Time to scorch the fat! My fat loss log

[skids31]

First I'll give a little information about me. I'm a full time college student (16 credit hours) and a second year electrical engineering major. I'm 5'11 and I currently weigh 213.1 according to this morning's weigh in. I'll be eating around 2,000 Calories a day with a moderate-high protein intake, moderate carbs, and low fat. At least one meal a day will be a filler, I am having problems getting enough calories, I usually come in around 1600 Calories. I lift four days a week and do LISS-MISS cardio five days a week. Friday mornings I do fasted LISS.

Supplements:
Ephedrine (Bronkaid)
VPX Liquid Clenbutrx
Lean Xtreme
L-Tyrosine
PEA (Four days a week)
Big Red (Omega-3's)
Centrum Multi
FiberChoice (Fiber)
L-Carnitine
Allmax CLA
IsoPure Cookies 'n' Cream Protein (PWO)

My workout Schedule:
Monday-Chest and half hour cardio immediately after
Tuesday-Legs and cardio
Wednesday-Shoulders and cardio
Thursday-Back&Arms and cardio
Friday-Fasted LISS
Saturday&Sunday-Off

For the first few days I will be logging my food intake and then after that it will be more or less any change-ups and how I am feeling so far. I will post progress pictures and weight updates weekly. Attached is my first picture from Monday where I weighed 219.9 lbs.

Please post comments/suggestions as this is the purpose for me logging my weight loss journey. I could use all the extra motivation that I can get. Right now I have a printed picture of myself on the mirror so that every time I walk in the room I see that and it reminds me why I am doing this and why I am not eating sh!t all day. I'll post my daily log at the end of the day.

Thanks to all those who will hopefully follow!
-skids-

[skids31]

Last weigh in: Monday, March 28, 2011 220.7 lbs

Last weekend I pretty much just binged and ate whatever I could get my hands on. The number on the scale Monday morning reflected it as well. That day I was incredibly frustrated and planned on doing a full body workout that evening to deplete my glycogen stores and help kick start the week. During that workout I was doing squats supersetted with Leg Presses and going down on a rep of squats my back lit up. I've had sciatic nerve problems for a long time now. I tried to keep going and finished another set of squat and leg presses and I really shouldn't have. Eventually I went back to the house, took my protein and popped a couple ibuprofen and laid down on the heating pad for the rest of the night.

For the next couple of days I was basically just resting on the heating pad, going to class, and sticking to my diet. Today my back felt pretty good and after getting back my Calculus 2 exam last night I needed to workout. So, I did another full body workout with no squats or leg presses or any back exercises.

Everything superset
Leg extension (4 sets 10-12 reps) - 120 lbs
Leg Curl (4 sets 10-12 reps) - 90 lbs

BB Bench (3 sets 10-12 reps) - 135 lbs
Incline BB Bench (3 sets 10-12 reps) - 135 lbs

DB Anterior Delt Raise (3 sets 8 reps) - 25 lbs
One arm Side laterals leaning on bench (3 sets 8 reps) - 25 lbs

My weights aren't very heavy because I was really just emphasizing on the mind-muscle control. That, and I haven't lifted consistently in a couple of months now.

My calories are staying right around sub 2000 with protein intake around 170 grams, carbs 200 grams, and fat 40 grams. I eat the same thing every day until Sunday when I have my cheat meal. Attached is a picture I took after getting back from working out today. Let me know what you think! From now on I'm going to really try and post every day!

-skids-

[Rosco1001]

In for the big results ! good luck brother, i'll try and stick my head in daily to give u a nudge haha. Have you been using the Lean Xtreme long? Do you think its worthwhile? I've been debating it for a while now heh. Edit: can't get lean xtreme in Canada anyway (reason: banned ingredients) ... weird haha

subbed + reps

[Rosco1001]

My calories are staying right around sub 2000 with protein intake around 170 grams, carbs 200 grams, and fat 40 grams.

From now on I'm going to really try and post every day!

-skids-

- Fat may be a little low, may want to move a bit from carbs to fat, most of what I've read recommends 0.35-0.5 g fat/ lb lean body mass. Just a thought, I'm no expert ;p

- I'm just getting started with the log too, but a few guys have told me if you make a template for your daily post, its easier to get on here and fill in the info

Just some ideas heh

edit: regarding the picture, looks like there's some lean muscle mass under there, so time to scorch off the fat to get cut !

[skids31]

Thanks for the input! I think with one of my chicken breasts and rice meals I'll add a tsp of Vegetable oil (14 grams fat). I am also going to have two chicken breasts per meal instead of one. This will add an additional 44 grams of protein so I should be right around my weight in grams of protein.

As far as the template thing... I bought a diet minder journal from bb.com and I have been writing my food entries in that. I guess if anything I could just scan the pages and attach them on here for anyone who's interested lol.

