hello,
new to the board.
lookin for advice, been lurkin and seems you guys are here to
help. will try to give you the best run down i can.
Thanks in advance
..:Background:...
age:22
height:5'8
weith:160
I am new to workin out, i did do ripptoes for 3 months
then got tied up with work, missed a few workouts and ended up
stopping, and just barely going to gym.
Thing is i kept eating like i was on the workout[bulk]..
..:Goal:..
sixpack and be toned by summer!!
I do not need to be BIG, just toned&defined.
I know i do not have much to work with.
Once i meet this goal,maybe in the fall i will do a clean bulk.
..:Diet:..
here is what i think will work.
[i do not know much] advice here please.

meal1-two egg whites, 1/2 cup oats
meal2-whey shake
meal3-chicken portion, veggies, 1/2 cup oats
meal4-whey shake
meal5-chicken portion, veggies, light carb?
meal6- cottege cheese or some natural pb [bedtime]
..:Advice:..
I would like to know a work plan/cardio i can follow while tryin to cut.
Also if i can have some advice on my diet.
is this possible in 3 months[summer]..

..:Pics:..
[took today]
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/fiddynick/IMG_0381.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/fiddynick/IMG_0382.jpg

Hi, welcome to JSF. Glad you joined:) Let's see if we can try and help you out.


meal1-two egg whites, 1/2 cup oats
meal2-whey shake
meal3-chicken portion, veggies, 1/2 cup oats
meal4-whey shake
meal5-chicken portion, veggies, light carb?
meal6- cottege cheese or some natural pb [bedtime]

At first glance, this seems to be very low on calories. You have no fruit, or healthy fats except for the last meal. Here are some general tips:

meal1 - Two eggwhites is an awfully small serving of protein. Try 2 whole eggs, 4-6 eggwhites and some grapefruit here. Also, bump that 1/2 cup of oats to 3/4 or even a full cup:eat:
meal2 - We'll need a little more detail here. Is this a post workout shake? If not, and if you have the time to eat, I would prefer some whole food. Nothing wrong with shakes, but I prefert foods cuz they make me feel fuller.
meal 3 - Make sure this is a decent serving of chicken to give you a good amount of protein. Pile on the veggies, and consider replacing the oats with some healthy fat - maybe olive oil or almonds.
meal 4 - Refer to meal 2.
meal 5 - Refer to meal 3. The light carb choice is up to you. I personally think it depends on the rest of your plan (when you workout, your macros...).
meal 6 - This is good. I would make it 1 cup of cottage cheese and 2 tbsps of peanut butter.

I would like to know a work plan/cardio i can follow while tryin to cut.

There are tons of different workout plans available on this site and others. Do a simple search and find something that fits your schedule. The advice I will give you is that you may benefit most from compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, dips, rows.... Make sure you choose a program that has those and not just a bunch of isolation work.

is this possible in 3 months[summer]..

It doesn't look like you have too much fat to lose. I think it's possible. :gl:

ps: Read the stickies if you haven't already!

What's the time frame your meals are being spaced out on?

Your caloric intake looks too low & you could use more healthy fats.

I'd suggest starting a fitday log to help you keep tabs.

meal3-chicken portion, veggies
What's a "portion"? How much vegetables?



Cardio: imo, do what you prefer. Biking, HIIT, LISS, running or walking. It'll be important that you incorporate weight training with a cardio routine.

You have a good frame to start with; I'm sure you'll reach your goals with some dedication.:gl:

thanks for replies i was boiling eggs, came back to read replies
dropped 4 more in..:tu:

I work 10am-6pm mon-fri.
my job is very easy. i pretty much drive all day
and a PA for my boss/friend. so eating is easy/possible
to rime right
I will work out 8:30 on the days i do.??

should I do meal1 after workout?

8:30-workout.
9:30-meal1
11:30-meal2
2:00-meal3
4:30-meal4
6:30-meal5
11:00-meal6
Is this timing ok???
think I should replace shake[s] with whole food.?

chicken is one full breast which will be fulling for me.
veggies is 3/4-1 cup..
i just thought less is more for cutting>?

thanks for the help....

should I do meal1 after workout?

