New guy looking for honest feedback

C

Canadian_Bacon

New member
Hello All,

This is my first post and first I'd like to say this is a great forum! Seeing those before and after pictures have been so motivational.

So lets cut to the chase - I need some feedback as to my weight loss plan.

Basic stats:
Age: 25
Hieght: 6'1"
Weight: 185lbs
Goal: 165lbs
Goal Date: December 31, 2007

So I started this process two weeks ago at 192lbs and I've been able to lose 7lbs over two weeks - pretty good I think. I just want to make sure I'm doing in wisely as I don't want bad health repercussions nor the dreaded loose skin problem. My diet breaks down into controling calories + exercising. This is how it breaks down:

Food

Breakfast - 7:30am
3 boiled eggs (minus yellow yolk), half glass of 1% milk, one piece of fruit (usually a banana, or a plum)

Snack #1 - 10:45am or 11:00am
1/2 Banana or other fruit

Lunch - 12:00pm
1 Home made turkery wrap - lean turkey breast meat, lettuce, cucumbers, thin slice of cheddar cheese and 1/2tbl spoon mircle whip made in a whole wheat, low calorie wrap.

Snack #2 - 2:00pm
1/2 Banana or other fruit

Dinner - 5:00 or 6:00pm
Day 1: Protien shake + large salad (with 1 tbl spoon dressing)
Day 2: Small Salad (with 1tbl spoon dressing) + beef soft taco (1 serving lean ground beef, lettuce, green peppers, half slice of chedder cheese in a low calorie, whole wheat soft taco)
Day 3: Small Salad (with 1tbl spoon dressing) + chicken soft taco (1 serving lean grilled chicken breast, lettuce, green peppers, half slice of chedder cheese in a low calorie, whole wheat soft taco)
Day 4: Small Salad (with 1tbl spoon dressing) + Lean grilled chicken breast (+ 1/2 cup white rise).

PLUS: I drink water with every meal and try to down as much as possible during the day.

So based on my calorie counting estimates (and a calculator) this gives me roughly 1300-1400 calories a day.

Exercise
Monday - Friday: Cardio. I do 45minutes on the treadmill each evening. My cardio isn't very good so its a mix of walking & jogging. I try to do a good interval so that my heart rate stays high.

Saturday: Weightlifting. Focus on Biceps, Shoulders, Back
Sunday: Weightlifting. Focus on triceps, chest, abs

So thats it. Thats the basic plan. My goal is to lose roughly a 1lbs a week and I can get to the ideal weight. Any thoughts on this plan? Any rookie mistakes that I'm making? Any areas of improvement?

Thanks!!!

M
 
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165 seems really low for a 6 '1 guy

i think u can just work on toning ur muscles
 
JeremyRice said:
165 seems really low for a 6 '1 guy

i think u can just work on toning ur muscles
Click to expand...

165lbs puts me at a BMI of 21.8 which is within the "normal" BMI of 18.5-24.9

My goal is to basically cut down fat and get to 165lbs and then hit heavy weight training and get to a solid 175lbs.
 
Canadian_Bacon said:
So I started this process two weeks ago at 192lbs and I've been able to lose 7lbs over two weeks - pretty good I think.
Click to expand...
Little to much and this is why...

So based on my calorie counting estimates (and a calculator) this gives me roughly 1300-1400 calories a day.
Click to expand...

Way to low, I don't give most 5'4 130 pound girls those calories to lose weight. With that kind of calorie cut you are just you are just going to lose and then regain.


Exercise
Monday - Friday: Cardio. I do 45minutes on the treadmill each evening. My cardio isn't very good so its a mix of walking & jogging. I try to do a good interval so that my heart rate stays high.
Click to expand...
Do what you can but increase in something everytime.

Saturday: Weightlifting. Focus on Biceps, Shoulders, Back
Sunday: Weightlifting. Focus on triceps, chest, abs
Click to expand...

Kill this split training and get with a solid 3 day a week full body training program. Weight should come now, not later.

Any thoughts on this plan? Any rookie mistakes that I'm making? Any areas of improvement?
Click to expand...

I think you have the right attitude just the wrong program. So

-work on getting a better program in diet and training.
-Up the calories
-Up the progression of your training
-Focus on muscle mass and overall build rather than scale goal
Click to expand...
 
Leigh,

Thanks. But a few follow up questions:

1. What is a good website for determining calorie maintenance? Currently, I found one which said my calorie use is roughly 2500 calories a day. I it also said that normally you drop calories by 750-1000/day to get a loss of 1-2lbs/week.

2. Assume I use 250 calories/day exercising - which brings my expenditure to roughly 2800 calories/day, can I safely bring it down to 1800 calories/Day?

3. Any tips on healthy foods I can use to bring up the calories? Should I just increase the serving size of the meat I eat? Salads fill me up, but they don't contain much in terms of calories.

4. Why does using a low calorie approach lead to regaining the weight?

5. For the work out - what about a full body working split over 4 workouts, with 2 per day on Saturday/Sunday?

Thanks!!!

(Also thank you for the PM - Really appreciated!)
 
Sorry been a busy week, let me get to those questions for you.



1. What is a good website for determining calorie maintenance? Currently, I found one which said my calorie use is roughly 2500 calories a day. I it also said that normally you drop calories by 750-1000/day to get a loss of 1-2lbs/week.
Click to expand...

Its all best guess but for bare formula i like this one.
Harris Benedict Equation
When I am figuring out calories for clients I take so much into consideration BUT I find it is within a close range of this formula in general.

2. Assume I use 250 calories/day exercising - which brings my expenditure to roughly 2800 calories/day, can I safely bring it down to 1800 calories/Day?
Click to expand...
You can but you are likely to stall and plateau more quickly as well as be more open for injury and fatigue. I would personally focus more on a aggressive training program mixed with a higher caloric intake.

3. Any tips on healthy foods I can use to bring up the calories? Should I just increase the serving size of the meat I eat? Salads fill me up, but they don't contain much in terms of calories.
Click to expand...
I don't think I have one client that eats salads or at least what is general thought of as a salad. Check out this...
The Fat Loss Troubleshooter: Top 9 Foods for Fat Loss
and this...
LV's Grocery List World Fitness.com - workout - exercise - fitness - forum - articles

4. Why does using a low calorie approach lead to regaining the weight?
Click to expand...
Because the loss of WEIGHT is usually glycogen and water which is easily regained. The more stress you put the body through the more it protects itself, this is why Low caloric diets never win out in the end and the perfect body is never achieved through this method.

5. For the work out - what about a full body working split over 4 workouts, with 2 per day on Saturday/Sunday?
Click to expand...
I am not 100% sure what you mean by this so can you eleborate a little for me.
 
Awesome - Thanks for the help. I'm going to change my plan as follows:
1. Increase calorie intake to 1900 a day. This give me a 500 calorie drop which is enough to lose 1lb per week.
2. Change work out to 3 days cardio, 3 days weight lifting (to get total body work out), 1 day rest.
3. Change focus to muscle mass over simple weight loss.

Am I good to go now? :)
 
See now thats a better plan. I would still work on increasing the calories more in general with exercise but beggars can't be choosers;)

If you want to toss up your program and diet plan when you get it thrown together go for it and we can give some help there as well.

Just remember the key points...

Nutrition-
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutrition/13065-easiest-nutrition-guidelines-ever.html

Training-
-Big lifts, always progress
-Aerobic intensity aggressive and...ALWAYS PROGRESS!

Good Luck
 
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