How I Lost 13 lbs This Month

[G8RBrave]

About a month ago, I decided I was tired of carrying the spare tire around. I was 5'9 170 lbs, and was about 24% body fat. I didn't look fat, but my gut always bothered me and I carried fat around that just made me feel self conscious. This morning I weighed 157 and was 19% body fat.

Anyway, I decided to join a gym and work out there instead of trying to work out at home (where I'm inevitably distracted). Right now I am in a "cutting phase", where I am focused on burning fat. When I get done with that, I will move more to free weights and more calories.

So, basically I decided to make a lifestyle change both in my exercise habits and in my diet. Here's what I did.

Exercise:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

Warm Up - 5 minutes on treadmill. Fast walking/jogging
Weight Circuits - there are about 15 machines at my gym, of which I use about 9-10. After warm up, I wait about 1 minute then start the circuit, going between each machine with no rest. When I get done with the last machine, I wait 1 minute and do it all over again. I do this three times.
Cardio - 20 minutes of alternative between walking and sprints. I usually get about 1.5 miles in.

Tuesday, Thursday:

Cardio - 35-45 minutes of fast walking, jogging, and sprinting. I dont have a set plan here, I just sort of mix it up as I feel like it. Right now I'm getting about 3 - 3.5 miles in.

The good thing about the Weight Circuit training is that it helps me develop my muscles and at the same time keeps my heart rate in a cardiovascular zone, which helps burn the fat. I'm probably not bulking my muscles, but it appears I am not losing muscle either, which is always a fear when you're doing a lot of cardio. Basically, doing the circuits this way turns weight training into both strength training and cardio in one. Couple that with fairly intense cardio workouts afterward and on the other days, and it's a pretty good routine for burning fat.


Diet:

I decided to stay away from diets like South Beach or Atkins. I don't have any particular feelings about these types of diets, but I wanted to make a real lifestyle change and worried about being able to maintain a strict diet like those.

Instead, I decided to just use a common sense approach to eating. I do love my sodas, so I moved to Coke Zero only, and I limit myself to one per day of those. Other than that, it's water, water, water.

Breakfast:

I'm the type that has a hard time getting up in the morning, so my breakfast needs to be simple. I bought a big thing of EAS Whey Protein from Sam's and drink a 6 ounce shake on my way to work in the morning. Usually, I have a bowl of oatmeal when I get to work.

Lunch:

This is the one place I do stay pretty strict. I eat a salad every day for lunch. Publix has a great little salad kit with meat and dressing already in it. I don't use the dressing they give you, I buy Wish Bone fat free Italian (15 calories per serving). If I don't eat the Publix salad, I bring my own lettuce and add grilled chicken.

Dinner:

Usually for dinner I will have something with grilled chicken or fish. Grilled chicken wheat pitas (with the aforementioned fat free italian), lettuce, and fat free cheese is something I have gotten pretty accustomed to. I make sure that I get some sort of vegetable serving with dinner, and I also allow myself a carb (usually brown rice). Tilapia or Mahi is usually the fish of choice if that is what I am doing.

Snacks:

Mid morning and mid afternoon I have a snack. Usually I have a Zone bar (protein bar) for one snack and a serving or two of unsalted peanuts for the others. At night after dinner, I do allow myself the one "bad" thing of the day - a 100 calorie pack of graham crackers or cookies. I have another whey shake after workouts.

On the weekends, I do allow myself a nice steak or some other type of red meat, but generally I do stay away from them. If I have ground beef, I make sure it is lean.

Overall, I find that I eat around 1300-1500 calories per day, which is enough to keep my workouts intense, but not too much so as to pack on any more weight. I have focused on limiting carbs (and making sure those I do have are brown/wheat carbs) and increasing my protein intake. I like to get around 125g of protein per day. The shakes really help with this.

So far this has been very successful for me, but may not work for everyone. I know there are quite a few in the pub that are interested in diet and exercise, so I thought I would share something of a success story. I've still got a long way to go to get my six pack abs :) but I'm working on it.

Hope this helps someone out there.

[Sir_Gibby]

If you will it dude, it is no dream.

[GatoRella]

Good routine Brave, and good job on the weight loss.

It takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication, but there are about a billion reasons to be in good shape.

[Gatorbait2784]

Congrats, I'm sure you feel great now that you are seeing the results!

[StrangeGator]

Impressive. It took me three months to lose 15 lbs. It's taken me another two months to lose another four or five.

I wouldn't change much of what you're doing, but your cardio work could be more efficient and a lot less time-consuming. It sounds like your Monday, Wednesday, Friday cardio session is a quasi HIIT workout. You might as well go all the way with that, but I would move it to Tuesday and Thursday. Experts (my personal trainer as well) say you shouldn't do weight training on the same day you do an interval session. Anyway, you can get more benefit from 10 minutes of interval training than an hour of traditional cardio. I would start on the Precore if your gym has one. Do a five minute warmup, then start doing 30 second sprints, followed by 60 seconds at a fast walking pace. You may only want to do that for five to seven minutes the first few times. Gradually lengthen your sprints, and shorten your rests.

My HIIT circuit is a lot more complicated now, but that's what is keeping the traction for me now. I do three to four HIIT circuits a week, three days of weights, plus two nights at the dojo. My diet is similar to yours. I will lose another 15 pounds or drop dead trying.

[LeafUF]

You weigh 157 and are cutting? I understand the BF% is high man but how light do you want to be?

Put on some muscle. You already lost some last month. 13 pounds is an impressive number but its too much. You are sacrificing muscle with those pounds lost.

[gatorknights]

At 5'9 170 your spare tire must of been one of those cheap mini ones they put in the trunk. I haven't been 170 since the mid 80's.

Keep up the good work though, dude.

[G8RBrave]

With a bf% of 19 I think it's important to keep cutting, at least to 12-13%. My chest and bicep measurements have stayed the same, so I believe I am maintaining my muscle. I've kept a close watch on this during the month because that was one fear I had.

When I break the 150 mark I'll think about changing it up, but for now I've got more gut to lose.

Honestly almost ALL of my body fat is in my gut. Frustrating.

[LeafUF]

With a bf% of 19 I think it's important to keep cutting, at least to 12-13%. My chest and bicep measurements have stayed the same, so I believe I am maintaining my muscle. I've kept a close watch on this during the month because that was one fear I had.

When I break the 150 mark I'll think about changing it up, but for now I've got more gut to lose.

Honestly almost ALL of my body fat is in my gut. Frustrating.

Good thing you are measuring. That is a smart thing to do and did not notice it in your first post. If the right spots are getting smaller then by all means. Its just my personal opinion that at that height and weight you do not have all that much muscle. It may seem weird when you are trying to get rid of your gut but packing on more muscle will help get rid of the fat faster.

I would find what your maintenance calories are and eat there for a little while and keep pushing yourself in the gym. The weight loss may be slower but the fat loss will probably be better. If anything a bigger chest and wider shoulders will make that gut look a lot smaller.

[LeafUF]

At 5'9 170 your spare tire must of been one of those cheap mini ones they put in the trunk. I haven't been 170 since the mid 80's.

Keep up the good work though, dude.

I dont know, even at that weight 24% bf equates to something like a 37 inch waste. So, probably not all that healthy feeling. Even if its not terrible noticeable.

[G8RBrave]

I actually had a 41" waist. That is down to around 35" last check. I'm telling you I had a freakish pot belly and little fat elsewhere.

[StrangeGator]

I also recommend a more aggressive strength building approach. It's easier to cut if you already have some muscle mass. You'll work your BF% down in the process, and as the muscles grow, they'll help you burn fat even when you're sitting around.

I would look into doing HIIT circuits that work large muscle groups, but I wouldn't do more than two a week. I'd lift at least four days a week. If you do it right, you may not lose much more weight at all, but you will be leaner, stronger and healthier.

[LeafUF]

I actually had a 41" waist. That is down to around 35" last check. I'm telling you I had a freakish pot belly and little fat elsewhere.

Damn, seriously good on you. Losing 6 inches is no joke.

[G8RBrave]

Strange, I may start adding more lifting soon. I'm actually going on vacation next week so I'm taking the week off from the gym to recoup. After that I may make some modifications for the sake of confusing my body. I am a believer in changing it up every six weeks or so in an effort to shock the muscles.

[slinkygator]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/Smileys/CarTalk/ttiwwop.gif

[scubadude007]

At 5'9 170 your spare tire must of been one of those cheap mini ones they put in the trunk. I haven't been 170 since the mid 80's.

Keep up the good work though, dude.

I hear ya knights! I was 170 in the 8th grade.

WELL DONE Brave!!

[chrisleakfan4life]

Thanks for the advice, I am the same height as you but i weight a lot more and i have been dieting the past 4 months.

I drank far too much soda and ate too much fast food and never exercised and i ballooned up to a very large 250 pounds. I never really cared what other people thought of me and i never paid any attention to what i was eating until this year.

I never had the motivation to lose weight or the tools(my parents didn't believe in signing up for gym memberships, figured they were a waste of money until they actually went to a gym).

Anyway my dad made a bet with me to motivate me to lose weight. Being a college kid, money is tight so he offered to pay for my car if i got down to a certain weight(he already pays for my insurance unless i get a ticket, so i wouldn't have any bills at all).

I started at a pathetic 250 pounds

Once i got down to 215 pounds, he would take $50 off every month that i was at that weight and below(my car payment is $323 a month). Once i get to 200 pounds, its $100 every month, and when i reach 185 my car payment every month is free as long as i don't go over that weight.

My first primary goal right now is 185, but i want to get down to 175 and than eventually 165.

However once i get to 185, my goal will not be primarily number based, more so appearance. I want to eventually tone up and build some muscle, but not be extreme to where all i drink is muscle milk and protein shakes every day.

Right now im 214 pounds, im hoping to get to 200 pounds or less before football season(which i think i will, i may hit 185 by then) but i have 29 pounds to go to reach my first goal, ive lost 36 pounds so far.


If i can lose weight, anybody can. The key is not viewing it as a diet, but rather changing your life style, trying to make yourself look better(especially for the opposite sex :joecool:) You have to find foods and drinks you like and that are healthy, other wise you will not succeed.

[LeafUF]

However once i get to 185, my goal will not be primarily number based, more so appearance. I want to eventually tone up and build some muscle, but not be extreme to where all i drink is muscle milk and protein shakes every day.

Dont hate on Muscle Milk and protein shakes. They get the job done.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Dont hate on Muscle Milk and protein shakes. They get the job done.


I know im not hating :grin:just don't want to get to the point where that is all i consume in a day trying to build muscle

[LeafUF]

Truth is you dont even need protein shakes. Just eat good food. I like shakes bc they are easy, portable and more healthy than most things you would end up buying if you ate out. Plus, when you are like me eating anywhere from 150 - 250 grams of protein a day its seriously time consuming making enough whole food to get you there.

[G8RBrave]

Yeah protein shakes are essentially a meal substitute for me. Quick and easy.

[JohnC1908]

If you are not drinking whey after your workouts you are losing a lot of gains. Yeah, don't live off them...but they are extremely beneficial.

[Dreamliner]

Eat fewer calories than you burn off ... however you're comfortable doing that.

Protein requirements are exaggerated ... perhaps vastly so. And if you're trying to lose weight, protein shakes may be counterproductive.

Get in lots of leisurely walking. It's something you can do a lot of without taxing your energy reserves.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Eat fewer calories than you burn off ... however you're comfortable doing that.

Protein requirements are exaggerated ... perhaps vastly so. And if you're trying to lose weight, protein shakes may be counterproductive.

Get in lots of leisurely walking. It's something you can do a lot of without taxing your energy reserves.

I'm on a 1200 calorie a day diet, equals about 2 pounds a week in weight loss, 8 pounds a month(when you do the math). It's considered healthy weight loss.

I do some exercise, but nothing like what these guys do. I imagine if i did, i would burn fat much faster.

[LeafUF]

Eat fewer calories than you burn off ... however you're comfortable doing that.

Protein requirements are exaggerated ... perhaps vastly so. And if you're trying to lose weight, protein shakes may be counterproductive.

Get in lots of leisurely walking. It's something you can do a lot of without taxing your energy reserves.

How?

[gatorcop]

Brave, I am 5'9", 204 lbs., and 15% bodyfat. I am trying to figure out 24% at 174 lbs. :huh:

Good job on the weight loss.

[G8RBrave]

I'm using calipers to determine body fat, so there's a chance I've overestimated what I am. However, I followed the instructions pretty clearly, and I did have a lot of unwanted fat hanging around.

Believe it or not "skinny" people can have quite a bit of unwanted fat. People still look at me strange when I say I'm trying to drop some weight. The truth really is I'm trying to lower my body fat percentage, I don't really care what my weight is. Though, it is nice to say I've dropped 13 lbs.

[LeafUF]

Compare lean body mass and its pretty easy to see. Cop, you have more muscle that's all. Funny thing is you are obese and Brave is the healthy one.

[GatoRella]

Brave where do you get those calipers at?

I am 5'9", around 150 lbs, 29-30i'' waist and I am kinda curious what percentage body fat I have. Like you, the only fat I have in my body is in my belly, which isn't a whole lot but it is enough to drive me to push on!

When I started working out I was 189lbs that was about 2.5 years ago, and I had no clue how to work out. I just started running because that's what made the most sense(at the time). I was running like 20 miles a week, and losing weight really slowly. And then thanks to the great advice from our pubsters, I started doing strength/circuit training, and less cardio. That seemed to work out well for me so now I do circuits and HIIT cardio, along with a healthy diet.

I also don't really care what my weight is either, it is more of body composition. I am at the point now where I don't really want to lose more weight to be honest, I just want to look more "cut".

I guess I need to lift more? Protein shakes?

[G8RBrave]

Compare lean body mass and its pretty easy to see. Cop, you have more muscle that's all. Funny thing is you are obese and Brave is the healthy one.

That's why BMI is really a useless number, IMO. If you're 5'8 and 175 lbs, but 5% body fat, BMI says you are overweight. Ridiculous.

[ForsythCoGator]

Brave, I am 5'9", 204 lbs., and 15% bodyfat. I am trying to figure out 24% at 174 lbs. :huh:

Good job on the weight loss.

Stay away from the donut shop! LOL!!

[G8RBrave]

Rella, I picked up a set of cheap calipers at GNC. Don't trust body fat scales. I weighed Sunday morning one time and it told me I was 28% body fat, then turned around 10 seconds later and told me I was 14%.

Calipers aren't perfect (the only really good way of finding out body fat % is hydrostatic weighting) but I think they are far better than the body fat scales.

[LeafUF]

Calipers (http://search3.bodybuilding.com/product/index?q=calipers&site=wwwbodybuilding&output=xml_no_dtd&client=wwwbodybuilding&proxystylesheet=wwwbodybuilding&getfields=description&filter=0&restrict=store)

If you are really curious and want to track muscle gains and fat losses I would pick up the myotape and a pair of calipers.

Like Brave said they aren't perfect, really you just want the measurements going down if your goal is losing fat.

I have a really cheap pair as well and I dont really track my percentage but the actual measurement, if it stays the same or goes down I am still on track.

Btw, another way to get your BF% is through calculators online, again not perfect but you get an idea. At 5-9 150 with a 30" waist they say you are very lean under 10%.

At my lowest BF I can ever remember I was 9% and still was not ripped up around the midsection. I guess its a genetic thing. I can get cut everywhere but barely show abs. Oh well.

[GatorLane77]

I thought this was going to be an ad for colonics.

[Jaggator]

Brave, I commend you for having the willpower to do what you have done. Great job!

[busigator96]

great work Brave! We're proud of you! If you are looking for inspiration have a look at this verse. I Corinthians 6:19-20.

I have been experiencing some great success as well. I went from 196 to my current 177. my goal is to get between 165-170 before hitting the weights as well. I still want to jog though because i recently reunited with my long lost love of running since I've shed off the pounds. perhaps in the fall i can run a couple local 5K's for fun and get down to 6.8% BF like I was in HS.

Brave--keep up the good work!

[Jaggator]

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=6J-1001&sourceType=cs&source=FG&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines-_-googleproduct-_-Accu-Measure%20Fitness%203000%20Personal%20Body%20Fat%2 0Tester%20-%201%20Caliper%20-%20Training%20Gear%20%26%20Accessories-_-6J-1001&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=6J-1001

[fredsanford]

Brave's program sounds almost exactly like Nutrisystem, which I started 5 weeks ago. To date, I have lost 25 pounds with no more vigorous exercise than dog walks and rounds of golf.

