Hi all, i’m currently trying to lose some weight and get back into shape!
I was quite active in the gym until a year ago when my wife had our first child. I took a lot time off to basically watch my son Grow! But while watching him grow i myself grew as well! But not in a good way!
I’m about 5’9 and now weigh about 250lbs! 
Now this is the biggest i have ever been and i need to get down as bad health runs in my family and i need to get fit again and lose some pounds.
I’m currently doing a diet that i just thought would work, i dont know if its right or not and just wanted to get some opinions, and maybe some new ideas.
In the morning i wake up and have 20g of the Metabolic Drive which i got of of T-Nation, i also have some Fish Oil tablets and Centrum (a multi vitiamin). And on top of that i’m now taking 2 HOT-ROX pills.
I have increase the amount of water i drink by a hell of a lot, then i dont really eat anything again till lunch as i dont feel hungry. Then at lunch i have normally 2 apples and maybe a pear. Some days i might have a couple pieces of beef jerky as well, but that rare. Then i go until 4 without eating again and have my next two HOT-ROX.
I get home for about 5:30 where i have been eating a lot of chicken and tuna, i have cut out all bread. Although i have been eating rice, but only small amounts. Also eating a lot of tuna. I make sure i have eaten by 6:30.
I go to the gym at 7.30 and do a lot of cardio work and do some lifting just to get used to going back to the gym and getting that inital pain that you get from going back after such a long time.
Then when i get home i have 40g of the metabolic drive, drink plenty of water and go to bed!
Does this sound alright?
[quote]superbobby23 wrote:
Does this sound alright?[/quote]
Not quite. Look up the diets on this forum. I’d recomend the T-Dawg 2.
You’re messing around with your metabolism, and going so long without eating, then eating such small amounts, isn’t good.
You need to get into the habit of eating 5 or 6 times a day. Just the right foods.
Make sure you have something pre and post workout. That’s when I take in the major portion of my carbs.
|/ 3Toes
Also, I would recommend trying to some morning cardio if you can fit it into your lifestyle. I think it’s absolutely amazing for fat loss. And I’m talking like a 30-min walk outside would do wonders. But only you can decide if that’s feasible with your schedule…
If that’s doable, then when you get to the gym at night you can focus on the weights and you’ll have more energy since you won’t be lifting after a long spell of energy depleting cardio. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape and this works very well for me when I’m trying to shed fat. So if you feel you’ve fallen off the wagon…then this might just be the closest thing to a “magic pill” you could find to get you back on track. Just some thoughts…
Bango
Thanks for the advice both of you.
As for the 30 minutes work out in the morning it is something that i’m trying to do! Its hard at the moment cause i love my sleep! Not a great excuse i know but having one kid under 1 and another one on the way saps you energy! (I know people do it all the time, i’m just getting the hang of it)
I am pretty happy with my workout at the moment. My main worry is what i eat! Most people think its easy just eating healthy, for me its like rocket science! Thats why i have gone to what i think would be good. Eating plenty of fruit and eating dinner early. I have the protein shake in the morning but i dont know if that enough. And i someone recommended to me to have a shake once i get back from the gym before i go to bed, and again i dont know if this is good and dont know if its the right thing to be doing if trying to lose weight.
[quote]superbobby23 wrote:
Thanks for the advice both of you.
As for the 30 minutes work out in the morning it is something that i’m trying to do! Its hard at the moment cause i love my sleep! Not a great excuse i know but having one kid under 1 and another one on the way saps you energy! (I know people do it all the time, i’m just getting the hang of it)
I am pretty happy with my workout at the moment. My main worry is what i eat! Most people think its easy just eating healthy, for me its like rocket science! Thats why i have gone to what i think would be good. Eating plenty of fruit and eating dinner early. I have the protein shake in the morning but i dont know if that enough. And i someone recommended to me to have a shake once i get back from the gym before i go to bed, and again i dont know if this is good and dont know if its the right thing to be doing if trying to lose weight.[/quote]
Yeah…I don’t have any children so I can’t relate to your family obligations. Sometimes, its just not feasible to be able to train twice a day. But I give you credit for trying to make it work. If you’re able to stick with just 30 min walks in the morning…give it at least a month man, and you’ll be amazed at the results you get.
But nutrition is far more important. Don’t make it rocket science man, it doesn’t have to be. Eat 5-6 times a day and never go more than 4 hrs max without eating (2 1/2 - 3 would be optimal). Combine P,C, & F in every meal. At this point I wouldn’t worry about “no carbs after 6pm” or anything like that. If you have to, eat right before you go to bed…Shit, I’m training for a bodybuilding show right now and some nights I’ll munch on something as I’m counting sheep. Just don’t make it a heavy ass meal. Protein shake and a piece of fruit would do the trick.
Yes, post-workout nutrition is extremely important. That is a perfect time for protein and carbs…liquid form is best. It seems that Surge is a great choice, but I’ve actually never tried it. I drink a powerade mixed with protein powder (Isopure) as soon as I finish my last rep of my last exercise. I’m very pleased with its recovery benefits.
