How deep of a calorie deficit before you get catabolic

[Gunsmith]

I know that’s like asking how deep is the ocean as everyone is different with way different metabolic output.

I ask because I’m going to have surgery in October (large duodenal diverticuli removal) and I’m guessing I’ll be on very little food for a few day probably liquid only. I’m 9 weeks off cycle , only taking 15mg a day test cyp and gonna start 2iu a day Serostim HGH and run through November.

Several dr friends have said I’ll likely “lose muscle” from suck a low calorie diet , but I think I should be ok especially considering I’m not gonna be very mobile for at least a week. I’m actually hoping I can lean back out a bit more before and hold that for a while before starting my prep for mid June show.

I’m as fluffy now as I want to be , this lower abs fat and skin pisses me the fuck off so hopefully staying a bit leaner will help

 

[GreenTLB6]

Doubtful you’ll lose any real muscle.
Muscle volume...sure. But that will come right back when you start eating and training again.

 

[0940]

I’m not much help , just want to say hope things go well. I had my colon rupture in 2015 and have bouts of diverticulitis flare -ups .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[buck]

A few days or a week or so really wont do anything. You may stop storing as much water and carbs once your body figures out it doesn't need to. After my apnea surgery chewing and swallowing was less then pleasant but I can't say I noticed any real loss, Same for when I have been on 1-2 week long backpacking or canoeing trip. Big calorie expenditure much lower food intake.

 

[Biggerp73]

As long as you keep your test at that same dosage and make sure some of your liquids includes aminos, you shouldn't lose much of anything. Maybe have a nice full body workout the day before surgery if you want.

 

[Smack]

I’m as fluffy now as I want to be , this lower abs fat and skin pisses me the fuck off so hopefully staying a bit leaner will help

Not the point of the thread but... if it pisses you off get it removed. Like the guys with gyno EVERY single one pretty much says they're glad they did after the fact.

 

[Gunsmith]

Not the point of the thread but... if it pisses you off get it removed. Like the guys with gyno EVERY single one pretty much says they're glad they did after the fact.

I’m actually looking into it , with a little lipo on lower back

 

[biglizard225]

GS, bro I’m kinda dealing with what your talking about right now. So I will tell you from first hand experience. I had surgery on the 9th of August. I tore my tricep 4 weeks before getting surgery on it and didn’t go to the gym once. Ate like an asshole because I was all in my feelings and depressed and in denial it happened to me. So I rever compt if that makes sense. Got flat, put on fat. Weight stayed at 280 but it started to get really ugly.

Well I’ll tell you what I shoulda done and where I’m at now.

6 weeks post tricep repair I’m back in the gym doing what I can. Light bull shit bands recovery work. Hitting legs about 60% of what I normally did. I’m already recomping like crazy. Fullness coming back while just training light weights and stimulating the muscle. (So as far as losing muscle I think you’ll probably be ok there. If fullness is lost it will just fall back on you like nothing ever happened.)

The tricky part is keeping control of your diet when you feel like utter shit. Get lean now and when you can’t go to the gym or lift try to stay in a calorie deficit or maintenance. That’s what I wish I woulda done but it’s definitely a learning experience

 

[Love_to_Bodybuild]

you can maintain a good amount though maintenance training. The gh will help too.

I seem to notice after two months after a cycle I seem to lose some strength.

My recent trt doses have been 70-100 mgs, that's low and that's fine .

that said, when Im on a strength cycle my reps are a bit lower, and when im on a cruise maybe higher reps or maintain weight. You can maintain with 75 % of the weight used to build that muscle

now hormones, that a different thing, if they were once 700 mgs per week for two months and now they're down to 100 mgs for a couple months, yeah some muscle (usually fullness) will be lost but considering health comes first, its no big deal is it? Ive never done gh so not sure, but I would think it would help quite a nice amount.

 

[NGL34]

If you ever seen the show naked and afraid and some of the body transformations from 30 days of starvation, I think this would give you some peace of mind for sure. Some of these guys come out looking nicely diced up.

 

[Tomgrass]

Drinking eaa def would help

 

[aphextwin]

You don't need lipo man. You look great brother. I doubt you will lose much, if any muscle during that period.

 

[brutus69]

arent you 50? or in your 50's?
and u look like that?
cmon man. u have zero worries. at all!
godam, u look better than almost every guy i see, young and older.
even if im wrong and ur in yr 40's....above still applies.

 

[Beti ona]

How many days will you be without lifting and with a sub-optimal diet?

Your concern seems more like a catabolic fiction created by old bodybuilding magazines than a real problem.

 

[Gunsmith]

arent you 50? or in your 50's?
and u look like that?
cmon man. u have zero worries. at all!
godam, u look better than almost every guy i see, young and older.
even if im wrong and ur in yr 40's....above still applies.

44 , be 45 in December but there is a shit load of hard miles LOL

 

[Black Beard]

I know that’s like asking how deep is the ocean as everyone is different with way different metabolic output.

I ask because I’m going to have surgery in October (large duodenal diverticuli removal) and I’m guessing I’ll be on very little food for a few day probably liquid only. I’m 9 weeks off cycle , only taking 15mg a day test cyp and gonna start 2iu a day Serostim HGH and run through November.

Several dr friends have said I’ll likely “lose muscle” from suck a low calorie diet , but I think I should be ok especially considering I’m not gonna be very mobile for at least a week. I’m actually hoping I can lean back out a bit more before and hold that for a while before starting my prep for mid June show.

I’m as fluffy now as I want to be , this lower abs fat and skin pisses me the fuck off so hopefully staying a bit leaner will help

https://sci-fit.net/detraining-retraining/

Takes at least 3-4 weeks of not training at all to start losing strength/muscle.


You might be on a deficit but you also have TRT+HGH. You might look flatter from decrease in nitrogen/glycogen content of the muscles but that will come back when you start eating.


If you lose any muscle at all (unlikely) it would come back quickly thanks to muscle memory.

 

[USMuscle9403]

I think it's highly individual. Some guys can go long periods of time with severe deficits and lose nothing but body fat while others waste away on an even moderate deficit. However, I think in general people worry too much about muscle loss from restricting calories, though. Your body can deal with a lot more stress than people realize, I've seen it time and time again with everything from 600 calories a day to outright long term fasting. Add AAS and other compounds to the mix and you're covering your bases more than the average person, so I don't think there's any real need to be paranoid about it. Besides, you'll be conserving energy in other ways while you rest, also, making the risk of muscle loss even lower. Combine that with having enough protein in your diet, and I think there's not much to worry about.

 

[3BILLS]

From that pic your abs are your leanest part. Don't think you need lypo

 

[Elvia1023]

If it's a few days it doesn't matter. Even for a few weeks and you do lose weight you would regain it back fast when eating normally again. Muscles doesn't disappear like that and even when guys go months without eating/training well it's almost crazy how fast it all comes back (especially if you held it for years beforehand).

Strength is not important in bodybuilding in most ways. However in regards to this I think it a great way of gauging things. Meaning if someone was overdieting and doing too much it would likely be shown with rapid strength decreases. If that happens to me I know I need to add some cals back in.

I wouldn't worry about a thing and you are looking great anyway. It may even help tighten you up even more then you can eat normal and see how you are and perhapy "lean bulk" before you start your next prep.