Whats up everybody,
I've done a decent amount of research and am pretty sure I am implementing it well, but not seeing what I wanna see.
diet:
breakfeast - instant oatmeal (1 pack) or 3-4 egg whites (alternate between these two, oatmeal has roughly 100 calories, 8 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein)
Snack: 1 oz Almonds
Lunch: Turkey sandwich - no cheese, teaspoon miracle whip (I stack the turkey a decent amt, I'd guess roughly 25 grams of protein in the sandwich, very low amt of fat from low fat miracle whip)
Snack: 1 oz Almonds again
Dinner: Chicken Breast w / sweet potato
or Lean Ground Turkey tacos on multigrain tortilla
Just a few examples, I have a variety of menu items, all about the same nutritional value.
All this with roughly 2 to 3 protein shakes (made with water)
All diet revolves around a high protein intake.
As far as workout routine:
Mon - Chest / Tricep - 5 exercises for chest each at 3 sets 25 reps, 15 -20 reps, and 10 - 15 reps.. I do this for flat, incline, decline, outer, inner
Tricep - Same set and rep routine, tricep push down with rope, overhead tricep push with rope, palms face up tricep push down with straight bar...
Tues - Legs / Shoulders - Same set and rep routine as above, squats, quad push, hamstring pulls, calf raises... Shoulders - shoulder press with bar, shoulder raise with bar, lateral raise with dumbells, shoulder shurgs, straight arm dumbell raise with dumbells.
Wed - Back / Biceps - Lat pull down, pull-ups , rear delt pulls, lat raises, bent over rows
spider curls, preacher curls, suicide bicep curls with bars, front bicep preacher curls, decline bicep curls
I vary routine roughly every month so that I'm not developing muscle memory with these routines.
I make sure I get roughly 25-30 minute of HIIT Cardio 3X a week.
This isnt reducing how I think it should, abs still hidden..
Currently, I'm 155, 5'7.
Strength: usually flat bench 135 25 times straight, then up to 145 for 15 - 20 reps, then 10-15 reps i usually stick to 145 cause im pooped!
Pull-ups - Can do 10 no prob.... second set, can do 10 little more of a prob.. 3rd set can do about 6 then i need a 20 sec break and can finish out remaining 4...
Biceps, can preacher curl 25 lbs on each side of the creacher curl bar roughly 10 - 15 times....
Advise??
Cut Fat Gain Muscle
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
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cassiegose
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Hi there!
Its sounds like you're very motivated! Thats great! You mentioned that youre still not seeing what you want to see. What exactly are your goals? I'm assuming to build muscle and cut fat?
Nutrition advice... I would add in some fruits and veggies as it doesn't look like you're getting any.... also cut back on the protein shakes. You don't need this many! Maybe drink one after working out to help your muscles repair but try to get the rest of your protein from solid sources. The almonds are a great choice. You could leave those in your diet as a snack here and there.
meal 1: eggs AND oatmeal and some fruit!
meal 2: fruit and solid protein
meal 3: turkey sandwich with veggies and side salad
meal 4: veggies and solid protein
meal 5: chicken breast (or other protein) w/ sweet potato and VEGGIES! (yay for veggies!) :)
How many calories are you currently consuming? That looks like around 1000? 1200 max! I'm not sure how old or active you are but I don't think you're consuming nearly enough calories. I would increase to about 2000-2500.
For your workouts... Why are you doing so many reps? If youre trying to build muscle you'd be better off increasing your weight and lowering your reps. Those high reps/low weights won't do you much good if your building muscle.
Hope this helps! Ask more questions if necessary. :)
Its sounds like you're very motivated! Thats great! You mentioned that youre still not seeing what you want to see. What exactly are your goals? I'm assuming to build muscle and cut fat?
Nutrition advice... I would add in some fruits and veggies as it doesn't look like you're getting any.... also cut back on the protein shakes. You don't need this many! Maybe drink one after working out to help your muscles repair but try to get the rest of your protein from solid sources. The almonds are a great choice. You could leave those in your diet as a snack here and there.
meal 1: eggs AND oatmeal and some fruit!
meal 2: fruit and solid protein
meal 3: turkey sandwich with veggies and side salad
meal 4: veggies and solid protein
meal 5: chicken breast (or other protein) w/ sweet potato and VEGGIES! (yay for veggies!) :)
How many calories are you currently consuming? That looks like around 1000? 1200 max! I'm not sure how old or active you are but I don't think you're consuming nearly enough calories. I would increase to about 2000-2500.
