The journal of SLUGE

[sluge]

On June 15, 2006 I started my transformation. I weighed in at 243 lbs, with a BF % of about 22% .

I began with a 2 day fast. I only consumed a vitiman shake 3 times a day. On June 17th,2006 I began my workout and healthy eating.

I began by riding my stationary bike for 20 min, well it only lasted for 10 min to be honest. I then ate breakfast which consisted of 2 eggs over medium and a piece of wheat toast.Luch for that day was a salad and dinner was fish with veggies.That day I spent a couple hours at the grocery store stocking up on the good food. Now that is it July 17th,2006 I will start documenting all the meals and work out's I do. For the record I weight 235 now.

Let me make this clear first. I don't care about the weight ,but I do care about the fat. If my weight was 220lbs with a BF % of say 9%,I'd be great. One day at a time and the motto of my choice is "make the men jealous and the ladies drool".

Now on to a total transformation. I'll add to my journal probably on a weekly basis.

Greg

[pastorgbc]

Great to have you with us, Greg. I'm already envious, and I am sure that there are some guys who will help you if you become overwhelmed with drool.

Ray

[sluge]

Great to have you with us, Greg. I'm already envious, and I am sure that there are some guys who will help you if you become overwhelmed with drool.

Ray

Thanks for the help Ray. LOL, I'll have to think about sharing if the drool gets to be too much.

[sluge]

Let me say this. The last 3 weeks have been basically a hit / miss workout. Getting the muscles use to working out, getting on a steady eating habit, and getting my MIND right,I'm a southern boy ya see, gotta get ya mind rite!
Anyway, Yesterday the 17th was what I call the official kick off of my transformation. Here is my workout for the 17th of July 2006:
Chest and biceps. Started at 7:20 pm.

CHEST

Flat bench 145lbs 4x8
Incline bench 145lbs 4X8
Cable flies 90lbs 4X8

BICEPS

Strght Bar Curl 55lbs 4X8
Preacher Curl 45lbs 4X8
Cont. DB Curl 20lbs 4X8
Seat DB Curl w/top twist 20lbs 4X8

Weight training stopped 8:10 pm. I finished the workout off with a 15 min,1mile walk.

I will continue documenting my work-outs and progress as the week expires. I won't bore ya'll with a day-to-day min-by-min play book.

[sluge]

Let me say this. The last 3 weeks have been basically a hit / miss workout. Getting the muscles use to working out, getting on a steady eating habit, and getting my MIND right,I'm a southern boy ya see, gotta get ya mind rite!
Anyway, Yesterday the 17th was what I call the official kick off of my transformation. Here is my workout for the 17th of July 2006:
Chest and biceps. Started at 7:20 pm.

CHEST

Flat bench 145lbs 4x8
Incline bench 145lbs 4X8
Cable flies 90lbs 4X8

BICEPS

Strght Bar Curl 55lbs 4X8
Preacher Curl 45lbs 4X8
Cont. DB Curl 20lbs 4X8
Seat DB Curl w/top twist 20lbs 4X8

Weight training stopped 8:10 pm. I finished the workout off with a 15 min,1mile walk.

I will continue documenting my work-outs and progress as the week expires. I won't bore ya'll with a day-to-day min-by-min play book.


^ IS MY TYPICAL WORK OUT. ON WED I DO LEGS AND SHOULDERS, SATURDAYS I DO BACK/TRI'S. NOW WITH THAT BEING SAID DOES THAT LOOK OK? OR SHOULD I DO A FULL BODY WORKOUT 3 DAYS A WEEK. ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO DO THE SPLIT I AM OPEN TO ALL SUGGESGTION. MY MAIN GOAL HERE IS TO LOSE THE FAT,NOT THE MUSCLE. I DON'T CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE WEIGHT FACTOR, IF I WERE 230 WITH 10 BODY FAT,THAT WOULD BE FINE.

[dbx]

Welcome Greg!

Well, the one thing you keep mentioning is losing weight. So......you might benefit by posting an example of your daily diet, as diet is the key to fitness & health :) Have you joined somewhere like Fitday.com or Nutritiondata.com? Either of these sites are free, and you can input and monitor your daily food consumption to help you meet your goals. This will be more important (IMHO) than your exercise routine for your stated goals.

[sluge]

Welcome Greg!

Well, the one thing you keep mentioning is losing weight. So......you might benefit by posting an example of your daily diet, as diet is the key to fitness & health :) Have you joined somewhere like Fitday.com or Nutritiondata.com? Either of these sites are free, and you can input and monitor your daily food consumption to help you meet your goals. This will be more important (IMHO) than your exercise routine for your stated goals.

Meals from yesterday.
6am, 2 eggs(1 yolk)
1/2 of oatmeal(with cinnamon spice)
9:30am grapes/strawberris with 8oz of whey shake
12:00 noon Tossed salad
2:30pm 6oz of turkey breast/3 oz of smoked lean ham
Dinner(kinda late than normal 8pm) 5 oz of grilled salmon with steamed broccli.

Today menu
6am bowl of wheat chex with non fat milk
8:30 5 large strawberries
lunch tossed salad
mid afternoon(probably around 3) 5 oz of grilled salmon with broccli.
Dinner(hopefull before 7pm as normal) Not sure yet.

