Aussie guy needing some advice and tips!

Hi All,

Long time reader, first time poster here!

I basically want to get some advice from all the experts out there about weight loss, and toning muscles.

To fill you in, I am 26 years old, male, from Australia.

I currently weigh approx 78kgs and am 182cms tall. My body fat % is approximately 22% (derived from electronic scales - so I am not sure how accurate that is)

I have historically always been underweight, and up to about 4 years ago I weighed below 65kgs. After a period of 2 years on some medication, I put on a lot of weight and was up at about 81-82 kgs.

Last year, over a period of about 3 months, I got into running and some basic weight training and got myself down to about 76 kgs, but have slowly crept back up to my current level of 78.

I carry most of my weight in the stomach area, 'love handles' and torso. It really is annoying as my arms are fairly toned and my legs are too. So its an awkward shape that I am keen to alter!

My body has responded well in the past to jogging/running, and I generally dont find it too hard to build muscle.

So basically I was after some diet tips and training tips to help bring my body weight back down, and also reduce my bodfat %.

In terms of diet, I usually eat toast for breakfast, a sandwhich for lunch, fruit in the arvo, and dinner is usually a pasta/meat dish/stir fry.

I am hopeless when it comes to working out when and what to eat!

I am also a member of my local gym (literally a 3 min walk from my house), and live in an area with good areas to go running alongside the harbour.

So please, any tips? hints? advice? training schedule ideas?

Would really appreciate any help!
 
So basically I was after some diet tips and training tips to help bring my body weight back down, and also reduce my bodfat %.


This I can assist you with in a basic format to get you started.



Best regards,



Chillen
 
Understand yourself, find what motivates you. Aspire and deliver to yourself.



Deficit dieting is the MAIN thing that does the job.

Some Basic information that can lead you to fat tissue loss

Calorie calculation is an approximation science, remember this. Through your journey WATCH, LOOK, and LISTEN, to your body..........it will TELL YOU if your doing the correct things or combination of things!


○ Change your eating habits (below are some suggestion examples)

○ Substitute an artificial sweetener of your choice in the replace of refined white sugar (Refrain from Refined Sugar like you would a disease)

○ Try eating 5 to 6 smaller meals during the day

○ Balance your meals out during the day so in one day you have a mix of protein, carbohydrate and good fats

○ Drink lots of water during the day and before, during and after exercise

○ Simple Carb Examples: Grapefruit, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Oranges, Apples, Pineapple, etc

○ Complex Carb Examples: Whole Wheat Pita Bread, Oatmeal, Long Grain Brown Rice, Brown Pasta, Malto-Meal (Plain, whole wheat),etc

○ Good Protein Examples: White or Dark Tuna, Chicken Breast, Lean Turkey, Lean Ham, Very lean Beef, Quality Whey Protein Powder,, etc

○ Good Fats Examples: Natural Peanut Butter, Various Nuts, Flax Seed, Fish Oils.

This is what you need to do:

This an approximation science, but you can narrow it down very close, if your meticulous in your vision when looking at the data.

Tweak your desire and passion by educating yourself on the basic requirements of losing fat tissue. With your age, sex, height, and weight, in mind, find your approximated base calorie needs (this is organ function, breathing, or bodily function needs). One can use the Benedict Formula.

Calculate your BMR:

The Harris Benedict equation determines calorie needs for men or woman as follows:

• It calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calorie requirements, based on your height, weight, age and gender.

• It increases your BMR calorie needs by taking into account the number of calories you burn through activities such as exercise.

This gives you your total calorie requirement or approximated Maintenance Line (I call it the MT Line).

Step One : Calculate your BMR with the following formula:

•Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
•Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Step Two : In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:

•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9

Create a Calorie Deficit:

In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. It is easier and healthier to cut back your calorie intake a little bit at a time.

Every 3,500 calories is equivalent to approximated 1 pound.

If you cut back 500 calories a day, you will lose approximated 1 pound per week. (not necessarily all fat)

If you exercise to burn off 500 calories a day you will also lose approximately 1 pound per week.

The calorie deficit margin is just an example:

Apply this knowledge by backing off the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a -500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT-500c).

This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you already know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.

At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean). To further assist you, I want to tell you that for every approximated caloric deficit of (-3500c), one could lose 1lb of fat tissue. (though some may not all be fat tissue, this information is for another question, and isn't presently suited here).

Now, in this example you were calculating a -500c per day deficit. There needs to be -3500c to lose approximated 1lbs of fat. Now lets do some basic math. -500cX7=-3500c. With all things considered equal, and you were meticulous and faithful on the diet, you should have been CLOSE to losing at least one pound of tissue in the week.

If this didn't happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own.

Based upon the FEEDBACK your body is giving you, ask yourself how faithful you were on the diet, AND how faithful in training (whether you kept the training schedule (if you didn't, this would effect the caloric equation, no?!), AND how accurate you figured in your activities caloric wise.........but, you have the base information to begin making adjustments.

The calorie SURPLUS margin is just an example: (attempt to gain weight)

Apply this knowledge by going OVER the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a +500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT+500c).

This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you already know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.

At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean).

If this didn't happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own



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The Nutrients are an essential factor in the diet; however, the law of energy balance within the DIET, is the ultimate KING while the Nutrients can play in some decisions made within the body.