NS was more convenient for me because my wife was pregnant and too tired to cook. The prepackaged meals were a lifesaver, keeping me away from the drive thru.

[G8RBrave]

Oh, one other tip that has been a lifesaver for me. If you are a Sam's Club member, they have a package of frozen, precooked grilled chicken breasts that you heat up in the microwave. You get ten pieces for $10. They taste great, have a ton of protein, and you can put them on wraps, salads, sandwiches, or just eat them with some veggies and brown rice. I can throw together a meal in about 5 minutes with these things. I believe it is the Sam's brand (Member's Mark?).

If you aren't a Sam's Club member, Publix or Wal-Mart usually have the Tyson brand for a bit more, but I don't think they taste as good and the pieces are smaller.

[Dreamliner]

How?

Because if your aim is to lose weight, then why would you take unnecessary nutrition of a sort which would conceivably undo the caloric deficit you've just achieved through your exercise routine ?

[LeafUF]

Because if your aim is to lose weight, then why would you take unnecessary nutrition of a sort which would conceivably undo the caloric deficit you've just achieved through your exercise routine ?

Well that critique while valid is hardly specific to protein shakes and I would say not very accurate. I am not talking about taking weight gainer shakes here. A scoop of whey protein which I take post workout with ground flax seed doesn't even crack 200 calories.

If it fits into your daily goal there is nothing wrong with a protein shake and I would argue that drinking a casein shake during the day or a whey shake post workout would actually keep you from taking in more calories if you instead ate a whole food meal.

[busigator96]

i just take amino acids in my vitamins. 5 calories. it's protein without the fat/calories.

[Sir_Gibby]

I take fish oil.

Unfortunately, the gill-producing side effect has done nothing for my weight but has all but assured me of my coming badass'ness in a Waterworld-esque future.

[Dreamliner]

Well that critique while valid is hardly specific to protein shakes and I would say not very accurate. I am not talking about taking weight gainer shakes here. A scoop of whey protein which I take post workout with ground flax seed doesn't even crack 200 calories.

If it fits into your daily goal there is nothing wrong with a protein shake and I would argue that drinking a casein shake during the day or a whey shake post workout would actually keep you from taking in more calories if you instead ate a whole food meal.

There is nothing magical about a protein shake. People have been building and/or preserving muscle without them forever. That said, there is nothing wrong with them, provided that by their use you do not exceed your caloric requirements.

Also, why would you want to substitute a protein shake for real food, unless you were in a tremendous rush and simply had no time to eat ?

[ForsythCoGator]

There is nothing magical about a protein shake. People have been building and/or preserving muscle without them forever. That said, there is nothing wrong with them, provided that by their use you do not exceed your caloric requirements.

Also, why would you want to substitute a protein shake for real food, unless you were in a tremendous rush and simply had no time to eat ?


I believe you answered your own question....who has time to eat these days?

[ryanhoward812]

Dude I am exactly your height and weight when you first started. At 5'9 170 I too wanna lose a lil off the stomach for summer time. Great workout bro. Im gonna mimick your workout for the summer as I have to cut to 147 for College wrestling in the fall. I noticed that when I personally have weighed in the 150's like you do that I am really really lean. At 155 I had like 8 percent body fat. I am 24 though so that may have alot to do with that but when i get into the 150's im a really skinny dude. Great workout though.

[Dreamliner]

I believe you answered your own question....who has time to eat these days?

How is it that people can carve two hours out of their day, five or six days a week, to drive to and from the gym and spend too much time in the gym ... and not have time to eat ?

[LeafUF]

There is nothing magical about a protein shake. People have been building and/or preserving muscle without them forever. That said, there is nothing wrong with them, provided that by their use you do not exceed your caloric requirements.

Also, why would you want to substitute a protein shake for real food, unless you were in a tremendous rush and simply had no time to eat ?

I never said there was anything magical about them. In fact in a previous post in this very thread I said the truth is you don't need them. I use them because I simply do not have a lot of time. My commute is long and cramped limiting the amount of food I can comfortably carry. So, I bring a whole meal or two and a shake to the office. When I get home usually late I try to eat a solid meal before heading to the gym. By the time I get back home its late and I certainly dont feel like cooking again so I usually make a shake and either use flax seeds or a handful of almonds. Again, making sure that I am not exceeding my daily goals.

I guess you could say I am pro solid food and protein shakes. On weekends when I do have time I will most likely eat all solid meals.

[G8RBrave]

How is it that people can carve two hours out of their day, five or six days a week, to drive to and from the gym and spend too much time in the gym ... and not have time to eat ?

Two hours a day? It takes me 45 minutes to work out, 15 to shower and get back to work on my lunch break.

But part of the reason people have a hard time finding time to eat is because exercising does eat up yet another waking hour of your day. Couple that with working 8 hours, an hour commute, and trying to find some family time during the day and it does become difficult.

That's the main reason I go on my lunch breaks now. I just did not have time after work, and I can't bring myself to get up at 5 am.

[Dreamliner]

Two hours a day? It takes me 45 minutes to work out, 15 to shower and get back to work on my lunch break.

But part of the reason people have a hard time finding time to eat is because exercising does eat up yet another waking hour of your day. Couple that with working 8 hours, an hour commute, and trying to find some family time during the day and it does become difficult.

That's the main reason I go on my lunch breaks now. I just did not have time after work, and I can't bring myself to get up at 5 am.

I'm the guy who argues incessantly that we eat way too much. A 150lb man wanting to lose more weight probably needs fewer than 1,600 calories a day *just to maintain that weight.* To continue to lose weight he probably needs to chop into that. That's not very many calories. So - and maybe it's just me - if I can't consume very many calories a day, I want to make the most of what I can consume by eating solid food.

[ForsythCoGator]

How is it that people can carve two hours out of their day, five or six days a week, to drive to and from the gym and spend too much time in the gym ... and not have time to eat ?

It's called kids! We have time to go to the gym each day and not much for anything else besides baseball, cub scouts, ice skating, brownies and various parties....Our kids have a bigger social calendar than we do! If we didn't go to the gym, we would be insane!

[Dreamliner]

It's called kids! We have time to go to the gym each day and not much for anything else besides baseball, cub scouts, ice skating, brownies and various parties....Our kids have a bigger social calendar than we do! If we didn't go to the gym, we would be insane!

Let's stop centering your lives around our kids. Let's take them to the gym with us and get them under a squat bar! Problem solved!

[busigator96]

Let's stop centering your lives around our kids. Let's take them to the gym with us and get them under a squat bar! Problem solved!

that's a plan if you want your kids to stay short! lol

[Dreamliner]

that's a plan if you want your kids to stay short! lol

Well, I don't want my kid to be taller than me. :joecool:

[G8RBrave]

Make that 26 lbs since May 1.

More importantly I'm down to 13% body fat from 24 or so. I want to get to 10% before I start bulking back up.

[PIMking]

Congrats!!!

I lost 50 lbs since Christmas. went from 205 to 155 and I'm 5'9. Went from a 38" waist to a 32" waist.

Before (rapid city, Ellsworth AFB)

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/mount%20rushmore/mountrushmoreandairforcebase102.jpg
Before at the sugar bowl

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/nawlins.jpg

After. (not the best pic but you can tell)

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/ttown.jpg

[PIMking]

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/ttown2.jpg

Larger picture sorry.

[PIMking]

Older fat (at a friends in Iowa)
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/shootingatKillens.jpg

Newer not so fat

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/sks.jpg

[wygator]

I've been on a slow and steady weight loss program...17 lbs so far at about 1.5 pounds per week. 35 lbs to go.

I tried extra low calorie (1200 to 1400) per day. Was getting good results initially but found it very difficult to maintain.

I found this calculator that estimates your true daily calorie needs and recommended diet calorie levels. It also suggests that men shouldn't drop below 1500/day and women below 1300.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

Anyway, I put in my specs (age, weight, height, sex, level of activity). It said my daily calorie burn is 2400 and I should use 1700 as my diet figure.

I am carefully counting calories daily and using V8 juice, fusion and (raw) milk as toosl to help get good balance and nutrition into my daily food intake. I also do aerobic and weights 2x/week. I'm 55 now and have found that 2x/week works better for me than 3x due to longer recovery time associated with aging.

The 1700/day is much easier to maintain than 1300 and I'm seeing steady results. Not as gratifying as dropping 3 or 4 lbs in a week, but when I hit my target, I think I will have established great maintenance habits.

[PIMking]

I've been on a slow and steady weight loss program...17 lbs so far at about 1.5 pounds per week. 35 lbs to go.

I tried extra low calorie (1200 to 1400) per day. Was getting good results initially but found it very difficult to maintain.

I found this calculator that estimates your true daily calorie needs and recommended diet calorie levels. It also suggests that men shouldn't drop below 1500/day and women below 1300.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php

Anyway, I put in my specs (age, weight, height, sex, level of activity). It said my daily calorie burn is 2400 and I should use 1700 as my diet figure.

I am carefully counting calories daily and using V8 juice, fusion and (raw) milk as toosl to help get good balance and nutrition into my daily food intake. I also do aerobic and weights 2x/week. I'm 55 now and have found that 2x/week works better for me than 3x due to longer recovery time associated with aging.

The 1700/day is much easier to maintain than 1300 and I'm seeing steady results. Not as gratifying as dropping 3 or 4 lbs in a week, but when I hit my target, I think I will have established great maintenance habits.

That's pretty much what I did. I took in about 1700 a day and upped with the Fruits and veggies instead of junk food and worked like a charm.

[Swampmaster]

I'd like to lose about 10 lbs, but I like eating rich desserts and drinking high calorie beer right now more than losing weight.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Older fat (at a friends in Iowa)
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/shootingatKillens.jpg

Newer not so fat

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg232/PIMking/sks.jpg

Nice dude, we're basically the same height and that is where i would like to get to one day.

Ive been on a diet since the beginning of this year(just a little after Urban said he was going to resign).

I'm 5'9 also except i was much much bigger(i was at 250 when i started this diet).

I haven't done anything extreme which is probably why I'm losing weight slower. However I'm still losing weight and it my diet doesn't bother me to a point where i break my diet.

Right now I'm at 204(46 pounds lost so far, about 7 pounds a month), i probably should have lost another 10-14 pounds or so by now, but i got off track in March and some in April.

I really need to work on getting in more exercise and weight lifting, i hate running and i don't like to run unless I'm playing a sport(like football or basketball).

I'm sure if i had a much more strict diet(vegetables,fruit, water, more exercise) the pounds would be coming off faster.

I just feel like if i go that extreme ill break my habit and end up gaining weight back.

I don't do anything extreme, just stick to a 1200 calorie diet every day, i still go out to eat once in awhile but i try to avoid fast food and fattening foods. I usually just eat normal foods but not as much and i don't think regular soda(i drink mostly diet soda and vitamin water, i know i know drink more water).

It's taking time but its slowly working, ive gone from 2xl size shirts down to large size shirts. 42 inch waist down to a 38.

My first goal right now is 185, my dad made a bet that i couldn't get there. Once i make it, he's paying for my car(will help a lot since i won't be able to work much while in school).

After that i would ultimately like to get down to 155-165, and tone up some.

It probably will take another year or so before i get to 155, hopefully i can start to get some more exercise and weight lifting in to help speed up the process.

[chrisleakfan4life]

If you guys have any advice or exercise ideas i should try let me know. I'm also open to food/drink suggestions and or meal plans.

I could use all the help i can.

[LeafUF]

You dont do anything extreme but you only eat 1200 calories a day? That is extreme in itself.

[G8RBrave]

On the surface, it's pretty simple. Eat fewer calories than you expend. There's tons of calculators out there that can give you an idea of how many calories you exert every day, so go from there.

Drilling farther down (and Dreamliner will disagree with me on this), I think it is important to make sure those calories are good calories. I don't eat anything fried anymore and I don't eat any white carbs, save the occasional 100 calorie snack pack. I also don't drink any regular soft drinks, but I do love Coke Zero and have 1 or 2 of those a day. If you don't like that, I'd suggest you drink water. I make sure I get at least 125g of protein per day, usually more like 150. I primarily get this from whey shakes and from white meats such as chicken and pork. If you are a Sam's club member, they have an awesome pre-cooked bag of chicken breasts you can heat up in 3 minutes and eat anytime for a quick 30g of protein. The protein helps maintain muscle while you are burning the fat. I have lost a little muscle, I believe, but not much.

On the exercise side, I am still employing a combination of cardio and weightlifting. I do 45 minutes of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On MWF, I do a five minute cardio warmup, followed by 45 minutes or so of weightlifting, followed by 15 minutes or so of cardio. One thing I make sure of when I am lifting weights is that I don't rest too long between sets. I have an app on my iPhone that does all sorts of cool fitness things, but my favorite feature is it's built in stopwatch. I never rest more than 1 minute and I usually wait only 45 seconds between sets. This keeps the heart rate elevated and keeps you in that fat burning zone for a longer period of time.

On the cardio I do HIIT. Usually I do a minute of fast paced running followed by a minute of fast paced walking. I'm not really going for endurance, just fat burn. I also try not to overdo it with cardio because I do fear burning muscle, though there is much discussion out there over muscle burn in cardio. Some think more than 30 minutes of high intensity cardio will cause it, some think that you'd have to run several hours to achieve any kind of muscle burn. Tough to say.

Anyway, if you want more specifics let me know. I can post what I eat and what specifically I do workout wise every day, though I'm not sure anyone cares :)

[slmdLS1]

my routine here lately is similar. Im not a big soda drinker, but sweet tea was too much for me. I cut it out. I also ate a lot of red meat, usually steaks maybe once a week. This contributed to my 2nd round of kidney stones as well as the sweet tea i was told. I tried this product at publix thats a colon cleanser, but in a 2 week plan with 3 different pills( i remember milk thistle being 1 pill, a laxative the other, and cant remember the 3rd). Between that cleanser, working out 3x a week, and eating better( i now actually eat a breakfast), and actually eating fruits and veggies for the 2nd and 4th meal of the day, switching to ground turkey meant instead of beef, and more chicken/fish, i've cut about 14lbs in 2-3 weeks. I also eat right when i get home from work at 5pm-ish instead of later on at night like i used to at 8-9pm.

the one thing i might suggest is switching your heavier dinner meal to the lunch and having a salad closer for dinner, im a heavier build(5'11"/285lbs) than you so it might make more sense for me and not for you though.

[Swamper]

1200 calories per day? :whoa:

[Dreamliner]

On the surface, it's pretty simple. Eat fewer calories than you expend. There's tons of calculators out there that can give you an idea of how many calories you exert every day, so go from there.

Drilling farther down (and Dreamliner will disagree with me on this), I think it is important to make sure those calories are good calories. I don't eat anything fried anymore and I don't eat any white carbs, save the occasional 100 calorie snack pack. I also don't drink any regular soft drinks, but I do love Coke Zero and have 1 or 2 of those a day. If you don't like that, I'd suggest you drink water. I make sure I get at least 125g of protein per day, usually more like 150. I primarily get this from whey shakes and from white meats such as chicken and pork. If you are a Sam's club member, they have an awesome pre-cooked bag of chicken breasts you can heat up in 3 minutes and eat anytime for a quick 30g of protein. The protein helps maintain muscle while you are burning the fat. I have lost a little muscle, I believe, but not much.

On the exercise side, I am still employing a combination of cardio and weightlifting. I do 45 minutes of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On MWF, I do a five minute cardio warmup, followed by 45 minutes or so of weightlifting, followed by 15 minutes or so of cardio. One thing I make sure of when I am lifting weights is that I don't rest too long between sets. I have an app on my iPhone that does all sorts of cool fitness things, but my favorite feature is it's built in stopwatch. I never rest more than 1 minute and I usually wait only 45 seconds between sets. This keeps the heart rate elevated and keeps you in that fat burning zone for a longer period of time.

On the cardio I do HIIT. Usually I do a minute of fast paced running followed by a minute of fast paced walking. I'm not really going for endurance, just fat burn. I also try not to overdo it with cardio because I do fear burning muscle, though there is much discussion out there over muscle burn in cardio. Some think more than 30 minutes of high intensity cardio will cause it, some think that you'd have to run several hours to achieve any kind of muscle burn. Tough to say.

Anyway, if you want more specifics let me know. I can post what I eat and what specifically I do workout wise every day, though I'm not sure anyone cares :)

Oh, I suspect we're basically on the same page. While I do argue that it all comes down to calories, it does stand to reason, I suppose, that the fewer calories you consume, the better bang-for-the-buck you probably ought to get from your food.