This is my typical. I eat at least 6 times per day. I am still mixed with doing cardio on my workout days. I guess I am a little worried about not losing Fat so I kinda shy away from eating/drinking to close to working out including cardio.
Should I drink a whey shake before bed, at least an hour before?

[IdahoViking]

Ladies may not drool when they see me, but they sometimes do spray when the laugh at me. :(

[dbx]

Meals from yesterday.
6am, 2 eggs(1 yolk)
1/2 of oatmeal(with cinnamon spice)
9:30am grapes/strawberris with 8oz of whey shake
12:00 noon Tossed salad
2:30pm 6oz of turkey breast/3 oz of smoked lean ham
Dinner(kinda late than normal 8pm) 5 oz of grilled salmon with steamed broccli.

Today menu
6am bowl of wheat chex with non fat milk
8:30 5 large strawberries
lunch tossed salad
mid afternoon(probably around 3) 5 oz of grilled salmon with broccli.
Dinner(hopefull before 7pm as normal) Not sure yet.

This is my typical. I eat at least 6 times per day. I am still mixed with doing cardio on my workout days. I guess I am a little worried about not losing Fat so I kinda shy away from eating/drinking to close to working out including cardio.
Should I drink a whey shake before bed, at least an hour before?

You don't have any EFAs listed (essential fatty acids like flaxseed oil, fish oil, olive oil etc...) which you need in your daily diet. You could probably use a few more veggies too, but overall your diet looks okay. Sure, you can have a shake before bed. Just remember that real food is almost always better than supplemental protein.

Also, you didn't address the Fitday question/statement. You can eat all the healthiest foods you want, but if you don't have a clue as to how many calories you're consuming......you're just taking a shot in the dark as to whether or not you're over-eating/under-eating.

[sluge]

Thank you much for the advise. I do have flax seeds I sprinkle on my salad instead of bacon bits. I have never heard of Fitday.com,but I just went there in another browser and I am impressed. I did sign up now it's just learning how to use Fitday.com. I have a bottle of Omega 3 gels that I need to start taken. I just need to come up with a nutritinal plan that will work.

What about my work out's. Do they look ok? What about doing cardio on the same day a lifting. I don't want to lose the muscle that I have,which at the time it's hard to see.

[sluge]

I believe I am depriving myself somewhere ,somehow.Based on Fit.com
Yesterdays results:
Calories Eaten Today
grams cals %total
Total: 1141 <<<<<<<<<< This can't be right
Fat: 42 380 35%
Sat: 9 85 8%
Poly: 14 129 12%
Mono: 14 123 11%
Carbs: 85 280 26%
Fiber: 15 0 0%
Protein: 105 421 39%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

[KALIMAN91]

Yeah you are very very low cals. I would suggest doubling your total cals for the day.

Your first meal is only 1 whole egg and 1 egg white. I am 215 and i have 4 whole eggs and 2 pieces of toast.So i would fit in a few whole eggs or if you are worried about the whole eggs throw in like 5-6 eggs white and 1-2 whole eggs.

Your next meal is ok if you can only have a shake but whole foods are always best.

Meal 3 A tossed salad??? Is there any protein source in there? Chicken turnkey ham make sure you get 6-8oz of lean protien in there.

You next meal only has protein no veggies or Whole Wheat/Whole grain products.You really need to add these in.

In one of your meals you mention 5 strawberries. What else? You really should try and have protien carbs and fats in every meal.I would suggest eating your 5-6 meals a day and making sure you are getting 400-500 cals in each one.
My diet right now is about 2400-2600 cals a day broken into 5-6 meals.And i am still losing weight and some might even consider that a little on the low side for cals.

As far as your lifting 230lbs 10% isnt gonna happen anytime soon for you.It will take years and years.Not that its not a good goal to make.But lets set some smaller goals.Start with 2lbs per week. Start with a workout you enjoy. If you like your split keep it till you stop seeing progress. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio the same day as weights. If you want to lift for 45-60 minutes and follow that with 30 or so minutes of cardio right after. Or split it up and do one in the morning and one in the evening.
I lift weights at 5Am till about 5:45-6:00AM and then i walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes. I then go to work and run for 30-45 minutes in the evening. I followed this some basic thing from Oct till May and went from 285 to 205.If you want look for my journal its called "Kali's quest to be the best" I posted before and after pics on a monthly basis which i also reccomend you doing. This helps greatly.
Good luck.

[sluge]

thanks for the advise. Yeah, I know being 230/10% is way out there, that was just and expression of weight not being a problem. It's the damn fat that's the problem and I can't stand looking at it any freakin more. I am totally fed up with looking in the mirror and seeing FAT. I am sick of driving down the road and when I hit a pot hole my belly bounces with it, I am sick of FAT,FAT,FAT AND MORE DAMN FAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sound like you have done a good job. Hat's off to ya! I was pretty fit 2 years ago,but getting involved in motorcycle I got lazy. Then last year in april I was involved in an motorcycle accident that left me recoverying for a year,this is were I gained to much FAT! Needless to say, no more motorcycles. After two accident within 2 months, I don't like 2 wheels are for me. ANYWAY!

