In all honesty I think your best course of action will be either one of three things:
1) Search these forums and other websites. Learn more about nutrition and exercise. Formulate a plan. Get started, and learn what works for you and what doesn't. Be patient, but be consistant.
2) Get an out-of-the-box, pre-built program and follow it "by the book" to get you started and help you learn more. MAX-OT, Westside, HST, 5x5, etc.
3) Hire a professional trainer and/or nutritionist. I recommend this route often even to advanced trainees. I have been working out for quite a few years and I still consult with a professional from time to time. It can be very helpful.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
My diet used to suck and although it has improved, i still need a complete revision of it. I eat like 2 meals a day and they pretty much suck (my caloric intake is way below what it should be). Lately when i've been trying it's been about 4-5 meals a day (4 decent 1 small) and 1-2 protein shakes a day (low in carb high in protein and low in calorie.. i can get the stats on it later).
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You should already know that this 2 meal per day thing is bad. Eat more frequently, 6 meals a day if possible.
4-5 whole food meals and 1-2 shakes per day is absolutely fine. Can you tell us the brand of protein shake you are using?
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
I need a meal plan layout while keeping in mind im on a budget and don't want to get too funky with cooking. I tried eating eggs for breakfast but that didnt workout.. I usually end up with like a granola bar for breakfast or some fruit + protein shake.
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Again, I would do some searching and reading for meal and food ideas.
Eggs are not difficult. Just practice. Throw some eggs and egg white liquid into a pan, put the pan on the stove on a low to medium temperature, and keep stirring it all up. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes. Toss just a bit of pepper in there too.
A protein shake + 1/2-1 grapefruit is also a decent breakfast.
I'd opt to add some oats in your breakfast myself.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
Lunch is usually my main meal and when i go out i try to keep it to something like Wendies chili as it's relatively high in protein and carbs aren't too massive. My next meal would be after school where i'd try to eat a can of chicken (which is low in calories and carbs but massive in protein) or a can of tuna. Dinner is more-a-less non existent and if i get hungry at night i eat some cottage cheese or something small + shake after workout on workout days.
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You probably know that Wendy's is not the best bet if you're trying to get lean. Instead of doing that, bring some tuna and rice with you to school, or some hard boiled eggs and have some raw oats or veggies with it. Or have a meal replacement powder, or some protein powder with added ground oats and water right from a water fountain at school.
Your after-school meal is okay though I'd prefer frozen chicken over canned personally.
A non-existent dinner is a bad idea. You really need to be eating more frequently of course.
Cottage cheese at night is not only fine but it's actually pretty good. Do yourself a favor and add some fat to it, like flax seed oil, some peanuts, or some natural peanut butter.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
In my last cutting attempt i dropped 7.5 pounds in about 3 weeks (which is alright as i read at my weight it's healthy to drop 2 pounds a week). The problem is my strength went down at the gym and im pretty sure a bunch of the loss was muscle mass.
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It was most likely due to a poor diet and you probably did lose some muscle mass, unfortunatly. Don't worry about that, just remember it and don't make the same mistake this time.
I would like to hear more about your training routine too by the way.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
*edit - forgot to throw in i do cardio - running at the track, usually 2 times a week for 30+ minutes 1-2 miles... usually a mile at constant heart rate and then 1 mile sprints (which i've read can impair fat loss as it's over your target BPM.. is this true?)
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No, it's not true. Sprints are fine provided your nutrition is in check and provided you are not overdoing it (like an hour of sprints, twice a day, every day - that is probably too much!).
What type of weight training are you doing, if any?
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
1. a concrete routine for maintaining muscle mass while losing body fat (im assuming lower weight, higher reps)
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I prefer lower reps and higher weight, but it's got a lot to do with preference here. Again, I'd search around.
One thing I will say is that I believe it's a mistake to enter the gym with anything in mind other than building and maintaining muscle. Even when you're trying to cut fat, I believe you should still lift weights with the same goals in mind. You should allow your diet to determine whether or not you're trying to bulk up or cut fat.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
2. supplements to take (im assuming whey with low calories and low carbs, questionable on NO products / creatine, multivitamin?, and i've been doing research on ephedra although i don't mind building a strong basis of a proper diet before i leap to that, but don't get me wrong fast results are cool as well... as long as minimal physical damage is done :-p) .
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For you I'd only use the basics. Multivitamin for sure, and perhaps a quality protein powder (maybe even a protein blend over whey-only). MAYBE a flax or fish oil supplement. I really don't think you're at a point where you should consider anything other than the basics. In fact, I consider it a waste of time and money to concern yourself with supplements before you have your diet and training in check.
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Originally Posted by GettinHugeSon
3. A meal layout plan
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Not many people are going to design an entire meal layout for you (again I suggest you search around, use a prebuilt program, or hire a trainer). I will give you some basic tips, but you'll need to adjust the numbers yourself.
Here is an example:
Meal 1: Eggs, egg whites, oats, 1/2 grapefruit, multivitamin
Meal 2: Protein blend powder, natural peanut butter
Meal 3: Chicken OR fish OR lean beef OR turkey OR tuna, small serving of brown rice, 1-1.5 cup veggies
Meal 4: Same as meal 2
Meal 5: Chicken OR fish OR lean beef OR turkey OR tuna, 1-1.5 cup veggies, dry-roasted peanuts
Meal 6: Cottage cheese, flax-seed oil (mix it together)
**Drink plenty of water all day long**
THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE.
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