I'm in Big Trouble and Need Diet Help

**FJM9085** · 04-06-2008, 10:02 PM

Hey Guys -
My friend introduced me to this website and I just signed up. The forums are really interesting and I was hoping I could get some help here. I started drinking when I was 20 years old and began maintaining a very poor diet which ultimately lead to me going from approximately 190lbs to currently about 254lbs in less than two years. I am in college and I have a weird schedule that leads to very odd eating habits. I usually don't eat a thing until after 5pm, when I have my big meal for the day. I then eat sporadically throughout the night until about 2-3am when I go to sleep. I recently starting working out at the small gym in my apartment complex but they dont have much, so I usually run on the treadmill and use the bike.

I am really unhappy about my weight and am extremely serious about shedding it and getting back to my ideal weight, I just have NO IDEA how to do it. I know that sounds stupid, but I don't know the first thing about dieting. You guys really seem to know what you are talking about so I was just hoping that someone could possibly come up with a basic diet that I could follow that will help me with this. I tried reading other diets posted but I am a little unclear on some of the wording and acronyms. I am 23 years old, 6'3-6'4 and approximately 250lbs. I am unsure of my body fat % but I would guess its upwards of 25%. I would be very appreciative of any help you guys could give me. Thank you! - Frank

**Kale** · 04-06-2008, 10:06 PM

Hey Frank hows it going dude. Well you have come to the right place. First question is, what time do you get out of bed and what do you do during the day/night and when do you train exactly ? We can work from there

**AandF6969** · 04-06-2008, 10:08 PM

Check out the "how to cut" thread in the diet forum.

Step one should be to figure out your BMR... www.bmi-calculator.net has one. Don't forget to use the Harris Benedict to multiply your activity factor in, usually 1.35 or 1.55.

Eat 500 calories less than that every day, do cardio at 65-80% Max Heart Rate (220-age) for 4 days a week on an empty stomach for 45 mins.... post up your workouts in the workout forum, and your diet in the diet forum once you get something worked out.

FYI - weight training is key to changing your overall "shape" and body composition, and not just becoming a smaller "fat person" with the same silhouette.

**FJM9085** · 04-06-2008, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by Kale

Hey Frank hows it going dude. Well you have come to the right place. First question is, what time do you get out of bed and what do you do during the day/night and when do you train exactly ? We can work from there

Wow, I can't believe how quick I got a response. Well the thing is, is that I have classes everyday Monday - Friday and they don't begin until 2:15pm. So typically, I usually go to bed between 3-4am and get up at about 12pm, sometimes 1pm. Pretty bad I know. I go to a flight school so I do a lot of sitting on my ass in class, flight simulators, and airplanes. The only real exercise I get is when I go to the gym in my apartment complex and walking from my car to my classes, if that can even be considered exercise. I typically go to the gym at about midnight when I do go. I don't do weight training but would at some point like to start. Like I said before I usually just run on the treadmill for about 15-20 minutes and then use the bike for about 10-15 minutes. Thank you so much for your help! - Frank

**FJM9085** · 04-06-2008, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by AandF6969

Check out the "how to cut" thread in the diet forum.

Step one should be to figure out your BMR... www.bmi-calculator.net has one. Don't forget to use the Harris Benedict to multiply your activity factor in, usually 1.35 or 1.55.

Eat 500 calories less than that every day, do cardio at 65-80% Max Heart Rate (220-age) for 4 days a week on an empty stomach for 45 mins.... post up your workouts in the workout forum, and your diet in the diet forum once you get something worked out.

FYI - weight training is key to changing your overall "shape" and body composition, and not just becoming a smaller "fat person" with the same silhouette.

OK, thanks for your response. Im not sure what you mean by activity factor. Yeah like I said I just use the treadmill and the bike but I definitely want to begin weight training. Are there any types of foods or drinks that you can think of off the top of your head that you yourself specifically avoid? I drink a ton of milk, but it is fat free milk. I used to drink almost a gallon of milk a day and I am trying to cut back because I know that its bad. Any other suggestions or comments? Thanks a lot! - Frank

**FJM9085** · 04-06-2008, 10:25 PM

Also, I went to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/ and I have a BMI of 30.62. I dont know what that means other than the fact that I'm a fatass and need to lose weight.

**AandF6969** · 04-06-2008, 10:28 PM

You don't need your BMI... you need your BMR.

It is the amount of calories you burn every day just breathing. Then you multiply it by an activity factor (low or moderate) 1.35 or 1.55 and that accounts for walking around, exercise, etc.

