Hello, sorry if the title is disorienting, what it means is that for about a month i have been laxidasically following the "abs diet" meal plan or guideline, but when i put into fitday what i am eating, which is right according to my abs diet guideline, i see this...
Calories Eaten Today

grams cals%totalTotal: 2625 Fat:126 1135 44% Sat:23 204 8% Poly:57 509 20% Mono:38 342 13%Carbs:230 837 32% Fiber:20 0 0%Protein:157 628 24%Alcohol:0 0 0%
and the basic rundown of food (sorry i cant insest the whole image)
is
m1. glass of milk with whey protein and banana
m2. honey and pb sandwhich - unshelled sunflower seeds/almonds
m3. chicken and greenpeppers grilled in olive oil
m4. yogurt with flaxseed and apple
m5. chicken on spinach salad and low-fat oriental dressing
m6. milk with whey protein and apple

and the end-all count for this day of eating is....
cal - 2625
fat - 126
carb - 230
prot - 157.

now my exercise is not that good i know.. it will usually consist of 2 days a week of running around 6.5 mph for 30 minutes..
and three days of about 5 sets of 10 reps of dips and 5 different abs excersizes (again, following the abs diet program loosely)


NOW HERE ARE STATS AND GOALS
5'7"
20 yrs old
male
182 lbs

now, two months ago i was 170 lbs, i do not know if the muscle i gained has affected my weight so drastically but i am not too worried with the scale, as i have read i know its not good. but at certain points, i.e. once a month, i just check it to see whats going on with my weight. but i will say that i have managed, in a month to turn my saggy boobs around with doing that dips exercise, i have been lazy i know in doing my inclined push-ups and other upper-body builds. (i have no access to gym, nor the money to do so, i know its like 30 bucks a month at someplaces but i tell you, i cant afford that, so my workouts have consisted of using my body weight)

my goal is to be around 155lbs by my birthday which is May the 13th, and according to fitday, i need to lose 2.7lbs a week to get there. what can i do to get near this goal if not blast it out of the water?


fyi, some more information, i joined john stone forums when i was 18 and weighed about 175lbs, then joined cross country my senior year and managed to drop down to 150 lbs, however, lack of maintaing a healthy diet has seen me here 2-years later at 183 lbs. i really really really want to start running 5 days a week atleast 30 minutes a day, but alas, with a new work schedule+girlfriend - not enough time to accomplish my goals.

incase you need this info, i work 7am-3:30, hang out and take my girlfriend to college at 5, wait for her till 9-ish (i know there is a 4 hour gap, but all the driving takes up too much gas, + if i ran on campus id be all sweaty afterwards and would not like to stink up my car, however if thats your suggestion ill probably do it) and then i take her home, spend about an hour with her, then i go hom and i am in bed at 11pm to get up the next day by 6am. anyway, thats about all the info on my life, please help me with any suggestions you might have, im open to anything (except dumping my girlfriend :nope: )

thanks again in advance,
tommy in tejas
http://www.fitday.com/fg/ea8e58.gif Fathttp://www.fitday.com/fg/b0c3dc.gif Carbshttp://www.fitday.com/fg/e8b84c.gif Proteinhttp://www.fitday.com/fg/a087cb.gif Alcohol

Hi tcsheen:) I just want to make sure I'm understanding your post here. You've been following the abs diet for 2 months now, and instead of losing weight, you've added 12lbs. All the while, your training hasn't been all that consistent, or progressive. Have you been taking any other measurements besides scale weight? Have you lost inches around your gut? Do you have any comparison pictures? Are all your days exactly the way you described? Can you spare 30-45 minutes 3 times a week to work out? Are you willing to invest in a set of dumbbells to use for weight training? Sorry for the boatload of questions, but it may help us to help you better:nod:

Hi tcsheen:) I just want to make sure I'm understanding your post here. You've been following the abs diet for 2 months now, and instead of losing weight, you've added 12lbs. All the while, your training hasn't been all that consistent, or progressive. Have you been taking any other measurements besides scale weight? Have you lost inches around your gut? Do you have any comparison pictures? Are all your days exactly the way you described? Can you spare 30-45 minutes 3 times a week to work out? Are you willing to invest in a set of dumbbells to use for weight training? Sorry for the boatload of questions, but it may help us to help you better:nod:

Thanks for the reply dluc,

so far, i have been following the abs diet more in the past month, the first month was just bad eating, then i decided to get more serious about what i take in. and yes, i have added weight, but apologize for no other measurements other than i fit a size 33 comfortably now, where as in the beginning of janurary i was a size 32 comfortably.

and i have another correction, after i did my run yesterday, i showered and weighed myself in the nude, i am actually 177.5 lbs, which made me feel alot better than 183 however i know it's still not that good. as for the comparison pictures i am working on that but i don't have any yet.