For your workouts... Why are you doing so many reps? If youre trying to build muscle you'd be better off increasing your weight and lowering your reps. Those high reps/low weights won't do you much good if your building muscle.
Hope this helps! Ask more questions if necessary. :)
Last edited by cassiegose on Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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doshimilan
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Re:
Hello,
Thanks for your comments. To answer some of your questions:
When I say I'm not seeing what want to see its the abs mainly... and yes to build muscle and cut fat.
I liked your suggestions about fruit and veggies, and I definitely know I dont eat enough.... I probably only get 1400 calories a day, and since I weigh 155, shapefit says I need 2400 calories roughly... thats crazy!
About reps and sets... I was told to do this by a bodybuilder, he said it would help me get more cut (ripped).... so not sure what to think here...
As I mentioned to someone else, if I'm eating only 1400 calories, getting 155 grams of protein a day, and lifting and running, why am I not getting "ripped"....
The protein shake thing, the bodybuilder told me to do that as well.... I've heard mixed things about the protein shake thing, but getting a gram of protein per body weight is hard to do with straight chicken breasts and natural meats, so the protein shakes aid with that...
Thanks for your reply, keep them coming
Thanks for your comments. To answer some of your questions:
When I say I'm not seeing what want to see its the abs mainly... and yes to build muscle and cut fat.
I liked your suggestions about fruit and veggies, and I definitely know I dont eat enough.... I probably only get 1400 calories a day, and since I weigh 155, shapefit says I need 2400 calories roughly... thats crazy!
About reps and sets... I was told to do this by a bodybuilder, he said it would help me get more cut (ripped).... so not sure what to think here...
As I mentioned to someone else, if I'm eating only 1400 calories, getting 155 grams of protein a day, and lifting and running, why am I not getting "ripped"....
The protein shake thing, the bodybuilder told me to do that as well.... I've heard mixed things about the protein shake thing, but getting a gram of protein per body weight is hard to do with straight chicken breasts and natural meats, so the protein shakes aid with that...
Thanks for your reply, keep them coming
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Christopheel
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cassiegose
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If you're not seeing what you want in the abs its because you have a layer of fat covering your abdominals. We all have abs... some just have more or less fat covering them. This is totally fixable. :)
Everybody has different routines and strategies that work well for them. That diet plan and workout may have worked well for your body building friend but it sounds like its not really working for you. It might be time to change things up a bit and see if maybe you can start seeing some results.
The best way to cut fat is to build up your muscle. By doing this, your body naturally burns more calories throughout the day (35-50 calories per lb of body fat). So, in lifting weights to build your muscles youre essentially also going to be burning more fat during the day helping your abs and other muscles become more defined.
The reason why youre not losing weight on your 1400 calories a day is because you're not eating enough. When your body is deprived of calories for an extended amount of time your metabolism slows down to make up for the calorie deficit and essentially holds on to all of your fat stores. By upping your caloric intake (with healthy foods) and fueling your body steadily every 2-3 hours your metabolism will stay revved up all day long and will be more apt to burn the fat stores. This is because it will not longer be in starvation mode and feel like it needs to hold on to every calorie. I know this goes against pretty much everything we know about fat loss but I assure you, it really does work. Keep in mind that while you will be upping your caloric intake, you are fueling your body mostly with veggies and lean proteins and your body will have a really hard time storing those as fat. It seems like a lot but it really isn't. :)
Yes you need your veggies and fruits! These are full of necessary vitamins and nutrients... as well as fiber! Plus they're yummy and relatively low in calories.
As for workouts... by doing lots of reps and low weight you are essentially building up muscle endurance... not strength and power. If you're not challenging your mucles to lift more mass they won't have to grow to compensate for the extra mass youre making them lift. Make sense? I would cut the reps down to 5-10 and up your weight to compensate for the lower number of reps.
