Welcome to the greatest forum on the fricken planet!
I agree you should start efforts toward your goal right now. What are your current personal particulars? How much fat do you want to drop? Do you have a BF percentage in mind?
Item 1. It's not necessarily what you eat but a function of "how much of what you eat" that matters the most. You should always strive to eat as healthy as possible; however, if you eat something that isnt healthy, and you are still in the deficit side of the caloric equation, all is NOT LOST.
Item 2. In addition, its more of a operation of calories IN (energy-how much of what you eat) vs. calories OUT(energy-body function, movement and activities), that is the basics of lowering body fat or gaining tissue weight.
Items 1 and 2 are fundamentally critical to your success in lowering your body fat/losing weight.
You can do this thing.
You want-o-meter is going to have to rise to another level--especially when one wants to drop below the threshold of 10% and reach single digits. You WILL encounter many mental and physical barriers within your goal path to lose tissue weight that you WILL HAVE TO adapt and overcome.
Many fail to address these by having a plan of action, and this is a huge mistake IMO. I see making plans of action to address mental and physical barriers no different, than having a plan of action to address diet and fitness training--they go hand in hand, and should work in unison and as a team. You take appropriate action within the team, YOU WILL NOT FAIL. Let me use myself as an example.
I joined the forum in May 2007. At the time, I was at the tail end of reaching my goals, and provided pics between May and June (and some in September). In other words most of my goals were reached PRIOR to joining the forum. Since then my attitude, happiness, and overall motivation has remained unchanged. VERY FEW can say this. Some have tried to explain why. But are all in error. Only I know the truth. I have found the psychological package that works. My point? You will have to find yours. Obtaining knowledge within diet and fitness is required; however, its the--consistent--application of this knowledge that becomes the problem--in the long run. Thus the reason I post the way I do.
Knowledge flat isn't enough to get the job done.
Get to know yourself, understand yourself, press yourself for in-depth personal interpretation
In addition, addressing the portion of training that you like versus the ones you dont, equation, is another formula you will have to address. Some say do things that you like and you up the odds to stick with it. This is true--to a point.
However, there may be a time that you may be required to do something to reach your goal, that you flat will not like and will be extremely difficult to do. This can test your resolve toward your goal. You will have to decide what to do when the fork in the road is facing you.
The POWER of CHOICE (within diet and fitness) is both a curse and a blessing. Proper manipulation of choice, and you will maintain your course. Improper manipulation of choice will compel you to low levels of personal dispair. When the Jews were in the concentration camps, they had their choices removed, set calories implemented, and a prescribed work load to complete. These persons lost a tremendous amount of weight and became bones. Did they suffer, absolutely. Did they like it? Of course not. In the end of things, they had no choice.
Its a wise person to "open up perception" on things within history (or on other things read)--and see MORE than most would see, and see if there is something to learn that is "applicable" to a personal situation.
You appropriately handle "choice" within your life (when concerning diet and fitness), and you will become nearly unstoppable as you work down your goal path. When you open up perception with things you read, learn about the biological and psychological feed back one obtains when dieting and fitness training, and separate the brain from the body--as the empowering tower, and learn how to "properly" master your "unique" self, the odds of the fire within your sprit burning out goes down tremendously.
1. A diet vs. fitness plan optimized for fat tissue loss.
A. Determine your MT Line.
B. Create a small deficit (deficiting for fat loss)
C. Create calorie TARGETS each day
D. Track your calorie intake each day
E. Create an exercise program that is a FBW or an upper/lower split (when work and other life issues require such a split). Or flat develop "something" within the confines of what you have available to use (even marginally less equipment can get the job completed)
Understand that is the "total" body composite being worked versus your calorie intake that will EARN your goal.
Incorporate compound lifts in your routine. Understand the "importance" of Squats and Deadlifts in your routine--and how and WHY these hate to love lifts will be a MAJOR player in your core development--more so (IMO) than direct ab work (I think these are minor players---in the equation I am relating). Understand too, that all the work you do will be for NOT (in "revealing" your work) if your diet is messed up.
Know how to manipulate calories within your diet.
IMO this is one of "most powerful" tools within ones arsenal; when applied correctly, and when one is tracking calories and has a general circumference of knowledge of the approximate calories burned during exercise. Lets face some bare facts.
When one deficits to loose fat tissue, one is depriving the body of energy and FORCING the body to feed upon itself for its energy needs. Therefore, isnt it logical for the body to FIGHT YOU and "somewhat" be an enemy within your goal aspirations? Isnt it going to give you feed back with intense cravings, possibly low energy levels, depression, and other types of responses to COMPEL you to eat? Why be surprised. Have a plan of action to deal with these---biological and psychological functions that ARE GOING TO COME. If you do not, the odds go UP you will fail. Therefore, one weapon in your arsenal can be manipulating the calories V. exercise ratio. For example, to allow you to eat more, but at the same time, keeping your deficits to loose appropriate fat tissue. This is only one very breif example.
A continuing education on diet V exercise techniques (manipulations of calories, manipulation of the three nutrients, etc) will SERVE to combat and deliver to ones self--
in the event this "extra" education is needed to assist in eliminating problems.
This is one reason "among many" I advocate tracking calories--at least until you get to the point, that its such a life style change and you are so in tune with what you eat and what you do in fitness, that this is no longer necessary to continue your progress. I STILL track my calories. I want it on paper, I want to know where I am at in the energy IN side of the equation--because this is "critical" in lowering body fat.
The Diet is the fat burner first and foremost and without question.
And one more
) ) :
No Fat Burning Program is Correct without the Deficit Diet
Affect
(Chillen)
The Deficit Diet will Subject the Fat Loss Zone to much
Respect.
(Chillen)
My point? No fat reduction program is optimum......without the Mighty calorie understood.
You obtain knowledge between the calorie and exercise---and learn all you can....most importantly--keep your perception OPEN never narrow it, and learn how to manipulate and apply what you learn.
You are the person who has to decide. Whether you'll do it or toss it aside; you are the person who makes up your mind. Whether you'll lead or will linger behind. Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar. Or just be contented to stay where you are.
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.
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Go here and read on some basic and fundamental information:
Weight Training 101
Basics on weight loss and weight gain
Weight Training Technical Articles
How to get abs guide
Sig's food list
Go here for some thoughts on the mental side:
Weight Loss Intricate
The ChillOut Log by Chillen
(allot of pages to go through, but there IS good information that may help you if you take the time to seek it)
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These links should get the "road started"
I am here to help you in any way I can to "assist" you in your personal success and so are many other persons on this forum. You have come to the right place to seek help and advice.
Understand yourself, find what motivates you. Aspire and deliver to yourself
IF YOU WIN THE HIGHER PERCENTAGES of the battles in the head, you WILL overcome anything humanly possible.
I wish you the best in all that you in life and in fitness,
ROCK ON!
Chillen