[Dreamliner]

1,200 calories probably only seems extreme because we exaggerate how many calories we need. Actually, there are studies that correlate longevity and low calorie diets.

[wygator]

1,200 calories probably only seems extreme because we exaggerate how many calories we need. Actually, there are studies that correlate longevity and low calorie diets.

If you're sticking on a 1,200 calorie diet, it probably just seems longer...

[Dreamliner]

If you're sticking on a 1,200 calorie diet, it probably just seems longer...

And it's certainly relative to bodyweight. You won't find many men who need to be that low to get to fighting weight. But by the same token, most people are shocked by the calorie levels they have to drop to to lose weight continually.

People underestimate the calories they eat, by as much as 40%, and they also overestimate the calories they burn through exercise and through daily activities.

[wygator]

I'd like to lose about 10 lbs, but I like eating rich desserts and drinking high calorie beer right now more than losing weight.

You can keep eating the desserts and beer...you just have to offset it elsewhere. Ultimately it's about cals in and cals burned, regardless of what you eat. Certainly the foods you choose can affect your overall health in a variety of ways, but weight is purely a function of the calorie formula, regardless of the kind of calories they are.

Back in the '70's, there was a food science professor at UF, Dr. Howard Appledorf who gained some notoriety saying it was OK to eat Big Mac's if you wanted...obviously the assault on fast foods had already begun. He was simply pushing the notion that your body is one big chemical reaction and once the food you eat is digested and broken down, it doesn't make much difference what you eat. He also said he never ate desserts...that was his personal trade-off so he could down beers at the Library bar.

Beer, by the way, an excellent source of protein!!!

His introductory food science class was a student favorite for cheap credits. He was an engaging speaker and peppered his lectures with old-timey slides of women sitting around in a Victorian setting which he world introduce with the words, "Meanwhile...back at the Tri-Delt house" and tell a joke. One I remember is, "One Tri-Delt says to the other, 'Do you smoke after sex?' to which the sister replied, 'I don't know...I never looked!!'"


Sadly, the doctor was the victim of a nasty murder in 1982
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/howard_appledorf/1_index.html

[LeafUF]

People mostly have no idea but its pretty easy to guess what you burn and adjust from there. For a 200 lb guy Id guess 2000 resting then add 10% of cals consumed and any activity. There is also neat to consider but its hard to judge. If you want go low you can always do bodyweight*12. I think that gives a good idea then subtract whatever you want your deficit to be and eat that. The harder part is getting the amount you take in right. I say weigh and measure everything and track your weight often.

[Dreamliner]

Beer, as well as most alcoholic beverages, are low-calorie and low-carb. I'm convinced that the admonitions against alcohol have more to do with the ridiculous American taboo than any scientific evidence that alcohol sabotages weight control. Ask the Europeans about it.

[romeg8r]

Want to lose ten pounds of ugly fat in seconds?

Cut off your head.

[LeafUF]

Beer, as well as most alcoholic beverages, are low-calorie and low-carb. I'm convinced that the admonitions against alcohol have more to do with the ridiculous American taboo than any scientific evidence that alcohol sabotages weight control. Ask the Europeans about it.

Alcohol does mess you up in a few ways but its not really from the calories in it. And the damage it can do to a diet is nothing compared to the damage too much food can do. The problem a lot of people have is they want to diet 5 days a week then let loose on the weekends, get hammered and eat bar food. And after something like that you usually have killed your deficit for the week.

If you arent doing that and can fit in some alcohol within your goals, go for it. Even a heavy beer is usually under 200 calories and I would rather have that than a snickers.

[Dreamliner]

Alcohol does mess you up in a few ways but its not really from the calories in it. And the damage it can do to a diet is nothing compared to the damage too much food can do. The problem a lot of people have is they want to diet 5 days a week then let loose on the weekends, get hammered and eat bar food. And after something like that you usually have killed your deficit for the week.

If you arent doing that and can fit in some alcohol within your goals, go for it. Even a heavy beer is usually under 200 calories and I would rather have that than a snickers.

Well, you know me. I have to dig in my heels just a little bit. Too much has been said about the damage alcohol can do and not nearly enough (at least in Puritannical, messed-up America) about its benefits. And technically, it can actually help you to lose weight. Alcohol is one of those so-called 'thermic foods.'

[slmdLS1]

sure does make ya pee a lot. if you're worried about the calories from beer, you should probably be drinking liquor.

[LeafUF]

Well, you know me. I have to dig in my heels just a little bit. Too much has been said about the damage alcohol can do and not nearly enough (at least in Puritannical, messed-up America) about its benefits. And technically, it can actually help you to lose weight. Alcohol is one of those so-called 'thermic foods.'

I think people are coming around on the benefits, at least when it comes to red wine. Not sure people think that way about other forms yet.

Calorie wise light beers and liquor without sugary mixers are not that bad in moderation.

[Dreamliner]

I think people are coming around on the benefits, at least when it comes to red wine. Not sure people think that way about other forms yet.

Calorie wise light beers and liquor without sugary mixers are not that bad in moderation.

For that matter, food isn't that bad for you in moderation. But then I think you just implied that. :wink:

Interestingly, one fairly recent study recommends 2-4 servings of alcohol a day for men and 1-2 for women for health benefits.

[LeafUF]

Haven't seen that, wonder what they define as a serving? Or if I have all my servings for the week on Friday night will that work?

[Dreamliner]

Haven't seen that, wonder what they define as a serving? Or if I have all my servings for the week on Friday night will that work?

I believe that a serving of wine is 4 ounces. Don't know if it varies according to beverage.

[LeafUF]

Pretty sure you are right on the wine, think liquor is 1.5 oz and don't know about beer but 12 oz. would seem about right.

[wygator]

All things in moderation...supposedly, the alcohol is good for your circulatory system and resveratrol in the wine helps as well.

My "step" granddad made his own wine (including dandelion). Mom said it embarrassed her when she was younger because they'd be at the store and if dandelions were growing in the surrounding grass, he'd pick them.

He drank one glass a day his whole life. Lived into his '90's and was sharp as a tack until the end.

[neisgator]

About a month ago, I decided I was tired of carrying the spare tire around. I was 5'9 170 lbs, and was about 24% body fat. I didn't look fat, but my gut always bothered me and I carried fat around that just made me feel self conscious. This morning I weighed 157 and was 19% body fat.

Anyway, I decided to join a gym and work out there instead of trying to work out at home (where I'm inevitably distracted). Right now I am in a "cutting phase", where I am focused on burning fat. When I get done with that, I will move more to free weights and more calories.

So, basically I decided to make a lifestyle change both in my exercise habits and in my diet. Here's what I did.

Exercise:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

Warm Up - 5 minutes on treadmill. Fast walking/jogging
Weight Circuits - there are about 15 machines at my gym, of which I use about 9-10. After warm up, I wait about 1 minute then start the circuit, going between each machine with no rest. When I get done with the last machine, I wait 1 minute and do it all over again. I do this three times.
Cardio - 20 minutes of alternative between walking and sprints. I usually get about 1.5 miles in.

Tuesday, Thursday:

Cardio - 35-45 minutes of fast walking, jogging, and sprinting. I dont have a set plan here, I just sort of mix it up as I feel like it. Right now I'm getting about 3 - 3.5 miles in.

The good thing about the Weight Circuit training is that it helps me develop my muscles and at the same time keeps my heart rate in a cardiovascular zone, which helps burn the fat. I'm probably not bulking my muscles, but it appears I am not losing muscle either, which is always a fear when you're doing a lot of cardio. Basically, doing the circuits this way turns weight training into both strength training and cardio in one. Couple that with fairly intense cardio workouts afterward and on the other days, and it's a pretty good routine for burning fat.


Diet:

I decided to stay away from diets like South Beach or Atkins. I don't have any particular feelings about these types of diets, but I wanted to make a real lifestyle change and worried about being able to maintain a strict diet like those.

Instead, I decided to just use a common sense approach to eating. I do love my sodas, so I moved to Coke Zero only, and I limit myself to one per day of those. Other than that, it's water, water, water.

Breakfast:

I'm the type that has a hard time getting up in the morning, so my breakfast needs to be simple. I bought a big thing of EAS Whey Protein from Sam's and drink a 6 ounce shake on my way to work in the morning. Usually, I have a bowl of oatmeal when I get to work.

Lunch:

This is the one place I do stay pretty strict. I eat a salad every day for lunch. Publix has a great little salad kit with meat and dressing already in it. I don't use the dressing they give you, I buy Wish Bone fat free Italian (15 calories per serving). If I don't eat the Publix salad, I bring my own lettuce and add grilled chicken.

Dinner:

Usually for dinner I will have something with grilled chicken or fish. Grilled chicken wheat pitas (with the aforementioned fat free italian), lettuce, and fat free cheese is something I have gotten pretty accustomed to. I make sure that I get some sort of vegetable serving with dinner, and I also allow myself a carb (usually brown rice). Tilapia or Mahi is usually the fish of choice if that is what I am doing.

Snacks:

Mid morning and mid afternoon I have a snack. Usually I have a Zone bar (protein bar) for one snack and a serving or two of unsalted peanuts for the others. At night after dinner, I do allow myself the one "bad" thing of the day - a 100 calorie pack of graham crackers or cookies. I have another whey shake after workouts.

On the weekends, I do allow myself a nice steak or some other type of red meat, but generally I do stay away from them. If I have ground beef, I make sure it is lean.

Overall, I find that I eat around 1300-1500 calories per day, which is enough to keep my workouts intense, but not too much so as to pack on any more weight. I have focused on limiting carbs (and making sure those I do have are brown/wheat carbs) and increasing my protein intake. I like to get around 125g of protein per day. The shakes really help with this.

So far this has been very successful for me, but may not work for everyone. I know there are quite a few in the pub that are interested in diet and exercise, so I thought I would share something of a success story. I've still got a long way to go to get my six pack abs :) but I'm working on it.

Hope this helps someone out there.

You couldn't have been very big at 5'9" 170...I am 5'9 175...

I started working out(Treadmill at home) 4 days a week..(Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun)...I have been doing it for about 9 months.

I basically do your Tues/Thursday routine all 4 days..(3.25 miles on a 4 degree incline) for about 45 minutes...I started at 188..now 175...Lost weight everywhere but my gut...

Frustrating...and not to get to gross...but...I think it is because I am so damn irregular...

Eating decent..not as strict as you are...probably part of my problem...All I drink is water..

[chrisleakfan4life]

Question for anybody on here

I'm thinking about mixing my diet up a little bit

I'm thinking about getting a lot of protein in, like the original poster was saying he was getting in over 100 grams.

So im thinking about doing something like

Breakfast: Protein Shake and a protein bar

Lunch: Chicken or Salad or both

Dinner: Chicken or Salad or Both

and than when i work out, having more protein(either a bar or a shake).

Is this a bad idea? I could also throw in soup too or a turkey sandwich on 45 calorie(per slice) wheat bread.

I'm not an athlete, nor am i a body builder so i wonder if too much protein is over doing it.

I obviously don't want to go over board on calories(which protein shakes and protein bars have a lot of) and i don't want to cut out too many Carbs either.

and i hate to drag this a long but how do you guys feel about Vitamin Water Zero vs regular water? Vitamin Zero has no calories and it taste good(i cannot stand drinking water very much, i could drink maybe 24-30 ounces a day but i get sick of it quick).

Any input or meal ideas are appreciated, i like the original posters diet plan so i may also try to follow something similar.

[LeafUF]

Bodybuilder or not you want to build muscle and if you want to lose weight you should lift weights. That said I would eat .75-1 gram of protein per pound of LBM. To do that you would basically need to know exactly how much of your 205 is fat. You want to be 185 so even if your LBM is only 155 using 185 is still a good start.

So eat anywhere from 140-185 grams of protein a day. Problem for you is that if you are gonna increase protein without increasing calories is you gotta reduce something and carbs have gotta go in that case since you dont want to give up good fats.

Anyway, just know that a gram of protein is 4 calories so however many you are eating multiply by 4 and you will know how many other calories you can eat of other nutrients.

AS for your diet, what you describe is actually pretty low in carbs and calories. Salads unless you add croutons, bad dressing and nuts are next to nothing. And lean chicken wont set you back too many calories either.

For protein shake I recommend either Optimum Nutrition 100% whey as a low cal low carb high protein shake. They have some tasty ones, only problem is they wont fill you up. Can try Casein protein which is filling, its a little more expensive and I personally think its gross.

Sandwiches are great in my opinion just get some good deli meat. Soup is tricky, read the labels and you should be ok as long as you are not sodium sensitive.

Good luck, eat lots of veggies and fruit.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Bodybuilder or not you want to build muscle and if you want to lose weight you should lift weights. That said I would eat .75-1 gram of protein per pound of LBM. To do that you would basically need to know exactly how much of your 205 is fat. You want to be 185 so even if your LBM is only 155 using 185 is still a good start.

So eat anywhere from 140-185 grams of protein a day. Problem for you is that if you are gonna increase protein without increasing calories is you gotta reduce something and carbs have gotta go in that case since you dont want to give up good fats.

Anyway, just know that a gram of protein is 4 calories so however many you are eating multiply by 4 and you will know how many other calories you can eat of other nutrients.

AS for your diet, what you describe is actually pretty low in carbs and calories. Salads unless you add croutons, bad dressing and nuts are next to nothing. And lean chicken wont set you back too many calories either.

For protein shake I recommend either Optimum Nutrition 100% whey as a low cal low carb high protein shake. They have some tasty ones, only problem is they wont fill you up. Can try Casein protein which is filling, its a little more expensive and I personally think its gross.

Sandwiches are great in my opinion just get some good deli meat. Soup is tricky, read the labels and you should be ok as long as you are not sodium sensitive.

Good luck, eat lots of veggies and fruit.

Thanks

185 is my first goal. but i want to eventually get to 155 like PIMking

I have(and have been drinking) EAS Whey Protein for my protein shakes.

[LeafUF]

You could go straight for 155 then if you want, at least as it concerns protein. Try eating 115 -155 grams, that would give you plenty of room to get in carbs and protein under your calorie limit and even a beer or glass of wine if you so choose.

For breakfast I would eat eggs with salsa, and oatmeal or toast or something depending on how you feel about those. I do 2:1 ratio of egg whites to whole eggs. Throw the salsa on top and its damn good.

[G8RBrave]

You couldn't have been very big at 5'9" 170...I am 5'9 175...

I started working out(Treadmill at home) 4 days a week..(Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun)...I have been doing it for about 9 months.

I basically do your Tues/Thursday routine all 4 days..(3.25 miles on a 4 degree incline) for about 45 minutes...I started at 188..now 175...Lost weight everywhere but my gut...

Frustrating...and not to get to gross...but...I think it is because I am so damn irregular...

Eating decent..not as strict as you are...probably part of my problem...All I drink is water..

I wasn't very big. But if your goal is to get your abs showing then you've got to lean up. I was 170 but was 24% body fat. That's the key number. My lean body weight (meaning what I would be at 0% body fat) is about 120. That basically means I'm not naturally muscular. I'm 13% body fat and 143 lbs right now and I still have a little gut. I have an incredibly frustrating build.

When I hit 10% body fat I plan to start a bulking phase, so I will probably get back up to 160 or so soon enough. I think 155-165 is my ideal weight range but I dont want to be there at 20% body fat, I want to be there at 12% or less.

[G8RBrave]

Just for the sake of some other opinions on Whey - I drink EAS Myoplex Whey. They sell it at Sam's for $27 for a 5 lb bag. Lasts me a while and tastes good.

I'd love to get up every morning and cook breakfast but I just never seem to find the time. Protein shakes work really well for that.

I'd also recommend a snack between your meals to keep the metabolism moving. I usually have a handful or two of unsalted peanuts or a protein bar between meals.

