I'm fat :(

**ziggz** · 07-13-2009, 09:49 PM

Hey guys.. I really need some help. I used to be pretty fit back in college, but ever since I graduated a few years ago, I've just been gaining weight, eating like crap, and not exercising... I really need to drop the weight.

I'm trying to avoid any sort of extreme dieting.. I just wanna cut back on my calories, switch to low GI carbs, add in more veggies, and start doing cardio. I'm perfectly fine with losing weight slowly.. at least I won't get burned out and cheat/binge or start slacking on the cardio.

I'm about 255 lbs right now, 6'0.. I could prob stand to lose 50 lbs of fat.. its that bad. Looking for advice on what percentage of my cals should come from carbs, fat, and protien and how many calories should I start my diet at? I'm definitely not into low carbing.. that would probably drive me up the walls.. but I would def switch to low GI carbs. Also, with regards to cardio, I figure every other day 45 mins on the treadmill of whatever gets my HR up to 60 - 70% of my max hr.

I'm also doing a lot of research on recipes.. I'm a really fussy eater and I'm very aware that there's gonna be pain involved in losing this much weight.. but I'm hoping I can stay away from having to stuff down 10 egg whites for breakfast.. I really just wanna stop the cravings for pizza, taco bell, etc.. and be able to enjoy healthy foods without feeling like i'm gonna gag :/

Thanks!

**jamyjamjr** · 07-13-2009, 10:48 PM

Welcome to the diet forum....
please take the time to follow these directions, they will better prepair the both of us for the critique and tweaking of your diet..
you need to figure our your BMR (this is the basal metabolic rate of your body... which means if you were to do nothing all day, ur body would burn these many calories)
once u'v figured out your BMR, u need your TDEE (this is your total daily energy expenditure, it's based upon your activity level)

But first things first, please post up your current diet.. you have to be brutally honest about what you've been eating on average for the last few weeks so i know where your metabolism is at..
please include macros
MACROS = pro/fat/cal/carb of every meal and a daily total on the bottom
you can use fitday . com to help you our with this... be as detailed and specific as possible
please include the time of when u eat and the time of your workout
also tell me what your workout reg is...

BMR formula

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

in order to figure out your bmr, you need to know what your lean body mass is.. so, in turn, u need to know what your body fat percentage is...
if you dont know your bodyfat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please dont use electronic scales to get your bf checked, they're horrible)
if you cannot find a gym to get tested at, please post up a picture for estimates, we're pretty good at it (you also have the option of pming it to me if you have more then 25 posts)
Total weight x bf in decimel form = total bf weight
Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass
if your total lean body mass is in lbs, u can divide it by 2.2 to get it in kilograms..
for example..
i am 6'4 275lbs at 14% bf... so i would multiply 275 by .14 (converted from percent to decimal)= 38.5lbs
275 - 38.5 = 236.5lbs lean body weight
236.5 / 2.2 = 107.5 lean mass in kg
370 + (21.6 x 107.5) = 2692 BMR (this is high for the average person, im a big guy)
TDEE
Once u have you bmr, u need to calculate your TDEE, this is simply done with some multiplication...
you can multiply it by an activity number to figure out your daily caloric expenditure, be honest here as this is the very cornerstone of your diet, if you are between two of the below activity levels then just multiply by a number in between them
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Once you have your TDEE, i need you to watch these videos
Milos Sarcev "Secret of the Pro's" on Nutrition
So you wanna learn how to Diet?
this video will give you a great idea as to what your diet should be looking like and the foods you should be eating..
it's also very informative as to how dieting works and what you need to be doing..

once you've aquired this vast knowledge and done what i'v asked of you, please post up a new diet for critiquing and finalization...
please include macros and times just as before...

try to remember that dieting is not an overnight thing.. it takes time and patience....

