Losing Fat/Gaining Muscle - Tips + tricks?

[Nition]

Hey so as the title says I've finally decided to get off my lazy behind and get myself in shape. As I'm not particularly muscley and slightly chubby I've kind of set my sights on a certain 'look' that I want, rather than a weight or amount that I can bench. Considering I'm looking to build muscle and lose fat I figured trying to monitor my progress through weight wouldn't really work. Yet after about a month and a half of working out I've not noticed much of a difference in terms of appearance. I mean, my arms definitely look bigger and the weights I'm pushing are increasing significantly, but in terms of fat around my midriff its not really shifting.
Just gonna run you through my workout/diet so hopefully someone can give me some tips/hints as to what I'm doing wrong. Hell maybe I'm just expecting to see results too soon!

In the gym, I'll go straight to the weights and usually spend around 40-50minutes doing weights depending on how fast I do them. I focus on all major area's, doing 3 sets of 5 reps. I will push it to about as high a weight as I can possibly lift without hurting myself whilst still completing the sets. I'll usually push myself to push heavier weights each session, and as a result I've doubled what I'm lifting/pushing from when I started a month ago. My brother who does a lot of weight training has been coaching me on this, but I thought I would post it just in case!
Once I've finished weights I'll go and do cardio for about 30 mins. Usually 15minutes of running and 10-15minutes of cycling. When I come out of the gym I'm literally shattered, I work myself pretty hard at the moment!

Diet - Breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal or bacon with something. Not very substantial as I don't like eating after I wake up. Lunch is usually my biggest meal of the day, and is very varied, but I try to keep it with some meat, veg, and a small amount of carbs (usually fail on that). Dinner most often is pretty big (which is bad I know), but my family likes to sit down for a meal at the end of the day, and that usually results in a big meal. Again trying to follow my rules from lunch. Dessert is often fruit, but very occasionally is something sweet.
In terms of snacks, I've stopped snacking, my only concession is a Diet Coke in the evening before dinner. Otherwise if I'm hungry I'll have some fruit.

So like I said at the start, I've been doing this for about a month and a half now without seeing any major results. Am I just expecting too much too soon? Or am I doing something completely wrong?

Thanks in advance!

[Dazzy]

There are so many sources on the web for what you're looking for no idea where to start so I'll just give the basics.

When you start, lots and lots, and then more lots of protein, very very low carbs. After a month or two you can when you drop some weight or get close to the weight you'll stay around, before too much muscle building you can even out your diet.

Pick a recovery drink, and DRINK IT religiously after your workouts. If you don't want to buy them you can make them with protein powder/banana/peanut butter etc. protein'y ingredients. They work, and you'll feel much better for using them.

Lifting, if your goal is gaining muscle (bulk or toning)

Bulk - pick a weight you can BARELY do 8-10 times and do it, 3-5 reps, by the last rep on the last set you should be straining like never before.
Toning - pick a weight you can do 10-12 times and can do without a ton of strain by the last rep of each set.

I've been doing p90x, now into p90x2 and Insanity and it's working great.

The belly fat/lovehandles takes FOREVER to go, it will be the last to go by a longshot, I lost most of mine in my legs almost instantly but my mid is still lacking. Just keep doing your aerobic exercises a couple times a week and abs 3-4 days and you'll get there. Sounds like for the most part you're going the right direction, I'd try to eat a bit more/healthier in the morning. I'm the same way as you, I can't eat until noon but you must force yourself to. You'll see a difference in energy/the way you feel inside of a week.

[Souma]

It's amazing how often these threads pop up. Scroll down a bit in the sports forum and you'll find loads and loads of information.

A link that might help, reddit isn't always the nicest place but there's some decent info every now and then.
http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/Fitness#GettingStarted

It's also kind of unclear what your goals are, nor do we know how you look right now. Are you overweight? do you just want to lose weight, do you want to bulk up? We need more info!

A month and a half isn't a whole lot of time either, depending on your caloric deficit it would probably take more time to see results. But since we don't know if you're actually eating at a caloric deficit, we can't tell you much.

