I need help....very bad (muscle, weightlifting, gym, treadmill)

[nick21081]

Just got back from the gym where I had one of the trainers check my bf% and well sadly I have regressed. I am at a low point now and about to just give up, and I am a person who does not give up so easily.

A little about myself......For the vast majority of my life I was very skinny standing at 6'1" weighting from 140-150 lbs. Fast forward to age 26 I get married, then the following year we have our first child. I know that I lost a lot of my activities compared to my previous active lifestyle and noticed I started to gain weight in a body fat way. By the time I hit 29 I quit smoking and then started to gain even more weight/body fat. It got to a point where I weighted 250 lbs by my 30th bday and when I took a look at some of the pictures taken on my bday I wanted to throw up on how discusting I got.

In light of this I decided that I wanted to change and do something about this. This was March 2011 where I went back to the gym on a regular basis. I had a trainer do a bf% check and I was at 28% and weighting 225 lbs. I was able to make a little more progress but not much, by March 2012 my bf% was at 21% and weighting 208 lbs. After doing numerous research online I found that your diet is what matters most with your bf% and revamped my diet with foods that boost metabolism and that are supposedly more healthy for you. Now today my bf% is at 24% and weighting 218lbs. I need help bad, I just don't know what to do now. I figured I would come on this board and get some advise on how to move forward if possible.

workout routine: 5 days per week, 3 days weightlifting for 40-45 minutes, 2 days cardio for 30-40 minutes.

Food intake: 2000-2300 daily calories with primary daily foods of homemade shake of milk,peanutbutter,ovaltine. Also eggs, various veggies, special k protein bars, apples, and bannanas. For dinners my family has done a good job of moving away from those cheap processed dinners to a more healthier baked turkey dinners and whole grain pastas.

Liquid intake: water and natural green tea.

Sorry for the very long rant I just wanted to get as much info on what I am doing. Thanks for any help I really appreciate it.

[boxus]

Ok, your diet sucks, just to let you know. When you eat is just is almost as important as what you eat. You have peanut butter, pasta, milk, and who knows what else you left out. If you are trying to cut, those are not the foods to eat, people eat those foods to gain.

You did not give any details of your routine, lifting and cardio could be anything. Are you measuring progression? Setting goals? Just going in there and slinging the same weights day after day with some poor brocurl routine is not going to net you gains, or any gain will just be newby and inefficient as heck.

Please provide more details about what you eat, when you eat, and your routine. Also, go google search for what people eat when cutting weight in preparation for things like fights.

But bottom line from the info provided is; your diet sucks, and I bet your work out routine does to.

[tommodonahue]

Cut out fruit, stick with peanut butter. Keep drinking milk, but make sure it's in moderation. Increase intake of broccoli and carrots... chicken breast and fish. Carbohydrate intake should and could be limited to brown rice and oats (morning). Women have a higher hormonal response to carbohydrate limitations (and that hormonal response is not good), so adjust accordingly.

However, since you're a mother (im assuming) with children and a husband.. it may be harder for you to stay strict on your diet since your 'others' will not want to be apart of your shenanigans.

Lift heavy weights. No brocurl routine. No girly 'supersetting' or 'interval' routine.. i.e., 5lb dumb bell tricep extensions.

Squats, rows and presses should make up the majority of your weight training.

[nick21081]

My bad for not being more specific....Oh and I am a father not a mother sorry I was confusing with that