**xnotoriousx** · 07-13-2009, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by ziggz

Hey guys.. I really need some help. I used to be pretty fit back in college, but ever since I graduated a few years ago, I've just been gaining weight, eating like crap, and not exercising... I really need to drop the weight.

I'm trying to avoid any sort of extreme dieting.. I just wanna cut back on my calories, switch to low GI carbs, add in more veggies, and start doing cardio. I'm perfectly fine with losing weight slowly.. at least I won't get burned out and cheat/binge or start slacking on the cardio.

I'm about 255 lbs right now, 6'0.. I could prob stand to lose 50 lbs of fat.. its that bad. Looking for advice on what percentage of my cals should come from carbs, fat, and protien and how many calories should I start my diet at? I'm definitely not into low carbing.. that would probably drive me up the walls.. but I would def switch to low GI carbs. Also, with regards to cardio, I figure every other day 45 mins on the treadmill of whatever gets my HR up to 60 - 70% of my max hr.

I'm also doing a lot of research on recipes.. I'm a really fussy eater and I'm very aware that there's gonna be pain involved in losing this much weight.. but I'm hoping I can stay away from having to stuff down 10 egg whites for breakfast.. I really just wanna stop the cravings for pizza, taco bell, etc.. and be able to enjoy healthy foods without feeling like i'm gonna gag :/

Thanks!

If you want to lose weight, just start doing cardio 2x a day. As soon as you wake up, and once again in the afternoon. If you know you're not able to diet mentally, then you'll have to burn the fat by doing alot of cardio.

If you're looking for low gi food then check this out..

http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/...cfoodchart.htm

**xnotoriousx** · 07-13-2009, 11:13 PM

I would run 2,500 cals a day and do cardio like it's my job. You WILL lose the weight.

40/40/20

**ziggz** · 07-13-2009, 11:18 PM

Thanks guys. JamyJam, I'll have a post up with all that information in just a couple hours. I'm also watching those videos with milos that I saw you posted in another thread.

**Twist** · 07-14-2009, 12:05 AM

If only every beginner was like this one. teachers pet

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 02:19 AM

okay jamyjam, this is the info you requested from me.

It looks like I'm between 175 and 180lbs in lean body mass. Using the lower, 175.. My BMR calculates to 2088. Since I havent been exercising, I guess my TDEE is 2088x1.2 = about 2500 cals, although I plan to doing some cardio to lose weight.

As far as my diet for the past few weeks/months. It's hard to get a complete breakdown, as I eat a lot of fast food. I haven't been working out and I eat whenever I have time.. no fixed schedule. I know this isn't what you requested, but I'm prob eating 3 - 4,000 calories, a good portion being from carbs and fat.. and not enough from protien.

Before I plan a daily diet to follow, I posted some questions about the video in a new thread to help me figure out some of the things to plan.

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 01:46 PM

answered your questions.. let's move on..

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 03:53 PM

Thanks jamy, I really appreciate the time you took to answer those questions.

Well, I'm hoping you could help me figure out how many calories I should plan for? And of those calories, how much protien/carbs/fat ? I know I have a lot of fat to lose, but I'd also like to keep as much lean mass as possible while losing it, if that's possible. Also, how much cardio should I be doing? 30 mins? 45 a day? Finally, besides whey for PWO meal, how many grams carbs do you generally need?

Thanks again.

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 03:57 PM

recalc ur tdee for more activity first off...

are you going to be doing empty stomach am cardio or will it be later on in the day..

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 04:04 PM

Well I guess I could use a TDEE factor of 1.55

so 2088 x 1.55 = about 3236

I weighed myself last night, and I'm actually 248 lbs, not 255 as I stated in my original post.

I also plan to do cardio later in the day.. I don't think I could handle it mentally to do it on an empty stomach.

**DSM4Life** · 07-14-2009, 04:54 PM

Dont worry mad matt and JBM are fat to but we still allow them on the boards.

One day at a time, research diet like said above.

