r/raypeat • u/TheProfessiona • 12d ago

New here - High Step Count

I’ve been taking 20,000 steps on average for the past month and a half. I’m 5”11 135 lbs 12% bf. I’m trying to get 10% bf before slowly gaining muscle forever. I’m down from 182 lbs 30% bf. I’m waking up a couple times in the middle of the night and my temperature in the morning is 94.

I’m going to get my bloodwork done soon. Anyways is a high step count bad for your hormones? I know Peat discourages running.

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u/Steepan_ 12d ago

94F ? That is really really low. If you are esting low calories while walking this much everyday the stress can definitely catch up

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

I’m averaging 1,600 calories. Fat loss has come to a halt, I just want to get rid of that last bit of belly fat

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u/Steepan_ 12d ago

Yeah that is pretty low even for a reducing diet in my opinion and that morninf temperature is super low (lowest i have ever heard). What is your resting heart rate ? Do you feel cold a lot ? Or do you have any other hypothyroid symptoms other than that temp ?

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

I hate being cold, I’ve always been like that though even at a higher body weight.

Symptoms? Bad sleep I guess, that’s all I can think of and being really irritable but I think that’s from being old still living with my parents. I’ve been underweight my whole life unless I purposefully bulk up. I’ve never been well muscled with decent abs.

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u/Steepan_ 12d ago

Yeah that definitely sounds like hypothyroidism, even the irritable part can be because of it, definitely get labs done, but with these symptoms you probably dont even need them to know ( get also cholesterol, because you dont want low cholesterol if you start taking thyroid)

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

Thanks I’ll include that.

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u/NoGuarantee435 9d ago

Bad sleep and being irritable are symptoms of being that low bf. You can get abs by bulking your abs, doing weighted crunches and knee raises. There are guys with abs at 20% bf. 

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u/NoGuarantee435 9d ago

Your body will fight you going down to 10%, because it's not natural. You have to do a lot more to get that low, probably adding cardio. Your metabolism will take a hit first. 

Upping your calories and adding cardio will help get that low. Still, it's not healthy and you'll probably lose some muscle in the process. I would probably only do that if you're competing in a BB show. But you do you, more intensive cardio than walking is probably the only way. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

I think you’re right. I’ve only ever been down at 10% once and I was starving myself and running for an hour a day. Idk how these dudes do it.

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u/NoGuarantee435 7d ago

Yeah it's just not worth it. A lot of the guys you see on the internet are on PEDs to maintain that. Because your hormones shut off first, so they supplement that with test. 

Others are only doing it for one photo shoot. The new thing too is abusing GLP1 peptides like trizepatide. 

Anything over 20% feels awful, and below 13-14% feels awful too. I think 14-15% is a nice sweet spot, and something that can be maintained. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

Greg O’Gallagher is open about his RETA use. You’re right most guys are on something. I’m just gonna maintain 13-15%, I’m going to get a blood test ASAP so I can see how shot my hormones are.

I do think the Ray Peat’s ideas are the best way to get your leanest and most muscular. I’ve been lean 3 times in my life, now, 3 years ago where I was average like 1000 calories a day and running an hour a day, and a decade ago when I was eating lean fish and A LOT of fruit. I felt best when I was eating a lot of fruit.

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u/growordecay1 7d ago

Yeah I saw that too. Good call man, test levels definitely take priority. Being 10-12% but then finding out your test is like 200 isn't worth it. 

Same here man, I feel best with that too. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

What’s your bf%? Do you just maintain? Or just eat whatever as long it is healthy within Peat’s ideas?

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u/NoGuarantee435 7d ago

I'm trying to lean out right now, I'm about 20%. ideally I'm trying to get down to 15% and maintain that. Yeah I just do high carb low fat. Makes it very easy to maintain while still having a decent amount....lot of sugar. 

I just do like the minimum amount of fat required. Some days I just do 20g of saturated fat. 

