New Here...an intro & comments welcome

[pierce652]

I found this site over the weekend and have been having fun reading all the posts. 5 years ago I was very active and in great shape, however with the complacency of marriage I got lazy and out of shape. Two weeks ago we had our second child and I made a decision to be around for a while and get my act together. Ive been reading Tom Venuto's ebook and am learing alot. Right now my goal is to shed the body fat first and then once I lean down I will begin to bulk up. I figure it will better my success to tackle one issue at a time. Im using an elliptical 3-4 days a week and am currently only up to 25 minutes of all out cardio, I want to get this up to 35-40 minutes. Im also working on a weight regimen which takes up the other 3 days.

My main concern is diet. Im 5'9", 194 lbs and 34 years old. Over the past years Ive eaten garbage and it shows, Im not fat but having once been very lean I hate the way I feel and look in the mirror. I travel throughout the day and was eating a ton of fast food and junk food, and drinking way more than I should. So, here is what I have set so far, and please feel free to correct any misgivings I may have.

My BMR is 1917 calories a day and the TDEE is 2300 (Im using sedentary still)
To loose fat I decreased intake 20% to 1840 calories per day. I know most people here eat way more than that but Im finding that eating a clean 1840 is keeping me very full. An example of a typical day.

Wake Up- 2 scoops protein

Meal 1- 3 egg whites
1 whole egg
1/2 cup oatmeal or Wheatabix (sp)
bananna
multi vitamin

Meal 2- 1 can tuna w/ mustard
potato or sweet potato or 2 slices whole wheat bread
2 cups fresh broccoli w/ red wine vinegar

Meal 3- Chicken breast
Brown rice
salad
grapefruit

Meal 4- Myoplex shake or 1 cup cottage cheese and veggies
handfull of almonds or Tbsp peanut butter or olives

Meal 5- Chicken or fish or shrimp
rice
salad

Meal 6- (bedtime) protein with water
2 slices whole wheat toast

This is pretty typical although I do change it up day to day. Im trying to keep a 50/30/20 carb/protein/fat ratio as Ive read. Im assuming some here will disagree with this breakdown but Im open to info.

Sorry this is so long for a first post.

 

[dr_skier]

Welcome to the board, looks like you've done your research!!! that's a big first step. Just glancing, everything looks pretty good for starting out, hit those weights too (you're not in need of loosing 30lbs of fat, so lift hard and heavy) - and remember your PWO shake!!!!!

 

[CRounder99]

Welcome to EF! I just recently started browsing here and I can tell you that you've made the first step and thats the hardest part, listen to the people here - they know what they're doing....enjoy your stay bro.

 

[B i C e P HeAD]

Welcome to EF Bro. Im trying to shed some unwanted chub myself. This has been working for me:
Take a shot of organic apple cyder vinager after every meal
Flax seed twice aday
1-2 grams of protein for every lb of body weight
lots of greens..............
You seem to know what ur doing though. Good luck

 

[Kold_Killa]

I don't know if you want 50% of your diet to be carbs....

 

[B i C e P HeAD]

I don't know if you want 50% of your diet to be carbs....

Good call bro. I was about to say the same thing, after i thought about it a sec. Id cut the Banannas, rice,potatos and def the toast b4 bed. Id try to eat some carbs an hour or two before the gym thats about it. The rest is all about the protein.

 

[mm107]

Get over to Fitday.com.

Count them cals up and see what they break down into.

For cutting i really like the %'s of: 40% Protein/30%Carbs/30%Fat.

1800 cals is exactly what my cutting diet was based around, but remember everyone is different. I was recommended to go above 2000, so i hit around 1900/day.

It looks like maybe ur Fat intake is too low. Fat is very calorie dense and 1 serving of ANPB is like 220 cals. So 2 servings of ANPB alone is 440 Cals.

Definately have to tinker with your ratios. Carbs are little high for a cutter i think.

But I am happy to see you did ALOT of reseach before posting, this is going to help you and us alot!

PM me, i got several ebooks i can hook you up with at home. Basically how to raise test levels naturally with food.

 

[B i C e P HeAD]

^^^^^^^^^^DEDICATION^^^^^^^^^ K's mm

 

[*Bunny*]

Get over to Fitday.com.

Count them cals up and see what they break down into.

For cutting i really like the %'s of: 40% Protein/30%Carbs/30%Fat.

1800 cals is exactly what my cutting diet was based around, but remember everyone is different. I was recommended to go above 2000, so i hit around 1900/day.

It looks like maybe ur Fat intake is too low. Fat is very calorie dense and 1 serving of ANPB is like 220 cals. So 2 servings of ANPB alone is 440 Cals.

Definately have to tinker with your ratios. Carbs are little high for a cutter i think.

But I am happy to see you did ALOT of reseach before posting, this is going to help you and us alot!

PM me, i got several ebooks i can hook you up with at home. Basically how to raise test levels naturally with food.

