AndyNo1

I've been going to the gym for about 4 months now. In the beginning I did about 20 mins on the bike a bit of fast walking/running then some weights (heavy).

I still want to lose another stone and a half or so. Currently I do an hour of cycling (level 7 out of 12) and thats it.

What would you say the best of losing the extra 1.5 stone is? This last 1.5 stone is getting harder to shift lol

I thought about doing 30mins on the bike and then 30 mins of fast walking/running 3 times a week.

After I've lost the 1.5 stone I want to do a bit of body building.

Any suggustions would be appreciated.

DaveEscos

Its not just about excercise... whats your daily diet like?


calcuate your recomended calorie intake to maintain your current frame..


compare to your currebt daily eating

then work a new diet which doesnt quite total your daily allowance..

this combined with your cardio should see some weight loss

AndyNo1

Dave, my diet is quite good. I can at times be bad and have a big curry or kebab but otherwise i eat quite healthily(?). I have plenty of fruit, yogurts, or wholemeal/brown bread sandwich at lunchtimes etc.

I just really need some advice on training.

Paul Eggleton

Just because you think you eat healthily doesn't mean you are eating correctly for your goals. Have you worked out your total daily calories and compared it to what you need to loose fat. Yu can have too much of a good thing in this game if you are trying to loose fat

jester1

[quote="DaveEscos"]Its not just about excercise... whats your daily diet like?

When trying to shift weight stay away from bread, it's the devil.
Break your food down into smaller portions. Use slow releasing carbs for breakfast, (Oats skimmed milk) Chicken breast/Tuna/Salmon/Turkey/ with Pasta (Small amount) or Salad for lunch. Have a good dinner in the evening Double your Veg to Potatoes etc. Water with every meal.
No more puddings, Sauces, Bread.
If you want to snack between meals then just drink water.
Oh and try not to eat to late. Upto about 7.30ish.
Once you have shifted that weight and you start training to build you can change your diet.
Good luck

UniqueTouch

Hi Andy,

Your body is probably so used to cycling for 1 hour that it is now in a comfort zone so you won't any/much further fat loss.

You may think you are eating 'healthy' but are you actually eating the correct nutrients your body requires daily? A lot of these processed foods/sandwiches are full of cap and trans fats.

To see any further fat loss, you will need to change your cycle for either interval training cycle, or switch to an elliptical training machine or running machine. Interval training is training intense for say 10mins, resting, then training again for 10mins intense. This will be a shock to your system as it's been used to 'coasting' for an hour.

You also need to starting lifting weights. It's a proven fact that weight loss increases with resistance training. Start off with light weights and high reps (15-20 max). You should feel a real burn in the muscle at the end of the sets.

Don't forgot to do your basic exercises too i.e. Press Ups, Sit-ups and Pull-ups. They will help with really defining shape in your upper body.

With regards to diet, you need to really switch to "little but often" idea. You need to make sure you have no carbs after 6pm, so you consume carb high foods during the day so energy later on. Eat lots of green veg as your body has to work harder to break it down. You also need to make sure your body is getting the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) i.e. Omega-3-6-9. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated too by drinking lots of water.

It would be worth keeping a diary of EVERYTHING you eat and the times you eat them for one week. That way you can spot where you are going wrong, or post it here and I can tell you. First thing you need to work out is your current daily calorie intake. For the first week of the diet, you need to create a calorific deficit of 500kcals. This will make your body use stored body fat as it hasn’t got the normal amount of calories it’s used too. The important thing is to remember never go below your basic metabolic rate (BMR) otherwise your body will go into fat storage mode.

BMR (Men) = 66 + (13.7 x Weight in KG) + (5 x Height in CM) – (6.8 * Age in years)

I'm on my 6 Week cutting plan, and currently 4 weeks out. It's tough but I make sure I adhere to it. I make my food every night. Once a week (normally Saturday) I allow myself 1 cheat meal. This is a good idea as it's a change for the system and I seem to respond well to it. On that day, I drop my carbs and MRPs (Meal Replacement Products). I take supplements to ensure I’m getting the correct amount of nutrients per day.

Here's is my diet plan to date for anyone interested...

http://www.supersony.co.uk/cutting/S...gCycle_Web.htm

Andy, post your current diet plan here and I’ll knock something similar up for you to follow along with an exercise routine.

Hope that all makes sene!!

Good luck pal.

Sony

DaveEscos

Welcome Sony

some great input!

EssexBoyRacer

Fooking hard work losing weight andy. I've shifted 3 stone since we last ran into each other - but am struggling to lose the rest! Good luck pal!

FAST AS FORD

SuperSony - Not a lot of variety to that diet and a fairly hefty usage of supps too. Do you not have a post workout meal? I know its late on but surely you need some proper food here to see you through the night without huge lbm loss. Surely an mrp is not ideal. Not slating your diet mate, if it works for you! Just seems a little extreme....o and you have a 28" waist, do you really need to cut! Whack a pic up in the body pics link.
Out of interest, whats your routine like?

AndyNo1

I knew you'd be a help Sony!

From what I used to eat I have cut down a hell of a lot. I'm by no means strict now with what I eat but the food I generally eat now its much better then the crisps and pies I used to eat all the time.

