Diet/Exercise Plan... Advice? Tips?

[OutdoorJim]

Hello all! New to the forum and already posted in the newcomers thread and was wanting some advice on a rough draft of a diet and exercise plan Ive come up with..



Basically what I want to do is get down to maybe 275ish by summer, thats averaging something like 2 pounds a week which between my current weight and goal weight is totally doable (I think so anyway). After that Ill lower my expectations to around 1 pound a week until I hit my final goal at 260.

I know that setting goals that long term and precise can hinder your motivation in the middle of the run but Im that type of person, I like to see a distant goal approach slowly but surely because it keeps me consistent.

Im thinking about starting a lower carb, high protein and vegetable diet... (Lean chicken, fish, lean beef, occasional pork chop, protein shakes, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower) Im currently working on getting some recipes together so that I can change it up a bit... any resources you guys could provide would be much appreciated!



And setting up an exercise program that would be 5-6 days a week (I work three 12 hour shifts a week so 4 days of exercise don't really require an effort which is why I said 5 or 6 was doable) Then alternate within that plan to have something like this:

Monday-
Morning: Upper body weights, Treadmill (Moderate-Fast)

Evening: Exercise DVDs (P90x cardio, abs, ect), Treadmill (Slow-Moderate)

Tuesday-
Morning: Lower body weights, Treadmill (Slow-Moderate)

Evening: Yoga/Plyometrics

Wednesday-
Morning: Upperbody weights, Treadmill (Moderate-Fast)

Evening: Boxing exercises

Thursday-
Same as Tuesday

Friday-
Evening: Treadmill (Slow-Moderate), Yoga/Plyometrics

Saturday- (If 6 days a week)
Same as Friday

Sunday-
Off

On my days off (M-Thurs) I figure two 1.5 to 2 hour workout sessions are reasonable. I currently already lift 3-4 days a week for about 1.5 hours and find myself free 99% of the time in the evenings with the equipment I need at my home so no excuse of "Dont feel like driving to the gym").

My biggest problem wont be the workouts I think, its going to be more the diet. Im a sucker for french fries and pizza... My biggest hurdle is going to be eating healthy when the bad stuff is so readily available near my home.


So, any input I could get to help me reach my goals would be welcomed with a thousand thank yous!

 

[Cantona]

Any particular reason you are cutting down on carbs? Carbs are not evil.

Low carb diets "work" because you are having less calories. If you sit two diets next to each other one which has carbs, one which has none and they take on board the same calories, I'd be very surprised if one had any difference over the other.

Cutting out whole food groups isn't healthy my man.

I've just realised you said "lower carb". Either way, my points sort of still stand.

 

[OutdoorJim]

By lower carb I mean around 25-30% of calories a day, as opposed to 40-60% . The reason I'm cutting them is because in the past when Ive had to drop 4 or 5 pounds for whatever reason I've found it easier when I replace some carbohydrate calories with protein... keeps me fuller and makes eating less easier.

I also understand that fiber keeps you full...which is why of that lower carb intake Im going to try and get alot of it from high fiber sources. For me its easier to lower carb intake to meet high fiber standards than to up your fiber standards to match alot of carbohydrates... Im not trying feel sick and gassy all the time.

Im not real big on the "no carb to lose weight" idea... just a cut back for my hungers sake.

 

[Cantona]

Ah well... Then continue

 

[Steve]

Hello all! New to the forum and already posted in the newcomers thread and was wanting some advice on a rough draft of a diet and exercise plan Ive come up with..

Welcome to the community.

I know that setting goals that long term and precise can hinder your motivation in the middle of the run but Im that type of person, I like to see a distant goal approach slowly but surely because it keeps me consistent.

Yeah, that approach screws some people up. Others thrive on it. Regardless, the ultimate factor is not how "on" someone is relative to their expected goals. Rather, it's what they do about the variance between their expectation and what's actually happening.

Variance is foreign to most goal setters.

They expect to set goals and have things work out according to plan.

On the contrary, we should expect variance. Especially when we consider the dynamic nature of the process of weight control. When it's expected, it's tough to be discouraged by it. It should be viewed as another metric that triggers a positive response/modification to the process.

Im thinking about starting a lower carb, high protein and vegetable diet... (Lean chicken, fish, lean beef, occasional pork chop, protein shakes, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower)

Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I like to tell my clients nutrition is about establishing a foundation. What happens beyond said foundation is very individual. Regardless, the foundation should satiate you, cover the basic essentials, etc.

The primary ingredients of the foundation are adequate lean proteins, plenty of fibrous veggies, some fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats.

If you hit the foundation correctly, it'll leave you "room to wiggle," calorically speaking, where you can add more food and still maintain a calorie deficit. This is generally where people should be pretty liberal - not with quantity - but with choice.

Without choice, the sense of rigidity ruins almost all intentions given enough time.

