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2003/09/09, 05:39 PM
Hello all,
I've come for the advice of any and all: be they new or a guru to nutrition/weight loss/exercise/etc. I'm 21 and have always been kinda big. Around Jan of this year I decided enough was enough. I've done pretty good so far losing a total of 86 lbs but I'm still not exactly where I want to be. My workout schedule is 3-days of resistance training(isolating 2-3 muscle groups per day and not working them the rest of the week) and 4 days of cardio (3 of the 4 being after the resistance training) with the cardio being 30-45 mins on an elliptical or a slower end jog. My cal intake is around 950-1000 (yeah I know its low) per day. I've been contemplating taking some glutamine and supplementing in some whey protein since my intake is rather low considering the amount of cals I'm taking in per day.
Does this sound like I'm even remotely on the right track or am I completely off base? I would like to reach 13-15% by this Christmas and was also wondering if that is just a pipe dream or if it could actually be accomplished and if so how. Pretty much the opinions I'm looking for are critiquing my current "program" and seeing what changes I should make. Should I start taking some supplements or should I stay with nothing and strive for no additional help? And lastly if I'm just dreaming that I could see 13-15% by as early as Nov? (Currently I'm around 17-18%). Any help would be much appreciated...sorry I rambled on so much =P
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2003/09/09, 06:01 PM
I can't really give you much advice, but I did want to say congrats on your accomplishments. Its a great feeling seeing how hard work, dedication and disipline can pay off.
Less carbs, more protien would be a good way to reach your goal. Whey protien will definitly help you get more protien in your diet. You may want to throw some HIIT (high intensity interval training) into your cardio as it burns fat far better then any cardio (do some searches of the forums, lots of good info).
In my opinion I would try to increase your calorie intake. Just fill it with good stuff and you don't need to worry about it getting put away into fat. If your hungry all the time then your not eatting enough. Trust me on this. Being hungry sucks. Remember when your hungry your body WILL try to conserve fat stores, not burn them.
Train smart and keep up the good work!
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- Its never about how much you can lift, or how many reps you do. Its just about doing it, and doing it right.
~Brad~
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2003/09/09, 06:13 PM
Welcome. First I think your eating ( i hate the word diet) is mainly the problem. As a 21 year old male 950-1000 is not enough cals at all evenmore so sense you are lifting so much and the amount of cardio. What you have done (at no fault you and a lot of people do not know this) is slow your metabolism down. Good news is that you can make it go faster. Start but replacing the breads and pastas with brown rice and veges. Add in 1-1.5 grams of protein per lb of body weight (200lbs = 200 grams). And drink a lot of water. As for the training I think a change is due do one major bodypart witha smaller part like Chest and Biceps, shoulders and triceps, Back then Legs. If you are not squating and deadlifting start. Go as heavy s you can using the perfect form. See how that works...good luck!
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Eat More, Drink More, and Lift Harder than you thought you could, welcome to Becoming!
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2003/09/09, 06:19 PM
Hey lonewolf,
Take it from another person who hardly ate and lifted weights at the same time, stop it ! You definitely need to eat more. It is hard to grasp the concept eat more lose more, but if you keep to nutritious foods, you're gonna lose more weight.
Once I started eating right and exercising regularly, I hit a plateau. So I started to go over everything to see what I could do to lose those last pounds and to get ripped ! I did the regular stuff and changed up the exercise routine, didn't work. So I tried uping my protein. Wow what a difference. Lost an additional 15lbs and measured in at 18% bodyfat in approx. 4 months. I also changed up my aerobic routine and started incorporating interval training and including spinning classes (which by the way kick your butt !!!).
Just throwin' my 2 cents in....
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2003/09/09, 06:31 PM
Wow never expected replies this quickly LOL =). Thanks for the suggestions so far by the way. I apologize for using that nasty word as I know changing eating habits isn't a diet but a full lifestyle change. My one big question is how many calories should it be? The ft nutritional page says a little over 2000 cals per day...which seems like a lot to me but *shrug* at this point I had been so confused from conflicting points (different programs and the Ballys people also all had their own view on it all). As far as water for the moment I have it covered with about 1.5 gallons per day with no other liquids (although once in awhile I'll get a shake from the Ballys shake/juice bar which are always tasty). So a thought occured to me as well about the whole increase thing. Would it be feasible to perhaps buy the Protein sup and putting it in to do two functions 1) Increase daily intake and 2) Increase cals with something good for me? Also I've seen someone post about it before but what does everyone think of a "cheat day" I use that semi loosely because I still eat healthy but on Sats sometimes I will go out for dinner and get a nice salad or perhaps a "normal" (Normal for what seems the masses of the US =P) meal from there.
Thanks again for the help, support, and just overall =)
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2003/09/10, 11:38 AM
Its probably contrary to most on this board but I do have a cheat day and its usually a garbage can pizza. This is better than the cheat days of old when it was a dozen Krispy Cremes MMMMMMMMMMMMMMbaby they were good.
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2003/09/10, 12:15 PM
You are eating way below your calories needed. I checked your profile and you are young. You should have no trouble burning calories. I feel you need 1800-2300 cals per day to lose with your level of activity. Vary your intake day to day to keep your body guessing and get a ratio of higher proteins to carbs. Make your carbs complex, everything white goes to garbage. If you can't fix meals all the time , (you need 5-6 small meals per day), drink some protein supplements. Try the suggestions offered in the above posts. They are very good. The high intenstity training is good too. Then your goal by November should be more realistic.
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2003/09/10, 02:30 PM
Yikes! I eat 1800 calories per day for maintainance. I weigh 115 pounds. Your body must be starving, which will make it nearly impossible for you to lose more fat. Take the above advice about brown carbs and whole foods. Nothing's impossible if you put your mind to it, but you've got to take care of your body.
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Think you can or think you can't; either way you're right--Goethe
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2003/09/11, 05:57 PM
I can't think of much to add. Everyone seems to have said what I was thinking. Eat more, a little at a time though. Try adding a couple hundred calories a week at a time until you are at your goal. The more muscle you have/build, the more calories and protein you need to sustain it. also the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn as your metabolism speeds up. It seems like, when finding this site, most of us have trouble believing that the reason we are not seeing the progress we want is because we are not eating enough. We've all been taught to believe that to lose weight you need to eat less. That is only true is you don't change anything else. By adding activity to your lifestyle you are already using more calories. And if you have been doing the same routine/split for a while, try changing that too. It's good to change it every 8-12 weeks. Congratulations on deciding to change. Welcome to FT.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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