Thanks for the comment on the picture. The LX is supposed to target the stress hormone that causes excess bodyfat mainly in the stomach area I believe so I'm hoping to notice differences there. That sucks about LX being banned in Canada. I've been taking it for about two weeks now. It's hard to really pinpoint any benefits from it as I am taking Ephedrine and Liquid Clenbutrx as well.

I'll be peeking on your log too bro! Stay focused! Btw, repped back!

skids

[skids31]

Weight (7:45am) - 213.0 lbs

I decided to weigh myself since I haven't weighed in since Monday after chowing down last weekend.

Today's eating plan maaay get screwed up. Immediately after my first class I will be going to the math lab. Usually I come back to the house, cook up my two main meals (chicken breasts and brown rice), pack them up and head back to school. Today's caloric intake may be skewed until around 4pm when I get out of Chemistry and I can come back to the house and chow down on a lot of food. I'll post again tonight!

-skids-

[skids31]

Ok, so my eating was not as screwed up as I originally had thought it to be. After my first class a friend and I went to a Chinese buffet. I didn't pig out, I had a couple handfuls of the sweet n sour chicken (w/o) the sauce and probably 1/2 cup of rice. I don't see that as cheating, I wasn't even full when I was done. Going there I felt pretty sluggish but leaving I had enough energy to make it through my chemistry class so I'd say that meal was pretty much needed.

After chemistry I was pretty tired so I came back to the house and tried to catch a few z's but the girl txted and that story ended pretty quickly. So I ended up waking up and watching some tv for a bit before calculus class at 7. I tried eating a chicken breast while I was at home but I think I got about half of it down before I grew tired of eating lol.

Also, I had two scoops of Isopure Protein (Cookies 'n' Cream) with one tbsp of Vegetable oil (120 Calories and 14 grams of Fat) to get in a little more fat. I had that before heading to my physics class.

Notes on Supplements
My appetite is extremely timid until night time. I don't know if thats because by then the effects of E, Clenbutrx, and the LX have worn off a bit and that's when my stomach throws a hissy fit or what. Either way, my appetite is down and my cravings are nonexistent so I'm loving this stack!

Next week I will have a normal lifting schedule. The back injury from this Monday threw everything off track. Next Tuesday I may not be able to lift as I have a meeting with my advisor about scheduling and transferring campuses right after my chemistry class. I'll let you guys know

Tonight I'm going to post a scanned version of my food log so you guys can see what a normal day of eating looks like for me. I only ask what I could add to fill in some missing macros. I want to make sure that the weight I lose is fat. I'm trying to recomp muscle as the last cut I did I didn't really lift a lot because I was worried about injuring my back and pissing off my knees any further. Thus, I did mostly fasted cardio on the treadmill. Basically walking at 3.5 speed on a flat incline for 30-45 minutes. Depending on how much calories I get in through the day, I may not do nearly as much cardio and focus more on lifting weights in the afternoon.

Again, I'll post a scanned copy of my food log tonight so I can get some feedback from anyone who sees it. Thanks!

-skids-

[skids31]

Originally my cheat day was on Sunday but I caved...and in a big way too.

Meal 1
9 am - 5 whole eggs
1/2 cup brown rice
1 slice cheddar cheese
2 pm - 2 plain triple cheeseburgers from Wendys
2 large natural cut fries w/ sea salt
2 cans Sprite
6 pm - 3 large tbsp Birthday cake ice cream

I have no idea how many calories I took in but I do know it's way more than I would like to have had. I'm feeling extremely bloated and pretty frustrated that I gave in and had all that junk. I'm going to head to the park tomorrow and play some basketball for a while to try and burn off some of this crap that I took in.

I apologize to any of those that are reading this for motivation for their own goals. Mistakes happen and I need to learn from it. Best of luck! Post again tomorrow!

skids

[skids31]

Weight- 220.9 lbs

Why do I keep dieting during the week only to ruin it in three days on the weekend. I come home on the weekends and just binge and binge with no regards to the hard work I did during the week. What's the point in even trying if it means nothing to me on the weekends.

Well, I found a solution for the time being: I'm not coming home on the weekends for a while. I want to see if the comfort of coming home and the "I don't care what I eat" attitude is what causes me to binge.

One difference I noticed this weekend that I didn't do last weekend is that I am at least fighting the urge to binge today. I tried yesterday and failed horribly. I just keep eating crap and feeling even worse. This really sucks not having any willpower at all when I come home. So until I can get the willpower to fight cravings and the urge to binge, I won't be coming home on the weekends... It's just the way it is I guess...

[skids31]

Ok so I just did about 47 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. I walked at 3.8 speed on a flat incline for the most part and went down to 3.6 when I noticed my HR was getting a little high (140 bpm). I have an Omron Heart Rate Monitor that lets me know if am too high or too low. I keep in the range from 120 bpm to 140 bpm.

