Amplify's Fat-Loss

[Amplify]

I'll create a thread here, I like the idea of this sub-forum. At the moment, it's the only way I'm participating in this online community. I like bodybuilding.com, and always have. Since I was a teen, just starting out in high school, I was on this site all the time, studying vigorously to become a personal trainer.

Why the fat loss? I was in pretty good shape as a teen, as I had plans on becomming a non-competitive bodybuilder and a personal trainer. But during my senior year, my interests swiched, as I found what I truly wanted to do with my life. However, my physical fitness interest went down the drain. I lost a great deal of muscle mass over the course of these 3 years, and gained somewhere around 30-35 pounds of fat. Simply put, I am not happy with that.

The goal is to lose nearly all of my bodyfat and build significant muscle in the process. Saying a lot, eh? Well if it doesn't get any better...

I'm going at it with no supplements. What do I mean by no supplements? I mean none. No creatine, no pre-workout boosters, no fat-loss pills; not even any whey protein or a multi-vitamin. Rather, I'm using proper training and a proper diet. With the cash that I'd otherwise be spending on such supplements, I can spent on a more thorough diet, a concept which is not nearly stressed enough. I am doing this for multiple reasons, which I'll probaly state in a later post.

I plan on posting photos towards the end of this journey. I'm going to reserve the first post in order to have them on the front page when the time comes.
Edit: I do plan on uploading some photos of my meals, perhaps my training and some other miscellaneous things along the way.

-Amplify

[Amplify]

Reserved.

[Amplify]

At my worst condition, I (I have since lost around 12 pounds) weighed about 220-225.

Fat-Loss Goal Weight: 185 pounds
Ultimate Weight: 200+ pounds lean

I am currently doing a combination of cardio & weight training. The last thing I want is to lose all my fat only to look lame at the end of it. Not to mention, combining weight training into your schedule greatly increases your fat-loss.

I work from home, and my schedule is virtually time-less. Half of the time, I hardly know the month, let alone the day of the week. Therefor, I'm going by "days", not a set date.

Day 1: Chest & Triceps & Abs
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Shoulders & Traps & Abs
Day 5: Legs
Repeat

Cardio wise, I basically try to get in about 30-40 minutes before breakfast, nice & early. I also try to get in some after my workouts, whether it be a quicker HIIT or just some standard 30-40 minute cardio.

[Amplify]

So far, overall weight loss (for the solid month and a half I've been working out) is about 12 pounds. And as a general note towards my strength increase, I went from bench-pressing 205 for 2 reps, now it's my working weight for 8-10 reps.

_____________________________

Went to do some grocery shopping yesterday. When the healthy food source gets low, you turn to the lesser, unhealthy options. As I had to last week while house-sitting some dogs, all they had to eat was... meh. I think I gained at least a pound or two.

On the main menu:
- Chicken Breast
- Fish (Tilapia)
- Grapefruit Juice
- Brown Rice
- Oatmeal
- Almonds
- Egg Whites
- Fat-free Cottage Cheese
- Spinach Leaves
- Broccoli
- Celery
- Green Tea
- Coffee

When it comes to flavor/seasoning, all used in moderation:
- Stevia in the Raw
- I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray
- Olive Oil
- Sesame Oil
- And of course spices, mostly cinnamon & garlic

Used in very low moderation:
- Olive Oil Mayonnaise
- Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- Fat-free cheese

One thing I'll occasionally make, probably every few days (if my body starts to feel sapped of sugars) is a "protein shake", usually with a fruit-juice or almond milk base, with some frozen fruit and cottage cheese.

Edit: Nothing is set in stone, I'll often modify my diet here & there for kicks. Always keep it lean though.

I'll follow up with a couple examples of meals I've been eating.

[Amplify]

For breakfast, a bowl of old fashioned oats, with cinnamon and a pack of stevia. Regularly I'd add almonds to it, but seeing how I just ran out of them, I'm having some peanut butter on a half a stick of celery instead. Threw some craisins on there for the hell of it, usually don't though.

I'll upload a photo when I break the 30 post count (can't yet).

[Amplify]

*Just weighed myself, dropped two more pounds. Not bad, given my really ****ty diet I had the past week while watching my aunts dogs.

This is the healthiest I can get (with what I have at my place) for a supplement-free shake. Didn't taste bad at all, either! It's a good way to take in some grapefruit if you're not a fan of it's taste.

-For the base, half 100% Grapefruit Juice and half %100 liquid egg whites.
-About a half cup of fat free cottage cheese
-A bit of diced frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mango, banana, and peach)

I added the fruit, because if there is one time to have the sugar it's right after your lifting session (as this was). Still could have gone without it, but I wouldn't have drank (or made) the shake without fruit.

The grapefruit is high in fat-burning enzymes. The liquid eggs are a quickly digested protein (so it kind of works in lieu of a whey protein shake). The cottage cheese thickens it up a bit, and of course is a casein protein to slowly burn throughout the day. And like I said, the frozen fruit are kind of a bad call, but (if I'm not mistaken) it's good to have that insulin spike right after a workout. Still, I will only have shakes like this maybe twice a week.

I'm probably going to upload some simple progress photos eventually, but I still need to hit that damn 30 post count.