fitness people- who is still making progress?
- Thread starter LITTLEMAGS
- Start date
Boomer!
Club Member
I just started a training regiment a couple weeks ago myself. I am feeling stronger already and I have stared changing my diet by cutting out a lot of the junk. I am looking to get healthier overall and put on a bit of size but mainly focused on the health part.
I have read this thread over and over and appreciate everyone taking the time to post their advice and opinions on training. I am hoping to reach 180 lbs and be @ or around 10-12% body fat by fall, being 5'7" I think that is a strong stature for myself. I was able to do 190 at 10% when I was 24 now being almost 37 it is harder to reach but I am not going to give up. I am currently at 190 but have a ton of flab to lose, LOL.
I have read this thread over and over and appreciate everyone taking the time to post their advice and opinions on training. I am hoping to reach 180 lbs and be @ or around 10-12% body fat by fall, being 5'7" I think that is a strong stature for myself. I was able to do 190 at 10% when I was 24 now being almost 37 it is harder to reach but I am not going to give up. I am currently at 190 but have a ton of flab to lose, LOL.
mdhmi
Club Member
Six packs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. That being said, I feel uniquely qualified to offer fitness advice: I have, after all, lost nearly three pounds this year.
It's about moderation - instead of having a fifth of Scotch six days a week try cutting down to five days, or perhaps four. The caloric savings will far offset whatever one might lose
in a gym jumping up and down to a Richard Simmons video.
It's about moderation - instead of having a fifth of Scotch six days a week try cutting down to five days, or perhaps four. The caloric savings will far offset whatever one might lose
in a gym jumping up and down to a Richard Simmons video.
holset35
Forum Member
daily building meal.
BREAKFAST.3 frenchtoast and 1 yogurt
10am snack.can of tuna
LUNCH.rice mixed with chicken and lima beans
3pm.75 gram protien shake and gonola bar
4.30.2 packs of oatmeal with half scoop protien.
GYM. bannana on way.
AFTER.75 gram shake.
DINNER.wife allways cooks something good.
In between the day gallon watter to keep u flushed.
BREAKFAST.3 frenchtoast and 1 yogurt
10am snack.can of tuna
LUNCH.rice mixed with chicken and lima beans
3pm.75 gram protien shake and gonola bar
4.30.2 packs of oatmeal with half scoop protien.
GYM. bannana on way.
AFTER.75 gram shake.
DINNER.wife allways cooks something good.
In between the day gallon watter to keep u flushed.
raroz28
Forum Member
I got back into the gym back in January now that I get free access to the gym and it's really nice and always empty. I got sick after a couple weeks of working out so I'd say I started with about a week left in January.
As others have said it's all about the diet. At one time I weighed about 190 pounds and was pretty solid. After going through all the stresses of being unemployed and in debt I kind of stopped doing everything that I was used to doing, and I got a case of strep that put me down for 2 weeks and I lost like 20 pounds.
With that said, I knew what to do in the gym and I know how important diet is. Right away I put together a new spreadsheet to reach my goals.
As anybody knows, when you first start out you are able to put on gains fairly quickly. Here is a before/after shot after about 2 months.
That after pic is a few weeks old and I have put on a little more size and am weighing 180 in the morning before I eat.
Arms are 16" cold and like 17" when pumped.
From my motorcycle accident i have tissue damage in my right shoulder and a back injury.
My right pec and right bicep are noticeably smaller than the left because there is a lot of pain/discomfort and sometimes it just gives out.
I do not do bench press, squats, deadlifts, or any other powerlifter type exercises.
I do incline dumbbell press, incline dumbbell fly, flat bench dumbbell press, and cable fly's.
I keep stress off my rotator cuff and off my back at all times, so the movements I do are pretty basic.
If anybody wants my spreadsheet let me know. I don't look at it anymore cause I have it down but I think it's around 3600 calories. All healthy stuff. Lots of carbs, protein and healthy fats.
As others have said it's all about the diet. At one time I weighed about 190 pounds and was pretty solid. After going through all the stresses of being unemployed and in debt I kind of stopped doing everything that I was used to doing, and I got a case of strep that put me down for 2 weeks and I lost like 20 pounds.
With that said, I knew what to do in the gym and I know how important diet is. Right away I put together a new spreadsheet to reach my goals.
As anybody knows, when you first start out you are able to put on gains fairly quickly. Here is a before/after shot after about 2 months.
That after pic is a few weeks old and I have put on a little more size and am weighing 180 in the morning before I eat.
Arms are 16" cold and like 17" when pumped.
From my motorcycle accident i have tissue damage in my right shoulder and a back injury.
My right pec and right bicep are noticeably smaller than the left because there is a lot of pain/discomfort and sometimes it just gives out.
