I need some help and info regarding my workout plan, specifically regarding supplements. This is kinda long, so please bear with me.

I am 34 years old and I am ready and willingly to regain the body that I had throughout my late teens and 20's. Before I turned 30, I was always in great shape, with a very fast metabolism, so I didn't have to watch my diet and working out regularly really wasn't needed, although I played alot of sports. My weight was around 165 to 175 pounds and I was very lean, and I had the wash board abs that I would kill to have now. My body fat was around 4 to 5% then. I wore 30" jeans back then.:cry: Due to a very fast metabolism, gaining weight was difficult at best.

But when I turned 30, everything changed. My metabolism slowed tremendously and I have since watched my weight rise and my waist line expand. For the last couple of years, I had been wanting to start working out again, but my energy level was almost nonexistent. I believe my diet, which was terrible, had a lot to do with that. I posted something very similar to this on this board a while back and was told my diet was causing my energy loss, but I didn't act on the advice I received.

A month ago, I was 6'1, 208 pounds, with an ever increasing waist line, and a body fat % of around 30% based on my scale. At the largest point, my waist line was almost 40 inches. I was tired of being shaped like a light bulb and simple tasks such as walking up stairs was getting me winded.

I had enough, so I began running 3 times a week, following a program a friend recommended which prepares a beginning runner to run a 10k race in 13 weeks.

I stopped eating the fried foods, which I loved and ate most of the time and I cut out drinking Cokes, which is all I drank. I now drink nothing but bottled water and Propel.

I have not lifted weights yet because my main goal has been building up my cardio and shrinking my waist line. I know that weight training is needed, but my only focus so far has been shrinking the gut.

What I have been doing is working, as the scale and tape measure prove it. This morning I weighed 199 lbs and my waist line at the widest point is now 36 inches, and according to my unreliable scale, my body fat % is now 26%. But I know I need to do more. I know I need to do it the “right” way.

I believe that if I keep doing what I am currently doing, which is simply running and eating healthier, then I will continue to lose some weight and my waist line will shrink some more, but I will not be able to reach my potential.

I have read so many things on-line , on this site and other forums, as well as different books by people like Bill Phillips, that all of the information is confusing to someone like me who has minimal knowledge about dieting and working out.

Good carbs, bad carbs, trans fat, protein, cutting, bulking, supplements, total calories for you body weight, macronutrient percentages, etc. All of this is so confusing and makes it hard for ME, to make up an eating and exercise plan.

After a month of nothing but running, I am ready to begin a fitness plan, but need some advice on where to start. I have searched these forums and read the stickies, but there is really too much information to digest.

Would following the Body For Life fitness routine be a good place to start, or would I do better copying John Stone's fitness logs from the beginning? Since he sort of learned as he went along, is there a better place to start in his fitness logs than the beginning?

I kinda know what to do Nutrition wise. Macronutrient percentages should be around 40/40/20, and I need to eat six "meals" a day, and I have downloaded adi's Fitness Log to help me keep track of what I eat.

My biggest confusion is supplements and Shakes, specifically what to take and when to take it. Money not being an object, what are the must have supplements for what I am trying to obtain? And at what point during the day should they be consumed? I have searched the forums, but again there is so much information that it is hard to digest.

I have seen countless eating plans, cardio and weight training schedules, but I could not find a supplement schedule. Can anyone point me in the right direction.

Sorry for the length of this, but i felt I needed to give the experts here a little knowledge as to my situation. I look forward to any and all responses.

Thanks :bow:

My reply will be short - mostly because you are already on the right track.

BFL is a good start. It integrates weights, cardio and diet. Most people here who have used it eventually move off of it, but I've never seen comments to the effect that it's anything other than a great starting point. Also check out Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. I used that as my starting point and have had great success with it.