I had a really good sweat going. I had shorts underneath sweats and a t-shirt underneath a hoodie. About 20 minutes into it I was sweating like a pig! I had a lot of frustrations and anger built up from cheating and decided a cardio session would be good to unleash it. So, I took my EC at 3:30pm and started cardio at 4:00pm. In the beginning my HRM was off and kept jumping. I put some damp water on the conducting pads by putting my hand under a faucet and just rubbing my fingers across the pads but even then it takes a while before it starts getting accurate. Anyone know of some ideas that I can use to increase the conduction of the chest band I have to wear?

For the rest of the day I'm only going to have two scoops of Isopure 0 Carb Protein mixed with water, and half a cup of cottage cheese. It's time to get serious about this!

Also, I am no longer taking VPX Liquid Clenbutrx, instead I am just taking "Stay Awake" which is just 200 mg of caffeine.

[skids31]

Weight (4:00am this morning) - 215.7 lbs

So, according to that weight I either lost a lot of water weight doing cardio yesterday or I didn't cheat nearly as much as I did the past weekend. Or maybe a combination of both? Either way I was relieved to see I had only gained a net 2.7 lbs from last week before the horrible wreck that happened this weekend.

I did a half hour of cardio on the treadmill in full sweats. I went at a 3.8 speed on a flat incline for the most part. I got a real good sweat going so I'm feeling pretty good now. I had my usual breakfast - 5 eggs, 1/2 cup brown rice. I was going to go for a little longer ~ 45 minutes, but I have a leg workout tonight so I don't want to do too much. I figure my next meal is going to just be a chicken breast. My first class starts at 9 and goes until noon. Then I'll have a 1/4 cup of brown rice with a chicken breast and one tbsp vegetable oil to get in my fats. I'm going to reduce one of my 1/2 cups of brown rice to just 1/4 to reduce my overall carbs, and the tbsp of vegetable oil in two of my meals to up my fats. Let's see how this works for a while! I'll post again tonight as a recap of the day and leg workout

skids

[Rosco1001]

I think the first step towards fixing these binges is realizing the cause of them - going home may play a big part. If you stay in the environment where you're being successful and sticking to a routine it may be easier - may mean some boring weekends, but in the long run its worth it.

Also, starting out I found letting myself have smaller "treats" through the week, helped to make my diet maintainable. If you eat too strictly and its too big of a change from your past diet (going "cold turkey"), that's a recipe for binging in itself, simply due to the cravings. Through the first few weeks, every second night I'd have a bowl of low fat frozen yogourt or baked chips, or something that was only like 200 cals and fit into my calorie requirements overall, even if it wasn't really helpful to my macros. It makes it a lot easier to ease into this lifestyle change, and you're not going to kill your results by eating 200 cals of something that isn't great for you a couple times a week.

They say a deficit of 3500 cals = 1 lb fat loss, so if you eat a 200-300 cal "cheat" say 3 times a week, thats less than a third of a pound your negating by eating it. I'd say its worth it for your sanity as you're getting into the swing of things. As you continue, you'll find yourself craving healthier foods, and the unhealthy foods actually make you feel sick after eating them (that's how it went for me anyway). I still cheat once in a while, but again its something that keeps me under maintenance calories and isn't going to kill progress.

Not sure if this will be much help to you, but it helped me through the first few months of my cut.

Also, regarding the weight jump/drop - a lot of that was probably water retention from sodium (fries, burgers, etc), as well as undigested food sitting in your stomach... 1 day of binging even like 3,000 calories over maintenance isn't going to put on 5 lbs

Cheers.

[skids31]

I think the first step towards fixing these binges is realizing the cause of them - going home may play a big part. If you stay in the environment where you're being successful and sticking to a routine it may be easier - may mean some boring weekends, but in the long run its worth it.

Also, starting out I found letting myself have smaller "treats" through the week, helped to make my diet maintainable. If you eat too strictly and its too big of a change from your past diet (going "cold turkey"), that's a recipe for binging in itself, simply due to the cravings. Through the first few weeks, every second night I'd have a bowl of low fat frozen yogourt or baked chips, or something that was only like 200 cals and fit into my calorie requirements overall, even if it wasn't really helpful to my macros. It makes it a lot easier to ease into this lifestyle change, and you're not going to kill your results by eating 200 cals of something that isn't great for you a couple times a week.

They say a deficit of 3500 cals = 1 lb fat loss, so if you eat a 200-300 cal "cheat" say 3 times a week, thats less than a third of a pound your negating by eating it. I'd say its worth it for your sanity as you're getting into the swing of things. As you continue, you'll find yourself craving healthier foods, and the unhealthy foods actually make you feel sick after eating them (that's how it went for me anyway). I still cheat once in a while, but again its something that keeps me under maintenance calories and isn't going to kill progress.