Eating Routine: In the morning when I wake up at around 9:00 am I have a homemade protein shake or scrambled eggs or both depending on my timing before work. Sometimes I will have some veggies like celery, carrots, and radishes instead. It all depends on what I feel like consuming. This is what I have in the mornings before work any of this combination. I head to work from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. During work time, I consume a special k protein bar at around 1:45 pm and I take a break at 3:00 pm and consume 2 apples and a bananna. At 5:00 pm when I am leaving work I consume another special k protein bar. At dinner it definetly varies we primarily eat turkey dinners where we bake a butterball turkey slice it all up and put it in the freezer and fridge to make dinners out of. For example turkey with potatoes and gravy or turkey with brown rice and frozen vegetables like corn and peas. We also eat whole grain pastas with pasta sauce. Other times we have shrimp alfredo. We did use to have a problem with eating those cheap processed dinners, however my wife and I decided to try and eat as healthy as we can with the limited budget we have. I know you don't believe me but this is what I really eat and yes I have googled around and these are types of foods that are supposedly healthy. I took last week and counted the calories and it came out to 2000-2300.

Workout Routine: Due to being married, having a 5 year old, working, and going to school I have limited time to work out at the gym. Mondays I do weightlifting exercises that consist of bench press, shoulder press, barbell curls, leg press, weighted calf raises, lat pulldowns, allinone machine where I do tricep pulldowns and a pulldown press that exercies the chest (not sure what this is all called), row machine that exercises the back, another back exercise machine where you rock back and forth (not sure what this is called), ab crunch machine. There are a few machines that I use as well that I don't know there names but one exercises your sides with you twisting your body, another two machines that are leg exercises where one focuses on your calf and the other your thigh. I apologize for not knowing some of the names but I hope you get my drift. I take tuesdays off due to my wife working late. Wednesdays I do Cardio, where I will do a bike ride for 10-15 minutes depending on the course I want to ride. I will also do the treadmill for another 10-15 minutes. Finally I will do the stairstepper for 5-10 minutes. Thursdays I go back to lifting the same as mondays. Fridays I do the same cardio and wed. Saturdays I lift just like Mondays and Thursdays. On Sundays I take a day off for family time. As far as my lifting I do 3 sets of 8 due to reading online about muscle mass you want to use lower reps and heavier weights which I have done. My workouts are actually good, I disagree with above poster saying they suck because I really feel it and have a good workout each time. Also, about every 4-5 weeks I am able to increase my weight on each lifting exercise.I also noticed that since I changed my routine of lower reps heavier weights I have made some gains in muscle mass.............BUT...........

My problem is Body Fat %......its my achilies heel. I have spent hours online searching for answers but there are so many different fads,diets, workouts,etc., and nutritionists, trainers cost too much for me. My goals are to go back to my old bf% which was probably low teens plus adding muscle mass, the muscle mass is working to a certain extent but the bf% sucks.

I came on here because I found out this morning of my regression in bf% and neeed to vent and maybe some good advice.

[boxus]

What tommo stated is correct. As you see, there is a little difference between his and my recommendations; I think you should cut out milk and peanut butter, he does not, and I think you should eat fruit, he does not; but the fundamental thing is you need to limit your carbs, especially in the evening before you sleep.

You need to junk those special K bars; stop eating all bread and pasta; eat chicken breasts and lunch should be your largest meal. Items that you will find differing opinions on are fruit, milk, and peanut butter. I think that it is fine to indulge a little, but I reserve milk and peanut butter for gaining for my lifting, I think when cutting weight, a person should just stop completely at YOUR LEVEL. I think consuming fruits is fine in moderation, but again, not within 3-4 hours of sleeping. All carbs should stop 3-4 hours of sleeping, as well eating in general if trying to cut. To cure hunger pains, eat a spoon full of cottage cheese with some olive oil. Also, quit counting calories, it is annoying, just develop a good meal for your goals and go with it.

You will get some opinions on diet, but no matter how many opinions you read, if they are from good sources, you will see a common theme.

Routine
Your routine sucks, junk it.

I think you should go on the 5x5 given your level, much more efficient than your current routine. I will send you a link via PM.
Garbage like curls, allinone machine, and tricep pulldown are useless and wasting your time.

Junk your cardio routine, it sucks. Your cardio is like you are maintaining or some guy just trying to squeak by a PT test. You need to hit the sprints and hit up some longer running, like outside, and if outside is not available, then tilt that treadmill a degree or so. You did not mention your mile pace, so it is hard to judge where you are at.

