Need Help to stop being a tommy tucker

[Complete novice]

Hello all,

Been trying to lose weight and alot of fat for alot of years now, and only seem to be able to shift a little bit, then it comes back again..and my BF raises..

I`ve had alot of problems and operations on my knee, which restricts me from doing much cardio or leg weights, i`d love to go swimming but my nearest pool is a 30mile round trip and with todays fuel costs isnt something i can afford to be doing.

Stats are : 33 tommorow, 5`11" and at this exact momment in time i`m weighing in at 226LB..

Being a big lad naturally, mixed with carrying far to much body fat i dont look right at all and considering i`ve been going to the gym for 5 years+ i should look a dam site better and it pisses me off everytime i look in the mirror..

I have tried all sorts of different diets but only end up going back to my old ways and as soon as i start eating carbs again, the fat comes back..

Was thinking of having 6-7 meals a day, but as i`m a single dad i need to keep the costs low, so 2 or 3 of the meals will be shakes, one after the gym one last at night b4 bed on one either first thing in the morning or mid afternoon?

Dont want to go on a keto as i know as soon as i go back to eating carbs again i`ll but weight on so a 40/40/20 split is probably best for me.

But before I go ahead and write my diet out any help would be appreciated, any more info needed of me please just ask.

Thanks in advance

[gbrice75]

I have tried all sorts of different diets but only end up going back to my old ways and as soon as i start eating carbs again, the fat comes back..

Seems to me you've already identified your problem mate. Carbs in general aren't the problem. It's a person's entire diet, carbs are only a piece of the puzzle. As for carbs, it's more likely what carbs you're eating, when you eat them, and how much.

Define what your 'old ways' are, and we'll probably have a snapshot of your issue. Try posting up 2 typical day's diets. i.e. one when you're doing good, and one which best captures your 'old ways'.

[Complete novice]

Thanks for the reply,

My usual diet would be something like :

1, 2 scoops PHD synergy, water, 2 alpha male tabs, 2 ommega tabs.
2, 100g beef, 50g uncle bens microwave brown rice.
3, 2 scoops reflex instant whey, tablespoon olive oil.
4, 130g tuna in sunflower oil drained, small salad (leaves) drizzle olive oil. (sometimes low fat salad cream)
gym.
5, 2 scoops phd recovery.
6, 200g beef of some sort, steak, mince beef, roast ect + cup green veg.
7, 2 scoops phd 6 hour blend. 2 omegga 3 caps.
bed

But on a bad day

1, 2 granery toast, coffee.
2, phd synergy.
3, beans on toast, soup with tuna butty, chicken butty any of the 3 usually.
4, coffee some cashew nuts or more toast with peanut butter.
5, anything that my little lad is eating could be fish fingers to cottage pie, ect
6, nothing till morning then feel sorry for myself and often try and make myself sick through all the crap i`ve eaten..

There is more to the second diet like the odd bag of crisps, pizza, i generally eat shit when i feel like shit, but its probably the food that makes me feel like that in the first place...

Thanks again for any help

[gbrice75]

Ok... so the 'usual' diet isn't so great to begin with, but obviously better than the 'bad day' diet. Now, what's the percentage of one vs. the other, in general? Over the course of 6 months, what percentage of your diet would be considered bad day? Be honest!!

I think you can see where i'm going, but better to be sure.

[Complete novice]

To be honest, I will have a month or so of the usual diet and wont notice anything really apart from an empty pocket...so then i revert back to my old ways so being honest probably 60% of the year is BAD...i know its obviously not right but whether i`m eating goodish or bad i dont seem to change body shape or lose fat...

I really need to set up a cost effective diet that i can stick to!! the diet i thought was good obviously isnt as it doesnt do anything for me, i dont lose 2LB a week and dont seem to change shape at all.

Its so frustrating when i see transformations as they do something in 3 months that i`ve been trying over 5 years to do.

What do you suggest i change in my better diet to get it right? If i saw results i`d stick to the diet believe me, just get disheartened after spending the money on this that and the other and ending up with no results.

Thanks again.

[gbrice75]

To be honest, I will have a month or so of the usual diet and wont notice anything really apart from an empty pocket

Takes longer than a month to see really noticeable changes bro. When I was heavy (and yo-yo dieted, as you are), I always started noticing changes between 2-3 months.

so then i revert back to my old ways so being honest probably 60% of the year is BAD

So it's obvious why your body continues to get in worse shape. Good for 1 month, bad for 2... good for 1 month bad for 2... (just as an example) - over the course of time, you've spent more time being bad and your body will reflect that.

i know its obviously not right but whether i`m eating goodish or bad i dont seem to change body shape or lose fat...

