After a couple of days of collecting information, I think it's time I migrate my updates into their own journal. This is just the beginning for me, and the goal is to get lean, not become a spartan. That can come later.

The Person:
Age: 23
Height: 6'1
Weight: 239.6 lbs
Fitness level: Computer geek with a part-time farm job

The Goal: Reach 180 lbs, or lean mass, the goal will probably change as I learn more about my body.

The Menu:
Meal 1: 2 bananas, 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1/8th cup of sunflower seeds
Meal 2: 1/2 chicken sub on whole wheat, 1/8th cup of sunflower seeds
Meal 3: 1/2 chicken sub on whole wheat, 1/8th cup of sunflower seeds
Meal 4: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, vector bar
Meal 5: Chicken breast with broccoli and 1/2 cup cottage cheese
Meal 6: 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, yogurt

Current problems with the menu:
- The vector bar is not ideal, needs a replacement that has less sugar and more protein, probably a protein bar of some sort
- Not enough calories, I have trouble getting over 2000 into me in any given day.

The Workouts:
Monday: 45 minutes LISS cardio
Tuesday: 45 minutes LISS cardio, arms/chest/back
Wednesday: 45 minutes LISS cardio
Thursday: 45 minutes LISS cardio, legs
Friday: 45 minutes LISS cardio
Saturday: 45 minutes LISS cardio, abs/core
Sunday: 45 minutes LISS cardio

Once I become more fit I'll probably work in some HIIT on the days I lift.

I'm declaring this to be week 0, this is where I start. I need to get myself some better measuring equipment so I can better track my progress.

Also, a big thanks to this entire forum. This has been a huge inspiration and a motivational factor. Any doubt or waver in my conviction is immediately crushed when I think "WWJSD". Any comments/advice would be greatly appreciated, as I'm still learning. My biggest question is... how do I eat more calories? I know the answer is eat more, but those 6 meals seem fairly balanced and leave me feeling full.

Welcome aboard Caesium.

A few suggestions :

1. You can easily eat more by incoperating all sorts of various nuts and such in your diet. Those are very high in healthy fat and therefor are very high in calories.

2. I think you may need a little more Variety in your
food options. I too tend to eat the same thing day
in and day out, but not to the extent of eating the
same foods 3/4 times a day.

3. Have some rest days, at least one and two would be
better.

If u can post your full resistance training routine I'm sure
You will get some good advice regarding that. And If you can give us a breakdown of your diet (macros) that would not hurt either.

Good luck.

Shahar.

Hi and welcome to JSF... well done for coming up with a plan
maybe i can offer a couple of suggestions
add some veggies to most meals :)
maybe try and find some different protein sources as well as your cottage cheese and chicken...tuna, salmon, eggs, egg whites, soya, beans
maybe try and find some different carb sources instead of at least one of the bread meals... sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal?
How much water are you drining daily?
I would up your calories at least to start with

Just a few thoughts, I am sure others will add stuff too..

:gl: with your fitness journey

Thanks for the feedback :)

The exercise breakdown looks like this:

Back
-------------
Bent-over row
Rear pulldown
Shrugs

Chest
-------------
Bench press
Flies
Dips

Arms
-------------
Curls
Concentration curls
Kickbacks

Legs
-------------
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Squats
Calf Raises

Abs/Core
-------------
Crunches
Side crunches
Abdominal vacuums
Leg lifts

And seeing all that, back gets moved to Thursday with the legs. I'm probably not doing the "best" exercises, but the gym I go to really isn't that great (school's) and it doesn't have a lot of the equipment I need. I'll probably throw in some push ups sometimes, since I like doing them and they do a decent job with my chest (or at least I feel like they do).

My water intake is quite high, I drink 3-4 liters (0.8-1 gallons, 12.5-17 cups) per day. While in college this tends to suffer, since the junk drinks are cheaper than the water. I'll fix this by bringing my own, something I should have been doing all along. For the most part my pre-transformation diet isn't too bad except for the daily trip to Tim Hortons (it's religion) or the occasional energy drink. No more of them for me.

My menu is a bit of a concern, but the reason it's limited right now is because I've only started constructing it. Each new food has to be analyzed, measured, and fit in before I can allow myself to eat it. I'll mix in some pastas and some cauliflower, probably some apples, pineapples, and potatoes. One problem I do have is that I dislike a lot of vegetables (anything from the onion family, except garlic). I'm trying to fix things, but it takes time. I have the benefit of absolutely loving what is currently on my menu now, so I don't think sticking to it will be a huge issue. I do have a question for everyone though, what's the deal on dill pickles? I checked them out and the nutritional information seems acceptable, but there may be something I'm missing. I'm guessing that the salt/vinegar might be an issue.

I will be adding nuts to my diet, I recently added the sunflower seeds, which kind of take up that bracket. I'll be adding almonds and, if I can afford them, cashews.

This week has been kind of hard, I've had a lot of stuff going on and my motivation has been stomped on. College is getting down to the end of the year and I still have tons of work to do, my every waking moment is spent hammering things out, other than when I'm exercising. I've stuck to my cardio schedule faithfully, but I haven't been able to get to the gym at all. I've supplemented my workout plan with bodyweight exercises to make up for this.

Despite eating super clean, limiting my calorie intake, and working out every day, I've gained two pounds. I don't understand how this happens, but whenever I start a workout plan and rework my diet I seem to gain weight instead of losing it. Maybe it was just the day I weighed myself on, but having this happen is very frustrating. Regardless, I'm sticking with the plan and I'm confident that I'll reach my goal eventually. I feel trimmer, that's what matters.