First post...need all sorts of advice

M

muscularfatman

0
Hey guys,
First post on the board...really looking for some advice.
To begin, 3 long months ago I topped the scales at 250 lbs. I've always been a bigger boy, usually hovered around 215 but I kind of let the college lifestyle get the better of me. Anyways, Once I finally saw how unhealthy I was I got on a strict workout routing. Since then, with lifting m/w/f, and cardio on t/th/sat I've shrunk back down to about 205-210...and am kind of addicted to it.

I know I don't have a good routine...when I lift...I just do everything. Bi/tri/chest/traps/back/shoulder/abs. Cardio days I run between 4 and 6 miles, or else I play raquetball for about an hour. I have hit a plateau though, I havn't lost weight in about 3 weeks. I do not eat much, Usually a salad for lunch, a sandwhich for dinner, and a couple apples or bananas during the day if I feel like a snack. I also only drink water, no soda or anything.

I guess I feel like I am doing everything right to continue losing weight. My calorie intake is at or below 1000 and I am very active every day of the week (or 6 out of 7) Is there something else I should be doing? I know that with my lifting I am adding a lot of size to my upper body and frankly I am happy with that, but want to continue losing my belly as it has stretched outward the last year and a half.

Sorry for the long book, anyone wanna give some advice.
 
I know its hard when you have lost some weight to hear this out of fear you are going to gain weight back but you are starving your body and need to eat more. What you have done is lost weight through a extreme calorie cut. That is the reason you have hit a plateau, your body doesn't want to let go of anymore fat because its afraid it wont get enough food to function properly because you haven't been giving it enough to function. So your body has been eating into its storage. You might think Yeah well at least that storage is gone, but the sec you give in to eat (cause you will your body will make you) you are going to gain weight back real fast and keep it longer. Before you start to focus on anything else you need to get your diet in shape. Cause you can't get lean, lose fat and not muscle or function at your best without the right diet. I don't know your height, i assume your are in your early 20's, but i can pretty much guarentee you need to be getting at least 2000-2500 calories a day.

Go here to get a estimate or your calorie needs a day...


Whatever that is subtract 500-700 calories from it and that should be your daily goal for calories. Subtracting more than that is bad for you. Now since you have been cutting back so much, you should work your way back up to your daily needs over two weeks while doing light cardio. This is to minimize you weight gain from doing so. Sorry but it is likely you will gain some weight back, but if you follow a good diet it should only be a few pounds and then you will drop back down and continue losing weight.

You diet should be made up of good carbs, protein and good fats. You should be eating 5-6 meals a day trying to get 1 carb and 1 protein in at each meal. There is plenty of info around the board on all these things but if you have any specific questions please ask.
 
Hey thanks for the reply. Yes you are correct in your assumptions. I am 20 years old and am roughly 5'9".

I went to that website, it says for fat loss range I should be taking in between 1800-2400 calories each day...probably twice as much as I am used too. I guess my next question is...I have been reading on the boards... people who want to gain mass are told to eat 5-6 meals a day (or so i have read). How does the same rule apply to those trying to lose mass? Is there any other excersises out there that will target the belly besides running and abs?
 
Not mass

The 5 to 6 times per day isn't to increase mass, its more to keep a perpetual motion of nutrients and to help keep your matabolism active. They are 5 to 6 lighter meals per day, but calories still monitored to give you the results you want.

For instance, I normally eat 5-6 meals per day, but take in about 300 cal per serving which helps me still lose weight, but helps me maintain muscle mass.

The 3 meals per day is a tradition, not the optimal way for anyone to eat.
 
Indeed, I definitely agree with what everyone has said in terms of eating and losing weight.

In terms of your routine, you need to make a definite plan, and well-balanced as well. If you are going MWF, I would recommend a full-body routine OR a split. It would be good to focus on the large muscle groups and compound lifts(squats, presses, deadlifts, rows, etc...), not small isolation movements like curls, and so on.

If you go with a split with MWF, I woud go with a simple push/pull and legs.
 
I used to work legs into my routine. The problem is, I have a disease in my back that makes it inherantly weak. In fact when I was younger I spent a full year in a body brace to try and strengthen it up a bit.
I figure, I weigh 210 pounds and to go out and run 4-6 miles keeps my legs in good enough shape. I know this isn't the optimal way to do it, but I really got to watch out for my back. Also, when I do hit legs (lightly) I usually am too sore to do much cardio for 2 or 3 days, and then my whole routine gets messed up.

I woke up this morning and ate 10 reduced fat crackers with a little bit of penut butter on them. right now I am eating a banana and a glass of orange juice. I figure I will eat a turkey sandwhich about 3 pm, a bowl of pasta around dinner time, and maybe a small bowl of cereal before bed. Does this sound like a decent eating schedule?
 
Late meals..

Pasta then cereal? I personally try to avoid carbohydrates (especially that much) that late in the evening. Carbohydrates tend to have alot of calories which you should avoid sleeping on. If I was going to do cereal right before bed time, I would find one that doesn't have much carbs in them.
 
muscularfatman said:
I used to work legs into my routine. The problem is, I have a disease in my back that makes it inherantly weak. In fact when I was younger I spent a full year in a body brace to try and strengthen it up a bit.
I figure, I weigh 210 pounds and to go out and run 4-6 miles keeps my legs in good enough shape. I know this isn't the optimal way to do it, but I really got to watch out for my back. Also, when I do hit legs (lightly) I usually am too sore to do much cardio for 2 or 3 days, and then my whole routine gets messed up.

I woke up this morning and ate 10 reduced fat crackers with a little bit of penut butter on them. right now I am eating a banana and a glass of orange juice. I figure I will eat a turkey sandwhich about 3 pm, a bowl of pasta around dinner time, and maybe a small bowl of cereal before bed. Does this sound like a decent eating schedule?
Click to expand...

No, sorry, that diet sounds pretty bad, you have protein in ONE meal. One. If you're trying to lose weight, I think theleip already said earlier, you need protein with every meal/snack, AND, limit your carbs - especially in the evening. Carbs in the morning, before and after workout are good. But the rest of the time they should be significantly limited, and those times that you eat carbs make sure they are clean, ie: oats, grains, rice, wheat breads, and fruits and veggies obviously. Change that pasta to a piece of chicken breast and a dressing free salad and the cereal to cottage cheese and you'd be much better off.

I'm sorry to hear about your back, that puts a damper on things. Squats and deadlifts put a significant strain on your back. If you can do light lunges or maybe leg presses, those are a decent substitute, and it's great to be sore, I usually can't do cardio for 3-4 days after a leg workout. But keep in mind that you should be working your legs, the running does not count as a leg workout - by any means, it is cardio, that's it.
 
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