New Diet, New Training, New Me

Swoosh

right folks this is my first time posting here about my fitness goals.

I've come to the realisation that i may not be the adonis hunk in real life that i would like to think i am!:eek:

Currently, I am 26, 6ft tall and 99kg. It is the fear of hitting triple figures kg wise and getting fed up with moobs/spare tyre that has prompted my hange of direction/lifestyle. The biggest failing I have is that I'm incredibly lazy. In my youth and childhood:D i was exceptionally active playing every sport imaginable and visiting the gym on a regular basis.

A bad injury put paid to my hopes of replacing O'Gara for Munster and my diet was basically the anti christ to everything that is written in the stickies at the top of the forum.

So I have decided to try to turn back the clock, get fit lose weight and get some definition back. More importantly i want to get some self confidence and pride back in myself. Today may not be the best time as I've a 3 week holiday coming up next week to start this but fudge it better now than never.

So my diet plan is

Breakfast: Alpen cereal/Casein protein shake

Lunch: Small portion lasagne/roast w/veg/chicken curry + Tea

Dinner: Eggs / Tuna sachet, tea

There would be a litre water in that. Occasional snacks would be apples/bananas/peanuts. I also think maybe that Ryvita crackers with something

Training

Training will be mostly GAA training at this time of year but for late autumn/winter it'd be gym only.

Tuesday & Thursday would be GAA training so essentially cardio.

I also plan on including some interval running on the threadmill at high intensity 2 nights a week and core muscle exercises every day to bring the strenght back up. I also want to introduce some weight training to bring some definition to my arms. I plan on getting my gym instructors to create a plan for me for my interval training and also the weight training.

I dont have access to a bench press outside of the chest press machine in my gym but i suppose the free weights could be used to recreate the effect.

Hopefully people here will be patient and gentle with me and help me to achieve my goals and dreams of dropping body fat and getting fitter before I can get back on the playing field. Any comments on the diet/training are most welcome.

I'd also like any tips on supplements that might be benefical for my progress so please help me out!

Thanks in advance!!

Swoosh!!

Danger781

Welcome You've come to the right place :P

Just a few things to note:
-The stickies on here are the holy grail when it comes to fitness and nutrition.

-Weight loss will take time and lots of effort. Don't expect any quick fixes. You'll probably lose 1, maybe 2lbs per week. Keep that in mind. Same story with building muscle.

-Alpen, although a healthy cereal, is quite in carbohydrates and slightly high in calories. Try Porridge/Ready Break with some honey or chopped fruit mixed in for flavour.

-Be careful with the peanuts, they're also high in calories!

-Be careful with the curry. These are often full of added sugar and salt and quite high in calories!

-Eat bananas/apples in moderation. Both contain over 100 calories each so keep that in mind when trying to lose weight. Berries are generally low in calories though!

-Take a look at this post I made on another thread. It may be quite helpful http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66240212&postcount=7

-Regarding supplements, you shouldn't even be considering these until you get your diet sorted out and if you still feel you need to take something extra, then do it in moderation.

Swoosh

Danger781 wrote: »

Welcome You've come to the right place :P

Just a few things to note:
-The stickies on here are the holy grail when it comes to fitness and nutrition.

-Weight loss will take time and lots of effort. Don't expect any quick fixes. You'll probably lose 1, maybe 2lbs per week. Keep that in mind. Same story with building muscle.

-Alpen, although a healthy cereal, is quite in carbohydrates and slightly high in calories. Try Porridge/Ready Break with some honey or chopped fruit mixed in for flavour.

-Be careful with the peanuts, they're also high in calories!

-Be careful with the curry. These are often full of added sugar and salt and quite high in calories!

-Eat bananas/apples in moderation. Both contain over 100 calories each so keep that in mind when trying to lose weight. Berries are generally low in calories though!

-Take a look at this post I made on another thread. It may be quite helpful http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66240212&postcount=7

-Regarding supplements, you shouldn't even be considering these until you get your diet sorted out and if you still feel you need to take something extra, then do it in moderation.

thanks for the response danger781!!

i'm kinda amazed that the likes of alpen/curry/peanuts etc are bad for you calorie wise!! i thought i was being good!! shocked about the apples/bananas too thought fruit was a good idea but i suppose they still beter than chocolate bars!!

i made out the calorie requirement is 3017 and the 15% reduction is something like 2564 so i reckon i could cut that down to 2000 or 2200.

any tips on training are most welcome!! i hope to drop my BF% to around 12-15% and and weight to around 90 kg.

actually the real dream is to have defined abs and arms but that might be a pipe dream

Danger781

Swoosh wrote: »

thanks for the response danger781!!

i'm kinda amazed that the likes of alpen/curry/peanuts etc are bad for you calorie wise!! i thought i was being good!! shocked about the apples/bananas too thought fruit was a good idea but i suppose they still beter than chocolate bars!!

i made out the calorie requirement is 3017 and the 15% reduction is something like 2564 so i reckon i could cut that down to 2000 or 2200.

any tips on training are most welcome!! i hope to drop my BF% to around 12-15% and and weight to around 90 kg.

actually the real dream is to have defined abs and arms but that might be a pipe dream

There's no need to keep those foods out of your diet, but just keep in mind the amount of calories you're consuming!

