r/leangains

Hello i started my fatloss journey in december and now i lost in total 41kg

i started at 117,9kg and right now i'm at 76kg

i'm 183cm tall and 24 years old

how is it possible that i still have/ am fat

i have no sixpack and still fat around the lower belly and the chest

and i train 5 times per week

i sleep 8 hours

i do everyday +/- 15000 steps with a backpack with 15kg in it

i eat everyday around 1500calories ( and yes i track them ) and about 160gr. protein

i want to get shredded and to have clear abs

butbi thought i would get that when i reach 80 kg but no now at 76kg and still nothing

I’m 73kg, 23% body fat 5 months ago, should probs check all this again. Also, im 6ft. I go to the gym around 3x a week and try to incorporate some cardio too.

I know it’s not a quick process but what are some things I could do to get lean? I’m focusing on eating whole foods now and cutting out crap from my diet. Do I need to track calories?

So for the last 2 months I have pleateued on most of my chest,biceps and triceps excercises. My lats were also not progressing I thought that I was fatigued or I was doing too much volume. Then I observed my workouts I saw that when I changed my lat pulldown to lat pullovers I started progressing on that excercise only. My t bar rows are still stalled.

So will changing my excercises give me a better stimulus?

Btw I am a beginner training for 6 months.

I am 39M running a lean bulk and am about 200 calories over my maintenance (3500 calories) and was seeing pretty steady results until recently. I weigh all my food to the gram and I am not new to tracking calories and my workout split hasn’t changed. Please help me make sense of why my weight has jump so much the last couple of weeks.

Here is my weekly weight gain in Lbs.

.2

.5

.2

.45

.59

.77

.17

.7

1.0

This is all on the same number of calories.

Question for anyone who eats natural nut butter regularly.

Two things I've always been annoyed by:

1. By the time I get to the bottom of the jar, the last bit is always dry and hard and basically unusable. Does this happen to you? Do you just throw that part away, or do you actually manage to use it?
2. When you scoop out a serving, do you actually measure it or just eyeball it? And if you eyeball it, do you think you're usually getting more or less than a tablespoon?

Curious how common this is and if there is a way to avoid these issues.

25m, 5’5 128 lbs. Was 185 a year ago but lifestyle changes + stress + adhd meds aided in weight loss. I work full time, always on my feet 5 days a week, at least 10k steps at work. Before work I go to the gym where I do machine weights for 15-25 mins depending on how much time I have. This is 3-5x a week. Running relieves stress for me so when I get home I usually go on a run outside or on my treadmill for 30min-1hr. Then with household chores I usually end the day with 15k-20k steps. Weekends I want to rest but have so much to do that I end up on my feet all weekend as well.

I track my calories and most days are between 1800-2100, sometimes I get a little more than that, but usually it’s on the lower end or less. My muscles look deflated and I look skinny fat. At this point I’m still losing weight, around 0.5 lbs a week even though I want to recomp. I find I have barely any appetite so it’s been rough. I need to strength train more for sure, but I’ll have more time for that in the summer months since I work in education.

In my diet currently i have steak, fish, eggs, lots of dairy and fermented stuff like kefir and goats yogurt, greek yogurt i also have almonds, rice, pasta, chicken, lots of fruits and casein powder.

Hello everyone !

around a year ago i was around 50kg;175cm; very skinny; and decently active; i ate a lot but didn't gain a lot of weight.

late 2024 i started working out proprely (mostly pushups/pullups variations; dips and some dumbells exercises); having a real routine at home working all muscle groups etc; increased my calorie intake and a bit more than 1g of protein per kg of weight.

after 3/4 months i barely had noticeable change except some muscle growth in my arm but it was not that visible.

i guess you could have called me "skinny fat" as i had a bit of tummy but the rest was really skinny.

Even after all the calorie increase and the workouts; i would stay at 50kg which was frustrating as i was forcing myself to eat too much yet no results.

early 2025 i decided to completely stop working out and start gaining weight until i was satisfied.

As of today i manged to gain 20kg (70kg) in a year.

i could say my goal has been reached;

my arms got bigger; shoulders chest the whole frame basically.

but i also gained a lot of body weight. my tummy is way more visible especially when i eat almost like a beer belly.

As of right now i have decided to go back to working out; and see if i manage to get more progress with the bigger frame i currently have.

but i'd like to ask some advice to be able to lose the body fat + gain muscle mass at the same time; what should my diet be like; increase protein by how much; what about carbs and fat; overall calories etc;

and about the workout itself; should i take it slow as if im a beginner? because even doing a pullup is pretty difficult now; let alone do a second one. (was able to do pull ups with middle fingers only).

