As of this morning:

5'10"
215 lbs
24% bf (according to scale, other means put me between 21-24%)

I started out Jan 1 at 260 lbs. I lost a good percentage of fat at first, but have slowed to a rate of about 1lb per week. I know some people say that is probably close to ideal, but I would prefer to be at about 2lbs per week. I would think by my calculations that I should be close to that, but somehow I am stuck at no more then 1lb. My initial goal was to be at 200lbs by my birthday (8/15), but at this point I need to drop more then 2lbs per week to make it. I hate not being able to hit a goal, especially since when I set it I thought I would be able to do that and more.

As for what I eat, I use yesterday as the perfect example, almost every day is close to this:

Breakfast 9am:
1 cup All the Whey protein, chocolate
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch with 8oz 1% milk
1 cup (8oz) coffee, black

Snack 12pm:
1 serving Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme Pretzels
1/4 cup peanuts

Lunch 3pm:
6" Subway Turkey & Ham sub, meat cheese lettuce and tomato only
1 small bag Baked Lays chips

Snack 6pm:
1 serving Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme Pretzels
1/4 cup peanuts
1/2 cup strawberries

Dinner 9pm:
3/4 cup white rice
1 large chicken breast
16oz orange juice

Total: 2260 cals, 22% fat 50% carb 27% protein (typcially falls just about 20/50/30)

As for the workout, it looks like this just about every week:
Sunday - Roller Hockey, 1 hour
Monday - Gym - biceps, back and abs
Tuesday - Run, slow pace, 5k
Wednesday - Gym - Legs
Thursday - Run, slow pace, 5k
Friday - Gym - shoulders, chest, triceps
Saturday - Run, slow pace, 5k

So there it is... is there anything I can change in the above that would get me closer to 2 lbs per week? Anything in the diet? Should I add more cardio, perhaps in the mornings on the days I go to the gym?

Thanks.

As of this morning:

5'10"
215 lbs
24% bf (according to scale, other means put me between 21-24%)

I started out Jan 1 at 260 lbs. I lost a good percentage of fat at first, but have slowed to a rate of about 1lb per week. I know some people say that is probably close to ideal, but I would prefer to be at about 2lbs per week. I would think by my calculations that I should be close to that, but somehow I am stuck at no more then 1lb. My initial goal was to be at 200lbs by my birthday (8/15), but at this point I need to drop more then 2lbs per week to make it. I hate not being able to hit a goal, especially since when I set it I thought I would be able to do that and more.

As for what I eat, I use yesterday as the perfect example, almost every day is close to this:

Breakfast 9am:
1 cup All the Whey protein, chocolate
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch with 8oz 1% milk
1 cup (8oz) coffee, black

Snack 12pm:
1 serving Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme Pretzels
1/4 cup peanuts

Lunch 3pm:
6" Subway Turkey & Ham sub, meat cheese lettuce and tomato only
1 small bag Baked Lays chips

Snack 6pm:
1 serving Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme Pretzels
1/4 cup peanuts
1/2 cup strawberries

Dinner 9pm:
3/4 cup white rice
1 large chicken breast
16oz orange juice

Total: 2260 cals, 22% fat 50% carb 27% protein (typcially falls just about 20/50/30)

As for the workout, it looks like this just about every week:
Sunday - Roller Hockey, 1 hour
Monday - Gym - biceps, back and abs
Tuesday - Run, slow pace, 5k
Wednesday - Gym - Legs
Thursday - Run, slow pace, 5k
Friday - Gym - shoulders, chest, triceps
Saturday - Run, slow pace, 5k

So there it is... is there anything I can change in the above that would get me closer to 2 lbs per week? Anything in the diet? Should I add more cardio, perhaps in the mornings on the days I go to the gym?

Thanks.

Cut out any kind of dairy products, they inhibit fat loss. Increase your protein intake to around 40% of ur diet hopefully making 20ish fat 40ish carbs 40ish protein. Nix the white rice and change it to brown rice. Don't rely on fast food restaruants yes it includes Subway. Try almonds instead of peanuts. Orange Juice is no-no... Go only water. You should be drinking at least 10 glasses of water a day (around .8-1 gallon a day). No chips, its junk food bad for your metabolism.... just replace it with veggies.