Did you use the calculator I linked you? Those calorie requirments seem pretty high.. I thought they'd be lower.

I'm new to this forum myself. Been here about a week now There's been a pretty drastic improvement in my diet even after this small time!

In regards to training, there's a number of programs you could try:

• Starting strength
• Stronglifts 5x5
• Couch to 5k

Swoosh

Danger781 wrote: »

There's no need to keep those foods out of your diet, but just keep in mind the amount of calories you're consuming!

Did you use the calculator I linked you? Those calorie requirments seem pretty high.. I thought they'd be lower.

I'm new to this forum myself. Been here about a week now There's been a pretty drastic improvement in my diet even after this small time!


In regards to training, there's a number of programs you could try:

• Starting strength
• Stronglifts 5x5
• Couch to 5k

ya thats what the calorie calc worked out for me anyway. Think i should be apable of dropping a few kg's alright.

after some recent trainings though i've a new question that needs a new thread. I'll be starting a fitness log to track m progress anyway

Swoosh

right folks this hasnt gone exactly to plan as I ended up getting injured twice in recent times.

I was using g'em's calculator in the sticky and found that my calc

(99kg *15.3)+679 = 2193.7

so daily activity 2193.7 *1.4 = 3071.18

85% of calorie requirement was advised for weight loss so 3071.18 *0.85 = 2610.503 calories a day in order to lose weight. It seems like a lot of calories or is that just my lack of understanding?

With regards training my current plan is

Mon - 1 Hour 5 a side followed by 15 mins interval running and 10 mins endurance. 20 Lenghts of the pool to loosen out.

Tues - Weights sessions for upper body, chest/back/arms/shoulders

Wednesday - 25 mins interval and 15 mins endurance. Low intensity weights. 20 lenghts of pool

Thursday - weights session incorporating leg weights and a 10 min interval run followed by pool

Friday - water polo with 2 15 mins interval runs and 10 mins endurance inbetween.

Saturday - 20 mins endurance run with light weights followed by swim.

Sunday - soccer/rugby game. If not playing I intend to get 15 mins interval running in on the gym followed by some swimming

The aim is to get fit for the GAA season. So i have incorporated lunges, squats and deaflifts to my weights regime. Unfortunately I'm still carrying to excess pounds over the midrift and the man moobs are still hanging in there.

What do people think of my training above in order to get the results I need? We will be back training in the middle of january so that will change up my training schedule and should make the cardio a lot more intense.

My diet is not too bad. i struggle to get the 5 meals a day especially at the weekend. This current time of the year is difficult cos of the number of xmas parties coming up and so on. I think any bit of a start at all will be a bonus for me come training in January

This is a general view of my diet. Breakfast is porridge during the week and muesli at the weekend. mid morning a banana or an apple maybe even a yoghurt. lunch was usually be soup with 2 slices of wholegrain bread. mid afternoon would generally be some fruit or tuna sachet and for supper it would be tuna/eggs/protein shake. i was thinking of getting a protein shake in there for mid morning.

what do people think of that diet? I'm not into eating salads though. I must look into some rye crackers and peanut butter. i assume not all peanut butters are appropraite though. Seeds like pumpkin seeds and cashew nuts might be snack options?

Any help i could get would be great!

Renn

This is just my opinion but I'd go for a high fat, low carb diet here (yeah, it's primal again). Doing it myself and find it to be the best out of all the 'diets' I've tried. Simple to follow, doesn't really restrict you at all, and you get to eat the tastiest foods. I haven't had any cereals/grains/etc in a good few months and have no desire to eat them again tbh. Instead I cook whatever meat, put on a bag of frozen veg, cover it in some butter and I'm happy out.

It's just another option for you to consider.

mrpink6789

Only thing I would comment on is your training, rest is also important, I used to train 7 days a week, sometimes twice a day and was literally destroyed after a few weeks, try and take a bit of time off as well, at least 24 hours before the heavy weights session.

Swoosh

thats possibly true but I think some of those training days arent too intensive and i lik to be kept active.

@Renn - I'm not sure a high fat low carb diet would work for me, i think my diet is good enough really and hopefully the training will take some pounds off me and tone me up a share.

Renn

Fair enough. I'd be pretty confident it would and have seen it work for loads, including myself. For example, only recently did I learn of phytic acid sources etc.

