Hey all,

I was guided to this site by a good friend who is also fighting the battle of the bulge and have been spending numerous hours that I should be working reading the articles, lots of fantastic information. Now that I've been working on this for a week or so, I would like if someone could give me a critique on my diet and workout regime. For reference, I am 25, 5'11", 235lbs currently (250lbs highest about 6 months ago), and I work a desk job. When I worked construction in high school I was pretty well built... 36" waist, 185lbs, biceps that filled my sleeves (I visited the gym regularly but waas never a gym buff or big freeweight kind of guy), but things changed in college. Anyway, I bulk muscle fast but losing fat has been a total uphill battle for the last couple years. I figure that I am at about 23% BF currently, and would like to get down to around 10% over the next year.

Current Pics (http://photobucket.com/albums/y41/cgengo/Weightloss%20Pics/?action=view&current=20050926F.jpg) - shield your eyes, if I wasn't embarrassed I probably wouldn't be here.

My new diet...
Meal 1 (6:00am) - 1/2C oatmeal with skim milk (sweetend with Splenda and cinnamon), protein like baked ham or Morningstar meatless pattie, multivitamin
Meal 2 (9:00am) - String cheese and fruit (apple, dried apricotts, etc)
Meal 3 (11:30am) - 1/2 Ham or turkey sandwich on WW/Rye/Pumpernickel, 1/2T light mayo, mustard, piece of fruit or veggies
Meal 4 (3:00pm) - Other half of sandwich
Meal 5 (6:00pm) - Lean Protein (6 - 10oz) or fish and veggies, or a hearty soup (no potatoes) with plety of chicken, side salad (EVOO/vinegar dressing).
Workout (7:30pm - 8:30pm) - See below
Meal 6 (8:30pm) - Protein shake in water, half banana or a couple strawberries in shake.

I am consuming about 2000 - 2100 clean calories per day, total, low saturated fats and no trans fats. I am also drinking almost strickly water, about a gallon per day, and sometimes Crystal Light lemonade.

My new workout routine...
I am going to the gym 5 days a week, the other 2 I play flag football or am doing yard work.
Weights - about a half hour to 45 minutes, focus on a specific muscle group.
Cardio - about 15 minutes at a good pace (12 minute mile on treadmill or 160rpm on the elliptical, sometimes HIIT).
Stretching - about 5 minutes before and after.
I am also considering getting up a half hour earlier and taking a 15 - 20 minute bike ride before breakfast but I'm not sure I can handle getting up at 5am.

Weights...I could use a little help here figuring out what to do each day. Right now it's...

Day 1 - Biceps and Pecs
Day 2 - Legs and Abs
Day 3 - Shoulders and Triceps
Day 4 - Legs and Abs ?
Day 5 - ??

I really have no idea what to work on what day, last week I was warming up with cardio and lifting 2 days and doing cardio only 3 days. What I've read the last day or 2 stresses the importance of lifting more than cardio and also doing the lifting before the cardio, so that's what I will be doing from today forward - I did this today and had a great workout. :bb:

My strength and endurance are increasing rapidly, and I can feel my muscles firming up and growing larger...this has never been a problem for me. The fat seems to be decreasing on my arms and face but the scale isn't giving me much in the way of weight loss... 5lbs initally and very fast (1 week) but no significant weight loss since (maybe 1lb), Tuesday will be the 1 week mark on the new diet and gym schedule...the previous week was lower calories (like 1200/day clean foods) but I see that that was very bad now, so no more of that.

So, what's good here and what's bad? I am thinking of adding some Flax oil in the morning and maybe some FF yogurt instead of the string cheese in the late morning but I definately open to suggestions.

Thanks,
Chris

WELCOME TO JSF.

Hey all,

I was guided to this site by a good friend who is also fighting the battle of the bulge and have been spending numerous hours that I should be working reading the articles, lots of fantastic information. Now that I've been working on this for a week or so, I would like if someone could give me a critique on my diet and workout regime. For reference, I am 25, 5'11", 235lbs currently (250lbs highest about 6 months ago), and I work a desk job.
Congrats so far!!!

