Asking advice

[bobbym90]

Currently trying to lose some fat and also tone up. Weigh about 204 pounds at 5'10". My diet is consistent, and when I say consistent I mean I eat the same thing every day due to my current location I have limited foods available to me that are "healthy".

Diet

"Lunch" - Two chicken breast (pieces?) with Swiss cheese on a bun, a banana, and 2 little jugs (180mL each) of skim milk.

"Dinner" - 4 hard boiled eggs, 4 pieces of turkey sausage links, another banana, and some mixed fruit, with 2 more little jugs of skim milk.

Myfitnesspal says that's around 1,500 calories, but I think it's closer to 1,800-1,900. Either way, my BMR is around 2,200 if I'm not mistaken.

Due to my hours, the chow is only breakfast type foods, so vegetables are very limited if they even offer them, more often than not it's just potatoes of some kind. To combat this I take BCAA's and a certain brand of multi-vitamins. I also take pre-workout before the gym, followed with a whey protein shake after the gym with 2 more skim milks. Water is the only other thing I drink.

Gym

Twice a day, one weight lifting session, one cardio. (Cardio is necessary, not an option)

Rotation - Chest/tri day, followed by back/bi day, into leg day, into shoulder day, then a rest day. On the rest day I do a full body routine with very light weight to keep blood flowing and just to keep things from getting too tight. Cardio is Monday/Wednesday/Friday run days, Tuesday/Thursday are light no impact cardio. I get on the treadmill daily, I hit the highest incline on 3.0 speed for 20 minutes, followed by whatever the cardio is that day. Plus I walk/bike literally everywhere.

In 4-5 weeks I'm gonna switch the routine to a full body routine 3 days a week and go on from there. I've been doing this routine for 2 1/2 weeks now. I guess my question is, is this sustainable, is it a good plan to be following (I get that any plan is better than no plan), and what would you do to change it? I'm really just looking to fall into a routine and follow it long term. The problem I'm having is that losing weight and gaining muscle are often times two different theories and approaches, one requires cutting calories while the other requires increasing, so what happens when you try to do both such as I'm doing?

Sorry for the long post, just unsure if I'm on the right path to achieve my end goal of toning and strength, while maintaining endurance. An equal balance is almost required in my profession. Thanks in advance for anything you guys throw at me.

[PsyLadX]

Eating the same thing every single day is not a sign of good nutritional planning. Albeit not necessarily deficient in micro nutrient levels, its not optimal to eat the same thing every single day. But I guess its okay as long your diet is not absolutely ridiculous like a twinky diet. Its a good thing ur eating fruits & dairy along with meat & poultry. But yes lacking veggies. Its a good thing you take multi-vitamins.

You must weigh your foods to make sure ur counting close to accuracy. Dont go by serving sizes. Its really tricky that way. Always aim for total caloric intake, i.e., what you have eaten during the day. Dont eat back what you burned off in the gym. Net calories is not reliable cuz we cant really determine calories burned due to exercise accurately.

Gym twice a day? Damn! okay if u can handle it without without burning out, i guess.
While doing cardio, dont exert yourself too much on run days just because thats the schedule. Listen to what your body is telling you. Focus on ur diet & lifting heavy weights to get that, as you said, "toned" look.

Once you start a plan, stick to it & progress with weights systematically. Don't hop around different plans. Yes, you will not gain muscle mass if you are cutting, however you might get away with newbie gainz if u are a beginner. You must decide which is more important to u, getting bigger, or smaller. And keep ur daily caloric intake constant regardless or ur activity. Personally, I would go for a cut first and then a bulk. That way you'll look more defined. You lose the fat. Your muscles will seem to look biger cuz of lesss fat. And most importantly, you'll know exactly how the surplus food is being used by ur body during a bulk.
3 day full body routine is excellent for beginners. One can get away with training the same muscle often when the intensity (weight) is relatively low as it usually is for beginners.

You want "tone" up, lose fat & increase newbie strength? Go for a cut. Stay consistent with ur caloric intake & training program.

GL!

[bobbym90]

Yeah, being in the Army and deployed limits my options for weighing food, don't have access to a lot of things I would normally back home. Being on night shift is even tougher due to the limited options of food they have over night, since it's a smaller crowd that shows up.