Not sure if this will be much help to you, but it helped me through the first few months of my cut.

Also, regarding the weight jump/drop - a lot of that was probably water retention from sodium (fries, burgers, etc), as well as undigested food sitting in your stomach... 1 day of binging even like 3,000 calories over maintenance isn't going to put on 5 lbs

Cheers.

It does help actually, thank you! The weird thing is, during the week I don't have any cravings for junk. None at all actually, which is pretty weird. I think it is because when I get home I get off schedule and I just lose hold of my grip on my diet. Solution: plan ahead and prepare my meals before I head home.

As for the weight gain/drop, I realize it is water weight...tg! But I also know, it can't be healthy to keep living like this: diet during week binge on the weekends. That rapid fluctuation of weight (water or not) can't be very healthy lol. I need to find a happy medium to where I can still live life and enjoy it, but also maintain a healthy look and drop the fat that I have accumulated.

Anyway, a recap for the day. I went to a new gym I just signed up for and did a leg work out. Holy sweat batman! My shirt was drenched! My numbers were pretty solid too! Here's a basic layout of the workout:

Leg Press- 240x15, 300x15, 320x15
Glute Kicks? - 100x15, 120x15, 120x15
Abductors - 130x15, 140x15, 150(max)x15
Adductors - 120x15, 130x15, 150(max)x15
Leg Extensions - 120x15, 140x15, 190x12
Leg Curls - 130x15, 130x11 110x4, 11x15
Lunges - 2 17 lb kettleballs 20 lunges total two sets

By the end of this workout I was dead! After doing a final set of leg curls I was extremely light headed and felt really off. I figured being my first hard leg workout in a while I should stop before I lost it. Nonetheless, my legs were destroyed today and I feel sooo good! I'll be waking up at 4 in the morning tomorrow and going back to the gym to do chest and cardio.

[skids31]

Weight (4:00am) - 213.3 lbs

Well the scale is showing that I'm still pulling out water weight, hopefully some of it is fat though! I had a chest workout and a half hour of cardio on the treadmill this morning.

Bench 185x12, 205x10, 225x8
Incline Bench 155x12, 185x10, 205x6 drop set 135x10
Cable Flyes 60x10x3

The numbers are still low, but I'm trying to get that muscle memory going. My legs are a little sore from yesterday but not bad considering my first hard leg workout. Tomorrow they'll be crying though.

Sometimes I think FB is the worst thing invented. Me and the girl had a couple problems last week where she thought she had feelings for this guy. Long story short he commented on her status and just seeing his name makes me see red. This anger is my motivation to workout and push hard through cravings and whatever comes my way. I need to find a way to contain it until the next morning so that I can just let it explode on the weights. Grrr lol

Anyway, on more of a positive note, I'll post again later in the evening to give a recap on today's progress and eating. Meals will be pretty much the same as yesterday. The only difference is timing, I did a 4:00am workout today so obviously my protein drink was a lot earlier than yesterday. But for the most part, the actual foods will be the same.

[TrueQBN]

Weight (4:00am) - 213.3 lbs

Well the scale is showing that I'm still pulling out water weight, hopefully some of it is fat though! I had a chest workout and a half hour of cardio on the treadmill this morning.

Bench 185x12, 205x10, 225x8
Incline Bench 155x12, 185x10, 205x6 drop set 135x10
Cable Flyes 60x10x3

The numbers are still low, but I'm trying to get that muscle memory going. My legs are a little sore from yesterday but not bad considering my first hard leg workout. Tomorrow they'll be crying though.

Sometimes I think FB is the worst thing invented. Me and the girl had a couple problems last week where she thought she had feelings for this guy. Long story short he commented on her status and just seeing his name makes me see red. This anger is my motivation to workout and push hard through cravings and whatever comes my way. I need to find a way to contain it until the next morning so that I can just let it explode on the weights. Grrr lol

Anyway, on more of a positive note, I'll post again later in the evening to give a recap on today's progress and eating. Meals will be pretty much the same as yesterday. The only difference is timing, I did a 4:00am workout today so obviously my protein drink was a lot earlier than yesterday. But for the most part, the actual foods will be the same.

Work hard in the gym man, eat right. Make sure your bigger than that guy and one day you won't give 3 sh*ts... I'm a testimony to that mindset, it works. Still a work in progress, but each and every day I feel more pumped about myself and can give a f less who my ex dates, so long as I'm better looking and bigger than he is. I will always be smarter and witty than any of her new BFs as well, LOLOL!!!

Train hard, time to change your life.

[skids31]

Thanks buddy! We're still together, we came to the conclusion that it's the distance that makes her crave the attention. We've been together for three years and we worked it out so we're still going strong.

