Newbie here....My local gym went out of business two years ago this month..since then I got out of the habit of eating, running and working out right...at my best I was 6'1 180 pounds....I am big "boned" and can handle 220 fairly easy so 180 was really small for me...I played college baseball where I played first base so picture that as my body type...anyway, right now I am about 215...I still lifted often but have gotten into the going out to lunch habit everyday at work...this plus not getting any excercise (work in a office 6:00 -5:30) has really gotten me lazy....

Where should I even begin? I dont ever eat breakfast as I usually dont have time, then I eat a big lunch always telling myself I wont eat dinner, but then I end of eating dinner as well....

Can someone give me an example of something to snack on during the commute into work, something good to eat at lunch and a good diner?

At lunch I have been getting grilled chicken with white rice...is that bad? It is quite a bit of rice and I usually add a couple of packets of soy sauce....

I drink only water and diet cokes....trying to make it only 1-2 diet cokes and 3-4 glasses of water

When I got in the best shape of my life, I was working out 4 times a week, going between chest/tri's and back, biceps and shoulders...I was also running 30-40 minutes which the treadmill said was buring 450 cals....I ate all low or no fat....usually a slim fast in the morning, two fat free tortillas with turkey and a ff pudding or ff yogurt for lunch..lots of times the same thing for dinner...

I am not trying to get totally ripped, but I would like to show off the muscle that I do have...I have quite a bit hidden by "baby fat" ....I would like to get to a 32" waist and atleast appearance of abs...

enough rambling, if anyone has some suggestions, I am all ears

Hi clf2427! Welcome.
It sounds to me like you know what to do because you've done it before. Everything you mentioned sounds great to me. Low fat food, weight training and cardio sounds like the perect formula for success. There's a lot of info here for getting super cut or really bulked up. Just spend some time reading some of the posts. And then take what will fit into your lifestyle and just do it. Gee that would make a nice slogan wouldn't it?

Anyway, the biggest change for me was similar to yours. No time for breakfast. What I usually do now is just make a quick canadian bacon and low carb/high protein bread sandwich (no mayo or cheese. Just bread and meat) and grab a cup of water and go. It's about 165 calories, 6 g of fat (only 1 saturated) 18 g carbs and 17 g protein. I'm sure I'll get flamed by somebody for this recommendation but you did ask for suggestions and I'm just letting you know what I do.

Good luck :gl:

You need to eat fat to burn fat.

Do some searching around the forums, there is a lot of good information here on sample diets, etc. You'll get there!!

You need to eat fat to burn fat.

Do some searching around the forums, there is a lot of good information here on sample diets, etc. You'll get there!!


Thanks for the suggestions!

I guess I just need to get back on to my program...Ia m going on a cruise in June so I wont to get back where I dont have second thoughts about taking off my shirt....

As for fat, I was under the impression if I didnt eat fat my body would adjust by buring the stored fat that I have? I guess that is incorrect?

at my best I was 6'1 180 pounds


I am not trying to get totally ripped, but I would like to show off the muscle that I do have...I have quite a bit hidden by "baby fat" ....I would like to get to a 32" waist and atleast appearance of abs...

Heck, get ripped, you know how to get fat again it is easy. :D Start figuring how you can work out with weights. You want muscles, muscles are metabolism and give your body form. Start reading, try to read the last 20 days in all forums by the weekend. :gl:

We have a similar schedule and 'office' type job, here's what I do...

I eat 6 times a day, so we'll call them 'meals'.

Meal 1 (Breakfast, takes 2 minutes)
Bacon and my protein pancakes or toast with 2 egg whites

Meal 2
Salad with FF Ranch, cottage cheese and some grape nuts

Meal 3 (Lunch)
Pouch of tuna and a yogurt or a chicken breast with yogurt

Meal 4
Peanut butter sandwich or a salad (like above)

Meal 5 (Dinner)
Whatever we have (Fience and 2 year old daughter) try to eat healthy

Meal 6
Oatmeal with half serving of vanilla protein powder

I'm a picky eater and all this stuff works for me... a good cardio would benefit greatly. I plan on doing cardio 2 nights per week and on the weekends (treadmill), I also workout Mon, Wed, and Fri

Thanks for the suggestions!

