Stats:
21 Years old
6'1"
216 lbs
~17% bf

Im discouraged. Granted its been a month, but I havent lost weight in 3 weeks. The first week I lost 3 pounds right off the bat, and then bam, nothing. Im sure it has nothing to do with my workout as I do cardio 5 days a week for a minimum of 45 mins, not to mention that I lift weights also 3 days a week (just maintenance lifting, not really pushing to failure, but lifting none the less). So Im thinking its got to be my diet. Ive been eating healthy, I just dont think Im eating the right foods, so now, I turn to you guys. If you could help me plan out a good diet, that would be great. I feel as if whatever choices Ive been making are just off target, and I really should just lay it out there. I kinda feel like Im asking a lot here, but If some of you more experienced guys could, well, put together a meal plan, that would be awesome! Im pretty much open to any foods, I have whey protein, and can buy vitamins...My workout schedule is as fallows:

Monday: 45 Elliptical, Chest/Tris/Shoulders
Tuesday: 45 Elliptical
Wednesday: 45 Elliptical, Back/Bis
Thursday:45 Elliptical
Friday: Legs/Abs
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 45 Elliptical

I hit the gym anywhere around 11 am to 1 pm depending on the day, and I guess I really dont know what foods to eat when and where and...yea. Im lost! Thank you so much for helping me!

So basically you want us to make up a meal plan for you?
I'm assuming you've read all the stickied posts and you still dont know what to do?

Bottom line: Scales are worthless. They're inaccurate, they don't give a proper measurement of anything important (like a BF% scale *might*), and they *could* indicate a gradual trend but who knows if your scale is even calibrated differently week to week.

Here's your scenario the way I see it put in to diff. words: I get on the scale everyday. The first week I saw a gradual loss that equated to three total pounds. I was very pleased with this loss. Then after that I was about the same weight everyday even though I'm working really hard. Now, even though I look better and feel better I'm discouraged because when I get on the scale I want to see a specific number and I don't see the specific number that I want. Now I think that it could be my exercise routine, my diet plan, the time I'm working out, or some other factor that I dont' even know about!

Your routine looks fine to me, and as far as a diet plan goes you should either do what Whoareme said or you should post a sample diet and let us critique it. No one here can do it for you...in the meantime, forget about the numbers and concentrate on the mirror. Also, have some patience...if you wanted a get-slim-quick-scheme, you came to the wrong place...

(p.s. my post isn't meant to be gruff or sarcastic, I've seen probably 30 posts just like this and I've done my best to help all of them...it's a matter-of-fact tone)

Thanks LemonSong, I totally understand what you mean. I did not come here for a quick fix, or to lose weight quickly, I came here to change my life for the better. I just, well, kinda get discouraged when I dont see results, well, in number form. I was hoping that the scale would be my friend, and would be a way I could sorta track my progress. And just seeing a 3 lb difference over a 30 day period kinda took the wind out of my sails. I dont stand in front of a mirror for hours on end looking for changes because I understand that they will be sublte and take time.

I guess my question about a meal plan was, is there specific times during the day I should focus on certain foods? When I wake up, Ive just been having some a bowl of special k w/ low fat milk, multi, and some whey w/ low fat milk. Next meal, because of classes, usually comes around 11, and is some sort of tuna or turkey sandwich. Between that and dinner time I try to have a small meal, but its usually just a gathering of a couple different things. Maybe throw in a whey shake for protein, a whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter for carbs and fats, then dinner is chicken and some green beans or corn.

Because of my size, and after reading the stickies, I calculated that Im aiming for about 2300 or so calories a day, with a 36/44/20 protein/carb/fat macro set up. Though I find it hard sittind down and calculating ever ounce of food I have each day out, this is what I try to aim for.

I guess this was more of a useless post. I was kinda hoping to get input on what an ideal meal set up would look like. Seeing as how this is my first real attack at doing this, I really dont know what will work for me and was hoping a more experienced person could throw a few ideas my way. Thanks again for reading, sorry if I have wasted anyones time.

Thanks LemonSong, I totally understand what you mean. I did not come here for a quick fix, or to lose weight quickly, I came here to change my life for the better. I just, well, kinda get discouraged when I dont see results, well, in number form. I was hoping that the scale would be my friend, and would be a way I could sorta track my progress. And just seeing a 3 lb difference over a 30 day period kinda took the wind out of my sails. I dont stand in front of a mirror for hours on end looking for changes because I understand that they will be sublte and take time.

I guess my question about a meal plan was, is there specific times during the day I should focus on certain foods? When I wake up, Ive just been having some a bowl of special k w/ low fat milk, multi, and some whey w/ low fat milk. Next meal, because of classes, usually comes around 11, and is some sort of tuna or turkey sandwich. Between that and dinner time I try to have a small meal, but its usually just a gathering of a couple different things. Maybe throw in a whey shake for protein, a whole wheat bagel w/ peanut butter for carbs and fats, then dinner is chicken and some green beans or corn.

Because of my size, and after reading the stickies, I calculated that Im aiming for about 2300 or so calories a day, with a 36/44/20 protein/carb/fat macro set up. Though I find it hard sittind down and calculating ever ounce of food I have each day out, this is what I try to aim for.

