Hi - new to the forum and I'm seeking some advice.
First, a bit about me. I'm 31 years old and I'm nearly 6 foot and weight 180 pounds so not really overweight at all. After college, I put on a lot of weight but about four years ago I started working out quite a lot and lost about 20 pounds simply by eating a lot better and working out a lot. I now feel like I've plateaued and I need some advice. For the last month I did Atkins which was stupid as I actually put on weight basically eating a lot of cheese, meat, eggs, bacon, chicken wings etc.
I've given up the Atkins now. Basically, all that's holding me back at the moment (in my mind) is probably the last 5-10 pounds that I need to lose. I'm happy with the rest of my body (i.e legs are muscular, upper body is fine, back, arms etc), it's just my stomach that I can't seem to lose any weight from. I have a layer of fat there as well as not really any definition so I thought I'd come here to try and get some answers.
I'm eating better this week. Breakfast is bran cereal or poached eggs on toast, lunch is chicken wrap or a salad, dinner is chicken breat with veges and brown rice or steak and beans. Snacks are protein bars, apple with peanut butter or banana. Also trying to drink a lot of water. I can't always cook my own meals so for I had a really early dinner which was japanese noodles with teriyaki chicken which was probably bad but I made sure to eat early and then work out.
So I'm wondering if my diet is going to be OK? Do I need to follow a diet plan to the letter to really get any benefit? I do like splurging occasionally and find it boring when stuck to a plan.
As for my workouts, I don't really like lifting weights and I have some problem running due to the fact that I have problems with shin splints. I have a gym in my apartment building and also work from home so I have easy access. At the moment I'm generally going two or three times a day and doing small sessions. So I might go when I wake up, quickly at lunch and then after dinner. It helps to break up my day. What I like to do is crossfit type workouts as well as cardio on the bike. So I do things such as chin ups, push up, light chest weights, jump rope, sprints and then I'll usually finish up with 20 mins on the bike while my heart rate is up.
I guess my questions might be; am I working out too much? Is it better to do one solid workout a day? I really like the feeling I get from working out and feel useless if I don't. One other thing is that I never lift legs as they're already big, well defined etc. I really just need to lose belly weight (and possibly a bit in my face) and I think I'll be fine. I get the feeling I could be more efficient with my time.
If anyone here can give me any pointers it would be most appreciated.
First, a bit about me. I'm 31 years old and I'm nearly 6 foot and weight 180 pounds so not really overweight at all. After college, I put on a lot of weight but about four years ago I started working out quite a lot and lost about 20 pounds simply by eating a lot better and working out a lot. I now feel like I've plateaued and I need some advice. For the last month I did Atkins which was stupid as I actually put on weight basically eating a lot of cheese, meat, eggs, bacon, chicken wings etc.
I've given up the Atkins now. Basically, all that's holding me back at the moment (in my mind) is probably the last 5-10 pounds that I need to lose. I'm happy with the rest of my body (i.e legs are muscular, upper body is fine, back, arms etc), it's just my stomach that I can't seem to lose any weight from. I have a layer of fat there as well as not really any definition so I thought I'd come here to try and get some answers.
I'm eating better this week. Breakfast is bran cereal or poached eggs on toast, lunch is chicken wrap or a salad, dinner is chicken breat with veges and brown rice or steak and beans. Snacks are protein bars, apple with peanut butter or banana. Also trying to drink a lot of water. I can't always cook my own meals so for I had a really early dinner which was japanese noodles with teriyaki chicken which was probably bad but I made sure to eat early and then work out.
So I'm wondering if my diet is going to be OK? Do I need to follow a diet plan to the letter to really get any benefit? I do like splurging occasionally and find it boring when stuck to a plan.
As for my workouts, I don't really like lifting weights and I have some problem running due to the fact that I have problems with shin splints. I have a gym in my apartment building and also work from home so I have easy access. At the moment I'm generally going two or three times a day and doing small sessions. So I might go when I wake up, quickly at lunch and then after dinner. It helps to break up my day. What I like to do is crossfit type workouts as well as cardio on the bike. So I do things such as chin ups, push up, light chest weights, jump rope, sprints and then I'll usually finish up with 20 mins on the bike while my heart rate is up.
I guess my questions might be; am I working out too much? Is it better to do one solid workout a day? I really like the feeling I get from working out and feel useless if I don't. One other thing is that I never lift legs as they're already big, well defined etc. I really just need to lose belly weight (and possibly a bit in my face) and I think I'll be fine. I get the feeling I could be more efficient with my time.
If anyone here can give me any pointers it would be most appreciated.