Thanks again ya'll. I really appreciate all the info and advise. NOW, OFF WITH THE FAT!!!!!!!!!

[mom24boys]

welcome sludge..there is alot of great advise available here.....listen to what they tell ya and you will do great.I dont have any advise except for what I just gave..i am a listener also...look forward to seeing your progress..and there a a few of us who will drool :)

[sluge]

Thanks mom24. I've been doing fairly well. I started on June 17th,but had to take a week off due to a death in the family. So I have been hitting this for about 3 weeks.

Today I feel a little blah. not sure why I feel this way,well I do know,but not sure if speaking on a public forum is appropriate. kinda down in the dumps to be honest. I sit here typing and see the jelly belly, man that really sucks! I know I didn't gain weight over night,therefore losing it won't be over night. I need to someone close to me to encourage me and I don't have that. I've been married for 23 years and still no one for encouragement, kinda sad ain't it? As with most things in my 38 years of living, I'm in this alone. Tomorrow will be a better day.

[RioGringo]

Welcome ... How tall are you?

I was 6'2" at 230 lbs and then lost quite a bit and was 27% BF :(

I am working to the teens :D

Keep up the GREAT Work !

[sluge]

Welcome ... How tall are you?

I was 6'2" at 230 lbs and then lost quite a bit and was 27% BF :(

I am working to the teens :D

Keep up the GREAT Work !


I am right at 6 ft tall, 235lbs, was 243 3 weeks ago, about 22% BF.

[sluge]

Sticking to the plan so far. Workouts are going good. My oldest daughter(20years old) said to me the other day. "Dad, your stomach don't look as big as it used to." I said really? The mirror still sucks for me,but I know the day is coming that I will be happy with the results. I'm 10 lbs lighter than I was when I started , so I suppose that is a good thing. I measured my biceps 2 days ago and they are actually 17 1/4 inch. that is an increase of about 1/2 inch. Maybe it's the memory ,as I call it, the muscle has. I started about a month ago hitting the weights and the are were 16 1/2. Who knows? All I know is I am on the road to a new me. Ya'll take care now ya hear

[sluge]

I took some before photo's last night. I am ashamed to even post them on here! Trust me, I look like crap. I've been working out now for a month and 1/2 . I know rome wasn't built in a day,but it sure is upsetting when I took those photo's and seen exactly what I look like. Disgusting!!!!!!! I hate them!

How in the WORLD DO THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE A TRANSFORMATION DO IT? THE MENTAL ANGUISH IS HARD. I HAVE THEM ON MY COMPUTER AND WILL BURN THEM TO A CD,BUT I AIN'T SURE ABOUT POSTING THEM. WHY DID I EVER LET MYSELF GO ?

[ChocoChick]

Hi Sluge. Would you post your tweaked diet? I don't like the one above but I see that you've been making changes so I'd like to see the current version before I comment. :)

Hang in there. You didn't get out of shape in 6 weeks so you won't get back in shape quite that fast either.

[sluge]

This is the meal for a day. Haven't really tweaked so to speak,but trying to get a little more protein.

4 egg whites/cup of oatmeal
9ish am - fruit/16oz of whey protein
12noon. salad. chicken breast(approx 6 oz), cup of brown rice.
3pm - plan on eating a 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, protein shake with some more greens.
6:30 to 7pm- not sure what the dinner is tonight.
10pm will be either a shake or a piece of chicken.

My workout plan is basically the same, just added 5 lbs to every routine.

[IdahoViking]

Just keep plugging along, it will be worth it.

Don't get discouraged, and accept the fact that the occasional setback is probably in the cards; but I assure you - these setbacks are only temporary if you stick it out!

[mom24boys]

listen to DB she is the nutrition goddess round here. :)

[ChocoChick]

This is the meal for a day. Haven't really tweaked so to speak,but trying to get a little more protein.

4 egg whites/cup of oatmeal
9ish am - fruit/16oz of whey protein
12noon. salad. chicken breast(approx 6 oz), cup of brown rice.
3pm - plan on eating a 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, protein shake with some more greens.
6:30 to 7pm- not sure what the dinner is tonight.
10pm will be either a shake or a piece of chicken.

My workout plan is basically the same, just added 5 lbs to every routine.

How many calories is this? And what are the macros? Are you weighing/measuring/logging it all?

What is 16oz of whey protein? Two scoops in 16oz water? How many grams of protein here and is this the same shake you have at 3pm and 10pm? I would reserve whey for post workout and have real food at other times.

Where does your workout land, i.e., between which meals?

How much and what kind of fruit are you eating with your morning shake?

More to come once I see your answers. :)

[IdahoViking]

listen to DB she is the nutrition goddess round here. :)
I suspect that she would have a coronary if I ever posted my diet.


But I agree, she certainly appears to know what she is talking about.

[sluge]

How many calories is this? And what are the macros? Are you weighing/measuring/logging it all?

What is 16oz of whey protein? Two scoops in 16oz water? How many grams of protein here and is this the same shake you have at 3pm and 10pm? I would reserve whey for post workout and have real food at other times.

Where does your workout land, i.e., between which meals?

How much and what kind of fruit are you eating with your morning shake?

