HEY! Let's get your AZZ in SHAPE!!!

[Rearden Metal]

Hi ENAerrrrs!

 

I found this forum earlier this week, and I'm super excited at how many great people there are on here. So I've decided that I'd like to start a thread where you'se guises can go to ask nutrition and workout minded questions.

 

My qualifications:

 

- currently studying for NAMSA certification in Personal Training and Nutrition. I have a career, but I'm doing this to better myself and because it's a hobby I've always loved!

 

- former competitive (and winning) bodybuilder. I know, bodybuilding is...yeah, I know. I competed because I needed to do something terribly difficult and WIN.

 

- 17 years training like a wildebeast!

 

So let's hear it! What are your goals? Lose weight? Tone up? Eat healthier?

[soulsearchin25]

ok im gonna take a chance and post here. This is long (im sorry but please read and give feedback I'd appreciate it

 

Background: going through a breakup which is eating me alive. Made what seems like the biggest mistake of my life and lost my love. Now i need to keep busy and do something rather than to just sit home and cry and eat everything some days and nothing other days. So I'm deciding to finally just start working out and going to the gym. For me this is a bold undertaking. I have not really worked out in several months. I have tracked in the past 8 years sinve I left high school I have gained about 35 pounds. I know this doesnt seem like a lot over such a long time period but to me it feels like a ton. I look at myself in the mirror and I see changes that......well let's just say i dont like. I know for me there has to be a change in my health lifestyle. cause right now I pretty dont do anything productive for myself healthwise. I eat whatever I feel like (forget about watching caloric intake!), I eat whenever I want (hello 3am binging on coldstone icce cream), and i do not exercise at all. Its a wonder I have not gained way way more than just 35 pounds.

 

But my recent situation has got me totally against the corner. Im all alone. And find that most of my friends are busy out living their own lives and doing their own things. For the past few days this website has been the only thing holding me together. My existence is pathetic and I need to do something with myself. Im 25 and life should not be like this right now. DOnt know if anyone else can relate to any of this at all!!! or maybe its just pathetic old me......

 

Anyhow. yesterday i managed to scrape myself off my bed and head down to join my local gym. So now i have a membership at least. But I have no idea where to begin. I need a major overhaul. My eating habits, the food I eat, and actually getting my butt to the gym. Any advice you have for me??? I know i sound beyond saving but I dont know what else to do.

 

The Plan (Ithink):

1.Since I will be starting work next Monday from 8 in the morning till about 5:30pm. I plan to start going to the gym every night of the week after work. I know this seems intense. But i need to keep busy to keep from coming home and curling into a corner with my tears. But should I start off taking classes, or just going in and doing cardio and weights? Im not sure. Whats more beneficial?

 

2. As far as food. im am happy to say my fridge is empty anyway cause in all my depression i havent gone grocery shopping. When I go what the hell do i buy? The only healthy thing i have at home right now is fiber rich cereal and milk. Other than that should I just get healthy stuff ONLY so Im not temtped to eat unhealthy. so should I just get strictly veggies, and yogurts, and....what else is there???? Or is it ok to still get my honeyed ham and fried chicken and chocolate cake(yum!!)

 

 

Im gonna be brave and throw out my stats:

Weight: 168 pounds

Height: 5' 5"

Target areas: Abs, Abs, and arms

Target Weight: 135-140 pounds (like I used to be)

Looking to get toned and thinner all around. Want chiseled abs. But dont want to look like a boulder (too hard cut)

 

PLEASE HELP ANY ADVICE WELCOME! But be kind.... lol

[H20]

Hiya!!! This thread seems fun!

I love the idea.

 

 

Hi SoulSearchin. I hear ya about the breakup thing. 'Heartbreak Diets' are the worst, but I think you can use it as motivation too. It's about mindset. Just stick to a goal for say, three months, see your progress then go from there. Keep your expectations realistic for now. Once you start seing results, you can increase your expectations of yourself.

And no one is keeping track, except you.

 

I want to embark on a workout program starting March 1st.Maybe start tanning too. I wanna try belly dancing as it looks really fun and like it would be a great core workout.

 

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm stoked!

[Rearden Metal]

SS25-

 

Check it out. It's mid February now, right? Well, in 14 weeks, it will be June 1. It will be GORGEOUS out. Guess who else can be gorgeous?

 

How does 20-25 lbs sound by June 1? Here's what I need from you.