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 04:58 PM

post up a finalized diet for critiquing.,..

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by jamyjamjr

post up a finalized diet for critiquing.,..

I'm writing up the diet right now.. but how many calories, carbs, protien, and fat am i planning for?

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 06:19 PM

lets start simple.. 3000 cal diet

300g protien
300g carbs
66g fats...

**xnotoriousx** · 07-14-2009, 06:47 PM

Please remember not to cheat yourself on cardio, This will be just as important as your diet.

Low intensity for 1 hour each day. For most people that comes to 3 mph at about a 4-5 incline on the treadmill. Diet and cardio are a 50/50 deal. 1 without the other will take FOREVER to notice a change. Good luck man, we're pulling for you.

When you first start, you'll drop very fast. Then, you'll come to a halt, once this happens, it's time to manipulate your body. Just drop cals by 250 or so or up the cardio to 2x a day. I promise you, it will take you no time. I'm training one of my good friends and have watched him first hand drop 35lbs in 4 months and his diet isn't anything to brag home about. No pain, no gain. Cardio will be your answer.

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 07:35 PM

I took the nutrition facts from fitday as best as I could.

macro format: cals/protein/carbs/fat

Meal 1: Egg white/oat pancake - 475/48/58/5

(10 egg whites, 1 cup oats, 0 cal sweetner pan fried in 0 cal cooking spray)

Meal 2: Chicken burrito - 543/56/32/20

(Whole wheat tortilla, diced chicken, maybe a tiny drop of low fat mozz??)

Ingredients breakdown:

5 oz chicken: 264/40/0/10
Whole wheat tortilla: 200/8/31 (21g fiber.. 10g net digestable carbs)/5
1 oz part skim Mozzarella: 79/8/1/5

*Workout* (cardio 30 - 45 mins? maybe some weight training?)

meal 3: Whey shake + simple sugar carbs? 220/46/6+?/3

(I'm really not sure what to eat to get those carbs or how many carbs I need PWO)

meal 4: turkey sandwich on rye bread with a little mayo: 434/50/31/11

7 oz turkey deli: 218/45/0/3
2 slices rye bread: 166/5/31/2
0.5 TBSP mayo: 49/0/0/5

meal 5: Sliced london broil in salad + dressing? + leafy greens: 347/52/0/14 ?

8 oz Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, prime, raw (a.k.a. London Broil, Minute Steak, Round Steak) (fit day.. I guess): 347/52/0/14

Besides iceberg lettuce, what else can I throw in the salad? tomatoes? cucumbers? carrots? Also, what kind of salad dressing could I use?

meal 6: 5 oz cottage cheese lowfat 2%: 127/19/5/3

I cant believe this.. total for all that is just:

2053 calories, 244g protein, 131g carbs, and 56g fat...

I dunno what more I could possibly eat..

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by xnotoriousx

Please remember not to cheat yourself on cardio, This will be just as important as your diet.

Low intensity for 1 hour each day. For most people that comes to 3 mph at about a 4-5 incline on the treadmill. Diet and cardio are a 50/50 deal. 1 without the other will take FOREVER to notice a change. Good luck man, we're pulling for you.

When you first start, you'll drop very fast. Then, you'll come to a halt, once this happens, it's time to manipulate your body. Just drop cals by 250 or so or up the cardio to 2x a day. I promise you, it will take you no time. I'm training one of my good friends and have watched him first hand drop 35lbs in 4 months and his diet isn't anything to brag home about. No pain, no gain. Cardio will be your answer.

I have a heart rate monitor by polar.. chest strap plus watch.. I usually use that to meausre the intensity of the cardio.. what range should i keep my HR at?

***FireGuy*** · 07-14-2009, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by xnotoriousx

Please remember not to cheat yourself on cardio, This will be just as important as your diet.

