Overwhelmed.. Where to start???

[RickyVaughn]

Hey everyone, I wanted to introduce myself and get some educated advice on what to do with my body. I'm 23, I weight 205 and am 6 foot 1. I'm a bit overweight, and I used to be tall and lanky until college. Now I've put on fat, mainly in my gut, ass and thighs. I've recently lost my gf of 5 years and am back on the dating market. Translation: I have to start caring about what I look like!

The past week or so I've been searching all over the internet where to start, and I really just need some sound advice. I want to lose my gut, but I also want to put on muscle. I read on some websites that this is nearly impossible because you have to eat more to gain muscle and it's hard to lost fat at the same time. If that's the case then I'm willing to start with strictly cardio and a healthier diet (gotta cut out the Wendys!), but eventually I want something to help me put on muscle quickly. The internet frightens the hell out of me and I really don't know which websites to trust (suggestions?). I also have no idea which product would work best for me. I know little about steroids or HGH, but am willing to give them a fair shot. I really wouldn't mind needles as long as I knew what I was doing. I've worked out little in my lifetime, but thanks to searches on this website I'm gaining knowledge quickly. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys

[RoadToRecovery]

Ok - diet is the most important thing you want to concentrate on. Figuring out the perfect diet for you will take some time. But allow me to point you in the right direction.
What you need to do is figure out your LBM or Lean Body Mass. In order to do that you need to know what your BF% is. You will need to go to a gym or fitness center and get this measured if you dont have the means to do so at home. Once you have your bf% you can figure out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is how many calories you burn in a day. From there you will be able to develop a diet. Dont be one of those people who "Doesnt or Wont count calories". You have to.

Here is a link to calculate your TDEE or Caloric Expenditure
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

Here is a good way to develop a training program
RTRs Back To The Basics Thread

[RoadToRecovery]

Once you have your TDEE from that calculator, post it so I can continue. Ignore the diet scheme.

[RickyVaughn]

Thanks for the reply. Ok.. I'm not going to have access to the gym until Wednesday, but what you've asked for sounds like a very doable first step. I'm not against counting calories, and it's usually in the back of my mind anyway. How do I go from learning my bf % to knowing my lean body mass?

[RickyVaughn]

Ok so I tried one of those at home body fat calculators online with a tape measurer. I'm not really sure how accurate this is but here are the results.

"You have 18% body fat. You have 36.9 Pounds of fat and 168.1 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water)."

I still plan on going to the gym on Wednesday to see what the say, but I couldn't resist testing the accuracy of the online test.

[RickyVaughn]

Through the website you suggested:



Bodybuilding.com - Results Of Your Entries

Your bodyweight is 93 kilograms.

Step 1 - BMR Based On Weight

For Men: 1 x 93 Kg x 24 = 2232

Step 2 - BMR With Bodyfat Percentage Calculation

Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 2120 calories per day. This is equal to 88 calories per hour.

Step 3 - Total Daily Calories Burned

Adding in your activity level, we times your BMR by 1.55. This means that your approximate total calories burned each day is 3286.

Step 4 - Macronutrient Breakdown In YOUR Diet

Now that we know how many total calories need to be consumed each day, where do the calories come from? Based on your BMR, Activity Level and Athletic Category you need:

Protein Grams: 153 Grams Per Day.
Protein Calories: 612 Protein Calories Per Day.

Fat Grams: 55 Grams Per Day.
Fat Calories: 493 Protein Calories Per Day.

Carbohydrate Grams: 545 Grams Per Day.
Carbohydrate Calories: 2181 Carb Calories Per Day.