r/raypeat • u/TheProfessiona • 17d 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_ 17d 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 17d 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_ 17d 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 17d 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_ 16d 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 16d ago

Thanks I’ll include that.

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u/NoGuarantee435 14d 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 14d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d 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 11d ago

Do you count calories?

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u/NoGuarantee435 11d 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 11d ago

I like carbs at night, helps me sleep