I don't seem to be losing weight as fast as I was, I started at around 212, and in a month got to 202. Now I seem to be hovering about there consistently. Not sure if I should cut more calories in order to keep a cut going.

I may cut out the bun and cheese I eat with my lunch meal, along with the milk and just replace with water. So for lunch I'd just have 2 chicken breasts and a banana with water. Breakfast I may just cut back to eating just the hard boiled egg whites, instead of the whole egg, and again replacing the skimmed milk with more water. Do that cut for a couple weeks, and then I'm going to change my work out plan to a 3 times a week full body routine.

Any other thoughts on the matter? Trying to cut down on body fat mostly, weight is less important, though I'd like to be under 190.

[crazymadmike911]

Try cutting out the carbs or try to limit them.
Bread and cheese are tasty but are bad for diets.
For instance at breakfast try having 1 piece of toast instead of 2...then couple weeks later when you body adjust you could possibly have no toast for breakfast.
But listen to your body, working out 2x a day and working will have a impact on your energy levels.

[mjf100215]

Try cutting out the carbs or try to limit them.
Bread and cheese are tasty but are bad for diets.
For instance at breakfast try having 1 piece of toast instead of 2...then couple weeks later when you body adjust you could possibly have no toast for breakfast.
But listen to your body, working out 2x a day and working will have a impact on your energy levels.

Stop giving advice. Bread and cheese are fine for cuts.
Being in a caloric deficit will produce weight loss. If not eating bread and cheese produces weight loss, it's because it created a caloric deficit and not because of what it is.

[crazymadmike911]

Stop giving advice. Bread and cheese are fine for cuts.
Being in a caloric deficit will produce weight loss. If not eating bread and cheese produces weight loss, it's because it created a caloric deficit and not because of what it is.

they both contribute carbs...and useless calories. since OP drinks skim milk , he is getting calcium. supplement a multi-vitamin and eat green veggies and you'll get your nutrition
Most fat people suffer at dieting because of carbs....bread = carbs...

[MuzzieChik786]

they both contribute carbs...and useless calories. since OP drinks skim milk , he is getting calcium. supplement a multi-vitamin and eat green veggies and you'll get your nutrition
Most fat people suffer at dieting because of carbs....bread = carbs...

Lol, no. People suck at dieting because they have no self control. Yes, I know, because I was one of those fat people you mentioned.

[PsyLadX]

Yeah, being in the Army and deployed limits my options for weighing food, don't have access to a lot of things I would normally back home. Being on night shift is even tougher due to the limited options of food they have over night, since it's a smaller crowd that shows up.

I don't seem to be losing weight as fast as I was, I started at around 212, and in a month got to 202. Now I seem to be hovering about there consistently. Not sure if I should cut more calories in order to keep a cut going.

I may cut out the bun and cheese I eat with my lunch meal, along with the milk and just replace with water. So for lunch I'd just have 2 chicken breasts and a banana with water. Breakfast I may just cut back to eating just the hard boiled egg whites, instead of the whole egg, and again replacing the skimmed milk with more water. Do that cut for a couple weeks, and then I'm going to change my work out plan to a 3 times a week full body routine.

Any other thoughts on the matter? Trying to cut down on body fat mostly, weight is less important, though I'd like to be under 190.

Take it as a good sign. Ur fat loss pace has decreased because you have lost so much already!
I would suggest you the ride it out till the fat loss stalls for 2 weeks. And then take the next step.
Whats the rush? Is there a deadline u absoulutely must meet? like a weigh in round the corner otherwise you'll be kicked out or something similar? Its a journey best taken slow & steady. Less of a mind f@ck, if you will.
Main reason why take it slow (while progressing) is since ur diet is not exactly top notch.

Still, if you are adamant on increasing ur fat loss pace, hen I would suggest by cutting really minutely. Like taking out only 1 jug of skimmed milk for each meal sitting for now. Evaluate what difference that decision made in tems of fat loss speed. If still not happy after two weeks, then you could eat either one (milk or cheese) every alternating day during lunch as well as only having 1 jug of skimmed milk at breakfast. You get where Im going with this. Minute changes. But don't cut out milk altogether at this point. Casein is awesome!

"It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward"
Chinese Proverb

Do let us know as things progress.

Over n Out!