And setting up an exercise program that would be 5-6 days a week (I work three 12 hour shifts a week so 4 days of exercise don't really require an effort which is why I said 5 or 6 was doable) Then alternate within that plan to have something like this:

Monday-
Morning: Upper body weights, Treadmill (Moderate-Fast)

Evening: Exercise DVDs (P90x cardio, abs, ect), Treadmill (Slow-Moderate)

Tuesday-
Morning: Lower body weights, Treadmill (Slow-Moderate)

Evening: Yoga/Plyometrics

Wednesday-
Morning: Upperbody weights, Treadmill (Moderate-Fast)

Evening: Boxing exercises

Thursday-
Same as Tuesday

Friday-
Evening: Treadmill (Slow-Moderate), Yoga/Plyometrics

Saturday- (If 6 days a week)
Same as Friday

Sunday-
Off

It's hard to give detailed advice based on this as you're not specific about what's happening in each workout. That said, I don't see a need of going beyond 2-3 days of weight training given your stats and goals. Something like 2-3 days of full body training would be optimal in my opinion.

Secondly, I see no reason for you to be doing plyometrics. Why did you include them? The risk/reward profile simply isn't in your favor here.

 

[Jenniferag]

Plyometrics is great for me and interval training. It gets your heart rate up really high to burn fat...
Your routine sounds great! Keep us all updated on your progress and welcome!

 

[Steve]

Plyometrics is great for me and interval training. It gets your heart rate up really high to burn fat...
Your routine sounds great! Keep us all updated on your progress and welcome!

Considering the OP has a goal of "getting down to 275 lbs," I'd say plyos are about as contraindicated as you get. Can you explain your rationale for recommending them in this context?

Also, can you explain how plyometrics, in general, are great for fat loss?

 

[Jenniferag]

Why would getting to the weight of 275 make plymetrics inadvisable?

Plyometrics is great for building muscle and getting your heart rate up to burn calories and fat. It would work for someone of any size.
It improves athletic performance, builds muscle, increases speed, agility and strength.

I think it's a great thing to work it into your routine. It's not for everyone....I never said it was..... I said plyometrics works great for me.

I'm all about doing different exercises and routines to shock the muscles to change and become stronger.

Overhead Throws is one of the various plyometric exercises you can do.

Start with the staggered stance: slightly bent knees and one foot forward. Pull behind your head the medicine ball and throw this onto the wall. As the ball bounces off the wall, catch it. Repeat according to number of ideal repetitions.


Works great for me

 

[Steve]

Why would getting to the weight of 275 make plymetrics inadvisable?

Plyos require a quick stretch of the muscle followed by an immediate contraction of the same muscle, generally causing a leap or bound. When you're 250+ lbs, without the prerequisite strength, the sort of forces involved in plyos definitely make it too risky.

Not to mention, plyos do nothing for physique. Which I'll get to below.

Plyometrics is great for building muscle

Plyometrics are actually terrible for building muscle.

They are a funny thing. Nowadays it seems everyone wants to have them in their routine and the truth is, it's fucked. Plyos are very, very intense on the body, systemically. Used inappropriately is a surefire way to wind up hurt or overtrained.

I find most people, b/c of stupid magazine articles, are doing them in hopes of physique improvement or for some sort of cardio/endurance benefit in a circuit routine.

Plyos are very, very intense on the body, systemically. Used inappropriately is a surefire way to wind up hurt or overtrained.

The very nature of *true* plyometric work focuses the vast majority of work on the connective tissue components of the muscle complex. Yes there is very high loading involved, but this is almost entirely absorbed and reversed by the elastic components, not an active muscle contraction.

To maximize muscle mass, you'd want to maximize the load of the active contraction of muscle tissue - not the elastic properties.

In addition, using them in a conditioning context is bass-ackwards from their intended purpose. The originator would rollover in his grave if he knew that's what they're being used for.

Reason being - doing plyometrics under fatigue is a recipe for injury. I actually can't think of a better way to hurt yourself in the gym besides dropping an actual weight on your head.

and getting your heart rate up to burn calories and fat.

There are safer ways to expend calories.

It would work for someone of any size.

I didn't say they wouldn't work. I said they're entirely contraindicated. The same reason large folks should avoid high impact activities such as running is the same reason why large folks should avoid plyos.

And even if they did plyos, they wouldn't be doing much in terms of hypertrophy as noted above.

It improves athletic performance,

Yes.

builds muscle,

No.

increases speed,

Maybe.

agility

Assuming you're doing multi-directional plyos.

and strength.

Depends on what sort of strength you're referring to.

I think it's a great thing to work it into your routine. It's not for everyone....I never said it was..... I said plyometrics works great for me.

You insinuated your approval of the OP's program, which included plyos. I'm not trying to bitch for the sake of bitching. I actually care about people receiving accurate and safe information on this board, which is why I generally speak up in the first place.

I'm all about doing different exercises and routines to shock the muscles to change and become stronger.

I see.

Overhead Throws is one of the various plyometric exercises you can do.

Upper body plyos are an exception, for the most part. At least the ones that don't include high force contact, such as clapping pushups, etc. But even with throws, I don't see the point in including them in the program of someone who's goal is fat loss from nearly 300 lbs.

Not at all, actually.

 

[Jenniferag]

Well alrighty then

Thanks

 

[Steve]

Do you read Oxygen Magazine by chance? Or Shape?

Not ragging on you. Just curious. It seems these are the largest producers of misinformation pertaining to plyos.

If you really want to educate yourself on plyos (originally labeled shock training) do some research on Yuri Verkoshansky.

 

[Jenniferag]

Actually no I don't. I do read the Examiner and PlayGirl though.
Just playing...

Yeah, I'll be sure to check that out
Thanks!