yes sir, my days are exactly as described except for Fri, Sat, Sun.

after writing this post, i made a sort of challenge for myself. that is, everyday after work, i can make it home at 3:30, my girlfried has to go to school @5, and that is when she comes back from work (she has a really hard schedule), so i challenged myself to exercise before she gets home, and to be ready when she does so i can take her to school. so yesterday was the first day of this challenge, and i ran from 4:00-4:30, did a series of abs exercises (i love the feel of 'bridging') and 50 pushups, hopped in the shower, and had her backpack and supplies in hand and waiting at 4:55. i guess the time limit on my exercise will help me so that i know i HAVE to get my exercise done and keep it intense! anyway, it's a step for me.

as for the dumbells, i think that i would be willing, but to buy them would probably mean a saturday morning of garage sales, which wouldn't be bad, so this saturday i'll head out and get looking.:tu:

i really hope this helps.

I'm not sure I quite understand either.

I'm not terribly familiar with the abs diet, but I think it's pretty similar to the superfoods diet that I'm fond of. It sounds to me that if your goal is weight loss, you are eating too many calories; specifically, the problem might be your high fat content. None of the foods in your diet sound particularly unhealthy, but a lot of them are very calorically dense - olive oil, peanut butter, flax seeds, whey protein, and honey. Milk calories can also add up pretty quickly, especially if it's not a low fat milk. Vegetables have fewer calories than fruits, in most cases.

It doesn't sound like a lot of calories to me, but maybe your servings of the above items are a little on the large side.

Intead of m2, I'd recommend steamed broccoli with almonds or sunflower seeds, possibly along with a serving of brown rice, or 1/2 a sweet potato. In m3, limit your olive oil to 1tsp. I'm not sure what to recommend for m6, but it doesn't sound ideal.

The abs diet is based on the "Abs Diet Power 12" or something like that... its something like this
A-almonds
B-beans/legumes
S-spinach/other green veggies

D-dairy - milk/yogurt/cottage cheese
I-
E-
T-

P-
O-
W-
E-
R-

hoping not to be infringing on copyright, i had to stop myself, but i hope you get the idea with those. the abs diet bases your diet on 3 meals a day, with 3 snacks in between, and each snack/meal must consist of atleast 2 of the "power foods", i think you are right about too big of servings though, i realize after measuring out 1/2c of cottage cheese last night that i think i am overeating the powerfoods,
i am not quite sure how many calories i am supposed to be taking in.

another thing about the abs diet is to not count calories, just to eat the powerfoods for about 2 weeks while you get your diet in order, then to slowly start working in the workouts they have outlined, which are about 120 different exercises for most parts of the body, and especially highlighted in the book are ways to do the exercises without going to a gym or needing weights. anyway, it sounded good, and before i ran cross country my senior year in high school, i tried the abs diet out and actually surprisingly 10lbs in just a week and a half.... i think i was eating ALOT less than what i was used to...i don't know, it was a freak occurance.

and thanks for the suggestions on the meals, i do appreciate that guave and ill be testing them out tomorrow, as for today, i got a bad start heading off to work and was only able to throw a few foods together....:bang: plus i guess i have allergies cause i feel like crap today, i hope i can run again, because i can barely breath as it is..


-Waaaaahhhhh, Waaaaaahhhh. "you hear that? here comes the Waaaaaaaambulance!"

kidding:cry:

i forget who i got this from, it was in a recent post, but would a diet plan like this work for me? being the size that i am?


"Breakfast: 4 egg whites, 3/4 cup of oatmeal, 1 tbsp PB

Snack: Apple, 1 oz almonds

Lunch: Healthy bread (5 g fiber, 40 cals per slice), 4 oz turkey, grapefruit, salad + that light dressing

Post workout: BENZY SHAKE
1 tbsp PB
1 banana
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 scoops protein

Dinner: 6 oz chicken, 8 oz sweet potato, 2 cups broccoli (rare)

Snack: 4 egg whites" -forgot.

i have been following the abs diet more in the past month, the first month was just bad eating, then i decided to get more serious about what i take in.

Well, it's hard to make progress when you're not eating well:p I agree with statements that Guava made. I too thought the fat was pretty high.

after writing this post, i made a sort of challenge for myself. that is, everyday after work, i can make it home at 3:30, my girlfried has to go to school @5, and that is when she comes back from work (she has a really hard schedule), so i challenged myself to exercise before she gets home, and to be ready when she does so i can take her to school. so yesterday was the first day of this challenge, and i ran from 4:00-4:30, did a series of abs exercises (i love the feel of 'bridging') and 50 pushups, hopped in the shower, and had her backpack and supplies in hand and waiting at 4:55. i guess the time limit on my exercise will help me so that i know i HAVE to get my exercise done and keep it intense! anyway, it's a step for me.