More to come once I see your answers. :)

Sorry. 160z of water w/whey. That's one scoop and it is 23 grams per scoop. My work out is between 7pm and 8pm. The fruits I eat are apples or seedless red grapes or cantolope or pears. Today it's Red apple. My calorie intake is example:

Calories Eaten Today
grams cals %total
Total: 1215
Fat: 57 517 44%
Sat: 22 196 17%
Poly: 4 35 3%
Mono: 24 212 18%
Carbs: 38 133 11%
Fiber: 4 0 0%
Protein: 129 518 44%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

By the looks of this there aren't enough calories in my diet. But damn, I have always heard you have to burn more than you eat. If I eat 2500 calories per day then how in the world will I burn more than 2500 in a workout? Geez this stuff is difficult !


I don't know you and you don't know me, but I swear if whatever you suggest and advise helps Please remember me when you need some damn window cleaning , car washing, clothes washing, etc! LOL.

[ChocoChick]

^ IS MY TYPICAL WORK OUT. ON WED I DO LEGS AND SHOULDERS, SATURDAYS I DO BACK/TRI'S. NOW WITH THAT BEING SAID DOES THAT LOOK OK? OR SHOULD I DO A FULL BODY WORKOUT 3 DAYS A WEEK. ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO DO THE SPLIT I AM OPEN TO ALL SUGGESGTION. MY MAIN GOAL HERE IS TO LOSE THE FAT,NOT THE MUSCLE. I DON'T CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THE WEIGHT FACTOR, IF I WERE 230 WITH 10 BODY FAT,THAT WOULD BE FINE.

Well, I like a 3x week full body routine or an upper/lower split. Here's something to consider (this is Joel Marion's Full Body Frenzy)

Each day you do 4 exercises -- one hip dominant, one vertical (push or pull), one quad dominant, and one horizontal (either push or pull). you're going to workout on a Mon-Tue-Thu-Fri scheme so make sure to mix up your pushes and pulls.

Mon - 5 sets of 10
Tuesday - 10 sets of 3
Thursday - 8 sets of 6
Friday - 1 set of 50 (leg extension is the quad exercise here)


Or go to t-nation.com and look for routines by Chad Waterbury or Alvin Cosgrove.

[IdahoViking]

Sorry. 160z of water w/whey. That's one scoop and it is 23 grams per scoop. My work out is between 7pm and 8pm. The fruits I eat are apples or seedless red grapes or cantolope or pears. Today it's Red apple. My calorie intake is example:

Calories Eaten Today
grams cals %total
Total: 1215
Fat: 57 517 44%
Sat: 22 196 17%
Poly: 4 35 3%
Mono: 24 212 18%
Carbs: 38 133 11%
Fiber: 4 0 0%
Protein: 129 518 44%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

By the looks of this there aren't enough calories in my diet. But damn, I have always heard you have to burn more than you eat. If I eat 2500 calories per day then how in the world will I burn more than 2500 in a workout? Geez this stuff is difficult !
You don't need to burn it all in your workout!

[ChocoChick]

I have to run out the door, but read this and take a stab at coming up with some reasonable numbers and meals for yourself. Post 'em and I'll comment when I'm back. You are definitely not eating enough which will cause your body to burn muscle before it burns fat.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Step 1 – Find your BMR

Katch-McArdle formula (if you know your bodyfat %): BMR = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Harris Benedict (if you don’t): http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Step 2 – Multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor. This will give you your maintenance calories. To lose, eat 15%-20% less.

•Little or no exercise: 1.2
•Light exercise/sports 1-3 days a week: 1.375
•Moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days a week: 1.55
•Hard exercises/sports 6-7 days a week: 1.725
•Extra active – training 2x per day, extremely physical job etc. :1.9

I'd go with 1.45 for you.

Food Guidelines:

- Eat every 2-3 hours -- this will result in 6-7 meals per day
- Keep each meal roughly the same size
- Eat lean protein, starchy or fibrous carbs and healthy fats at every meal (exceptions below)
- Eat as close to nature as possible -- no processed foods, no sugar, no white flour
- Get between 1 - 1.5 g protein per pound of body weight, evenly split across your meals
- Get between .3 - .4 g fat per pound of bodyweight, evenly split across your meals (except post workout)
- Fill in with complex carbs to reach your desired calorie level
- Cluster starchy carbs at breakfast, preworkout and postworkout
- Have whey protein shakes postworkout only
- Make your last meal of the day protein + fat only
- EAT YOUR VEGGIES
- Supplement with multi-vitamin, multi-mineral and EFAs

Lean proteins: Boneless, skinless chicken or turkey; egg whites; tofu; protein powder; ostrich; buffalo; top round beef (aka London Broil); canned tuna; fish and shellfish (including fatty fish like salmon, catfish and mackerel); cottage cheese; yogurt

Starchy carbs: Oats; brown rice; quinoa; sweet potato; beans (kidney, black, pinto, northern, white, etc.); legumes (lentils); Ezekiel/sprouted bread; whole wheat pasta; whole grain bread (in moderation - very processed)

Fibrous carbs: Pretty much any vegetable, especially green ones. Broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, artichokes, escarole, kale, green beans, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuces

Healthy fats: Seeds (esp. ground flax), extra virgin olive oil, salmon and other fatty fish, nuts and nut butters (walnuts and almonds are great), avocado, coconut oil

Fruits: Strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, apples, pears

[sluge]

Thanks db. I'll print this out and sit down tonight and make a meal plan. I'll post that plan up as soon as I get finished so keep an eye opened for it.