PS. big dinners are fine

[Nition]

I'm definitely not overweight, just getting a little chubby around the midriff. I don't exactly want to get stacked but I'd like to put on a little bit of muscle, maybe actually see my abs for once!

---------- Post added 2012-08-18 at 11:23 PM ----------

There are so many sources on the web for what you're looking for no idea where to start so I'll just give the basics.

When you start, lots and lots, and then more lots of protein, very very low carbs. After a month or two you can when you drop some weight or get close to the weight you'll stay around, before too much muscle building you can even out your diet.

Pick a recovery drink, and DRINK IT religiously after your workouts. If you don't want to buy them you can make them with protein powder/banana/peanut butter etc. protein'y ingredients. They work, and you'll feel much better for using them.

Do I really need such large amounts of protein considering I have the fat to burn to begin with? Also are recovery drinks required. Despite pushing myself on the weights, and I really mean it when I say that, I don't feel like I need a recovery drink. I'm rarely getting stiff or low on energy these days.

---------- Post added 2012-08-18 at 11:26 PM ----------

Also what would you suggest eating in the morning? I've always been a cereal kind of guy.

[jbhasban]

1) you dont need a huge amount of protein. I suggest having some protein in each of your meals but you dont need to get powders or go overboard. Eat healthy: veggies, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, eggs, milk, nuts, etc. Unless you plan on being a professional bodybuilder, it is best to focus your life on other things than maximizing your muscular growth.

2) it doesnt matter when you eat. Late night snacking is bad for some people, like me, because they can't sleep well when full. You need your rest. Just don't eat too much pasta/grains/potato/etc because they are incredibly calorie dense. Also watch out for eating too many nuts.

3) your workout routine is fine but you may be working out too hard. You really dont need to be shattered to get results. It's fine though, it probably makes you feel good to be shattered.

4) the increase in your strength is more neurological than muscular.

5) You will not notice differences in how you look, ever. I have gone from wearing 60 inch pants with a 60 inch waist to wearing 33 inch pants with a 30 inch waist and a six pack in the past 5 years. I have not noticed a difference in my appearance at all until the past 6 months. Why? Because it happens gradually. You see yourself every day. You need to take photos if you want to appreciate the difference (the exception is when you get below 10% body fat because the layer of fat below your skin gets so small that even a slight difference changes the appearance of your muscles and veins).

6) forget about getting a 6 pack or looking like the guys on mens health. I have a 6 pack when flexing my stomach but I dont when I relax. 3 months ago I dropped down to the "fitness" level you need to see the veins in your stomach, groin, and legs. It sucked. I hated life. I could barely run. When I did cardio I had to hold onto handrails to prevent myself from falling over. I once feinted in the gym. Yet people think that look is the epitome of fitness. I gained 10 lbs in the past 3 months and have lost my perpetual 6 pack yet I feel SOO much better. Cutting down to such low levels of body fat and hydration is painful, unhealthy, and obsessive.

[Nition]

3) your workout routine is fine but you may be working out too hard. You really dont need to be shattered to get results. It's fine though, it probably makes you feel good to be shattered.


5) You will not notice differences in how you look, ever. I have gone from wearing 60 inch pants with a 60 inch waist to wearing 33 inch pants with a 30 inch waist and a six pack in the past 5 years. I have not noticed a difference in my appearance at all. Why? Because it happens gradually. You see yourself every day. You need to take photos if you want to appreciate the difference.

I'm working out harder because I want it to go faster! Want to be looking good by next summer.
And I plan to start taking pictures, hopefully it will motivate me to keep pushing it.

[Judgement27]

I'm definitely not overweight, just getting a little chubby around the midriff. I don't exactly want to get stacked but I'd like to put on a little bit of muscle, maybe actually see my abs for once!

---------- Post added 2012-08-18 at 11:23 PM ----------



Do I really need such large amounts of protein considering I have the fat to burn to begin with? Also are recovery drinks required. Despite pushing myself on the weights, and I really mean it when I say that, I don't feel like I need a recovery drink. I'm rarely getting stiff or low on energy these days.

---------- Post added 2012-08-18 at 11:26 PM ----------

Also what would you suggest eating in the morning? I've always been a cereal kind of guy.