I would recommend eating 60-90 minutes before your workout. Have a protein shake after the workout with carbs in it, and then proceed to have your regular meals.


9:30-meal1
11:30-meal2
2:00-meal3
4:30-meal4
6:30-meal5
11:00-meal6
Is this timing ok???

Again, I would eat before the workout, so maybe a meal at 7:30. Have the shake at 9:30, and continue on. As for the timing, I would space them out a bit more so that meal 5 and 6 aren't so far apart. Maybe 9:30, 12, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10 - something like that.
think I should replace shake[s] with whole food.?


i just thought less is more for cutting>?

Not exactly;)

sounds good, would that be 7 meals though?

meal1 being before workout. ?

or like you said before can i switch out whey shake for whole food or small meal.
just do not want to eat lunch at 12[meal3] and no dinner[meal5] till 7:30..
what friuts are best to add?..

thanks dluc and sorry for confusion... want to make sure i am
following this correct.

Lots of people like to have grapefruit in the morning (thanks to GTX ;)) and also courtesy of GTX pineapple is regularly consumed in the last meal.

I love fruit so I eat all kinds.
Apples, oranges, strawberries, grapes, kiwi fruit.
I also like to mix raspberries and blueberries in with my protein shakes

It seems to me, your goal is to lose fat -- or "cut." I would suggest you get real serious about counting the calories. Do you know how many calories you're consuming?

Too many calories -- you will spin your wheels and keep the fat. Too few calories -- you will lose muscle mass and your metabolism will go down, you'll feel tired all the time and keep the fat.

If you're serious, I would suggest keeping a journal (I do mine on a spreadsheet, like John Stone). Track all your calories every day until you can predict your calorie count pretty accurately.

Otherwise, it looks like you've got a good plan here. I'm sure you can make your goal. My only question is about calories. For example, how much chicken are you eating? Remember, 6-pack abs are made in the kitchen. The gym can improve the way they look but the gym will never get you that 6-pack. Only the kitchen can do that.

With dedication, you can certainly do it by summertime. You've got a good frame. If you cut hard now, and bulk starting in the fall, cut next winter and spring, you'll be big and cut by summer 2008!

Glad you're here. Good luck. I hope this helps.

thanks all..

I just started a fitday..hopefully that will help some.
so far i am eating from my first post untill i can confirm what to sub for shakes??

also my meal1 before workout?? 7 meals?

seems like too big of a gap for lunch and dinner..[shake--sub]

maybe please a rundown on my meals if i work out at 8:30

and i have stil been searching for a workoutplan..
read through stickies..

thanks all..

I just started a fitday..hopefully that will help some.
so far i am eating from my first post untill i can confirm what to sub for shakes??

also my meal1 before workout?? 7 meals?

seems like too big of a gap for lunch and dinner..[shake--sub]

maybe please a rundown on my meals if i work out at 8:30

and i have stil been searching for a workoutplan..
read through stickies..

I don't quite understand what the problem is. I suggested something like:

7:30 - meal 1
8:30 - workout
9:30 - meal 2
12:00 - meal 3
2:30 - meal 4
5:00 - meal 5
7:30 - meal 6
10:00 - meal 7

Does that help at all?

I don't quite understand what the problem is. I suggested something like:

7:30 - meal 1
8:30 - workout
9:30 - meal 2
12:00 - meal 3
2:30 - meal 4
5:00 - meal 5
7:30 - meal 6
10:00 - meal 7

Does that help at all?
meal1-four egg whites, 1/2 cup oats, grapefruit[7:30]
WORKOUT[8:30]
meal2-whey shake[10:00]
meal3-chicken portion, 1cup veggies, 1/2 cup oats[12:30]
meal4-whey shake<<<<????[3:00]
meal5-whey shake<<<<????[5:00]
meal6-chicken portion, veggies, light carb?[7:00]
meal7- cottege cheese or some natural pb [bedtime][10:00]

my question is meal 4and5 should I eat another actual meal?
i just feel i will be hungry around meal 5.