Low intensity for 1 hour each day. For most people that comes to 3 mph at about a 4-5 incline on the treadmill. Diet and cardio are a 50/50 deal. 1 without the other will take FOREVER to notice a change. Good luck man, we're pulling for you.

When you first start, you'll drop very fast. Then, you'll come to a halt, once this happens, it's time to manipulate your body. Just drop cals by 250 or so or up the cardio to 2x a day. I promise you, it will take you no time. I'm training one of my good friends and have watched him first hand drop 35lbs in 4 months and his diet isn't anything to brag home about. No pain, no gain. Cardio will be your answer.

So which is it?

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 08:55 PM

I just had birthday cake.. my own.. :P Won't be seeing anything like that for a very long time :/

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 09:01 PM

happy bday

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 09:03 PM

thanks jamy.. did you get to look over my diet plan i posted? I'm definitely missing another meal.. maybe i could substitute it with an MRP?

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 09:22 PM

you need to up your carb intake by at least 120g and your fat intake by 20g.. let's start with that..

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 09:36 PM

right.. well my PWO meal.. i have the whey shake.. but what do you guys generally eat to get those simple sugars? How many carbs do i need PWO?

**eatrainrest** · 07-14-2009, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by ziggz

right.. well my PWO meal.. i have the whey shake.. but what do you guys generally eat to get those simple sugars? How many carbs do i need PWO?

40-60g initial PWO shake

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 10:11 PM

i like to eat a whole white bagel.. works best for me..

**eatrainrest** · 07-14-2009, 10:14 PM

PWO shakes, people will have their preference.. ive seen people swear by waxy while others whole foods liek oats/rice/bagels, etc. i personally use a product with waxy and trehalose so it slows down the absorption slightly, and its cheap as shit, product by ON called glycomaize...

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 10:23 PM

The glycomaize looks interesting.. I just looked it up.. also a white bagel, I could definitely do that too.. okay I'll revise my diet to reflect those changes and repost it in a few

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 10:37 PM

I took the nutrition facts from fitday as best as I could.

macro format: cals/protein/carbs/fat

Meal 1: Egg white/oat pancake - 475/48/58/5

(10 egg whites, 1 cup oats, 0 cal sweetner pan fried in 0 cal cooking spray)

Meal 2: Chicken burrito - 543/56/32/20

(Whole wheat tortilla, diced chicken, maybe a tiny drop of low fat mozz??)

Ingredients breakdown:

5 oz chicken: 264/40/0/10
Whole wheat tortilla: 200/8/31 (21g fiber.. 10g net digestable carbs)/5
1 oz part skim Mozzarella: 79/8/1/5

*Workout* (cardio 30 - 45 mins? maybe some weight training?)

meal 3: Whey shake + white bagel or glycomaize 220/46/~46(6 + ~40)/3

(I'm really not sure what to eat to get those carbs or how many carbs I need PWO)

meal 4: turkey sandwich on rye bread with a little mayo: 434/50/31/11

7 oz turkey deli: 218/45/0/3
2 slices rye bread: 166/5/31/2
0.5 TBSP mayo: 49/0/0/5

meal 5: Sliced london broil in salad + dressing? + salad (iceberg, carrots, and a couple plum tomatoes: 443/57/15/20 + ? for dressing

8 oz Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, prime, raw (a.k.a. London Broil, Minute Steak, Round Steak) (fit day.. I guess): 347/52/0/14

Besides iceberg lettuce, what else can I throw in the salad? tomatoes? cucumbers? carrots? Also, what kind of salad dressing could I use?

meal 6: 5 oz cottage cheese lowfat 2%: 127/19/5/3

2437 calories, 283g protein, 190g carbs, and 58g fat...