Hope this helps... feel free to ask more questions if necessary. :)
Everybody has different routines and strategies that work well for them. That diet plan and workout may have worked well for your body building friend but it sounds like its not really working for you. It might be time to change things up a bit and see if maybe you can start seeing some results.
The best way to cut fat is to build up your muscle. By doing this, your body naturally burns more calories throughout the day (35-50 calories per lb of body fat). So, in lifting weights to build your muscles youre essentially also going to be burning more fat during the day helping your abs and other muscles become more defined.
The reason why youre not losing weight on your 1400 calories a day is because you're not eating enough. When your body is deprived of calories for an extended amount of time your metabolism slows down to make up for the calorie deficit and essentially holds on to all of your fat stores. By upping your caloric intake (with healthy foods) and fueling your body steadily every 2-3 hours your metabolism will stay revved up all day long and will be more apt to burn the fat stores. This is because it will not longer be in starvation mode and feel like it needs to hold on to every calorie. I know this goes against pretty much everything we know about fat loss but I assure you, it really does work. Keep in mind that while you will be upping your caloric intake, you are fueling your body mostly with veggies and lean proteins and your body will have a really hard time storing those as fat. It seems like a lot but it really isn't. :)
Yes you need your veggies and fruits! These are full of necessary vitamins and nutrients... as well as fiber! Plus they're yummy and relatively low in calories.
As for workouts... by doing lots of reps and low weight you are essentially building up muscle endurance... not strength and power. If you're not challenging your mucles to lift more mass they won't have to grow to compensate for the extra mass youre making them lift. Make sense? I would cut the reps down to 5-10 and up your weight to compensate for the lower number of reps.
Hope this helps... feel free to ask more questions if necessary. :)
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doshimilan
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Re:
Well guys, you have completely transformed way of thinking. Thank you all for your great advise, big takeaways from this are:
* Eat more calories (Veggies, Fruits added in to meals)
* Change lifting routine (Try Waterburys method)
It boggled mine learning that eating more calories would help me burn more fat; however, I get the logic.
Few questions remain:
1) "I dont care how much you bicep curl, how much do you dead lift?" Is dead lifting supposed to work your biceps out better? I was under the impression dead lifts are good for your lower back?
2) Protein....taking 2 to 3 shakes a day is not advisable is what I'm hearing, but I still dont know why completely. I heard about the insulin spike, but still dont understand because most of lifting buddies do this and look just fine.... To get a gram of protien per your body weight on just meats is EXTREMELY difficult in opinion, so this is just a nice way to supplement that...
Any thoughts?
* Eat more calories (Veggies, Fruits added in to meals)
* Change lifting routine (Try Waterburys method)
It boggled mine learning that eating more calories would help me burn more fat; however, I get the logic.
Few questions remain:
1) "I dont care how much you bicep curl, how much do you dead lift?" Is dead lifting supposed to work your biceps out better? I was under the impression dead lifts are good for your lower back?
2) Protein....taking 2 to 3 shakes a day is not advisable is what I'm hearing, but I still dont know why completely. I heard about the insulin spike, but still dont understand because most of lifting buddies do this and look just fine.... To get a gram of protien per your body weight on just meats is EXTREMELY difficult in opinion, so this is just a nice way to supplement that...
Any thoughts?
I dont know much but if you are finding it hard to find solid foods that contain high protein i sgguest looking at fish. Things such as tinned tuna, a small tin contains around 35g of protein, 0.6g of fat, no carbs and 146 calories. This is something i consume as a snack or something because a couple of these becomes 70g of protein in solid foods and thats half the daily intake for you. Although look at other things like cod as they are also high in protein. Just eat a combination of egg whites, fish, white meats and maybe nuts although duno how good or bad nuts really are personally.
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cassiegose
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Yes thats right!
As for your first question... I have no idea what biceps have to do with deadlifts. I don't know where youre getting that quote and I'm thinking I'd need to read that in context. Deadlifts work quads and hams...
