Advice from the health & fitness guru's

Finally came to the point and need to get on a healthy/fitness routine. Never really had to worry about it before but with my work/school schedule (work 70hrs +/- a week/9.5 credit hours) I'm gaining weight.

I have never had a health/fitness routine and have no idea where to start. So my question is where do I start with diet and fitness? I would like to loose around 25lbs and tone/bulk up.

Thanks.
-Sean

i personally fine it hard to bulk up when school is in session, there just isnt enough time to do the crazy work outs to beef up. BUT there are ways to tone up by doing as little as 30-60 min work outs a day. 80% of your results comes from nutrition, so as long as you eat right your body should not lose any muscle but instead maintain its muscle tone if not increase it. but dont ask me about my diet, everyone has their opinions and are different but when it comes down to it, pure white meat, less sodium, and your good to go

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

i personally fine it hard to bulk up when school is in session, there just isnt enough time to do the crazy work outs to beef up. BUT there are ways to tone up by doing as little as 30-60 min work outs a day. 80% of your results comes from nutrition, so as long as you eat right your body should not lose any muscle but instead maintain its muscle tone if not increase it. but dont ask me about my diet, everyone has their opinions and are different but when it comes down to it, pure white meat, less sodium, and your good to go

I know my schedule just seems to getting crazier and crazier. I definately need to slim down and tone up.

If I were to focus on those areas what fitness routine should I start following? Is there an ideal diet to follow to obtain this goal?

Also I am 23 yrs old / 6' tall / 190/195lbs

-Sean

well i guess i'll shine in my diet and work out routine, im basically in the same boat as you (25 units, 15 hours a week job).

first off limit your carb intake, if anything i have a bowl of rice or cereal once a day, every other day.

have 5 small meals through out the day (usually every 2 hours). I know this one is the most trouble some cause with me I can only get 2-3 REAL meals throughout the day since im in class most of the time, so usually in between class I just gulp down a power bar or 2. when it comes to eating, eat stuff that are low or no salt at all. make sure you use olive oil to cook instead of vegetable oil. when ur going out to eat and your forced to go to a fancy restaurant with saucy food, order seafood that should be the perfect balance.

forget drinks, not even sports drinks u'll never lose squat if you believe in that. buy those huge water jugs and go through at least one jug once a day (keeps your body hydrated and nutrients flowing in your system)

work out 3-4 times a week, and rest every other day. just one body part once a week, ( i suck at running and i only run once a week and i still mange to get a 6 pack). heres my schedule

day one: run early in the day... then Chest, Deltoids, Thighs
day three: Back, Shoulders, Calves
day five: Biceps, Triceps, Abs
day seven: (these are optional to work out since most of your work outs incorporate them but if you want to focus and isolate them, lower back, obliques, forearm).

each of these days should take no more than an hour and a half

this whole "school season" work out i actually end up losing weight, fat and muscle, within 3 months I lose up to 15 lbs (when i first started back when i was chubby i went from a fat 190lbs to a lean 160 with a 6 pack in 2 months, but if you're toned to begin with you lose weight slower), and i gain it all back usually during the vacation when i get more time to work out.

hope this helps. By the way they usually call this the south beach diet but i kinda tweaked it a little

edit:the best food to eat is all meat, chicken breast and fish but even that can get boring so mix it up a bit and try different styles. Seafood in general is healthy and if you get hungry throughout the day still, eat fruits to fill ur stomach up

Originally Posted by Myster

I know my schedule just seems to getting crazier and crazier. I definately need to slim down and tone up.

If I were to focus on those areas what fitness routine should I start following? Is there an ideal diet to follow to obtain this goal?

Also I am 23 yrs old / 6' tall / 190/195lbs

-Sean

thats a perfect weight for 6' tall... i wouldnt loose weight if i was you, i would just go and build muscle

I appreciate all the info and routine info. Got to get toned up, got to get myself in shape before it goes any further. Are there any additional fitness/health/diet suppressants I should do to help?

Thanks again.
-Sean

If using a gym routine like mentioned above, would there be any advantage of trying out the tae bo type of workouts when around the house?

dont go tae bo, your a man! not a *****! haha jk, well the only thing id say to do around the house is crunches and stretching. Also when your working out dont stretch until after the work out. I know some people say to stretch before and after, but since your press for time you dont want to lose strength cause thats what stretching does. Just take it easy and do it right. and no supplements!!

umm if you want to just read up on some stuff I would highly recommend http://www.askmen.com

Some really great articles on there, just click on health and sports then go to the archives


Clearly you are a busy person, so a full routine probably will not work, but you can always eat better... stop hitting the junk food, cut down on sweets and fatty foods, eat more fruits/vegetables.

Most of the time eating junk food is just plain easier - especially when you do not have time to sit down for a real meal. You might want to pick up some meal supplements (perhaps in bar or shake form). I have some and they are healthy and keep you going and really easy to make - it would be good just to have something to tide you over

Suppressants... whole grain foods, they will keep you full for longer

Originally Posted by bmwstephen

well i guess i'll shine in my diet and work out routine, im basically in the same boat as you (25 units, 15 hours a week job).

first off limit your carb intake, if anything i have a bowl of rice or cereal once a day, every other day.

