Is fat loss really that slow?

[Retro]

I made a good attempt at putting on muscle over the spam of about 6 weeks and got some great results though put on more fat then I expected. I've always been a skinny guy so to have a little belly forming has got me on a new path to loose weight. I'm still doing at least one day a week full body workout with weights. I'm a 19 year old male.

Is fat loss really that slow?

- I just read a post by someone that said 'visible results in 8 weeks is amazing' and this really surprised me, I've always assumed you could at least start seeing results in 2 weeks. Am I wrong or does it matter a lot the age of the person?

[Lady C]

The closer one is to their ideal weight, the harder (slower) it is to lose bodyfat. I have seen it take 12 weeks or longer depending on how well you know how to manipulate your intake and expend energy.

[etothepii]

It's different for different people. For me, I don't see a difference between 160 and 170 lbs. Just a smooth belly and some love handles. But somewhere in the 150s, the love handles dry up and some abs start popping out. So I get visable results in a couple weeks if I'm in the 150s, but no visable results in the journey from 170 down to the 150s.

Make sense?

[trainerty]

Originally Posted by etothepii

It's different for different people. For me, I don't see a difference between 160 and 170 lbs. Just a smooth belly and some love handles. But somewhere in the 150s, the love handles dry up and some abs start popping out. So I get visable results in a couple weeks if I'm in the 150s, but no visable results in the journey from 170 down to the 150s.

Make sense?

What percentage of fat are you talking about for these weight averages? (IMO) Weight is very misleading.

[Retro]

etothepii, thanks for the reply .. I see what you mean and it's an interesting idea. I hope to get back to bulking in about 3 weeks, but want to get to near 6 six pack before I change goals. Mainly to see if I can do it. =D

[.V.]

I think that statement may have been either a mis post or mis read in a post I made refering to "visible results in two weeks" being amazing.

You can definitely see visible results in 8 weeks. Cutting should be planned to last 8-12 weeks most of the time, unless someone is like more than 12-15% body fat...then just take it slow for as long as it takes.

Can you get shredded in 8 weeks? Probably not unless you are in the 12%-15% range to start with.


When bulking OR cutting you should take it pretty slowly. My current bulker is planned for over a year...July to February. When I do cut again, I will take at least 8 weeks to do it, maybe even 12.

Why eat like a hog and get too fat to start with? Why then lose all your muscle by cutting too fast? You get nowhere that way. Bulk slow to avoid getting fat, cut slow to avoid losing the muscle. Then you end up better than where you started instead of exactly where you started with all your time and effort being wasted.