[deebo65]

I'm kinda pissy about this subject at the current moment. This time last year I was about 255 (I'm 6'5") and was pretty lean. I was already lifting weights regularly but I had kinda stepped it up a bit. By January I had gained about 8-10lbs but it was muscle. I fit in the same clothes, and some were even looser fitting and I could tell the size difference in the mirror and in pictures. All week this week I weighed in at 270!!!! And I can tell in the mirror that the only place that is bigger is my belly... Damnit man! I was shooting to be back down in the 250's come football season for when I came to tailgate. It isn't a huge difference but it is more a mental thing. My diet is the same as it has been for the last two years or so. I eat very little bad carbs and mostly meat and veggies, and I eat 5-6 meals a day. But for some reason recently I have just been so friggin hungry all the time. I gotta step up the cardio and tighten up my diet (and cut out the booze) or the next month or so and get this mush off me. It isn't much but it is frustrating me. grrrrrrr... update you after kickoff

[Dreamliner]

I'm kinda pissy about this subject at the current moment. This time last year I was about 255 (I'm 6'5") and was pretty lean. I was already lifting weights regularly but I had kinda stepped it up a bit. By January I had gained about 8-10lbs but it was muscle. I fit in the same clothes, and some were even looser fitting and I could tell the size difference in the mirror and in pictures. All week this week I weighed in at 270!!!! And I can tell in the mirror that the only place that is bigger is my belly... Damnit man! I was shooting to be back down in the 250's come football season for when I came to tailgate. It isn't a huge difference but it is more a mental thing. My diet is the same as it has been for the last two years or so. I eat very little bad carbs and mostly meat and veggies, and I eat 5-6 meals a day. But for some reason recently I have just been so friggin hungry all the time. I gotta step up the cardio and tighten up my diet (and cut out the booze) or the next month or so and get this mush off me. It isn't much but it is frustrating me. grrrrrrr... update you after kickoff

You ought to try experimenting with eating fewer meals per day. That'll lop a lot of calories off and you should see some dramatic weight loss.

*runs away*

[G8RBrave]

I'm not big on 5-6 "meals" a day. I just think that eating a small snack in between meals will keep your metabolism going and, perhaps more importantly, keep you from gorging yourself when it's time to eat a real meal.

[deebo65]

Well, they really aren't "meals". I guess I shoulda said I eat 5-6 times a day. I eat breakfast 3 hrs later a snack 3hrs later another snack 2 hrs later another snack then dinner before 8pm. I don't eat after 8pm. I lost a lot of weight sticking to that and maintained the proper weight by sticking to it. I just gotta tighten up guess...

[neisgator]

I need to not put anything in my mouth after 6:30..

[deebo65]

Is that what your old lady tells you neis?









***ducks and run's away*** no offense, I keed I keed

[neisgator]

That's what she said...

[Dreamliner]

Well, they really aren't "meals". I guess I shoulda said I eat 5-6 times a day. I eat breakfast 3 hrs later a snack 3hrs later another snack 2 hrs later another snack then dinner before 8pm. I don't eat after 8pm. I lost a lot of weight sticking to that and maintained the proper weight by sticking to it. I just gotta tighten up guess...

Well, you can eat as often as you like. But since it's all about calories, then it stands to reason that the more often you eat, the greater the likelihood that you're going to exceed your caloric needs. If you're trying to lose weight by eating more often, you almost have to eat like a hummingbird each time out. I'd rather eat two or three times a day and eat big.

The need to eat frequently to maintain metabolism is pretty much a myth. And two recent studies showed that less frequent meals are better than more frequent meals for losing weight.

On average, the French eat 2.5 times a day.

[kkg8r]

For that matter, food isn't that bad for you in moderation. But then I think you just implied that. :wink:

Interestingly, one fairly recent study recommends 2-4 servings of alcohol a day for men and 1-2 for women for health benefits.

Alcohol is my achilles heel. I just really can't seem to kick the wine habit. My new "diet" plan is to have 3 MGD 64s per night instead of 3 glasses of wine.

I just picked up spinning and think it's pretty good. I get out of class expecting to have immediately lost 5 pounds. I play tennis once a week and was run/walking before I began the spin class. Weight is coming off, but very very slow and that is really due to the alcohol - take my calories over my budget.

IMy yoga studio closed, so I need to find something else to build muscle. My power yoga class was very good at using my body weight as weights.

Any thoughts on an easy full body weight routine that I can do 2x per week? How about the spinning? Do you think that cranking up the resistance and pedaling gives me a good leg workout?

[Dreamliner]

Alcohol is my achilles heel. I just really can't seem to kick the wine habit. My new "diet" plan is to have 3 MGD 64s per night instead of 3 glasses of wine.

I just picked up spinning and think it's pretty good. I get out of class expecting to have immediately lost 5 pounds. I play tennis once a week and was run/walking before I began the spin class. Weight is coming off, but very very slow and that is really due to the alcohol - take my calories over my budget.

IMy yoga studio closed, so I need to find something else to build muscle. My power yoga class was very good at using my body weight as weights.

Any thoughts on an easy full body weight routine that I can do 2x per week? How about the spinning? Do you think that cranking up the resistance and pedaling gives me a good leg workout?

I guess that anything you enjoy and would stick with would be productive. But remember that it's easier to simply eat less than the exercise more and more and more. Another way of putting it is that you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

As to bodyweight exercises, I'd rank them higher than spinning or any sort of 'aerobic' exercise. Just to expedite, I'd youtube 'Craig Ballantyne' for some excellent and pretty basic bodyweight circuits. Also, for something really fun and challenging (and you can progress at your own pace), try:

http://www.monkeybargym.com

[Bladerunner]

I salute you that is awesome. I should weigh around 160-165 and I've been at 180 now since winter. I know what I need to do, I just haven't been motivated to do it. This motivates me, I need to get with the program. Great stuff, congrats, I know how hard you worked to get the super results.

[gatordee]

keep it up!! nice job!! Your doing it the right way

[chrisleakfan4life]

Well i have been consuming over 100 grams of protein over the past two days as suggested, hopefully it will pay off in the long run.

[G8trGr8t]

I am 5'9" 185 with a 34 waste and trying to drop 15 pounds to get back to a 32" waste.

Can't imagine 5'9" 170 with a 37" waste.

Guess broad shoulders and thick chest make me carry it differently. That is the problem with all those number charts I guess as everybody carries it differently. Good luck in reaching your goal.

How are you measuring your body fat?

[LeafUF]

Kk did you want a full body, weight routine or a full, body weight routine?

If you want use weights there are some great routines out there using dumbbells or kettlebells. I can look them up when I am home.

[G8RBrave]

I am 5'9" 185 with a 34 waste and trying to drop 15 pounds to get back to a 32" waste.

Can't imagine 5'9" 170 with a 37" waste.

Guess broad shoulders and thick chest make me carry it differently. That is the problem with all those number charts I guess as everybody carries it differently. Good luck in reaching your goal.

How are you measuring your body fat?

Calipers.

Remember too that the actual waist measurement is just above the belly button. Most people think that the waist is measured on your hips a few inches below the belly button because that's where we wear our pants.

At my biggest, I was still wearing 34's in pants.

[Dreamliner]

One really cool thing about weight loss is that you don't have to lose a lot of it to begin to substantially improve your blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

[slmdLS1]

how often are you supposed to weigh yourself? once a week?

[chrisleakfan4life]

how often are you supposed to weigh yourself? once a week?

I do it every day and ever since i started drinking protein shakes and adding protein to my diet, ive somehow gained 4 pounds which im assuming is water weight but it's pissing me off

[slmdLS1]

thats the reason i asked, you arent supposed to weigh everyday.

[Dreamliner]

Weigh yourself once a week. Measure your waist once a month. Ultimately, go by how your body looks. You can tell if you're losing fat.

[chrisleakfan4life]

thats the reason i asked, you arent supposed to weigh everyday.

Yah that's what people say but I like to see how I do each day. I just took in 64 grams of protein while at work, and I'm going to the gym late tonight, can't wait

[LeafUF]

A couple of things on weighing yourself and taking measurements. The standard most people use is to weigh once a week on the same day and time each week. Its probably the most common method to use.

If you want to weigh everyday I see no problem with it as I can see how that keeps some people on track. If you are doing this though you just need to accept fluctuations as normal. Anything under 5 pounds either way is probably nothing to get too excited or angry about. What I would do if weighing daily would be to take the average at the end of each week to see where I am at.

The important thing is just to be sure you are keeping track, studies have shown that people who monitor their weight and measurements have a better chance of losing weight and maintaining it.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Yah my stomach feels smarter but the scale says different

[StrangeGator]

I wouldn't do away with the protein shakes entirely, but Dream definitely has a point. I was doing two to three a day, but ended up hitting a plateau at around 195. That 675 calories was very high in protein, but it was more calories than I could metabolize. When I tried going without any, I couldn't control my appetite, so I started just drinking just one a day, and only on days when I worked out. It took three weeks, but I got down to 185 and I've stayed below 190 ever since. I still have about a 33 to 33.5 inch waste. I guess I've got a little more work to do.

[slmdLS1]

best protein shake brand/ingredients? are we talkin GNC type stuff or walmart type stuff?

[Dreamliner]

I know I come off like a broken record here, but I strongly suspect that protein requirements are exaggerated, perhaps grossly so. The key determinant in gaining and maintaining muscle is mechanical stress. This is why it is possible to add muscle while in a caloric deficit.

Does Usain Bolt look emaciated ? His diet is high-carb.

[LeafUF]

Maybe you should rethink that Bolt statement if this quote is to be believed:

Usain is one of the few professional athletes who does not take supplements. He admits to taking vitamin C, but nothing else. Instead, Bolt opts for a high-energy diet to maintain his engine, ensuring that each of his six daily meals contain 60% protein, 30% carbs and 10% fats. Sprinters should consume one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to build and maintain muscle. So at approx. 14-stone, Bolt needs to consume 196 grams of muscle-building protein every day. He alleges to achieve this by eating a lot of chicken fillets, pork and fish. On the day that he beat the world 100m record, he described his preparation as:

Source: Usain Bolt’s Workouts and Diet | Get Fit and Lose Weight http://www.motleyhealth.com/articles/2008/08/usain-bolt-cruises-into-the-mens-200m-final-plus-his-workouts-and-diet.html#ixzz0w8Jywgb5

[Dreamliner]

Maybe you should rethink that Bolt statement if this quote is to be believed:

Okay, thanks for that. But I've read elsewhere that his diet is that of the typical Jamaican, high in fruits, vegetables and grains.

[LeafUF]

best protein shake brand/ingredients? are we talkin GNC type stuff or walmart type stuff?

I wont step foot in a walmart and GNC is generally overpriced. Go to www.bodybuilding.com for protein shakes and you will get a much better deal and a lot more variety in products.

I recommend either Optimum Nutrition or Dymatize Elite brands for protein shakes. Whatever flavor fits your tastes.

[LeafUF]

Okay, thanks for that. But I've read elsewhere that his diet is that of the typical Jamaican, high in fruits, vegetables and grains.

I actually dont doubt that it is and the only thing I could find does not show him quoting those figures. I still think performance athletes need high protein and many olympic athletes also require a lot of carbs.

Though even if his diet is high carbs or lets say higher carb than protein that wont necessarily mean he is eating low protein diet.

Not that an elite athletes diet is realistic for most of us anyway, with training the way they do they require a lot more of everything than we do.

[Dreamliner]

I actually dont doubt that it is and the only thing I could find does not show him quoting those figures. I still think performance athletes need high protein and many olympic athletes also require a lot of carbs.

Though even if his diet is high carbs or lets say higher carb than protein that wont necessarily mean he is eating low protein diet.

Not that an elite athletes diet is realistic for most of us anyway, with training the way they do they require a lot more of everything than we do.

Well, let me latch onto the elite athletes thing. None here fall into that category and thus would require even less protein. Face it, the supplements industry is making money hand-over-fist with the notion of the need for extra protein. Dr. Ellington Darden of Nautilus Sports Industries has been getting simultaneous muscle growth and fat loss in clients on low-protein diets for years now.

[LeafUF]

Can't disagree with that. There is a need for protein, how much seems to be up for debate and individually decided. Even among amateurs and it is nowhere near the need of athletes and bodybuilders.

[MiddleTNgator]

First off, congrats on the weight loss and getting in the gym. It's great to hear and I hope you continue doing so.

To contribute protein discussion... numerous articles have found that whey protein has yet to be found productive in muscle training in scholarly journals. I know this because I am a Ph.D. student in Health and Human Performance. I used to work at GNC as well and I am doing Arnold Schwarzenegger's training. Do not buy the protein shakes at GNC or any other nutrition supplement store - it's a ripoff. If you choose to buy them than buy them at Wal-Mart. It is a quarter of the price and just as effective. Your body can only process anywhere from as little as 20 to 40-ish grams of protein at a time anyway.

Now back to the workout training...

Once your training for the day is completed you should wait one hour before consuming anything as the blood regulates throughout your body for the areas you just worked. Similarly, if you eat before working out you need to wait around an hour and a half. It is also important that you eat roughly at the same time everyday. Your body thrives off of regulation.

It was also mentioned previously to split-up lifting and cardio - that's a mistake. Primary gains in weight loss is due to accerlated heart rate so do both for every workout. Hell, intermix sprinting with bench press if you want - it will wear you out as this is muscle confusion training (be careful, it will make you wobbly on takeoff). Also, as far as doing abs and cardio - the best way to cut fat off your cut is to do cardio and get your heart rate accelerated then immediately attack your core. Do not wait on a cool down. Try to build on the about of sit-ups you do each week. Do not get content. If you can do 3 sets of 25 then the following week try for 3 sets of 30 and so forth.

The only thing I would be concerned with in your workout is you mentioned doing all 9-10 machines in a row as a circuit trainer. First, you should do free weights if possible. Also, I would limit it to 3 machines at a time that attack the same areas in general. So you would be doing 3 machines, then 3 machines, then the 4. For example: a bicep machine with a tricep machine and whatever else you decide. I think you could see more lifting gains this way. If you decide to try it that way go through the three exercises and once completed count to 30. After you get to 30, hit it again and then do this again for the 3rd set. Each time through you should increase the weight and you need to be doing a minimum of 8 reps.

[LeafUF]

Is that what they are teaching in your PHD program?

[MiddleTNgator]

I simply stated the research that is out there in scholarly journals - that I have discussed in class - so I imagine lots of Ph.D. programs are discussing the same issues as all the articles are linked for any collegiate program. I am in agreement with Dream that it is grossly overstated by how much we need and I am in agreement with you for the debate in regards to non-athletes versus athletes. Which is a debate in itself.

The fact of the matter is that the body can only process so much of it at one time and the complexities in the human body system make it almost impossible to allow for "standard regulation." There are too many varying factors at work: individuals, weight, type of workouts, length of workouts, age, physical impairments, etc. It is always going to be debated. Some articles will say that it improves muscle, weight loss, etc. and just as many will say it shows no improvement.

If you want a real comical read - find the study that was done on Gakic. It was a complete joke for their basis of saying "it works". It's utter garbage and GNC sells it for$70 a bottle.

[LeafUF]

Wasnt Gakic created at UF or was that another dud supplement?

I do disagree with the limited protein intake at any one time. What exactly happens to it? Not saying you need to eat a ton in one sitting but I dont think its just not getting digested at some arbitrary value. Like your body just says oh I got 30 grams from that meal, Im done and the rest magically vanishes.

You can read Alan Aragon's take on it if you like.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/

[lwg8tr]

I was 5'9" 231lbs and was squeezing into 38 inch pants, that was October 2007. I got big on getting in shape when I was experiencing ringing in my ears and chronic headaches. I went to the doc and he was astonished to find my resitng BP at 190/110. I was a stroke waiting to happen, I got a full workup and was prescribed two BP meds. It really shocked me at 41 years old I was headed for an early grave and was a longshot to make it to 60 years old. I got the book Ab's Diet and started to follow it. It is a very sound nutrition plan involving a workable balanced approach of eating 6 small meals a day made up of good wholesome foods(Whole grains, lean meats, veggies, oatmeal).

I didn’t get religious with it, just made it a quest to improve my health. The first month with zero exercised I lost 14lbs, the second I added some light resistance training according to the book's prescription, I did lots of squats, lunges, chest presses and military presses..large muscle groups is the key. I was so sore some morning's I could not walk. End of month two 17 lbs lost and was not discouraged because i knew I was adding muscle. I kept it up through month 3-6, I dropped a total at month 6 of 33 lbs and I felt like Godzilla. Month 6 and here is the key, eating about 2000 calories a day, not doing much cardio at all(NO ellipticals, treadmills, etc.) it began to fall off me. The scale I thought was broken, month 7 I lost another 12 to be down below 190lbs. Fast forward to today I 44, I am 171lbs of rock hard studliness, I am about 15% BF but I don't obsess on it. I can wear the wife out in the bedroom, keep up with my kids on the baseball diamond and my resting BP is now 120/80 without meds. Point is make a decision and have patience and determination. If getting in shape is JUST about vanity, the chips and beer will win.

[GatoRella]

^^Good work mate!

[kkg8r]

Kk did you want a full body, weight routine or a full, body weight routine?

If you want use weights there are some great routines out there using dumbbells or kettlebells. I can look them up when I am home.