thanks Nick

meal1-four egg whites, 1/2 cup oats, grapefruit[7:30]
WORKOUT[8:30]
meal2-whey shake[10:00]
meal3-chicken portion, 1cup veggies, 1/2 cup oats[12:30]
meal4-whey shake<<<<????[3:00]
meal5-whey shake<<<<????[5:00]
meal6-chicken portion, veggies, light carb?[7:00]
meal7- cottege cheese or some natural pb [bedtime][10:00]

my question is meal 4and5 should I eat another actual meal?
i just feel i will be hungry around meal 5.

thanks Nick

Replace #4 or #5 with a meal.
Add healthy fats with #2 or meal #3. Nuts, natural PB, olive oil (as mentioned), etc.

at about 1800 a day is that good????

here is what i ate today...

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=fiddynick

at about 1800 a day is that good????

here is what i ate today...

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=fiddynick

No. Too few. If fitday is correct, and you're burning about 3000 calories/day, you need to bump up your calorie intake to about 2000 at the mimimum, and probably more like 2200 or 2300.

At 1800, your metabolism will slow down and you'll go into starvation mode, your body will get rid of muscle quicker than fat. You sure don't want that. Increase portion size a little for each of your meals, you'll be doing much better.

alright...

can i add any thing to each meal..[fats etc.]
or should i just make some bigger chicken portions.?

Thanks Nick

I found combining fats with protein and carbs with protein very effective (while cutting and clean bulking).
This way you have protein at each meal and 3 servings of carbs and 3 serving of fat. Perfect.
Often I have 7-8 meals. Dont worry about the numbers of meals as long as your macros add up.

I found combining fats with protein and carbs with protein very effective (while cutting and clean bulking).
This way you have protein at each meal and 3 servings of carbs and 3 serving of fat. Perfect.
Often I have 7-8 meals. Dont worry about the numbers of meals as long as your macros add up.


I always avoid Fat/Carb meals as well.
As for your title. It's entirely possible before summer IMO :cool:
There's lotsa suggestions for your diet from the members, if you follow it, you'll do great. Be sure to do your :bb: too!

thank you guys verymuch.
added naturalPB to each meal after oats.

hit the gym today for a 3mi run/ other various work outs.

as a last favor can you point me in the right direction for a work out plan to meet my goal. I am new to workouts.

the only one i know is ripptoes 3x5 and thats what
i am following.[which i know is a bad idea for cutting]

thanks,
_nick

i've never tried it personally but there is a program by Chad Waterbury called 'high frequency' I believe which is a weight training plan designed for people cutting.
Have a look on http://www.t-nation.com (http://www.t-nation.com/) for it.

i have been followin my diet guys but still hard to find a simple yet easy to use workout. just switched to a very nice gymm and i need a work out to help keep my muscle and get my sixpack please??

I looked at HST workout but that seems like a muscle gain program??
i checked t-nation but didnt find any that seemed easy to follow like ripptoes 3x5....

thanks Nick

i have been followin my diet guys but still hard to find a simple yet easy to use workout. just switched to a very nice gymm and i need a work out to help keep my muscle and get my sixpack please??

I looked at HST workout but that seems like a muscle gain program??
i checked t-nation but didnt find any that seemed easy to follow like ripptoes 3x5....

thanks Nick
Rippetoe's program is great. Follow it as he layed it out and stick with it. :tu:

ripptoe even though my goal is to cut?

i may try HST training ??

with my goals and 1500 CALORIE intake...just dont know..

ripptoe even though my goal is to cut?

i may try HST training ??

with my goals and 1500 CALORIE intake...just dont know..

I lift very similarly cutting as I do bulking. Cutting, I may not do quite as much overall, but it isn't THAT much different.

Lots of people (including John) around here have cut on MAX-OT, for instance. It's lower rep/high intensity.

1500 calories sounds a bit low to me, though.