Every day I pay attention to my nutrition and fitness in order to keep building muscle. My goal is to Not only get strong, but also to have a lean, well proportioned athletic physique.

I had really good definition on Saturday this week and then by this morning my fat percentage is up .1%, weight is down 1.5 pound and definition has gone down. What is up with that? Is my body going all catabolic on me? One change I made on Friday was to switch my evening shake from GNC refeed ( hate the taste, but good results) back to ON casein ( love the taste and still get good results for leaning out).

I am new to the muscle gaining / cutting exercise and am trying to learn along the way. In the 2 months, I have cut 10 pounds and dropped fat percentage 6%. From 2 weeks ago, I dropped 2% and 5 lbs. really got me motivated to keep "showing up" every day in my effort. I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days after great week of body weight workouts and heavy lifting t-th) . I eat every couple hours a solid meal of 200-400 calories, either strict Paleo of lean meat and veggie or Protein shake. Calories end up being between 1800-2000. I do take creatine monohydrate before and after working out (total - 20 g). I sleep enough at night.

Is two consecutive days off on the weekend too much? Is the creatine giving me the appearance of muscle growth, but is really just creatine Water infused muscles? Should I switch from creatine monohydrate to creatine hydrochloride exclusive and where do you find it in powder form?

Thanks for advice! I am learning in this process of putting muscle on so need help solving this problem.

I think that's too short a time for any real changes to happen from nutrition. Water weight can change weight and soften definition though, in a short time. Did you dehydrate? In response your body could be stocking up like a sponge. I know with creatine they tell you to drink even more water. I think it moves some water into the muscle cells but im not a physiologist or anything. Just an idea.

I think that's too short a time for any real changes to happen from nutrition. Water weight can change weight and soften definition though' date=' in a short time. Did you dehydrate? In response your body could be stocking up like a sponge. I know with creatine they tell you to drink even more water. I think it moves some water into the muscle cells but im not a physiologist or anything. Just an idea.[/quote']

Thanks for the response. I drink a ton of water every day, but did not drink as much as I should yesterday even when out in the hot sun all afternoon. I just did not have access to water to be constantly hydrating.

How do you measure your body fat % so precisely to .1%?

I had really good definition on Saturday this week and then by this morning my fat percentage is up .1%, weight is down 1.5 pound and definition has gone down. What is up with that? Is my body going all catabolic on me?

I measure my fat percentage using a nifty WW scale I picked up from Bed bath and beyond. It gives a ton of useful information, but I just track weight and fat percentage. Do not really care about bone density that it tells me except that I am in normal range for my frame, which I am. The best part is that is scale is really accurate. It is within .1 or .2 from the scale readings that my WLS center uses.

The scale may be accurate but I'm not so sure about the body fat % readings. I've read where they can vary a lot depending on how hydrated you are. I'd like to have the water displacement test done at some point.

Good point Joe. I do try and weigh at the same time under the same conditions to prevent inaccuracies from slipping in though. Again, good point about water affecting the scale fat % readings.

Anyone else? Mark? Around?

I am looking for some strategies that will help with leaning out and putting on muscle while eating like a Sleever. That is 7 x a day of 200-400 calories. As mentioned before, I eat high quality shakes and super paleo diet (simple lean Protein and green veggie). My TDEE is 2054. My weight likes to hang out at 180 for my 5'11" frame. I have +- 2 lb variation and I have definitely noticed the process working in the last 3 months. I just want it to work a little faster. I have even done a T program for 2 months which really helped with leaning out. I lift pretty heavy on the deadlift, squat and clean. Not very heavy, but trying to make progressive improvements every week. I am really getting good at lifting my own weight in body weight exercises.i am new at this working out to gain muscle thing, so any advice would help. I think I am doing well on my supplementation with regards to stacks.

Hello, I would recommend a whey Isolate. As you know the creatine will help retain Water and repair your muscles – both great things – I would suggest cycling the creatine every 3 months (you may see weight loss by doing this). Work on hitting ½ weight in grams of Protein.