I guess this was more of a useless post. I was kinda hoping to get input on what an ideal meal set up would look like. Seeing as how this is my first real attack at doing this, I really dont know what will work for me and was hoping a more experienced person could throw a few ideas my way. Thanks again for reading, sorry if I have wasted anyones time.
Its not a useless post. We're here to help...I think many of us just aren't sure what to say to a "Can you make a diet plan for me..." type of post. The changes will be subtle, but part of getting fit is learning about your body...how it changes, how it adapts, and what causes those things to happen.
It can be difficult to get a good idea of the changes occuring, but here are a few tests I use:
1- How are your clothes fitting? I have no clue what I weigh right now, or two weeks ago, or a month ago..and no clue of my body fat%, but I do know that in the past 2 weeks I've had to drop down a belt loop. *That's* progress!
2- Take a look at a few key areas..I tend to pinch the fat on my stomach w/ one finger in my belly button and then just see how much fat I can grab w/ the other finger..my other key area is under my arm. I flex and then pinch close to my armpit. I can normally see changes in both of those areas.
3- Do you *feel* better? Do your workouts seem to be slightly easier? Can you lift more? When you wake up do you feel well rested? When you go to sleep, do you fall asleep easier? These types of questions help to show progress..

Personally I find that numerical values pale in comparison to the items above.

As for diet...here are a few hints:
1- Get rid of *all* dairy. Milk = Sugar. Many people have issues w/ dairy that they only find out about if they stop...cut out all dairy for a month and see if that helps you. I thought Jeremy was crazy when he tol' me this, but whenever I cut I never use dairy products now because I'm one of those people that had issues w/ dairy and never knew it..
2- Bread products are bad 99% of the time. THis doesn't mean you should jump on an Atkins diet, it just means you should get rid of the bread. Ezekial Bread is good in my opinion,and I saw some Weight Watchers stuff today that looked ok, but that bagel you're eating, for example, is probably garbage. It's calorically dense, it's got simple carbs, and very little fiber.
3- Are you counting your calories? Macros? If not it is *easy* to go overboard or not eat enough and not even *know* it...you think "I'll just have a spoonfull of PB" and the next thing you know you've consumed 400 calories without even knowing you were doing it.
4- This is a detail not a major concern in my opinion, but if you can avoid mixing fats and carbs in the same meal.

You don't have to weigh every little thing...like I mention in my journal...you buy a bag of chicken and each piece weighs diff or is a diff. size but you just use the nutrition data on the package cuz you know you're going to eat all the chicken that week (dont' do this w/ foods that will take longer than a week to consume).

Also, remember that this stuff is all mental. It is in your head. Your head makes excuses, your head controls your emotions, your head decides whether you "can" or "can't"...if you're discouraged, it's a mental thing not a physical thing. Your *body* doesn't get discouraged, but it does adapt to change...keep changing and make tomorrow better than today and today better than yesterday and you'll stay on a path that will make you healthy, wealthy, and wise ;)!

Because of my size, and after reading the stickies, I calculated that Im aiming for about 2300 or so calories a day, with a 36/44/20 protein/carb/fat macro set up. Though I find it hard sittind down and calculating ever ounce of food I have each day out, this is what I try to aim for.

I guess this was more of a useless post. I was kinda hoping to get input on what an ideal meal set up would look like. Seeing as how this is my first real attack at doing this, I really dont know what will work for me and was hoping a more experienced person could throw a few ideas my way.

Hey - lucky day. I have an old meal plan that comes close to your stated ratios: 38/42/20 at 2700 calories. Now you should build your own nutrition since we're not the same age, size, height, body comp etc etc - but this will at least help you see the structure of a very do-able clean eating day based on the numbers you mentioned (close anyway). ATTACHMENT

Thanks a lot guys! This really did help me out a bunch. I think its going to be quite a bit more challenging cutting out a lot of the dairy and grains, but we will see how it works out. Thanks again for taking the time out to help!

Thanks a lot guys! This really did help me out a bunch. I think its going to be quite a bit more challenging cutting out a lot of the dairy and grains, but we will see how it works out. Thanks again for taking the time out to help!
You don't *have* to do those things, its just a suggestion...but you *will* get what you give...if you give a lot you'll get a lot in return.

Hey,

Just make sure you eat as many WHOLE foods as possible! Packaged stuff is usually garbage. Shop on the perimeter for the supermarket... ie. stay away from the middle aisles (some exceptions). Whole steel cut oats are AWESOME, as is Kashi Go Lean cereal mixed with a little Fibre One. They are both great ways to get complex carbs. Mix in some protein rich foods like chicken, tuna, salmon (higher fat), turkey, etc. with some veggies for dinner. Egg Whites mixed with one whole egg, mixed with veggies make a great omelet in the morning. Have a handful of almonds as an afternoon snack... they are GREAT source of good fats that you NEED.

K, those are just some random ideas that I wish I knew when I first began my transformation. Like previously stated, keep track of what you eat, and the macros that you are consuming daily to see what WORKS FOR YOU! What works for someone here will not work the exact same way for you... wish I knew that too!


Oh yeah, READ the stickies!

G'luck!

MIKE

oh yeah, keep track of what you eat using fitday.com . If you do, they will measure what macros you are using automatically. It's a great site, especially when you are starting out, and just learning what foods work for you.

More excellent info, thank you again!