I've been a lurker here for quite some time, and after the shock of tipping the scale at almost 220 this past weekend (I stand 6'0 with very little muscle) I decided that it was time to take the leap and straighten my life up. I've done quite a bit of reading on the nutrition and supplement board but decided on posting this here as the advice from others could be helpful to others that are also just starting out and are looking for a first step. Unfortunantly I don't yet have a body tape measure or a fat caliper to measure my body fat %, but I have no doubt that it's probably somewhere in the 30's. I know it's going to take a long time to acheive the body that I want. I've gone ahead and ordered both online so hopefully they will be delivered within the next few days. I can take some pics of my current state and keep it updated as I go along in a while.

My main concern with my current diet is that my sugar level is too high, but I cannot think up with any ways of reducing it without skipping fruits altogether (and I cherish my bananas!). I'm following the the 40/40/20 plan as close as I can, and would like some tips or suggestions on foods to switch out, substitute, add, or completely eliminate.
I have only been on this plan for a short time, but I'm pretty hard-headed and refuse to break it. I try as hard as I can but sometimes can only make 5 meals a day, which is better then nothing. I don't eat anything that I don't plan on and I drink nothing but water.
Here's what I've been working on, please feel free to give me some suggestions.

http://i32.tinypic.com/33nhtau.jpg

I'm currently doing 20 minutes of moderate cardio in the mornings before work, and hitting the gym after work on Mon/Wed/Fri. My routine usually includes 3 sets of 10 reps of the following lifts:
Leg Press
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Calf Raises
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Seated Row
Triceps Extension
Biceps Extension

I know there are alot of other lifts I could be doing but being as that I'm still in the process of trying to lost 40-50 lbs of fat I think that this is a good place to start combined with the morning cardio.

Like I said, please feel free to give me your critisism/suggestions. :)

Free Bump cause I like that you are using the same spreadsheet I'm using, it rocks doesn't it?

Just another newbie here, but your eating plan looks really boring. That would drive me nuts. Are you allergic to chicken, fish, and eggs or what? Also, drinking that much protein looks expensive.

The thing that it makes me think is "unsustainable". Are you just going for a short term weight loss or do you want a permanent lifestyle change? I would recommend looking for other healthy meals to incorporate into your diet with a view to getting your protein shake consumption down to just once a day.

You'll lose weight eating like that, but what will happen when you've reached your goal or you just get sick of protein shakes with turkey sandwiches?

So that is my suggestion, add some more variety.

Free Bump cause I like that you are using the same spreadsheet I'm using, it rocks doesn't it?

Just another newbie here, but your eating plan looks really boring. That would drive me nuts. Are you allergic to chicken, fish, and eggs or what? Also, drinking that much protein looks expensive.

The thing that it makes me think is "unsustainable". Are you just going for a short term weight loss or do you want a permanent lifestyle change? I would recommend looking for other healthy meals to incorporate into your diet with a view to getting your protein shake consumption down to just once a day.

You'll lose weight eating like that, but what will happen when you've reached your goal or you just get sick of protein shakes with turkey sandwiches?

So that is my suggestion, add some more variety.

Yeah the spreadsheet is a huge helping hand. I am planning on incorporating a variety of items into my diet over the next week or two. For now I'm just sticking with the easy stuff I can whip together in 5 minutes. I'm sure I'll be adding chicken and a few other things. Today was my first time trying the garden veggie patty and I don't think I can take another one lol.

One thing I'm just trying to find out is if the amount of sugar I take in on a daily basis is going to drastically hurt my progress. It's not much, but every little bit helps I suppose.

Thanks for the reply :D

Welcome!! :tucool: You're in the right place if your trying to make body composition changes for the better!

My feedback:

I recommend:Foley's guide for nutrition for body recomposition (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=41991) yes this works amazingly well for pure fatloss also.

Even more so I recommend SGX (http://www.********.com/)


Your diet looks atrocious. Rasin nut bran...are you kidding me? You ingest the rasins and sugars in the cereal and milk and you are sending your body the message to be anabolic upon rising in the morning. You're trying to lose fat but you're spiking insulin levels first thing in the AM, makes no sense.

Where is the protein? real animal protein, every single meal should be based on this. Shakes are actually great for convenience and you can use them up to 3 times daily. But you still need real animal protein to prevent muscle loss.

Your training:

I leave most of this to other posters who know more about the subject but...

I see no squats
and I see no deadlifts

^^fix that.

Welcome!! :tucool: You're in the right place if your trying to make body composition changes for the better!

My feedback:

I recommend:Foley's guide for nutrition for body recomposition (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=41991) yes this works amazingly well for pure fatloss also.

Even more so I recommend SGX (http://www.********.com/)


Your diet looks atrocious. Rasin nut bran...are you kidding me? You ingest the rasins and sugars in the cereal and milk and you are sending your body the message to be anabolic upon rising in the morning. You're trying to lose fat but you're spiking insulin levels first thing in the AM, makes no sense.

Where is the protein? real animal protein, every single meal should be based on this. Shakes are actually great for convenience and you can use them up to 3 times daily. But you still need real animal protein to prevent muscle loss.

Your training:

I leave most of this to other posters who know more about the subject but...

I see no squats
and I see no deadlifts

^^fix that.


Lol well I always thought of Raisin Nut Bran as fairly healthy, maybe just not for fat loss I suppose. At least I didn't pick Cocoa Puffs :lol:. I will just begin switching it out with egg whites or oatmeal. Should I completely forego high-sugar fruits like bananas or just keep that to a lunch or afternoon thing?

I'll take your advice on the animal protein, chicken is one of my favorite foods anyways.

Thanks for the feedback! Getting pretty late so I will have to read through that Nutrition guide you linked me to tomorrow. :)

just wondering, what kind of program/spreadsheet are you using? sorry for being off topic

just wondering, what kind of program/spreadsheet are you using? sorry for being off topic
It is from the stickies in the Nutrition forum:

http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=5999

Best spreadsheet for calorie tracking I've ever seen. Very easy to use.