MakeEachSetCount

I have never felt this. I can feel a deep exhaustion after a good workout, and almost feel hungover from a workout in the morning, but nothing like what you described.

Thank you for explaining it in the sense that he has plenty to lose before his body responds negatively when it comes to metabolism.

Is it possible that he has ate this amount of calories for a while and his metabolism is damaged? I feel like I have done this to myself before, but I cannot speak entirely for his situation. Other than that, I would agree. He is not tracking as well as he says/thinks.

If you lost eating 2500-2800, i don't think it's too off that he maintains at this 2700. Could his metabolism be slow enough to maintain at that caloric level? He would have only been 25-35 lbs heavier than you and more active, but I guess that depends on your definition of "semi-active". Age is 30 so still young as well. I am trying to help him get leaner, but I am not sure cutting calories at this point would be beneficial. I'm pretty confused on this.

Hey NF, I have a question regarding calories needed to maintain 285 lbs at 5' 10" or 5' 11" ish. I have a friend who is 285 and looking to lose weight. He claims to maintain at about 2700 -3000 cals per day with his activity level (lifting 4 days a week). I am about 250 with the same height and I maintain with 3300-3600 cals per day. I don't think his numbers are right. Anyone here have or had the same stats as 285? If so, what calories did you use to maintain, lose, bulk, etc? I know everyone is different, so I just wanted to get some ideas as I am almost positive his numbers regarding maintenance calories are flawed. All the calculators used show that this is way too low as well. Thoughts?

Consume less calories than you burn. Try a TDEE calculator online to gauge how many calories that you should eating and adjust from there. You can use a rule such as 90/10 or even 85/15 ratio in terms of eating clean vs cheating. For example, eat clean 90% of the week, and allow 10% to be of food you enjoy, but NOT exceeding your caloric limits. There are plenty of options out there for you. Some rules I suggest are to make sure you choose an approach that is sustainable and one that you will keep you satisfied.

You need to believe in yourself. To put that into perspective, this is what that should mean: Regardless of hardship, lack of motivation, lack of interest, etc, you need to focus on the opportunity and no necessarily the physical effort. Believing in yourself means having the discipline to reach your goals, and the ability to use the tools in order to get you to your goal. You can lose weight through diet only as well! By tools I mean preparation, planning, documenting, etc. Remain objective! Treat progress and regress as the same! Just keep moving forward regardless! At the end of the day, it is entirely up to you when it comes to doing what it takes to reach your goals. Nothing comes easy, so do not be discouraged. Don't just quit! Do something about it! If you can apply these things, I (a complete stranger to you), believes in you! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!

I honestly do not know how people can take working out seriously without keeping a log. Tracking performance will help you gauge progress. We should never just be going to the gym and going through the motions; we should be challenging ourselves on each exercise and each set. A workout log will help you see what needs improvement, what might have not been working (rep & set scheme), and what HAS been working. I feel that a workout log is essential!

This is pretty good. I really do not see any issues with it. Is your form the same without a belt?

This is much better, but on the negative, keep the bar in contact with your legs all the way down to your shins. This will keep you tight while doing reps.

The bar is starting too far away from your body. Start at about an inch away from your shins, as you grab the bar and move shoulders back (while keeping hips relatively high), your shins should touch the bar at that point, then start your pull. It will be a much more efficient pull and will help keep you tighter.

This is pretty much my approach. The only macro I really track is protein.

I have been deadlifting for a long time and I have never heard of this nor experienced it. Are doing a lot of cardio? Perhaps it's something from overuse, but I would not say that the deadlifts have caused this, especially if your form is good. Regarding intensity, I think if you are gassed to the point that you cannot perform any other exercises after deadlifts, you should revisit your diet/rest. Even if I go to high intensity (90% or higher of 1RM), I can still finish the rest of my routine for that day. Perhaps I will be affected by a rep or two on an exercise or two after, but nothing that will make the rest of workout not doable. I hope you find out what is causing the pain and can fix it. I know how problematic and downing nagging things like this can be.

Hey NF, What are your opinions on focusing on calories but not so much on macros when cutting? For example, I make it a priority to get anywhere from 200-230 grams of protein per day, but I do not necessarily aim for a particular amount of carbs or fat. Protein is really the only macro that I am concerned with. I mainly track my calories and just focus on staying within that caloric limit. I wouldn't say that one day is ever relatively carb or fat heavy (for the most part). I lift intensely so I need carbs, so I am not shy with carbs. I also do not try to limit fats. The only thing that I aim to limit is calories. Does anyone else have this approach, or do you follow a certain ratio macro split? All feedback would appreciated! Thanks!

In my opinion what you stated was too vague. What are your calories looking like? What is your weight, height, sex, activity level, etc... One rule will remain true, calorie deficits = weight loss. Metabolic damage could be a factor, but ultimately it still boils down to calories in vs calories out. I am no expert, but I would suggest eating at a slight surplus of 300 to 500 cals a day for about two weeks, and slowly scale back calories to kind of restart on your diet. Before you can do that, you will need to know how many calories you should be eating in the first place.