Carbs are just as important as proteins and fats. Its about managing the right carbs, not cutting them out of your diet or limiting that low.

have 5 small meals through out the day (usually every 2 hours). I know this one is the most trouble some cause with me I can only get 2-3 REAL meals throughout the day since im in class most of the time, so usually in between class I just gulp down a power bar or 2. when it comes to eating, eat stuff that are low or no salt at all. make sure you use olive oil to cook instead of vegetable oil. when ur going out to eat and your forced to go to a fancy restaurant with saucy food, order seafood that should be the perfect balance.

forget drinks, not even sports drinks u'll never lose squat if you believe in that. buy those huge water jugs and go through at least one jug once a day (keeps your body hydrated and nutrients flowing in your system)

work out 3-4 times a week, and rest every other day. just one body part once a week, ( i suck at running and i only run once a week and i still mange to get a 6 pack). heres my schedule

day one: run early in the day... then Chest, Deltoids, Thighs
day three: Back, Shoulders, Calves
day five: Biceps, Triceps, Abs
day seven: (these are optional to work out since most of your work outs incorporate them but if you want to focus and isolate them, lower back, obliques, forearm).

Your routine needs some work, like where are your leg workouts, and don't say running, b/c running does not build muscle.

each of these days should take no more than an hour and a half

Depending on your intisity, or volume, 90 minutes is pushing it, from looking at your routine, it shouldn't take much more than 60 minutes, you could be overtraining and close to hitting a plateau.

this whole "school season" work out i actually end up losing weight, fat and muscle, within 3 months I lose up to 15 lbs (when i first started back when i was chubby i went from a fat 190lbs to a lean 160 with a 6 pack in 2 months, but if you're toned to begin with you lose weight slower), and i gain it all back usually during the vacation when i get more time to work out.

Its considered healthy to drop 1-2 lbs of fat a week while cutting, anymore than that, and you're more than likely losing muscle mass as well w/o a doubt. so for a 2 month period, you should have dropped from 190, to 174. Thats 16 lbs of fatloss. 160 would mean you would have to be dropping close to 4 pounds a week or so, way too fast unless you were extremely fat for your height which I dunno how tall you actually are.

hope this helps. By the way they usually call this the south beach diet but i kinda tweaked it a little

edit:the best food to eat is all meat, chicken breast and fish but even that can get boring so mix it up a bit and try different styles. Seafood in general is healthy and if you get hungry throughout the day still, eat fruits to fill ur stomach up

Just some thoughts on what you posted bro

As for the original poster, just give this forum a quick search, plenty of useful, but basic information can be found

im 5'7, and my body size fluctuates, I usually gain muscle quick and easily on the diet im on, but i think ive reached my maximum height, so if i gain any more muscle i tend to look short and wide. which is why i sometimes lose muscle too in order to maintain a beach body physique. my diet works on me and im sticking to it. post your diet on here to it should help. everyone is different. Some say atkins diet works some end up gaining more what, tomatoe potatoe

The reason a person gains everything you lost and more back on low carb diets is because once you start eating carbs again after you reach your goal, which you should since there is evidence showing risks to a low carb lifestyle, you're essentially shocking your body into carbs. I've posted my diet a couple of times already, but that shouldn't matter much since diets are different for different people and their goals. I could however copy/paste some basic info or general rules people should follow more or less that I have from a couple PMs I've sent out so I'm not writing everything over...

If you're not too "fat", I would advise you to clean bulk, to put on some lean muscle mass, then do a small cut to get rid of w/e fat you gained during your clean bulk while minimizing muscle loss. You should try to consume most of your carbs during the early part of the day, then DECREASE your intake by night, while doing the opposite for the fats (small amount of fats consumed during the day, and INCREASE it by night) with at least 5-6 meals a day to keep your metabolism fast. Reason for being is you want the carbs for energy throughout the day, and the healthy fats for night time to help slow the digestion and breakdown of protein to help prevent muscle loss or build muscle mass as you sleep depending on whether you're cutting or bulking. Think of all 3, protein/carbs/fats, as a tripod. If one fails, the other 2 fall. You need a healthy balance of all 3. Also drink plenty of water. If you'd like to supplement with proteins, you need whey protein (fast absorbing) for your breakfast and post workout shake, and a casein protein (slow absorbing) for when you go to bed. For example, for breakfast, make a whey protein shake with plain oats if you're on the go. PWO shake would consist of a whey/maltodextrin/dextrose mixture for optimal results. You really shouldn't be having your PWO shake as your last meal if you're working out at night. Try to get in atleast another full meal before you go to sleep. A good pre-bedtime meal is some cottage cheese and some almounds. You could also throw in some flaxseed oil to supplement with if you're not getting enough EFA's from your regular meals throughout the day. Or, have a casein protein shake. I recommend optimum nutrition simply b/c they can't be beat imo. Their protein is top notch in my book, and cheap. a 10 lbs. bag goes for $48 online, that's a steal. If, and when you buy supplements, get them from either 1fast400.com or bulknutrition.com (they're one in the same). They have the best prices on just about anyhting.

I have searched the forum, my issue is I have never truely had a work out routine once I left high school. I am trying to learn where to start building from.

Thanks again for all the info and appreciate any other info!
-Sean