Ok with exercise..how to eat?

[tesla042]

Hey, everyone.. I'm a bit new to all this, and I'd like some advice. I browsed the forum for 2 or 3 hours, and I seem to be getting a lot of conflicting advice about what I should do.

I suppose a bit of background is needed. I'm 23, 5'10", 160 lbs. I'm recently unemployed, so for the last 5 weeks I've had quite a bit of time to devote to exercise in general. The improvements in my stamina are very noticeable: Before, I couldn't make it 1/4 mile running constant.. now, I can squeeze a mile out in just under 9 minutes, or 1.5 miles in about 16.5 minutes. Before, about 15 crunches killed me. Now, i can do 2 and a half sets of 30, with about 2 minutes break between.. I can tell that my abs are getting firm, and I can start to see a bit of definition in my stomach.. So that's good, right?

*But,* I have not paid any attention to my diet at all. Yeah, I've cut out soft drinks, and I now drink around a gallon of water per day, but I don't really eat all that great.. Or at the right times..

I've found a few posts saying to run first thing in the morning, empty stomach. Then a few saying to eat first. Or at night..

I suppose I have two goals here. First, I'd like to get my body fat down. I don't know what I'm at currently, but I can pinch ~3/4" on my stomach, and about 1/4" on my arm, 3/8" on my legs. I know that there's no magic way to spot reduce fat, so it seems that just reducing my % will do that. Second, I'd like to beef up my abs, chest, and arms...with muscle, obviously. My legs aren't the biggest priority, but I won't turn down free advice.

I have been running/jogging between 1 - 2 miles per day (~20 minutes), and doing weights for about 20 minutes per day. Every day. I just found a few posts saying that this may not be the best idea, as I never give my muscles a break to regenerate.. Could anyone give me some suggestions on how to exercise and eat? Also, WHEN to eat would be helpful (right before, night before, right after, etc?)


Thanks!

-Tesla042

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

basics:

-Eat 1-2g of protein per lbs of bodyweight
-drink at least 3 litres of water a day
-eat only unprocessed, unrefined carbohydrates that are lower on -the GI scale except post workout when u want an insulin spike from something high like glucose
- Consume at least 25% of your daily calories from Fats, Fats however should be from good sources such as EFAs, Fish, Fish Oils, Olive Oil, Flax Oil, Nuts
- Consume no more than 50% of your daily cals from Carbs... this is a sensitive issue for some people, some can get away with more depending how active and insulin sensitive they are.. a good ratio to follow is 30% carbs, 30% fats 40% protein
- Eat your calories split across 5-6 smaller evenly spaced meals throughout the day as oppsed to 2 or 3 big meals
- Consume fiber in the form of fiberous veggies daily
- Stay away from Fried food, Hydrogenated oils, Fructose syrups

What have I missed, guys?

 

[tesla042]

Thanks!

A few more questions popped to my mind.. How about Milk (skim)?

Also, should I focus on lowering my bf% before trying to beef up my upper body? If so, anything in particular I should do/avoid?

-Tesla042

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

generally milk is not the best protein/carb source when cutting
If you're intollerant to it then stay away
if not, a small amount can be ok
Personally dairy smoothes me out and i loose cuts

 

[~SC~]

Very sound advice BA!

U pretty much covered it!

~SC~