Swoosh

Renn wrote: »

Fair enough. I'd be pretty confident it would and have seen it work for loads, including myself. For example, only recently did I learn of phytic acid sources etc.

explain the phytic acid bit?!

Renn

I'll let other sites explain it for me, because it's better/easier that way

The Definitive Guide to Grains

Why Grains Are Unhealthy

Roger Marbles

Would agree completely with Renn.

Latest research as well shows low carb diets are best for keeping the weight off once you shed it. I've also found low carb diets particularly effective from a personal point of view in shedding bodyfat.

And they are healthier as well.

Win-win.

Transform

the training will help get the weight off you to a point after which you will need to address your diet in more detail but heck that could be 10kg in a drop before you need to do that.

I would put in more foam rolling and stretching for recovery and make sure you are getting plenty of sleep 7-8hrs per night

rocky

Roger Marbles wrote: »

Would agree completely with Renn.

Latest research as well shows low carb diets are best for keeping the weight off once you shed it. I've also found low carb diets particularly effective from a personal point of view in shedding bodyfat.

And they are healthier as well.

Win-win.

By all means do link this 'latest research' you're talking about.

Are you talking about keto diets, or just low carb?

Mellor

For Gem's calculator, i'm pretty sure you need to use your lean body mass, not total

Roger Marbles

rocky wrote: »

By all means do link this 'latest research' you're talking about.

Are you talking about keto diets, or just low carb?

http://www.nejm.org.

It's the first trial on the current issue.

Renn

lol, latest research as in a good few hundred thousand of years of the way we ate.

rocky

Roger Marbles wrote: »

http://www.nejm.org.libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007137

yep, a research in user/password usage

Renn wrote: »

lol, latest research as in a good few hundred thousand of years of the way we ate.

ehm... what?

Renn

Oh I thought you were questing eating low carb, hence my post.

Roger Marbles

Renn wrote: »

lol, latest research as in a good few hundred thousand of years of the way we ate.

True.

Paleo is the way to go really.

rocky

I'm not saying low carb doesn't work (any diet that restricts calories works), I'm saying it's not necessary.

Swoosh

Transform wrote: »

the training will help get the weight off you to a point after which you will need to address your diet in more detail but heck that could be 10kg in a drop before you need to do that.

I would put in more foam rolling and stretching for recovery and make sure you are getting plenty of sleep 7-8hrs per night

10kg would be great to drop! More than that again would be great but I'd cross that bridge when I get there.

Can you explain what the foam rolling is? I do a bit of stretching anyway as its part and parcel of the training I'm used to so its habit these days.

I was doing my Monday piece yesterday but was wrecked after my indoor soccer couldnt do much on the threadmill or weights.

mrpink6789

Mellor wrote: »

For Gem's calculator, i'm pretty sure you need to use your lean body mass, not total

is this true? I was working it out as total body weight? Didnt see anything in the post about lean body mass?

Transform

this might help on the foam rolling. I have tried to be as general as possible to give people an idea on its benefits -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1ZNaWGgas

Combine with stretching as you want to recover as quick as possible.

Re paleo for the OP, yes its better but for most people starting out a basic intro and zone based approach is an gently easing in.

Renn

rocky wrote: »

I'm not saying low carb doesn't work (any diet that restricts calories works), I'm saying it's not necessary.

I never said it was necessary, was just pointing out another option out there for the OP to consider. I'd agree with any diet that restricts calories works in losing some of that weight but not all are healthy.

Mellor

mrpink6789 wrote: »

is this true? I was working it out as total body weight? Didnt see anything in the post about lean body mass?

It might not be, i remember it giving very high values and some mentioned that it might expect you to use LBM.
I think some poeple tend to over estimate their activity level too, which would add to it

hammer46

Try Reading Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson it has changed my life. I have lost 4 stone since 1st September.

fermoycailin

hammer46 wrote: »

Try Reading Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson it has changed my life. I have lost 4 stone since 1st September.

Hi Hammer46,
Congratulations on such a big loss! How did you find it? Was it difficult?
Did you stick to the plan, or add any treats along the way?

I got the book last week and started my new eating habits for life, today.
How did you get on with varying your meals? Especially breakfast?
Thanks

hammer46

fermoycailin wrote: »

Hi Hammer46,
Congratulations on such a big loss! How did you find it? Was it difficult?
Did you stick to the plan, or add any treats along the way?

I got the book last week and started my new eating habits for life, today.
How did you get on with varying your meals? Especially breakfast?
Thanks

Thanks now at 5 stone and still losing. I found it easy once I completely committed. Once you eliminate complex carbs your body will go into a state of ketosis and this will make it easier, as you wont feel hungry, one thing is to get creative and try to vary your cooking styles try new recipes and add a little spice.
Are you from Fermoy, I lived there for 4 years still have a lot of friends there ??