[ChocoChick]

Ok, I will check in to look for it.

A couple of things to keep in mind: Your BMR reflects the best guesstimate at the number of calories you'd need if you were at rest all day, i.e., no activity at all, just laying in the bed. The only point to knowing your BMR is that it then lets you apply an activity factor so that you can get a reasonable handle on maintenance calories. This number -- your maintenance calories -- is the one that you'll use to establish the number of calories you need for reasonable weight loss. In general, 15%-20% less than maintenance is a good starting point. You can adjust from there if you see -- after two weeks or so -- that you are losing too quickly (yes, there is such a thing) or too slowly.

Ok - now get to work! ;)

[IdahoViking]

Ok, I will check in to look for it.

A couple of things to keep in mind: Your BMR reflects the best guesstimate at the number of calories you'd need if you were at rest all day, i.e., no activity at all, just laying in the bed. The only point to knowing your BMR is that it then lets you apply an activity factor so that you can get a reasonable handle on maintenance calories. This number -- your maintenance calories -- is the one that you'll use to establish the number of calories you need for reasonable weight loss. In general, 15%-20% less than maintenance is a good starting point. You can adjust from there if you see -- after two weeks or so -- that you are losing too quickly (yes, there is such a thing) or too slowly.

Ok - now get to work! ;)Out of curiousity, what is too quickly.

I lost 7 pound in 4 weeks, is that too quick? Or about right?

[ChocoChick]

Out of curiousity, what is too quickly.

I lost 7 pound in 4 weeks, is that too quick? Or about right?

That sounds about right. If you want to go by numbers, losing 1% of your weight per week is considered safe, so for a 235 pound guy, that's 2.35 pounds per week. BUT the most important thing is to make sure that you're losing fat and not muscle. Seeing the scale drop quickly is seductive until you realise that most of what you lost was muscle, so that now your body composition is worse than ever, which, in addition to making you look awful, means that you've further slowed your metabolic rate. Blech. So if you have a way to monitor your bodyfat as you lose weight this is the ticket, as you will know whether you are losing fat, which is what you want to do.

Sorry for the long answer. Teach a man to fish and all that... :)

[IdahoViking]

That sounds about right. If you want to go by numbers, losing 1% of your weight per week is considered safe, so for a 235 pound guy, that's 2.35 pounds per week. BUT the most important thing is to make sure that you're losing fat and not muscle. Seeing the scale drop quickly is seductive until you realise that most of what you lost was muscle, so that now your body composition is worse than ever, which, in addition to making you look awful, means that you've further slowed your metabolic rate. Blech. So if you have a way to monitor your bodyfat as you lose weight this is the ticket, as you will know whether you are losing fat, which is what you want to do.

Sorry for the long answer. Teach a man to fish and all that... :)Thanks - so I should be fine as long as I don't lose more than 1.85#/week.

[ChocoChick]

Thanks - so I should be fine as long as I don't lose more than 1.85#/week.

I just left your journal and you need to iron out your diet bigtime. You may be losing with the way you're eating, but if you're not losing muscle already then I bet you will be soon.

Please don't shoot the messenger!

[IdahoViking]

I just left your journal and you need to iron out your diet bigtime. You may be losing with the way you're eating, but if you're not losing muscle already then I bet you will be soon.

Please don't shoot the messenger!
I need self-discipline when it comes to my eating habits.

[mom24boys]

morning sluge how's things going today?

[sluge]

morning sluge how's things going today?

Good morning to you. THings are going ok today. I feel much better than the other day for sure. I am actually at home today. Yeah , got up and heard the highway near my home is closed off and the only way to get around it is to go about 20 miles out of the way to get ahead of the area they blocked off. I started out and found that all the backroads to take the 20 mile journey was nothing but grid lock, I turned around and went home,it's good to have a lot of PTO time and a cool boss. Anyway.

I bumped up my workout thay I would normally do in the evening. I really didn't want to workout because my mind just wasn't in it. I loaded the weight on and began my back workout. LOL. after the first set I was like this sucks I don't feel up to it, after the second set I had the same thought. Well after the second set I started feeling the burn and was like this feels good and kept going til I completed my whole workout.

[sluge]

It's saturday morning. I woke up and did my workout. While I was working out I was thinking, I know could be dangerous. I was thinking that since I have what I call a lot of body fat to lose I'd spend 4 days of cardio and 3 days of lifting. I also thought that I would lift just one day a week and do hard cardio 6 days a week. I plan on staying on my current meal plan which is 40/40/30 plan and tweak it as I go. Ya'll tell me what you think of either thought. I jumped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at 233lbs. I know the scale sucks but the couriousity was killing me. To my disappointment I only lost 2 lbs. Well that ain't so bad afterall. Anyway ya'll please tell me what you think about the above thoughts.

greg

[mom24boys]

dont quote me, but i think weights keep your metabolism fired up higher and for longer than cardio..which in return burns more calories over the long run.
You might wanna lift 3 days week and just take a walk everyday after dinner. Just a thought.