"My workouts are actually good"

No they are not.

"I disagree with above poster saying they suck because I really feel it and have a good workout each time."

I do not care if you disagree, your workout sucks. You are the one on here complaining about BF, not me. You can either accept you do not know what you are doing and take the advice of people who have been doing this for years; or you can continue to waste your time which you have been doing.

What are your lifting stats? I do not even know why I ask since I do not think you even do them in the right form with a full ROM, but hopefully I am wrong. I stopped asking years ago without seeing a video as too many people think two inch ROM squats and some sort of half bench was the proper form, thus they state their numbers off of this.

Not being hyper critical, it is good you are getting out there and doing something unlike so many people. But I am telling you that with your current diet and routine, it is no surprise you have the results you do. And even with positive results, they are coming at inefficient means.

[karen_s]

Like boxus said, your whole diet and exercise routine really does stink, and that is why you aren't having success this time around. I know the whole deal about kids and work and budget constraints too, but we are here to help you.

Your diet: You need enough lean protein, healthy fats (I just love coconut oil!), and fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied. Once you find the right portions, you will not be on a "diet", instead you will find your new way of eating and will be able to sustain it forever. I start each and every full meal with low-glycemic veggies, be it broccoli, cauliflower (mash it up and season it if you miss your mashed potatoes), green beans, , or some variation of salad. I try to eat as much homegrown and locally grown/organic stuff as possible. Don't drink your calories! Even milk has lots of sugar in it per serving. I stick with lots and lots of water, and some unsweetened tea and coffee. For fruits, I stick with berries. Bananas are very high on the glycemic index and raise my blood sugar.

Your exercise: The 5 x 5 is an excellent suggestion, don't forget to check your PMs. Strength training is integral to my program. I'm fortunate now to be able to do a cross-training program that is similar to CrossFit but I was not able to start with that. For cardio, I do intervals whenever possible. If you are pressed for time and cannot get to the gym, try Tabata at home (free timer here): Tabata Timer - Free Online Tabata Timer for Tabata Training You can do bodyweight exercises practically anywhere with little or no equipment and get stronger and leaner: 50 Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do Anywhere | Greatist Bodyweight Exercises for Home Fitness

Lots of luck! Once you get the "formula" down, you will get in your groove, but it will take some tweaking and an open mind on your part. Get ready to really PUSH. Do your cardio intervals to MAX heart rate and lift those weights HEAVY. Stay disciplined with your eating and you will get there. I am doing it now and I feel so empowered, better than in my late teens & early twenties because it was so hard to fight to get here now at 40 with such a busy life, but I am getting it done and you can too

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by karen_s

Lots of luck! Once you get the "formula" down, you will get in your groove, but it will take some tweaking and an open mind on your part. Get ready to really PUSH. Do your cardio intervals to MAX heart rate

I don't claim to be an expert on the topic but I have to question this. First of all there is the possibilty you'll just get burrned out by the high intensity approach and quit. Secondlyl, the higher the intensity, the less pct. of fat the body is going to burn for energy. Try low intensity, high endurance exercise like walking or very slow jogging. Try doing it in a carb-depleted state from time to time (e.g. eat few carbs the evening before, then go for a long walk or run before breakfast). This will train the body to burn a higher pct of fat as fuel.

IMO 30-40 minutes of cardio 2 times a week is way too little. Try to work up to 90 minutes, at least 3-4 times per week. Walk, jog, bike, elliptical, etc. Take a look at this article, especially the section on 'aerobic energy sources.'
Team Oregon Tip

[nick21081]

Thanks for the message boxus, I got the 5x5 workout which I will begin on monday and sounds like a good workout routine. I am already watching mark rippetoe videos on youtube on proper technique so I would assume that will help.