Eating TONS of protein to gain large amounts of muscle is a misconception by MANY so called "personal trainers" who really haven't earned a degree in the field. They are also NOT nutrition specialists, so when they recommend eating certain things, take it with a grain of salt. For protein intake take a look at this link.

http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Ab...ntation.4.aspx

The problem with huge amounts protein intake is the increase nitrogenous waste that is created in your system. This means it could vary well lead to kidney, liver problems down the road. It also means you have to drink 3x the amount of water you would normally drink to keep your urine clear or have a slight pigmentation to it. With the more you urinate protein the more you are excreting other nutrients you need in your body, such as calcium. If your blood and body does not have enough calcium it starts to take calcium from your bones, which eventually can lead to problems like osteoporosis later in life.

A current ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) study shows HUGE performance increases in individuals who drink CHOCOLATE MILK after they have worked out.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryC...eFitness/14491


Also remember that in order to burn fat you need to be AEROBICALLY exercising for MORE than 20 minutes continuously. Increasing your AEROBIC exercise time will increase the more fat you actually burn. Something that is not Aerobic exercise is weight training, or sprinting (anaerobic).

The other major problem with weight training to lose fat and gain muscle is that you will not see a huge difference in weight loss. You will see your stomach shrink, but because muscle weighs more than fat you may actually see somewhat of an increase in weight. In order to see fat loss you will need to get body composition testing performed.

As always, exercise alone is not the key to losing weight. Exercise is used to MAINTAIN a certain weight level, diet will actually be the biggest concern in the weight loss department. Remember to lose weight you actually have to eat less calories than what you are actually using. This DOESN'T MEAN STARVE YOURSELF.

1. Eat a balance HIGH NUTRITION diet. Don't eat non-nutritious foods like hamburgers or hotdogs.
2. Take a multivitamin (any multivitamin will do)
3. Stay hydrated

Another good place to see your nutrition values is
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperT...odtracker.aspx
plugin everything you eat for a few of days and see where you need to improve.

If you want any other ideas or tips let me know. I am actually just now graduating with my degree in Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State.

ENERGY IN NEEDS TO BE LESS THAN ENERGY OUT

P.S. Big dinners are not okay. not eating a lot during the day and then feasting cause a huge influx of nutrients in the body. They stay there until you use them, and exercising afterwards will not remove all of the calories gained. This then makes a good portion of that food into FAT.

[Nition]

Thanks, ye most of what you said I'm currently up to speed on in the general sense. I was keeping a food diary until recently and had an intake of about 1500 calories a day with my current diet. I'm 85kg and 6ft 2" for clarification.

[jbhasban]

While the above poster is right on a lot of things, the idea that you have to do cardio for over 20 mins to lose fat is silly. While it is true that lower intensity cardio burns more fat at the time of exercising, all that really matters for burning fat is burning more calories during the day than you eat on average. You can do this by sprinting, by jogging, by walking, or by doing nothing at all. It doesn't matter. It should be noted that athletes who do endurance sports (marathon, triathlon, etc) tend to have higher body fat percentages than athletes who do strength and power sports (sprinters, gymnasts, etc). Do you really think sprinters get such low body fat percentages by doing long distance running? Of course not. They do it through proper nutrition, practicing their craft (sprinting), and weight lifting geared towards power.

And since the above poster is getting a degree and wellness, I am sure you can tell you about the studies on HIIT.

BTW, hamburgers made with 95% lean ground chuck are not bad for you. I eat a lot of burgers. Just make sure you dont eat those enriched buns.

[Judgement27]

the idea that you have to do cardio for over 20 mins to lose fat is silly. While it is true that lower intensity cardio burns more fat at the time of exercising, all that really matters for burning fat is burning more calories during the day than you eat on average.

For the average person it takes 20 minutes of aerobic exercise to allow the body to start using fat as a fuel source. I am not saying diet is not the major thing he should be looking at.

Actually you forgot weight lifters want to have a little higher fat percentage as well. The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism is, the more you need stored energy for those times at the gym that you need an extra energy source.

