Bodybuilding Forums

Hello

I'm new here and just looking for some tips on anything i could be doing better.
I'm 19 years old, overweight (currently 15.5 stone) and i'm 5,11 tall.

My short term goal is to lose my excess fat and get slim, long term is to build muscle and bulk up (in the good way)
I've been dieting / going to the gym for about 2 months now, i was just over 18 stone when i first began, i started eating healthily at first and shifted a stone and a half in a month just from eating well. I joined the gym 7 weeks ago, getting down to 16 stone within the first week.
After this i got stuck at this weight up until this week, where i have began to lose weight again and am currently at the weight i am now - 15.5 stone.
I'm quite happy losing nearly 3 stone in under 3 months.

My routine for the gym is usually to alternate between cardio and weights. One day i will weight train (with some cardio, probably about 20 minutes each weight training day usually to warm up and cool down) and on the other day i will only do cardio to allow my other muscles to rest from the weights.

When weight training i'm going for the recommended 12 reps, trying to make sure i physically cannot do any more after 12, using various equipment both freeweight, cable and machine.

My cardio is mixed, i usually do a 10 minute inteveral program on the treadmill, 10 minutes cross country on the cross trainer, 10 minutes interval on the bike, 1000m on the row (interval) often adding to these, that's just the minimum on a cardio day.

I usually go 5 times a week, although sometimes more but never doing weight training one day after another.

My diet consists of just eating healthy and cutting down on portions, no dodgy gimmicky diets or anything.

I am still on a program at the gym which i follow and from day 1 to last week, my measurements were all good (e.g losing waist size, arm size increasing etc)
I'm currently not using any supplements such as protein etc as the massive amount of calories in the drinks etc would highly conflict with the idea of weight loss, however i have been researching creatine and so far the opinion and facts i have gathered is that whilst it does not directly help with fat burn, it does help to strengthen your muscles, recover quicker etc etc and as a result increases your fat burn.

Just looking for your opinion on my progress, current plan and any tips.

bigbob wrote:My routine for the gym is usually to alternate between cardio and weights. One day i will weight train (with some cardio, probably about 20 minutes each weight training day usually to warm up and cool down) and on the other day i will only do cardio to allow my other muscles to rest from the weights.

Myth dispelling time. You don't need cardio to lose weight. You can achieve any body fat percentage you like through diet alone. What cardio does is buy you wiggle room to eat more food while still losing weight.

If you're not losing fat as quickly as you'd like (EDIT: And you're above 10% body fat or so), it's all in your diet. Period. End of story. Track EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth for a few weeks (I like Livestrong.com to do so), and the areas where you could best reduce fats and carbohydrates will become apparent. Your protein intake should be a fixed amount, as Mark describes in Total Anabolism, so the variables to play with to lose fat faster are only fats and carbs. My suggestion is to try reducing the carbs first... many on MANS eat somewhere over 1000g of carbs on the weekends, and that's usually the first target for stopping fat gain.

My diet consists of just eating healthy and cutting down on portions, no dodgy gimmicky diets or anything.

Are you following MANS? TSPA? Or just some other program?

If you're dissatisfied with your results, it's because you aren't following a solid plan. Mark's is pretty easy: eat at least your LEAN body weight in pounds in grams of protein every day (or more precisely, 1.25x your lean mass in pounds, or 2.75x your weight in kg), reduce your carbs below 30g 5 days a week, and carb-up 2 days a week to provide some fuel for your workouts (glycogen) the rest of the week. Simple, straightforward, and it gets the job done.

What does "eating healthy" mean to you? Does it mean plenty of vegetables and meats? Or does it mean plenty of "healthy whole grains" and fruits? Combined with weightlifting, one plan will cause you to look muscular and powerful, the other one fat and unhealthy.

I'm currently not using any supplements such as protein etc as the massive amount of calories in the drinks etc would highly conflict with the idea of weight loss

A good whey protein supplement helps you meet your protein targets without stuffing yourself silly. See, even when you're cutting, you should never be "hungry". You may have cravings, but your stomach should never be growling because it's empty while you're awake. With all the veggies and meats, I have a very hard time meeting my protein target (min 180g/day) because I have trouble simply eating that much food! And I still lose weight!

Shakes are to help you meet protein targets, and there are PLENTY of shakes that have no excess fats or carbohydrates. Find them on the shelves. "Mass Gainers" are filled with empty carbohydrates. High-quality low-carbohydrate whey protein isolates are perfect for building muscle mass without feeling stuffed all day long, and without excess fat or carbohydrates.

So here's the plan:
1. Follow Mark's "Total Anabolism" program to the letter for at least six weeks.
2. Measure your progress. Specific numbers.
3. Come back here for further thoughts if you aren't achieving the results you want.

Seriously, it's worth six weeks of your life to give this a good, solid try. Follow the program to the letter for six weeks -- including not doing ANY cardio -- and let us know how it's going for you. What do you stand to lose?

Hello and thanks for your response

I've not checked back here until now so haven't been able to try your recommendations.

That aside, i now weigh 13 stone and have put on some good and noticeable muscle mass.
I have started taking whey protein shakes (from myprotein.co.uk)

As for what you're saying about cardio, i don't quite see how you can say it doesn't help at all for losing body fat.
Cardio burns calories, be it energy from fat or from your last meal, whichever way you look at it that's calories you're not consuming that day which leads to body fat being used as fuel. I realise from a strictly muscle gain perspective that cardio could be used to counteract 'treating yourself' to something.

I'm happy with my progress so far anyway, 18 stone to 13 in a little under 5 months.

Very timely info as I am trying to lose weight before the holidays so that I can look my best when I visit my relatives. These tips are sure to come in hand.