I was going to try the warrior diet, or Eat Stop Eat, but I want the fasted way of shedding fat (doesn't every one!). I'm been working out for a few months, but I'm just not loosing body fat. It's my diet I know!

I'm 39, 5'11" and weigh 183 and a few days ago 23% BF. I'm doing light resistance training 5 days a week (2 day split) and HIIT after each workout just started HIIT yesterday (treadmill adding .5 to runs). We have 7 weeks before vacation.

I was considering doing the Eat Stop Eat (Mon and Thurs), then switch to a protein shake for breakfast and lunch (and dinner hour after workout) every day two weeks prior to vacation while still encorporating Eat Stop Eat on the same two days. Oh, and I work out at night after work, resting on Wed and Sun (although we're trying to at least walk on those day's too)

Any suggestions for best results in 7 weeks for 39 Year Old, 5'11", 183 lbs and 23% BF?

Thanks again for a great post!

I don't think you have a problem getting too light. The body seems to naturally slow the fat loss down once it reaches the right weight. I don't think you need to dedicate a day to eating junky food. When you know you are going to eat junky just prepare the body a bit by eating lighter meals a day or two before the higher calorie meal.

Rusty

what i need to know is how do i maintain the weight and not keep losing once i hit my target? im worried of not getting the balance right. i love gyming it makes me feel refreshed and alive, so dont want to cut it down think im addicted to the results im getting!!!!!!!! also i want to stick to healthy eating. when i give myself a day free to eat what i want im finding id rather stick with healthier options. can you advise me on this rusty please?

Warp Speed Fat Loss is the best course for losing body fat quickly and Eat Stop Eat is the best way to eat long-term for low body fat. I really like them both.

Hurtarte,

Creatine is the last breakthrough the supplement industry (over 15 years ago). The best muscle building supplement without a doubt. I don't take it because I don't want to build muscle. The funny thing is that you don't have to mix it with fruit punch as recommended by so many people (unecessary calories).

ryan,

That is really hard to say unless I saw you in person. My estimate is 140-145 range, but it depends upon how big your frame is.

Sean,

It sounds like you are doing what you need to do to get lean. Make sure you go into your workout in a fasted state and on some ocassions you will want to add 15-20 minutes Steady State Cardio after the HIIT. At the bottom of my site there will be a link that says "Low Body Fat Percentage". Click that link for a detailed explanation of the type of cardio I recommend. Have fun on the beach!

Raz,

Please understand that I do my best to reply to as many comments as possible, but on any given day I can get 50-100+ comments. I love comments and do read them all, but can't respond to everything. I rarely delete comments. When you post a comment it will appear as if it has been deleted until I "approve" it. The ones I do delete are from when a Bodybuilding forum picks up one of my posts (they can't stand my site). Typically the bodybuilding forums are out of control…they throw around racial slurs, homo-phobic remarks, profanity, etc. I created this site so you guys could avoid all that nonsense. So to your question…"is fasted cardio essential?". No it's not essential, it just makes it a bit more effective. You will reach your fat loss goals a bit faster if done in a fasted state.

Hope that helps,

Rusty

Is fasted cardio essential?

p.s. why do you delete my comments. address this.

First of all I would like to tell you how much I appreciate you sharing all of your knowledge with us and making it easier for most people to understand the truth about health and fitness. Anyways Im 21 and 5'9 165lbs…I work for Goodlife Fitness where I am a "Fitness Trainer" and absolutly love it. I am in the best shape of my life but like anyone else want to continue to improve . I know most people dont suggest this but I am trying to get bigger while lowering my body fat %. Im from Ontario, Canada and want to look ripped for the beach(approx 3 months) while keeping size. Right now I work out my chest and back Monday and Thursday, my biceps/triceps and shoulders Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesdays I just focus on my core and some cardio. Also in between most sets I do core workouts. After each workout I do a 3 min warm up (5.5mph) than I do 15 min HIIT (1min-7.5mph jog and than 1 min- 10.5mph sprints) than cooldown obviously. I was just wondering what you think about if I try a fat burner such as Hydroxycut or something like it. My BF% fluctuates between 12-14% and I want it down to under 10 in 3 months. Also I eat healthy other than I treat myself to a case of beer a week lol. I know this is long but I wouldnt have taken the time to write this to you if I didnt respect your opinion. Thanks again for everything!

I'm 5'7", 128 pounds and my suit is about 36 inch (shoulder size). I'm naturally a small guy and a hard-gainer. What do you think my ideal weight should be? I read that you are somewhere around 6'3" and so you would look great lean or even with bigger muscles. For me, I'm not sure if I should put on more weight and get bigger or stay lean, because for someone small like me, putting too much muscles won't look good, it makes me look too brawny.
Tom Cruise is about 5'7" and i'm not sure how much he weighs, but he looks pretty fit. Any advice?

Thanks so much!

I have 10 pounds or so of body fat I'm looking to lose.

Do I go with "Warp Speed Fat Loss" or "Eat Stop Eat?"

I read "Warp Speed Fat Loss" and loved how every single meal for the month is listed for you. All you have to do is find your weight and follow the meals.

Keep up the good work on this site.

Tim,

You don't necessarily have to wait 5 minutes. You could do low intensity at a slow walk for 5 minutes instead. You could do cardio every day for the last 2 weeks, but no more than 5-6 days per week leading up to that point.

Patrick,

I appreciate the compliment. I really enjoy Brad's advice at Eat Stop Eat…he is a guy who lives while being lean and healthy. There are a few guys who comment on my site that have outstanding blogs as well, so make sure you explore those sites as well.