Anyway, on to the lifting and eating thing. I've noticed that with eating right, lifting, and doing cardio; basically when everything is in place the motivation is a lot higher. Today for instance, I dressed up a little more than usual. When I feel good, I want to look good basically. The 4 am workouts aren't killing me throughout the day either. It actually helps jump my days.

Earlier I had a craving for some popcorn. If I'm still craving it when I get back to the house after meeting with my advisor I may have a bag. Thanks to rosco for that little tidbit

Tomorrow morning after workout I plan on taking progress pics so if I do I'll be sure to post them first thing. Thanks for all the comments!!

skids

[TrueQBN]

Thanks buddy! We're still together, we came to the conclusion that it's the distance that makes her crave the attention. We've been together for three years and we worked it out so we're still going strong.

Anyway, on to the lifting and eating thing. I've noticed that with eating right, lifting, and doing cardio; basically when everything is in place the motivation is a lot higher. Today for instance, I dressed up a little more than usual. When I feel good, I want to look good basically. The 4 am workouts aren't killing me throughout the day either. It actually helps jump my days.

Earlier I had a craving for some popcorn. If I'm still craving it when I get back to the house after meeting with my advisor I may have a bag. Thanks to rosco for that little tidbit

Tomorrow morning after workout I plan on taking progress pics so if I do I'll be sure to post them first thing. Thanks for all the comments!!

skids

You seem like me, except without the heartbreak part, and hopefully you keep that bond strong with her - but always remember to stand on your on two feet and "be a man". I say this not to be a jerk or anything, but I've seen too many bro's get their heart broken and end up a sad story, or turn into real douchebags and treat people like sh*t.

Focus on your body, and on your mind. Love your women but love yourself first, if you aren't happy with the way you look, immediately start fixing it ASAP (which you are).

You guys look at my log and derive motivation from it, but if you listen to my voice recordings/blogs on my phone, specifically the ones right before going hardcore with changing my life... 100% guaranteed it will depress many, I was a train wreck x100 for a while...

Enough of that - go beast mode in that gym. Do it big.

[skids31]

Weight - N/A

I woke up this morning and I felt like I was going to get sick I was so hungry. I took my supplements and headed to the gym for shoulders, abs and cardio.

DB Shoulder Press 50x8, 60x8, 70x6 drop set 40x8
Bench lean DB Lateral Raise 30x8x3
Reverse DB Fly lying on bench 25x8x3
Front Cable Raise 40x8x3
Side Cable Raise 30x8x3
Leg Raise 3x12
Crunch 3x18
Side Crunch 3x15 (each side)

Half hour on the bike

I went hard on shoulder today, a few times I had an adrenaline rush. By the end my shoulders were pretty pumped for doing a fasted workout. During cardio I began to feel sick again. I think it's a combination of hard work out, fasting, and not eating enough?

Through the day I'm not all that hungry. It's at night that my stomach feels like it's caving in on itself. I'm going to add another tbsp of vegetable oil with my first meal and try and get myself to eat some cottage cheese tonight as my last meal.

I can't tell if I'm losing muscle right now because it's only my first week. I'm hoping my weights will go up next week. I'm sore from head to toe now so I really need to make sure I get enough rest. Tomorrow will be arms, abs, and cardio and then I'm going to take a three day rest before hitting it again Monday.

I won't be doing back for a while. I injured my lower back last Monday and it's still bothering me to this day. It's effecting my sciatic nerve so I really don't want to piss it off. So if you were wondering why I am not doing back, that is why. I didn't post progress pic because I can't take the picture in the room with the same lighting as I did last time. I want the pictures to be taken at the same spot and time of day to get more of an accurate look. The lighting is horrible in my room so it makes me look like a beached wale. Maybe tomorrow or Friday.

[TrueQBN]

Weight - N/A

I woke up this morning and I felt like I was going to get sick I was so hungry. I took my supplements and headed to the gym for shoulders, abs and cardio.

DB Shoulder Press 50x8, 60x8, 70x6 drop set 40x8
Bench lean DB Lateral Raise 30x8x3
Reverse DB Fly lying on bench 25x8x3
Front Cable Raise 40x8x3
Side Cable Raise 30x8x3
Leg Raise 3x12
Crunch 3x18
Side Crunch 3x15 (each side)

Half hour on the bike

I went hard on shoulder today, a few times I had an adrenaline rush. By the end my shoulders were pretty pumped for doing a fasted workout. During cardio I began to feel sick again. I think it's a combination of hard work out, fasting, and not eating enough?

Through the day I'm not all that hungry. It's at night that my stomach feels like it's caving in on itself. I'm going to add another tbsp of vegetable oil with my first meal and try and get myself to eat some cottage cheese tonight as my last meal.

I can't tell if I'm losing muscle right now because it's only my first week. I'm hoping my weights will go up next week. I'm sore from head to toe now so I really need to make sure I get enough rest. Tomorrow will be arms, abs, and cardio and then I'm going to take a three day rest before hitting it again Monday.