Combination of diet inconsistency and lack of direction, even when eating 'good'

I really need to set up a cost effective diet that i can stick to!!

Amen!!! Running a diet consisting of foods you hate is setting yourself up to fail. It has to be a realistic diet that you can stick to for the long term, i.e. a lifestyle change. Once you have dialed in a solid diet plan, foods won't change for the most part, only quantities will, based on the current goal.

the diet i thought was good obviously isnt as it doesnt do anything for me

Remains to be seen as it doesn't sound like you've been consistent enough with it to allow time for any appreciable results. That said, we can certainly make it more efficient

i dont lose 2LB a week and dont seem to change shape at all.

So let me get this straight - when you diet, not only doesn't your body change shape, but are you saying you don't even lose weight?

Its so frustrating when i see transformations as they do something in 3 months that i`ve been trying over 5 years to do.

Alot can be done in 3 months. I'm currently in week 7 of a 12 week cut and have gone from 193lbs (dry) to 183lbs. I still have 5 weeks left! If I can do it, so can you. 9 months, 5 years, 10 years - all points to lack of consistency. I've been there mate, trust me. You go up, you go down, back and forth, and at the end of the day you pretty much look the same. It's all about making a serious commitment and then seeing it through!

What do you suggest i change in my better diet to get it right? If i saw results i`d stick to the diet believe me, just get disheartened after spending the money on this that and the other and ending up with no results.

Thanks again.

I will make some suggestions on the overall diet shortly. Are you still currently weight training? What does that look like? What about cardio?

[Complete novice]

Hi mate everything you say is 100% right, I know where i`m going wrong but not sure how to fix it!

Ive added a pic here Fatty Me so you know what your working with,

I`ve never stopped training, and have been training 3-4 days a week for the last few years, I basically do a split

mon - Chest and Back
tue - Shoulders + very light Legs
wed - Rest
thurs - Arms
fri - Abs + Cardio

I dont do a lot of cardio due to my knee injury which is a complete rupture of the PCL in my right knee, I have had my ACL repaired and cartilage almost completely removed so painfull swelling of the knee and not being able to do much are a regular thing when i do anything other than slow stationary bike.

I sometimes do boxing pad and sparring work when my pro boxing mate is in the gym, but due to his job its not often maybe once every two weeks.

Thanks again and any other info please let me know.

[gbrice75]

My usual diet would be something like :

1, 2 scoops PHD synergy, water, 2 alpha male tabs, 2 ommega tabs.

I'd go with a straight protein/protein blend vs. PHD. Get your carbs from a whole food source. It'd be nice to see 1 scoop of protein, 1/2 cup oats, 1 whole egg and some whites - something along those lines. Also need to see time of day for each meal and gym

2, 100g beef, 50g uncle bens microwave brown rice.

I'd drop the carbs here and stick with a lean protein source and small amount of fat (fish oil) - you can add some green veggies

3, 2 scoops reflex instant whey, tablespoon olive oil.

Why the powder here? Just curious. If you stick with protein powder, use a blend vs. straight whey. Replace the olive oil with fish oils - and 1tbsp is too much IMO. 5-10g tops should be plenty

4, 130g tuna in sunflower oil drained, small salad (leaves) drizzle olive oil. (sometimes low fat salad cream)

Remove all the fats from this meal and replace with complex carb - to fuel your workout. i.e. stick with tuna but get it in water if you can tolerate it. Otherwise, switch the protein source. Go with 35-50g (depending on your needs) complex carb - sweet potato/yam, brown rice, quinoa, lentils/beans, oats, etc.

[QUOTE=Complete novice;5710155]gym.
5, 2 scoops phd recovery.[QUOTE=Complete novice;5710155]

I'd do 1 scoop of whey and 1 scoop of casein, or a protein blend. Whole food carb source - oats would be my choice

6, 200g beef of some sort, steak, mince beef, roast ect + cup green veg.

Good meal!

7, 2 scoops phd 6 hour blend. 2 omegga 3 caps.
bed

Good but need to drop the carbs here, so you'll have to ditch the PHD. 2 scoops protein blend or casein here + fish oil caps

The good news is based on your pic, you don't look all that out of shape. I wouldn't put you any higher than 20% bodyfat. You definitely have work to do, but I don't think it's as bad as you do.

[jasc]

First off, Happy Bday CN.. Just read through the thread.. by the way you were talkin I was expecting some grossly overweight dude, but the pic looks pretty solid man... just need to follow GB's advice and you'll be good to go.

