Need Some Paleo/Crossfit Advice

[Samuel Stone Waters]

Hey everyone. I'm 18 years old/170/6 feet tall

The day after thanksgiving I decided to improve my eating and lifestyle with the paleo diet. I completely cut out all grains/dairy/legumes. I've only cheated twice in those five months. I've done pretty consistent Crossfit as well - about 4 times a week. I feel great, but I would also like to lose some fat. I've always had a little fat that I want to get rid of. I haven't really seen significant fat loss with what I've been doing.

I've been doing some research here and seem to have pinpointed some of the issues. First, I had been eating way too much fruit. I'd have some days where I would eat 2-3 containers of blueberries, pears, apples, etc. In other words, I was "on paleo" but eating way too much of certain things. I also started eating a decent amount of Lara bars before. I've decided to mostly cut out the fruit and bars and see how it goes.

What do you guys think of combining Paleo and Zone a little bit for someone in my situation? At the very least it seems like I need to reduce carb intake and increase fat intake. What should a typical day look like? I was doing some research about zone/paleo and how would something like this look?

Breakfast:
5 oz chicken
2 1/3 Tsp Almond Butter
3 Cups Broccoli

Lunch:
5 oz canned tuna
2 tbs Avocado
2.5 cups pepper
1/2 cup blueberries

Post workout:
2 hardboiled eggs

Dinner:
7.5 ounces ground beef
3 cups green beans
1 tsp olive oil
12 almonds

^ Based on 16 zone blocks.

Basically, I'm at a point where I need to be a little stricter on my diet and was hoping for some tips or advice. I don't really have a problem sticking with the diet, but I need to know what I do at this stage. I wonder how many calories I should be eating a day. (Do I need a caloric deficit for what I'm trying to accomplish)? Should I be adding anything besides WODs (i.e. jogging). More lifting? As far as a sleep I've decided to try and get at least 8 hours, which I wasn't doing before.

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advance for the help.

[Eric Montgomery]

Read this thread: http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=65940 WFS

You're 6' and 170lbs and you want to lose fat? More likely you need to add muscle mass. You're 18 years old--ditch the Zone, eat a lot of good food, lift heavy, and get bigger and stronger. You'll thank me in 11 years when you're my age.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

What Eric said. (And I'd agree even if he hadn't pointed to my thread. ) You're 18 years old. You will never in your life be as capable of building muscle as you are now. Eat anything you can catch, lift heavy stuff, and quit worrying about body fat.

Katherine

[Samuel Stone Waters]

Thank you for the advice. I won't do the Zone. That said I do have a decent amount of body fat that I want to get rid of. I'm not trying to be a really skinny kid, I just want to get rid a lot of the midsection fat that I have. Will putting on muscle help me lose that fat eventually? Another problem is that I don't get to lift so often. If I could I would do 4 or 5 times a week. Do you think running/ sprinting could help me with my goal?

[Tamara Cohen]

At some point, we all have to stop responding to these posts.

I can no longer tell who is a troll and who isn't.

[Samuel Stone Waters]

I'm not trying to troll. I have legitimate questions. I am sorry if my questions are so stupid that it appears that way, but I would still appreciate some help.

I don't know what to do here. I have some fat that I want to get rid of and I hear different things from different people. Should I be creating a deficit each day or not? Should I eat a ton and lift every day? Will the extra muscle help me burn the fat eventually? I have no problem doing the work, I just want to be doing something that is effective. And I know given my weight and height that it doesn't seem like I need to "lose fat," but I do have a decent amount of it that I would like to at least reduce. It's there. Again, I don't want to be a stick figure, but I also don't want to be super strong still with a bunch of fat. Should I try to get rid of the fat first and then go for strength gains?

Thanks

[Tamara Cohen]

Originally Posted by Samuel Stone Waters

I'm not trying to troll. I have legitimate questions. I am sorry if my questions are so stupid that it appears that way, but I would still appreciate some help.

I don't know what to do here. I have some fat that I want to get rid of and I hear different things from different people. Should I be creating a deficit each day or not? Should I eat a ton and lift every day? Will the extra muscle help me burn the fat eventually? I have no problem doing the work, I just want to be doing something that is effective. And I know given my weight and height that it doesn't seem like I need to "lose fat," but I do have a decent amount of it that I would like to at least reduce. It's there. Again, I don't want to be a stick figure, but I also don't want to be super strong still with a bunch of fat. Should I try to get rid of the fat first and then go for strength gains?

Thanks

I know, and I'm sorry for being snarky. I'm just not sure how many "I'm 6'0(+) tall and under 170 lbs but I want to lose bodyfat" posts I can handle in one week.

What are you lifts right now?

[Joshua Gritton]

At six foot and 170lbs you are really small, this coming from another small guy to another gaining some muscle will help you lose your supposed 'body fat' and not in the 'eventual' sort of way.

What you are probably seeing is just a layer of subcutaneous fat that most everyone has but few people realize that instead of starving themselves to death and doing a billion crunches all they need is a little muscle mass to bring those abdominals to the surface. If killer abs are what you want get stronger with the lifts and your core will always reap the benefits.

I am my weight now which is the most I have ever weighed and still need to gain some weight but since my body is mostly Lean mass my musculature shows a bit more.

At 6'ish I am shooting to hit bodyweight of 185+ and dramatically increase my lifts if I end up gaining more its all good cause its healthy muscle. If i never get abs well I really don't mind as I rarely ever take my shirt off and would rather be competitively strong then appealingly slender.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

I thought my first post in this thread was pretty clear. Apparently I was mistaken.

At 18 years old, six feet tall, and 170 pounds, there is *no* chance that you have reached your final adult weight and/or build. You should expect to continue building muscle, if not growing vertically, for almost another ten years.

For you to impede this natural development process by restricting calories in order to lose weight would be, frankly, idiotic.

Throw away the stupid scale. Break the mirror if that's what it takes to keep you from counting your abs every morning. Then go lift something heavy. Repeatedly.

Harrumph.

Katherine

Edit to add: Sprinting and other power exercises will help if you don't have a barbell handy. Distance running will burn calories, but won't do much to build muscle.

[Eric Montgomery]

You don't need to lose fat. You need to add muscle. You do that by taking in a caloric excess while doing strength-based training. Sprinting will help you more than distance running, but you've still gotta pick up heavy things on a regular basis and at a regular progression.

How many days a week are you able to train? It doesn't take a lot. 3-4 days is sufficient if you're doing a good program and not the latest thing you read out of Muscle & Fitness. Look up the 70s Big program, CFSB, 5/3/1, or the Greyskull LP for some ideas.