Anyways if anyone has had a similar experience as me; or has advice about my situation i'd be very happy to hear it !

thanks a lot :)

(all sets to failure/0-2 rir)

Upper:
incline smith press 2 sets
pec deck flies 2 sets
lat pulldown 2 sets
chest supported row (mid back) 2 sets
cable row (lats) 1 set
dumbell lateral raises 2 sets
triceps pushdown 2 sets
jm press 2 sets
preacher curl 2 sets
hammer curl 1 set
forearms

Lower:
hamstring curl 2 sets
hacksquat 2 sets
RDL 2 sets
leg extensions 3 sets

My weak points are definitely my arms or i wouldve done less sets for them

suggest any tweaks, thanks!

Hey y'all! I am working on a body recomposition plan and have a couple of questions.

I am 24M 6'3" 188.4lbs and have 30.5% body fat meaning I have 131lbs of lean/skeletal mass(this was from a DEXA scan). I have not worked out in any way for about 1.5 years (no weights, no cardio). I work a desk job so work related exercise, as well as eating like crap over that time period. I do not drink, or smoke.

My goal is to lose 20lbs of fat and gain 5lbs of lean mass. More fat loss is welcome, and more lean mass gain is as well. My goal timeframe is within 4 months (I will be getting another DEXA every 2 months)

My plan is as follows:

- 8 hours of sleep per night

- 72+floz of water per day (cutting out all other drinks for the period)

- Stronglifts 5x5 (I know generally where my 5rm are, but I would rather start from the bar and focus on form) (estimated 300kCal/day 3x a week)

- 5k of walking/running per day (I will be running 3 days a week as far as I can and then walking the remainder up to the 5k) (estimated 300kCal/day burned)

- I am also am taking a 1 hour dance class (Melbourne Shuffle) once a week on a non lifting day (estimated 200kCal burned)

- 5g of creatine per day. (makes the +5lbs of lean mass easier to reach)

- 1700kCal max per day with focusing on .7g of protein per lb of weight. (Online calculators said a sedentary person with my stats burns 2000kCal per day)

I want to stick to the diet portion for 2-4 months (about 12-24lbs of fat loss at 1.5lbs per week) and then slowly increase my caloric intake towards maintenance (increasing intake by 200kCal per month until maintenance).

My questions are:

- Will the calorie deficit combined with muscle stimulus result in fat loss without much muscle loss?

- Will returning the diet to a maintenance level without lowering activity levels result in gaining back some/all of the fat I have lost?

- Any comments on the feasibility of this plan? (I am currently on day 3 with mild hunger, but sugar free chewing gum keeps me occupied)

I've lost 60+ pounds using regimented fasting. About a month ago I started lifting again for the first time in about two decades (I'm in my 40s).

I'm trying to balance gains with fat loss, which is obviously why I'm here.

The basic question I have is how much is fasting going to affect muscle recovery?

My schedule is lifting Monday and Tuesday, rest Wednesday, lift Thursday and Friday, rest Saturday and Sunday.

16/8 intermittent fasting on lifting days, slight calorie surplus.

One meal Wednesday, calorie deficit.

Calorie surplus Saturday and then into a 36 hour fast through Sunday and break it after Monday's workout.

Any glaring issues?

For context, I have lifted weights for a couple years, but I’ve never sat down and decided I’m going to eat this many calories consistently, count them, and do a real “bulk”. I started 10 days ago weighed in at 182.6 pounds, and today I’m 190 pounds. I also started creatine for the first time 10 days ago. Now, I am aware that water retention and glycogen in your muscles is a thing and a contributing factor to the spike in weight gain. From what I am reading, this is a relatively normal thing. As far as weights in the gym and getting a pump, I feel absolutely amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten this many carbs in a day before. The bulk is intended to be clean and I’m eating about 3000 cal a day. I would love to hear everyones thoughts about the spike in weight gain or experiences with bulking in general.

Hi,

I'm recomping (5"5, 130lbs skinny fat male), I train in the mornings at 6:30, prior to training I take 10g BCAA, post training I walk my dog for an hour though I have another 10g of BCAA immediately after training. I tend to break my fast around 10am, this may be after 3/4 sets of weighted chin-ups as it's something I'm looking to incorporate between meetings on my training days.

My post workout meal is normally 70g Weetabix, 300g of Greek Yoghurt, and 30g of peanut butter with 2 vegan sausages (TVP). It normally works out at about 65g of protein. With a second meal at around 3pm again with vegan sausages and 100g of basmati rice coming to 40g of protein.