Great idae:tu:

i forget who i got this from, it was in a recent post, but would a diet plan like this work for me? being the size that i am?


"Breakfast: 4 egg whites, 3/4 cup of oatmeal, 1 tbsp PB

Snack: Apple, 1 oz almonds

Lunch: Healthy bread (5 g fiber, 40 cals per slice), 4 oz turkey, grapefruit, salad + that light dressing

Post workout: BENZY SHAKE
1 tbsp PB
1 banana
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 scoops protein

Dinner: 6 oz chicken, 8 oz sweet potato, 2 cups broccoli (rare)

Snack: 4 egg whites" -forgot.

Something along these likes could "work" for anybody as long as the quantities were adjusted for the individual:nod:

The abs diet is based on the "Abs Diet Power 12" or something like that... its something like this
A-almonds
B-beans/legumes
S-spinach/other green veggies

D-dairy - milk/yogurt/cottage cheese
I- Instant oatmeal
E- eggs
T- turkey and other lean meats

P- Peanut butter
O- olive oil
W- whole grains
E- extra protein powder
R- raspberries and other berries
I knew that part, because I'm an avid reader of Men's Health.;) They print it in every issue, so I filled in the places you left blank.

When a food list magically fits into a lettering scheme, it's probably not a very scientific list. There's really nothing magical about peanut butter that should split it from almonds. Nuts are one of the easiest things to overload on.

Honey is not on their list. :nope: I don't like that they don't specifically include fish, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. I think they're great foods.

each snack/meal must consist of atleast 2 of the "power foods", i think you are right about too big of servings though, i realize after measuring out 1/2c of cottage cheese last night that i think i am overeating the powerfoods,
i am not quite sure how many calories i am supposed to be taking in.

another thing about the abs diet is to not count calories, just to eat the powerfoods for about 2 weeks while you get your diet in order, then to slowly start working in the workouts they have outlined, which are about 120 different exercises for most parts of the body, and especially highlighted in the book are ways to do the exercises without going to a gym or needing weights. anyway, it sounded good, and before i ran cross country my senior year in high school, i tried the abs diet out and actually surprisingly 10lbs in just a week and a half.... i think i was eating ALOT less than what i was used to...i don't know, it was a freak occurance.
Sounds like it has great potential, and is a good plan for someone who likes gradual changes. I think it's a good idea that as you get started you shouldn't track quantities, but as you get further on, you need to consider which of those twelve foods is most beneficial for you, and eat more of those and fewer than the others.

Do you eat the same thing every day? Beans more often would probably be a good idea.

Was there a specific problem you had with the fitday stats? Is there a target amount of calories or protein that you're working towards?

Was there a specific problem you had with the fitday stats? Is there a target amount of calories or protein that you're working towards?[/quote]


YAY Men's Health! Reading that has actually kept me on track of a healthy lifestyle, or thinking about a healthy lifestyle rather than just eating what i want and not worrying about gaining fat.

You said nuts are the easiest thing to overload on, so does that mean that an ounce of almonds everyday for say.. meal2 is a bad thing? or is more than an ounce bad. just curious.

I also like fish, well in particular tuna fish (ill eat a can or two a week). i have seen sweet potatoes alot on JSF, however have not seen an actual reason as to why it is good for you? i thought it was all starch?

i agree with you as well that it is great for a gradual start, but i am ready for this to happen now, however id like to know how many calories i need to be taking in, not only to sustain me but to help me lost weight, again, my measurements are 177.5lbs, 5'7", age 20.

i would love to eat the same thing everyday, it just seems more simple, but i often have little time to prepare my meals as well as i should. its either DO prepare my foods and give up my sleep, or get the sleep that i can and grab and go in the morning. and i know dluc agrees with me that sleep is a very precious thing (especially when all i can get seems to be 6hrs.)

again to answer your last question, what i would like to know is how many calories is needed for me to sustain my body as well as lose weight. as for the fitday stats, i am not sure what healthy stats would be, i recognize that there is a problem with my eating habits, but i am not sure what to look for, but you guys have mentioned that the fat content is high, so what should it be at? i feel bad that you guys have to keep asking me questions, i am obviously not that prepared unlike dluc was for his transformation:o . but any help is greatly appreciated.:bow:

I think that the problem is that, if you are trying to lose weight, you are eating too much. I estimate 10x BW for a aggressive cutting diet, and 12.5x BW for a moderate one. At 182, that's 1820 at the lower number and 2275 at the higher one. If you are getting 2625, that's almost 500 calories a day above what I would recommend, and a whole pound per week of potential gain.