I'm going to ass-u-me he meant 50%P if he did all the research he claims, esp. here at ef After reading that 1st post I'm pretty sure he did. ... I agree with this guy ^^

Welcome & props to taking the 1st step! Good luck!

Remember ... "It's a MARATHON not a sprint ..."

 

[wlmcrae]

My BMR is 1917 calories a day and the TDEE is 2300 (Im using sedentary still).

No problem - rather see ALL newbies post up as much info as you did. The 'hey my name is ___. Want to cut. Please help.' does NOT help!

Your plan looks good and with BFFM, you are probably tracking your weight/measurements/bodyfat fairly closely and will be able to determine whether the ratio you've chosen is working for you. I'd also echo some of the comments - make sure you're getting your good fats (flax oil, fish oil, nuts) or you're likely to get 'plugged'.

A quick read through Body for Life might be interesting - it is basic, but gives good info on intensity of training to get results.

As well, (and I'm sure this is just review) as your metabolism ramps up with the activity, you will need to increase your calories to stay above the starvation zone and in the cutting zone.

Have fun burning fat and building muscle! You are now on track for a happy, healthy retirement, chasing the beach bunnies at 75! (Now, now, BUNNY . . )

 

[pierce652]

I want to thank everyone for the comments and insights so far. To answer some of the questions and comments...

I read Body for Life when it first came out, about 6 years ago I think. It was a good read to get started with. Pretty basic but thats the point I was/am at. I got so much out of it I leant it to a friend and havent seen it since. At least she got great use of it too.

The ratios Im using are from Venuto's book, Chapter 8: Macronutrient Ratios. He states "The starting point for an effective fat-burning and muscle-building diet, often called a 'baseline diet' is 50-55% Carbs, 30% Protein and 15-20% Fat." After reading the posts I thought I might have gotten it wrong so I re-checked. I agree that the carbs seem high but figured Id begin with this and as the author says...tweak the percentages to what works for my body. He goes through all the different ratios and the good and the bad of each. This is just the ratio that he claims works. The ratio is definately not a cutter, but this is more of an initial "clean up your act" diet that will allow me to follow through in the early days. It will definatley be modified and tweaked quite a bit as time passes.

I have been using Fitday.com and that is how I plan all my meals to be sure Im getting the desired calories as well as the carbs, protein and fats. I love the site and find it to make life a hell of a lot easier.

Ive been curious about the ANPB since reading the posts here. Why does it have to be the all natural? I assume the processed stuff has a ton of sugar in it but am not sure. It definatley sounds like a good way to get some calories as well as fats.

Finally, I know some swear by eating as much protein and as little carbs as possible. It doesnt seem to work for me. The carbs are what keeps my energy up. However, I am making it a point to eat complex carbs...potato, yams, brown rice, oats and fiberous veges in moderate amounts. Additionally, the carbs cause insulin which in turn allow the amino acids of the proteins into the muscle cells while the protein in turn slows the digestion of the carbs and prevents insulin spikes. Besides, I still need my daily Constitutional.

All in all progress is slow and steady. My energy is really picking up and I get a kick out of not just wanting to sit and watch tv all night.

Again, thanks for the comments and keep them comming if you like. Advice on the Natty PB would be nice too. Anyone here use the Accu-Measure body fat caliper? I know, way too many damn questions.

 

[mm107]

I want to thank everyone for the comments and insights so far. To answer some of the questions and comments...

Again, thanks for the comments and keep them comming if you like. Advice on the Natty PB would be nice too. Anyone here use the Accu-Measure body fat caliper? I know, way too many damn questions.

The reason we recommend ANPB is because if you read the ingreadiants to ANPB they are Salt, Peanuts.

Read the ingrediants on a skippy jar and i guarentee you will shocked.

I have a fat caliper, not made by accu-measure, but same technology. This is how i gauged fat loss in the mirror while cutting. One of the best ways to know if you loosing any BF is a BF Caliper.

Dont wory not too many questions, shit these questions are easy since u already did the hard work.

 

[pierce652]

Well...instead of starting another thread I figured Id resurrect this one. My last attempt didnt last too long with the arrival of my son and the new job. I quickly slipped back into all my crappy habits. The fast food and booze was getting to be a bit much.

Now that he's 2 and things are getting on a schedule I wanna get back on track. Ive cleaned the house of crap foods and have been eating well for the past week. Today starts the workout routine.

IVe tweaked the menu according to past suggestions and am already feeling better about myself. Ive added multi vitamin, flax oil, fish oil and garlic to supplement.

One pisser was that in the past year Ive either lost or tossed (by mistake) Venuto's ebook. I contacted them and they want all the info, including the date of purchase, card number and security code off the card so they can send me a new one. I since have gotten a new computer so Im basically screwed on that one. I just hate to pay another $40. Oh well.

Wish me luck and I will keep you posted.