Ditch the pretzels ... that's like downing handfuls of sugar. Make small adjustments - i.e. turn the cup of protein powder and Kashi into 3/4 cup of protein powder and Kashi. Add about 5 - 10 minutes of moderate cardio daily.

You'll get there!

Jeremy

Hi DavidBerger...

Here are my suggestions:

-Cut out the milk and cereal in the morning and replace with med GI carb like oatmeal. Cereal is processed and milk is high in sugar/carbs
-chips? pretzels?on a cut?? sorry but not gonna work
-the sub should also go and replace with a tuna sandwhich on 100% whole wheat bread
-if your gonna have fruit, which is also not reccommended on a cut, have it earlier in the day, and no juice, that is very high in sugar/carbs and your having it late in the day, double negative!

As per your workut I would definitely increase cardio. Most people serious about cutting do it 4-6 days/week. Mix some HIIT(approx 5 mins if your just starting off doing this and work your way up) and moderate intensity (approx 45 mins)

Here are some other general rules....keep all high GI carbs to a minimal or not at all besides post workout. Only eat carbs in the morning after waking and post workout. Make sure you getting adequate amounts of protein and getting your EFA's, I suggest flax oil.

Thats all I can think of now, no offence but their are a lot of things you can do to make your diet a LOT better!! And diet is the most important part of cutting!! A six pack is made in the kitchen, not the gym!

Good luck...anymore questions just ask! ;)

Hi DavidBerger...

Here are my suggestions:

-Cut out the milk and cereal in the morning and replace with med GI carb like oatmeal. Cereal is processed and milk is high in sugar/carbs
-chips? pretzels?on a cut?? sorry but not gonna work
-the sub should also go and replace with a tuna sandwhich on 100% whole wheat bread
-if your gonna have fruit, which is also not reccommended on a cut, have it earlier in the day, and no juice, that is very high in sugar/carbs and your having it late in the day, double negative!

As per your workut I would definitely increase cardio. Most people serious about cutting do it 4-6 days/week. Mix some HIIT(approx 5 mins if your just starting off doing this and work your way up) and moderate intensity (approx 45 mins)

Here are some other general rules....keep all high GI carbs to a minimal or not at all besides post workout. Only eat carbs in the morning after waking and post workout. Make sure you getting adequate amounts of protein and getting your EFA's, I suggest flax oil.

Thats all I can think of now, no offence but their are a lot of things you can do to make your diet a LOT better!! And diet is the most important part of cutting!! A six pack is made in the kitchen, not the gym!

Good luck...anymore questions just ask! ;)


lol, its not me. its GM enthauist lol.
i know my stuff ;)

Ahhh sorry DavidBerger!! haha

That was meant for you GM Enthusiast! hehe :o

A couple questions/comments about the food:

Fast food is pretty hard to rule out completely. Fist off, I seldom have time to make something to take to work with me. Second, I get a little movement in my day because I walk the 1/2+ mile to the fast food joints (otherwise I just sit at a desk). Third, I didn't think it was that bad. For example, the meal above - the sub is 330 cal 22g protein less then 9g fat. If it really is going to make a difference though, I'll certainly count it out.

Chips and pretzels - looking at 120/130 cals each, almost no fat, and a bit of protein... really bad? Whats the best thing to replace them with, that would give me about the same amount of cals?

Cardio - I don't have any equipment myself, and going to the gym every morning seems like it could become too much of a chore. Would about 1 mile of moderate pace running be good?

Oh and last thing, I am drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day. The OJ is just for dinner time, and I have no problem cutting that out also. I just want to make sure that I don't then go too far under how many calories I consume in a day.

Thanks again.

I think what you have yet to realise, which took me a long time I must admit - thinking that 'only this' and 'just that' here and there is OK, such as your fast food and what not. Over a day or a week or a month it all adds up and it are these little things that you think are fine for your diet which are holding you back. I used to eat microwave meals that were 'low fat' 'healthy' or whatever their marketing crap is, so I used to eat these, but they are full of sugar instead usually, hiwch is just as bad.