 

1. Favorite foods. Make me a list. I want to hear all the stuff you like, healthy or not.

2. What's the new job? Tell me about it.

3. What type of excercize have you done in the past?

[andrewman]

Howdy SoulSearchin25,

 

I'm sure Rearden Metal will have LOTS of very, very good advice. I'm a bootcamp instructor myself, so I do all my working out before 7am. First, you need to decide what your timeframe is. Next, don't think about weight. You'll only get yourself down. Think instead in inches. You want to get down to wearing a size whatever. Weight is WAY too subjective. You vary weight by a few lbs throughout the day, plus muscle weighs more than fat, so you could weigh more than your 135 but be in the best shape of your life! For food, try and eat 3 small meals with 3 snacks in between throughout the day, this will keep you from getting hungry and push your metabolism into overdrive. Your body will think that you're you have an endless supply of food, so there's no reason to store any in fat. Also, try and include a protein, a good fat and a carb in every meal, snack. So an example meal could be salmon with broccoli & some apple slices. A great snack could be a string cheese with a tangerine and a few almonds.

 

As for working out. Since you're looking to lose weight, classes could be the best fit for you so you're doing good full body workouts that keep your heart rate up.

 

If you have any other questions or just need some motivation, PM me.

 

Good luck!

[Rearden Metal]

andrew makes some great suggestions. He's absolutely on point about consistently eating small meals.

 

Dude you wanna take this thread over?

[Rearden Metal]

To be clear, my methods of helping people are to take the things they already enjoy and incorporate them into their lives as often as possible. My sh** is not a cookie cutter program, so let's hear details, people!

[Lecturer]

Great idea Rearden Metal.

 

I asked you about your diet from a post you made in another thread, but I don't think you noticed. In your 'training' diet, you had 130g of supplemented protein, which I thought might be a lot... although now I see that it was probably correct for your muscle mass I also asked about how you mentioned you had white rice in your diet, which I thought bodybuilders kept away from due to it having such a high GI index - was GI index of foods ever a concern for you?

 

Hopefully you won't find this too invasive, but did you ever use hormonal supplements or steroids? I have a couple gym rat friends, and it seems the lifestyle is rife with it (in their area at least). I guess I need reassurance that achievement is possible without it.. as I'm not willing to use supplements beyond protein (which I don't even use now but might after I'm done my cutting phase).

[soulsearchin25]

14 weeeks doesn't seem too too daunting. 20-25 lbs sounds fabulous!! Heres the answer to your questions:

 

1. Favorite Foods(in no particualr order)

-fried chicken, stewed or basically any kind fo chicken -------tomatoes

-burritos -------steak

-sweet potatos -------curried beef

-cake, preferably chocolate -------hot cheese popcorn

-mashed potatoes -------anything spicy

-rice, any kind -------ribs

-italian sausage -------broccoli

-alfredo sauce...with anything -------collard greens

-hamburgers -------yogurt

-chinese food -------granola

-indian food (generally meats with sauce) -------french fries

-spinach -------anything from taco bell

-almonds --------strawberries

-chocolate -------italian subs

-any kind of pasta -------steak and cheese

There's more but thsi is the basic list. (Wow reading back most of this stuff is terrible> Yikes!)

 

2. The Job- Its basically gonna be a desk job working in an office setting. Not much movement involved. im basically on the phone with clients most of the day. Im not sure how long lunch break is. But thats the job. And its all day from like 8 am to 5:30 in the evening. I really need the job ( but secretly I hate the idea of stiing at a desk). But im finishing college this year so I gotta get financially ready.

 

3. Ok so in high school (about 8 years ago) I used to run track in my senior year. But now Im lucky if Im able to make it full speed around a track more than once...lol. After that for the past couple years I've been sporadically in and out of the gym. Wehn i go I usually hrun on the treadmill and on the eliptical machine. I lift light weights from 5-15 pounds to work on my arms. I can't do a push up to save my life. I use ab crunch machines. And I try to do squats as well with free weights. Then I do crunches, and use the ab ball. When im in the gym sometimes I tend to wander around a little aimlessly which I know is bad. So I leave the gym not doing as much work as I probably could have. I take the occasional cardio class. And have also taken a few yoga classes as well which I kinda loved but was wicked difficult.

[Rearden Metal]

Hi Lecturer-

 

Yeah, there's a big difference between the way you should train and eat while on AS (anabolic steroids). And you've astutely noticed the added protein while I was competing. Basically, AS allow you to utilize protein much more efficiently.

 

So yes, I've used AS. However, people's genetics are all different, and it's still possible to push the level of your natural limit.

 

With regards to the other question I see in your post, yes, I pay more attention to GI as a natural than I did when on AS. When on AS, high GI foods pushed up insulin production, which pushed protein to the muscles. I would eat high carbohydrate, high GI meals around and after training.

 

As a natural, I only eat a bit of sugar or higher GI foods after training. And, probably only 35-50g whereas before I might push 150g.

 

Here's a pic of me clean for over a year. I don't even use a single supplement. But I train very hard, eat organic and do some cardio. I'll be much leaner in weeks to come

[Rearden Metal]

RANT- My ex didn't like any use of AS, so I stopped. Then she complained that I had lost my "aggression".