I won't be doing back for a while. I injured my lower back last Monday and it's still bothering me to this day. It's effecting my sciatic nerve so I really don't want to piss it off. So if you were wondering why I am not doing back, that is why. I didn't post progress pic because I can't take the picture in the room with the same lighting as I did last time. I want the pictures to be taken at the same spot and time of day to get more of an accurate look. The lighting is horrible in my room so it makes me look like a beached wale. Maybe tomorrow or Friday.

Skids, excellent work so far, keep it up buddy.

You seem to be stressing over things that don't need to be stressed, the whole eating at night "myth" for example. Its pretty much been proven that eating carbs or any food for that matte a few hours before going to bed, does not turn into fat.

You can look into Intermittent Fasting, www.leangains.com - I currently train fasted and I can honestly say that my workout are MUCH more effective. Reason being because your body has no food in the stomache, it is able to devote all its energy to exercise.

Also, I eat nearly all my meals from 3:00PM-8:00PM - Fat loss is still sky rocketing, and I'm a chubby little f'er.

Diet is not a challenge, and its been proven that you CAN eat whatever foods you want in order to burn fat, so long as you meet a few requirements (1g/lb protein, 0.35g/lb fat, less calories so you lose 1.5/2lbs a week).

Train hard and nurse that back.

[skids31]

2 Day Recap

Ok, so I've fallen off the wagon a little bit... I don't believe I've eaten over my caloric target, but I do know my macros are pretty far off. True, you're right the foods are a means to an end. My number one target is enough protein, and then make sure the caloric intake is lower than maintenance.

Here's my plan:

1-Make my first focus on getting enough protein ~200 grams

2-Get in enough calories ~2200

3-Bust ass in the gym to burn off steam and calories

The reason why I haven't been eating at night is because of my scheduling with working out and classes. I've been actually trying the IF, most days I stop eating at the latest -5:00pm. So I go approximately 13 hours without eating food. From post-workout to mid-evening I eat when I can which is in between classes.

Conclusion

1-Start off slow with the diet
A) Just make main focus getting enough protein then making sure calories are at ~2200
2-Use the gym as a means to build muscle and burn up calories/steam
3-Change the way I look at this diet/cut
A) "Change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" Gaspari Text of the Day

Thank you for reading this even with my ups and downs. Overall I just need to reevaluate the way I am making the transition. Wish me luck!

[TrueQBN]

2 Day Recap

Ok, so I've fallen off the wagon a little bit... I don't believe I've eaten over my caloric target, but I do know my macros are pretty far off. True, you're right the foods are a means to an end. My number one target is enough protein, and then make sure the caloric intake is lower than maintenance.

Here's my plan:

1-Make my first focus on getting enough protein ~200 grams

2-Get in enough calories ~2200

3-Bust ass in the gym to burn off steam and calories

The reason why I haven't been eating at night is because of my scheduling with working out and classes. I've been actually trying the IF, most days I stop eating at the latest -5:00pm. So I go approximately 13 hours without eating food. From post-workout to mid-evening I eat when I can which is in between classes.

Conclusion

1-Start off slow with the diet
A) Just make main focus getting enough protein then making sure calories are at ~2200
2-Use the gym as a means to build muscle and burn up calories/steam
3-Change the way I look at this diet/cut
A) "Change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" Gaspari Text of the Day

Thank you for reading this even with my ups and downs. Overall I just need to reevaluate the way I am making the transition. Wish me luck!

Baby steps, and stop stressing. This is a life change, not a race.

Start off by fitting as many of your favorite foods as you can into your total daily calorie intake. You want to feel as if your NOT dieting, always remember that.

Start off things by increasing protein to like 100g a day. Don't stress over the scale either - the first month, make your expectations ZERO.

The first month of any cut/transformation should always be about figuring what your cutting/maintenance calories is, NOT about dropping substantial lbs.

Train hard, and slowly change your life pal.

[Rosco1001]

Baby steps, and stop stressing. This is a life change, not a race.

Start off by fitting as many of your favorite foods as you can into your total daily calorie intake. You want to feel as if your NOT dieting, always remember that.

Start off things by increasing protein to like 100g a day. Don't stress over the scale either - the first month, make your expectations ZERO.

The first month of any cut/transformation should always be about figuring what your cutting/maintenance calories is, NOT about dropping substantial lbs.

Train hard, and slowly change your life pal.

^ This... great advice to be honest, easing into it was definitely a huge part for me, I lost ~40 lbs over 8 months without strictly counting calories/following macros, but more just moving towards a more healthy lifestyle, hitting the gym, and not eating meals that would contain my whole days caloric intake in 1 sitting haha. I've just started following calorie counting/macros a lot tighter in the past few weeks in order to step up my plan and hit the next level . Like QBN said, its easing into a lifestyle change and making it something maintainable, not just crash dieting and losing all the weight in 6 months only to go back to your old habits after. Good luck, Do Work.

