Help me create a plan please?

dcamell

Long story short, I've gone from 255 pounds at xmas, to 177 now, as a six foot tall male. Shrunk from a 2XL T-shirt to a medium, and size 44 jeans to 32. I'm thrilled, but lately, I hear "when are you going to stop?" and "you look almost -too- skinny."

Now, as one might imagine, I had a pretty drastic program to drop nearly eighty pounds in five months. I did the elliptical trainer at 7-8MPH for 35 minutes five days a week, halfway through the five months also started adding 4.5 mile walks five days of the week, and on each alternating day I'd do strength training like so:

Day A:
-Bicep Curls (3 sets of 12)
-Chest Press (3 sets of 12)
-Crunches (2 sets of 50)
-Push Ups (roughly 3 sets of 12, though it took time to build up to that.)

Day B:
-Pulldowns (3 sets of 12)
-Shoulders press (3 sets of 12)
(And, within the past week I've added the following, FINALLY)
-Leg extrensions (3 sets of 12)
-Leg press (3 sets of 12)

Along with all of this, I operated on the MFP app at a calorie limit of 1800 calories from Xmas to late february, and from there did 1650 until the present. I don't eat back any exercise calories.

Now, as I've said, I'm delighted at the numbers...both clothing size drops and the number on the scale. However, I feel like I'm at, or very near, what my goal weight for my height ought to be. I'm -sure- I could drop to 165, but from the remarks I've heard lately, some even here on the forum (I've got a before and after over in the success stories forum) I'm thinking that's probably not the way to go.

At the same time, I'm...a bit underwhelmed. I guess a part of me figured when I hit my goal weight, I'd just be all "Wow, I look great!" Instead, I've still got a bit of a love handle thing going on, my gut doesn't exactly look buff, and my arms, while a lot firmer and all, are kind of skinny, and I still feel fat over my biceps.

Suggestions aplenty have been made that I start looking to go the other direction, putting on muscle weight rather than losing fat. I might have just kept going at my current pace in spite of those thoughts, except that...I've noticed my strength gains in training plateaued two months ago, and on some days even decline: This past monday I was able to complete my usual 3 sets of chest presses at 145 pounds on the stack. Wednesday, I couldn't start at 145, or even 130, having to take it back to 115. I did two sets at that, and had to go down to 100 (!) for my final set, which sort of concerned me.

My calorie tracking has been saintly (I think I've spent less than seven days out of these five months as "cheat days" where I didn't track my calories.) but I question if I've been on such a significant deficit for so long (my TDEE at this stage, with the cardio levels I listed, is about 2600-2700) that I've sacrificed a lot of muscle with the fat. Part of me wants to keep losing more weight, to get down to 165 just to have a safety net to start bumping calories to build more muscle, but I think maybe the time to stop is now, and besides THAT, I think that within my limited calorie diet, I've done a poor job monitoring my protein intake.

My average diets have been more or less like so:

-Special K/Fiber One for breakfast
-A banana with breakfast
-2-3 Clif bars during my shift
-two or three hot dogs, a tin of sardines, or a small frozen pizza (200-340 calories)
-a couple low calorie funsy snacks before bed (low calorie pudding, a couple of rice cakes.)

Bullet points 3 + 4 are the only ones that contain protein, and probably not enough. I know I have kind of a crappy diet, but I'll never be the type to have a food scale or eat salads, half the reason I eat so many packaged foods is because they're -easy- to track calories for. Also, I'm lazy.

Now, at this point, as of this morning, I've decided to do three things and hope for seeing some strength and mass gains in the gym.

-First, I've purchased a 2# container of EAS whey protein. At 150 calories and 26g of protein a serving, this seems a sensible way to jumpstart my protein intake and hopefully improve my strength training gains (both aesthetically and quantitatively.) at the gym.

-Second, I've adjusted MFP app's daily calorie allotment to 2000, in part to allow a bit more wiggle room with the introduction of one (possibly two?) servings of the whey each day.

-Third, I've cut the elliptical out of my plan. I'll still be taking my four and a half mile walk each day, but I get the nagging feeling that too much cardio might be part of the reason I'm having trouble even maintaining weights.

So at this point, I've added whey, added a bit of calories (though still at a deficit) and cut back on cardio.

Should I expect to see more benefit from weight training now? Think adding 25-50g of protein will make bumping up plates more frequent and easier? And, should I add more weight lifting exercises to either or both of my days, keeping in mind I want to focus on toning my stomach, and getting bigger arms? Also, with this, or a modified plan, how long should I expect it to take to see pleasing results? Faster than it was to lose the weight? The same? Longer?

DavPul

cliffs?

Cburton1123

First off, congrats on your weight loss!! That's awesome! Everything you said is spot on. You need more protein. Your body, essentially, is tired of being in a deficit and you've lost muscle along with fat. Look for a good beginners weight lifting routine like 5x5 is always recommended. Building muscles takes time, just like losing weight.

RoseyDgirl

You definitely need more protein. You can't lift well without giving fuel for the muscles to work with.