Are my timings ok for this? I can take a protein shake immediately after though I'm trying to eat my foods where possible. Unfortunately I can't really eat sooner as I have meetings. Also I wanted to see if TVP and vegan protein sources were ok as my staple. It's cheaper and more convenient for me to eat as I can store loads of frozen sausages in my chest freezer and they require little effort to make. If I need to eat animal protein I can add that in though if I can reap all the benefits from plant based protein, I'd rather do that.

Additionally, if timings are ok, if I were to move my first meal to 3pm, what should my BCAA intake look like? Asking as eating food takes time, I'd rather enjoy my meals rather than having to stuff my face quickly. It'd also help with fasting, I don't IF anymore as I struggle with fasted training if my last meal was as 5/6pm, though if I could have my first meal at 3pm and last at 9pm, I think I'd be able to fast and train fasted.

you guys i got into depth from eating so much and buying protein powder and i hella increased in strength and i also gained 7 KGS but i look the same what the hell😭amd everyone agrees that i look the same😭😭why?😭😭i got into depth for nothing my dads gonna kick me out(jk)

For context, I have lifted weights for a couple years, but I’ve never sat down and decided I’m going to eat this many calories consistently, count them, and do a real “bulk”. I started 10 days ago weighed in at 182.6 pounds, and today I’m 190 pounds. I also started creatine for the first time 10 days ago. Now, I am aware that water retention and glycogen in your muscles is a thing and a contributing factor to the spike in weight gain. From what I am reading, this is a relatively normal thing. As far as weights in the gym and getting a pump, I feel absolutely amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten this many carbs in a day before. The bulk is intended to be clean and I’m eating about 3000 cal a day. I would love to hear everyones thoughts about the spike in weight gain or experiences with bulking in general.

Been trying to bulk for like 7 months I guess now after finishing a pretty hard cut but my strength is not really going up. My lifts fluctuate alot and some days i can barely lift my usual. I do my best to find my maintenance everyday because my activity really does vary from day to day and ive been experimenting with around a 100-200 cal surplus but i dont think i am gaining weight. My plan was to go the lean bulk maingain route because i really do not want to do any sort of dirty bulk ever again but idk what to do. Is it because i am too lean and need a heavier surplus? I understand there is variation and its very hard to find your true maintenance but i am like 118lbs F 5”8 and ive got my maintenance at around 2100 (including my cardio and gym) which is pretty spot on i feel, and i figure out the met for any activity im adding onto the day. Any help what to do?

I (M23) (174cm/5 ft 8.5) (58kg/128lbs) have been losing weight for years (after previously being 89kg/196lbs)

I never had a goal weight. Instead my target was to have visible abs.

During my weight loss journey, I have begun to love working out. I now workout every single day (with abs being in my workout routine once a week)

Despite me being pretty skinny & ripped in all other muscle groups, I just cannot get consistently visible abs (they’ll vaguely appear after waking up & this is not all the time, roughly once a week).

What more can I do to get visible abs, because I’m already eating clean, already at a very low body fat % & consistently working them out

This has likely been answered a lot but just want an update without scrolling through multiple posts. I'm M, 76kg 5'11" consistent gym work, weights and cardio. Have put together a Table of my usual foods and supps. with content of Protein, Carbs and Calories.

My question is to maximise muscle growth how much of Protein, Carbs and Calories should I be aiming for on Workout days and on non Workout days.

Key aim is to not accumulate extra body fat but rather cut it if possible. Hope this makes sense.

Advice appreciated. Please advise if this the right forum for this question. Thx

Ive had this question in my head for a while I’m and unsure of what’s better for me. I’m unsure whether if I should do 2xFailure or 3x6-8. Also I can’t really find good sources so if anyone can recommend me some that would be awesome. If there’s any context that is needed I’ll be more than happy to provide it.

I am in a regular workout routine for a long time…quite kinda fitness freak…So I was experimenting my routine lately…transitioning from single muscle training to dual muscle training…So I will share what are the things I noticed:

• The definition of my muscle specially my back and the deltoids have improved a lot.
• Recovery is quite fast from what it used to be. As I am not doing too many sets for a single muscle, the recovery is faster which helps me to do the same muscle workout again after 3 4 days.
• I have found a consistency in the effect of 2 time frequency which helps my muscles to look more muscular and always pumped up. My friends always tell me, 'Bro, are you doing pushups all day? Every time we see you, you're walking around with a crazy pump!'

I’m curious to know where you guys stand.

1.  Do you believe in single muscle training or do u belive in dual?

2.  Have you switched and noticed a significant difference in the definition of your muscles like me?