Need a plan, can someone help?

[Herrmann22]

Stats:

Male - 36
190 pounds currently. Goal = 165 as quickly as possible.
5'-8", small frame when thin.
Just joined a local YMCA so I have access to anything.

I use to want to look like Arnold, now I'd rather look like Van Damm. :

I can make it to the gym about four days per week. My job is Information Technology so I do not burn calories at work. I know how to build bulk because I use to be into bodubuilding but I'm not interested (plus I don't have the time) to get real big again. I just want to be lean and defined now. I play softball with my company once a week and that's about all the sports activity I have. I like to run, sit in the sauna, and work out with machines and free weights.

Can someone give me some ideas on how to get lean? I quit drinking beer and pop, the only soda I might drink is Diet Rite, maybe once a day if that. Anyway, I need to know how to train for a lean body. How much weight lifting, how much cardio. What I need to do regarding diet. I just purchased protein poweder (All the Whey) and that sould be here next week.

The young kids at the YMCA really aren't experts and I'f afraid I won't get the best plan by asking them. I know there are a lot of great minds in these forums because I have been reading for a while now. So if anyone wants to start please go ahead. I will listen to anyone and keep an open mind until I find out what will work best for me.

I know everyone is different but what I am looking for is just some general guidelines for getting lean, not building bulk. I build muscle easy because I use to be into bodybuilding like I mentioned. My problem is getting that lean and "cut" look because I am only 5'-8" and anything I eat goes right to the belly! My mid-section needs help.

Ok, enough for now I hope. Any takers?

[Lady C]

Look through these and see if you can gain some ideas/info.
Slimming Down
Workout Timing and Diet Tactics
2000-calorie meal plan
Protein, Carbohydrates & Fats
Gaffer's Food Experiment

[Herrmann22]

Lady,

Thanks for the info, I do appreciate that.

I've been reading as much as I can and it seems the popular way to handle the weight loss and muscle building is by doing the 5-6 meals per day and using certain ratios. (Protein/Carbs/Fats) This brings up my question:

I am a very busy professional who is on the road probably more in an eight hour period than I am in front of my customers. Not to mention the fact that I am on the phone most of the time. I find it hard to do anything during the day, often forgetting to even eat lunch because I am always "in the middle of something". If I struggle to even eat a decent lunch, how can I incorporate eating 3-4 meals during the day!? THAT is my problem in a nut shell, not to mention that I am a VERY picky eater. I don't like veggies and hardly any fruit. I can eat Bananas but that's about it. Oh, maybe Applesauce. Anyway, my problems over the years have been my lack for time to eat properly and the fact that I am very picky.

Let me explain what a typical day is like:

Wake about 5:30am. Drink coffee while checking my E-mail and other Internet sites. I usually hit the shower about 6:15am. My breakfast is usually a protein bar with some milk, nothing more. I do take Vitamins and other supplements like CLA, etc. Once I get my protein powder (It's being shipped now) I will incorporate a smoothy for breakfast for more protein. Anyway, then I get off to work. I LOVE coffee and drink that most of the morning, until about 10:00am. I'd say I usually drink 4-5 cups of coffee, maybe more by 10:00am. Around 10:00am I then break open another power bar just to keep me from getting hungry. As the hours pass I feel pretty good but I'm ALWAYS hungry during the day. About 1:00-2:00pm I might break open yet another protein bar, along with some Applesauce, and maybe a V-8 to drink. That's it! When supper time get's here and I finally drive home I am STARVING and on edge. I am in a bad mood and tired. (I wonder why) Anyway, then the problems comes again, WHAT am I going to eat. I have a wife and two children and my wife wants to eat dinner "as a family" so I usually wind up eating anything that goes from freezer to oven. I don't "plan" anything and find myself eating junk later in the evening because I always get hungry around 8:30-9:00pm. Since I am burned out on protein bars I usually get frustrated and wind up eating junk that I know isn't good for me. Hey, it's the typical American diet, right?

Well, that about sums up my eating habits during the week. I don't have time to make a breakfast and although I can pack some stuff to take with me during the day, it usually is only a few protein bars.

THIS is my problem. I've been doing this for years and I must change. Keep in mind I am a very picky eater and I am like a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I love "junk" food and rarely eat veggies or fruits. I know this is a problem but it's hard for me to change this because I simply don't like that kind of stuff. I've been looking at some of the meals that have been described and I am thinking to myself "Yea, right... like I am going to eat that stuff" So you see, I am my own worst enemy.

Ok, now that you have a little history on me, how to I approach a change? I need simple meals I can eat "on the go" because I am a VERY busy professional. Plus, I need a variety of things so I can pick and choose the things I CAN eat. (Remember the picky issue) I know the ratios people are mentioning so I will try to look up some things and start to measure what I can eat to try and get a meal plan figured out. In the meantime I am open for suggestions.