Like Jeremy said, pretzels are full of sugar, they may well be 120 cals, but thats 120 cals you could have spent on something that is nutritionally worth eating - you get where I'm comming from? The more crao that you throw out from your diet the better, and it really makes a difference because I have done it myself.

I just recently read a study (in swedish...sorry, but for those of you linguists out there - here it is:Paulun (http://www.paulun.se/paulun_pop.asp?idContent=338) ) stating that the best time to have the fatty foods of the day is at breakfast. Since the body is coming out of 'hibernation' - the fat ingested at this time of the day will go directly into fueling the body - and not end up being stored for later use i.e adding bodyfat.

Food for thought (pun!)

Well first off...subway sandwhiches dont seem that bad, and they're not HORRIBLE however they are not optimal. The bread is full of sugar along with the other things that are on it. You said that it is only this many calories and this much fat and carbs but what about sugar? that spikes insulin and is then stored as fat if you eat to many carbs

chips are deep fried potatoes. White potatoes are bad in itself but deep fried ones are bad x 1000. and pretzels are almost equally as bad. high in carbs and salt which helps retain water = bloated

people say calories are calories but it DOES matter where they come from. Instead of chips/prtezels have some almonds or peanuts...you get healthy fats which help fill you up and some quality protein and little carbs
if you eat bread/pasta or anything like that, which you shouldnt, make it 100% whole wheat and eat sweet potatoes instead of white ones

Your saying juice is only x amount of calories but once again its all sugar and sugar gets turned to fat. I havent had a glass of juice in about 3 months. But, crystal light is a good option, the powder kind. add water. tasty juice, 6 cals per serving and no sugar b/c it is sweetened with an artifical sweetner

I suggest adding green fribrous veggies to your diet, they are great for fat loss, speeing up your metabolism and getting healthy nutrients as well.

1 mile of running is ok, but try to make it at least 30 mins. Your body doesnt start using fat until 20 mins into cradio and try to keep it at 65-75% of your MHR = moderate intensity..judge by that

I understand not having much time to make somthing to take to work, but almonds require no preparing, and it only takes 5 mins if that to make a tuna sandwhich or a salad.

Anyways...its up to you to make the changes, and if you really wanna acheive your goals it takes sacrfices, determination and willpower.

:gl:

As of this morning:

5'10"
215 lbs
24% bf (according to scale, other means put me between 21-24%)

I started out Jan 1 at 260 lbs. I would prefer to be at about 2lbs per week. Thanks.

In 6 months, you have lost 7.5lbs a month or 1.88lbs a week. Good job. Most people would be happy with such a loss. The majority seem to feel the faster you lose weight that it wouldn't be a quality loss. Heck you seem to be doing something right.

You are active with sports and running 5K, You hit the gym for I hope a good session with weights. You should give us advice. Keep on track.

Diamond Star, its not true that your body starts to burn off the fat after 20 minutes because it depends on the intensity you're conducting your session with.

Listen, its very simple. Stay away from the junk food and fatty food and instead of chips and pretzels, get some fruit in. Drink a lot of water but not 2-3 gallons like some suggest, yet however much you feel is neccessary to keep you and your muscles refreshed. Make sure you workout (cardio in the morning for about 40-45 mins) and do your lifting in the evenings. Basically, what I've done is I've eliminated all the junk food, and fatty foods, and have been doing cardio in the morning (around 9-10) and then after cardio, I come home and have a can of tuna then rest for an hour or so and head out and play ball for about 2-3 hours. I have seen great results with this ...therefore my point is, our bodies are different and what works for some, doesn't work for others. I eat bread, and pasta and have still lost 40 pounds in 4 months, and noticed changes. Just make sure you stay off the junk food, and get some excercise in there ...its really that simple.

Hope that helps ...lates!

A couple questions/comments about the food:

Fast food is pretty hard to rule out completely. Fist off, I seldom have time to make something to take to work with me.

