New and Looking for Some Guidance

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

I’m looking to drop body fat. I haven’t had it assessed but I think it’s about 20%.

A few months ago I went through a horrible health problem (ended up in hospital with a bleeding stomach ulcer) and have had a tough time getting back to the gym and my diet. I’m well now and ready to get back on track.

I’m 5’9" and 138 (I only weigh myself once a week) I really don’t care what the number is anyway, I just want my clothes to fit better and to look better.

My Diet…I try to stick to something like this Monday-Friday then on weekends I have a few treats, sometimes too many lol

2 Slices Ezekial Bread
Egg Beaters (2 egg cup)
Cracker Barrel 2% Sharp Cheddar-1 oz

Dymatize Elite Vanilla 1 Scoop
Frozen Blueberries
Ice Cold Water

Oatmeal
Skim Milk 1/2 Cup
Cinnamon 1 Teaspoon
Dymatize Elite Vanilla 1 Scoop

Tuna-1 Can
Celery
Organic Romaine Lettuce 1/3 Bag
Sun Dried Tomatoes .5 oz
Udo’s 3.6.9-2 Caps
Newmans Own Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing-1 Tablespoon

100 Cal Pack Almonds
1 Apple or Lite Applesauce

Perdue Chicken Perfect Portions 1 Piece
Sweet Potato 4oz
Cinnamon 1 Teaspoon
Smart Balance 67% 1 Tablespoon
Frozen Broc 1/2 Box or 6 Medium Asparagus Spears

Calories: 1650
Fat: 45
Carbs: 163
Protein: 163
Fiber: 30

Supplements
Dymatize Elite Gourmet Vanilla PP
Udo’s 3-6-9 Caps
Worldwide Nutrition Thermo Rush Pre-W/O Drink
Beano (But hasn’t even been working so I stopped using it) I noticed on most labels of these types of supplements that you shouldn’t use them if you have an ulcer so I’m going to talk to my GI doctor at my next visit about my options. My ulcer has healed but I want to clear it with him first. Salads and fiberous veggies make me miserable!!!

Training
I have been following NROL4W workouts doing 3 Full Body W/O’s a week. 45 mins of weights followed by 20 mins of cardio on the elliptical…not HIIT because I’m so exhausted from the weights. I have a desk job and don’t do any other activities so I’m thinking I should probably add at least one day of SS cardio. Or, totally change up my routine all together?

Also, I recently started reading Metabolism Advantage and would like to give the program a try. I’m not use to so many supplements so that’s a little intimidating. Anyone here familiar with it? What does a typical diet and training day look like for you?

Thanks everyone so glad I found all of you! I would really appreciate any suggestions that you may have!

2

Hiya H59! I’m training for my first competition in August and still adding weight…(hopefully), so my training is 4-day splits and cardio on off-days.

My supplements include BCAA, creatine, ZMA, PP, Surge, Se7en and when I start dieting down, I’ll probably add Hot-Rox Extreme. I’m not familiar with the Metabolism Advantage diet you refer to, so I’m not able to help on that one. Have you tried changing your macros, more protein, less carbs?

3

Thanks! I would really prefer to stay on as high carb as possible. I did very low carb years ago and had a bad experience with it. I think once I get back to a solid training schedule and really stick to my diet I will start seeing results. I was very disciplined before my health problem so it’s taken a couple of months to get back on track. Before the health problem I was about a size smaller so it’s not too bad.

4

Hello. Welcome to MWA, glad you started a thread. ;o)

Your diet looks great. The only thing you may want to increase slightly, is your protein…but that’s only if you’re trying to gain some lean muscle as you’re losing fat. If you’re perfectly satisfied with your muscle mass and are just trying to lose some weight, than you’re fine where you are.

As for training, I recommend taking a look at the many training and cardio programs we have on this site. Here’s a link: http://musclewithattitude.com/archives.do?y=2007&s=mwaTraining. Take a look at the different programs listed, and once you’ve found a few that catch your eye, we can help you narrow it down to one that suits your goals/schedule best. =o)

Looking forward to seeing you around,

Olesya

5

[quote]h59blonde wrote:
Thanks! I would really prefer to stay on as high carb as possible. I did very low carb years ago and had a bad experience with it. I think once I get back to a solid training schedule and really stick to my diet I will start seeing results.

I was very disciplined before my health problem so it’s taken a couple of months to get back on track. Before the health problem I was about a size smaller so it’s not too bad. [/quote]

why dont you try to follow the new carb cycling diet that was just posted in the articles section?

try it, it works for me.

6

Welcome to the forum!

I would suggest that you change up your training plan completely. If you’ve been doing that program for awhile, then your body has become used to it and will not see the results you want because you’ve plateaued.

Are you only able to work out 3x a week? I would increase your cardio to 5x a week if losing bf is your goal and extend the time to 30min vs. 20. And instead of doing a total body workout each time you hit the weights, try doing a 3 day split or 4 day split if you can get the day in.

What is your heartrate while you’re doing cardio? Keep it between 55-75% of your HR Max for best fat burning results.

I would highly suggest getting a hydrostatic BF test done. It is the most accurate of the methods (caliper, bioelectric impedance, guessing :wink: ) and will be helpful information as you tailor your program towards your new goals. Plus when you go to reevaluate yourself in a few weeks you’ll have a starting point!

Best of luck!

7

Thank you so much for your advice!

With tons of help from Olesya, I have changed to a 4 day split (UB/LB) routine so we will see how that goes. I also need to make sure I keep the diet “cheating” to a minimum. With the weather getting nicer I’m also going to do more cardio.

I have looked and looked and we don’t have any dunk tank BF testing in my area. I saw that on Workout on Bravo and am so interested in having it done. I live about 30 mins north of Baltimore, MD and just can’t find it anywhere. Any suggestions?

8

Try your local university or college. Sometimes they have an exercise science center that has a water tank for BF% tests.

Good luck on your new program!