[TrueQBN]

One thing to emphasize as well... its the stress that you put on yourself to make such rapid changes that often ends up being a huge obstacle in of itself.

In the fat loss for noobs sticky, Wave_Length makes a mention to not stress over weight loss... to just let it come. That even Lazy asses can burn maximum amounts of fats - its all about letting go of old dogma/belief:

Nutrient timing right now is irrelvant, eat all your meals before going to bed if you please, carbs turning into fat before sleep is FALSE and has never been proven, and there are some BBers on here who always eat carbs before going to bed. Nutrient timing was one thing that always stressed me, I HATED going to bed hungry, but I always believed in the no carbs after 6:00PM thing. ITS FALSE, EAT AND HIT YOUR MACROS.

Quality of food - Granted, you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT, as long as you get AT LEAST 1g of protein for your Lean Body Weight. Technically, you can drink 150g of whey protein, and eat cake all day, and as long as your dropping 1.5lbs-2lbs a week (which you measure every 2 weeks btw...) - you WILL burn fat.

Though I don't advise eat *cake* ... please do enjoy the foods you love, but just control your portions and make sure to count those calories and protein intake - and remember, the first month is all about finding out how much you can eat! Don't expect weight loss the first month!

BTW skids, this is in no way criticism, great job on making changes to your life bro, this is advice and advice I try to give to others who want to make a change daily.

Also, TRAIN HARD!!!

[skids31]

Recap
I had a rough time getting up this morning but eventually did around 8 am. I had a rough night’s rest I woke up at 3:30 and stayed up for a couple hours unable to back to sleep. I had to tutor a couple of kids for calculus and pick up a couple paychecks and then headed to the gym. It was arms, abs, and cardio today:

EZ Bar Curl 50x12, 70x12, 70x8 drop set 50x10
Concentration Curl 20x8x3 each arm
Hammer Curl 30x8x3 each arm
Closed Grip Bench 185x10, 205x10, 215x8 drop set 135x12
Tricep Pressdown (V Bar) 160x10x3
One Arm Reverse Push Down 30x10x3
Hanging Leg Raise 3x15
Crunches 3x20
Side Crunches 3x15 (each side)

Half hour on the bike and 15 minutes on the tread. Did this in full sweats

I got a good sweat going and felt pretty good after this. When I woke up I had a bowl of cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream. I’m not happy about it but I ate it and moving on. I have some rice cooking right now and I’m going to have 5 eggs with it. It’s time to really shove some food down (lots of protein mind you). My arms are dead from today’s workout so I know I need the protein.

Quote of the Day: “Look inside and you will find the answer to any question you have. Create your life with all the answers.”

If there’s anything else you would like me to put up on here let me know!

PS Thanks guys for all the help!! I couldn't agree more! I need to quit with this "black" and "white" way of dieting. I need to find that happy medium of getting my protein intake and still meeting the right caloric intake to still lose fat. Like you've both said, it's a work in progress and I need to be patient and bust ace in the gym(which I have the soreness proves it lol). Thanks again!!

[TrueQBN]

Recap
I had a rough time getting up this morning but eventually did around 8 am. I had a rough night’s rest I woke up at 3:30 and stayed up for a couple hours unable to back to sleep. I had to tutor a couple of kids for calculus and pick up a couple paychecks and then headed to the gym. It was arms, abs, and cardio today:

EZ Bar Curl 50x12, 70x12, 70x8 drop set 50x10
Concentration Curl 20x8x3 each arm
Hammer Curl 30x8x3 each arm
Closed Grip Bench 185x10, 205x10, 215x8 drop set 135x12
Tricep Pressdown (V Bar) 160x10x3
One Arm Reverse Push Down 30x10x3
Hanging Leg Raise 3x15
Crunches 3x20
Side Crunches 3x15 (each side)

Half hour on the bike and 15 minutes on the tread. Did this in full sweats

I got a good sweat going and felt pretty good after this. When I woke up I had a bowl of cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream. I’m not happy about it but I ate it and moving on. I have some rice cooking right now and I’m going to have 5 eggs with it. It’s time to really shove some food down (lots of protein mind you). My arms are dead from today’s workout so I know I need the protein.

Quote of the Day: “Look inside and you will find the answer to any question you have. Create your life with all the answers.”

If there’s anything else you would like me to put up on here let me know!

PS Thanks guys for all the help!! I couldn't agree more! I need to quit with this "black" and "white" way of dieting. I need to find that happy medium of getting my protein intake and still meeting the right caloric intake to still lose fat. Like you've both said, it's a work in progress and I need to be patient and bust ace in the gym(which I have the soreness proves it lol). Thanks again!!

soreness =/= gains

Make sure you feel the muscles that your targetting for whatever exercises being worked... if your benching, you best make sure your pecs are DEAD.