A few random pieces from me based on my experience (6'2, 246 lbs (or so) on 1/13/05; 200 lbs today; 34 when I started, 35 now).
1) Have a plan. It's harder to fail if you know what you are doing tomorrow before you work out today.
2) Stop thinking about "weight loss" and start thinking about "fat loss.
3) Lifting burns fat. It may not be intuitive, but it is true. Every successful plan that I have seen involves lifting as one of the pillars of the program. It is absolutely critical to maintain muscle, even if your goal is to lose fat.
4) Be prepared to mess up. You will miss a workout, or drink too much beer, or eat a dessert somewhere along the line. DO NOT let this derail you. Failure in this is not defined by what happens today. It's what happens over time.
5) Try to eat more things that grow, and less things that are made. It's pretty hard to go wrong with that as diet advice.


GOOD LUCK.

Edit: Don't get too infatuated with supplements. Right now, my supplement list consists of chocolate milk, a multivitamin (and extra vitamin C), and fish oil caplets. That's it. In the past I used whey, but I've run out, and so bought Chocolate milk instead - and have had no dropoff in results.

My reply will be short - mostly because you are already on the right track.

BFL is a good start. It integrates weights, cardio and diet. Most people here who have used it eventually move off of it, but I've never seen comments to the effect that it's anything other than a great starting point. Also check out Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. I used that as my starting point and have had great success with it.

A few random pieces from me based on my experience (6'2, 246 lbs (or so) on 1/13/05; 200 lbs today; 34 when I started, 35 now).
1) Have a plan. It's harder to fail if you know what you are doing tomorrow before you work out today.
2) Stop thinking about "weight loss" and start thinking about "fat loss.
3) Lifting burns fat. It may not be intuitive, but it is true. Every successful plan that I have seen involves lifting as one of the pillars of the program. It is absolutely critical to maintain muscle, even if your goal is to lose fat.
4) Be prepared to mess up. You will miss a workout, or drink too much beer, or eat a dessert somewhere along the line. DO NOT let this derail you. Failure in this is not defined by what happens today. It's what happens over time.
5) Try to eat more things that grow, and less things that are made. It's pretty hard to go wrong with that as diet advice.


GOOD LUCK.

Edit: Don't get too infatuated with supplements. Right now, my supplement list consists of chocolate milk, a multivitamin (and extra vitamin C), and fish oil caplets. That's it. In the past I used whey, but I've run out, and so bought Chocolate milk instead - and have had no dropoff in results.


lol... the only thing I was going to add, you added in your edit :p

supplements are called that because they are supplemental.. they are not needed... right now I happen to use a lot of supplements.. however when I competed in 2003 I didn't use ANY other than one multivitamin a day :tu:

I too think BFL is a good starting point. It makes things easy, just read the book and follow the instructions. I don't think it's the best plan in the world, but I do think it's one of the better "out of the box" plans, and I do think it's a fantastic way to begin getting familiar with weightlifting, eating clean, etc.

The other option would be to hire a trainer/coach. I think this is a good idea myself, and worth the money (assuming the trainer is good of course).

You can also join a gym and have the trainer(s) there help you just to get started. Work with him/her on learning exercise form, what exercises work what muscles, etc. You should only need a few sessions of this, and then you can move on to a more experienced trainer to provide you with a full plan if needed.

Other than that you'll really have to just continue researching and reading on this website and others I think. Put something together and give this community some kind of starting point to work with you on. Put together a plan for weightlifting and diet and show it to us and we'll help you tweak it as necessary.

Welcome to JSF! :)

Supplements:
For you I would say that researching and trying to decide on supplements is, at this point, unnecessary. Get a quality multivitamin for sure, but don't go crazy trying to figure out what different fat burners do, what creatine is all about, etc.

If you want more convienence then you can always invest in a protein powder, which is really more like food to me. I'd say this isn't a bad idea but mostly, again, for convienence reasons. You should, if possible, be trying to eat multiple small meals per day as opposed to "the three squares." Having 1 or 2 shakes per day instead of whole food meals just makes things easier (especially if you're really busy). You can get a quality protein blend powder like Nitrean (At Large Nutrition), or many other brands out there. Take it and put it in a shaker cup with some oatmeal, fruit, whipping cream, natural peanut butter, or whatever you prefer, and add some water and/or skimmilk and you're good to go.

So, multi for sure, protein powder if needed. Other than that, for now, I think you are fine.