Making sure i'm doing the right things...

[JudasS]

So, to start, I'm male, about 159 pounds, 13% bodyfat (doctor's caliper test) and trying to get to 9%.

Recently I had surgery, and can't start running or heavy lifting until August 1st or second. For about, let's say almost two weeks now I've been on a strict diet of a 90 cal cereal bar for lunch, a 3 or 4 pm snack of carrots/broccoli and an egg white, a dinner that consists of a peice of chicken breast (lean, boneless) or fish with stir fried raw veggies (using 0 cal pan greaser) and two egg whites. When I started, I would go on a ~2 mile brisk walk, but for about 5 days now I've been upping my cardio by doing a half hour of interval training on a stair stepper. Also, for these past two days I've been doing light lifting (3 exercises of 3 sets of 10-12). When Aug 1st hits, I'll be doing a half hour of HIIT training plus heavy lifting. As you know, I'm wanting to hit 9%, but so far haven't seen any additional definition. I may be hasty here, but I just want to know if i'm doing the right things here, or if there's something I should change. Also, I'd like to know about how long it'll take to get to 9% on this plan. Thanks for any help, I appreciate it.

[a11ton]

Hi mate sorry for the delay in replying i work 12 hr shifts and have only just got up..
Well i have just read your thread and to me it sounds like your not eatin enough to be honest..
A common misconception with people wanting to lose bodyfat is that they eat hardly anything and with lengthy gaps between meals!! All this does is slow the body down if anything Yes you will lose weight inevitably but its not the best way of doing it..
Ok now what you need to do is fairly simple..
You must eat every 2-3 hrs without fail even if its a piece of fruit Little and often is the key cos this will keep your metabolism working at its best and keeps your blood sugar levels constant.
When you eat, take on board some protein and some carbs too E.G chicken fillet with small amount of rice and a pint of water.
You will need 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day as a guide.
Carbs and protein travel well together and the water helps them on their way.
Try and drink as much water as you can cos this helps flush out the toxins in your body too and you lose fat through your piss too you know!!
Get some fat burners too like Hydroxicut or Xenadrine somethin like that ok.

As for trainin well you being able to run is just round the corner which will be great for you..
But in the mean time try 2-3 exercises per body part 2 is usually enough to be honest if the intensity is high enough which it needs to be!!
Do 2 warm up sets then 3 working sets as heavy as you can manage doing 12-15 reps with.
Keep your rest periods between sets very short 30 secs-1min this should keep your heart pounding and by the end of your session you should be completely ****ed.
Who said you cant use weights as a cardio workout????ha
Anyway whats the obsession with 9% bodyfat forget that mate the mirror and your clothes will tell you all you need to know!!
Ok good luck mate hope this has been of some help cos its taken me fukin ages to type this with my one finger typing skills!!!!
Cheers STEF.
PS let me know how you get on after 3 weeks of doing this ta

[JudasS]

Thanks a lot man, that's great advice. Just today i've decided to try to eat a little bit more, and i've already included some yogurt and bran flake cereal into my afternoon snack. Then for dinner I'll throw in the brown rice with my veggies and chicken breast, and then late at night, who knows, maybe some yogurt and vegetables. By tomorrow, I hope I'll have a diet that incorporates everything and get more than 980 cals/day like I have been.

Also, when Aug comes around I'll probably do really heavy lifts using big muscle groups as well as specific zones like biceps.

Do you have a recommendation as to whether or not I should run and then lift, or vice versa? Or if maybe I should separate cardio and lifting?

As far as the pill would go, I don't know if I have the money to invest in that. How crucial is it?

And the 9%bf obsession is just me trying to quantize my goal. I work better when things are standardized.