I'm a beginner to dieting and exercise and need help, please

imperiousham

I'm a 31 yo man weighing 186 lbs at 5'5". I want to go down to at least 150 lbs and build muscle. I work overnight and I'm exhausted all the time. I need some advice on meal prepping meals that are healthy and can help me. Also an exercise plan that I can do at home with dumbbells and a bench

AnnPT77

I started around your size, in my case 5'5" and 186 pounds. The big difference is that I'm female and around 3x your age. 😆

Doesn't matter. The formula is the same.

As background: Fat loss and muscle gain are to some extent competing goals. In one case you're trying to add tissue (muscle) which happens best in a calorie surplus, i.e. conditions of weight gain. In the other case, you're trying to lose tissue (fat), which happens best in a calorie deficit, i.e., conditions of weight loss. The two are hard to balance.

If you're new to strength training, you might be able to gain some muscle - and certainly can gain strength - through a good progressive strength training, and an eating routine that delivers overall good nutrition (especially but not exclusively ample protein), alongside a small calorie deficit, i.e., slow loss rate. That has at least some potential for progress on both fronts, but it's relatively slow for either of the two.

Alternatively, you could pursue one goal or the other first, and soft-pedal the other until the first is going well. (Often, it'll work well to lose weight through a calorie deficit - not crazy extreme in this case either - while strength training to retain muscle, then shift to prioritizing muscle gain once you're getting close to a good body fat level, probably not super lean but healthy body fat.)

There's a thread here with strength programs other MFP-ers have found helpful:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

Depite the title, it does include some bodyweight programs that can be done with minimal/no equipment if you don't have gym access or equipment at home.

This thread also has helpful background:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10920257/how-to-set-up-a-weightlifting-routine

Extreme calorie deficits for fast fat loss are nearly always detrimental, with possible exceptions for someone who is so severely obese that their body weight is in itself a health threat, and who are under medical supervision for nutritional deficiencies or health complications. As a 31 y/o male at BMI 30.9, it's highly unlikely that you're in that category. In a case like yours, fast loss is likely to be detrimental because of probable lean tissue loss, increased health risks, depleted energy and more.

Best wishes!

nossmf

There are two main ways to appear more muscular:

Gain muscle
Lose fat hiding existing muscle

Usually, the second option is not only easier to accomplish, but also faster. Use the above linked threads to select/build a strength training plan to keep the muscle you already have, and otherwise focus on losing fat in a steady, controlled manner. Your goal should be a year from now, not six weeks, as slow progress sustained over months yields large results with much better chances of sticking to it, where crash diets or explosive workouts have high chances of burn out and abandonment.

PAV8888

Also explore reason for being exhausted all the time.

Maybe you already know why (lack of appropriate sleep due to shift work, type of work which involves as lot of activity, etc) in which case this may not be relevant.

But there do exist medical conditions that can contribute or cause you to be tired and not all of them can/should be ignored.

Strudders67

I agree with PAV8888 as being exhausted and needing a mid afternoon nap at weekends was a common occurrence in the early days after my diabetes diagnosis. If I could have had a nap at work in the week, I probably would have done that too.

Getting my diet more balanced - more protein, moderate healthy fats, less carbs in my case - got me back on track and it may well be that, as you start logging your food & drink intake, you realise that your diet is perhaps skewed heaviliy to one macro at the detriment of others. You may also find that doing some exercise helps you sleep better too. If not, consider talking to a GP.

Definitely ensure you get sufficient protein if you start doing any lifting or body weight exercises as it'll help with maintaining energy and repairing muscle.

With meal prepping, I'd start with finding out what you like that's nutritionally balanced. Then, if you can, next time you make that meal cook a much larger batch and freeze a few portions. After trail and error to see what works for me and is a good balance of calories, protein, carbs etc, my freezer is full of portion-sized bags & containers of various curries, stirfries (different meats & prawns and different sauces or seasonings for each, with added veg even if the recipe didn't ask for any), bolognese, chilli (both of which usually get lentils added to them to add more protein and fibre), a chicken, bean & leek traybake which I really like, a smoky, herbed chicken and tomato dish, tagines, fish pie and cottage pie (more fish/meat & veg, less potato on top in my case). All get made on a regular basis. As we head into winter, I'll add stews and casseroles to my list. These intersperce the days when I'll have grilled or baked chicken breast, a pork chop, a steak, a salmon fillet or just an omelette and salad. It's not a lot more effort to make a bigger bowl of chilli than to make a single meal - and 7 portions get added to the freezer. By bulk cooking I have less food waste and more dishes to choose from, as it's really easy to take something out of the freezer and have it defrost whilst you're at work or out.

I've pretty much stopped eating pasta, rice and potates at home and instead I have a base of vegetables on my plate - the bulk fills me up and it's lower in calories and carbs, which is what I'm aiming for. A couple of days' worth can be prepped and cooked at a time, so that they just need to be heated up. If it helps, you can cook rice, pasta and (boiled or mashed) potatoes in bulk and freeze them in portion sizes too. They'll reheat in a microwave or you can add defrosted rice or pasta to a pot of defrosted curry, bolognese or whatever if you reheat one of those on the stove.