just the facts....

[Sledgehammer]

Based on what you know works for you, give me some advice.
I am wanting to cut my BF in the quickest manner, without losing any LBM.....( don't we all) Anyways , I am doing a push/leg/pull split. I am not doing any cardio on off days, in fear of doing too much that my body stays catabolic......I eat 6 meals a day about 40/40/20 or there about, eating around 2200-2500 calories a day. My bodyweight is 215 but I know I need to drop around 20 lbs of fat....I estimate my bf to be around 20% or so.........so Should I start cardio, how much, how often......

[Holto]

if you don't do cardio longer then 40mins(non-weight days)

and have a protein shake right after I think your safe

the other thing I want to add

re-gaining muscle is 10x faster then earning it

don't be afraid to lose a pound or two of lean mass in the process of losing 20 lbs

the same rationale applies to gaining a few lbs of fat to gain several lbs of muscle

[stantheman]

Originally posted by Holto
re-gaining muscle is 10x faster then earning it

Is that true?

[Accipiter]

I dunno about 10x, but yes, there is something called 'muscle memory'

[hemants]

My opinion, go for a brisk 1 hour walk after dinner but avoid high intensity cardio.

If you lose less than 1 lb every two weeks, cut out a couple hundred more calories per day.

If you lose more than 1.5 lbs a week, you may want to add some more calories as this may be somewhat catabolic.

Good luck, it IS doable, just be patient and don't worry about daily fluctuations in measurement. Sometimes you think you've plateaued but you really haven't.

[Raven Blade]

Fat burning heart rate is about 60-65% or resting. Hemants makes a good point about brisk walks.

[jc_az]

Manage your carb intake (lower 'em) . . . You may be surprised at the results.

I lost 25 lbs. in 16 weeks, only 6 was muscle, based upon measurements prior to and after.

I incrementally lowered calories taking the majority from carb. sources. (maintained 1g/1lb protein)

And, yes, I did cardio, but I always have and always will, regardless of my goal. (leaning-out or bulking-up)

My new gaining diet is 50% fat (swapped normally recommended fat/carb. ratios) and I've very pleased with the results thus far.

Hope this helps.

[Flyersfan]

Originally posted by Raven Blade
Fat burning heart rate is about 60-65% or resting. Hemants makes a good point about brisk walks.

I've seen that figure quoted a few times - it's even on the treadmills and bikes at my gym. I'm just wondering where that information came from. Why, for example, isn't working at 80-85% max heart rate also burning fat? You'd think it'd increase since your body needs more of the energy that burning fat provides.

Might be a newbie type question, but I've been wondering about it for weeks.

[Holto]

Originally posted by Flyersfan

Why, for example, isn't working at 80-85% max heart rate also burning fat? You'd think it'd increase since your body needs more of the energy that burning fat provides.

Might be a newbie type question, but I've been wondering about it for weeks.

your body is using all three macronutrients for fuel at all time the matter is how much of each

when your at 80-85 you are using more muscle and liver glycogen to keep up with energy requirements

doing high intensity cardio burns more calories in the hours that follow and is also effective

as for my comment about regaining muscle

I lost 10lbs in about 6 days of being really sick and regained it all in about a week of eating ton's of protein and resting

[g-dot]

Holto - You lost 10 lbs in 6 days? You must have been really sick. Also barely any of that 10lbs would be muscle because thats too much weight to have lost so quickly. The vast majority of it was water weight which explains why you regained it so quickly. The same logic applies to how rapidly you lose weight at the start of any new diet, it's mostly water. Muscle memory does exist and you regain lost size faster than you initially gained it, but 10x is an arbitrary number and utterly false. As for gaining fat I'd be more worried about that than losing muscle because adiopocytes deplete in size, but not in number, while you diet. So if you are fat, you can always get fat again.