I'm a beginner to the whole weight training peice but from what I've read so far from this site - is to try to have 100+ grams of protein in your diet on the days where you're lifting.

My recommendation is to get a blender and start making shakes. I have a shake in the morning (afterworkout) - mix with 1 scoop of Casein, and one scoop of whey. - make it with milk - add a peice of fruit. - and, the blender makes it smooth. This will give you 50 grams or so - The casein is slow release so that your body will work on processing the grams over an 7 hour period. The whey is faster to process - about 20 or so minutes -- for the quick fix after working out.

Stop starving your muscles!

Don't give up the Elliptical - it's not bad for you - it will help to keep taking away fat from your body and allow for more of the muscle definition to show. There's no reason why you can't change up your routine - put in a bike in there, or stairmaster - exercise different muscles - the variety will help to keep you burning the little remaining fat that you're working on.

Cliff bars? ... look for a better bar - one that has more protein, less sugar. There's plenty of health stores and websites that sell bars specifically designed for those who are following weight intensive programs.

The more protein and heavier lifting, the more you'll define those muscles and improve - There's some bodybuilding sites that are very specific about how much protein to take, and a formula to follow - of grams pers weight ... find the formula and follow it. And good luck. Keep us posted on how you do as you change up your eating plan.

-Rose

Capt_Apollo

here you go: http://www.strstd.com/

dcamell

5x5 isn't really an option for me...Planet Fitness is the only gym I can afford, and I'm hoping I'll be able to make reasonable gains on machines rather than free weights, which they don't have a great selection of aside from dumbells going up to 60 pounds. Most everything else is a machine of some sort.

Also...woudn't the brisk walk be adequate cardio upkeep? I know the elliptical is more intense, but every formula I run both exercises through shows the hour of walking to be better than half an hour of the elliptical, and frankly, the walk is more interesting, I hate moving in place for extended periods, need scenery.

Capt_Apollo

5x5 isn't really an option for me...Planet Fitness is the only gym I can afford, and I'm hoping I'll be able to make reasonable gains on machines rather than free weights, which they don't have a great selection of aside from dumbells going up to 60 pounds. Most everything else is a machine of some sort.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/902569-barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells

PikaKnight

5x5 isn't really an option for me...Planet Fitness is the only gym I can afford, and I'm hoping I'll be able to make reasonable gains on machines rather than free weights, which they don't have a great selection of aside from dumbells going up to 60 pounds. Most everything else is a machine of some sort.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/902569-barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells

^This.

There are lots of variations you can do with dumbbells.

steve0820

5x5 isn't really an option for me...Planet Fitness is the only gym I can afford, and I'm hoping I'll be able to make reasonable gains on machines rather than free weights, which they don't have a great selection of aside from dumbells going up to 60 pounds. Most everything else is a machine of some sort.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/902569-barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells

I agree!! If a barbell is not an option, then DB's or a progressive bodyweight routine is the way to go. Machines have there place for certain things, but I'm not a fan of them for a strength routine, even if there is progression. Too much isolation, and some of them put your body in compromising angles.

MyChocolateDiet

Long story short...

hilts1969

Long story short, I've gone from 255 pounds at xmas, to 177 now, as a six foot tall male. Shrunk from a 2XL T-shirt to a medium, and size 44 jeans to 32. I'm thrilled, but lately, I hear "when are you going to stop?" and "you look almost -too- skinny."

Now, as one might imagine, I had a pretty drastic program to drop nearly eighty pounds in five months. I did the elliptical trainer at 7-8MPH for 35 minutes five days a week, halfway through the five months also started adding 4.5 mile walks five days of the week, and on each alternating day I'd do strength training like so:

Day A:
-Bicep Curls (3 sets of 12)
-Chest Press (3 sets of 12)
-Crunches (2 sets of 50)
-Push Ups (roughly 3 sets of 12, though it took time to build up to that.)

Day B:
-Pulldowns (3 sets of 12)
-Shoulders press (3 sets of 12)
(And, within the past week I've added the following, FINALLY)
-Leg extrensions (3 sets of 12)
-Leg press (3 sets of 12)

Along with all of this, I operated on the MFP app at a calorie limit of 1800 calories from Xmas to late february, and from there did 1650 until the present. I don't eat back any exercise calories.

Now, as I've said, I'm delighted at the numbers...both clothing size drops and the number on the scale. However, I feel like I'm at, or very near, what my goal weight for my height ought to be. I'm -sure- I could drop to 165, but from the remarks I've heard lately, some even here on the forum (I've got a before and after over in the success stories forum) I'm thinking that's probably not the way to go.

At the same time, I'm...a bit underwhelmed. I guess a part of me figured when I hit my goal weight, I'd just be all "Wow, I look great!" Instead, I've still got a bit of a love handle thing going on, my gut doesn't exactly look buff, and my arms, while a lot firmer and all, are kind of skinny, and I still feel fat over my biceps.