[ChocoChick]

It's saturday morning. I woke up and did my workout. While I was working out I was thinking, I know could be dangerous. I was thinking that since I have what I call a lot of body fat to lose I'd spend 4 days of cardio and 3 days of lifting. I also thought that I would lift just one day a week and do hard cardio 6 days a week. I plan on staying on my current meal plan which is 40/40/30 plan and tweak it as I go. Ya'll tell me what you think of either thought. I jumped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at 233lbs. I know the scale sucks but the couriousity was killing me. To my disappointment I only lost 2 lbs. Well that ain't so bad afterall. Anyway ya'll please tell me what you think about the above thoughts.

greg

Cardio is a really great way to get yourself into cardiovascular shape and a really minimal tool in the weight loss game. Yes, yes, I know that we've all had it drummed into us that cardio is the holy grail of weight loss but it isn't. The real holy grail is diet. Followed by weight lifting. Cardio places a distant third.

Why? Because the benefits of cardio stop pretty much as soon as you hop off the machine. So if you can bring yourself to do something that burns 500 calories per session and you do it 6 days a week with day 7 off, you'll burn a pound every 8 days. Of course, it's not so easy to burn 500 calories in a session -- don't be fooled by the incredibly inaccurate and overstated readouts most gym equipment gives you. The #1 thing that works against you is that, as you get into better shape, your body becomes more effecient at the activity. So day 1 on the eliptical burns a lot more than day 20, unless you have taken deliberate steps to increase the intensity and duration, because your body doesn't have to work nearly as hard on day 20. Here's a chart of some activities and calories burned. http://www.coolnurse.com/calories_burned.htm Take it with a grain of salt. ;)

Equally important is that even if you are successful in losing weight be doing cardio, unless you are also doing significant weight lifting, odds are you;ll be losing at least as much muscle (and maybe more) as fat. So while you may see pleasing changes on the scale, it's not likely you'll be as pleased by the mirror. You can be thin and flabby and it's not pretty.

In contrast, weight lifting not only can provide cardiovascular benefits -- circuit training is one example of a weight lifting regimen that incorporates cardiovascular activity -- but the addition of muscle does two other really nice things for you. First, since muscle is much denser than fat, it takes about half as much space to store a pound of muscle as it does to store a pound of fat. So even if your weight doesn't change but your body composition does, you will look much thinner. Second, muscle has a much faster metabolic rate than fat. Research has pegged the number at 50 additional calories burned for each pound of muscle you put on. And that burning happens 24/7, not just when you're lfiting.

So overall, the first thing to do is to get your nutrition dialed in. And they hit the gym and lift (heavy!). Finish off with cardio if you want, but don't neglect weights in favor of cardio.

[ChocoChick]

I plan on staying on my current meal plan which is 40/40/30 plan and tweak it as I go.

Um, that's 110%! Don't go by percentages -- figure out the macros you need.


Ya'll tell me what you think of either thought. I jumped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at 233lbs. I know the scale sucks but the couriousity was killing me. To my disappointment I only lost 2 lbs.

In how long? 2lbs per week is about as fast as you'd want to go, imo. Slow and steady wins this race. ;)

[mom24boys]

Happy Monday Greg..how was your week-end?

[jtroster]

Just got back from vacation. Welcome to the forum.

[sluge]

Good afternoon folks. Just got home from running around town. Go figure a day off should be easy, Huh? NOT. I feel I worked harder today than I do at work. Went to the Rascal Flats concert last night here in Atlanta, pretty good concert. I am the only smart one, I planned this day off for a month now. Anyway, Good day so far. Getting into the shower to get back out on the road for a little bit. Got a few more places to go. Have a good evening and I"ll check back later.

Greg

[sluge]

In how long? 2lbs per week is about as fast as you'd want to go, imo. Slow and steady wins this race. ;)[/QUOTE]

How Long? bout 8 days.

[sluge]

Work out for 8/1/2006 Chest/Tri's/shoulder

Flat bench 135 lbs 2x10
" " 185 lbs 2x6
Incline bnch 135 lbs 4x8
close grip 115 lbs 4x8
kickbacks DB 20 lbs 4x6
EZbar tri ext 40 lbs 4x6
Side laterals 5 lbs 3x15

Finished the workout off by walking a brisk 20 min 1 mile walk.

I changed up the workout just a little. It doesn't seem like much,but I am sore today for sure. I concentrated on powering up and slowest coming down with the weight. I feel it was a good workout and satisfied. I still haven't sharpend my meal plan just yet, but I am working on it daily and tweaken hit here and there. You know what seems funny is I have lost ONLY 10 lbs but I am starting to see a slight difference when I look in the mirror. I am starting to see my figure going through a little change. Anyway, just wanted to post up the results so far.

[IdahoViking]

Work out for 8/1/2006 Chest/Tri's/shoulder

Flat bench 135 lbs 2x10
" " 185 lbs 2x6
Incline bnch 135 lbs 4x8
close grip 115 lbs 4x8
kickbacks DB 20 lbs 4x6
EZbar tri ext 40 lbs 4x6
Side laterals 5 lbs 3x15

Finished the workout off by walking a brisk 20 min 1 mile walk.

