Newbie Just Starting out, help me out...

Updated: 1-8-05
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Greetings all!

In March of 2003 I made the original post below. Exactly 3 weeks after I landed a job. The job was (and still is) great but unfortunately was also a major setback for what I had hoped would be a big change in my workouts and physique. I didn't stop watching what I ate or my sporadic workouts but neither did I drastically change either for the better. I am just now coming to grips and settling down a bit with work so I am now finally hoping to set aside some serious time to continue onward. Almost 2 years later I have finally updated my pics and I think I see a bit of a difference (remember this is from 3 days a week of morning cardio and 2 days a week of short but intense lifting, so basically nothing that serious at all) but I may be fooling myself. I'm counting on your valuable critique for that. I know I lost a bit of fat but as to change in muscle definition or shape I'm not so sure. I'm going to be taking all the advice from the original replies (and hopefully some new ones) and try and make this year count for something more than the past two. The second and third pics (in this message post only) below are from today (the first being from 3-03). Again I appreciate all your comments, criticisms and tips. I'm going to try my best to update this post a bit more than in the past as well :)

Thanks guys.



Original Post: 3-6-03
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Hello all,

Same old story as most newbies: Long time lurker, first time posting. First off these forums are absolutely great and the members here are an invaluable source of great info for self imporovement. OK....moving on:

I'm 25, 6'3" 175 lbs. Never really done much hardcore stuff. Based on the past reading I've done here, I'm going to try going the natural route. I have a pretty good idea about what I have to do, but I find users comments to pics help fine tune things greatly. First off I know I have to get rid of some fat, particularly around the gut area (don't know what my BF is... gotta get some calipers (suggestions)). I'm thinking 3-4 days a week of running should take care of some cardio. Not sure yet if I should first lose the weight before I start doing some serious bulking though. So let me know what you think I should do both in terms of diet and working out. Thanks guys!


Natural pose:

Flex Pic 1

Do you think I'll lose the hour glass figure once I gain some muscle?

Another (last one)

Well I would guess 15-16% bodyfat,If your gonna go all natural,Diet will be your key element I would suggest high protien,moderate carbs,low fat diet plan..tons of info. on this board just do some searching and find something best for you.I believe you should wieght train 3-4 times a week and do cardio on alternate days.Good luck Bro.!

Thanks jammergsxr! Points well taken...

Yes 3-4 times per week of cardio is adequate but I wouldn't discount weight training on top of that. As you increase your lean body mass your metabolism will increase and you will lose fat more easily. Depending on your time constraints I would suggest one of the following patterns:

1) Lift 4 times per week, working each body part once per week. Immediately after lifting, perform 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio.

2) Do cardio 3 times per week, first thing in the morning (early) on an empty stomach. Also, lift weights 4 times per week training each body part once per week.

These are VERY basic suugestions and you will have to come up with a detailed program once you decide which path you want to follow. We can help with that as well.

As jammergsxr pointed out, DIET will be the simple most important piece of this puzzle. I suggest you spend some time reading through our diet forum, ask lots of questions and educate yourself on meal preparation. If you want to do this properly it will be very difficult at first as you will have to adjust to a brand new lifestyle. Let us know what we can do to help and good luck brother.

Wow... Thanks Pete235. I'll definetely take a look at the diet forum and perhaps post a tentative schedule for you guys to pick at when I've figured it all out. Thanks again!

more like 23%

OK. After a quick gander over at the diet forums I have a general idea of what I have to do. So I'll keep editing this block as I learn more, but I wanted to start something. Just so you know I'm probably not going to start untill I get all my facts straight. I want to do this correctly from the start. Another thing is I have limited funds with which to work with so I'm not looking at anything too fancy. After coming home my freshmen year from college ways back when and weighing in at ~ 235 (mostly fat) and all my home town buddies letting me know it of course I stopped eating any type of fast food whatsoever, and I don't intend to start again (surprsingly I don't miss it either) So I don't eat any fast food, pizza, ice cream, soda, chips and for the past year I stopped drinking beer (I'll have a GnT once a week on a fri or sat night every now and then though :). I guess that's why I'm now 175lbs, but now I got to reverse that back into muscle. OK, so I know I have to do some serious protein intake. So I'll grab some whey and MetRx. I already take a multi vit as well. I drink about 6 glasses of water a day already too. Now the meals (mixed up through the week):

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Lunch: Tuna w/ some flax seed oil mixed in, veggie burger, peanut butter on whole wheat toast

Dinner: Chicken, Salmon,

In between: Egg whites, protein bar, fruit, lima beans (fiber source, thanks to pumpseeker)

Obviosuly gotta add a whole lot more, looking for suggestions (keeping in mind budget). Also should I take some glutamine? And where can I get my fiber from?

Thanks bros.

that doesnt seem like enough to eat, u should eat way more than that, 6 meals per day if possible. dont be afraid to eat steaks, lean meats. if i were you i wouldnt be concerned with losing weight at first, its very tough to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. try some bulking, thats what im doing, then once u have gained a fair amount of muscle, begin cutting, and some dieting. i saw on this forum somewhere a way to calculate how many calories you should take in according to body weight an etc. , try to look for that. most importantly, protein shake or bar immediately after workout, or within 30 minutes afterwards. you said you had a tight budget so any high protein foods would be all right.

Thanks for the tips HiFi! 6 meals a day is pretty much consistent with what I've heard from others... but it sounds like I'll be eating every 2-3 hours... that's gonna be tough! I'll probably get used to it after a while I hope...

Well my dear Watson (said in Sherlock's voice), You have done your research, and you have been given some great advice so far. It's good to hear you've been doing your readings and have decided to go natural for the time being. Just workout hard, workout heavy, you have a good build to work with. Good luck and keep us posted bro.

Hehe.. thanks for the support Terinox, I'm gonna give it 2 months and then take some new pics to see how I've progressed... will keep you guys updated... thanks again!

Watson, add lima beans in there for fiber. They are a great source of complex carbs w/ tons of fiber. I eat a cup twice a day in my meals. Also, you need to forget about the 3 meal a day thing and start eating 6-7 meals. 3 or 4 of these could be shakes just make sure you are eating every 3 hours at least. If I were you, I'd take in something like 200 grams protein/200 grams carbs/40 grams fat PER DAY (35Pro/35Carb/7Fat PER MEAL). Also, get some creatine, whey protein, Meal Replacement Shakes, Post Workout shakes, glutamine, multi vitamins, etc. Take them religiously, workout consistently, and keep us posted.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Pete235
If you want to do this properly it will be very difficult at first as you will have to adjust to a brand new lifestyle.

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Thanks pumpseeker! I think I have everything I need now, just got to grab some Glutamine and I think I'm all set... Any tips for the best way to prepeare the lima beans?

Thanks again guys... you guys rock.

Original post embarrassingly updated nearly two years later :(

Sorry fellows.

Hey nice to see you back, good job bro!

So how did it go after 2 years?