A Brother In Need....ADVICE NEEDED!

[Zackoz]

Ok, Im gona need a big favour from someone...in terms of helping me get my brother in good shape. I cant get him to join this forum yet he wants me to help him get in shape so Im asking you guys for advice so that I can help him on his way.

He is 22 years old, about 6ft and weights 17-18 stone. He doesnt look hugely overweight to look at him but he is a big guy...very bulky. He eats on average one to two meals a day...does no training at the moment, but he wants to start up and lose weight and become aesthetically pleasing LOL.

Can anyone please advise me on what he should be doing in terms of diet, weight training and cardio? He basically wants to look nice and toned/lean. He understands it will be a long process but really wants to get there.

I know Im asking a lot but if anyone could provide me with the information in as much detail as possinle I would be very grateful!!!!!!!

Thanks in advance!

[mike314]

He eats on average one to two meals a day

mistake number one

does no training at the moment

mistake number two

your body needs atleast 3 solid meals a day. If you dont give it 3 meals a day you slow down your metabolism causing you to retain your weight. So start eating. But be wise at what you eat, a good balance of fats, carbs and lots of protein. this doesnt mean go nuts on junk food. try to keep total grams of fat per day to between 30-45grams a day.

As for working out, start out with some easy cardio. Running, biking or swimming for example. Start out light and easy and slowly build your way up. If you want to tone your body then add some weight training to your workout. ex bicept curls, bench press, squats etc...

as a general rule of thumb you should try to workout atleast 3-4 times a week. Keep workouts to around 45-50 minutes, but on your first week keep it to around 30 minutes and build on that.

Always stretch before your workout to prevent injury.

[LiftGirl]

He should start out by tracking his diet for a few days, using something like Fitday. If he wants to lose weight, he'll need to create a slight calorie deficit through diet and/or cardio.

Two full-body weight training workouts a week (working every muscle group) and two or cardio sessions a week would be a great way to start out.

[Zackoz]

Should he be eating 6 meals a day to speed up metabolism? When I say meals I mean portions of food...one could be a piece of fruit for example...?

[mike314]

Should he be eating 6 meals a day to speed up metabolism?

wow, slow down their buddy. If he is used to eating 1-2 meals a day then a jump to 6 will seem strange. For one solid week start eating 3 medium sized meals, finish your plate every day for every meal. Then on week two make the meals slightly smaller and eat 4 times a day: breakfast, small lunch, small post lunch, dinner.

stay on that 4 meal plan for 2-3 weeks then jump into eating 6 SMALL (keyword in all of this is SMALL) meals. What constitues a small meal? well for breakfast a bowl of oatmeal and two slices of wheat bread or some fruit is ideal.

for your post workout meal a baked potato with a small serving of veggies (think the size of your fist) or a piece of lean meat and some fruit.

a good tip is one of the six should be after your workout and one should be before your sleep. Remember when your on the six meals a day schedule if you feel hungry then eat. I'll say that again if you feel hungry then eat. Starving yourself will not lead to weight loss. Feed hunger fight cravings.

you should be calculating your calorie intake as well, aim for 2700 a day and most important of all your total fat intake should be around 30-40 grams a day. That means on Nutrition facts where it says Total Fat your sum amount should be around 30-40 for the day. Stay away from food that has transfat in it. But remember just because food doesnt have trans fat doesnt mean its healthy. Saturated fat is just as bad.

always remember people who just dive into things without working your way up are usually setting themselves up for failure.

as for the workouts, if you have some extra cash, find a personal trainer. Most people will follow a workout plan but they might be doing incorrect form. A personal trainer will see you doing your form and correct you where needed, whereas no one on this forum can see you doing your sets. Bad form leads to injury which leads to recovery time which leads to loss of workouts which causes most to quit.

always stick with it, dont quit. It will take some time to see results, but if you stick with it you'll love the results.

[minime]

whoa whoa mike... why the fat bashing?!!

first things first.. on a 2700 calorie diet 30grams of fat would make up 10 percent of the calories... BAD.

secondly saturated fat is NOT as bad as trans fat! Saturated fat in small doses is actually necessary for your body. So don't go throwing away all those egg yolks!

also, the breakfast you suggested is hardly ideal, but rather is a 'carb fest' with no protein or fat, not a balanced meal. A better idea would be an omelet with veggies, oatmeal and a handful of nuts/nut butter.

the calorie advice is solid (17 - 18 stone = 238-251lb) but here is what i would suggest for him to begin with :

aim to get 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight (many get far more than this, but depending on his current diet this could seem like a TON to start out with)

aim to get 0.4 - 0.5 gram of fat per lb of bodyweight

fill in the rest with carbs, mostly from veggies with starchy carbs stationed around workouts only, or in the morning.

this would come to 240 gram protein, 100 grams of fat, and 200 grams of carbs (approx), making up about 2700 calories.

the meals should be simple : take some meat or eggs or fish.. add some vegetables... and some fat (olive oil, nuts, seeds) and if you are having a starchy carb make it a good one : sweet potatoes and oats are ideal sources, but all whole grains are good.

A 2 or 3 day full body weight routine should be a good way for him to start out. Personal trainer would be great, but then again make sure you are getting a good one. However the PT is not necessary : you can go without. Ive never had one : i am 'self taught' that is i spent (still spend) a lot of time on the internet doing 'research'

Good luck to your brother : i hope that he decides to come join us, tell him not to be scared we dont bite lol.

[mike314]

why the fat bashing?!!

first things first.. on a 2700 calorie diet 30grams of fat would make up 10 percent of the calories... BAD.

secondly saturated fat is NOT as bad as trans fat! Saturated fat in small doses is actually necessary for your body. So don't go throwing away all those egg yolks!

I'll admit, I really rushed my post and these were just some small suggestions but the ideal that I'm trying to drive home is that most people starting out on new diets tend to still take in foods high in fat and low protein. Also for most people upon hearing that saturated fat is ok in some cases, they tend to overload on it causing 0 weight loss. Fat in general is neccessary for your body to function, but not too much!


again, Zackoz no one diet plan or workout plan fits everyone. What works for me and what works for minime might not work for you, but the ideal is to get you on our level of thinking when it comes to dieting/working out. You should try to learn as much as you can from others and try out these workouts/diets.

remember this will not be easy its a complete lifestyle change, but the rewards are GREAT!!!

[LiftGirl]

I agree with minime. Fat should be around 20-30%, with no more than 10% being saturated fat. Try to choose mostly healthy fats. You want fats that are liquid at room temperature (in general).

[Zackoz]

Thanks for all the advice guys. What kinds of foods should he be eating? Things such as chicken, pasta, salad, fuit etc?

[minime]

Zack : i outlined how to construct the easy-healthy-meals

1. take a meat/fish/eggs

2. add a veg

3. add a fat source (olive oil, nuts, seeds, egg yolk if eating eggs)

4. add a starchy carb (oats, sweet potato, brown rice etc) if its around workouts

sample meals:
1. omelette (3 whole + 3 whites.. add veggies,ham, little cheese..)

2. big salad with chicken and olive oil dressing

3. 5oz steak, mixed veg, handful nuts

4. Oatmeal with peanut butter, whey protein

5. cottage cheese with walnuts mixed in

6. 5oz salmon with mixed veg

[minime]

oh and yes, fruits are good : fruit is natures dessert

post workout, whey and a banana is good.