I changed up the workout just a little. It doesn't seem like much,but I am sore today for sure. I concentrated on powering up and slowest coming down with the weight. I feel it was a good workout and satisfied. I still haven't sharpend my meal plan just yet, but I am working on it daily and tweaken hit here and there. You know what seems funny is I have lost ONLY 10 lbs but I am starting to see a slight difference when I look in the mirror. I am starting to see my figure going through a little change. Anyway, just wanted to post up the results so far.
Glad to see that you're still at it!

Never give up - Never surrender!

[sluge]

Glad to see that you're still at it!

Never give up - Never surrender!

Thanks man. My mind tells me constantly to give up and give in to the junk food. I refuse to give up on this because if one person can transform their body then dammit I can too. I go through daily struggles mainly because I beat myself up everyday. I am hard on myself whether it be with career, workout or meals, etc. I do it to push myself.

[sluge]

[QUOTE=dbflgirl]Um, that's 110%! Don't go by percentages -- figure out the macros you need.

DBFLGIRL - Can you define macros for me. Sometime you have to put things in elementary form for me. Yeah,Yeah, I know, Men!

[Odin]

Whassup dude? 110%, that's funny, I was just talking to Greg at work and he said 40/40/30 I said the same thing LOL. When she says macros she is referring to macronutrients (p/c/f) and I think she is saying to add up how many grams of each you need instead of percentages. Load up on the salmon oil like I was telling you, add it up on the bottle and shoot for 1 g of EPA/DHA a day, that's a lot of pills but really kicks in the fat burning for me after about 6 weeks on that dose. Later, Odin

[sluge]

OK,OK, so my math is a little off. Now back to figuring this out before I get to damn old. Old as in 80

[ChocoChick]

DBFLGIRL - Can you define macros for me. Sometime you have to put things in elementary form for me. Yeah,Yeah, I know, Men!

I answered this is your "Help a Man Out" thread. :) I'm also reposting from above:

Food Guidelines:

- Eat every 2-3 hours -- this will result in 6-7 meals per day
- Keep each meal roughly the same size
- Eat lean protein, starchy or fibrous carbs and healthy fats at every meal (exceptions below)
- Eat as close to nature as possible -- no processed foods, no sugar, no white flour
- Get between 1 - 1.5 g protein per pound of body weight, evenly split across your meals
- Get between .3 - .4 g fat per pound of bodyweight, evenly split across your meals (except post workout)
- Fill in with complex carbs to reach your desired calorie level
- Cluster starchy carbs at breakfast, preworkout and postworkout
- Have whey protein shakes postworkout only
- Make your last meal of the day protein + fat only
- EAT YOUR VEGGIES
- Supplement with multi-vitamin, multi-mineral and EFAs

[sluge]

[QUOTE=dbflgirl]I answered this is your "Help a Man Out" thread. :) I'm also reposting from above:


LOL, yeah I seen that. Thanks for helping out a dummy. ;)

[sluge]

I swear I feel like I am not making a lot of progress. Maybe it's just me and my mind just ain't right. My workouts are pretty intense with about 30 seconds of rest in between sets. I walk a mile after the workouts. I believe I can lose a little more fat faster if I just get up off my ass a little more and start walking longer. Last night I had a great workout, did back and bi's. I did walk because the wife and I had to hit sam's before it closed. On the freakin days I don't lift there always seems to be an obstacle preventing me from walking. whether it is the need of running somewhere or just delaying it then time runs out. I swear I think I should be down a little more in weight than what I am. What the hell is wrong here? I am still at 233lbs started at 243lbs on June 17th. My pants are a little loser,but I believe they should be a lot loser at this point. Note to self. Self get up off your ass and hit it DUDE! what the hell is your problem? My eating is ok, my workout are intense, so what is your problem self? One thing with walking that is bugging me is my shin's hurt after about a 1/2 mile. It's in the area of the outside part just above the ankle about 4 inches. feels like the muscle is tighten up on me,but I stay focused and walk through it.

[Odin]

It will happen, you just have to keep plugging away and one morning you will wake up and your clothes WILL be looser, you will see a new cut, etc but it takes time. There you go worrying about the scale weight again, it is a hard habit to break. As long as you aren't getting fatter you must be moving in the right direction, look at it that way. You told me you were taking creatine also, this will increase your bodyweight 5-10 lbs if you are a responder, so if you put on 5 lbs from creatine you may be actually down 15 lbs and not the 10 you think.

I think the cardio may be problem here, no offense man but walking just sucks as cardio IMO, I don't care how fast you are walking. You need to be breathing pretty hard and if you get that from walking then cardio endurance needs to be built which can only be done by more taxing cardio IMO lol. I know you got issues due to your injuries but I think you need to find a form of cardio that you can do that really gets you going and panting for breath.

You know me, I am just trying to help here so let me bash on your weight workouts too lol. Your workouts could be much more intense from the looks of it and I know you could make some real progress in this area if you changed up your exercises. I only see a couple of workouts posted here but we have talked about lifting a little around work too and I think you need to do some new movements.

I know I don't look like a big guy in my long sleeve shirts at work but if I took one off and busted a back double bi pose you would probably take my advice a little more serious lol. My back is as lumpy as that bowl of oatmeal you are eating hehe. I just got a long frame that's hard to fill up but I know how to build some muscle, given it is a little harder at our age.

