Cutting V Bulking or Both??

[ibz2004]

Originally Posted by westside24

well you made the attempt, thats what counts, now you just gotta make adjustments... it happens to all of us. well not that exact problem but yea.

I take it your vegetarian... is dairy out for you or no? plenty of whole milk and cottage cheese, yogurt... also beans

Im no vegeterian....i love the meat!..but there is no pattern in my diet when it comes to meat...i will eat it whenever it comes along and that is usually every other day. What would you recommend? i cant live without chicken lol

[westside24]

chicken is great, and about the most inexpensive meat there is, depending on sales...

Boneless skinless breast... marinade them, make fajitas with them, Chicken cordeon bleu, bacon stuff breast, whatever you wanna do... I buy all my meat between 2 grocery stores whatever has sales on whatever,,, if theyre both having sales on different meats, ill get both...

another thing a buddy of mine told me, is to invest in a cow... call or get ahold of a local farmer and purchase a cow from them, and have it butchered a local butcher, youll save soooooo much money that way, as long as you have the room for it. actually this is how people did it back in the day, there was no such thing really as grocery super stores, people would have meat lockers at there local butchers and store all there meat they bought straight from the farm...

Generally, just buy whats cheap, even if its super fatty hamburger meat, dont break yourself trying to eat like a champ...

[ibz2004]

Originally Posted by westside24

? plenty of whole milk and cottage cheese, yogurt... also beans

Beans as in green beans? What about Heinz baked beans....the prime ingredient in every british meal lol

Also aint Whole Milk too fattening? I usually stick to semi skimmed. Or is fat just fat and it doesnt matter where it comes from aslong as its limited in the diet??

[Firehawk]

In my opinion, I'd focus on bulking or cutting, not both. You sound like a beginner, so wait until you know your body well and are more experienced before you try to do both.

[ibz2004]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

In my opinion, I'd focus on bulking or cutting, not both. You sound like a beginner, so wait until you know your body well and are more experienced before you try to do both.

Hey there Firehawk. Yeh i have re-assessed by goals and im quite happy with my size so its just cutting/shaping for now. I have always trained both cardio & weights on and off but never scientifically until now (ie with a schedule and diet plan).

Its been a few weeks since doing the HIIT cardio and it is going good. Still reading on weights plan.

[ibz2004]

is a Max OT Weights Plan recommended for cutting?

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by ibz2004

Beans as in green beans? What about Heinz baked beans....the prime ingredient in every british meal lol

Also aint Whole Milk too fattening? I usually stick to semi skimmed. Or is fat just fat and it doesnt matter where it comes from aslong as its limited in the diet??

Green beans are good for you, but not high in protein. Black beans, pinto beans, baked beans, etc are high in protein as well as fiber. Just make sure that the sugar in the baked beans fits into your nutrition plan carb-wise.

Fat isn't necessarily what makes you fat. Too many calories makes you fat. I wouldn't say fat needs to be limited, but if you choose whole milk, you need to make sure the amount of fat fits into your overall plan.

[hellpup]

Hey IBZ, I don't see why you can't both add muscle mass and lose more body fat at the same time if you're willing to watch your diet and exercise closely, but it sounds like you've already got that down.

My advice:

Get a scale and electronic body fat meter and check your weight and body fat every morning. Electronic bf meters aren't very accurate, but will help you see if you're increasing or decreasing your bf as your weight changes and you can adjust your diet accordingly. Look for a bf meter that has an "athlete" setting, since the normal setting is calibrated for sedentary people.

Make sure you get enough sleep every night (very important!).

Your diet is okay, but I'd recommend eating your heavy carb meals (i.e. pasta) early in the day and for dinner, have a lighter meal with some meat and two or three servings of veggies (preferably raw or lightly steamed).

To put on muscle mass, you probably need to lift more than two days a week. Maybe a split routine like this:

Day 1: Chest/shoulders/triceps, 30 min cardio
Day 2: Legs/back/biceps
Day 3: 80 min cardio
Day 4: Chest/shoulders/triceps, 30 min cardio
Day 5: Legs/back/biceps

Your weight lifting workouts should be intense but relatively short -- less than an hour, preferably under 45 min.

If you can work it into your schedule, consider doing cardio at a different time of day than lifting. You can do cardio every day if you have the energy for it.

-Don