Hi! I am new to the forum and recently read through the latest BI magazine. I am currently entering my 3rd week of dieting which includes a fair amount of carbs (rice, sweet potatos, oats etc.) but I am not losing much fat. I seen the fat loss diet which included the carb up meal (1 cup oats, 6 oz sweet potato, and 4 oz banana) every Monday and Thursday in replace of 5th meal but the other days were very low carb. Is it to early for me to start this type of diet if I plan on competing in April?

Thanks,

Hi,

There are a lot of variables that go into this, but in general, the max fat loss diet would be used (if needed) during the last 8 weeks or so. Up until that point it may be best to just reduce the overall amount of starchy carbs you are consuming each day instead of cutting them out completely. This can be done by simply reducing the portion sizes of your rice, sweet potatos and oats.

Over the longhaul you should be able to lose about 1 pound of fat per week. If you are already losing at this rate, then you may not need to change anything. If you're losing less than this, then reducing your carb portion sizes would be the next step. Also, make sure you're progressing in your calorie burning and cardio.

Steven
BI

I lost 5lbs in 2 weeks, but honestly I think those 5 lbs came off in the first few days and have been stuck for the past week. I know patience is a huge factor. As for carbs, I have been having 1/2 cup uncooked oats for breakfast, 4 oz sweet potato for lunch and 1/2 cup cooked rice for dinner. I also have a 1/2 piece of bread, 1/2 grapefruit and strawberries. Maybe I could eliminate carbs after a certain time?