but that's the truth.

Where the bleep are your proteins?
I can go on, but your diet is a joke, you really need to revamp that radically before you even say the word "cycle" again.

You could inject a gram of test a week, and with what you eat you wouldn't see any benefit - there's nothing there to build with.

Eat a proper breakfast and lunch for starters!

Read one of Tom Venuto's books on your relationship with food and what to eat.

Edit: Yoghurt actually isn't bad - if you pick one with no added sugar. Lots of good protein and fat in yoghurt. Assuming you can digest it - what with you being Asian.

 

[KingPin42]

Oh, and I can only get a bloodwork through my physician. It is not possible to get a 3rd party bloodwork in my state. Thank you for your help, tenpoundsleft.

P.S. I am not sure 10% bf is attainable for me. I think 15% is a more reasonable goal, and indeed I have planned to bring my weight down to 160 lbs or so and stay there. (original goal) That is another 15 lbs from my current weight and I might be able to do it in a couple of months. Do you think at 160 lbs my bf will be close to 15%?

You don't think 10%bf is attainable but you eat doughnuts for breakfast? Normal dinner? What does that look like? You have a lot of things to fix before doing a cycle.

 

[tenpoundsleft]

Diet is without a doubt your issue

Do some research. No more donuts, yogurt, or fruit.

Let's have you eat 5x per day, every time you eat you want no less than 35g protein per meal.

Focus on
Protein chicken, egg whites, beef, steak, fish

Carbs Oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes

Fats Whole eggs, olive oil, almonds

Amen corner right here! (Except for the yoghurt disclaimer - good quality yoghurt is OK in my book.)

As an example of my breakfast - which I eat religiously when not on the road - this is what goes in it:

Chobani yoghurt - plain, full fat - with this on top:

• Cod liver oil
• Olive oil
• Almonds, raw
• Shizandra berries, dried
• Goji berries, dried
• Blueberries, fresh
• Flax seeds, ground
• Chia seeds, whole
• Curcumin powder (watch out for this, it stains like crazy)
• Cinnamon powder

Small amounts of all - lots of fiber, lots of protein and good fats - good start on the day.

Edit: you MUST find a way to get bloodwork done - even if you're in NY/NJ or some other pinko state - otherwise you're just running around in a dark basement with no lights on - you're going to hit something hard.

 

[HeyWTF]

A bowl of salad is a must for me because it helps my bowel movement. Anything else, my intestines suck up all the water and leave me constipated. It has been an issue for me and I have tried to dirupt my digestive system via various foods, but my stomach/intestines are incredibly adept at achieving homeostasis (i.e. constipation) with anything else other than veggie fibers.

I do eat protein, such as salmon, sushi, eggs, etc. It's just that it is not as predictable as veggie consumption. Are those cartoned egg whites as good as regular egg whites? That might be a good option for me since they are readily available and easy to incorporate in a meal. I tried protein powders in the past but they were all too disgusting to gulp down.

P.S. One clear source of protein in my diet is tofu, which I forgot to mention in my previous post. I try to avoid red meat to manage cholesterol.

Diet is without a doubt your issue

Do some research. No more donuts, yogurt, or fruit.

Let's have you eat 5x per day, every time you eat you want no less than 35g protein per meal.

Focus on
Protein chicken, egg whites, beef, steak, fish

Carbs Oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes

Fats Whole eggs, olive oil, almonds

Why no fruits?

 

[Evom1]

Fruit is straight sugar, it's not going to help you lose weight.

Get Mutant Isosurge or go through true nutrition if you want good tasting protein

Yes you can just drink the cartons of egg whites or get flavored ones from muscle egg

Have the salad, just also have 6 ounces of chicken with it

How's your water intake? Aim for 120-150oz per day and make sure you're getting in your electrolytes. NUUN tablets are great for this.

By all means get your veggies, but stop with all the carbs and focus heavily on proteins (still keep your greens)

Don't even think about eating if you're not getting 35g protein or more in that sitting

 

[HeyWTF]

I drink a gallon (128 oz) or more of water daily. Usually more on workout days.

 

[tenpoundsleft]

A bowl of salad is a must for me because it helps my bowel movement. Anything else, my intestines suck up all the water and leave me constipated. It has been an issue for me and I have tried to dirupt my digestive system via various foods, but my stomach/intestines are incredibly adept at achieving homeostasis (i.e. constipation) with anything else other than veggie fibers.

I do eat protein, such as salmon, sushi, eggs, etc. It's just that it is not as predictable as veggie consumption. Are those cartoned egg whites as good as regular egg whites? That might be a good option for me since they are readily available and easy to incorporate in a meal. I tried protein powders in the past but they were all too disgusting to gulp down.

P.S. One clear source of protein in my diet is tofu, which I forgot to mention in my previous post. I try to avoid red meat to manage cholesterol.

Why no fruits?

Blend your protein shakes with banana and egg whites - throw greens in there too - you will NOT be constipated. And it will taste like bananas.

Avoiding dietary cholesterol is BS - read up on it.

 

[HeyWTF]

After giving it much thought I decided to postpone my cycle for the time being. I might still order some gear nonetheless for the future plan, but for the time being I should pay more attention to my diet and bf. You guys successfully persuaded me.

I will have more to say in detail later. I am picking up egg whites and chicken breasts on my way home.

 

[Evom1]

After giving it much thought I decided to postpone my cycle for the time being. I might still order some gear nonetheless for the future plan, but for the time being I should pay more attention to my diet and bf. You guys successfully persuaded me.

I will have more to say in detail later. I am picking up egg whites and chicken breasts on my way home.

Congrats man, very proud of you for choosing to do the hard work!