Just wondering if you think that an intense level of spin class would "make up" for lifting weights in the legs. It feels like I am doing a low-weight rep every hill climb. If no, is there something I can do quickly that will work the major muscles. Just something quick to do prior to hitting the showers.

Many thanks to all. :)

[Dreamliner]

Just wondering if you think that an intense level of spin class would "make up" for lifting weights in the legs. It feels like I am doing a low-weight rep every hill climb. If no, is there something I can do quickly that will work the major muscles. Just something quick to do prior to hitting the showers.

Many thanks to all. :)

Something quick and dirty would be some version of the one-legged squat. You can progress from easier to harder versions, but the idea is that since you're bearing all or most of your weight on one leg, this eliminates the need to squat with weights. It will work your legs intensely in a short period of time.

You can youtube it. You might try 'one-legged squat progressions' or something like that.

[chrisleakfan4life]

I was 5'9" 231lbs and was squeezing into 38 inch pants, that was October 2007. I got big on getting in shape when I was experiencing ringing in my ears and chronic headaches. I went to the doc and he was astonished to find my resitng BP at 190/110. I was a stroke waiting to happen, I got a full workup and was prescribed two BP meds. It really shocked me at 41 years old I was headed for an early grave and was a longshot to make it to 60 years old. I got the book Ab's Diet and started to follow it. It is a very sound nutrition plan involving a workable balanced approach of eating 6 small meals a day made up of good wholesome foods(Whole grains, lean meats, veggies, oatmeal).

I didn’t get religious with it, just made it a quest to improve my health. The first month with zero exercised I lost 14lbs, the second I added some light resistance training according to the book's prescription, I did lots of squats, lunges, chest presses and military presses..large muscle groups is the key. I was so sore some morning's I could not walk. End of month two 17 lbs lost and was not discouraged because i knew I was adding muscle. I kept it up through month 3-6, I dropped a total at month 6 of 33 lbs and I felt like Godzilla. Month 6 and here is the key, eating about 2000 calories a day, not doing much cardio at all(NO ellipticals, treadmills, etc.) it began to fall off me. The scale I thought was broken, month 7 I lost another 12 to be down below 190lbs. Fast forward to today I 44, I am 171lbs of rock hard studliness, I am about 15% BF but I don't obsess on it. I can wear the wife out in the bedroom, keep up with my kids on the baseball diamond and my resting BP is now 120/80 without meds. Point is make a decision and have patience and determination. If getting in shape is JUST about vanity, the chips and beer will win.

Valid point

I have been dieting for 7 months now and i am starting to lose focus again so im trying to get back into the rhythm of dieting.

I just got to keep hitting the gym and trying my best to diet and eventually it will come off.

[lwg8tr]

Valid point

I have been dieting for 7 months now and i am starting to lose focus again so im trying to get back into the rhythm of dieting.

I just got to keep hitting the gym and trying my best to diet and eventually it will come off.

Yea it seems month 6 is when you can fall off a plateau. I had the mindset that I was never going back, so discouragement never entered my thought process. I just felt too good and my physical symptoms (Headaches, body aches, joint pain, low libido) had disappeared. Another added benefit was my work life improved, I felt a fog lift and I had more energy. My key to getting the fat loss started again was I examined my diet and kept a food journal for one week and I posted it to the Ab's Diet forum and man did the opinions come in. Found out my protein bars were no more than glorified candy bars also I was eating too many white potatoes and added a little too much olive oil and fats when cooking. Another one was I was going to bed hungry, I ate my 6 meals and I was done but still went to bed hungry.

I cut out the "Protein bars" which was an excuse for being lazy, I cut back on my olive oil, limited my potatoes to once a week substituted quinoa and brown rice, and a big one I had a real small meal like a handful of raw almonds or a homemade smoothie of strawberries, whey protein and skim milk right before bed. Whalla plateau obliterated with a tiny bit of tweaking.

[lwg8tr]

Here is a fascinating tidbit on why exercising large muscle groups to failure will make you toned all over. Exercising your large muscle groups with squats, bench press, upright rows, etc. has a number of benefits confirmed by many studies. There is a marked release in HGH in patients doing resistance training to muscle failure. This is caused by micro traumas in the muscle fibers which require your body to sound the alarm and dump lots of awesome hormones into your bloodstream. Your wonderfully adaptive body sends in the repair teams to not only repair the damage but make the muscle fibers thicker and more resilient. This micro trauma\healing cycle also takes a boat load of calories(Hello more muscualr and less flab!) to accomplish and in addition other good hormones are released like additional testosterone. So you not only look better and younger longer you exude that sex appeal the ladies love. Oh and that additional HGH will make your small “glam” muscles grow also, all without any time consuming vanity exercises like preacher curls or calf raises.

Studies have shown unlike medium intensity cardio which increases your metabolism during and up to 1 hour after a workout, resistance training has that effect was noted a whopping 48 hours after. The increase in basal metabolism was increased by as much as 30%. So you can do it the old fashioned way and jog on the treadmill for 45 minutes and go catabolic (Body consuming muscle tissue for fuel) and have a friendly fire deal going on with your own body or man up and do 30 minutes of serious circuit resistance training and get some real benefits. Cardio has its benefits, like lower blood pressure and stress but if you must do it, do HIITs for 20 minutes twice a week and save your gains in the gym.

Increased lean body mass = healthier heart, lower cancer risk, lower stress, more sex!

[LeafUF]

Just wondering if you think that an intense level of spin class would "make up" for lifting weights in the legs. It feels like I am doing a low-weight rep every hill climb. If no, is there something I can do quickly that will work the major muscles. Just something quick to do prior to hitting the showers.

Many thanks to all. :)

Never took a spin class so I really cant say with any certainty one way or another. When I have done any form of hard cardio exercise that really blasts my legs I know the last thing I would want to do afterward is try to throw in some weight exercises.

I guess it comes down to feel. If you feel that the spinning is giving your legs the workout you want and you see the results you are hoping for then its probably fine to not lift anything. If not, then maybe throw in some dumbbell squats or lunges or one legged squats before hand. A few sets, nothing too strenuous but challenging. Then go blast your legs in the spin class.

[kkg8r]

I am going to try a Les Milles Body Pump class on Monday. I think it's going to kick my ass. Anyone else tried one or heard of it? I'm going in blind, we will see how it goes.

PS Thanks for the info.

[GatoRella]

Did the instructor tell you to wear a hat that is way to small for your head to the class kk?

[kkg8r]

Did the instructor tell you to wear a hat that is way to small for your head to the class kk?

LOL. I keep calling it 'Les Miles' and people keep correcting me... Such is life outside of SEC territory.

[slmdLS1]

question about plateauing with weight...

does it seem like a good idea to "jolt" your system/metabolism every now and again to keep the metabolism from adjusting and shredding less weight. For instance, i read someone mentioned to add a couple hundred calories to a day, but to work out longer/harder as well and this would "shock" the metabolism from getting lazy. does this sound like a plausible theory?

4 days short of a month and I'm down 15 pounds.

[Dreamliner]

question about plateauing with weight...

does it seem like a good idea to "jolt" your system/metabolism every now and again to keep the metabolism from adjusting and shredding less weight. For instance, i read someone mentioned to add a couple hundred calories to a day, but to work out longer/harder as well and this would "shock" the metabolism from getting lazy. does this sound like a plausible theory?

4 days short of a month and I'm down 15 pounds.

I really don't think it's that complicated. People underestimate the amount of calories they need to cut to continue to lose weight. If you're no longer losing weight - and you've clearly got weight to lose - you need to cut calories even more.

That said, there is nothing wrong with taking little breaks from weight loss. So, a plateau might constitute a bit of a break and then you get back to the business of losing more weight.

[LeafUF]

I dont know about shock as I am actually torn on the concept based on things I have read.

I do think that both with weight training and diet you need to take breaks to beat plateaus.

When you are on reduced calories for a long time it can be helpful to do a structured refeed. What that is are a day or two of raising your calories to your maintenance amount. This gets the body some more nutrients and helps you recover a little better. If you have been dieting for a long time without a break I would do this for a weekend.

Do not go all out, just eat good foods to your maintenance calories instead of dieting calories.

As far as your workouts, keep doing them just as you would, no need to workout harder as if it would offset bc chances are the difference will be minor.

[LeafUF]

Another thing to do is readjust the amount you are eating as you go. Since you have lost 15 pounds already you probably need to drop another 100 calories off to see the same results as when you started.

[slmdLS1]

yeah, i capped my goal at 1800 calories per day, i happen to not be going home for dinner today, so I'll go over my goal by 200 calories. My output is generally close to 4,000 calories per day. I still have my workout after that so im not too worried just wondered if that makes sense to anyone more educated on the subject than myself.

[LeafUF]

Are you sure its really 4000? As Dream said some of those calculators online are based off some very old ideas.

The only way to really know is monitor it religiously for a few weeks eating at maintenance calories and not see a body weight change.

[Dreamliner]

I think belief is important. In other words, you have to really believe - and continue to believe - that if you continue to consume fewer calories than you burn off, that you will continue to lose weight.

[slmdLS1]

no I'm not totally, but I'd rather "low ball" it. usually its around 4200-4900. i have a pedometer on me all day at work as I'm fairly active, and monitor it in the gym on the equipment as well. The calculator I'm using is right on target with the treadmill as i changed a few workouts to match what the description of the calculators workout was.

[LeafUF]

wow, that is a lot of calories and a huge deficit. Props to you for being able to do that. I go under 2500 calories and I am starving all day. And I doubt I burn more than 3000 on the high end.

[slmdLS1]

wow, that is a lot of calories and a huge deficit. Props to you for being able to do that. I go under 2500 calories and I am starving all day. And I doubt I burn more than 3000 on the high end.

i read a bit of advice that somewhere along the lines of a day, your body will think its hungry when it isn't at least once a day, and the trick is to suck down a glass(i use a 20oz) of water to rid yourself of that "hunger" feeling that's likely false at least once a day. my hunger has actually been curbed by using the following ideas...


watch the calories. i try to keep the larger portion meal to lunch & under 500.
smaller portions/control. Eating that Lean cuisine every now and then helps, there sure aint much there, lol.
more fruits/veggies. Apples, bananas, carrots, grapes, Pineapple, Salad...2 of those daily.
no dinner after 6pm. I eat early, also prior to workout.
no junk food. i sicken myself seeing the calories i used to eat.
5 "meals" a day. whether its a nutri grain, or the fruit combo, its considered a meal.
and lots of water. so far i've been around 120oz per day, around 5-6 20oz cups.
no sodas, etc. Water or bust.


and ive introduced a 12oz. protein shake and 8oz of Orange juice every morning. all this while adding 3-4 workouts a week that i hadn't been doing before. Usually its anywhere from an hour and a half to 2 hours in the gym. On the off days i swim for about 2 hours while my daughter chases me around a pool.

[Dreamliner]

Reduce your meal frequency and add a fasting day per week and you'll demolish your plateau almost effortlessly.

[LeafUF]

slmd I actually follow almost all of those principles. I lose and gain pretty easily and I am just always hungry. I got sick over the weekend and lost 4 pounds.

On my home computer I have a few of Lyle McDonalds ebooks which have some good info in them if you ever wanted to read a lot on things like that.

[Dreamliner]

slmd I actually follow almost all of those principles. I lose and gain pretty easily and I am just always hungry. I got sick over the weekend and lost 4 pounds.

On my home computer I have a few of Lyle McDonalds ebooks which have some good info in them if you ever wanted to read a lot on things like that.

Way to go! Just kidding.

Seriously though, a recent study has shown a correlation between meal frequency and hunger. Three meals a day is better for curbing hunger than six meals a day.

[LeafUF]

Way to go! Just kidding.

Seriously though, a recent study has shown a correlation between meal frequency and hunger. Three meals a day is better for curbing hunger than six meals a day.

Yeah, I am not a staunch observer of eating lots of meals. I just get hungry often so feel that if I plan to eat lots of meals in a day and prepare for it I eat better food when I do.

I certainly could try eating a bigger breakfast lunch and dinner to see if it would work. Then my only problem might be getting full too easily. I havent tried this regularly but I have had big meals and been hungry an hour later.

It might be a tapeworm.

[Dreamliner]

Yeah, I am not a staunch observer of eating lots of meals. I just get hungry often so feel that if I plan to eat lots of meals in a day and prepare for it I eat better food when I do.

I certainly could try eating a bigger breakfast lunch and dinner to see if it would work. Then my only problem might be getting full too easily. I havent tried this regularly but I have had big meals and been hungry an hour later.

It might be a tapeworm.

I'm hungry all the time. Good thing being hungry doesn't have anything to do with the actual need to eat something.

[LeafUF]

Yeah, if I were overeating and gaining unwanted weight I would be worried. But I am doing alright in that regard so no worries here.

[chrisleakfan4life]

bump

[slinkygator]

I've lost 18 pounds since March, only a handful more to go. Weight loss really does slow down as you get older. I was at a plateau for the last 3 weeks and said **** it and I ate more last week than I have since I started. Dropped 1.2 lbs after doing that. Weird.

[Dreamliner]

It's all mathematics. Usually we take in more calories than we think we do. But sometimes we take in less than we think we do. The body doesn't throw us a curveball and do whacky things.

I think we should all take comfort in this. If you consume fewer calories than you burn off, you will lose weight.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Yeah i too am becoming frustrated with my diet and i have hit a plateau.

I've been stuck at the 205-210 range the entire month. Earlier this month i was down to 205 and than a couple days i took in a lot of protein and i ballooned up to 211 pounds.

Went back down to 206, now im at around 207-208 and it changes daily.

I have pretty much stopped drinking diet soda, figured that may be apart of the problem. I've been drinking Vitamin water zero and im now drinking powerade zero instead.

Any tips/advice on what i should do? I haven't been eating really too much junk food other than yesterday.

I've been on a 1200 calorie diet +/- a few calories here and there since January, should i do something different? Switch it up to a low carb diet consisting of chicken salad and fruit?

Intake more calories for a few weeks, something like 1500?

Could use some advice as i am getting really frustrated. I've got about 20 pounds to go to reach my first goal(185) and than eventually i want to be 155-165 range, and i want to be around 185 by October because im meeting up with my best friend for a couple days(last time he saw me i was around 217 pounds).

If anybody here is willing to help me out with some meal plans i could use the help.

[slmdLS1]

maybe its me, but 1200 calories a day is too low. even at 3 meals, you'd average 400 calories which equates to about 3 healthy TV dinners a day, and that's a crazy small ration.

[LeafUF]

Yeah i too am becoming frustrated with my diet and i have hit a plateau.

I've been stuck at the 205-210 range the entire month. Earlier this month i was down to 205 and than a couple days i took in a lot of protein and i ballooned up to 211 pounds.

Went back down to 206, now im at around 207-208 and it changes daily.

I have pretty much stopped drinking diet soda, figured that may be apart of the problem. I've been drinking Vitamin water zero and im now drinking powerade zero instead.

Any tips/advice on what i should do? I haven't been eating really too much junk food other than yesterday.

I've been on a 1200 calorie diet +/- a few calories here and there since January, should i do something different? Switch it up to a low carb diet consisting of chicken salad and fruit?

Intake more calories for a few weeks, something like 1500?

Could use some advice as i am getting really frustrated. I've got about 20 pounds to go to reach my first goal(185) and than eventually i want to be 155-165 range, and i want to be around 185 by October because im meeting up with my best friend for a couple days(last time he saw me i was around 217 pounds).

If anybody here is willing to help me out with some meal plans i could use the help.

I have a few thoughts on this.

First off, are you really sure you are eating 1200 calories a day?

Secondly, if you have been dieting at this level since January have you taken any breaks? Not just a day or eaten a bad meal but a real break from the dieting. Like two weeks of eating closer to or at maintenance.

I also think 1200 is too low unless you are the most sedentary 200 pounder around in which case maybe its ok.

So my suggestion is to take a break for two weeks, not a free for all but a legit healthy eating higher calorie break.

Then after two weeks of that you can go back to dieting and if you want to go super low on calories I would read Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Handbook so you know how to do it right.

[chrisleakfan4life]

I have a few thoughts on this.

First off, are you really sure you are eating 1200 calories a day?

Secondly, if you have been dieting at this level since January have you taken any breaks? Not just a day or eaten a bad meal but a real break from the dieting. Like two weeks of eating closer to or at maintenance.

I also think 1200 is too low unless you are the most sedentary 200 pounder around in which case maybe its ok.

So my suggestion is to take a break for two weeks, not a free for all but a legit healthy eating higher calorie break.