[bobbym90]

Appreciate the feedback. After kind of looking around, I've decided that starting the 16th of next month, I'm going to start following allpro's guide instead of the chest/tri day, back/bi day, leg day, then shoulder day. With plenty of recovery in between the two so I can start fresh, still doing cardio for my run time and etc. May increase the cut, depending on where I am. Goal for the end of the month of November is to be floating around 190, and I'm currently at about 201-202.

I have to spend every day in the gym. I get an hour and a half to solely dedicate to the gym here, and I want to maximize this. Monday Wednesday and Friday are spoken for, but what should I do on the off days that incorporate perhaps bodyweight routines, working the core, abs, etc. What can I hit on those off days that won't effect my lifts too much?

Also, how much would you guys recommend that change from my current routine to shift to allpro's routine? Trying to cut down to below 190, even to 180 would be nice. I think I would look pretty decent at 180. Another question - hitting 250 lbs. at my heaviest, will excess skin be a problem once I get to a lower weight?

[PsyLadX]

Appreciate the feedback. After kind of looking around, I've decided that starting the 16th of next month, I'm going to start following allpro's guide instead of the chest/tri day, back/bi day, leg day, then shoulder day. With plenty of recovery in between the two so I can start fresh, still doing cardio for my run time and etc. May increase the cut, depending on where I am. Goal for the end of the month of November is to be floating around 190, and I'm currently at about 201-202.

I have to spend every day in the gym. I get an hour and a half to solely dedicate to the gym here, and I want to maximize this. Monday Wednesday and Friday are spoken for, but what should I do on the off days that incorporate perhaps bodyweight routines, working the core, abs, etc. What can I hit on those off days that won't effect my lifts too much?

Also, how much would you guys recommend that change from my current routine to shift to allpro's routine? Trying to cut down to below 190, even to 180 would be nice. I think I would look pretty decent at 180. Another question - hitting 250 lbs. at my heaviest, will excess skin be a problem once I get to a lower weight?

Runs will intefere with cardio recovery.
LISS walking cardio or at least non impact cardio like swimming or cycling is advised to aid recovery.
Especially since you'll be going for full body workouts (which is key for ur current goal ie fat loss).

Beginner workouts focus on compound lifts that are high weight, low rep maintain/increase strength & optimize fat loss. Example workouts include:
Stronglifts http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=155602453
Allpros http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
Fierce5 http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=159678631
ICF http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...63&pagenumber=

Suggest you reserve cardio & minimal ab-work (if you must) for non lifting days.
Also, incorporate rest day once a week. Key is to listen to ur body signals esp since ur diet is sub par.

[SP1987]

Try cutting out the carbs or try to limit them.
Bread and cheese are tasty but are bad for diets.
For instance at breakfast try having 1 piece of toast instead of 2...then couple weeks later when you body adjust you could possibly have no toast for breakfast.
But listen to your body, working out 2x a day and working will have a impact on your energy levels.

Hello sir, you do know that carbs are necessary to lift heavy weights??

[PsyLadX]

One more thing Bobby.
Feel like ur giving way too much importance on cardio. Cardio is good to keep ur heart healthy but more importantly just to remain in a caloric deficit. Its a secondary exercise.
Most important is to have ur diet & weights training locked in for successful fat loss. Weight loss on the other hand is a totally different ball game altogether.
Too much emphasis on cardio will definitely hamper recovery during grueling 3x a week training sessions. Wait till the weights increase with time!

Strong is the new skinny my friend.

That's it from me.
I'm outta here.

[bobbym90]

Unfortunately it's the Army that places such a large importance in cardio, not me. If it were up to me, I wouldn't run at all, but a part of the job requirements is that I run 2 miles in a certain time. A 13:00 two mile isn't really achievable realistically without placing a good emphasis on running.

[PsyLadX]

Unfortunately it's the Army that places such a large importance in cardio, not me. If it were up to me, I wouldn't run at all, but a part of the job requirements is that I run 2 miles in a certain time. A 13:00 two mile isn't rAll the more eally achievable realistically without placing a good emphasis on running.

All the more reason to make minute changes instead of drastic caloric cut downs. Take away one serving (not the food entirely!) and observe ur energy levels during the week as well as fat loss pace. Not happy with speed but have good energy for the day to day (or night rather) activities? repeat the process.

Go relatively light on the weights in the beginning of the full body program. Foloow it the core & you'll progress with time.