The one thing I did that helped my diet the most was logging my meals/macros.
I used to eat decent and workout all the time and would throw in a cheeseburger here, a coke there, maybe the occasional wendy's and never thought much of it because I ate heathy 85% of the time.
But once I started tracking what I ate it made a world of difference. Those little urges really add up fast.
Since I started keeping track its like a game mindset almost. I have those goals everyday and have visual proof if i make/miss them and recording the fast food/junk made me feel so guilty and I could see how I was sabotaging all my hard work. It got to the point where I completely cut all of that junk out just because I didn't want to record/see that.
Sounds kinda cheesy man, but its true.. If you have a smartphone download MyFitnessPal. Works great and its free.. it stores meal, tracks macros along with sodium, cholesterol, vitamins.. all that good stuff, and they have a huge database for food so getting the nutritional info is a breeze... Good luck on the transformation

[gbrice75]

First off, Happy Bday CN.. Just read through the thread.. by the way you were talkin I was expecting some grossly overweight dude, but the pic looks pretty solid man...

Agreed!

just need to follow GB's advice and you'll be good to go.

Why ty sir!

The one thing I did that helped my diet the most was logging my meals/macros.
I used to eat decent and workout all the time and would throw in a cheeseburger here, a coke there, maybe the occasional wendy's and never thought much of it because I ate heathy 85% of the time.
But once I started tracking what I ate it made a world of difference. Those little urges really add up fast.

SOOOOO true! This single statement should be made a sticky. Even that 'little' tbsp of natty PB (which we all know isn't a true tbsp, you know you scoop that shit like you were shoveling dirt!) adds a ton of calories. Do that a few times a day and don't count it - and you've just effectively added several hundred calories - enough to negate any caloric deficit you might have made through your clean eating.

[Complete novice]

Hi Guys,

Thanks alot for the replys, i really appreciate it, I guess i`m used to seeing my body of 5/6 years ago before i did my knee, i was really lean now all i see in the mirror is a tommy tucker and hate whats looking back at me so as you can imagine confidence is at an all time low (and has been for a while).

Is there a protein blend you could recommend me to use? I know theres alot out there but dont know which one will be best for me? i used to use reflex instant whey, but have heard myofusion is good.. and would the liquid egg whites be ok to make a shake in the morning with whey oats and water?

When you say fish oil, do you mean 2 x ommega 3 caps? or would udo`s choice be as good?

Should i sack the 3rd meal protein shake off all together? i only have it because i thought i should be eating every 3 hours but if i dont need it i wont have it.

I will change tuna for chicken as i always seem to add some sort of sauce and i can have brown rice here to.

I normally eat at :

7:30-8:00 - Meal
10:30 - Meal
1PM - Meal
3:00 - Meal
4:30 - 5:00 - Train around an hour
7:00 - 7:30 - Meal
10:00 - 10:30 - Last Meal

Should i bea eating differently on none training days? or just make the effort to do some sort of cardio of some sort however it may be?

Is there a certain ammount of cals i should be aiming for i usually try to aim for around 2000-2500 but to be honest havent logged it on anything so probably over, and how much protein should i be taking in each day a gram for each LB total or is it just for my lean weight?

Again thanks alot for your help this will hopefully be the start of a new me...something i drastically want to change..

[Complete novice]

Right I started the new diet yesterday, I`ve still got a preety much full tub of synergy and 6 hour blend so i`m going to use them unless I find someone at the gym wanting to buy them.. so this is the new diet plan

8am - synergy 2 scoops with water (but when i get rid it will be 40g oats + 2 scoops myofusion which i have ordered).
11am - 150g extra lean minced beef fryed with 1 squirt of 1 cal spray + 1 cup green beens + squirt of low fat bbq sauce + 2 udos choice caps.
1pm - 2 scoops 6 hr blend with water (will be changed to 2 scoops myofusion) + 2 udos choice caps.
3:30 pre workout - 150g lean chicken/turkey + 40g wholegrain rice.
4:30/5:00 - Train.
6:00 - 2 scoops PHD recovery 2:1 again i will change to myofusion and maybe banana ???? when my PHD runs out
7:30 - 150-200g lean meat + 1 cup green beans.
11:00 - 2 scoops PHD 6 hr blend with water yet again will change when the stuff i have has run out to a cassien protein.

This equates to around cals - 2,384. carbs - 160. Fats - 42. Pro - 346. (done using myfitnesspal)

Does this look ok or is there anything i should be changing? I know i`ve been told to ditch the PHD but i have got alot of it now and dont want to get rid and buy other products untill i sell what i`ve got or use it up due to money restrictions.