Okay so I got a new workout to begin, but the diet seems to be the remaining issue. So if what I am consuming is all wrong then what other foods. I mean if apples and banannas are no good then what is, remember the old cheesy saying when we were all kids, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is that really not true? I do love whole turkey and whole chicken for dinners, but chicken can get a little pricey, and that just sucks that pasta is not that good for you I love whole grain pasta dinners as well. This whole diet is just driving me nuts. I cant tell you how many different websites I have been on and they all tell you something different.

[veuvegirl]

I have the same issue with diet. A lot of people recommended seeing a nutrition if you can afford it.

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by nick21081

Eating Routine: In the morning when I wake up at around 9:00 am I have a homemade protein shake or scrambled eggs or both depending on my timing before work. Sometimes I will have some veggies like celery, carrots, and radishes instead. It all depends on what I feel like consuming. This is what I have in the mornings before work any of this combination. I head to work from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. During work time, I consume a special k protein bar at around 1:45 pm and I take a break at 3:00 pm and consume 2 apples and a bananna. At 5:00 pm when I am leaving work I consume another special k protein bar. At dinner it definetly varies we primarily eat turkey dinners where we bake a butterball turkey slice it all up and put it in the freezer and fridge to make dinners out of. For example turkey with potatoes and gravy or turkey with brown rice and frozen vegetables like corn and peas. We also eat whole grain pastas with pasta sauce. Other times we have shrimp alfredo. We did use to have a problem with eating those cheap processed dinners, however my wife and I decided to try and eat as healthy as we can with the limited budget we have. I know you don't believe me but this is what I really eat and yes I have googled around and these are types of foods that are supposedly healthy. I took last week and counted the calories and it came out to 2000-2300.

Okay - first, yes an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But that's not TWO apples AND a banana AND two sugar-coated junk bars AND pasta AND starch/sugar in the form of corn.

So first step - stop eating corn, period. No corn. Replace corn with salad. Salad being - dark green leafy veggies, NOT iceberg. Pretend you're deathly allergic to iceberg lettuce. Eat spinach, or baby spinach, endive (okay that's not dark green but it's good for you so shh), arugula, broccoli greens, dandelion weed, radicchio, green-leaf and red-leaf lettuce, romaine, etc. etc. No creamy dressings. A sprinkle of vinegar (I like red wine or garlic, but if you like balsamic better go for it), a splash of olive oil, add some sunflower seeds and a couple pinches of shredded cheddar cheese or a little shaved parmasean. You can put fresh snap peas on there too, and even the pods are edible and tasty. If you -must- have croutons, have just a few. But that'll be your bread portion for your supper so choose wisely.

Have one apple, not two. Granny Smith has less sugar and more vitamin C and vitamin A than McIntosh, plus it's sour and crisp. So have a Granny Smith. In fact, cut it into wedges, and smear each wedge with some peanutbutter. Make that your snack *instead* of that morning fiber bar.

Ditch the alfredo except for once a month, as a treat. For the potatoes with your turkey, make it a baked potato, or a baked sweet potato if you prefer, with just a pat (tablespoon) of lightly salted butter, and eat the whole thing including the skin. No gravy on the potatoes, and no more than a couple tablespoons of it on your turkey.

That whole grain pasta with pasta sauce? Is that jarred sauce? If it is, make sure that none of the jar's first 5 ingredients aren't sugar, or corn syrup. And add a few meatballs to it, and make it your dinner. Macaroni with sauce shouldn't be a side dish. It should be your main course, and a salad should be your side dish.

Get your food down under 2000 calories. You can always add more.

As for your exercise routine - 3 days weights for 45 minutes each, and 2 days cardio for 20-40 minutes isn't going to be very useful to you for weight loss. Instead - try

3 days cardio for 30 minutes PLUS floor exercises for 10 minutes (planks, situps, stomach crunches, leg lifts, squats).

3 days cardio for 15 minutes PLUS your weight training for 30 minutes.