You need to lose all the isolation exercises and go for more big compound moves. You need to drop lat pulldowns and start doing real pullups and chinups. Drop the kickbacks and do dips for your tris. Squat and deadlift. Heavy rows for the back, you should be able to row as much as you bench. If you aren't doing at least these movements you are missing out big time IMO. It is an ego thing with some who workout in a gym, if you can't do a chinup or dip you have to start out doing just the negatives (unless you have one of dem dere fancy machines) and look like a friggin dork for awhile, but before you know it you will be busting them out for real and then adding weights with a dip belt.

Anyway it is mostly diet on the fat loss but these heavier duty workouts will definitely get your metabolism cranking, esp leg day. I wanna see you limp into work lol. I'm not gonna say cardio is overrated and get beat up here, I did PLENTY of it to lose my fat and believe in it still, but I am a bigger believer in the power of the iron. Increasing cardio capacity will def help the weight workouts too, giving you more endurance.

I wouldn't sweat the 30 secs between sets too much, if I can't get my breath back in that time I can't lift optimally on the next set and that is what it is all about to me. I made my best muscle gains on a 5X5 program lifting super heavy and actually pausing 3-4 MINUTES between sets to completely recover. Building muscle will gain you more in the long run than trying to burn fat with your weight workout by keeping time down between sets IMO.

Keep your chin up and keep doing the right things and it will pay off in time my friend. BTW if you aren't staying out of that bottle of crown royal on the weekends it is all for naught anyway. :D Later, Brian

[sluge]

your correct brian about the cardio. However, as you mention I am still limited to what type I can do. I can't jog yet,but walking briskly(if that's a word) I can do. I like those eliptical machines,but there a little high is price at the moment,remember I have a wedding to pay for.

As far as the HEAVY lifting. right now I do what I can due the fact that I have no spotter and I am on my own at the house. I do have a lot more works out listed ,but I haven't put them on the forums. I keep up with every workout, exercise, weight, sets/reps, time I started and time I stopped.

As far as legs are concerned. I have to be careful of the exercise I do for legs. Squatting is a challenge for me , a real challenge. Not because of form,but mostly because of the injury i sustained over a year ago. I do work out legs,but it's mostly leg ext and ham curls. As far as chin up, I'd probably couldn't do one with a spotter let alone by myself, LOL.

WIth the exercises that I do. They are changed up on a weekly basis. I do the normal flat/incline bench, curls ,lat pd's, rows, etc. I don't allow the body to get use to one specific work. I change the weight up and the exercises.

Oh. As far as the alcohol goes I am off that stuff. No more crown days for me. That stuff got me into too much trouble if ya know what I mean. Anyway thanks for the advise and tips and yeah I will follow them, maybe not to a 'T' ,but I will incorporate them in my workout.

[Odin]

your correct brian about the cardio. However, as you mention I am still limited to what type I can do. I can't jog yet,but walking briskly(if that's a word) I can do. I like those eliptical machines,but there a little high is price at the moment,remember I have a wedding to pay for.

Yeah they are pricey no doubt. Saving for the wedding *shudder* glad I got a few years before I have to worry about that. :)


As far as legs are concerned. I have to be careful of the exercise I do for legs. Squatting is a challenge for me , a real challenge. Not because of form,but mostly because of the injury i sustained over a year ago. I do work out legs,but it's mostly leg ext and ham curls. As far as chin up, I'd probably couldn't do one with a spotter let alone by myself, LOL.

I was wondering if you could squat with your injuries, I would def take it easy there, don't want you to crack in half again lol. On the chins and dips, I swear, start doing just the negative portion (lowering yourself down and using a chair or step to get back up) and you will see major gains in this area, I went from not being able to do a chinup at all to being able to rep out 15+ in around two months using this technique. I was up to adding 25 lbs to them at one point.


Oh. As far as the alcohol goes I am off that stuff. No more crown days for me. That stuff got me into too much trouble if ya know what I mean. Anyway thanks for the advise and tips and yeah I will follow them, maybe not to a 'T' ,but I will incorporate them in my workout.

Good deal man, keep up the intensity, the diet looks good bro. Now if I could just find the motivation to take my own advice LOL. Later, Odin

[sluge]

Yeah they are pricey no doubt. Saving for the wedding *shudder* glad I got a few years before I have to worry about that. :)

YOU NEED TO START SAVING NOW, TRUST ME.






Good deal man, keep up the intensity, the diet looks good bro. Now if I could just find the motivation to take my own advice LOL. Later, Odin

NOW! GET TO WORK ON YOUR LIFTING !

[sluge]

I'm still here and lifting away. This past monday I changed my workout up a little. I did the normal flat / incline,but did 2 extra sets with 185lbs of 6 reps. yeah I know I am a wussie man. I then added tricep extension with the EZbar,2 sets close grip and 2 set wide grip w/ 45lbs. Things are getting a little better and it's beginning to be normal thing, like a habit. I still long for the day I can look into the mirror and say man you look good.

[stephenlouis]

Hello, just read through your posts and the info given...looks like you were getting some good advice, hows the work outs going?