Avoid mixing fats and carbs in the same meal.
Go for complex carbs (oatmeal (plain), wheat bread, brown rice, etc) over simple ones (white bread, cereal, white pasta, etc). White carbs pretty much turn to sugar when they hit your mouth and have a negative impact on your insulin levels, causing you to store fat easier.
Eat at least 1g of protein per lb of lean bodyweight
Eat healthy fats (peanuts, almonds, salmon, fish, peanut butter, etc) and limit fat intake to no more than 20% of your daily calories

These are just a few bits and pieces.. read up on the threads at the top of the diet forum dude

**FJM9085** · 04-06-2008, 11:33 PM

OK AandF, I really appreciate your input. This is really helpful to me and Im going to start right away. I've been reading the other threads and am starting to see how badly I've been treating my body. Anyhow, I just wanted to ask when you say lean protein what do you mean by that? Do you mean like lean meat like lean ground beef, lean steak, etc? Or am I going in the wrong direction here? My buddy also said I should begin taking daily amounts of flaxseed oil, fish oil, and eating nuts. I just want to make sure I am taking the right steps. Thanks for clearing that up about the BMI and activity factor. - Frank

**AandF6969** · 04-06-2008, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by FJM9085

OK AandF, I really appreciate your input. This is really helpful to me and Im going to start right away. I've been reading the other threads and am starting to see how badly I've been treating my body. Anyhow, I just wanted to ask when you say lean protein what do you mean by that? Do you mean like lean meat like lean ground beef, lean steak, etc? Or am I going in the wrong direction here? My buddy also said I should begin taking daily amounts of flaxseed oil, fish oil, and eating nuts. I just want to make sure I am taking the right steps. Thanks for clearing that up about the BMI and activity factor. - Frank

Even ground beef and lean steak aren't the BEST choices in my opinion... maybe one serving of red meat per day, very lean. When I say lean protein I refer to things like chicken, tuna, tilapia, whey protien, casein, egg whites, etc. Salmon is a great protein source too but it has some fat in it (healthy fat) so it can suffice as a protein/fat meal with some veggies...

A tablespoon of flax seed oil with a whey shake is a great protein fat meal as well. Did you get your BMR?

**FJM9085** · 04-07-2008, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by AandF6969

Even ground beef and lean steak aren't the BEST choices in my opinion... maybe one serving of red meat per day, very lean. When I say lean protein I refer to things like chicken, tuna, tilapia, whey protien, casein, egg whites, etc. Salmon is a great protein source too but it has some fat in it (healthy fat) so it can suffice as a protein/fat meal with some veggies...

A tablespoon of flax seed oil with a whey shake is a great protein fat meal as well. Did you get your BMR?

What is tilapia, whey protein, and casein? Where can I buy this stuff? My BMR is 2388.45....not sure what that means?

**AandF6969** · 04-07-2008, 12:28 AM

Tilapia is a GREAT tasting fish... not too fishy, pretty good natural flavor, not too expensive. Tastes great with green onions, creole, lemon juice, black pepper, you can do a lot of things to it. Has 1.5g fat for 4oz, but its all good fats, I don't even count that little bit in my daily counts. Buy Tilapia from Costco or Sams club or else its ridiculously expensive.

Whey protein is a fast acting protein shake, best used for immediately after a weight workout.

Casein is a slow digesting protein shake, most people drink it before bed so the body gets nutrition al night long.

Your BMR seems low.. did you multiply by 1.35 or 1.55 for a low or moderate intensity factor?

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/

**FJM9085** · 04-07-2008, 12:42 AM

Sorry AandF, my mistake I forgot to factor in that number. I multiplied my BMR by 1.375 and it came out to be 3284.11. Is that bad? Thanks for the other info on the foods and shakes!

**AandF6969** · 04-07-2008, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by FJM9085

I multiplied my BMR by 1.375 and it came out to be 3284.11. Is that bad?

It's not good OR bad... it's simply the estimate of the number of calories your body burns every day, therefore you eat less than that, you lose weight, you eat more than that, you gain weight. The kind of weight gained or lost depends on things like macronutrient breakdown, nutrient timing, weight training stimuli, etc. I'd recommend eating about 2700 calories per day in a 40/40/20% calories from protein/carbs/fat split.

1g fat = 9calories
1g protein = 1g carbs = 4 calories

So you need to get
2700*.4/4 grams of protein, 2700*.4/4 grams of carbs, and 2700*.2/9 grams of fats each day roughly. Things can change slightly but this is just a baseline, an idea, much better than just going on the fly and eating whatever whenever in a futile attempt to lose bodyfat.

You should eat 6-7 meals per day so your meals can easily be digested by the body and used for energy instead of fat, and eating frequently speeds up the metabolism as well. Also keeps you from being hungry. Make your meals Protein/carb or Protein fat.