I guess I just need to get back on to my program...Ia m going on a cruise in June so I wont to get back where I dont have second thoughts about taking off my shirt....

As for fat, I was under the impression if I didnt eat fat my body would adjust by buring the stored fat that I have? I guess that is incorrect?

Just keep pushing yourself and keep your dedication up and you will meet all your goals:

Here's a quote from Swolecat that sums it up:

Ingesting fat encourages stored fat to be let go.

(In the right environment w/macros in the correct places)

It's much like water/bloating. Don't drink enough, you'll hold water like a lake. Drink a ton of water, you'll pee out all the excess.

~SC~

Just keep pushing yourself and keep your dedication up and you will meet all your goals:

Here's a quote from Swolecat that sums it up:



Ok here is the schedule I can get on right now...I have a hour at lunch to workout or run..then grab something to eat and work till 5, get home at 6....at lunch i did back, biceps and shoulders today with a 5 minute job on the treadmill to get warm...I did chest and tri's yesterday...

for lunch i ate a "to go" box size of grilled chicken and white rice...with soy sauce....no breakfast and two large glasses of water...

when I get home, i then do my cardio at say 5.5 on the treadmill at a 2.5 incline...for 20 minutes, the walk 5 before finishing up with 5 on 6.0 speed.....

for dinner, should I just eat a bowl of soup or two cups of yogurt? with this regime give me results?

Another good quick breakfast if your system can handle dairy is 1/2-1 cup 1% cottage cheese with 3/4 to 1 cup nonfat yogurt, with some fish oil capsules for healthy fat. You can mix the yogurt and cottage cheese in plasticware containers for the week on Sunday, and just throw it in your bag to take to work. It goes down really fast too. Or a meal replacement shake, like myoplex.

Even slim-fast has those new optima shakes with less sugar and more protein (I haven't seen the actual stats on them to know how crappy they are) - it's not fresh real food, but it's better than not eating breakfast.

If you eat that little amount of food, you will most likely lose weight, yes, but you will lose muscle and there will still be fat on your body.

Do you have anyway at all to do your cardio before you go to work in the morning?? I know that when I used to work days, I had to make myself get up at 2:30 - 3:00 am in order to get my cardio in which wasn't easy especially when your wife worked nights and you have 2 kids.

I'm no expert but you really should have several meals during the day, pro/fat meals during the day post cardio and pro/carb meals following workouts for the best results.

Supirman posted up The Bulking Primer from AR, here is The Cutting Primer that should be great information for anyone:

************************************************** ***
UNoffical "How to Cut" thread and sample diet...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cutting Primer
By rambo @anabolicreview.com

It’s about time we had a decent full length post on cutting…

Let’s get a few things straight…
1. All of the insights I’m about to provide are not person-specific. What that means is that it is a general guideline, not a bible.
2. I truly do believe that bodybuilding is 80% diet. You can lift your ass off daily, and still look horrible if you aren’t eating right.
3. You are what you eat. It’s just that simple.

The BASICS-
1.Postworkout Nutrition- I’m a firm believer that PWO nutrition is hands down the most important aspect of dieting. It is within the 15 minutes after a workout that your body is in dire need of nutrients. It is a completely anabolic state, and what you take in can be optimized to ensure maximum results. A general rule of thumb is 40-60 grams whey protein, and double the amount of whey in carbohydrates (50% dextrose/50% maltodextrin).

2. Carbs- You are **** right, carbs. In a strict cutting diet the majority of your carbs should come in the form of PWO nutrition, and the remainder in breakfast. Fibrous veggies are a staple, but keep in mind that they don’t count towards intake, as they have negligible impacts on blood sugar levels. (Exceptions: Carrots, Peas) All high glycemic carbs outside of PWO should be avoided. The best sources of low GI carbs can be found in oatmeal and brown rice, as well as yams.

