Serious Help Needed!!!

[CapoDon]

Hey,Im new to the forum and was wondering if you could give some advice on my situation.

Im 18,5 ft 8"
i train 3 times a week-i dont have enough time to work out anymore than that
150lbs-not too fat,just have a bit of a gut!
around 18-19% BF-my main goal is to be 175-180 lbs,10% BF

so:
1)Should i cut down or bulk?
2)If i cut,should i still do weights?(i was thinking of doing heavy bag training alone)
3)Within a year,can i reach 170lbs if i cut down and work HARD?

Thank you

[gbrice75]

My vote goes with reduce bodyfat, hands down. You have relatively high bodyfat with relatively little lean mass. Based on your own numbers, you have about 120lbs lean. If you were to do anything close to bulking now, you would just look like a bigger fatter version of yourself.

Reduce bodyfat to an appreciable level (< 12%) and then slowly add lean mass while doing your best to maintain current bodyfat.

You can easily reach 170lbs in a year. 170lbs @ 10% bodyfat in a year? Not gonna happen. I don't want to discourage you, but trust me - you're talking about reducing bodyfat by 15lbs or so and adding 30+ lbs of muscle. It just doesn't work that way. When I started in this game, if you had asked me what I thought I would look like today, I would never have thought it'd be like this. You come to learn this is a lifelong commitment, not a race. Fast gains are sloppy gains.

One last point - cutting bodyfat WITHOUT a weight lifting regimen would be a huge mistake, so the answer is unequivocally YES!

[SlimmerMe]

Welcome CapoDon...

You came to the right place. Good luck.

[CapoDon]

Thank you for your input! You've really helped

i was thinking it was time to reduce body fat,just wanted PROPER advice

i know this is a marathon,not a sprint.However,im not very good with the numbers so didnt understand how ridiculous that was.

Slim-Thank you(its seems much better than most of those bodybuilding sites,all i ever did was get trolled)

tc

[CapoDon]

1 more question if you dont mind

should i be eating less carbs now im on a cut?

[RaginCajun]

post up your current diet. write down everything you stuff in your mouth and at what times. i knew nothing about how to eat until i came here. the people are great here and willing to help. the advice that i have received from this board would have cost me fortunes in personal trainers and dietitians. i wish i would have found this board when i was your age. and read the stickies at the top of the diet section, it helps put things into perspective.

[bass]

post up your current diet. write down everything you stuff in your mouth and at what times. i knew nothing about how to eat until i came here. the people are great here and willing to help. the advice that i have received from this board would have cost me fortunes in personal trainers and dietitians. i wish i would have found this board when i was your age. and read the stickies at the top of the diet section, it helps put things into perspective.

LOL, if you came here when you were his gae you would be asking about how to do a cycle!

OP, 30 pounds of muscle in one year is really impossible to achieve naturally, not suggesting steroids because that would be stupid! GB75 gave you a realistic advise, but i am sure you will get more advice once you post your diet! one goal at a time, lose the fat first, then work on adding muscle...good luck!

[tbody66]

I'm in a different camp on this one. At your age your body produces enough testosterone to make us all envious. I say not to worry about your current level of fat, if this truly is a lifestyle change that you are going to begin if you can add 3lbs or 30lbs of lean muscle in a year and burn fat during the same time you will be on your way safely and securely. Muscle burns fat, period! I'm not saying bulk, but I am saying that you should under no circumstances stop lifting. Eating right and weight training properly will make more difference at anyones age than anything else. At your age you may not even be done growing. Eat clean at maintenance calories with sufficient protein and even some amino acids, lift weights, drink lots of water and watch the transformation.

[SlimmerMe]

CapoDon. You are welcome and you are in great hands here. Post your proposed food plan so they can sort it out and get you on your new path. Have you checked out the Transformation photos in the sub forum here? something you might enjoy reviewing.

[tbody66]

CapoDon. You are welcome and you are in great hands here. Post your proposed food plan so they can sort it out and get you on your new path. Have you checked out the Transformation photos in the sub forum here? something you might enjoy reviewing.

Yes, some incredible success stories to motivate you!

[CapoDon]

thanks guys,all the input has been great.The transformation pics make me wanna get workout right now!

Over the last few days I've been eating mainly like this:

Breakfast:Cereal,bananas(sometimes eggs)

Meal 2 Pre Workout:jacket potato with tuna

Meal 3 Post Workout:whey protein shake,potato/chicken,fish

Meal 4: Tuna or peanut butter sandwich

Meal 5:Chicken masala or rice

Go easy on me lol

[Windex]

It's a start. But what you need to do is figure out how much protein, carbs, fats, and calories your ingesting at each meal and your todays. As well, drop cereal & bananas. Cereal should be replaced by a complex carb, such as oats. Dump the sandwhich too, but keep the tuna. You can use my diet as a template and fill in the numbers for yourself

D I E T

S T A T S

Age: 19
BF: 25%
TDEE: 2650
Goal: Cut to 9% Bodyfat, get 16" arms, 170-180 lbs @ Goal BF

Protein / Carbs / Fat / Total Calories:

Meal 1: 8:00am

3 Cups Spinach 3/3/0/21
1/2 Tbsp EVOO 0/0/7/30
1 AnimalPak 3/2/0/20
1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar 0/1/0/5
100g Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 24/0/1/100

Totals: 32/6/8/156

Meal 2: 10:00am

7 Oz Yam 3/35/0/150
225g Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 54/0/2.25/225
1 Tbsp EVOO 0/0/14/60

Total: 57/35/16.25/435

Meal 3: 1:00pm

125g Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 30/0/1.25/125
1/2 Tbsp EVOO 0/0/7/30