I do not do bench press, squats, deadlifts, or any other powerlifter type exercises.
I do incline dumbbell press, incline dumbbell fly, flat bench dumbbell press, and cable fly's.
I keep stress off my rotator cuff and off my back at all times, so the movements I do are pretty basic.
If anybody wants my spreadsheet let me know. I don't look at it anymore cause I have it down but I think it's around 3600 calories. All healthy stuff. Lots of carbs, protein and healthy fats.
raroz28
Forum Member
I also suggest taking lots of pictures, at least once per week to track your gains.
Pictures is how you measure. A scale is not the way to go. Puffy fat disappears and dense muscles comes in so the scale may not change or it may go up and it can be deceiving.
I take measurements and pictures about once per week. And that spreadsheet is 3900 cals. I have changed what I actually eat from the spreadsheet but it's a good foundation.
I eat a lot of greek yogurt, and have reduced the chicken breast size per meal from 8oz to 4oz.
Pictures is how you measure. A scale is not the way to go. Puffy fat disappears and dense muscles comes in so the scale may not change or it may go up and it can be deceiving.
I take measurements and pictures about once per week. And that spreadsheet is 3900 cals. I have changed what I actually eat from the spreadsheet but it's a good foundation.
I eat a lot of greek yogurt, and have reduced the chicken breast size per meal from 8oz to 4oz.
raroz28
Forum Member
Yeah that is common when you are bulking. Surprisingly, I have stayed very lean (considering being on a bulk). In the past when I bulked I put on a lot more fat to where my abs weren't very visible even if I leaned back and flexed. Now they are always very visibe and I still have a belt around my waste, whereas before it was saddle bags somewhat (In all honesty my body type does not get a lot of fat, I'm a hard gainer).
Those are post workout pictures to so I have a pump and I also drink a lot of water in the gym which causes the stomach to protrude. At the moment it does not look like that. When you are a hard gainer, after you eat or drink a lot of water it changes how your body looks for a period of time.
My diet is so clean that things are going extremely well.
raroz28
Forum Member
Most people I know buy a tub of whey and drink it post workout and expect gains.
If people actually counted macro's of what they eat they would be shocked at how little they're taking in. Once your diet is spot on gains come very quick.
I see guys at the gym that have been there since I started going, and I'm guessing they probably started before me.
They have not gained an inch or a pound. It's sad. I almost want to ask them what they're eating.
They're sweating when I get there and still there when I leave. It's sad.
raroz28
Forum Member
Yeah dude. What really is annoying is when you get one of those guys who just go to the gym to dick around and they go to the dumb bell rack, pull off weight, and stand right in front of it, essentially blocking half the dumb bells on the rack.
When they do that, I reach right around them to get my weight like they're a pole. It annoys the crap out of me. Get your weight, and take a couple steps back.
lucky7
Forum Member
I've been having trouble losing belly fat. I do a few sit-ups and pushups every day, because it makes me feel great afterwards. At this point though I'm feeling super impatient!! I've been dieting for 3 years, trying to lose the fat. I've made some serious progress throughout that time, however, I'm just not satisfied yet. My goal was to not build tons of muscle, but to lose fat/weigh and just look lean [healthy]. Any tips for ditching the rest of this belly/love handles?
My diet is strange to most, but I am essentially a vegetarian. I was stuck around 150-155lbs for what felt like an eternity. After cutting out dairy and nearly all carbs, I dropped down to 135 and am looking pretty thin. The issue is that I'm not thin in the middle. :lol: I'd just like to look lean. I walk over 20 miles per week (student at MSU), and when I'm bored, I go walking around. I think that I'm burning it, but it's a slow process at this point.. I've never been to a gym before, so I don't think that's in my future. :lol:
September '09. 210+ lb.
April '12. ≈ 135 lb.
My face and extremities are thing, but my mid section is not. It's frustrating. :lol:
My diet is strange to most, but I am essentially a vegetarian. I was stuck around 150-155lbs for what felt like an eternity. After cutting out dairy and nearly all carbs, I dropped down to 135 and am looking pretty thin. The issue is that I'm not thin in the middle. :lol: I'd just like to look lean. I walk over 20 miles per week (student at MSU), and when I'm bored, I go walking around. I think that I'm burning it, but it's a slow process at this point.. I've never been to a gym before, so I don't think that's in my future. :lol:
September '09. 210+ lb.
April '12. ≈ 135 lb.