3. Protein- You need tons. 1.5-2.0 grams per pound of lean bodyweight is a good general rule of thumb. You should take in a good portion of your protein in the source of real meals, avoid intaking too many shakes, as real food comes to a better benefit. The list foods with high protein bioavailability is extensive, and I will only cover a few, (Egg whites, Lean steak, Chicken breast, the list goes on forever….).

4. Fats- Guess what? You need fat to lose fat. We are talking about the granddaddy of fats, the EFA (Essential Fatty Acid). Good sources of fat are ( Flax Oil, Nuts, Salmon, Olive Oil).

5. The separation of Carbs and Fats- This is a hotly debated issue, but again, in my opinion, an important aspect nonetheless. Remember that it is often when you eat items and with what you eat them that is more important than what you are eating. A mouthful, I know, but stay with me. Remember that when you take in certain carbs, you can spike your insulin levels. If you are taking in fats when your insulin has been spiked, you are allowing the basic laws of physiology to act out, and you allow for a higher propensity for fat storage. Separation is key. The sample diet will give a good example of how to separate them.




6. Supplements-

Glutamine: Helps prevent catabolism when cutting. Best used in dosages of 10grams daily, 5 grams before cardio, 5 grams at another interval, but not after workout as it fights for absorption with the glutamine peptides in whey.
ALA/R-ALA- Gets my supplement of the day award. R-ALA is effective in lowering the spike of insulin when certain carbs are consumed. I could give you a dissertation on the stereoentisomeric properties of the R, but all you need to know is that it has been found to shuttle carbohydrates away from adipose and into myocytes. Translation: Away from fat cells, into muscle cells. It’s a supplement, however, not a miracle worker. It’s not a crutch, and won’t do anything about fat intake. ALA and R-ALA can also aid in the expedition of the ketogenic state. Remember that if you buy R-ALA that you supplement it with Biotin. Glucorell-R is prepackaged with it. If you can afford it, go for it. As far as dosage, with the R, you are looking at 1-2 pills of Glucorell R for each 30-40grams of carb intake.
Protein and Carb Shakes: I’m not going to cover protein, because even if you can’t afford it, you should sell a kidney to get some. Carb drinks are rather convenient, and companies offer pre mixed dosages, (CarboHit, Glycoload, UltraFuel). Dextrose and Maltodextrin can be bought from most supplement stores or online.

www.allsportsnutition.com

7. Cheating- Cheating is essential. Why? Remember, the body runs on homeostasis, it likes to keep balance. After eating so well after a week, your body begins to adjust, and fat loss over time will not be as rapid. The other extremely important aspect is mental sanity. So many diets crash and fail because people don’t give themselves a chance to breath. Remember, cheating is not an opportunity for you to pillage the entire mall food court. Shoot for a cheat meal, not an all out binge. A fast food value meal can be 2,000 calories. Eat that 3 times on one day, and you’ve consumed 6,000 calories. And that’s not good in any case.

8. Cardio- Cardio and cutting usually go hand in hand. I won't go into specifics about length, other than cardio shouldn't be excessive. 45 minutes to one hour daily should be sufficient, and should be performed on an empty stomach.




Sample Diet:
Note: This is a sample diet for a 200 pound gentleman who is wishing to cut. We can assume his BF to be around 15%. This diet will NOT work for you if those criteria don’t apply to you; however it is easy to customize the below diet to take in account your own statistics. It is the principles that are applicable.. I am not going to post the total amount of calories, only the carb, protein and fat macros for the whole day.


Meal 1:
Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

Meal 3:
Veggies, Lean Protein

Workout

Meal 4:
PWO Nutrition

Meal 5:
Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

Meal 6:
Shake with Flax

That turns into approximately 300 grams protein, 130 grams Carbs, and 50 grams of fat.

*Reminder: This is a PRIMER. It’s not mean to be comprehensive.





Here comes the fun part: Question and Answer….

Q: What about dairy?
A: If you don’t mind a soft look, fat free cottage cheese is an excellent caseinate source, but as for milks- way too much processed sugar. NO.

Q: Should I do a keto diet?
A: Unless you are morbidly obese, or would like to drag your wilted muscles behind you, stay away from keto. Again, that’s my opinion. You can see my previous posts for my anti-keto ranting.