Total: 30/0/8.25/155

Meal 4: 4:00pm

3 Oz 100% Lean Ground Beef 26.5/0/0/103
1/4 Cup Brown Rice: 4/34/1.5/160
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce/Juice 2/5/0/30

Total: 32.5/39/1.5/396

Meal 5: 7:00pm (Pre-Workout)

2 Scoops Myofusion 50/10/6/294
5g of Creatine mixed into shake
1/4 Cup Organic Rolled Oats 8/33.5/3.2/192


Total: 58/43.5/9.2/486

8:00 - 9:00 Workout, 9:00 - 9:30 CARDIO

Meal 6: 9:30pm (Post Workout)

2 Scoops ON 100% Whey 48/8/2/240
1/4 Cup Organic Rolled Oats 8/33.5/3.2/192


Total: 56/41.5/5.2/432

Meal 7: 11:00pm

1 Scoop MuscleMilk 100% Casein [Mixed with Water] : 25/2/0.5/110

Total: 24/3/1/120

Grand Totals: 290/168/49.5/2180

57% Protein, 33% Carbs, 10% Fat.

[SlimmerMe]

Try out these pancakes! Easy to make.....

Oat Pancakes:

1 cup rolled oats
6 egg whites
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
splash of skim milk or water
Splenda all you want
nutmeg
drop of vanilla

Blend the oats in a blender until real powdery ( no water just dry )
and then add all the rest above and blend until a good consistency for a pancake

Cook on griddle/pan which should be real hot....and then cook like a regular pancake

TOP with:
Sugar free syrup and blueberries or fruit of choice
and drop a bit of Greek yogurt to spread around the pancake

ENJOY!

MAKES 3 BIG PANCAKES! so good for 3 meals.

[CapoDon]

thnx 4 that windex

the only problem is i cannot eat oats

feel sick everytime!

can i drink a protein shake first thing in morning(breakfast) and again before bed?

im starting to get the gist of how it works though!

[Windex]

thnx 4 that windex

the only problem is i cannot eat oats

feel sick everytime!

can i drink a protein shake first thing in morning(breakfast) and again before bed?

im starting to get the gist of how it works though!

How are you cooking your oats ? You shouldn't be feeling sick, unless you have an allergy to oats, which is pretty rare. Protein shakes should be drank sparringly, often best as a pre-workout and post-workout meal only (Or Casein Shake before bed). Eggs in the morning would be great though, or egg whites, or a protein pancake perhaps (See the recipes section).

[tbody66]

oats have gluten, could be that, drink them in your shake raw.

[CapoDon]

thnx windex-i'll start taking them before and after workout

normally i just take a protein shake after workout(only on workout days)

i doubt im allergic,just cant eat oats.

Thanks btw all of you,your input has helped a lot

[SlimmerMe]

I could not eat oats either in a bowl like mush which my parents tried to serve me. But in the pancakes? you do not taste them since they are all ground up like powder. I now simply grind Quaker oats and I promise with the syrup and blueberries and a dapple of greek yogurt on top, you will not think you are eating oats.

[tbody66]

I don't mind the texture of anything that I'm aware of, I LOVE to eat. I have a friend that can't eat anything white, he will puke, it's crazy! Some things I like because of the texture. Calamari is great, not much flavor(obviously if it's breaded and fried that adds to it, or however else you cook it) but I like the texture and consistency.

[CapoDon]

ill try the oat pancakes sometime-thanks for that.

tbody66-i cant do that, the texture has to be nice lol

like pasta?even if you gave me £1,000,000 to eat a bowl of pasta,i would decline.i cannot stomach that

[tbody66]

ill try the oat pancakes sometime-thanks for that.

tbody66-i cant do that, the texture has to be nice lol

like pasta?even if you gave me £1,000,000 to eat a bowl of pasta,i would decline.i cannot stomach that

that's what's cool, we're all different. You didn't have to go and mention pasta though, now I'm hungry for linguini in white clam sauce!

[SlimmerMe]

ill try the oat pancakes sometime-thanks for that.

tbody66-i cant do that, the texture has to be nice lol

like pasta?even if you gave me £1,000,000 to eat a bowl of pasta,i would decline.i cannot stomach that

Try them....I can tell you that if you follow the recipe which is very easy and then top the pancakes with some frozen blueberries which actually add a twist to the texture since not mushy (and by the way frozen fruit is more nutritious evidently since once picked, once frozen and keeps the nutrients better) and then top with some plain greek yogurt which has a bit of splenda sprinkled on that which ends up tasting like whipped cream and then the sugar free syrup? I can tell you that you will not taste the oats. Key is to REALLY get the oats to a real fine powdered texture before adding the other ingredients.

[ProBody.]

to be realistic, 3 times a week excercise naturally aint gonna give results you want ( 175-180lb @ 10% bf @ 5'8'' ) unless your gonna train 10-15 years to achieve that goal, maybe then.

with good diet + 3 times a week training your end up being skinny fat.

just start training 6 times a week, every muscle group once a week.

but if you really have time only 3 times / week, i would dirty bulk on winters (depends how prone your for stretch marks), healthy food when ever you can eat, dont count calories and shiet couse you would just get confused. and cut like 10-14 weeks on spring with keto.

of course it depends how much you have discipline on a diet. otherwise you have to watch what you eat or how much you eat on a bulk.

and last but not least, for your questions. you should cut first and then bulk to avoid stretch marks and too high fat %, i guess you dont want to look like a coach potato. still do weight training normally, just add in cardio if you need.

170lbs @ 10% bf withing 1 year is impossible goal, just my 2 cents.