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 10:38 PM

I know that's not 3000 cals.. but I'm at my wits end here at how to increase it.. it already feels like im gonna be eating $40 worth of food every day

**jamyjamjr** · 07-14-2009, 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by ziggz

I took the nutrition facts from fitday as best as I could.

macro format: cals/protein/carbs/fat

Meal 1: Egg white/oat pancake - 475/48/58/5

(10 egg whites, 1 cup oats, 0 cal sweetner pan fried in 0 cal cooking spray)
make it 8 egg whites and two eggs

Meal 2: Chicken burrito - 543/56/32/20
is it 56g of protien or 32?? if 32 up your protien
(Whole wheat tortilla, diced chicken, maybe a tiny drop of low fat mozz??)

Ingredients breakdown:

5 oz chicken: 264/40/0/10 up to 60g protien, up carbs another 20 grams
Whole wheat tortilla: 200/8/31 (21g fiber.. 10g net digestable carbs)/5
1 oz part skim Mozzarella: 79/8/1/5

*Workout* (cardio 30 - 45 mins? maybe some weight training?)

meal 3: Whey shake + white bagel or glycomaize 220/46/~46(6 + ~40)/3

(I'm really not sure what to eat to get those carbs or how many carbs I need PWO)

meal 4: turkey sandwich on rye bread with a little mayo: 434/50/31/11

7 oz turkey deli: 218/45/0/3
2 slices rye bread: 166/5/31/2
0.5 TBSP mayo: 49/0/0/5

meal 5: Sliced london broil in salad + dressing? + salad (iceberg, carrots, and a couple plum tomatoes: 443/57/15/20 + ? for dressing
add efa, how about some avocado?? evo??
8 oz Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, prime, raw (a.k.a. London Broil, Minute Steak, Round Steak) (fit day.. I guess): 347/52/0/14
again, add efa...
Besides iceberg lettuce, what else can I throw in the salad? tomatoes? cucumbers? carrots? Also, what kind of salad dressing could I use?

meal 6: 5 oz cottage cheese lowfat 2%: 127/19/5/3
make it 8oz

2437 calories, 283g protein, 190g carbs, and 58g fat...

trust me, eating 3000kcal is easy.. i kill 4k a day

**eatrainrest** · 07-14-2009, 10:51 PM

make jammys advised changes.. but importantly distribute protein equally throughout meals.. or try too, i didnt take a look at your macros but just a thought if you didnt.

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 11:11 PM

I took the nutrition facts from fitday as best as I could.

macro format: cals/protein/carbs/fat

Meal 1: Egg/oat pancake - 592/53/58/15

(8 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 0 cal sweetner pan fried in 0 cal cooking spray)

Meal 2: Chicken burrito - 796/72/63/27

(Whole wheat tortilla, diced chicken, maybe a tiny drop of low fat mozz??)

Ingredients breakdown:

6 oz chicken: 317/48/0/12
2 Whole wheat tortilla: 200/8/31 (21g fiber.. 10g net digestable carbs)/5 each
1 oz part skim Mozzarella: 79/8/1/5

*Workout* (cardio 30 - 45 mins? maybe some weight training?)

meal 3: Whey shake + white bagel or glycomaize 286/60/~48(8 + ~40)/4

(I'm really not sure what to eat to get those carbs or how many carbs I need PWO)

meal 4: turkey sandwich on rye bread with a little mayo: 434/50/31/11

7 oz turkey deli: 218/45/0/3
2 slices rye bread: 166/5/31/2
0.5 TBSP mayo: 49/0/0/5

meal 5: Sliced london broil in salad + dressing? + salad (iceberg, carrots, and a couple plum tomatoes: 443/57/15/20 + ? for dressing

8 oz Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, prime, raw (a.k.a. London Broil, Minute Steak, Round Steak) (fit day.. I guess): 347/52/0/14

Besides iceberg lettuce, what else can I throw in the salad? tomatoes? cucumbers? carrots? Also, what kind of salad dressing could I use?

meal 6: 8 oz cottage cheese lowfat 2%: 203/31/8/4

2882 calories, 317g protein, 224g carbs, and 77g fat...

