v1bez Journal

v1bez

New member
Hi,

I finally decided to join up to these here forums after casually viewing them from time to time getting tips and thought i'd start a journal straight away to obviously spur myself on a little bit.

I have been going to the gym for around 3 weeks now and eating as healthy as i can, considering i was eating anything i wanted before then.

I have not always been big and during school used to play football, basketball, go swimming etc and was quite fit but since college i have let myself go with loads of booze and eating what i wanted to anytime i wanted it.

It is now time for a change, so here goes.

Age, Height, Gender: 23, 6'3, Male.
Original Weight: 268
Current Weight: 258
Goal Weight: 210-215 (to start with)
Time: As long as it takes, i find setting a time normally demotivates me if i don't achieve what i set myself.
Goal: My main goal is to loose all my flab, fat, whatever you want to call it then start building some muscle.

Workout:

I have been mainly be doing an hour or so worth of cardio with 20-30 minutes weights at the end of my workout. I tend to go 3-4 times a week and do the same stuff as i have been doing except i have just introduced some HITT work into my routing which i should benefit from.

So far as you can see i've lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks, which im hoping to carry on doing until i get rid of all the fat i currently have and get down to a size i deem to be good enough for me. I will then work on my muscles until im satisfied enough to just maintain them and keep up my general fitness.

Nutrition:

It is currently broken down into the following.

Breakfast: Shredded Wheat and a Banana
Snack: Apple/Orange or Pear
Lunch: Salad with Tuna/Chicken or Wholemeal Pasta and Half a can of Tuna or Half a Chicken Fillet.
Snack: Apple/Orange or Pear.
Straight after workout: Banana and Whey Protein Shake
Dinner: Chicken and Vegetables/Salad

I have not been keeping a tab on calories so far, but it reckon it is around the 1400-1600 mark. I tend to work off around 600-800 off in the gym.

Lets see if i can can carry on what im doing and loosing weight and also keep up with eating healthier foods. So far i am loving the gym and the exercise and the weight loss has boosted my enthusiasm and commitment and given me new levels of energy that i have not had in some time.
 
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Well just about to leave work and go to the gym, lets see what i can get done today as my thighs are still quite sore from Friday. The joys of overdoing it with squats then walking around like John Wayne for two days...
 
Well not long been home and it's been a bit dissapointing tonight although i ended on a high.

I managed to only do half of what i normally do cardio wise due to my sore legs, hopefully i clear up completely for when i next go as i normally do so much better.

But i can't complain as i upped my weights and managed to complete my sets, albeit it was very hard but it was better than what i am used to so i felt like i had accomplished something and also gave me such a confidence boost.

Roll on Wednesday!
 
Well not long been home and it's been a bit dissapointing tonight although i ended on a high.

I managed to only do half of what i normally do cardio wise due to my sore legs, hopefully i clear up completely for when i next go as i normally do so much better.

But i can't complain as i upped my weights and managed to complete my sets, albeit it was very hard but it was better than what i am used to so i felt like i had accomplished something and also gave me such a confidence boost.

Roll on Wednesday!

Wow you are working out really hard!!

I have a suggestion to fix the cardio problem, if you'd like to hear.
 
Thanks im trying!

Yeah any suggestions are welcome, go ahead and explain.

Great. Here is what I'd like to suggest for your fatigue problem. Split your cardio and weight training into morning workout (cardio) and evening workout (weight training). Research has shown that 45 to 60 minutes in a high/moderate intensity workout causes release of the stress hormone cortisol. Prolonged levels of this hormone cause muscle wastage, suppressed thyroid function (slower metabolism) and other complications.

Also, since you are using up most of your body's glycogen stores during weight training, your body is unable to fuel the HIIT workout that you are doing later. You are also increasing chances of over-training/injury.

If working out twice a day is not an option then at least consume a post workout shake after your weight training, containing dextrose (45 grams) and whey (45 grams) and wait for 15-20 minutes before hitting for the cardio machines.

Have the post (weight training) workout shake regardless of whether you split your workout in 2 or not. Think of it as mini cheat meal. It will keep your metabolism from slowing down and will also aid in muscle prevention/repair and fueling your future workouts.

Also, if possible, try to do HIIT workouts on non weight training days.

Also, if you are running at a speed where you can run for more than 15 to 25 seconds, then it's not HIIT, it's interval training. In which case you don't need another post workout drink. However, if you are actually doing HIIT then have another post-workout shake (30g dextrose, 30g whey) or low fat milk with whey and corn flakes (40 grams) within 30 minutes to replenish your glycogen stores.

Also make sure you test your blood glucose levels after 2 hours of ingesting the dextrose drink the first couple of times to rule out any serious glucose intolerance (insulin resistance) problems.

The above works for me really well. I recover faster from workouts and I'm able to move around all day long without feeling fatigued.