My work out routine is as flowed:

Day 1:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Chest (incline, decline, flat and dumb bell press)

Day 2:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day3:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Arms Forearm, bi and Tri

Day 4:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day 5:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Back

Day 6:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day 7:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Shoulders

Mix a press and free weights

Day 8:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Start over, I do from time to time take one day off. I was working out at night time and now set the alarm for 5:30…… getting use to it. Also, I use a powertech multi station, love it bit mix in other exercises with dumbbells, weighted bar and hit the floor.

Here are some snaps from this morning. As an aside, my MIL was commenting I look pretty good in a medium shirt. Said I had inverted t body shape ( hard to tell from these snaps) and I did not mention that body type to her ahead of time. As my muscles build, I anticipate I will be back in a large shirt.

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Hello' date=' I would recommend a whey Isolate. As you know the creatine will help retain Water and repair your muscles – both great things – I would suggest cycling the creatine every 3 months (you may see weight loss by doing this). Work on hitting ½ weight in grams of Protein.

My work out routine is as flowed:

Day 1:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Chest (incline, decline, flat and dumb bell press)

Day 2:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day3:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Arms Forearm, bi and Tri

Day 4:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day 5:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Back

Day 6:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Day 7:

15 / 20 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts

Shoulders

Mix a press and free weights

Day 8:

20/40 Min treadmill walk and run in 3 min spurts (I cannot complete the running at this point, soon)

Start over, I do from time to time take one day off. I was working out at night time and now set the alarm for 5:30…… getting use to it. Also, I use a powertech multi station, love it bit mix in other exercises with dumbbells, weighted bar and hit the floor.[/quote']

Thanks for the suggestions. I hit body weight in protein now at 180 g. I do not necessarily have an issue with leaning out more. 180 is actually a pretty good place to be. Maybe 5 more lbs. I really want to get more muscle pump and definition though.

Nutrition can effect your appearance which I assume this is likely the case. If I cut carbs, but day 2 I'm looking and feeling a ton leaner than if I'm taking in carbs. On my lifting days, I feel bloated, but my biceps/triceps/forearms are pumped and feel good. Are you cycling carbs? Or are you upping carbs at any point? Especially during contest prep, when I cycle carbs and cut them to make weight, the definition is on point and I start seeing parts of my I usually don't see, but after when we hit the mexican buffet, by the time I get up the next morning I'm throwing on my fat man shirts again. Creatine should only show a minute increase on the scale, and would be stable. As long as you're getting blood panels for kidney function (standard tests do this) and everything is fine, there's no need to cycle creatine. I do use micronized monohydrate creatine quite a bit, and do notice less of a retention than straight monohydrate or any other kind if it matters. If you want to get shredded and see what you've got to work with, you can cut carbs out and really start to see more definition. I'm a fan of carb cycling, even though I typically don't "diet" anymore, I plan on hitting up 12 days less than 30g carbs and 2 days dirty refeed (crappy carbs). I've always had good luck with that for contest prep.

mark- As usual, very good information. I do not carb cycle at all. In fact, I would say my diet Is on the low end of carbs (100 g or less) while not being super low (20-30 g) as it was during the weight loss portion of post op. if I were to pick a number as I am not a strict tracker, I would say ball park is between 50-100 carbs a day.

The carbs I do get come from either a serving or two of greens, a couple energy squares, an amrap bar or my Protein shakes. My synth 6 Protein Shakes have more carbs (2 scoops at 30 g) then other protein shakes I have been using in the past, but is still considered a leaning shake rather than a gaining shake. Typically i take this only as my recovery shake, but will also have it for other meals in morning or afternoon occasionally. I usually only have the AMRAP bar (17 g) 2x a week following a session of cross fit. The two servings of greens come in at lunch and dinner meals, each which are 1-2 ounces in quantity. Eating for me is pretty strict. Also no dairy, wheat, breads, nuts, etc. It is almost not Paleo because my diet is usually just lean protein, greens and supplementation (several shakes during the day). This seems like a cross between low carb and Paleo, and again, puts my daily caloric load between 1700-1900. I might hit 2100-2300 if I have an extra synth 6 shake in order to drive up the daily protein consumption. I do not deviate from clean eating and am quite disciplined in what I eat. However, I have been doing it this way for so long, it seems like a very natural way of eating and it is effortless. No issues with wanting certain foods.