The quickest way to estimate calorie needs is to apply a multiplier to your weight like phillydude did. Typically, it takes 15 to 16 times your weight in calories to maintain, at a normal metabolism and moderate activity level. An amount of calories below that will typically result in weight loss (though not always) and amounts above that will typically result in weight gain (though not always). You can also use the formulae in the stickies to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expediture.

From this starting point, you get an idea of the types and quantities of foods that you need. You don't need to measure and track your food every day, but it's nice to calculate out a sample day to check.

One ounce of almonds every day is fine if you're not also eating peanut butter every day. Consuming both will probably make it too easy to go over your calorie target. I rarely eat one ounce of almonds all at once because it doesn't fill me up very much. For those 164 calories in the 1 oz serving of almonds, you could eat 3 oz of salmon plus more than 1 C of brussels sprouts, which is more filling, and contains more nutrients.

Sweet potatoes (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64) have been rated by some nutritionists to be the most nutritious vegetables in existence.

Fat is usually recommended to be kept below 30% of your daily calories. If yours is at 44%, that's a little on the high side, but your sources of fat are pretty healthy, so the proportion might still be okay if the amount of calories was correct. However, your target fibre amount should be at least 25 grams for a 2000 calorie diet. More vegetables (and less honey) is the easiest way to bump up this number.

again guava, thank you phillydude and guava for your information, it's been what i needed to hear, i am going to try and plan out a sample day of food and follow it for 1 month, thats the goal anyway, and now, here are some photos, just 1. to give an idea of what i look like, and 2. to embarrass me enough to start following my diet and exercise religiously....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/397095765_96a1b48e95.jpg?v=0i know, really crappy images and bad lighting, but my girlfriend thinks its weird to one, take pictures of myself without a shirt on and two to post it online....well thats the way its going to be then.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/397095758_1838d0c801.jpg?v=0

wow did i just soak up alot of information or is my brain swelling? i just read through the stickie on My Guide for Nutrition and Weight Loss and did ALL the calculations according to that.

__________________________________________________ __________
the followin are eqations that i used from the topic http://http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=30489&highlight=Total+Daily+Energy+Expenditure
as well as the link that goes to here: http://http://www.mindandmuscle.net/mindandmuscle/magpage.php?artID=35&pageNum=1

so my BMI is 27.7, i used that for the equations to find my BF and got this:

21.64%BF - deurenberg formula1


20.333%BF - deurenberg forumula2

21.642%BF - Gallagher Formula3

21.197%BF - jackson-pollock formula

AVG BF% - 21.203% BF
__________________________________________________ ___________
then i got this for my caloric deficit -

657.293 is the caloric deficit that fat mass can support on a daily basis.

with BF% 21.203, i have 37.635325lbs of fat and my maintanence calorie intake is 2662.5 which means that i need to cut 1500 cal/day to make my calorie intake a total of 1495.80/day to lose 1.5lbs of fat a week.

but for the "rule of thumb" method - 11cal/lb x 177 = 1947cal intake

_so there is problem right there, in the sense that is my calorie intake going to be 1495/day or roughly 1950/day. according to that thread.
__________________________________________________ ____________
however according to the stickie in the beginners section, here are the calculations that i get from there:

MY STATS
Weight - 80.285 849 49 kilogram
AGE - 20
Height - 170.18 centimeter

{BMR = 66 + (13.7 X 80.28584949) + (5 X 170.18) - (6.8 X 20)
{BMR = 66 + 1099.9 + 850.9 - 136
{BMR = 1880.8

i am between categories 1 + 2 = 1.2875
BMR X 1.2875 = 2421.53 = to sustain my body weight.

noting that 1lb of fat is 3500 calories, 500cal/day will get me 1lb of fat off a week. so 2421.53 - 500 = 1921.53

so 1921.53 cal/day will see me losing 1 lb of fat a week.

1gram protein/1lb = 177g of protein daily
4 calories/cal = 708cal of protein
% = 708/1921.53 = 36% protein

20% fat intake = 384.306cal from fat
9cal/1g of fat = 42.7g fat/day

44% - daily carbs = 845.47cal
4cal/g of carbs = 845.47/4 = 211.36g

SO the MACRONUTRIENT PERCENTAGES ARE
CARB:PROTEIN:FAT
44 : 36 : 20

may i remind everyone what it seems my macronutrient percentages were on 02/19/2007


32 : 24 : 44

im a studying fool : :read:

with 6 meals a day, my calorie intake should be 320.255/meal to lose 1lb of fat a week.
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so which one is better? i have no idea, but i am now really looking into meal plans to see which one looks do-able