Help a newbie on the road to fitness :-)

[Mr Coffee]

Hi everybody!


I'm Tony and I'm 29 years old, male, 142 lbs, 5'11", about 12% bodyfat (I'm guesstimating), size 30" waist, and small framed. Last year I was around 200 lbs and about a size 36" waist and I'm guessing a pretty high bf%. Basically I got sick of not fitting into my clothes and I went on the Atkins diet for about 6 months. My weight dropped down to 139 lbs and and I lost quite a bit of fat, but unfortunately I lost quite a lot of muscle mass as well. So the Atkins diet does work, but the body seems to hold on to body fat for dear life and sacrifice mucsle, at least it did in my case.

Right now my goals are to maintain the muscle mass that I have and drop my bf% to around 8% or at least until I can see my abs. It's always been my dream to have a visible 6-pack but I've never been able to achieve that. Since my weight is pretty low anyway, I figure it's probably an easier goal to achieve right now. I've started up a new workout routine about 18 days ago and I'm seeing improvement, but it's been slow going. I suppose it won't happen overnight. The scale seems to be pegged at 142 lbs but I'm seeing a little better definition overall and I'm starting to see my upper abs.

Here's what I'm doing for my workouts.

Day 1 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Back/Biceps
Day 2 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 3 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Legs
Day 4 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 5 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 6 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 7 - rest

Diet is 1700 Calories/day with a 40/40/20 ratio. I'm spreading it out over 6 meals and I'm trying to consume only low GI foods and whole, unprocessed food. I tried to do a 1450 Cal/day diet but I felt weak and "spacey" throuout the day.

Here is a typical day:

Meal 1 - Egg white omelette (no oil, just cooking spray), Steamed Bok Choy, and Brown Basmati Rice

Meal 2 - Brown Basmati Rice, Bok Choy, and Canned Tuna

Meal 3 - EAS Myoplex

Meal 4 - Brown Basmati Rice, Baked Chicken (no skin)

Meal 5 - Brown Basmati Rice, Canned Tuna

Meal 6 - EAS Whey Protein with 1 tbsp of Flaxseed oil


Anyway, just wanted a critique on things I could do to speed the fat burning process a little faster. Should I do more cardio? Less/More calories? :confused:

[SurfinAmy]

Originally Posted by Mr Coffee

Hi everybody!


I'm Tony and I'm 29 years old, male, 142 lbs, 5'11", about 12% bodyfat (I'm guesstimating), size 30" waist, and small framed.
I lost quite a lot of muscle mass as well.
Right now my goals are to maintain the muscle mass that I have and drop my bf% to around 8% or at least until I can see my abs.
Day 1 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Back/Biceps
Day 2 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 3 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Legs
Day 4 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 5 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 6 - Cardio (65%-75% of MHR), Abs
Day 7 - rest

Diet is 1700 Calories/day


Anyway, just wanted a critique on things I could do to speed the fat burning process a little faster. Should I do more cardio? Less/More calories? :confused:

I think you should eat more calories and work on building muscle, drop some of that cardio, maybe only a couple times a week and try to get back some of that muscle you lost on the Atkins diet.
I think building muscle will help you burn more bodyfat anyway......If you'e 5'11" and you weigh 142 pounds I would eat more so you can pack on the muscle....that's just my opinion....

-Amy

[Mr Coffee]

Originally Posted by SurfinAmy

I think you should eat more calories and work on building muscle, drop some of that cardio, maybe only a couple times a week and try to get back some of that muscle you lost on the Atkins diet.
I think building muscle will help you burn more bodyfat anyway......If you'e 5'11" and you weigh 142 pounds I would eat more so you can pack on the muscle....that's just my opinion....

-Amy

Thanks for your input. I was thinking the exact same thing, cut vs. bulk. I still have a little bit of fat here and there, so I was thinking that if I lose the fat first and then bulk, it would be easier the next time I cut. I'm still not too sure. What has worked for you in the past? Cut first, then bulk. Or bulk first, then cut?

[Lady C]

Four servings of rice is too much. Remove two servings and replace them with veggies. This alone should help with the fat losing process.

[Mr Coffee]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Four servings of rice is too much. Remove two servings and replace them with veggies. This alone should help with the fat losing process.

Hi Lady C! What kind of portion size would you recommend? I tried eating 8 oz of steamed spinach in one meal but it ended up making me feel very fatigued for some reason. Ever since then I've limited my veggie portion sizes to no more than 3 oz per meal.

[Andrea]

Try eating only the serving size on the side of the box.

[Lady C]

Fatigue may have nothing to do with it. Maybe it was because of something else. I can't tell you your serving size because everyone is different. Try 20 grams of something and if you are still hungry try 10 grams more, etc. until you find the right amount. An easy way to tell is about the size of your palm as a starting point.

[Mr Coffee]

Originally Posted by Andrea

Try eating only the serving size on the side of the box.

The spinach I got was from the fresh produce section, no nutritional information listed .

[Mr Coffee]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Fatigue may have nothing to do with it. Maybe it was because of something else. I can't tell you your serving size because everyone is different. Try 20 grams of something and if you are still hungry try 10 grams more, etc. until you find the right amount. An easy way to tell is about the size of your palm as a starting point.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it out.

[Lady C]

Look that spinach up on this database

[Mr Coffee]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Look that spinach up on this database

Thanks again! I looked up 8 oz of Spinach on Calorie King and it has a whopping 52 calories per 8 oz serving, it sure seemed like a lot more when I was eating it. Maybe I'll add broccoli, califlower, or kale for variety.