Then after two weeks of that you can go back to dieting and if you want to go super low on calories I would read Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Handbook so you know how to do it right.

I saw a dietitian before i started my diet and he told me i should do a 1200 calorie diet.

1200 calorie diet equals to a 1,000 calorie diet deficit(2200 calorie day for a male is regular). So that is 7,000 calorie deficit in a week or 2 pounds of weight loss(3500 calories per pound).

From a math standpoint it makes sense.

I'm not the skinniest guy around, im only 5'9" and i got as high as 250. Got tired of it, was unhealthy, but didn't have diabetes yet and decided to start a diet. Now my cholesterol level is good, my blood pressure when i saw the doctor 3 days ago was 114 over 76(which is "optimal"). From that stand point my diet has been working fine, although i have only lost 45 pounds in 7 months.

What kind of calorie intake should i take in? 1500? 1800? 2200? I still plan to go to the gym and lift weights, although im not much of a cardio person but everybody says you need at least 20-30 minutes a day.

[slmdLS1]

are you eating some kind of specialty food @ 1200/day? i just have a hard time thinking even a dietitian would recommend that as I'm sure you'd have a hard time getting all of your daily nutrients needed out of a 1200 calorie daily meal plan.

[chrisleakfan4life]

are you eating some kind of specialty food @ 1200/day? i just have a hard time thinking even a dietitian would recommend that as I'm sure you'd have a hard time getting all of your daily nutrients needed out of a 1200 calorie daily meal plan.


I only saw him a couple times and after that figured it was a waste of money.

I haven't been on any special kind of eating habits, i have just been trying to eat healthy.

[LeafUF]

I saw a dietitian before i started my diet and he told me i should do a 1200 calorie diet.

1200 calorie diet equals to a 1,000 calorie diet deficit(2200 calorie day for a male is regular). So that is 7,000 calorie deficit in a week or 2 pounds of weight loss(3500 calories per pound).

From a math standpoint it makes sense.

I'm not the skinniest guy around, im only 5'9" and i got as high as 250. Got tired of it, was unhealthy, but didn't have diabetes yet and decided to start a diet. Now my cholesterol level is good, my blood pressure when i saw the doctor 3 days ago was 114 over 76(which is "optimal"). From that stand point my diet has been working fine, although i have only lost 45 pounds in 7 months.

What kind of calorie intake should i take in? 1500? 1800? 2200? I still plan to go to the gym and lift weights, although im not much of a cardio person but everybody says you need at least 20-30 minutes a day.

The math does make sense assuming you are actually eating just 1200 and are really burning 2200 or more. Then you need to account for just how bad you are cheating whenever you do. For example in the drinking thread you say you threw down 1000 calories of alcohol. If that was all you did your weekly deficit should still be fine but if there was more to it you might have thrown a week of deficit in a day. Its super easy to do.

Now, if you are really tight on your diet and for whatever reason the losses have stopped take a break. Eat 2200 for a week and put in some hard workouts. You should have more energy at the higher calories.

After two weeks of doing that, drop back down.

I dont care for cardio and dont think you need it if you lift weights. Dont get me wrong I do cardio but I dont think its necessary. It adds fewer calories to my burn for the day than weights and takes forever, plus it just does not give me the feeling weights do.

But, if you do both you can add a couple hundred calories to your daily deficit.

So take a tiny diet break at 2200 calories, then return to 1200 or whatever your 1000 calorie deficit number is.

Then always adjust. I know you weigh everyday, but you either need to set one day as your "official" and take it at the same time every week or do an average of everyday at the end of the week. Work your deficit for two weeks and if you havent lost as much as you want drop your calories a little bit more.

[lwg8tr]

1200 calories...yikes. That must be hard to do. I try and run a calorie defecit of 700 per day. I calculated my calories needed at my current weight at 2450 so I eat about 2000 and try and do a workout were I burn 200-300 calories. 700*7 = 4900 calories or about 1.5 lbs of fat loss per week. At 2000 calories a day I eat

Calories eaten:

400 Breakfast
200 Midmorning snack
400 Lunch
200 Mid Afternoon snack
600 Dinner
200 Before bed small snack

I can eat real meals of a protein, a low glycemic carb and a veg and never be hungry. I eat one meal a week of whatever I want ..ANYTHING. 1200 calories you are really gonna mess with your metabolism after you hit your goal. Slow and steady for life, diets suck, lost 65lbs over 18 months and it was effortless and kept it off for 2 years now.

[Dreamliner]

Yeah i too am becoming frustrated with my diet and i have hit a plateau.

I've been stuck at the 205-210 range the entire month. Earlier this month i was down to 205 and than a couple days i took in a lot of protein and i ballooned up to 211 pounds.

Went back down to 206, now im at around 207-208 and it changes daily.

I have pretty much stopped drinking diet soda, figured that may be apart of the problem. I've been drinking Vitamin water zero and im now drinking powerade zero instead.

Any tips/advice on what i should do? I haven't been eating really too much junk food other than yesterday.

I've been on a 1200 calorie diet +/- a few calories here and there since January, should i do something different? Switch it up to a low carb diet consisting of chicken salad and fruit?

Intake more calories for a few weeks, something like 1500?

Could use some advice as i am getting really frustrated. I've got about 20 pounds to go to reach my first goal(185) and than eventually i want to be 155-165 range, and i want to be around 185 by October because im meeting up with my best friend for a couple days(last time he saw me i was around 217 pounds).

If anybody here is willing to help me out with some meal plans i could use the help.

Low calories beats low carb.

Don't 'add' any foods. There are no magic foods. There aren't even any essential foods. And 'eat a wide variety of foods' is one reason why Americans are fat. All you need is fewer calories.

Calculate your BMR and pay no attention to activity level estimates. consume fewer calories than your BMR and you will lose weight continually.

Consider skipping breakfast, unless you're big on breakfast. Consider adding one dinner-to-dinner fast a week. This is the quickest and dirtiest way to reduce your weekly caloric intake by 10-15%. Fasting dinner-to-dinner means you sleep through one-third of your fast and you get to eat both days.

REMEMBER: you don't have to anything but consume fewer calories than you burn off. It ain't rocket science.

[slmdLS1]

i plan my meals a day in advance now for 1800 calories. yesterday my stomach ended up hurting around dinnertime and i ended up not eating dinner, which left me at around 1300 calories for the day. I still went and worked out, but pushed for 60 minutes on the treadmill instead of 30, lifted some weight for 45 minutes, and went for a 30 min swim. woke up this morning and dropped 3 pounds overnight. this is very encouraging. i did make one other change, instead of my protein shake(Six Star Muscle Milk) in the morning for breakfast, i had it about 30 minutes prior to my workout in the afternoon, definitely felt the energy difference.

[G8RBrave]

Low calories beats low carb.

Don't 'add' any foods. There are no magic foods. There aren't even any essential foods. And 'eat a wide variety of foods' is one reason why Americans are fat. All you need is fewer calories.

Calculate your BMR and pay no attention to activity level estimates. consume fewer calories than your BMR and you will lose weight continually.

Consider skipping breakfast, unless you're big on breakfast. Consider adding one dinner-to-dinner fast a week. This is the quickest and dirtiest way to reduce your weekly caloric intake by 10-15%. Fasting dinner-to-dinner means you sleep through one-third of your fast and you get to eat both days.

REMEMBER: you don't have to anything but consume fewer calories than you burn off. It ain't rocket science.

Here's my thing on fasting - I have absolutely no energy for my workout if I am fasting. Now, maybe you are suggesting that we don't work out on our fast day, I don't know. I know if I go into the gym at 10:00 am and haven't eaten anything that day, I may literally pass out. I work out pretty hard, though.

I suppose the theory is you will lose more weight by fasting than by working out, but I want to build muscle as well, and your body needs fuel for that, both for energy for the workout and for the actual building of the muscle.

[Dreamliner]

Here's my thing on fasting - I have absolutely no energy for my workout if I am fasting. Now, maybe you are suggesting that we don't work out on our fast day, I don't know. I know if I go into the gym at 10:00 am and haven't eaten anything that day, I may literally pass out. I work out pretty hard, though.

I suppose the theory is you will lose more weight by fasting than by working out, but I want to build muscle as well, and your body needs fuel for that, both for energy for the workout and for the actual building of the muscle.

It's funny how it works. I myself have more energy and even better workouts while fasting. And I often work out intensely, sometimes to the point of nausea. Although nausea is not problematic with an empty belly!

The great thing about fasting is that it alters body chemistry in such a way as to actually simulate working out. For a time, you become a fat-burning furnace. This is in addition to fasting being an easy way to reduce calories.

Also, I just learned to ignore the usual symptoms of hunger, like lightheadedness, and such. Such symptoms could, I suppose, indicate a real problem. But I'm more inclined to think that such signals are physio-psychological. It's your brain (and hormones) reacting to a change in your eating schedule.

[Dreamliner]

As an aside, we exaggerate the importance of metabolism. Resting metabolism really doesn't vary between fat and skinny people. It's basically a function of weight maintenance. Also, your metabolism does not slow down when you skip meals or when you fast. Now, it does increase, for a time, after strength training or intense cardio, but this really only amounts to a few calories an hour. Also, muscle growth only increases it very marginally, probably nowhere near the 50 calories per pound of muscle added as was previously reported.

Want to lose weight ? Eat less.

[lwg8tr]

Here's my thing on fasting - I have absolutely no energy for my workout if I am fasting. Now, maybe you are suggesting that we don't work out on our fast day, I don't know. I know if I go into the gym at 10:00 am and haven't eaten anything that day, I may literally pass out. I work out pretty hard, though.

I suppose the theory is you will lose more weight by fasting than by working out, but I want to build muscle as well, and your body needs fuel for that, both for energy for the workout and for the actual building of the muscle.

Do you fast for religious reasons? Just curious, I have some fellow Christians who say a fast day once a month has really been a spriritual awakening for them.

[Dreamliner]

Do you fast for religious reasons? Just curious, I have some fellow Christians who say a fast day once a month has really been a spriritual awakening for them.

This is an interesting question. I myself can cite spiritual reasons for NOT fasting. However, I fast for weight control. But I can say that I generally feel more focused and energetic when fasting.

[G8RBrave]

Do you fast for religious reasons? Just curious, I have some fellow Christians who say a fast day once a month has really been a spriritual awakening for them.

No, not for religious reasons. I have always wondered, though, what the religious connotations were of fasting. Is it some sort of "body cleansing" type thing?

[Dreamliner]

No, not for religious reasons. I have always wondered, though, what the religious connotations were of fasting. Is it some sort of "body cleansing" type thing?

It can be a spiritual exercise which connotes "God is the only nourishment I require", or something along those lines.

[G8RBrave]

It's funny how it works. I myself have more energy and even better workouts while fasting. And I often work out intensely, sometimes to the point of nausea. Although nausea is not problematic with an empty belly!

The great thing about fasting is that it alters body chemistry in such a way as to actually simulate working out. For a time, you become a fat-burning furnace. This is in addition to fasting being an easy way to reduce calories.

Also, I just learned to ignore the usual symptoms of hunger, like lightheadedness, and such. Such symptoms could, I suppose, indicate a real problem. But I'm more inclined to think that such signals are physio-psychological. It's your brain (and hormones) reacting to a change in your eating schedule.

You may be right, it my be psychological for me. Maybe I feel bad because my mind tells me I need to eat and not my body. The end result is the same, though.

Of course, I had to cut my 3 mile run short today because I felt like I was going to puke. I drank my protein shake too close to my run, so I suppose the opposite kind of happened to me today.

[Dreamliner]

You may be right, it my be psychological for me. Maybe I feel bad because my mind tells me I need to eat and not my body. The end result is the same, though.

Of course, I had to cut my 3 mile run short today because I felt like I was going to puke. I drank my protein shake too close to my run, so I suppose the opposite kind of happened to me today.

You could certainly try it and see. It may not work for you like it works for others. That said, I'd give it a fighting chance before you ditched the strategy.

And I don't think the funny sensations are merely psychological. After all, there is a hormone that synchs up with your accustomed meal schedule. And when you deviate from the schedule, it needs time to adjust.

[lwg8tr]

It can be a spiritual exercise which connotes "God is the only nourishment I require", or something along those lines.

Fasting ties in with Luke chapter 4 when Jesus went into the desert and fasted 40 days and ran into his fallen creation Lucifer who in his delusion thought he could offer the maker of the universe a small smidgen of it. The hunger pangs are supposed to focus us spiritually on the Lord. Not to get all THFSG here but there are many beautiful cohesive themes in Bible if you read it and really study it, The lamb, fasting, "Fear Not". It all ties in beautifully without all the religious mumbo jumbo some people like add to it and give fuel to the agnostics, atheists and secular humanists claims its contridictory and hateful.

[LeafUF]

I fast for religious purposes. I have never added fasts to my routine as a way to reduce calorie intake though I have ready many different ideas on this.

If I were doing this I would take the day off and not work out. You are already getting a daily deficit equal to your metabolic rate, I see no need to put yourself in any potential for harm to burn a couple hundred more calories.

If you want to try it, do it on an off day. JMO.

As an aside, weight loss and fat loss are not the same. Losing weight is easy, changing your body composition is not as simple. I recently saw a picture of someone who lost 50 pounds and still looked pretty awful.

So, I think Brave is on the right track when he tracks his BF% and added weights to his routine.

[G8RBrave]

I think for people that are vastly overweight, watching your weight is fine. I just think when you get below 25% body fat or so, you need to start considering your BF% moreso than your weight.

Case in point, the last 2-3 weeks I haven't lost a pound but I've dropped another 2% off my BF%. Some people would be frustrated because of the lack of weight loss, but I'm not.

[G8RBrave]

Im also trying something a little off the wall now. I'm moving from 3 sets of 10-12 reps to a 5X5 routine with heavier weights. Generally this causes you to get "bigger", but I'm going to continue eating like I have and see what happens. I figure I'll probably notice no muscle gain but maybe I can continue to maintain and burn fat.

It's been about eight weeks since I changed my routine last, so it's time for some muscle confusion, to quote Tony Horton.

[LeafUF]

5x5 isnt too off the wall. I guess trying it on reduced calories is but I think its a good plan.

I myself have been doing the 5-3-1 program which I think I first heard of on here then did some research on it. I have gone through it a few times and seen some great strength gains, even though I have not put on any size due to not really eating to build. I have actually been losing weight and gaining strength. Nothing drastic though.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Alright well i decided to calculate my BMR and its 2064, i chose sedintary for "lifestyle" as the only time im really up and about is when im at work.

My calorie calculation came out to 2064 x 1.2= ~ 2477.

So a thousand calorie deficit i would need about 1500 calories a day.

Thoughts on this would be appreciated.

For the record i am roughly 5'8" to 5'9" and weigh 206.

[Dreamliner]

5x5 isnt too off the wall. I guess trying it on reduced calories is but I think its a good plan.

I myself have been doing the 5-3-1 program which I think I first heard of on here then did some research on it. I have gone through it a few times and seen some great strength gains, even though I have not put on any size due to not really eating to build. I have actually been losing weight and gaining strength. Nothing drastic though.

5-3-1 is the bomb! You can basically do anything you want with the basic template (gain weight, lose weight) and I've found that it doesn't beat up my joints. I do something akin to the BBB template and add intense cardio immediately after squat and deadlift days. Other than that, I get in plenty of leisurely walking.

[Dreamliner]

Alright well i decided to calculate my BMR and its 2064, i chose sedintary for "lifestyle" as the only time im really up and about is when im at work.

My calorie calculation came out to 2064 x 1.2= ~ 2477.

So a thousand calorie deficit i would need about 1500 calories a day.

Thoughts on this would be appreciated.

For the record i am roughly 5'8" to 5'9" and weigh 206.

I wouldn't have bothered with the lifestyle calculation and would have simply operated off the BMR. nonetheless, you WILL lose weight, and lots of it, if you restrict your average daily intake to 1,500 calories. Remember that that's average, meaning you can go over some days and under on other days. Also, you could fast, say, one day a week and then spread the 1,500 calories you avoid that day and spread them over the other six days. You could even fast two days a week. I have friends who fast three days a week, but I consider that a little stringent. Also, if you limit your meal frequency you'll be able to eat larger meals.

[slmdLS1]

chrisleakfan4life, i found this while reading up on BMI and metabolism and it reminded me about your issue with 1200 calories/day. i read it here:

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/weight-management/learn-the-basics/metabolism/burning-questions

Does too much restriction of food intake really slow one’s metabolism? If so, how much and at what level of calorie reduction does this kick in?