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 11:13 PM

Jamy, I also grill salmon, so I what I could do to change things up is alternate meal 5 between the london broil and grilled salmon.. I can get my EFAs that way. I could also substitute the london broil for chicken in meal 2 from time to time. I also plan to alternate meal 4 between turkey on rye and tuna fish on rye. Also, with avocado, is that too mushy to put in a salad? I never really had avocado short of guacamole. Also, I didn't add the salad dressing to the final numbers, as I haven't figured out a salad dressing to use yet... of course, I love thousand island dressing, but I'm prob not gonna be able to use that :P

**ziggz** · 07-14-2009, 11:17 PM

I was actually at olive garden for my birthday and they sell their own salad dressing in a bottle.. from their site, the macros are:

Each two (2) tablespoon serving contains the following: 80 calories; 70 calories from fat; fat 8 grams; saturated fat 1 gram; cholesterol 5 mg; sodium 510 mg; carbohydrates 2 grams; protein 0 gram.

Could I use that maybe or is that bad?

**jamyjamjr** · 07-15-2009, 12:09 AM

its okay in moderation..

**ziggz** · 07-15-2009, 12:11 AM

jamy, so does my revised diet in post #33 look okay, if i do the things I mentioned in #34? What salad dressing are you using, by the way?

**xnotoriousx** · 07-15-2009, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by FireGuy1

So which is it?

It's both, I was just stating that my buddys diet isn't the best and he still lost weight. He doesn't eat garbage, but he's not on a sound diet or anywhere near it.

I've been on the "diet is everything" kick for a long time, but it's not going to happen for you if all you do is eat perfect you have to move your ass. All i'm saying.

Don't get me wrong though, I know the more in tune your diet is, the faster you can achieve your goals.

Good luck to the op.

**ziggz** · 07-15-2009, 04:31 PM

I took the nutrition facts from fitday as best as I could.

macro format: cals/protein/carbs/fat

Meal 1: Egg/oat pancake - 592/53/58/15

(8 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 0 cal sweetner pan fried in 0 cal cooking spray)

Meal 2: Chicken (or london broil) burrito - 796/72/63/27

(Whole wheat tortilla, diced chicken, maybe a tiny drop of low fat mozz??)

Ingredients breakdown:

6 oz chicken: 317/48/0/12
2 Whole wheat tortilla: 200/8/31 (21g fiber.. 10g net digestable carbs)/5 each
1 oz part skim Mozzarella: 79/8/1/5

*Workout* (cardio 30 - 45 mins? maybe some weight training?)

meal 3: Whey shake + white bagel or glycomaize 286/60/~48(8 + ~40)/4

(I'm really not sure what to eat to get those carbs or how many carbs I need PWO)

meal 4: turkey sandwich (or tuna fish) on rye bread with a little mayo: 434/50/31/11

7 oz turkey deli: 218/45/0/3
2 slices rye bread: 166/5/31/2
0.5 TBSP mayo: 49/0/0/5

meal 5: Sliced london broil in salad + dressing? + salad (iceberg, carrots, and a couple plum tomatoes: 443/57/15/20 + ? for dressing

I could also substitute london broil for grilled salmon a few times a week.

8 oz Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, prime, raw (a.k.a. London Broil, Minute Steak, Round Steak) (fit day.. I guess): 347/52/0/14

Besides iceberg lettuce, what else can I throw in the salad? tomatoes? cucumbers? carrots? Also, what kind of salad dressing could I use?

meal 6: 8 oz cottage cheese lowfat 2%: 203/31/8/4

2882 calories, 317g protein, 224g carbs, and 77g fat...

**xnotoriousx** · 07-15-2009, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by ziggz

jamy, so does my revised diet in post #33 look okay, if i do the things I mentioned in #34? What salad dressing are you using, by the way?

man there's some low cal non fat spray dressing that isn't bad at all you might like to try.

There's a few different kinds, the bottle looks like this.