That’s it dude…it’s not easy to eat healthy…but it’s not complicacted either…Good Luck
Bango
I am in the exact same boat as you are. A two-year old and a four-month old. Long hours at a desk job that doesn’t give me much time off of the phone. I had about the same diet you did, except I don’t take supplements.
I am no expert, as I have not hit the gym yet. However, I have been working on my diet. Based off of what I see, you are not eating enough, and you are not eating enough real foods. Which is probably really hurting your body.
That was my problem. Over the last four years, I have been eating less and less. I realized that I was eating WELL below my maintenance calories. I’m sure this contributed to my muscle loss.
Now I am eating an absolute ton, at least compared to what I am used to, and still just barely meeting my maintenance calories. So I can tell that you are not eating enough food.
Again thanks for the advice! So what i really need to be doing is increasing the ammount i eat? I have recently brought a juicer as i dont eat enough vegatables so i just but them all in a juice and now i get my fair share. So if i look to drink more juices during the day and maybe eat a little bit more a lunch then i should be cool!
As for the 30 minutes in the morning i’m going to start going to go the gym in the morning before i go to the work. I will work on my cardio then, now this might be a stupid question but should i be having the protein shake before or after my cardio?
[quote]superbobby23 wrote:
Again thanks for the advice! So what i really need to be doing is increasing the ammount i eat? I have recently brought a juicer as i dont eat enough vegatables so i just but them all in a juice and now i get my fair share. So if i look to drink more juices during the day and maybe eat a little bit more a lunch then i should be cool!
As for the 30 minutes in the morning i’m going to start going to go the gym in the morning before i go to the work. I will work on my cardio then, now this might be a stupid question but should i be having the protein shake before or after my cardio? [/quote]
It has been stated that having protein shakes/amino acids before morning cardio does not hinder the fat loss benefits but helps to retain muscle. It sounds pretty good in theory, but to be honest I usually just stick with not eating anything before cardio and I’m comfortable with that. I would recommend starting with not eating anything pre-cardio…
So are you going to go to the gym once a day still…but now just in the mornings? That’s what I understand from your last post. If that is the case, then I’m assuming you plan on doing cardio and weights in the same session just like you were doing in the evenings. If that too is the case, then you must eat something before you go! If you’re hitting the weights without any fuel, that’s a recipe for disaster. You’ll probably be weak and the lifting portion of your program will suffer.
I hope I’m not confusing you, so let me recap quickly:
If you train once a day (morning or evening) Definitely eat something pre-workout (liquid form usually best like protein powder, fruit) and do your cardio AFTER you lift weights
If you’re able to split it into 2 sessions, then do your cardio in the morning on an empty stomach and your weights later when you’re all fueled up.
This is all what has worked for me, but at the end of the day just get it done one way or another and you’ll reach your goals. Eat clean, train hard, and be happy
Bango
I’m actually training once a day, in the evening. But as of next week i will start going to the gym in the morning and doing my cardio. How many days would you recommend doing cardio? I’m quite happy doing it 5 days to 6 days a week, but again i dont know if this would hinder my progression.
As for the eating side of things, you say eat like 6 meals a day. When you say 6 meals your meaning 6 small meals. Can you give me an example of what you would eat through the day? Sorry for being a pain! But again thanks for you help, i’m taking it all in!
[quote]superbobby23 wrote:
I’m actually training once a day, in the evening. But as of next week i will start going to the gym in the morning and doing my cardio. How many days would you recommend doing cardio? I’m quite happy doing it 5 days to 6 days a week, but again i dont know if this would hinder my progression.
As for the eating side of things, you say eat like 6 meals a day. When you say 6 meals your meaning 6 small meals. Can you give me an example of what you would eat through the day? Sorry for being a pain! But again thanks for you help, i’m taking it all in! [/quote]
It depends on what kind of cardio you’re doing. Low intensity, longer duration 5 days is probably good and at this point I don’t think 6 would be any better since you’re just getting back. If you’re doing HIIT for shorter time intervals…3 maybe 4 tops would be good. HIIT will zap your strength alot faster than low intensity cardio will.
When I say 6 meals…I count any time you consume any calories as a meal. If you have an m&m…that’s a meal in my book, lol. As far as what constitutes a meal…I would recommend finding out what your daily caloric intake should be based on the goal you are trying to achieve (you can search the site and find a myriad of ways to do that). Then take that # and divide it by 6 to determine approximately how many calories each meal should have. So if you want to eat 3000 calories per day…500/meal would be solid as a good starting point.
And break each meal into protein/carbs/fats…If you’re not sure about good proteins,etc…again search the site.
But to give you a few examples…Here are two of my favorite meals:
Pre-workout - 2 scoops Isopure protein with 1 cup frozen mixed fruit and 5g flax seed about 340 cal (50P, 20C,5F)
Any other time during the day - 3/4c Oatmeal with Splenda (about 3 packets usually) 6oz lemon herb chicken 410cal (47P, 41C, 8F)
But the combinations are endless man…and you want to have fruits and veggies with most of your meals anyway