 

She basically told me I was too nice. FAWK!

[soulsearchin25]

thanks for all the great advice everyone! yeah this is going to be a challenege. i have a major problem with portion size. I tend not to eat breakfast alot and sometimes i;ll have a big lunch or big dinner. Sometimes I'll skip two meals and then eat a really huge one. And then some days (more recently now with the whole break up thing going on) I dont eat much of anything. Yesterday i had half a bowl of french fries and i had no desire to eat anything else. But I think once I start work this will begin to balance out again as i get some sort of routine going for myself. I think I should work out after work because Im trying to keep my day full so that I dont come home and think about my ex and break up and all that sadness. Also I have never really did work outs so early in the morning and i dont want to set myself up for failure.

[Lecturer]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I'm avoiding AS and any other hormonal supplements due to my own concern over hormone levels - particularly possible sexual side effects (this is just ME though, I know I'm sensitive to hormonal changes).

 

My big concern now is how successful I can be while being an office worker. I spend soooo much time sitting. Is it even possible to have 'success', despite spending so much time sitting at a computer?

 

I work out (very hard, lifting and HIIT) but only for 1 hour a night, 3 to 4 nights a week. I'm in a cutting phase (trying to lose abdominal fat), as I said, but in order to have success my caloric intake seems to need to be astoundingly low, and it seems like I start losing all my muscle mass despite the lifting.

 

FYI, I have near limitless willpower when it comes to diet, I just don't know exactly what to do. I went a bit crazy on a previous cutting phase, with a massive caloric deficit - I lost a bunch of muscle but I don't think I lost an ounce of fat.

 

To give some specifics, I'm 5'11", 170lbs, bench 210lbs. I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day. I sit for probably 14+ hours per day.

[Rearden Metal]

SS25-

 

DAYUMMMM that made me hungry!!!

 

There's good news. You're going to be able to enjoy anything on that list. Only, you'll have some stuff more than others. Here we go:

 

Carb sources-

 

I want you to buy sweet potatoes, rice of any kind, and lightly sweetened organic granola. If you like oatmeal, get some quaker instant oats, too.

 

With the rice, if you get seasoned rice from a box, only use half the seasoning packet. There's a sh** ton of sodium in those.

 

Fat sources-

 

Raw almonds. Any nuts you get, don't get roasted, it kills the Omega 6's. Cold pressed olive oil in a dark bottle that does not let light in. Macadamia nut oil is an alternative. Natural peanut butter is good, too.

 

Protein is simple. Just get chicken breast, any lean cuts of beef or ground sirloin, any fish, turkey etc...

 

Ok, so putting it all together-

 

I'd like to see you focus on eating four times a day, and snacking intermittently when you're hungry. Here's a sample day-

 

Breakfast-

 

1 organic egg, cooked any method

1/2 cup granola

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 teaspoon honey, or cut strawberries

 

Snack-

 

Apple, small handful of almonds

 

Lunch-

 

1/2 cup any rice, 6 oz of meat (prepare any way you like except fried! Curry it, BBQ sauce, whatever works), salad with olive or macadamia nut oil drizzled (balsamic vinegar is fine, too)

 

Snack-

 

Popcorn minus the hot cheese. LOL. You can sprinkle cheese flavoring on it, though.

 

Pre gym meal- 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 cup of milk

 

Dinner-

 

lean hamburger patty or steak, 6 oz, sweet potato fries (homemade), spinach or other vegetable

 

Dessert if you need it. choose one

 

Whipped cream with berries

Low sugar frozen yogurt

small piece of chocolate and decaf coffee

 

 

Now, you can subsitute a lot of different things for these meals. Indian food is fine as long as it's prepared carefully. Use red potatoes if you want to make mashed potatoes. Get creative!

 

Also, I want you to take one day a week, go out, and eat whatever you want. It can be one meal, or all day, it's up to you. Just let loose and eat without worry.

 

Depending on how hard you work out, you may add in another "cheat" meal mid-week. At first I'd advise against it. I'm going to address the workouts shortly.

 

Lean hamburger patty, homemade sweet potato fries, green vegetable of any kind (spinach?)

[Rearden Metal]

Lecturer-

 

You sound a lot like a buddy of mine. I think you might benefit from a ketogenic diet. Have you heard of it?

[Lecturer]

Researching now - it does sound like what I need. Need to figure out how to make it sustainable for myself though. I will keep researching.

[Rearden Metal]

Definitely fill your day. I'm in the same boat as you. I drive around making excuses to go buy tea (I have plenty at home), I change at the gym so it takes me longer... you gotta fill the day.

[Rearden Metal]

Researching now - it does sound like what I need. Need to figure out how to make it sustainable for myself though. I will keep researching.