Second question... I don't like protein shakes because I would rather eat food than drink it. Also, its better to get your protein from real food in order to get the nutritional benefits (vitamins, minerals, nutrients ect) of a balanced diet. Only drinking protein shakes is not going to give you a balanced diet and you're going to be missing out on much needed nutrients. Thats opinion... I'm sure swanso and bossman could give a better answer.
For you to get 155-232 grams a protein a day from real food is not hard at all. This would require you to eat between 26-39 grams of protein per meal and eat 5-6 meals a day. Lets look at your diet plan:
meal 1: eggs AND oatmeal and some fruit!
4 eggs=20 grams oatmeal=7 total=27
meal 2: fruit and solid protein
solid protein=30 total=30
meal 3: turkey sandwich with veggies and side salad
turkey=30 veggies=3 grams bread (2 slices whole wheat)= 6 total=39
meal 4: veggies and solid protein
solid protein=30 grams veggies=3 grams total=33
meal 5: chicken breast (or other protein) w/ sweet potato and VEGGIES! Solid protein=30 veggies=3 grams total =33
meal 6=protein and veggies (optional)
protein=30 grams veggies=3 grams total=33
Thats a total of about 195 grams of protein a day (162 if you omit that last meal). You can do this no problem! Remember that a normal sized chicken breast of fish fillet has about 30 grams of protein (rough estimate) and a 1 cup serving of veggies will have about 3-5 grams depending on the veggie (broccoli and asparagus both have 3 grams per cup). When you break it down it really isn't that hard. Also, remember one egg white has about 3.5 grams and whole egg has about 4.5 grams. In addition, foods like nuts, beans, and dairy products also have protein. (1 oz almonds have about 6 grams of protein).
See! You can do this no problemo. :)
As for your first question... I have no idea what biceps have to do with deadlifts. I don't know where youre getting that quote and I'm thinking I'd need to read that in context. Deadlifts work quads and hams...
Second question... I don't like protein shakes because I would rather eat food than drink it. Also, its better to get your protein from real food in order to get the nutritional benefits (vitamins, minerals, nutrients ect) of a balanced diet. Only drinking protein shakes is not going to give you a balanced diet and you're going to be missing out on much needed nutrients. Thats opinion... I'm sure swanso and bossman could give a better answer.
For you to get 155-232 grams a protein a day from real food is not hard at all. This would require you to eat between 26-39 grams of protein per meal and eat 5-6 meals a day. Lets look at your diet plan:
meal 1: eggs AND oatmeal and some fruit!
4 eggs=20 grams oatmeal=7 total=27
meal 2: fruit and solid protein
solid protein=30 total=30
meal 3: turkey sandwich with veggies and side salad
turkey=30 veggies=3 grams bread (2 slices whole wheat)= 6 total=39
meal 4: veggies and solid protein
solid protein=30 grams veggies=3 grams total=33
meal 5: chicken breast (or other protein) w/ sweet potato and VEGGIES! Solid protein=30 veggies=3 grams total =33
meal 6=protein and veggies (optional)
protein=30 grams veggies=3 grams total=33
Thats a total of about 195 grams of protein a day (162 if you omit that last meal). You can do this no problem! Remember that a normal sized chicken breast of fish fillet has about 30 grams of protein (rough estimate) and a 1 cup serving of veggies will have about 3-5 grams depending on the veggie (broccoli and asparagus both have 3 grams per cup). When you break it down it really isn't that hard. Also, remember one egg white has about 3.5 grams and whole egg has about 4.5 grams. In addition, foods like nuts, beans, and dairy products also have protein. (1 oz almonds have about 6 grams of protein).
See! You can do this no problemo. :)
Last edited by cassiegose on Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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doshimilan
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re:
Alright, so I've been doing more talking and research... Here is some more info I learned.
You want to calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), and if you get 500 calories below your BMR you lose 1 lb, if you stick to it, you maintain your weight.... BMR is like 2700 calories (quite a bit)..
I've also asked a personal trainer his advice, where he said:
" Eat about 6 times a day but only put carbs in two meals, and EOD have 0 carbs"
to learn more about BMR go to: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart ... intake.htm
I have a meeting with a well known nutritionist and body builder next week, I'll make sure I post what I learn from that. His name is Brian Wiefering.
Anyways, if ya have more advise keep postin.