Do yourself a favor, figure out your MT line, adjust off of this, eat well balanced spaced out meals (DONT EVER starve YOURSELF), AND listen to your body for the results.

While you are trying to figure out your body, IT WILL PAY YOU BACK, I promise. You have to learn to MASTER yourself to become the master of weight loss for YOURSELF.
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"Let your inner vision cultivate your ultimate exterior expression" —Chillen

"The strongest inner feeling that prevails will result in the exterior expression" –Chillen

"Your cultivation and manifestation of thought accumulated within your reasoning will determine your outcome"----Chillen
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Deficit dieting is the fat burner, and EVERYTHING follows after this. The deficit can be implemented through the diet or exercise can cause the deficit when you know your MT line reference. Without a adequate deficit, cardio WILL NOT burn fat off you. This is WHY I don't partake in the cardio debates of heart rate, etc........because the bottom line is the deficit diet....period, debate OVER. If you stick to the basic: The Law of energy balance, and tip this to the negative side of the equation, you will be on your way, with everything considered equal and your healthy.

Losing fat is sort of like draining a pool. It usually leaves the shallow end first before the larger end starts to diminish. But, fat and/or tissue is lost all over when deficit dieting.

If you want to lose overall body fat, get your diet in order, eat clean, learn what your approximate MT reference line is according to activities (and back off a HEALTHY margin), and perform overall weight training, and of course, include cardio (cardio DOES have its benefits other than burning calories, carbs, fat, ect).

The most effective beginning is to look at your diet, and make a diet journal in my opinion, THEN work in a training program around this diet.

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Have controlled obsession (and obsession to a---Point, is necessary), but some lose this obsession once they learn the amount of work it requires. There eyes then widen and then the obsession then pops right out. Dont let this happen to you: Raise your Want-o-Meter to a new higher level.







Best Regards,


Chillen
 
This is what you need to do:

1. Get the diet right
2. Have a training schedule each week (that involves full body)


As far as ab or torso training:

1. Squats: this exercise incorporates the torso indirectly, besides the obvious benefit of leg work, it does give the torso a good indirect workout. (this should be included in the FULL Body routine)

2. Dead lifts: this exercise invloved the torso more than you think (this should be included in the FULL Body routine)
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3. Keep the reps for the abs and torso at 25 or below, and add weight if necessary (the torso and abs are a high endurance muscle, but you dont want to to 100 reps, this is rediculous)

Start out with no weight until you reach the first set of 25 reps. IF on the first set you reach 25R, then add a 2 1/2 lb plate (as an example) on the second set, and then continue, and then do a 3rd. Be progressive. Each time the FIRST set hits 25, add weight.

Types of excercises: Crunch, Reverse crunch. Hanging leg raises, Leg lifts are a few starting examples. Pick one, AND do 3 sets. At the begining I suggest just one exercise of 3 sets, and as you progress you can add in another--just for simplicity sake.

I include weighted half-up sit ups (about 30 degrees up or thereabouts--some dont like these because it involves the hip flexors, but I get good strength volume from it, so see if works for you.

Schedule this about 3 times a week, and treat it as any other muscle. Allow rest time: this example gives about 4 days in one week.

But remember, doing these exercises isnt the the key in getting the abs to show, its the diet that does this. The exercises will strengthen the area no doubt, but place the diet above these exercises. Be PROGRESSIVE in the ab area as you are in your other training.


Chillen
 
Weight progression EXAMPLE:


A Weight Program is a structured "Weight Lifting" Plan that you schedule certain exercises for a given time period.

For example: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Rest Saturday and Sunday, and then repeat.

For example (for simplicity's sake), schedule a full body workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then rest on the weekend. The program should be complimenting the sort of diet you have and the goals you seek.

I recommend a writing down the exercises, weight being used, and then keeping track of the reps completed---to track progression, and if need be enable FORCE progression techniques. The KEY to training, is PROGRESSION. Trying with FULL THROTTLE to progress from one workout to the next (whether its an increase in reps or weight or both).

For example: you used 100lbs on Bent Over row and did 8 reps. The next workout with the back you want to get 9 reps, and so on and so forth. If the target cut off rep range is 12 (for example), then you would increase about 5 lbs. This is progression in its simple basic form.

I believe you have to track progress because its CRITICAL to ones success and to strength and/or muscle gains.


Chillen
 
I hope this assists you, Brotha. I am here to help you as much as feasibly possible


Questions.........feel free to ask........


ROCK ON!


Best wishes,



Chillen
 
Hey Chillen,

Thanks for the great tips, am going to read through it again and check out those links.

I guess one problem I have is dietry ideas. I always get stuck with what to eat, and fall in to the trap of grabing something already prepared when I leave the office at lunch.

By having bread at breakfast and lunch, am I overloading? what other foods can I use to mix it up?

I have looked into some sites that estimate your required calorie intake to maintain, and what is recommended to reduce, so will put this in to practice.

In terms of training, I want to ease into a program of
Monday - Cardio
Tuesday - Weights
Wednesday - Cardio
Thursday - Weights
Saturday - Cardio

As I get into it and build up more fitness, I will prob add some weight sessions to the end of my cardio (jogging/cycling/cross trainer). But will do this when I build the energy levels.

Cheers
 
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