 

It's sustainable. Mostly, once you are in ketosis, you don't have blood sugar fluctuations, so you'll feel a LOT better. Especially at a desk job. You won't be nearly as hungry as normal, either.

 

If you want, I can post a sample diet for you. It's fairly strict, but manageable.

[Rearden Metal]

I'll ask my buddy if I can post pics of him before and after using the ketosis diet last summer. I had him RIPPED in 8 weeks.

[Lecturer]

Wow.. 8 weeks?! That seems insanely fast. I'm on a 12-week cutting plan, based around my floor hockey league I'm on week 5 now.

 

Ok, I just did a dietary analysis for a day when I eat "light", and don't have an evening snack:

 

M1 - Cereal (cheerios + milk)

M2 - Yogurt + orange

M3 - PB + Honey sandwich (whole wheat bread) + banana + whole wheat fruit bar

M4 - Beef Stir Fry

 

Totals:

Calores- 1620

Protein - 66g

Carbs - 192g

Fat - 41g

 

If anything, the carbs are likely a little higher, and the fat is a little lower (wife is irrational against fat, and she does the shopping... low fat everything ). I'm thinking that carb level is WAY high.

 

Some days the calories will be higher, due to having leftovers for lunch the next day and/or a night snack (cheese/meat but sometimes bad stuff like chips/cookies). Generally, though, I'd say this is a good basis of my day and balance of what I eat.

[Rearden Metal]

5'11 and 170 is pretty thin, I think. Unless you don't have much muscle. I think the protein should double, and everything else stay the same. That's just a start. Just from that, you'll retain muscle (which burns fat) easier.

 

Later, if you feel like ramping it up, you can reduce/eliminate the bread and cereal and replace with less refined foods, but I'm pretty sure that's unnecessary.

[Rearden Metal]

I would just like to point out that tomorrow I am going to eat everything I see. That is all.

[soulsearchin25]

Thanks for the potential daily menu. That's awesome! And its great cause that really does seem doable for me. Its not extreme. Okay so Im gonna try to be good and get off my depressed behind and go work out. Im gonna crawl out from the hole I've dug this week sooner rather than later. Saturday morning 8am yoga class followed by 9am cardio class. Then im gonna hit the supermarket and do some shopping. Im gonna try hard to wake up on time and STAY MOTIVATED! 14 weeks.........here goes nothing

[Rearden Metal]

Thanks for the potential daily menu. That's awesome! And its great cause that really does seem doable for me. Its not extreme. Okay so Im gonna try to be good and get off my depressed behind and go work out. Im gonna crawl out from the hole I've dug this week sooner rather than later. Saturday morning 8am yoga class followed by 9am cardio class. Then im gonna hit the supermarket and do some shopping. Im gonna try hard to wake up on time and STAY MOTIVATED! 14 weeks.........here goes nothing

 

Don't kill yourself, eat enough. It's a big mistake to eat less and less, rather, you should be eating consistently and gradually eliminating bad foods. This week, let's just eliminate fried foods and sweets. Keep everything else normal. Next week we'll clean up our snack foods...and so on.

 

Good on you for taking the classes! I'll post up a weight/cardio regimen when I have more time in the next couple days.

[soulsearchin25]

Feeling very very bad and upset with myself. I woke up this morning, more like snapped up out of a very vivid dream of guess who??? My ex. Ever have one one of those dreams where you wake up and you actually feel as if it is happening to you still. You swear you feel the person right there next to you. You can sense their smell and feel their residual body heat. The dream was intense. Nothing serious. But sitting next to him. Th longing so intense I could feel it pounding in my chest. He inched toward me but i could tell he was holding back and wouldnt come too close to me. He had his hand out but wouldnt grab mine. So i told him I missed him and his hand flinched. I immediately grab it and he says "If you miss me then show me" . Immediately I kiss him and i can feel the longing the love and evrything else pouring through my lips. My hands are gripping his tight. And he starts to slowly relax. Then......

 

BOOM!!!!!!

 

I wake up. My chest pounding and I swear I could still feel the pressure of his lips on mine still there. Needless to say after the first few moments when crushing reality began to set in I felt horrible. Why? WHY? WHY? Why does the mind have to betray me like this? What a cruel trick!!! Anyway sorry if this was too much detail and I know its weird posting this here on the getting in shape post but......This information was relevant to explain why when I woke up this morning I did not go to the gym. And I feel even worse because I was all excited yesterday but now my mind is filled with thoughts of im. I immediately got out of bed and reached for a cheese danish. But as O climbed back to bed I happened to glance at my computer screen. I still had this site up. And dont you know I put down the danish. I read over this thread and decided for once I would have some control. Instead I ate a bowl of cereal with 1% MILK. I didnt make it to the gym but at least I didnt fall for the sweets. A miniscule victory in what seems like a war I may not win........