Suggestions aplenty have been made that I start looking to go the other direction, putting on muscle weight rather than losing fat. I might have just kept going at my current pace in spite of those thoughts, except that...I've noticed my strength gains in training plateaued two months ago, and on some days even decline: This past monday I was able to complete my usual 3 sets of chest presses at 145 pounds on the stack. Wednesday, I couldn't start at 145, or even 130, having to take it back to 115. I did two sets at that, and had to go down to 100 (!) for my final set, which sort of concerned me.

My calorie tracking has been saintly (I think I've spent less than seven days out of these five months as "cheat days" where I didn't track my calories.) but I question if I've been on such a significant deficit for so long (my TDEE at this stage, with the cardio levels I listed, is about 2600-2700) that I've sacrificed a lot of muscle with the fat. Part of me wants to keep losing more weight, to get down to 165 just to have a safety net to start bumping calories to build more muscle, but I think maybe the time to stop is now, and besides THAT, I think that within my limited calorie diet, I've done a poor job monitoring my protein intake.

My average diets have been more or less like so:

-Special K/Fiber One for breakfast
-A banana with breakfast
-2-3 Clif bars during my shift
-two or three hot dogs, a tin of sardines, or a small frozen pizza (200-340 calories)
-a couple low calorie funsy snacks before bed (low calorie pudding, a couple of rice cakes.)

Bullet points 3 + 4 are the only ones that contain protein, and probably not enough. I know I have kind of a crappy diet, but I'll never be the type to have a food scale or eat salads, half the reason I eat so many packaged foods is because they're -easy- to track calories for. Also, I'm lazy.

Now, at this point, as of this morning, I've decided to do three things and hope for seeing some strength and mass gains in the gym.

-First, I've purchased a 2# container of EAS whey protein. At 150 calories and 26g of protein a serving, this seems a sensible way to jumpstart my protein intake and hopefully improve my strength training gains (both aesthetically and quantitatively.) at the gym.

-Second, I've adjusted MFP app's daily calorie allotment to 2000, in part to allow a bit more wiggle room with the introduction of one (possibly two?) servings of the whey each day.

-Third, I've cut the elliptical out of my plan. I'll still be taking my four and a half mile walk each day, but I get the nagging feeling that too much cardio might be part of the reason I'm having trouble even maintaining weights.

So at this point, I've added whey, added a bit of calories (though still at a deficit) and cut back on cardio.

Should I expect to see more benefit from weight training now? Think adding 25-50g of protein will make bumping up plates more frequent and easier? And, should I add more weight lifting exercises to either or both of my days, keeping in mind I want to focus on toning my stomach, and getting bigger arms? Also, with this, or a modified plan, how long should I expect it to take to see pleasing results? Faster than it was to lose the weight? The same? Longer?

I am 6 foot 2 and currently weigh 174 pounds so you are not too light by any means, your weight loss is such that people will think you are too skinny it is just a natural assumption don't listen to them, as for your diet add more protein as others have said, proper greek yoghurt(fage) boiled eggs, chicken should be in your diet daily

With regards the gym i do cardio and weights together for time purposes and build it around a pull day/ push day

dont start with bicep curls or any small muscle group

my regime is

lat pulldown, 5 min walk treadmill, rows, 30 min run treadmill, chin ups, leg extension, bicep curls

chest press, 5 min walk treadmill, fly, 20 min run treadmill, dips, leg press, shoulder press

alll the above based on 3x10 with a minute rest in between sets but a fourth set after 30 secs to failure

if i stall on a weight at a certain discipline say chest press i drop set which has worked great so far

dcamell

I return with more questions and thoughts.

First, and perhaps most importantly, I learned what a smith machine is today. Yeah, I'm that inexperienced, for most of the five months I've been at Planet Fitness I looked at half the equipment as if they were alien torture devices with no clue to their uses. After snapping a picture and googling around, I figured out that these machines at the gym are, essentially, less effective forms of free weights.

Can I see results with a smith machine? I know it won't ever be as effective as free weights, but with a capacity of about 700 pounds total on the bar, I should still be able to work out a -reasonably- effective routine of squats, dead lifts, and bench pressing with these, right?

Secondly, and this one's probably pretty important...let's assume I have the time and willpower to do every last one of my strength exercises in a given day. Most have seen the split I had in my first post, but my concern is that with that mix, I'm working some of the same muscle groups every day. Especially as a currently fairly light lifter, I gather that if I -were- working the same groups every day, they wouldn't have time to heal and grow stronger. Is it sensible in any sense of the word to simply do -all- of my strength training exercises in one day, and take the next day off? I suppose I could at least segregate abs and legs from the rest of the workouts to create a second workout day, but it'd still be very short comparatively.

Finally, I'll be looking into something other than the Clifs. They're cheap, and regrettably the ones that look effective are less so, but I'm going to at least see if my grocery store carries Quest bars or anything with a more protein-heavy and sugar-light composition. I think I'm also going to start hard-boiling a dozen eggs every week and toss em in the fridge for a bit more protein.