hello im new

[WildLaughter]

Hello world! I'm trying to get back in shape. Where is the best place on the forum to post my exercise and diet history? Just want to be sure I'm posting in the right section(s).

Thanks.

[likeawashboard]

Here is a good place, or the workout section. What are your goals?

[WildLaughter]

Here is a good place, or the workout section. What are your goals?

I'll try to make this long story short and summarize my exercise and diet history.

Growing up I couldn't gain weight if I tried. As a kid played every sport basically, so was always active and in shape.

For much of my life I was 5'9 to 5'10 weighed about 150pds.
In high school I ran cross country, so I had the typical "runners body". Ran at least 5 times a week. Very lean and whatnot. Never really paid attention to my diet because I didn't have to. I never gained weight (I was so special lol). Almost every morning in high school I started my day off with a bowl of cereal, then to school, cross country practice, then home for dinner. Yep that was high school. Couldn't gain a pound if tried. Great metabolism I guess.

In college, I didn't run as much but still ran 3-4 times a week. Since I lived on campus I had to deal with cafeteria food. It was actually better than most. Didn't have time for breakfast so I usually had an early lunch, then ran, then had dinner. If anything I became more lean and fit during college. My exercise and activity didn't change much since high school. So I tried thinking how my diet was back then. I am the type of person who will eat the same meal every day (such as cereal every morning). I'm really not a picky eater. Most nights the cafeteria had grilled chicken breast and some sort of pasta. Which was simple enough for me. So almost every night I had chicken and pasta. Again I never thought about what I was eating - health/nutrition wise - it was more "give me food so I can eat and get on with my life" attitude lol.

After college my running slowly decreased to maybe once a week, and still never thought twice about what I was eating. For a couple years I definitely became a 'couch-potato'. I am a lazy person by nature. I'm guessing my body changed so slightly over the years I never noticed it until one day the pants button popped off and the pants around my waist were not as loose as I remember them always being. That was certainly the eye opener.

I thought maybe I'm not active enough, which was true when I came home from college, but the past 2 years I worked in a warehouse, so I spend most of my day walking. Is gradual steady walking not enough excerise? Am I not getting my heart rate to increase high enough? I basically have the same lunches throughout he week. Due to my job there are only so many places to grab lunch. I either go to Subway, Panera Bread, or Moe'sSouthwestGrill (I just get a burrito). I think now I'm realizing that might be part of the problem. Should I be avoiding those places if I want to get lean and lose weight?

Now I'm 33 and about 190pds. I'm almost disgusted with it all. I want the body I had in college back. I am so determined to shed every once of fat. I've already started running again. Changing my diet I feel is the biggest challenge. I still have cereal in the morning, go to work, go to one of those places for lunch, then home and jog. I'm hoping my problem is a bunch of little things keeping me back and is an easy fix...

So - what do I do? Get in touch with a nutritionist? hire a trainer?
Tell me what to do!!! LOL.
Thanks for listening all. I can't wait to improve myself.

[gbullock32]

NUTRITION

This is the largest factor in your success, learn the basics to get started and then move into more advanced if needed.

BASICS

Spoiler!

This website will help you find your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure):

http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

Keep in mind this is only an estimate, and you adjust based on results. Stick with the estimate for 2 or so weeks and then add or subtract calories until gaining or losing weight at the desired pace.

Now that you have the TDEE, get your macro-nutrient needs (fat, protein, and carb needs). Fat has 9 calories per gram, and protein/carbs have 4 calories per gram, alcohol is 7 calories per gram count it as a carb when fitting it into your macros).

Protein- .7 grams per pound
Fat- .4 grams per pound

Meet those MINIMUMS and then fill out remaining calories as you want with carbs, or more protein and fat, or any combination. Remember to track properly too, use a food scale (measuring cups can be very inaccurate due to density); track everything, each little bit adds up (sauces can be quite calorie dense).

Next decide your goal and eat at a 10-20% caloric deficit or surplus, deficit to lose weight and surplus to gain. For gaining go for ~2 pound per month and when losing aim for 1-2 pounds per week. Reach your macro needs with mostly whole foods and a wide variety to ensure enough vitamins and mineral, but remember to practice common sense and moderation- enjoy life.

Sources and More Information

Spoiler!

Nutrition-
Calculating Calories
Pre, During, and Postworkout Nutrition
How To Ask For Diet Critique
Discretionary Calorie Allowance
Macro/Micro Nutrients Explained
Clean Eating Myth
Insulin and Fat Loss
Insulin and Fat Loss 2

Protein-
Protein Needs
Protein Needs 2
Protein Needs 3
Protein Timing
Muscle Protein Synthesis

Fat-
Fat Needs
Fat and Testosterone

Meal Timing-
Meal Timing 1
Meal Timing 2

Micro-Nutrient Guide-
Micro-Nutrient Guide

TRAINING

Start with a solid beginner routine, these are designed to get the most for you; they are designed by professionals and use progressive overload. Read through them and pick the one you like most, follow it as it is written.