I hate to break it to you like this, but that is not true. You are just not making it a priority. I have worked with single mothers who work two jobs and go to night class to boot, and if health is a priority, they make time to prepare their meals. Let's be honest - you have time. You have some other priorities that are more important to you than preparing healthy meals. That's fine, but understand you are in control of your time, and if the passion to change is strong enough, you'll find the ways to create it.

Second, I get a little movement in my day because I walk the 1/2+ mile to the fast food joints (otherwise I just sit at a desk). Third, I didn't think it was that bad. For example, the meal above - the sub is 330 cal 22g protein less then 9g fat. If it really is going to make a difference though, I'll certainly count it out.

These are poor quality foods. Deli meats are loaded with nitrates and sodium, both of which are not doing you favors for fat loss.

Chips and pretzels - looking at 120/130 cals each, almost no fat, and a bit of protein... really bad? Whats the best thing to replace them with, that would give me about the same amount of cals?

Yes, bad. You are making the mistake of only looking at calories. While I will be the first to admit that calories in/out are the name of the game, there is also a factor of what is called nutrient partioning. Choosing pretzels versus a slice of whole wheat bread with the same calories might provide you the same "energy balance" and allow you to lose the same pound of fat, but the difference is that with junk food like pretzels and chips, which are empty calories (i.e. you get the calorie but no cofactors like vitamins, minerals, and fiber to process them) you will probably lose some muscle in that pound, while if you choose clean foods, you might actually lose more than that pound of fat and gain a little muscle to boot.

Cardio - I don't have any equipment myself, and going to the gym every morning seems like it could become too much of a chore. Would about 1 mile of moderate pace running be good?

Again, a priorities issue. Is it a chore to brush your teeth each day? What about taking a shower? Zig Ziglar says - "Only floss the teeth you want to keep." Again, you are showing that you are ASKING about fat loss, but not CHOOSING to make it a priority. Sure, it may seem to be a chore at first, but if you want to really tackle this, and be successful, why not adopt a winning mindset and consider it a healthy habit instead of a chore? And really, equipment gym blah blah those are excuses - it's okay to have them, if they make you comfortable, but again, if it is important to you, you can make it happen. It only costs about $10 for a jump-rope and that is all the cardio you'll ever need.

Oh and last thing, I am drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day. The OJ is just for dinner time, and I have no problem cutting that out also. I just want to make sure that I don't then go too far under how many calories I consume in a day.

Thanks again.

:-) If you are having trouble with fat loss, don't drink your calories.

Jeremy

I've noticed in a couple of your posts that you mention the fat content. While I don't advocate going on atkins, he made some good points about the low-fat diet. If you eat little fat, you'll find yourself hungry and wanting more carbs.

When we talk about "clean foods" on this forum, we mean foods that are healthy and will keep our blood sugar stable. I'd recommend you forget about fats and focus on that.

So that means getting rid of the following (to your body you might as well be eating the equivalent in sugar):

3/4 cup white rice
16oz orange juice (!!! holy crap, that's bad)
6" Subway Turkey & Ham sub, meat cheese lettuce and tomato only (unless you have some way of getting it on healthy bread?)
1 small bag Baked Lays chips
1 serving Snyder's of Hanover Old Tyme Pretzels

If you keep your blood sugar stable, you'll feel less hungry (thus allowing you to eat less calories) and your body will be more willing to burn fat as opposed to muscle.

Hope that helps

For exercise, try adding 8-12 minutes of HIIT cardio after your lifting sessions. This is important to really maxmize fat loss, so you might cut back a set or a particluar exercise to make the time. This is a strenuous work out, so work up to it. The only other change would be to get a heart monitor for the 5k runs. Maximizing fat loss requires staying within 65% to 80% of maximum HR, and the monitor is the best way to know real time.

For timing, exerices first thing in the morning before breakfast. Do have a cup of coffee first as it really provides a sense of well being. After the workout, get dressed before eating anything so that you wait 30 to 60 minutes before the first post-workout meal. During the day, snacks are great so that you are never hungry and your metabolism never slows.