You want to calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), and if you get 500 calories below your BMR you lose 1 lb, if you stick to it, you maintain your weight.... BMR is like 2700 calories (quite a bit)..
I've also asked a personal trainer his advice, where he said:
" Eat about 6 times a day but only put carbs in two meals, and EOD have 0 carbs"
to learn more about BMR go to: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart ... intake.htm
I have a meeting with a well known nutritionist and body builder next week, I'll make sure I post what I learn from that. His name is Brian Wiefering.
Anyways, if ya have more advise keep postin.
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cassiegose
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As for your BMR.... Remember you don't necessarily want to be losing weight... at 155 you really don't need to lose any weight. A good goal for you would be to actually put on some muscle weight and cut fat in the process. Soooo... be careful about cutting that 500 calories a day because you could be using more than your consuming and will have a hard time with muscle growth. If you want your muscles to grow you have to feed and overload them.
The carbs you have in your diet plan at the EOD are mostly from veggies This is fine. You could replace that sweet potato in meal 5 with a salad if you feel its necessary.
The carbs you have in your diet plan at the EOD are mostly from veggies This is fine. You could replace that sweet potato in meal 5 with a salad if you feel its necessary.
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doshimilan
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Re:
cassiegose you rock! Your advise makes really good sense. One last question for you, what is "solid protein" that you mention in meal plan. What source should that come from?
Just curious, you seem to know a lot about this, are you a nutritionist?
And is it ok to take at least one protein shake?
Are canned vegetables ok to do?
Just curious
Just curious, you seem to know a lot about this, are you a nutritionist?
And is it ok to take at least one protein shake?
Are canned vegetables ok to do?
Just curious
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cassiegose
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LOL! Nope... not a nutritionist. I'm going to college for health and wellness (and business) and studying for personal trainers certication so I've learned alot through there. I also had a pretty serious eating disorder for quite a while so I've learned alot while recovering from that. I'd like to become a nutritionist eventually but that would require more college. :(
Yes, take one protein shake after your workout. Whichever meal is after your workout, omit the solid protein and have a shake there instead.
Solid protein is any protein in the form of solid food instead of liquid (protein shake for example). Solid protein: chicken, fish, eggs, soy, ect
Eat fresh veggies whenever you can. As I understand it, canned are ok but not quite as good as fresh. Many canned veggies have sodium added which you probably don't need. Its understanding that fresh veggies should be chosen first, then frozen, then canned. I think this is debatable though as I've read several different answers to this question.. some say canned veggies lose nutrients when they are canned and some argue that they are just as good as fresh. Since I know FOR SURE that fresh veggies are great for me, I always just eat those and go for canned and frozen as a last resort when I don't have fresh stuff in the house.
I hope this helps. :)
Yes, take one protein shake after your workout. Whichever meal is after your workout, omit the solid protein and have a shake there instead.
Solid protein is any protein in the form of solid food instead of liquid (protein shake for example). Solid protein: chicken, fish, eggs, soy, ect
Eat fresh veggies whenever you can. As I understand it, canned are ok but not quite as good as fresh. Many canned veggies have sodium added which you probably don't need. Its understanding that fresh veggies should be chosen first, then frozen, then canned. I think this is debatable though as I've read several different answers to this question.. some say canned veggies lose nutrients when they are canned and some argue that they are just as good as fresh. Since I know FOR SURE that fresh veggies are great for me, I always just eat those and go for canned and frozen as a last resort when I don't have fresh stuff in the house.
I hope this helps. :)
- deadlifts allow the greatest wt to be used....the more wt you can move the bigger and stronger you'll get....the bigger and stronger you get the more you'll be able to curl...catch drift?
- it's not that hard as i suggested above, you just need to teach yourself to eat
- have one shake straight after training but that's all
- solid protein comes from chicken, red meat, turkey, eggs, tuna, fish, sardines, salmon, pork etc
- frozen veg are better than canned veg
- it's not that hard as i suggested above, you just need to teach yourself to eat
- have one shake straight after training but that's all
- solid protein comes from chicken, red meat, turkey, eggs, tuna, fish, sardines, salmon, pork etc
- frozen veg are better than canned veg