Q: What about cycling carb intake?
A: Obviously on non workout days you will be without a shake, so you will be auto-cycling. It works well that way.

Q: Is sodium an issue?
A: Outside of the bloating issue, or if you have high cholesterol, no.

Q. How do I make my meals not taste like cardboard?
A. Be creative. Mix in some sugar free jam or splenda in your oats, some hot sauce or soy sauce on your meats, or pick up some sugar free ketchup.

Q. I don’t like old fashioned oats. Can I eat the pre mixed oats with fruit?
A. No. Be a man. Those mixes have ridiculous amounts of sugar.

Q. What about fruit?
A: Fruit replenishes glycogen stores in the liver, and in my opinion, is not to be a staple of a strict cutting diet, with a few exceptions.

Q: Can I eat steak while cutting?
A: Definitely. Make sure it’s a leaner cut.

And with this post I take a sabbatical. I’d like to thank ~Swolecat~ for his influence, and to thank all of you who may have indirectly annoyed me enough to result in this elongated post. If I missed anything, or am horribly wrong on anything, feel free to PM me, and I will edit it in. Best of luck, and remember…

“Obsessed is a the word that lazy people use for dedicated.”


Happy Holidays,

Rambo

* This was edited to reflect a few changes, and change the title to UN official, as was my original intent

No I cant do it before work...I am an accountant and need a full nights rest before I get my balls busted at work. what if I reversed my workout and ran at lunch and worked out at home? would that be any better or does it matter?

I am lost on the proteins and shakes...I used to take that stuff in college but since then I am fallen out of the loop..give me some examples of things to buy and take....PWO stands for post workout?

for breakfast I can start eating a cup of ff yogurt if that will help get my body going....I am just bad at eating I guess....I am ok not eating, but once I do i have trained myself to not get full unless I eat a lot..sp a lot of times I would rather skip a meal than eat a small one....

oh yeah and my lunch isnt that small..it is a lot of white rice and a decent amount of chicken...i still think its to much but I wasnt sure how bad white rice was?


Thanks for the link..lots of good stuff there...I am reading it all, it just takes a while to soak it all in

So in other words...

Meal 1: Protein/Carbs
Meal 2: Protein/fat
Meal 3: Protein/Carbs (greens)
WO
Meal 4: PWO Nutrition (Protein shake w/ dextrose)
Meal 5: Protein/carbs (greens and otherwise)
Meal 6: Protein/fat

Cardio is done in the morning before meal 1? If so, then shouldn't you avoid the oatmeal (carbs) and have fat instead? I guess what I mean to ask is when does this gentleman do his cardio? :p


Meal 1:
Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

Meal 3:
Veggies, Lean Protein

Workout

Meal 4:
PWO Nutrition

Meal 5:
Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

Meal 6:
Shake with Flax

No I cant do it before work...I am an accountant and need a full nights rest before I get my balls busted at work. what if I reversed my workout and ran at lunch and worked out at home? would that be any better or does it matter?


Not that I think doing your cardio in the morning is that important, but why don't you go to bed earlier so that you can get up earlier and still get a full nights rest?

-Allen

Put notes under you text:

So in other words...
Meal 1: Protein/Carbs

(If you want, and your first meals comes 1.0-1.5 hrs after cardio, most prefer a profat meal here

Meal 2: Protein/fat
Meal 3: Protein/Carbs (greens)
Most likely meat will have a fat source and veggies (carbs dont count for veggies) so this is a pro/fat meal

WO

Meal 4: PWO Nutrition (Protein shake w/ dextrose)
Meal 5: Protein/carbs (greens and otherwise)

Complex Carbs usually here

Meal 6: Protein/fat

Cardio is done in the morning before meal 1? If so, then shouldn't you avoid the oatmeal (carbs) and have fat instead? I guess what I mean to ask is when does this gentleman do his cardio?

Not that I think doing your cardio in the morning is that important, but why don't you go to bed earlier so that you can get up earlier and still get a full nights rest?

-Allen


well I have a 8 year old and he usually has homework, practice etc that keeps me busy till 10..Also go to spend some time with the wife, cant just come home, workout and crash....