This is what I normally have during the day.........

At about 1030 I'll have a Muller Light yogurt or a chicken/tuna salad sandwich on brown/wholemeal bread then at about 12/1pm I'll just some fruit. If I'm going to the gym I'll have a couple of small bananas at about 5pm ish (I go gym @ 7pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday). If I dont fancy anything heavy I will have a bowl of Special K, but if normally just have a normal meal but a smaller portion.

What I really need to know/find out is what meals I can have for dinner when I get home before 8pm and after the gym about 9pm ish.

Sony, I totally know what youre saying about "coasting" and will try some variations (or if you want to give me some tips on what to do.

I will try and give you as much info as I can, but I'm new to all this really, so ANY help is much appreciated.

Steve, I aint seen you for so long dude. Looks as though youre doing well. Hope youre ok

AndyNo1

FAST AS FORD Ive known Sony since Secondary School. He never really used to big big apart from after college if I remember correctly. He then joined a gym and lost all that weight. I was so impressed. Then he started doing weights and everytime I saw him he was more muscular. I know he trains REALLY hard and really do admire and respect him for that. Whatever he is doing it WORKS lol

UniqueTouch

@DaveEscos - Thanks for the warm welcome mate

@EssexBoyRacer - Although I don't know you, congratulations on such a huge weight loss. Keep at it, you'll get there. Remember if you've reached a plateau then you need to shock your body i.e. change your routine!

@FAST AS FORD - Hi, yes your right in the fact that my diet does not have much variety, but when you look at the macronutrient levels you'll understand why. It obviously seems very bland to many, but I seem to have the willpower to stick with and also enjoy each meal. It's very strict as it is a cutting cycle and not a weight loss diet. If it was a eight loss diet then I could chop and change foods more. Hence, with this weeks tweaks I have now got my intake to be 40% protien, 40% carbs, 20% fats which is pretty much spot on. You know how the saying goes, what works for one person may not necessairly work for another. Not quite sure about your comments about the supplements? Why do you say it's fairly hefty? I would say that is pretty much a bodybuilders staple supplement intake (Multi-Vitamins, Protien, Glucosamine, Glutamine, BCAA, Vitamin C, EFA's).
I don't have a post workout meal, because the Dextrose powder I put in my Pre/Post workout gives my muscles energy after the workout. My MRP contains Caesin Protein which is slowly released whilst I sleep. Also the fact that during this cutting cycle I can't afford the extra kcals/carbs that late at night!
Yes I am a 28" waist but what does that have to do with cutting? I'm lucky to have a small waist and big upper body. My waist remained the same size even after 3 months of bulking. The reason for cutting is to get shredded and looking ripped for summer
I will get some pics taken and post some pics (I couldn't see a body pic link though?).

@Andy
It's good you posted here rather than get stuck into a routine and not ever achieving your goal because you were too worried to ask questions. That's the first hurdle over with.
Firstly, I see a major problem with your current eating pattern (unless I've misread this)...where is your breakfast meal??? This is one meal you should NEVER EVER EVER miss. It doesn't take long to prepare at all. You need to have a complex carbs which is slow release energy for breakfast. This will really set you up for the day. Get some good old oats/porridge down you mate first thing.
Have a grilled chicken breast with veg for your evening meal wether it's training day or not. Just keep the carbs to a minimum after 6pm so no jacket potatoes, pastas (unless you've has a real heavey workout then you'll need to replenish your energy store). On your training days, before you go to bed you could have low fat cottage cheese. This is mainly Caesin Protein which will be slowly released to your muscle whilst you are sleeping and feeding them to grow whilst they are repairing.
Make sure you keep that diary (need at least 2 working days and 2 weekend days of data) and we can go from there.
I think it's time to stop pedalling for an hour now mate. Why not intsense cycle for 10-15mins, rest and then do an intense 10mins on the cross trainer or treadmill (or both). But seriosuly, you will notice improved weight loss once you start lifting weights.

Just in case anyone was wondering what Andy meant by me being "big"...he means I was a 15 stone porker! At 5'7"ish you can imagine that's quite a load. Anyway I shed it all within 6 months with a good diet and training plan (3 years ago now). At the time I actualy dropped down to 63kg which I realised was far too low. I working my back up to around 70kg-ish. Managed recently to stay at a steady 74kg. I have recently done a 3 month bulk and am now currently on a cutting cycle (see my previous post).

If anybody needs a macronutrient breakdown of most foods then you can find the info from the excellent site http://www.nutritiondata.com/.

Apologies for the long post.

AndyNo1

Everyone says I should have breakfast but I wake up so late I'm rushing for work. I have bought lots of porridge and museli so I will start that as of tomo...............just got to get up earlier.

As you said a few suggestions for my main meal I will have to start doing grilled chicken and salad etc. What I think I will need is about 10 different meals that I could have a choice from as a dinner so it doesnt get to boring.

If I have a porridge /museli for breakfast what sort of food should I be eating for lunch....examples please

As of now I will write down EVERYTHING I eat and at what time.

Thanks for your help Sony, if you think of any more just let me know. I will post up my food intake soon too.