What do you think? thanks again for any advice

[gbrice75]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I just spent 20 mins going through this entire diet and commenting, then my internet crapped out for a minute and I lost everything.

I will try again later, sorry bro!

[Complete novice]

Cheers mate, I'm looking forward to perfecting this diet with your help!

[gbrice75]

Right I started the new diet yesterday, I`ve still got a preety much full tub of synergy and 6 hour blend so i`m going to use them unless I find someone at the gym wanting to buy them.. so this is the new diet plan

Stick with the Synergy until finished, np

8am - synergy 2 scoops with water (but when i get rid it will be 40g oats + 2 scoops myofusion which i have ordered).

Oats and Myofusion, a man after my own heart! How about 1 scoop, a whole egg and some whites? Just making suggestions, nothing wrong with this as is

11am - 150g extra lean minced beef fryed with 1 squirt of 1 cal spray + 1 cup green beens + squirt of low fat bbq sauce + 2 udos choice caps.

Nice, but careful with the bbq sauce. It's not fat i'm worried about, it's the sugar. How many grams (in weight) is 1 'squirt'?

1pm - 2 scoops 6 hr blend with water (will be changed to 2 scoops myofusion) + 2 udos choice caps.

Why here? Just curious

3:30 pre workout - 150g lean chicken/turkey + 40g wholegrain rice.

Nice!

4:30/5:00 - Train.
6:00 - 2 scoops PHD recovery 2:1 again i will change to myofusion and maybe banana ???? when my PHD runs out

Stick with oats or another clean complex carb. Add a small amount of banana in addition if you'd like

7:30 - 150-200g lean meat + 1 cup green beans.

add 2 fish oil/udo's

11:00 - 2 scoops PHD 6 hr blend with water yet again will change when the stuff i have has run out to a cassien protein.

Noted

This equates to around cals - 2,384. carbs - 160. Fats - 42. Pro - 346. (done using myfitnesspal)

Looks pretty good, would need to see macros for each meal to comment further though

Does this look ok or is there anything i should be changing? I know i`ve been told to ditch the PHD but i have got alot of it now and dont want to get rid and buy other products untill i sell what i`ve got or use it up due to money restrictions.

What do you think? thanks again for any advice

Looks decent, food choices are good and clean. No worries about the PHD, no need to throw money away - finish up what you have then switch. Oats are much cheaper anyway

You will probably need to carb cycle on your off days, i.e. remove the carbs from your diet. However it really depends on your training schedule.

[Complete novice]

Thanks for the help, I'm on my phone at the moment, but I'll post a screen shot of the full macros if I can figure it out! I have the shake at 1pm just to have something between 11 and 3, should I drop this shake? Or have something else instead? As I am having 4 shakes a day prob to much!

The BBQ sauce has 3.8g of sugar per 15g serving so should drop this for something else if I can find it! Cheers for the heads up!

Thanks again for all your help!!

[gbrice75]

Thanks for the help, I'm on my phone at the moment, but I'll post a screen shot of the full macros if I can figure it out! I have the shake at 1pm just to have something between 11 and 3, should I drop this shake? Or have something else instead? As I am having 4 shakes a day prob to much!

The BBQ sauce has 3.8g of sugar per 15g serving so should drop this for something else if I can find it! Cheers for the heads up!

Thanks again for all your help!!

Np mate. re: too many shakes - I have always thought this and preached it, but keeping an open mind and not getting too set in your ways is what this game is all about. That concept (too many shakes, not enough real food) may have more validity on a bulk type diet, but it doesn't exist on a cutting diet. If the shakes are convenient and/or you simply like them, keep them! I'm currently doing 4 shakes/day myself!

[Complete novice]

Just a quick update, first week in gonna weigh myself in the morning to see wether ive lost anything and may take a pic aswell to keep progress, I didnt go to the gym on wed/sat/sun as i usually dont so i dropped my carbs which would usually be pre and post workout and just having a tuna salad and a shake with 2 udos choice tablets instead for these meals...

Was going to have a cheat meal today but i`m going to wait till next week, on a negative side i`ve been using a bit of mayonaise low sugar content (0.2) but high fat so 100cals a squirt...need to find a sauce/flavouring to replace this!

Feel like i`m making progress tho and the diet is definetly better than it has been recently...been needng a pee alot more than usual for not holding water..probably due to alot less carbs than normal...

Anyway i`ll be happy with a 2-3LB loss this week, i think i feel abit tighter but its only the first week so not expecting miricles..

Thanks again