There are many different forms of workout sessions that he could use to incorporate aerobic exercise. Whether it be HIIT, or some other form. I will give you an example. I had an individual who I prescribed a workout session for. Essentially they wanted their aerobic exercise as part of their strength training routine. Okay well how do you do that? You have the individual do 1 set for one specific muscle group, they then immediately go to 1 set for the next muscle group and so on. This is done without stopping. I think if I remember right I had them do 4 different muscle groups then cycle back 3 times.

Granted this prescription was based on THAT specific individual.

[jbhasban]

Your body always uses fat as a fuel source. It uses fat more readily during low intensity exercise because the process to convert fat into energy is slower than to convert glycogen to energy but your body wont stop using fat simply because there is glycogen. And even if it did, it will burn the fat to replace the glycogen stores. You cannot simply look at what the body is burning at the time of the exercise. You also have to look at what happens for the next 48 hours.

Weight lifters want to have a higher fat percentage if they are going strictly for strength. However, for weight class weight lifters (and wrestlers for that matter), being around 8-10% bf is best.

[Sussex]

Cardio barely does anything for fat loss. Fat loss is 99.9% diet. Diet is key. You need to get your macro/micro and daily calorie requirements down pat.

Cardio is good for cardiovascular health - It isn't going to make you automatically get in shape.

You need to run for 5 hours to burn off 1 block of chocolate. So don't use cardio as main way to lose fat, it just aint happening bro. If you have your diet down 100% you literally do not even need to do any cardio.

Cardio just another tool to use to help. Doing 30minutes of basic moderate cardio per day is realistic and will burn 150 calories or so. Do that maybe 3 times per week, thats an extra 450 calories you'll burn ontop over the course of a week. So say your caloric in-take is 14,000 calories over 7 days to lose-weight, if you're following your diet 100% your end result will be 13,550, which means you'll burn slightly more fat over that week.

It's best to do it slowly like that, proper diet and a little bit of cardio. It's the only realistic way. You're not honestly going to spend 5 days a week, doing 5 hours of cardio per day.

[jbhasban]

Cardio barely does anything for fat loss. Fat loss is 99.9% diet. Diet is key. You need to get your macro/micro and daily calorie requirements down pat.

Cardio is good for cardiovascular health - It isn't going to make you automatically get in shape.

You need to run for 5 hours to burn off 1 block of chocolate. So don't use cardio as main way to lose fat, it just aint happening bro. If you have your diet down 100% you literally do not even need to do any cardio.

Cardio just another tool to use to help. Doing 30minutes of basic moderate cardio per day is realistic and will burn 150 calories or so. Do that maybe 3 times per week, thats an extra 450 calories you'll burn ontop over the course of a week. So say your caloric in-take is 14,000 calories over 7 days to lose-weight, if you're following your diet 100% your end result will be 13,550, which means you'll burn slightly more fat over that week.

It's best to do it slowly like that, proper diet and a little bit of cardio. It's the only realistic way. You're not honestly going to spend 5 days a week, doing 5 hours of cardio per day.

Uh, a block of chocolate is like 200-400 calories... I burn at least 1000 calories an hour when doing cardio.

[Sussex]

Uh, a block of chocolate is like 200-400 calories... I burn at least 1000 calories an hour when doing cardio.

250 gram block of cad-bury chocolate -

1330 calories
74g fat
45g sat fat
143g carb
20g protein
250mg sodium


Example human who is 155lbs , they will burn 350 calories at the most as a moderate speed per hour on a stationary bike (which is one of the best forms of cardio because it is low impact on joints) They will be lucky to burn 1,400 calories off after biking for 4 hours.

It takes <1min to eat a 250gram block of chocolate, 4+hours to burn it off.

Cardio is not the magic bullet. Understanding nutrition is the key to success.

[jbhasban]

Who the fuck eats that much chocolate in one sitting? Hell, I generally will eat one of these over the course of 4-5 hours: http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-31351-...e-eclipse-2-oz.

Running is the best way to burn calories. Swim if you are worried about your joints so much. Biking is pretty bad cardio because you dont use any of your upper body. Plus, it is hard to get enough leverage to get your heart rate above 160.

[melodramocracy]

Plus, it is hard to get enough leverage to get your heart rate above 160.