On the first question: Yes, which is among the many reasons why starvation diets don’t work. “Any time a person drops below 1,200 calories [a day], the body shows signs of slower basal metabolism,” Aldana says. Talbott cites research that shows anything less than 1,000 calories per day would prompt slower metabolism. Bryant puts the range at 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day.

Don’t worry too much about that minor discrepancy. Most of us would have to use incredible restraint to keep our caloric intake that low. “As soon as you cut calories [significantly], you’re not the same person metabolically,” Gaesser says.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Alright thanks for the info guys, ill give a 1500 calorie diet a try for a little bit and see how it goes.

[Dreamliner]

chrisleakfan4life, i found this while reading up on BMI and metabolism and it reminded me about your issue with 1200 calories/day. i read it here:

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/weight-management/learn-the-basics/metabolism/burning-questions

I can tell you that the above concerns are greatly exaggerated. You can literally fast for days and your metabolism will not be altered greatly.

For whatever reason, people simply refuse to believe the following:

IF YOU CONSUME FEWER CALORIES THAN YOU BURN OFF, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT

[G8RBrave]

IF YOU CONSUME FEWER CALORIES THAN YOU BURN OFF, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT

There's no questioning this. It is 100% true. It's also an oversimplification of most people's goals, or rather, what their goals should be.

Where we differ is that I believe you have to make sure the calories that you do consume help you build muscle. Less calories = Less Body Fat, sure, but Less Calories also = Less Muscle Mass if you aren't consuming the right kind of calories. You have to shoot to at least maintain the muscle mass you have, if not increase it. You may fail, but it's better to fail slightly on this point than fail altogether.

On an extreme example, a guy eating 1200 calories of chocolate bars is not going to have the same body composition as a guy eating grilled chicken, fish, complex carbs and little fat. I just refuse to believe that is possible, holding all else constant of course.

Again, people are placing far too much importance on weight and FAR too little on body composition. The average dieter out there can't tell you their body fat within 5% accuracy, but they can tell you their weight down to the ounce. It's nonsensical, and frankly it's not necessarily healthy.

[Dreamliner]

There's no questioning this. It is 100% true. It's also an oversimplification of most people's goals, or rather, what their goals should be.

Where we differ is that I believe you have to make sure the calories that you do consume help you build muscle. Less calories = Less Body Fat, sure, but Less Calories also = Less Muscle Mass if you aren't consuming the right kind of calories. You have to shoot to at least maintain the muscle mass you have, if not increase it. You may fail, but it's better to fail slightly on this point than fail altogether.

On an extreme example, a guy eating 1200 calories of chocolate bars is not going to have the same body composition as a guy eating grilled chicken, fish, complex carbs and little fat. I just refuse to believe that is possible, holding all else constant of course.

Again, people are placing far too much importance on weight and FAR too little on body composition. The average dieter out there can't tell you their body fat within 5% accuracy, but they can tell you their weight down to the ounce. It's nonsensical, and frankly it's not necessarily healthy.

I forgot to add the corollary:

EVEN ON A LOW CALORIE DIET, IF YOU CONTINUE TO PUSH YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING, LITTLE OR NO MUSCLE WILL BE LOST

Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, is a former professional bodybuilder who has also studied bodybuilders for years. And he attests that he has rarely observed bodybuilders losing more than a pound or two of muscle even after extreme cutting strategies.

Again, the primary factor in muscle growth/preservation is not nutrition but rather mechanical stress. Now, it's entirely possible that some or most simply don't work very hard at their strength training.

[LeafUF]

That is currently a minority view and has very little science to back it up as far as i know.

[G8RBrave]

Well, he's a bodybuilder...studying bodybuilders. I'd contend the guys he is studying are mesomorphs. They're genetic freaks of nature we're talking about. Sure they work hard, but they have natural advantages over the rest of us.

And no, I'd imagine none of us work as hard at our strength training as a bodybuilder.

I'm not trying to be an ass, I just generally disagree with you with regard to this particular subject.

[LeafUF]

And dont forget the steroids, thyroids meds and other pro hormones that they use.

Nothing against bodybuilders but I dont follow their diets or exercise programs because I dont have the genetic gifts they started with or the stash of drugs they are working with.

I prefer to follow advice of natural bodybuilders if and when I do.

[Dreamliner]

That is currently a minority view and has very little science to back it up as far as i know.

Actually, I'm not aware of any science to the contrary. Bit by bit, all of the conventional wisdom is falling by the wayside. Frequent meals has been demolished by recent studies. Fear of fasting has been demolished by recent studies. And I've already posted two studies which showed either muscle growth or preservation on starvation diets.

[LeafUF]

Actually, I'm not aware of any science to the contrary. Bit by bit, all of the conventional wisdom is falling by the wayside. Frequent meals has been demolished by recent studies. Fear of fasting has been demolished by recent studies. And I've already posted two studies which showed either muscle growth or preservation on starvation diets.

I dont remember seeing the studies posted so I cant really discuss them. I would need to know a lot more and I dont know if the two studies would convince me to change my mind. Muscle growth outside of a few unique circumstances does require excess calories. Not nearly as much as some want to believe but definitely need a surplus to build.

Even on a PSMF you are expected to lose muscle, but if you do it right you minimize those losses while maximizing your fat loss.

Frequent meals boosting metabolism has been disputed and rightfully so yet still so many people use it. While acknowledging no increase to metabolism.

And fasting may not have the fear as you say I still do not see many people recommending regular fasts. There are diets out there like the Warrior diet which is all about fasting during the day and eating one nightly meal but that is the only plan I can think of where fasts are built into a nutrition routine.

[Dreamliner]

I dont remember seeing the studies posted so I cant really discuss them. I would need to know a lot more and I dont know if the two studies would convince me to change my mind. Muscle growth outside of a few unique circumstances does require excess calories. Not nearly as much as some want to believe but definitely need a surplus to build.

Even on a PSMF you are expected to lose muscle, but if you do it right you minimize those losses while maximizing your fat loss.

Frequent meals boosting metabolism has been disputed and rightfully so yet still so many people use it. While acknowledging no increase to metabolism.

And fasting may not have the fear as you say I still do not see many people recommending regular fasts. There are diets out there like the Warrior diet which is all about fasting during the day and eating one nightly meal but that is the only plan I can think of where fasts are built into a nutrition routine.

Some of it is just plain common sense too. Only recently in human history has this idea of a regular feeding schedule taken hold. And of course the Neanderthals were more muscular than modern man and quite possibly went days without eating ... and then gorged themselves after a kill.

[LeafUF]

http://alanaragon.com/an-objective-look-at-intermittent-fasting.html

Good article.

[chrisleakfan4life]

There's no questioning this. It is 100% true. It's also an oversimplification of most people's goals, or rather, what their goals should be.

Where we differ is that I believe you have to make sure the calories that you do consume help you build muscle. Less calories = Less Body Fat, sure, but Less Calories also = Less Muscle Mass if you aren't consuming the right kind of calories. You have to shoot to at least maintain the muscle mass you have, if not increase it. You may fail, but it's better to fail slightly on this point than fail altogether.

On an extreme example, a guy eating 1200 calories of chocolate bars is not going to have the same body composition as a guy eating grilled chicken, fish, complex carbs and little fat. I just refuse to believe that is possible, holding all else constant of course.

Again, people are placing far too much importance on weight and FAR too little on body composition. The average dieter out there can't tell you their body fat within 5% accuracy, but they can tell you their weight down to the ounce. It's nonsensical, and frankly it's not necessarily healthy.

My body fat percentage is 30-31% which is obeise. I want to get down to around 155-160 which should put me in the healthy range.

Obviously more muscle will also help, so if im 175 but have a lot of muscle than my body fat % will be lower.

[LeafUF]

My body fat percentage is 30-31% which is obeise. I want to get down to around 155-160 which should put me in the healthy range.

Obviously more muscle will also help, so if im 175 but have a lot of muscle than my body fat % will be lower.

Right, I am somewhere between 175-180 with about 13% BF, maybe lower, I dont know my results vary. So my lean body mass is in the 150s. I am above BMI but under the normal BF range.

Along time ago or so it feels now I was about 20 pounds heavier and 9% BF.

[Dreamliner]

There's no questioning this. It is 100% true. It's also an oversimplification of most people's goals, or rather, what their goals should be.

Where we differ is that I believe you have to make sure the calories that you do consume help you build muscle. Less calories = Less Body Fat, sure, but Less Calories also = Less Muscle Mass if you aren't consuming the right kind of calories. You have to shoot to at least maintain the muscle mass you have, if not increase it. You may fail, but it's better to fail slightly on this point than fail altogether.

On an extreme example, a guy eating 1200 calories of chocolate bars is not going to have the same body composition as a guy eating grilled chicken, fish, complex carbs and little fat. I just refuse to believe that is possible, holding all else constant of course.

Again, people are placing far too much importance on weight and FAR too little on body composition. The average dieter out there can't tell you their body fat within 5% accuracy, but they can tell you their weight down to the ounce. It's nonsensical, and frankly it's not necessarily healthy.

I suppose I should clarify that it is because I believe that fears of muscle loss are exaggerated that, in the end, weight really does matter. Yes, improved body composition is the goal. But if one is significantly overweight, then one is going to be significantly lighter after achieving a more defined look. And most people are amazed at how light they have to be to achieve that defined look. At six-feet even, I've weighed as much as 170, but have to be in the low 150's to show a six-pack.

[LeafUF]

Technically you just need to be at a low BF% no matter how you achieve that. I was more defined at 190 than I am at the moment under 180 because my BF% is higher now.

[Dreamliner]

Technically you just need to be at a low BF% no matter how you achieve that. I was more defined at 190 than I am at the moment under 180 because my BF% is higher now.

Yes, but unfortunately it is not possible for me to just gain 20 pounds of muscle while shedding 20 pounds of fat.

[LeafUF]

Would be nice though

[Dreamliner]

Would be nice though

Indeed, and you know, I turn 54 this month, but even going back to college days, it's amazingly predictable. I know what my waist measurement and weight has to be to have a six-pack. It has never changed.

[vertigo0923]

About a month ago, I decided I was tired of carrying the spare tire around. I was 5'9 170 lbs, and was about 24% body fat. I didn't look fat, but my gut always bothered me and I carried fat around that just made me feel self conscious. This morning I weighed 157 and was 19% body fat.

Anyway, I decided to join a gym and work out there instead of trying to work out at home (where I'm inevitably distracted). Right now I am in a "cutting phase", where I am focused on burning fat. When I get done with that, I will move more to free weights and more calories.

So, basically I decided to make a lifestyle change both in my exercise habits and in my diet. Here's what I did.

Exercise:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

Warm Up - 5 minutes on treadmill. Fast walking/jogging
Weight Circuits - there are about 15 machines at my gym, of which I use about 9-10. After warm up, I wait about 1 minute then start the circuit, going between each machine with no rest. When I get done with the last machine, I wait 1 minute and do it all over again. I do this three times.
Cardio - 20 minutes of alternative between walking and sprints. I usually get about 1.5 miles in.

Tuesday, Thursday:

Cardio - 35-45 minutes of fast walking, jogging, and sprinting. I dont have a set plan here, I just sort of mix it up as I feel like it. Right now I'm getting about 3 - 3.5 miles in.

The good thing about the Weight Circuit training is that it helps me develop my muscles and at the same time keeps my heart rate in a cardiovascular zone, which helps burn the fat. I'm probably not bulking my muscles, but it appears I am not losing muscle either, which is always a fear when you're doing a lot of cardio. Basically, doing the circuits this way turns weight training into both strength training and cardio in one. Couple that with fairly intense cardio workouts afterward and on the other days, and it's a pretty good routine for burning fat.


Diet:

I decided to stay away from diets like South Beach or Atkins. I don't have any particular feelings about these types of diets, but I wanted to make a real lifestyle change and worried about being able to maintain a strict diet like those.

Instead, I decided to just use a common sense approach to eating. I do love my sodas, so I moved to Coke Zero only, and I limit myself to one per day of those. Other than that, it's water, water, water.

Breakfast:

I'm the type that has a hard time getting up in the morning, so my breakfast needs to be simple. I bought a big thing of EAS Whey Protein from Sam's and drink a 6 ounce shake on my way to work in the morning. Usually, I have a bowl of oatmeal when I get to work.

Lunch:

This is the one place I do stay pretty strict. I eat a salad every day for lunch. Publix has a great little salad kit with meat and dressing already in it. I don't use the dressing they give you, I buy Wish Bone fat free Italian (15 calories per serving). If I don't eat the Publix salad, I bring my own lettuce and add grilled chicken.

Dinner:

Usually for dinner I will have something with grilled chicken or fish. Grilled chicken wheat pitas (with the aforementioned fat free italian), lettuce, and fat free cheese is something I have gotten pretty accustomed to. I make sure that I get some sort of vegetable serving with dinner, and I also allow myself a carb (usually brown rice). Tilapia or Mahi is usually the fish of choice if that is what I am doing.

Snacks:

Mid morning and mid afternoon I have a snack. Usually I have a Zone bar (protein bar) for one snack and a serving or two of unsalted peanuts for the others. At night after dinner, I do allow myself the one "bad" thing of the day - a 100 calorie pack of graham crackers or cookies. I have another whey shake after workouts.

On the weekends, I do allow myself a nice steak or some other type of red meat, but generally I do stay away from them. If I have ground beef, I make sure it is lean.

Overall, I find that I eat around 1300-1500 calories per day, which is enough to keep my workouts intense, but not too much so as to pack on any more weight. I have focused on limiting carbs (and making sure those I do have are brown/wheat carbs) and increasing my protein intake. I like to get around 125g of protein per day. The shakes really help with this.

So far this has been very successful for me, but may not work for everyone. I know there are quite a few in the pub that are interested in diet and exercise, so I thought I would share something of a success story. I've still got a long way to go to get my six pack abs :) but I'm working on it.

Hope this helps someone out there.

seriously thanks, i've had a 20lb issue that since i had a knee operation, and had to slack awhile, well, the slack turned into a longer period of time, and my workouts are not anywhere near as regimented as they used to be to hold my weight. your story is definitely a wake up call that it can be done quickly if you put your mind (and body) to it.
going down to mom's in melbourne labor day weekend, found that swimming laps in a large community pool (that no one uses) every day lost me five lbs and got me some toning in just one week last year, this year, i'm taking two weeks down there. hopefully that'll give me a start....(and a little bit of color, too, lol)

[Dreamliner]

vert, there's a personal trainer thread you may want to check out. :wink:

[vertigo0923]

nah, i actually like working out by myself, have tons of equipment (and can just put on some fassssssst music for motivation)......i just got lazy after the knee thingy. but brave's accomplishment has shown me 'the way' again...

[G8RBrave]

I suppose I should clarify that it is because I believe that fears of muscle loss are exaggerated that, in the end, weight really does matter. Yes, improved body composition is the goal. But if one is significantly overweight, then one is going to be significantly lighter after achieving a more defined look. And most people are amazed at how light they have to be to achieve that defined look. At six-feet even, I've weighed as much as 170, but have to be in the low 150's to show a six-pack.

I know what you mean. It's looking more and more like I am going to have to be in the upper 120's to get a six pack. I weighed 143 this morning (13.5% BF) and no signs whatsoever of a six pack. My genetics are dictating some of that but I sort of refuse to allow that to become an excuse for carrying around a gut.

[G8RBrave]

By the way, this has been a great thread, very informative. I appreciate you guys coming on and discussing this stuff. I think a lot of people in the pub are interested in fitness routines and dieting.

[LeafUF]

Brave you really gotta get to 10% or less for that six pack. Hope it doesn't take you another 20 pounds lost to get there.

[G8RBrave]

It's going to be on the "less" side for me, as it seems I carry most of my body fat in the gut. I'm betting, for me, I'll have to get to 7%. Some guys can get away with 10% if they are fairly lean in the gut but carry a little fat in other areas. Not I.

[slmdLS1]

whats the best way to measure body fat %? some online calculator or an actual physical tool?

[G8RBrave]

Calipers are the best way for a normal person to do it. Now, there are places you can go that do some kind of water weighing type thing to get the "official" number, but a $10 set of calipers purchased online can get you a pretty good idea.

Once you buy the calipers, you'll need to find a calculator online to put in your measurements. I'd say most folks can get accuracy within 1.5%.

[LeafUF]

Get some calipers. They are cheap and some come with the calculations. And if they don't they still can help measure progress by simply checking that the pinch test results are going down instead of up.