Why You Should Not Make Your Own Routine
How To Perform Basic Lifts

Routines
Starting Strength
BabyLover's Starting Strength
AllPro's Beginner Routine
StrongLifts 5x5
IceCream Fitness 5x5
Fierce 5
Coolcicada's Push Pull Legs

Calisthenics routines

Spoiler!

Push Day:
- Pushups: 5x15
- Chest Dips: 4x12
- Triceps Extensions: 3x20
- Bench Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 5x5
- Hindu Pushups: 3x12

Pull Day:
- Pull-ups: 5x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x12
- Back bridges: 4x10
- One-arm Assisted Chin-ups: 4x5
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Chins Isometric Holds: 3xFailure

Legs Day:
- Suqats: 5x20
- Jumping Squats: 4x15
- Lunges: 3x30
- Sprints: 4x20sec
- Box Jumps: 3x10
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3xfailure

Or-

Upper Day:
- Pullups: 5x6
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x18
- Back bridges: 4x10
- Pushups: 4x12
- Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 3x5
- Decline Crunches: 4x12
- Russian Decline Twist: 3x12

Lower Day:
- Jumping Squats: 8x12
- Pistol Squats: 4x10
- Step Ups: 3x10
- GHR: 3x12
- Sprints: 5x15sec
- Calf Raises: 10x10 "Burnout"
- Hanging Leg Raises: 4x12
- Planks: 3x1min

SUPPLEMENTS

Remember one thing, supplements are only that; they supplement something and are never meant to be replacements. A multivitamin will not replace fruits and vegetables, a fat burner will not replace a caloric deficit, and a meal replacement is not meant to be your only source of calories.

This is a brief run down of the 'basics', for further breakdowns of specific ingredients (like Yohimbe, Forskolin, Glycerol, ect) more research on your part would be needed.

Protein

Spoiler!

Protein supplements are mostly derived from either Milk, Animal, Egg, or Plant sources. They are a powdered food item, made to be convenient to take. Their main purpose is to help you reach your minimum daily needs for protein if you cannot do so with whole foods, outside of that they provide no special benefit to muscle growth and are by no means 'required'.

Types
Whey- The most common, derived from milk and comes in either a concentrate or isolate. It is the cheapest and has a very high bio-availability, good stuff all around. Concentrate is the most common you will see since it requires less processing than an isolate. It is great and just fine for the majority of people. Isolates are another variety, they tend to have a few less carbs and fat, but cost more. They are best for people who have lactose issues.

Animal- Meat based protein, most come from the hooves and other parts that are not used in food; mostly collagen sources. These are usually not the best for bio-availability and are costly compared to a whey protein. They have the benefit of not being an issue to the lactose intolerant, but most prefer other sources for their protein needs.

Egg- From eggs, most are egg white powders. Again these cost more but have good bio-availability and do not aggravate lactose.

Plant- Best for the vegetarian/vegan, and those with very severe lactose intolerance (who still get issues even from isolate). These are sources from pea, soy, hemp, rice, and other plants. They often have multiple sources to form a complete protein source. Most cost more because of the processing involved.

Multi-Vitamins

Spoiler!

Multi-Vitamins are a good way to cover any gaps your nutrition may leave, they are not meant to (and never will be) a replacement for a wide variety of whole foods. Think of them as the spackle of the supplement world, great for covering imperfections, but you would not try and build a house from it.

Fish Oil

Spoiler!

Fish Oil is a good supplement for most, mainly because many do not eat enough fish to reach the minimum recommendation for EPA/DHA. For the most part you do not need to over complicate this one, just find a cheap and reliable brand and go for a dosage that covers your daily needs. These recommendations are 3 grams of EPA/DHA per day.

Creatine

Spoiler!

Creatine Monohydrate is the cheapest form of creatine and the most proven/studied. 3-5 grams a day, taken at any time with any liquid is all it takes and you do not need to load or cycle nor do you need to take it with sugar. Many types of creatine exist but just go with a plain mono- do not expect miracles though, creatine will barely have any noticeable effect, it may give you an extra rep or 2 but that is about it.

Bloating with creatine is actually very minimal, if it occurs at all, and usually only happens to those who load it (which is not needed). Creatine works by saturation, pulling water into the muscles and providing more endurance.

BCAAs

Spoiler!

BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) are said to prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery- this is true but you know what already has BCAAs in it? Food, any source of protein has and is comprised of branch chain amino acids. Assuming you reach protein sufficiency in your day a BCAA supplement would do nothing to aid you.
https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/b...e-in-isolation

Fat Burners

Spoiler!

Fat Burners primarily do 2 things, suppress appetite and provide energy and focus. They cannot and will not replace a calorie deficit or a proper nutrition plan. Some have other additions, such as Forskolin or Yohimbe which may aid in actual fat loss though, but again the end success of weight/fat loss is proper diet. Work on getting that in order and then, if needed, you may want to look into a fat burner for the final push you need.

Pre-Workouts

Spoiler!

These are designed to provide energy, focus, pump, and endurance; they do so most often with caffeine and other ingredients though there are also non-stimm pre-workouts for those who do not want the caffeine rush. These can aid you if the extra energy is needed but they are not required; if you are fine without them than you can just save your money.

Meal Replacements/Mass Gainer

Spoiler!

These are often little more than a protein supplement with a lot of cheap carbs added in to jack up the calories. Really, just eat more; make a homemade gainer from whole foods: Whole Milk, Oats, Honey, Ice Cream, Whey, Peanut Butter, Fruit; all can be blended up to make a far more nutritious and cheaper gainer than anything you could buy in a tub.

CLA

Spoiler!

CLA is useless, really... Unless you are obese and even then the effects are minimal at best.

Glutamine

Spoiler!

Glutamine is pretty much useless, save your money.

[godevs4ever]

I'll try to make this long story short and summarize my exercise and diet history.

Growing up I couldn't gain weight if I tried. As a kid played every sport basically, so was always active and in shape.

For much of my life I was 5'9 to 5'10 weighed about 150pds.
In high school I ran cross country, so I had the typical "runners body". Ran at least 5 times a week. Very lean and whatnot. Never really paid attention to my diet because I didn't have to. I never gained weight (I was so special lol). Almost every morning in high school I started my day off with a bowl of cereal, then to school, cross country practice, then home for dinner. Yep that was high school. Couldn't gain a pound if tried. Great metabolism I guess.

In college, I didn't run as much but still ran 3-4 times a week. Since I lived on campus I had to deal with cafeteria food. It was actually better than most. Didn't have time for breakfast so I usually had an early lunch, then ran, then had dinner. If anything I became more lean and fit during college. My exercise and activity didn't change much since high school. So I tried thinking how my diet was back then. I am the type of person who will eat the same meal every day (such as cereal every morning). I'm really not a picky eater. Most nights the cafeteria had grilled chicken breast and some sort of pasta. Which was simple enough for me. So almost every night I had chicken and pasta. Again I never thought about what I was eating - health/nutrition wise - it was more "give me food so I can eat and get on with my life" attitude lol.

After college my running slowly decreased to maybe once a week, and still never thought twice about what I was eating. For a couple years I definitely became a 'couch-potato'. I am a lazy person by nature. I'm guessing my body changed so slightly over the years I never noticed it until one day the pants button popped off and the pants around my waist were not as loose as I remember them always being. That was certainly the eye opener.

I thought maybe I'm not active enough, which was true when I came home from college, but the past 2 years I worked in a warehouse, so I spend most of my day walking. Is gradual steady walking not enough excerise? Am I not getting my heart rate to increase high enough? I basically have the same lunches throughout he week. Due to my job there are only so many places to grab lunch. I either go to Subway, Panera Bread, or Moe'sSouthwestGrill (I just get a burrito). I think now I'm realizing that might be part of the problem. Should I be avoiding those places if I want to get lean and lose weight?

Now I'm 33 and about 190pds. I'm almost disgusted with it all. I want the body I had in college back. I am so determined to shed every once of fat. I've already started running again. Changing my diet I feel is the biggest challenge. I still have cereal in the morning, go to work, go to one of those places for lunch, then home and jog. I'm hoping my problem is a bunch of little things keeping me back and is an easy fix...

So - what do I do? Get in touch with a nutritionist? hire a trainer?
Tell me what to do!!! LOL.
Thanks for listening all. I can't wait to improve myself.

as per your last two things you said, yes a nutritionist and a trainer would help tremendously.

I'm a trainer and I use a nutritionist and it's taken so much weight off my shoulders between working out and eating, I have a better relationship with food than I ever had before and I literally eat WHATEVER I want within a set amount of macros and I've lost 26.7 pounds in 8 weeks.

It's not magic, it's science but again I've been putting in the work and I'm a bit more experienced than you so you may need a bit more help. However, this is the place to get it, and if you want to talk to me personally message me on my social media sites or on here, social media is quicker due to the pop ups but I check these forums pretty often.