My face and extremities are thing, but my mid section is not. It's frustrating. :lol:
raroz28
Forum Member
I've been having trouble losing belly fat. I do a few sit-ups and pushups every day, because it makes me feel great afterwards. At this point though I'm feeling super impatient!! I've been dieting for 3 years, trying to lose the fat. I've made some serious progress throughout that time, however, I'm just not satisfied yet. My goal was to not build tons of muscle, but to lose fat/weigh and just look lean [healthy]. Any tips for ditching the rest of this belly/love handles?
My diet is strange to most, but I am essentially a vegetarian. I was stuck around 150-155lbs for what felt like an eternity. After cutting out dairy and nearly all carbs, I dropped down to 135 and am looking pretty thin. The issue is that I'm not thin in the middle. :lol: I'd just like to look lean. I walk over 20 miles per week (student at MSU), and when I'm bored, I go walking around. I think that I'm burning it, but it's a slow process at this point.. I've never been to a gym before, so I don't think that's in my future. :lol:
September '09. 210+ lb.
April '12. ≈ 135 lb.
My face and extremities are thing, but my mid section is not. It's frustrating. :lol:
If you are not eating any carbs I'd say your diet is poor. Usually a no carb/low calorie diet will make a person thin but they will be "skinny fat" and look sickly, especially if they're not working out. I've seen people not take in any carbs but hit the gym and they will be toned, but still have a sickly look, particularly in the face.
You don't need to hit a gym but what you need to do is put together a proper diet. For your body you will need to figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight without gaining. Could be 1500, could be 2000 per day, only you will be able to figure that out once you experiment for a couple weeks.
You should also be getting in at least a couple hundred carbs per day. Complex carbs from whole foods like potatoes, rice, oats, apples, pears, etc...
Not only will it make you look better but you will feel fantastic. I never feel so good as when I'm all carbed up.
People who say to avoid carbs are referring to simple carbs like what you find it pre packaged snacks, chips, etc... The carbs I mentioned above is a different story.
There are those who argue that brown rice is the way to go, but I am not one of those people. I eat white rice and always have. Same with my potatoes, I eat white potatoes.
Try taking a little bit of time and put some serious effort into a diet and stick to it and see what happens. If you are not eating enough whole foods your body will store what you are eating as fat.
Eating less does not mean fat loss. It can actually mean "fat storage" for most.
Everybody is different, do not subscribe to what you read because every body is different but one thing holds true - complex carbs are good for everybody, so is fruit, and so is lean meat and vegetables. Find out what numbers (calories, protein, carbs, healthy fat) you need to consume to get the body and look you want.
Diet dictates body composition 95%.
DBK
Club Member
My one dietary recommendation for people that like working out is that you should try eating quinoa in there sometimes instead of rice. I gave up eating meat completely about 6 months ago so I've been really scouring the earth to get a decent diet I can live with on a regular basis. Quinoa is the thing I eat the most as a base for lunch and dinner. I eat about a dry half cup for lunch and that's:
320 calories
58 g Carbs
12 g Protein
5 g Fat
Contains all 8 amino acids. Personally, I like the way it tastes. Usually I make a bowl of it with black beans and a bunch of spices and that's my lunch. Mix in beans and some cheese or veggies if you want and you can have a 500-600 calorie lunch that's packed with shit that's good for you. You can buy a big ass bag at Costco for like $12 and it'll last for weeks.
320 calories
58 g Carbs
12 g Protein
5 g Fat
Contains all 8 amino acids. Personally, I like the way it tastes. Usually I make a bowl of it with black beans and a bunch of spices and that's my lunch. Mix in beans and some cheese or veggies if you want and you can have a 500-600 calorie lunch that's packed with shit that's good for you. You can buy a big ass bag at Costco for like $12 and it'll last for weeks.
lucky7
Forum Member
I eat apples and oatmeal every day. I just tend to over eat when I make a plate of pasta or something similar. I think I have a gluten allergy though, because I always feel like utter shit after eating anything starchy or loaded with carbs. I have a bunch of brown rice, quinoa and brown rice pasta in the pantry, but I pretty much quit eating it. Maybe I'll start again, but only very small portions.
These are typical lunches for me:
-1-4 by Dane Van, on Flickr
-1 by Dane Van, on Flickr
-1-9 by Dane Van, on Flickr
Throughout the day I snack on raisins, plums, raw almonds + soybean nuts. I'll make a protein drink sometimes in the late afternoon or early morning. Unsweetened plant protein powder, almond butter, a banana and a squirt of agave nectar. That usually keeps me feeling full. I noticed a protein deficiency for a couple of weeks after reducing the amount of eggs I was eating. So I did a little research and compensated.
My issue with carbs is that they usually make me feel shitty after eating. But again, that could be due to the amount I tend to eat. Quitting cold turkey makes it easy to control portion sizes. :lol: I'll do a little bit of reading though.