[G8RBrave]

My only problem is I never know if what I am grabbing is fat or muscle. Sometimes it is hard to tell just how big a pinch to get, which is why I say you can get accuracy probably only within 1.5 to maybe 2%.

[Dreamliner]

I know what you mean. It's looking more and more like I am going to have to be in the upper 120's to get a six pack. I weighed 143 this morning (13.5% BF) and no signs whatsoever of a six pack. My genetics are dictating some of that but I sort of refuse to allow that to become an excuse for carrying around a gut.

You may not have to get that low, but you may have to get to 10% BF or lower.

[chrisleakfan4life]

bump

[LeafUF]

BF Calculators

http://walking.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=walking&cdn=health&tm=25&f=10&su=p674.8.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.linear-software.com/online.html

There may be better ones out there, I came across this one last night.

[chrisleakfan4life]

bump!

[Dreamliner]

Here's a fantastic website that separates old wives' tales from science:

http://www.johnbarban.com

[malligator]

Since Feb 1 of this year I've lost 58 pounds (as of yesterday) using P90X and my Sears treadmill. I try not to get obsessive about it. I mean, I obsess over what I eat and when I workout, but I don't take any fancy supplements or subscribe to any "magic" diet. I just try to keep my protein/carb/fat balance to 40%/40%/20%. I'm also currently eating about 1500 cal/day but some days I go up to 2000. I still drink alcohol, but try to limit it to Friday and Saturday.

The only advice I can give from the last 7 months is to eat small meals, exercise frequently, and when/if you plateau stick with it. I eat 5 times a day and it keeps me satisfied all day. I don't do it to keep my metabolism up or anything like that. I just do it so I don't get hungry. I workout 6 days a week. These days it's been a half hour on the treadmill and/or a random P90X routine. Finally, I've plateaued a few times. When I did I just stuck it out until I started losing again.

It really is simple (but not easy). If calories in - calories out < 0 you'll lose weight.

[Dreamliner]

Since Feb 1 of this year I've lost 58 pounds (as of yesterday) using P90X and my Sears treadmill. I try not to get obsessive about it. I mean, I obsess over what I eat and when I workout, but I don't take any fancy supplements or subscribe to any "magic" diet. I just try to keep my protein/carb/fat balance to 40%/40%/20%. I'm also currently eating about 1500 cal/day but some days I go up to 2000. I still drink alcohol, but try to limit it to Friday and Saturday.

The only advice I can give from the last 7 months is to eat small meals, exercise frequently, and when/if you plateau stick with it. I eat 5 times a day and it keeps me satisfied all day. I don't do it to keep my metabolism up or anything like that. I just do it so I don't get hungry. I workout 6 days a week. These days it's been a half hour on the treadmill and/or a random P90X routine. Finally, I've plateaued a few times. When I did I just stuck it out until I started losing again.

It really is simple (but not easy). If calories in - calories out < 0 you'll lose weight.

Wait, it can't be that simple ... can it ?

[LeafUF]

Anyone else want to get the Fitness forum back?

I feel like we have so many threads going on in this one.

[G8RBrave]

The fitness forum sort of had peaks and valleys. Mainly valleys in the end. It started strong though. I don't see a problem with people just starting their threads in the pub. They don't have to post on this one, though with it being this long they may feel obligated to.

[Dreamliner]

Anyone else want to get the Fitness forum back?

I feel like we have so many threads going on in this one.

I was actually considering starting a thread to pimp 5-3-1. I may have even started one in the past.

[LeafUF]

I was actually considering starting a thread to pimp 5-3-1. I may have even started one in the past.

Go for it, Im a believer. Just got home from my shoulder workout. Week 1 of this round.

[Dreamliner]

Go for it, Im a believer. Just got home from my shoulder workout. Week 1 of this round.

I'll work on it. BTW, I have a question for you. Do you do your deadlifts touch-and-go style or do you reset after every rep ? As I get closer and closer to my true maximum I get more and more concerned about my form. I may consider resetting after every rep and even limiting my max set on the last cycle to just the one rep.


Also, I've been doing something slightly crazy on deadlift day. After I finish my max set, I rest 2-3 minutes, reduce the weight by half and crank out 100 reps for time. I definitely put that under the heading of 'intense cardio.'

[LeafUF]

I do touch and go. Even though I have been lifting for 15 years I am still not very confident in my dead lifts. On the first go round I estimated my max way lower that in actually was and just got in the touch and go habit. I think resetting is the correct way to do it though and since deads are my next workout I may try them that way to see how I like it.

They really are a crazy whole body exercise. I dont think I could make it out of the gym if I tried repping 100 even at half the weight after maxing.

[Dreamliner]

I do touch and go. Even though I have been lifting for 15 years I am still not very confident in my dead lifts. On the first go round I estimated my max way lower that in actually was and just got in the touch and go habit. I think resetting is the correct way to do it though and since deads are my next workout I may try them that way to see how I like it.

They really are a crazy whole body exercise. I dont think I could make it out of the gym if I tried repping 100 even at half the weight after maxing.

I suspect that Jim Wendler would advise us not to overthink, just lift in a manner safe for us.

Don't get me wrong, the 100 reps is a workout. But it didn't destroy me like I thought it would. Now, it might not do to make a habit of it. To this day, however, I still haven't found a workout more grueling than the one I do on squat days. I push-pull-carry a 100 lb bag back and forth, across the backyard, 10 circuits for time. I guess it's a poor man's version of the Prowler workout everyone's raving about.

[chrisleakfan4life]

We'll i'm finally getting back on track, i've got my calories back on track and ive been getting in more exercise(about 60 minutes a day on the treadmill).

I was down to 205 at the end of July, been stuck at 208 for weeks and im back to 206 since Sunday when i was 208.

It's only a start but i'm hoping the added walking + 300 more calories per day will help me get over this plateau.

[LeafUF]

I suspect that Jim Wendler would advise us not to overthink, just lift in a manner safe for us.

Don't get me wrong, the 100 reps is a workout. But it didn't destroy me like I thought it would. Now, it might not do to make a habit of it. To this day, however, I still haven't found a workout more grueling than the one I do on squat days. I push-pull-carry a 100 lb bag back and forth, across the backyard, 10 circuits for time. I guess it's a poor man's version of the Prowler workout everyone's raving about.

Sounds grueling. I havent tried anything like that, for all the reading I do I stick to pretty much traditional gym workouts. I would need a serious push to try something outside the box.

[LeafUF]

We'll i'm finally getting back on track, i've got my calories back on track and ive been getting in more exercise(about 60 minutes a day on the treadmill).

I was down to 205 at the end of July, been stuck at 208 for weeks and im back to 206 since Sunday when i was 208.

It's only a start but i'm hoping the added walking + 300 more calories per day will help me get over this plateau.

I know its probably like beating a dead horse on here but make sure to lift some weights too.

If you have access to them I would lift for 30 minutes and then hit the treadmill.

Good job getting back on track.

[slmdLS1]

Thats what i do. at least 30-45 minutes of weights a day(usually just butterfly's, curls, and bench presses), and 30 minutes to an hour on the treadmill 3-4 nights per week. I've done the opposite lately though in regards to the calories, i averaged around 1700-1800 intake per day for the first couple weeks, now for the last few days, i've struggled to get to 1500-1600.

I used to not have a desk job with access to a pc all day, now i do. I've been using this website (http://caloriecount.about.com/ ) to keep better track of my meals and nutritional info. its helped me get down 24lbs in a little over 5 weeks.

whats the 5-3-1 in reference to?

[LeafUF]

5-3-1 is a workout program created by Jim Wender. It is really simple and easily adaptable. It focuses on the big 4 lifts (bench, squat, deads, shoulder press) and uses weekly progressive increases to the weights used.


Also some options for tracking your calories.

http://www.fitday.com/

http://dailyburn.com/

I feel like you need to manually enter a lot of stuff in there but if you want something to get you in the ballpark of what you are eating then give it a shot.

I honestly think anyone who is watching calories needs to weigh and measure their food for a little while before you get a good idea of just how much you are really eating.

[slmdLS1]

yeah when i started, i used foods that i could match the nutritional values with the actual label on the package, the calorie count has almost all of the foods in a database, but you can manually enter stuff as well. There are variances by a few calories, but i think that has more to do with manufacturers changing labels. I also have been measuring weights and using cups to determine servings since starting.

I'll check out those 2 links.

[Dreamliner]

Thats what i do. at least 30-45 minutes of weights a day(usually just butterfly's, curls, and bench presses), and 30 minutes to an hour on the treadmill 3-4 nights per week. I've done the opposite lately though in regards to the calories, i averaged around 1700-1800 intake per day for the first couple weeks, now for the last few days, i've struggled to get to 1500-1600.

I used to not have a desk job with access to a pc all day, now i do. I've been using this website (http://caloriecount.about.com/ ) to keep better track of my meals and nutritional info. its helped me get down 24lbs in a little over 5 weeks.

whats the 5-3-1 in reference to?

Don't go hurting yourself on my account, but you'll get considerably more bang-for-your-buck replacing flyes and curls with their more 'metabolically demanding' equivalents like push-ups, chins, squats, lunges and some form of deadlift. The 5-3-1 template that Leaf mentioned is based around the 'big exercises.'

Rule of thumb: the more exhausting an exercise is to perform, the more effective it is for both muscle growth and fat loss. Which is harder, a chin-up or a curl ? See my point ?

[slmdLS1]

Yeah, im more concerned with shedding some weight/fat% first so that stuff like that is easier, if that's not oxymoronic, lol. Kind of like running @ 300lbs is harder than running @ 200lbs, adjusting my body based on my lack of strength and resistance. I haven't ran a lot since knee surgery years ago, and im gradually phasing out shin splints while dropping weight while running. I used to do chins, and i still do push ups, but the others i don't do. hell i lost 60lbs years ago just by running, curls, and sit ups.

[deebo65]

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv239/silver-rose/30th%20Birthday%20cake/IMG_3144.jpg

[deebo65]

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz68/nightivy/Nom/doughnuts-1.jpg

[LeafUF]

Deebo is a bad man. Ha

[deebo65]

just kidding...

I had to tighten up my diet too. Not that I "diet", but just meaning watching what I eat. I wasn't doing any cardio and was kinda slackin on what I ate and using too much salt... Cut that out and after bursting up over 270 I'm back down to scraping 260. My main goal is 255-250. I really only have a lil bit of gut that I want to lean off. I don't know that I will ever have a 6pack (in fact pretty sure I won't)... So, I'll have to make do with the decest west coast rapper extrodinaire... I still work out 3-5 times a week and am really trying to be dilligent about adding some cardio in too. I quit going heavy do to having issues with my shoulders (damn old age) so now I just stick with sets of 8-12 and just add reps rather than adding weight. no pain and I still feel plenty strong...


In the past couple of years, I've gotten used to eating very healthy and almost never have any fast food (damn sweet tea is a tough habit to kick) and I like it because I have gotten my kids to eat that way too. No real "junk food" in the house for them and they are fine with it. It's almost hard to believe how I used to eat...

[Dreamliner]

Yeah, im more concerned with shedding some weight/fat% first so that stuff like that is easier, if that's not oxymoronic, lol. Kind of like running @ 300lbs is harder than running @ 200lbs, adjusting my body based on my lack of strength and resistance. I haven't ran a lot since knee surgery years ago, and im gradually phasing out shin splints while dropping weight while running. I used to do chins, and i still do push ups, but the others i don't do. hell i lost 60lbs years ago just by running, curls, and sit ups.

I think I understand your logic, but I'm suggesting that heavier and harder is more effective for the fat loss which you're prioritizing.

And don't get me wrong. I'm not advising that you go out and bust your spleen. I'm simply suggesting more demanding exercises and resistance levels that are taxing for you.

[G8RBrave]

The problem with a lot of people with lifting heavier and harder is that they inevitably sacrifice proper form in the interest of increasing the weight. Which, of course, leads to injuries.

I say this from personal experience. Every time I go to a 5X5 or some similar program, I end up hurting myself.

[LeafUF]

Use 5-3-1 it helps you take the ego out of your lifts. Its not the program that is causing the injuries its your ego.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength

[Dreamliner]

The problem with a lot of people with lifting heavier and harder is that they inevitably sacrifice proper form in the interest of increasing the weight. Which, of course, leads to injuries.

I say this from personal experience. Every time I go to a 5X5 or some similar program, I end up hurting myself.

I just don't think that heavy weight correlates with injury. And when I say heavy, I mean heavy for you, and not so heavy that you are forced to compromise on form. This is why I was discussing deadlifting with leaf earlier. I'm finding that as my weight increases, it becomes more and more imperative that I reset the bar after every rep, otherwise my form degrades.

Interesting that the 10 X 3 template is becoming more and more popular. Instead of doing the ever-popular 3 X 10, flip it and do 10 X 3. With the former, you have to use a weight light enough such that you could do at least 12 reps on the first set. with the latter, you could use a 5 to 6 rep weight. Thus, you lift more total tonnage and generate more force production per rep. This method has been shown to burn more fat than when using moderate weight.

[slmdLS1]

I think I understand your logic, but I'm suggesting that heavier and harder is more effective for the fat loss which you're prioritizing.

And don't get me wrong. I'm not advising that you go out and bust your spleen. I'm simply suggesting more demanding exercises and resistance levels that are taxing for you.
When your bigger and out of shape its a little harder to get the desired effect out of the same workout. Being that i haven't worked out religiously in so long i am sort of rebuilding my strength and endurance back up to a higher level. When i was 280, it would be insanely hard to get through a set of crunches or pull ups, whereas i can slim down with the running/jogging and other stuff to help build a norm of the heightened heart rate. Now when I'm 200 pounds, I'm doing sets of 50 crunches and 20 or 30 pull ups with ease. But i guess this sort of thing is mainly noticeable with only a drastic weight loss regimen. I'm trying to lose 80lbs by the end of the year. So far I'm at a rate of about 5lbs per week, and with roughly 16 weeks left that'd put me well over my goal, although here comes football season and then the holiday meals to battle....

The problem with a lot of people with lifting heavier and harder is that they inevitably sacrifice proper form in the interest of increasing the weight. Which, of course, leads to injuries.

I say this from personal experience. Every time I go to a 5X5 or some similar program, I end up hurting myself.

I had to explain this to my buddy trying to max out his curls the other day. He was trying to bust out 150 or so pounds and i told him he had really poor form because he was overtaxing himself, and to take a few blocks off and go to town.

[Dreamliner]

When your bigger and out of shape its a little harder to get the desired effect out of the same workout. Being that i haven't worked out religiously in so long i am sort of rebuilding my strength and endurance back up to a higher level. When i was 280, it would be insanely hard to get through a set of crunches or pull ups, whereas i can slim down with the running/jogging and other stuff to help build a norm of the heightened heart rate. Now when I'm 200 pounds, I'm doing sets of 50 crunches and 20 or 30 pull ups with ease. But i guess this sort of thing is mainly noticeable with only a drastic weight loss regimen. I'm trying to lose 80lbs by the end of the year. So far I'm at a rate of about 5lbs per week, and with roughly 16 weeks left that'd put me well over my goal, although here comes football season and then the holiday meals to battle....



I had to explain this to my buddy trying to max out his curls the other day. He was trying to bust out 150 or so pounds and i told him he had really poor form because he was overtaxing himself, and to take a few blocks off and go to town.

Oh, I know that chinups are damn near impossible when you're overweight and out of shape. Even when I've gained as little as 10 lbs I can tell that they're harder. But I'm not really saying that you have to do chinups. Lat pulldowns or band-assisted chinups would build more muscle and burn more fat than curls. What I'm trying to get at is that compound exercises are much more effective for losing fat.

Also, it seems to me that if you're out of shape that lower reps would be easier than higher reps.

[Dreamliner]

It's my birthday tomorrow, and this being my overhead press/chinups day, I did 54 chinups, one for each year. Naturally I did them in clusters, not all at once.

[chrisleakfan4life]

Getting really frustrated with my diet which is not working at all :fuming:

Can you guys give me some meal ideas?

I.E.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Having a hard time with what i eat, i know im eating the wrong foods, past couple of days i have eaten all junk(best friend came in from out of town so we partied).

Anyway im gonna try(again) to get back on track tomorrow but man this is taking forever.


Can you guys give me some suggestions on what to eat for each meal? I would really appreciate it as i need the help.

[LeafUF]

We can tell you what to eat all you want but if its stuff you dont like it wont stick and it will be pointless.

Dont worry about getting off track for a weekend, just get back on tomorrow.

So two questions:

Do you track what you eat when you are not taking a break with buds? Write it down, measure, weigh what you eat?

What do you like to eat?