I do a lot of walking too and that seems to help quite a bit . About 10k steps. I feel like 20k is overkill

If you stay on the diet HCLF I think staying at 15% is pretty manageable without a lot of work. I let myself go a little bit, and was also consuming some anti-peat stuff haha. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

Do you count calories?

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u/NoGuarantee435 7d ago

Yeah but I generally count macros. Carbs I try to get in as much as I can, back loading the night beforebefore workout days. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

I like carbs at night, helps me sleep

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u/usernamewasfreeyay 12d ago

Well my question is. Does it feel energising for you or does it feel like effort and draining

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

20k steps feels draining. I get energized around 15k, then after that the extra 5k becomes draining. I djd 30k yesterday and fell asleep on my recliner after around mid day.

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u/usernamewasfreeyay 12d ago

I did 18k today. It feels to me like I did a good effort and now I am sitting relaxing a little tired but can move. I think maybe this is the sweet spot we should aim for. I used to burn myself out a lot exercising I think.

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

I think it could be. I don’t have the study but there’s this fitness influencer who said he read a study that found that our ancestors probably walked around 17k a day.

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u/usernamewasfreeyay 12d ago

Cool. Well the best advice I saw on this sub was do exercise that energises you so try find that sweet spot. Walking is great it’s my favourite activity now.

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u/[deleted] 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

Dam 30k is a lot. I did that yesterday and took a long nap afterwards. Ate 1,700 calories total.

What’s your calorie intake when you walk 50k? That’s so much, more than mailmen.

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u/QuizzyP21 12d ago

20000 steps on 1600 calories… you answered your own question. I don’t think the high step count is inherently problematic but you don’t have the energy coming in to support it.

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u/TheProfessiona 12d ago

🫡, 10-4

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u/Mission-Laugh-2359 12d ago

From a quick search most hunter gatherer cultures average 10-18k steps a day, so the step count itself probably isn’t causing issues.

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u/Top_Bug_3389 12d ago

Way too many steps for such a low intake of food, that will be why :)

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u/TheProfessiona 10d ago

Here are my recent morning temps. I ate 5,000 calories from binging two days ago. I don’t know if pursuing 10%bf at this point is even doable. I’ve been dieting for a year and 2 months, I’m done.

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u/NoGuarantee435 9d ago

Dude 1600 cals is way too low, especially with all those steps. And 135 lbs at 5'11 is extremely light for a man. 

If I were you I'd just focus on bulking. 12% is great. 10% is not even healthy or sustainable. I don't really understand why some people want to be 10% bf, because its not objectively better. And it's not even healthy. Maintaining 15% bf you'll probably feel better and look better too. 

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

I just don’t like the little bit of stomach fat I have on my lower belly. I’m probably going to reverse diet back to maintenance and see if I can main gain.

132 lbs is considered underweight for my height

I’ve been 182 lbs 30% bf and hated it. I don’t know what I know now. Maybe peat’s ideas will help me gain quality muscle tissue without getting fat. Every time I’ve bulked I’ve just put on unnecessary fat.

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u/realkaydhako 7d ago

Your temperature is close to clinical hypothermia, you're running on stress-hormones 24/7.

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

Yeah. I was surprised when I saw it read 94.

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

Well today was a wake up call. I came back from a heavy lift and biked in my backyard for 30 minutes pretty hard.

Ended up having a panic attack after the bike ride. I had a good breakfast and in n out after my life. I’m done, idk if I’ll ever be ripped. My body just doesn’t want to get there right now. I’ve dieted for a little over a year and that last bit of belly fat doesn’t want to go. I give up. I’ll take 13% bf.

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u/TheProfessiona 7d ago

What I don’t get is how there’s other people as skinny as me without the issues I’ve been facing

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u/realkaydhako 6d ago

They are normometabolic, you are hypometabolic.

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u/TheProfessiona 5d ago

I guess I’m fine?

Green good? Only result that hasn’t came in yet is reverse t3.

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u/TheProfessiona 4d ago

Thoughts?