Your meals look good, however you need to add protein to your breakfast and snacks. Maybe supplement them with whey/casein. Even though your calorie intake might go up by doing this, I'm sure you'll still be 20% below your BMR requirements. With the intensity at which you are working out, your fat should melt away like butter while preserving your muscle mass!
 
Thanks for the info mate, i'll bring up a few points regardless.

I normally do Cardio followed by Weights as i tend to tire myself out to much doing it the other way around. It's the way i workout better, if it was the other way round i doubt i'd do as much exercise.

HIIT is something i have only just started doing, it will not be done everyday but will be done at least 2 out of the 4 days i go a week. At this moment in time i am doing short bursts like you have said, as i have read up on this a fair bit.

My protein intake is pretty low which is why i am increasing it with the shakes as from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening or 9 on gym nights im out of the house. I hope it will help with muscle recovery aswell seeing as protein helps it.

I don't normally seem to have major muscle soreness, it was mainly due to my trainer then myself overworking my legs to the point they were really tender.

Thanks for the information, i'll take some of it aboard and add certain things to my diet and routine.
 
Thanks for the info mate, i'll bring up a few points regardless.

I normally do Cardio followed by Weights as i tend to tire myself out to much doing it the other way around. It's the way i workout better, if it was the other way round i doubt i'd do as much exercise.

HIIT is something i have only just started doing, it will not be done everyday but will be done at least 2 out of the 4 days i go a week. At this moment in time i am doing short bursts like you have said, as i have read up on this a fair bit.

My protein intake is pretty low which is why i am increasing it with the shakes as from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening or 9 on gym nights im out of the house. I hope it will help with muscle recovery aswell seeing as protein helps it.

I don't normally seem to have major muscle soreness, it was mainly due to my trainer then myself overworking my legs to the point they were really tender.

Thanks for the information, i'll take some of it aboard and add certain things to my diet and routine.

Sounds good! All the best. Keep us posted.
 
Well i hit the gym today and did alot better now my soreness of the thighs has cleared up. I managed to burn off just under 800 calories with cardio and hit the weights pretty hard and managed to stick to my reps and left feeling absolutely drained but very happy with myself.

Roll on Thursday.
 
Well it's the morning after, feeling a little sore but to be honest not that much which in my eyes is a good thing. I have decided not to go to the gym today as tomorrow i've got a personal training session and he always works me hard so want to be 100% for it.

Food for today is a little different as i need to go to the shops and get more food in.

Breakfast: Cornflakes with 1/3 bowl of milk
Snack: Whey Protein Shake 35g / Apple
Lunch: Jacket Potato with Tuna
Snack: Fruit of some kind
Dinner: Chicken Fillet with Salad and a Boiled Egg.
 
Well jumped on the scales this morning to see i've lost 1.5 pounds so far this week. It's normally something i do on a Monday but really wanted to see considering i haven't pushed it much this week to others and im quite happy.

Ahh well gym time again later, going to get worked hard by the personal trainer and hopefully do pretty well.
 
Well managed to have a good session with the trainer, then did burnt of a few calories with a bit of cardio followed by a 20-30 minute session on the weights. I didn't do as much as i normally do but that was because the trainer got me doing new things which i have to admit were hard!

Overall a reasonably good workout, although Wednesday has to have been my best so far as i hit it hard and felt so good.
 
Had another good session last night after eating a little to much pizza on the weekend.

Managed to burn off a good 800-900 calories and also hit the weights hard.

Starting to notice a difference body wise and it is such a confidence boost.

I just need to reach my target now!
 
Yeah everythings fine, just been a hectic few days. Managed to go to the gym Yesterday and Tonight and done pretty well indeed. I am hovering a pound or so more at the moment as i have been a bit lax on my diet but going to push it up a notch next week to get it all rolling smoothly again.

Overall still hitting the gym 3/4 times a week, just food was gone a bit so so the last few days and i need to nip it in the bud and carry on with what i was doing as it was working quite well.
 
Good to hear you are ok. The diet thing is ok. Just remember to take it one step at a time and then consistently stick with each new habit you add.

Keep up the good work and please continue posting! Take care.

Regards.
 
Good to hear you are ok. The diet thing is ok. Just remember to take it one step at a time and then consistently stick with each new habit you add.

Keep up the good work and please continue posting! Take care.

Regards.

Yeah im brilliant, feeling a little underwhelmed that i slipped up a little with my diet. But in the end i have nipped it in the bud pretty quickly and hope to learn from it.

Training has been quite good and im noticing quite a few changes in regards to my body and am happy with how it is going. As i stated earlier, putting it up a notch from next week and im going to hit it harder, as i know i don't want to mess up if im putting alot of time and effort into something and also it will help with my overall general fitness.

I will continue posting and awaiting updates from yourself aswell, as you are doing an amazing job so far.
 
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