Dumping 10 g of creatine monohydrate (AST) in a shake before and after working out really helps with pump and definition on days when I do work out during the week (3x strength, 2x cross fit and 2x core), but not so effective if taken on weekend when I am resting ( still do some push-ups, etc). I am going to stop taking creatine on the weekends. This is kind of odd to me because the reason I am resting on the weekend is to build muscle, so I would think by the end of the weekend they would be more noticeable. It is hit and miss for me. My muscle definition and pump usually peaks in the evening during the week and definitely by friday evening. This is what is confusing me. I feel my nutrition is pretty solid and I have very good workouts during the week with an excellent energy response when not working out.

TDEE is 2054 and body weight is currently 180. This is where my body likes to maintain weight and my body fat % is still inching down weekly as I am purposefully cutting. I am not looking to be huge, but rather would like to maintain a well proportioned athletic build with good muscle definition. At this point in time, I feel this goal of being well proportioned has been met with broad shoulders, strong Chest / back, slim waist and strong legs. i just want to improve definition in upper body more and have a good set of abs (core workouts at least 2x a week). I think having a "300" body type would be a good goal.

What advice can you give me with the information I have given you?

Anyone else? Mark? Around?

I am looking for some strategies that will help with leaning out and putting on muscle while eating like a Sleever. That is 7 x a day of 200-400 calories. As mentioned before, I eat high quality shakes and super paleo diet (simple lean Protein and green veggie). My TDEE is 2054. My weight likes to hang out at 180 for my 5'11" frame. I have +- 2 lb variation and I have definitely noticed the process working in the last 3 months. I just want it to work a little faster. I have even done a T program for 2 months which really helped with leaning out. I lift pretty heavy on the deadlift, squat and clean. Not very heavy, but trying to make progressive improvements every week. I am really getting good at lifting my own weight in body weight exercises.i am new at this working out to gain muscle thing, so any advice would help. I think I am doing well on my supplementation with regards to stacks.

What up Fiddle!! Sorry, I hadn't been on the site for a few days. Anyway, going back to your original post about definition...what do you mean by that? Less muscle "tone/vascularity"? If so, how is your salt intake? I've noticed that when I reduce my salt......I can really see the "striations" in my shoulders and my arms and even legs get all veiny. In contrast, if I've consumed a high amount of salt....I'll get a little on the bloated side. Not sure if this is what you're referring to. Mark has a good point on those carbs and those are tied to Water as well.......carboHYDRATE....stressing the "hydro" part of it. Honestly, I don't think you can lose muscle that fast without crash dieting for several days.....so my guess is it could be a water/salt issue. Great on those big compound lifts....they'll really help. Just be patient......Rome wasn't built in a day. Stick to it and you'll be glad you did. I think you're on the right path with eating frequently for muscle gain. For me, I'll have plenty of protein in all of my small, fequent meals with some complex, slow digesting carbs. It looks like you have a good approach both with your lifting and nutrition.....hang in there!

Fiddle.....this was back in December and I was "carbing" quite a bit here as well as taking creatine then and not watching my salt intake all that much.....I definitely look more bloated here than I do currently. I was also probably 5-6 pounds heavier then as well...perhaps some water AND fat.

Thanks aroundhky - I definitely am not really tracking sodium levels. This might be sabotaging my attempt to achieve the dry chiseled look. Actually, I did some research on how body builders achieve dry chiseled look on contest day and underwear models on photo shoot day. Essentially, it is really hard to maintain this level of physique for more then a couple days and it takes real work to get the body into that state. Sometimes we (the public) are mislead by the fitness magazine ads and the televised or internet representation of body building contests. I have read that there must be careful attention paid to cutting, carb loading and reducing workouts before the big day. I know this is probably not something that can be sustained as a daily goal given this research. I am getting strong with respect to lifting body weight and semi heavy weights for my experience level (beginner), but look kind of soft. I do not want to look soft even though my strength is there. I am still motivated with my fitness goals so will keep at this goal of sculpting the body.