Eric,

Great job buddy. I like the term "Eternal Leaness".

David,

That is right, you are just north of me in Vancouver Canada if I remember correctly. Great city!

Ally,

Thanks for the great testimonial. It is too bad your trainer isn't interested in what you do outside of the gym, because that is the big difference maker. As far as strength training goes. Just do Back and Chest exercises on one day and Shoulders and Arms the next. Do each workout twice per week for 4 total workouts (each workout is only 20-30 minutes). Keep it simple…2 or 3 exercises per body part, 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps per set, and don't lift to failure. Basically tense the muscles hard and go slow when you are lifting. Use the weight as a way to generate strong contractions in the muscle, because that is what causes true muscle tone. Once you 30 minute session is done, nail out some HIIT. This will work well, just continue doing the other things you mentioned.

Tuscanystone,

I eat at restaurants, and enjoy great food with friends and family…but like you, I eat really well when I'm eating alone. It is a great strategy to stay lean while enjoying social events.

2weeks,

You could easily drop 4 pounds in two weeks. The thing is you can diet HARD in the short term and experience amazing results. The best approach I know is eating nothing but chicken breasts, salad and rice vinegar dressing for two weeks. It is the most bland and rough diet you will ever experience and it only works short term, but you will drop stubborn weight like crazy. Stay away from diet pills.

Bryan,

That is awesome! Being healthy, more energy, and looking better. There isn't a downside to this lifestyle!

Methuselah,

You know I never really obsess about muscle. I just feel that each individual has an amount of muscle that is "natural" for their body. Someone like Matthew McConaughey or Laird Hamilton have more muscle than Brad Pitt or David Beckham, but they all look great. My body likes to be around 185-190 when lean, Will Smith who is the same height is about 5-10 pounds heavier. You do make a great point for people who want to carry a bit more muscle, but I suggest people avoid excess muscle in the first place.

Helder,

The cool thing about being within 5 poounds is that you are never more than a month away from getting in amazing shape.

Yavor,

Thanks for assisting me with the comments. Great advice! The last thing I want is for people to get obsessed. I'm obsessed with setting up my next beach vacation:) Can't wait!

Donovan,

I love the term "peace point"…this is exacly what I was talking about.

Mike,

Yeah…the mirror is a great tool as well. The longer people do this, the less they really need tools. I like to weight myself because it just takes a few seconds and is dead simple.

Fitness-siren,

Good point. There are a few great courses out there. Pretty much can't go wrong with any thing by Brad Pilon, Lyle McDonald, or Craig Ballantyne. I try to keep promotions to a minimum on this site, but reference a few online product I personally use now and then.

The Spaniard,

I hope things go better for you. I sense the stress and frustration, just reading your post. I love the comments you provide on this site and consider you a friend. I'm wishing that things look up as far as reducing stress goes. The economy is really tight in the US as well. Just a rough spot that will eventaully improve.

Ted,

Competitve swimmers actually have a tougher time getting lean than many other athletes. There have been a few studies investigating this, but really no clear answer why this is the case. You probably don't need to do low carb cycles, maybe experiment with reducing your calories a bit each day. It sounds too simple to work, but less eating in general will probably do the trick.

Lori,

Thanks for the compliment. My goal with this site was to make it feel nothing like a Fitness Mag. Fitness magazines are mainly just articles supporting the supplements that they sell. They are a vehicle to sell supplements. They used to be so much better, but my guess is that they are dying for subscribers so have to "milk" the most out of each reader.

Buritokid,

When I was younger it would fluctuate more. Now that I have gained my ideal amount of muscle and eat decently well year round, it doesn't fluctuate much at all.

Brad,

You can get ripped from hardcore HIIT on a stationary bike. It gives you a very different feeling and in some ways is more painful as far as the burn you feel in your legs. Before treadmills were so prevalent, I got great results from using a stationary bike.

Anthony,

I do my best to answer as many questions as possible. I probably get to about 1/2 of them these days. At some point it will only be 1/4…but I will keep plugging away and helping as many people as humanly possible. It is very fun and rewarding for me.

Lysa,

Type in the term "planks" into my search bar in the upper right hand corner of my site. A bunch of articles will come up and give you different strategies to do this exercise. This is exaclty what you need to get that sexy female flat toned stomach. I agree with you for not trying to get a six pack if you are a woman. Too much tone in that area can look masculine.

Yash,

Never heard of the pullup rule. Sounds like a solid strategy, expecially for athletic performance. I always think strength-to-weight ratio is more impressive than just going for maximum strength and putting on 30-40 pounds in the process.

Lyle McDonald and Brad Pilon are the two guys I go to and trust about nutrition. Their products are a cut above many other courses online because they state their case with scientific studies. Both are WAY ahead of the curve in the Fitness Nutrition industry. You really can't go wrong with anything they produce.

Brad,

I haven't done much with the rowing machine, but I have friends who enjoy it. As far as stair climbers go, there are 2 types. The regular stair climber and the StepMill. The regular stair climber isn't that great, but the StepMill is amazing (and brutal). The StepMill is like an escaltor with real stairs and will make you breath and sweat like crazy. In my opinion this could be one of the best cardio machines in the gym. If you don't have access to a StepMill and want to go low impact, then opt for the stationary bike. Pick the "old school" upright bike, not the one where you are laying back.

Solid comments and questions…I appreciate it!

Rusty