Train hard man, just cause its Saturday don't mean you shouldn't, going to start implementing HIIT myself soon on the weekends!

[skids31]

Yeah, so yesterday's workout was definitely a success. I woke up this morning and my biceps actually hurt! Right at the bottom of them there is pain. I put some icy hot on each bicep and of course on my lower back. Last night's food was a big chicken breast ~50 grams of protein as a serving (4 oz) has 22 grams and I easily had twice that and some; I also had a steak burger sandwich with cheddar cheese, and hot pepper cheese cubes. I also had five eggs, a slice of kraft american cheese, and 3/4 cup of white rice. So, if I add up the protein intake 30(eggs), 50(chicken), lets say another 30(steak sandwich), 4(kraft cheese), 4(cheddar cheese), and 50(protein drink post workout) I got about 168 grams and this is just approximating. Not bad but can definitely use some increase of protein.

Today I woke up and immediately had two Ding dongs and a twinky lol. Oi the fatness! And I made 3/4 cup of white rice. I took my supplements and started getting ready for the day.

I'm going to a cook out today where there is going to be a lot of meat I'm probably going to be playing football too so there's some cardio for the day. There's also going to be corn on the cob so I'll have one of those and possibly three burgers to make sure I get a lot of protein in. I'm also going to have a protein drink here in a few to get some extra protein in.

Quote of the day: "Picture yourself winning. Success starts with a vivid picture, held in your imagination, of what you would like to do or be."

skids

[skids31]

I did three hours of basketball today after having probably close to 1.5 pounds of black angus beef. I also had two scoops of whey protein and tonight I'm going to wal mart so I'm going to pick up some cottage cheese and have some of that tonight as well. Back to the basketball: I now have blisters on my feet, I took a pain killer and a muscle relaxant for my back. I definitely overdid it, but I had fun and really burnt up some good ol' fat calories. I'm now chugging back some water and resting for a bit.

My sleep as of lately has been sketchy. I'll go to sleep quick (thanks to Melatonin but I keep waking up during the night so I'm going to get some valerian root to help keep me asleep. I've used this before and it worked wonders!! There's nothing like waking up at 1:30 am and then at 3:30 am and not getting back to sleep until close to five. For right now though, I'm going to take it easy on this here heating pad and chug some water.

[skids31]

Finally got to sleep last night around 3 and woke up today at 10. I'm sore from head to toe from yesterday's basketball event. I put some icy hot on my biceps and lower back and got on the heating pad already so I've kick started the recovery for today.

I already had my 5 eggs and cup of rice here in a few I'm going to get my protein drink down. I'm going to my aunts for a dinner so hopefully they actually make a meat I like to get my protein.

I woke up this morning again feeling sick. My stomach felt really shaky and I have no idea what that's all about. Any clues to what this could be from? It's not exactly a good way to start my day that's for sure. Once I ate I felt better but it would still be nice not to wake up sickly.

Tomorrow I plan on getting my body fat tested at the gym I've been going to. I want to see how much LBM I have to get more of an accurate amount of protein that I need to be taking in daily. Also, today is my last day of taking CLA.

[skids31]

Ok today's eating probably wasn't the best. Not in a matter of eating a lot of crap but I don't think I got enough calories/protein. I had:

5 wholes eggs
3/4 cup white rice
Slice of Kraft American Cheese
1 bag of popcorn
2 scoops Isopure Zero Carb protein
Chicken breast (~10 oz?)
Garlic pasta? No idea how much not a lot but maybe 1 1/2 cups?

I'm looking into IF, if anyone has a basic plan that could get me started that would be greeeaaat!

[Rosco1001]

Ok today's eating probably wasn't the best. Not in a matter of eating a lot of crap but I don't think I got enough calories/protein. I had:

5 wholes eggs
3/4 cup white rice
Slice of Kraft American Cheese
1 bag of popcorn
2 scoops Isopure Zero Carb protein
Chicken breast (~10 oz?)
Garlic pasta? No idea how much not a lot but maybe 1 1/2 cups?

I'm looking into IF, if anyone has a basic plan that could get me started that would be greeeaaat!

Not great, but if this is the worst day your having now, its a big improvement from the 3 burgers + a couple orders of fries, etc etc from that binge the other week... ---> keep focused on the positives and improvements to stay motivated, don't dwell on what's done, just improve next time . It's all about growing into it. It's funny, when I end up having a cheat day now, I look at it and I think, if that's the worst I'll ever eat now, I'm doing alright. Its a huge improvement from the 3 meals of fast food, 2L of cola, and bag of chips i used to eat, not to mention the booze haha. So yeah man, just keep on it and over time you'll be finding even your "bad" eating days, are comparatively healthy to what you ate in the past, just keep moving towards that new lifestyle. Do Work.