For diet, the general rule is that processed foods are easiest to digest and store, and coincidentally offer lower nutritional value per calorie than non-processed. In practice this means chips, breads, pretzels, and any other baked or fried product should be avoided. The only partial exception is brown rice which is boiled and dehydrated so that it requires only a few minutes to prepare. This is a complex carb I highly recommend as a bread replacement.

Fruits are wonderful snacks because they offer needed carbs with low GI-- strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, cherries, cantalope. Vegatables are the same, so try eating sweepotatoes, brocolli, and include fresh spinach in your salads. Foods like brocolli are almost 'free' in that you can eat plenty and not worry about yoru caloric count.

Dairy is definitely needed for calcium, which is the indicator for your body to burn fat stores. The research indicates 800 to 1200 mg calcium is about right, and this can be found in 1-2 two cups of milk. Stick with the low or non-fat varieties, and try soy varieties for taste. Unfortunately, cheese offers far less value for its staurated fat so it really should be cut out in favor of milk.

Everyone will tell you that fats are critical, and I agree. Look for mono and poly unsaturated and avoid saturated like the plague. Peanuts are good, almonds are better. You can keep fats to 20% or less of your daily calorie totals.

I hate to break it to you like this, but that is not true. You are just not making it a priority. I have worked with single mothers who work two jobs and go to night class to boot, and if health is a priority, they make time to prepare their meals. Let's be honest - you have time. You have some other priorities that are more important to you than preparing healthy meals. That's fine, but understand you are in control of your time, and if the passion to change is strong enough, you'll find the ways to create it.
This is true. I guess the real problem is to make sure I'm not being lazy, and also that I know what needs to be done. Sometimes I'm not quite sure what the best thing to eat is. I think that was one of the points of this post. For example - someone mentioned oatmeal - I tried it, I did my best and I simply could not eat it, no matter what I mixed it with. Thats just me - there is a short list of things that I really have a problem with. For example, I can not eat olives of any kind, no matter what they are in. But I digress. You are certainly right, no matter what I CAN do it.

Again, a priorities issue. Is it a chore to brush your teeth each day? What about taking a shower? Zig Ziglar says - "Only floss the teeth you want to keep." Again, you are showing that you are ASKING about fat loss, but not CHOOSING to make it a priority. Sure, it may seem to be a chore at first, but if you want to really tackle this, and be successful, why not adopt a winning mindset and consider it a healthy habit instead of a chore? And really, equipment gym blah blah those are excuses - it's okay to have them, if they make you comfortable, but again, if it is important to you, you can make it happen. It only costs about $10 for a jump-rope and that is all the cardio you'll ever need.
This is why I didn't say it IS a chore, I just said I don't want it to become a chore. I can do things that I have to do, but I can do things well if I enjoy doing them. Sometimes when I go to the gym I do what I know I need to do. But other times when I am really enjoying myself, I get the best workout.

So its pretty much back to the drawing board now for some refinements. Thanks to everyone for your comments, you've pointed out some things to me that I never really considered well enough. I thought my diet was "good enough", but there is obviously plenty of room for improvement. I'll be changing that up based on the suggestions everyone gave. I'll also add morning cardio on lifting days (since lifting is in the evenings after work typically).

Thanks again everyone.

With regards to eating stuff you dislike - try it for a bit longer. I used to think oatmeal was disgusting, now I freaking love the stuff. Honestly, if you really want to make this, you might need to try a bit harder. I appreciate that you have tried and didn't like it, but maybe you didn't give it enough chance. Taste buds can be re-trained to like things that at first you do not like. Admitadly I will never like vegetables, but I still eat them for the sake of a healthy diet.

That certainly could be the case, but I'm not really worried about it. The list of foods that I don't like is VERY short. I can certainly find something else to fill the void left by one particular food.

That certainly could be the case, but I'm not really worried about it. The list of foods that I don't like is VERY short. I can certainly find something else to fill the void left by one particular food.


Make sure that it's lean and healthy.