The reason BMR is so important is that a lot of times people just reduce their calories to drastically below their BMR... the body senses this, thinks theres a famine going on, and slows the metabolism down to hold onto as much fat as possible. Your body is smart, if theres a famine, it is keeping your bodyfat for you to stay alive for a long time. But, if you just reduce it a little bit, and focus on losing no more than 2-3 lbs a week rather than a "crash diet", you'll keep a greater amount of muscle, your metabolism will be higher after you achieve your desired weight, and your body composition will be much better with more muscle and less fat. Crash diets often times end up losing mostly muscle, and the people are 10x worse than when they started because their metabolism is slower (muscle burns calories)... so they go back to eating the same amount they were before the diet, and end up fatter than before!

Originally Posted by FJM9085

Thanks for the other info on the foods and shakes!

No problem bro... I enjoy helping people learn more and achieve their fitness goals... feel free to ask any questions you'd like.

**FJM9085** · 04-07-2008, 01:12 AM

Originally Posted by AandF6969

It's not good OR bad... it's simply the estimate of the number of calories your body burns every day, therefore you eat less than that, you lose weight, you eat more than that, you gain weight. The kind of weight gained or lost depends on things like macronutrient breakdown, nutrient timing, weight training stimuli, etc. I'd recommend eating about 2700 calories per day in a 40/40/20% calories from protein/carbs/fat split.

1g fat = 9calories
1g protein = 1g carbs = 4 calories

So you need to get
2700*.4/4 grams of protein, 2700*.4/4 grams of carbs, and 2700*.2/9 grams of fats each day roughly. Things can change slightly but this is just a baseline, an idea, much better than just going on the fly and eating whatever whenever in a futile attempt to lose bodyfat.

No problem bro... I enjoy helping people learn more and achieve their fitness goals... feel free to ask any questions you'd like.

Alright I am glad I have a caloric number to start with now. I also wanted to know your opinion about my eating habits. Like I said before, I've kind of inadvertently put my body on an eating schedule where I kind of feel sick or nauseous if I eat before 3pm - its really weird.

Do you think I should begin going to sleep earlier and getting up earlier and spacing out more meals throughout the course of the day? My buddy said I should be eating 4-5 small smalls every day...does it matter what I eat in the morning as opposed to what I would at lunch or dinner?

I was also wondering if it is OK to drink a whey protein shake after a workout that does not involve weight training, and if not, what could i drink instead?

I am going to go buy a good amount of these things at the store tomorrow and anything else you can recommend would be awesome! Thank you so much and I truly appreciate your help.

**AandF6969** · 04-07-2008, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by FJM9085

Alright I am glad I have a caloric number to start with now. I also wanted to know your opinion about my eating habits. Like I said before, I've kind of inadvertently put my body on an eating schedule where I kind of feel sick or nauseous if I eat before 3pm - its really weird.

Do you think I should begin going to sleep earlier and getting up earlier and spacing out more meals throughout the course of the day? My buddy said I should be eating 4-5 small smalls every day...does it matter what I eat in the morning as opposed to what I would at lunch or dinner?

I was also wondering if it is OK to drink a whey protein shake after a workout that does not involve weight training, and if not, what could i drink instead?

I am going to go buy a good amount of these things at the store tomorrow and anything else you can recommend would be awesome! Thank you so much and I truly appreciate your help.

I'm about to hit the sack bro... do some more reading on the "sticky" threads in the diet forum... I would recommend a more regular sleeping schedule so you can go do cardio in the AM on an empty stomach, come home, eat some egg whites, etc. etc. Try egg whites in the morning, they go down GREAT with some mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black pepper on em... delicious! I look forward to them every day. You can add 2 yolks to the mix to make it a protein fat meal.

I've got a bodybuilding show this saturday so I'm pretty busy but I'll try to read up on this thread as I get time.

Good luck Frank... and congratulations for putting forth the effort to learn, and better yourself, rather than just saying "fvck it"

I added some things to my earlier post about BMR and protein/carb or protein/fat meals.

**FJM9085** · 04-07-2008, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by AandF6969

I'm about to hit the sack bro... do some more reading on the "sticky" threads in the diet forum... I would recommend a more regular sleeping schedule so you can go do cardio in the AM on an empty stomach, come home, eat some egg whites, etc. etc. Try egg whites in the morning, they go down GREAT with some mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black pepper on em... delicious! I look forward to them every day. You can add 2 yolks to the mix to make it a protein fat meal.

I've got a bodybuilding show this saturday so I'm pretty busy but I'll try to read up on this thread as I get time.

Good luck Frank... and congratulations for putting forth the effort to learn, and better yourself, rather than just saying "fvck it"

I added some things to my earlier post about BMR and protein/carb or protein/fat meals.

Alright man, thanks again this is really helpful to me and hopefully I can start seeing some results here. I'm sure I'll have much more to say and ask but if you are too busy with the show I understand. Good luck on Saturday and thank you again!