When I worked construction in high school I was pretty well built... 36" waist, 185lbs, biceps that filled my sleeves (I visited the gym regularly but waas never a gym buff or big freeweight kind of guy), but things changed in college. Anyway, I bulk muscle fast but losing fat has been a total uphill battle for the last couple years. I figure that I am at about 23% BF currently, and would like to get down to around 10% over the next year.
I believe this is very possible personally. But it will take a lot of work! Are you ready? :D


Current Pics (http://photobucket.com/albums/y41/cgengo/Weightloss%20Pics/?action=view&current=20050926F.jpg) - shield your eyes, if I wasn't embarrassed I probably wouldn't be here.

Please. We all start somewhere. Good that you took pictures. Think of how you'll feel in 6-8-12 months looking back. Be sure to print that picture out and tape it to your fridge and your bathroom mirror. I'm serious. That way you'll see it every morning and night, and every time you open the fridge.

My new diet...
Meal 1 (6:00am) - 1/2C oatmeal with skim milk (sweetend with Splenda and cinnamon), protein like baked ham or Morningstar meatless pattie, multivitamin
Meal 2 (9:00am) - String cheese and fruit (apple, dried apricotts, etc)
Meal 3 (11:30am) - 1/2 Ham or turkey sandwich on WW/Rye/Pumpernickel, 1/2T light mayo, mustard, piece of fruit or veggies
Meal 4 (3:00pm) - Other half of sandwich
Meal 5 (6:00pm) - Lean Protein (6 - 10oz) or fish and veggies, or a hearty soup (no potatoes) with plety of chicken, side salad (EVOO/vinegar dressing).
Workout (7:30pm - 8:30pm) - See below
Meal 6 (8:30pm) - Protein shake in water, half banana or a couple strawberries in shake.

I am consuming about 2000 - 2100 clean calories per day, total, low saturated fats and no trans fats. I am also drinking almost strickly water, about a gallon per day, and sometimes Crystal Light lemonade.
I'm by far not the diet expert on JSF, but at first glance I would guess that 2000 calories may be low for your size. Maybe not, the foods you listed seem to be plenty. Anyone else?

My new workout routine...
I am going to the gym 5 days a week, the other 2 I play flag football or am doing yard work.
Weights - about a half hour to 45 minutes, focus on a specific muscle group.
Cardio - about 15 minutes at a good pace (12 minute mile on treadmill or 160rpm on the elliptical, sometimes HIIT).
Stretching - about 5 minutes before and after.
I am also considering getting up a half hour earlier and taking a 15 - 20 minute bike ride before breakfast but I'm not sure I can handle getting up at 5am.
The bike ride first thing sounds a little more ideal IN MY OPINION than the cardio before or after weights.

I would opt for stretching after the weightlifting but not before personally. I don't think it's a good idea to stretch before weightlifting at all. In fact I think it's counterproductive. Jump on the bike or treadmill for a light 5-10 minute warmup. Warmup 3-4 sets on your weights and then hit them hard.

Weights...I could use a little help here figuring out what to do each day. Right now it's...

Day 1 - Biceps and Pecs
Day 2 - Legs and Abs
Day 3 - Shoulders and Triceps
Day 4 - Legs and Abs ?
Day 5 - ??

I really have no idea what to work on what day, last week I was warming up with cardio and lifting 2 days and doing cardio only 3 days. What I've read the last day or 2 stresses the importance of lifting more than cardio and also doing the lifting before the cardio, so that's what I will be doing from today forward - I did this today and had a great workout. :bb:
Your split could use work. I too prefer splitting as opposed to full body of half body workouts. :) Anyway you're missing a very, very important aspect - BACK TRAINING!

You could continue with a similar style if you'd like... MAYBE something like this:

1) Chest / Biceps
2) Legs
3) Back / Triceps
4) Shoulders / Abs

This wouldn't be my favorite split, but I tried to make it very similar to yours. I did a few things here. First of all I added back to your routine. Then I changed shoulders to a day without triceps. I was going to do shoulders/triceps and back/abs, then felt like since you're doing push/pull on day 1 you might like something similar on day 3. Don't know if this matters to you or not. Anyway, maybe this will help push you into the right direction. It ain't a perfect split, but I don't think a perfect split exists. :)

Do you want to lift 5 days a week? You seemed to allude to this in your post. If so, there are more options. I personally do like a 5 day split as well (though I am not currently doing one). I like splitting up upper and lower legs. I hate doing calves after bombing my quads/hams, when it's hard to hold up the weight for calf raises while my quads are shaking!

