Hey jordan, i always feel like starting off saying i really appreciate you and the rest of barbell medicine for changing my perspective on so many things, and my overall lifestyle.
i have a few questions based on whats been going on with my weightloss, and i am wondering given the data, what you recommend i do, my goal being to lose weight and get down to that 32-33" waist, then continue my muscle and more importantly strength building goalzzZz.
Info:
Male
23 yrs old
sleep 8-8.5 hours a night (sleep apnea with a cpap)
5"9
207.4lbs
38.5" waist
329lbs, 219lbs, 149lbs, 376lbs, squat bench press and deadlift respectively.
History:
been training since i was 15. Started at 110lbs.
ran 5x5 for about 3-4 years.
did the bridge about 2-3x with layoffs inbetween.
have done the beginner template about 2-3x with layoffs inbetween.
- layoffs due to mental health issues and toxic relationship unfortunately.
all of this has resulted in 219lbs and a lot of trouble staying on going to the gym. However i have failed many times and continue to try and get back to my passion for strength lifting and fitness.
Now, onto my current lifestyle.
I just finished week 4 of the beginner template.
i started at 219lbs, and 42.5" waist, and am now 207.4lbs, with a 38.5" waist, progress to be happy about i think!
all of this whilst eating about 2000 calories a day, give or take ~50cals.
My prompt for this post is because i have suddenly been feeling pretty exhausted and run down, the past few days, without any life stressors interfering. I should note i have been getting stronger on all lifts which is great. However my session rpes are seeming to be climbing, having rpe 9 sessions, and honestly a rpe 10 session for fridays session.
a few questions,
-
should i slow down my rate of weight loss? I know you say most of the time fatigue is usually a training program issue (if i didnt misinterpret some of your information)
-
i am averaging about 100-105grams of protein a day (checked by myfitnesspal averages), is this too little? I know the range is quite big for protein intake if i remember from the guide on protein intake. I dont drink protein shakes as its been very difficult to manage eating 2000 cals a day, and i always am going hungry, so i dont ever drink anything that has calories in it. As i remember you saying liquid calories are definitely not as satiating as regular food.
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am i compromising a lot more musclemass in comparison to losing weight more slowly?
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i find rpe is pretty hard to rate on sets with more than 4 reps. A couple weeks ago i did an amrap for my sets of 10 rep squats, as i had to go early suddenly, and what i thought was going to be an @8 set, i squeezed out 16 reps?! I couldnt believe it. It feels so difficult. My question is, should rpe 10 mean an absolute grinder? That is how ive been treating everything so far. Rpe 9 is dam slow but rpe 10 is like holy shit i cant believe the bar went back up. Rpe 8 being like- ok that next rep would be dang slow. My point in this question is to figure out if i should be more conservative with my approach to rpe.
Thanks for everything. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read all about my situation. Hope your weekend was great.