Pedal harder, or hit some hills. You'll see your heart rate go up in no time.

The downside to cycling is that it's generally not the constant work that running / jogging is, which is why you generally need to ride longer / farther to get an equivalent workout that jogging would give you.

To the OP: being able to see your abs is 100% diet.

[jbhasban]

Pedal harder, or hit some hills. You'll see your heart rate go up in no time.

The downside to cycling is that it's generally not the constant work that running / jogging is, which is why you generally need to ride longer / farther to get an equivalent workout that jogging would give you.

To the OP: being able to see your abs is 100% diet.

Definitely gonna hit some hills on my stationary bike... BTW, bikers tend to develop problems in their wrists because they put a ton of pressure on them for an extended period of time.

[Rabidewok]

slightly chubby

stop eating doritos
5 reps is weak, aim for 12 atleast
heavy cardio after weights will actually eat away at your muscle unless you've had some protein in between. best is powder with water, quickly absorbed

breakfast should be your biggest meal. you need more protein. bacon is minimal
add a protein shake with banana
try not to have any fruit after midday, its high fructose
for dinner have protein with veg. absolutely no carbs

ditch the diet coke, the artifical sweetener replicates sugar and still can spike your insulin/blood glucose levels
its completely crap for you
try sparkling water with fresh lemon if you have to have something fizzy

make sure you're getting complete protein with all amino acids
if you're particularly sore days after gym try adding extra l-glutamine to your diet
weights aim for 3 times a week, cardio should be daily

---------- Post added 2012-08-20 at 06:58 AM ----------

1) you dont need a huge amount of protein.

not huge amounts, but the ideal amount of protein is your body weight in kgs x 0.8 = #g of protein per day
aim for a little higher if you're excessively sore.

protein fuels your muscles, its food for your entire body.
the reason this dude is feeling shattered is because he probably isn't feeding his muscles after a workout

---------- Post added 2012-08-20 at 07:00 AM ----------

Definitely gonna hit some hills on my stationary bike... BTW, bikers tend to develop problems in their wrists because they put a ton of pressure on them for an extended period of time.

people who face this problem aren't cycling correctly
you need to carry your upper body weight with your legs and abs, your wrists/hands should be lightly placed on the bars

[Toxigen]

www.muscleandstrength.com

Go find a good beginner's workout, follow it to a T for 12 weeks.

From there, pick a 3 or 4 day split (I like Doug's 4day).

Avoid soda and alcohol, try to eat your lean bodyweight (lbs) in protein (grams) each day, drink lots of water, and do an hour of low intensity cardio.

The hardest part is getting regimented and into a set schedule. I'm about a month into my fitness plan and have had one "cheating" weekend...felt like crap after and now I'm back on the right track.

edit: they say you cannot gain muscle and lose fat at the same time...hence the "cutting" and "bulking" workout plans. However, I've found that with balanced diet and exercise, I am in fact losing weight and am being able to lift more and more each week...so I think that concept is more directed to people who are already fit and are looking for huge gains in strength / muscle mass.

[Deleted]

edit: they say you cannot gain muscle and lose fat at the same time...hence the "cutting" and "bulking" workout plans. However, I've found that with balanced diet and exercise, I am in fact losing weight and am being able to lift more and more each week...so I think that concept is more directed to people who are already fit and are looking for huge gains in strength / muscle mass.

Same thing happened to me when I began to diet and work out. Had huuuuge gains after only a months time, both in muscle strenght, size and endurance. And my body fat dropped with it. Sure it's going slower now, but I still get stronger each week and I'm getting sort of "ripped". Just get a good diet, mine's not even that special, I just avoid unhealthy stuff such as fast foods, sugar, etc, and focus on eating a LOT of meat (tuna, chicken, steaks) throughout the day.

I might just be lucky with genetics, but I've got a couple of friends that recently began following the same "diet and workout" plan with great results! And about the alcohol thing, we do party (hard) pretty much every weekend, but it doesn't seem to slow down anything (it probably does but whatever, still getting great results)

And I don't take any extra supplement either, except for whey protein (one shake in the morning combined with oatmeal and eggs) and one after my workout.