This is an awesome site and from reading some of these posts I know I am in the right place. I just need a more "personal" approach because I am so picky and so BUSY all the time. What works for some people just simply doesn't seem like it would fit my schedule. I can't work out during the day. I can only find time to work out after 7:30-8:00pm. The more difficult thing for me is not working out but figuring out meals and how I am going to find the time to eat them all. I know this sounds silly but you ride with me one day and you will understand. If I am not in front of a customer then I am on the phone with one. Grrrrrr I know, just SLOW down a little, right? Well, try telling my boss that one.

So, anyone want to take on this one??

Take care

[Klinger]

A couple of tips:

Prepare all of youre meals/snacks for the week on Sunday. Cook 2 pounds of chicken breasts, hardboil 6-8 eggs and put cottage cheese/yogurt in tupperware for starters. Mix nuts and dried fruits in ziploc baggies. Same deal for veggies, like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, etc. Have plenty of fresh whole fruit on hand, too -- bananas, apples, pears, blueberries.

Set your watch to go off when it's time to break for a meal if you have to. Skipping meals or skimping on calories is an easy way to screw up your metabolism and retain weight.

If things are really hectic, consider walking or biking to work as a cardio fill-in or stress buster. Don't know if that's doable for you.

Early on, I think you should do cardio 3 times a week and full-body workouts 3 times a week. Sounds like a lot, but once you drop the first 15 pounds or so, you can probably scale back the cardio and increase the intensity of your lifts and keep cutting.

FYI: I was 195 three years ago and got to 165 doing exactly what I outlined.

[Herrmann22]

Thanks Klinger for the advice, I'll keep all this in mind. As far as walking/biking to work, no deal. I live about 35 highway minutes from my office, then I am on the road all day visiting clients using my own car. Sorry! Nice thought though...

I know, I just have to eat better but I need to narrow down a bit more on the ratios. I am reading different threads on this now but being picky I am having trouble in my own mind planning future meals. In the past I got burned out on the same diet foods and lost interest. Like the Atkins plan for instance, I grew tired real quick of eating bacon, cheese, and eggs every meal! So that didn't last long. I want to naturally speed up my metabolism and do it without resorting to the "fad" diets which aren't very healthy.

Later

[Herrmann22]

:confused:

So, no takers yet? Hmmm I though this forum was more active!

[cursor]

Originally Posted by Herrmann22

If I struggle to even eat a decent lunch, how can I incorporate eating 3-4 meals during the day!? THAT is my problem in a nut shell, not to mention that I am a VERY picky eater. I don't like veggies and hardly any fruit. I can eat Bananas but that's about it. Oh, maybe Applesauce. Anyway, my problems over the years have been my lack for time to eat properly and the fact that I am very picky.

Meal timing: Set alarms and make appointments for yourself, just as if you were a customer. You come first.

Food choices: Start experimenting with new flavors. My guess is that you'll find that many things you think you don't like are based on childhood memories. Work at developing a mature perspective on food and on what your body needs. Developing a taste for those foods will come along. Scrap the damn "protein bars" and eat some real food -- focus on quality/lean protein and fibrous veggies. Cut back on the coffee & drink fresh water.
_

Originally Posted by Herrmann22

About 1:00-2:00pm I might break open yet another protein bar, along with some Applesauce, and maybe a V-8 to drink. That's it! When supper time get's here and I finally drive home I am STARVING and on edge. I am in a bad mood and tired. (I wonder why)

You're keeping your blood sugar high with all the packaged food that you're eating. Make some real meals ... with real food. It's really not hard at all. You MUST invest time, if your health is important to you.

Your problem is mindset. No one can do it for you. If you're on the road, then you have the time to eat. "Finger-food" is the way to go for the bulk of your meals (again ... scrap the worthless bars).

Did you read through all of the reference information that Lady C offered? What have you done to apply it?
_

Originally Posted by Herrmann22

:confused:
So, no takers yet? Hmmm I though[t] this forum was more active!

OK ... now how pro-active are you going to be? :

[Lady C]

There are portable solutions out there. I would start packing some hard boiled eggs and some carrot sticks. There is alot more value there nutritionwise than a protein bar. All I can suggest here is "Where there is a TRUE will there is a way!" You will find one.

Most people will not take the time to detail out a plan FOR you. You have to do most of the work - that is how you learn about nutrition. This is part where "how bad do YOU want this" comes into play.

[Herrmann22]

Originally Posted by cursor

Did you read through all of the reference information that Lady C offered? What have you done to apply it?
_

OK ... now how pro-active are you going to be? :

I have been reading through all the material and I want to be very pro-active. The first thing I need to do is investigate which foods I can eat and make a serious trip to the grocery store this weekend. I will start off with 2000 calories using the type of ratios mentioned in one of the threads who had the same body type as I do. (I forget the exact numbers) I will try to drink more water instead of coffee and limit the protein bars and eat real food when I can. I will lift three days a week and do cardio three days a week until I get my weight under control, then I might be able to do cardio only two days a week. I want to get to about 165 pounds, right now I am a tad over 190 and I hate it. Being only 5'8" you can't hide those extra pounds anywhere. Mostly, it's all in my gut. I seriously need to work on my mid-section. So thanks again folks for the advice. I know it's all up to me and how bad I want it. Well, I want it pretty bad and will follow the expert advice given here, based on my body type.

Thanks