New to diet/exercise - Am I overdoing it??

W

Will1992

New member
Hi There. I am 215 pounds, 5'11 and 25 years of age (male). I am on a health drive for the first time in my life (always been a bit chubby but always play high level competitive sports in the summer so never get super fat). Definitely got the motivation but just want to make sure what I am doing and planning on doing over the next 2 months is healthy. I want to get to 195 pounds, lose my stubborn belly fat / muffin top and build a bit of muscle.

Diet:
Breakfast - banana
Lunch - either meal replacement shake (Labrada Lean Body MRP) or one of: poke bowl, burrito bowl, healthy wrap
Dinner - alternate of Lunch with meal replacement shake or 2 eggs, 1 avocado, 2 pieces wholegrain toast
Snack - banana or 0 fat vanilla yoghurt
supplements - Lean Mode Fat Burners (2xday)

Exercise (4-5 times a week):

Generally stick to the same routine:

10 mins cross trainer

(15x sit-ups, 15x push-ups, 15x squat reaches, 15x bent leg raises, 15x supermans, 40 second plank) x3 (25 mins)

All these are with 2 10lb dumbells - 25x weighted press-ups, 25x weighted situps, 25x weighted step ups, 25 bicep curls, 25 tricep curls, 25 arm raises, 25 squat jumps, 50 chest presses, 50 alternate chest press (30 mins)

20 min cycle

Just wanted to get your advice to see if doing this consistently for the next 2 months I will see the results I want to achieve. Should i be mixing up the training I do? Will diet be too aggressive (about 1500 calories a day)?


I've been doing it for a week and feel good for it, not too hungry and no negative feelings. Happy with meal replacement shake, and the fat burning pills don't have caffeine so no real noticeable effect from them as well on health.

Many thanks
 
Firstly, welcome to the forum.

Fat burners are a waste of time and money, don't bother. Meal replacement shakes are also not particularly healthy and short term fix.

your general diet looks very low on protein, and even if your shakes happen to be high protein I suspect your levels will still be to low for your goals, knowing your bodyfat % would be helpful and something you should have had measured regularly as a high level athlete.

such an aggressive calorie target is not ideal for your goals, your loss will not be just fat but muscle. To best maintain muscle in a severe calorie restriction your weights need to be heavy, lightweight dumbbells will not be enough.

What is the rep / set scheme you are using for your weighted exercises ? I also note your exercise selection is unbalanced.
 
Hi and welcome,
Good work on making a change! I agree, I'd skip the fat burners, try to get some more protein in (through eating it) and dial up the weight and include some bigger compound movements (squats, rows, some form of overhead press and maybe some variation of pull up if you can) for your strength training. Good work on the push-ups! (Awesome exercise) and trusylver is right a bit more balance across the body to cover all muscle groups would be a good starting point. Good luck buddy!
 
Thanks very much for the advice. My Body Fat was at 24% so want to get that down to around the 15% mark to be healthy.

So I should add more protein rich solid food like Steak and Chicken to my diet? Ive bought the Meal Replacement shakes now so going to persist with it (got a months supply) even if just a quick fix initially. Need to kick myself into action anyway and its an easy way of doing it.

With the weighted exercise I do 25 reps of each exercise, need to break during some of the sets as cant do 25 reps in a row but make sure I do complete it all. I'll add in more varied and heavier weight exercises. HIIT the whole time is pretty tough!
 
Fish, chicken, red meat and vegetables containing protein are all good. You need around 115 grams of protein each day to maintain existing muscle based on your bodyfat %

The key to loosing fat with minimal muscle loss is heavier weights lower reps, so sets of 25 is just endurance and not helping much, you need to split those weighted exercises up into much smaller sets and increase the weight.
 
Hi will1992,
If it helps at all I keep my protein intake the same whether I'm trying to lose a bit of fat or maintaining the same weight but particularly when losing weight and my 'go to' protein sources are tuna, turkey, chicken and steak along with eggs which you're already getting. You'll get varied opinions on protein supplements and meal replacements depending on who you ask. For me, I try to eat my protein where I can and use supplements if I need something on the go but it's up to you, if you can stick to it (and afford it) then go for it, whatever works for you. Just a quick note on your plans and training, given you've only got 20lbs to lose and you want to put on some muscle I'd suggest cutting back or dropping the cardio and just strength training while you lose weight. Virtually all your weight loss will be determined by your nutrition not exercise and strength training (not cardio or HIIT) will determine how muscular you look after the fat is gone. The other bit we didn't cover was what you're drinking. If you can make water your go to drink it will work wonders for how you feel and for your body. Hope some of that helps!
 
I would recommend you to increase intake of vegetable. Leguminous plants are a great source of protein and can completely replace bread and other pastry.
MiddleAgeSHRED is right, but exercises can speed up your metabolism and it makes losing fat less boring.
You will be losing fat during your sleep after the workout. Just imagine how it is refreshing to get up and have less fat than yesterday.
 
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