My strength and endurance are increasing rapidly, and I can feel my muscles firming up and growing larger...this has never been a problem for me. The fat seems to be decreasing on my arms and face but the scale isn't giving me much in the way of weight loss... 5lbs initally and very fast (1 week) but no significant weight loss since (maybe 1lb), Tuesday will be the 1 week mark on the new diet and gym schedule...the previous week was lower calories (like 1200/day clean foods) but I see that that was very bad now, so no more of that.

So, what's good here and what's bad? I am thinking of adding some Flax oil in the morning and maybe some FF yogurt instead of the string cheese in the late morning but I definately open to suggestions.

Thanks,
Chris
Throw the scale away. :D Well not really, but don't stress on it too much. You say you're losing fat, that's good. Focus on FAT loss, not WEIGHT loss. The scale ain't going to tell you how much fat you have lost or how much muscle you have gained. Rely more on a tape measure, the way your clothes fit/feel, and the plain old mirror.

Flax Oil is a good product. If you want to use it I would suggest it at a meal without much carbs. Perhaps a nighttime meal with cottage cheese and flax - this is a great pre-bed meal.

:gl:

Thanks GTX. Good advice, some more questions...


I would opt for stretching after the weightlifting but not before personally. I don't think it's a good idea to stretch before weightlifting at all. In fact I think it's counterproductive. Jump on the bike or treadmill for a light 5-10 minute warmup. Warmup 3-4 sets on your weights and then hit them hard.

Hmmm, never would have thought that of the stretching, is there an explanation for this? Not that I don't believe it, it just seems counterintuative to me...but what do I know? :p Concerning the warmup 3-4 sets, should that be for each lifting exercise and then jack up the weight and do 2-3 sets? Or just 1 totally maxed out? At what percentage point of your max do you generally set your warmups? Say you do your "hit it hard" at 100lbs, at what weight are you doing your warm-ups? I've never been a big weightlifter so I am almost totally ignorant and our gym doesn't really have any trainers, so I could really use some specific advice here.


Do you want to lift 5 days a week? You seemed to allude to this in your post. If so, there are more options. I personally do like a 5 day split as well (though I am not currently doing one). I like splitting up upper and lower legs. I hate doing calves after bombing my quads/hams, when it's hard to hold up the weight for calf raises while my quads are shaking!

I am planning to lift 5 days a week, how do you and others handle a 5 day split? Some thing more like...

1) Chest / Biceps
2) Upper Legs
3) Back / Triceps
4) Lower Legs
4) Shoulders / Abs

If anyone has a better split to recommend, I am open ears, I really know nothing about lifting, it doesn't need to follow this form at all.

Thanks again,
Chris

Hey Chris...glad to see you made it! :tucool:

Here's the split I do - don't know if you want to do exactly this, but it works really well for me.

Sunday - 10 min. cardio warmup; Chest/Back/Abs
Monday - 45 min. LISS cardio
Tuesday - 10 min. cardio warmup; Legs
Wednesday - 45 min. LISS cardio
Thursday - 10 min. cardio warmup; Shoulders/Biceps/Triceps
Friday - 45 min. LISS cardio
Saturday - OFF

As far as your diet, you might want to add some calories like 1FastGTX said. I read the book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and it has lots of good information on how to determine the right amount of calories for your body, specifically. Also, read the stickies at the top of the Introduction forum...one of them in particular has all the formulas that the BFFM book has, plus a lot more.

In fact, here is the formula that I use:

=(370+(21.6*(Lean Body Mass (lbs)*0.45359237))*1.55)-0.3*(370+(21.6*(Lean Body Mass (lbs)*0.45359237)*1.55))

That includes a 30% reduction in calories below my maintenance level for each week and the 1.55 is a factor for how much exercise I put in each week. You should use the same factor because you're doing the same amount as me. You'll have lower calories per day than me because I'm currenly 276 lbs., but this is a good guideline.

Good luck! Hit me up over email or AIM and I'll hook you up with the BFFM book.

I'm going to try to come visit you and Jess this summer sometime. I need to get away from Austin and the beaches in Florida are soooooo much nicer than the ones in Texas!