Help me change my life (diet and weight training tips needed!)

[CRounder99]

Hello all,

First I’d like to say that I am new to these forums and by far this looks to be the best ones on bodybuilding and weight loss I have seen. I come to you all for help. I am a college student and in need of some serious lifestyle changes.

I’m around 6’0-6’1 and currently weigh 194 lbs. I have excess weight around my stomach and thighs and I have love handles. I have just recently started dieting (about a week ago) and lost 2 pounds in that week. I try to eat healthy foods like tuna, chicken, turkey, pretzels, and an assortment of fat free foods like Fat Free Fig Newtons, ect.

I need professional help on getting a diet together that a college student can maintain, and tips on how to get into weight training. I know that just diet alone will probably not give me the body I want so I would really like to join a gym and start lifting. But I figure I need to lose the gut before I start to lift? I have been doing cardio (running) for 20-30 min every few days, but I plan to step that up to everyday.

I have the willpower and desire; I just need a little help. Thank you to all those who take time to help me out and I really appreciate it.

 

[Swanson Smash]

and remember, building muscle is essential to burning fat

 

[CRounder99]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses so far. I'll check out that link.

 

[chesty]

You need to start to lift to lose the gut. Don't be afraid of the gym, the fact that you are doing something about your body is more than most ever do in a lifetime.

Train hard, diet hard. Diet is probably 75% of everything we (at least I) do in the gym to get to where I want to be.

 

[racoon_city]

diet is everything

 

[SgtSlaughter]

diet is everything

^^^^ OH YEAH ^^^^

whether you're looking to bulk up or cut up... diet is more than Essential!

read around the forums for awhile bro... welcome to EF!

 

[CRounder99]

^^^^ OH YEAH ^^^^

whether you're looking to bulk up or cut up... diet is more than Essential!

read around the forums for awhile bro... welcome to EF!

Thanks man, I'll look to see how I need to model my diet because I really need help knowing which are the best foods to eat and it what amounts.

 

[cyrex]

Hello all,

First I’d like to say that I am new to these forums and by far this looks to be the best ones on bodybuilding and weight loss I have seen. I come to you all for help. I am a college student and in need of some serious lifestyle changes.

I’m around 6’0-6’1 and currently weigh 194 lbs. I have excess weight around my stomach and thighs and I have love handles. I have just recently started dieting (about a week ago) and lost 2 pounds in that week. I try to eat healthy foods like tuna, chicken, turkey, pretzels, and an assortment of fat free foods like Fat Free Fig Newtons, ect.

I need professional help on getting a diet together that a college student can maintain, and tips on how to get into weight training. I know that just diet alone will probably not give me the body I want so I would really like to join a gym and start lifting. But I figure I need to lose the gut before I start to lift? I have been doing cardio (running) for 20-30 min every few days, but I plan to step that up to everyday.

I have the willpower and desire; I just need a little help. Thank you to all those who take time to help me out and I really appreciate it.

Forget fat free shit if Fat Free means MORE SUGAR

Props to you for taking the first step! Unlike other newbies first posts saying "Where can I find a source and is $5000 too much for 1 amp of sust?"
Karma to you!

 

[dce2956]

I'm in college too, and was even bigger when i came into school. For 2 years i tried to just get smaller, lose fat, diet, and never really lifted hard. I lifted more as a form of cardio. Sure, i lost some weight. But over the last 8 months i've focused on lifting HARD, and i've had better results than over the last 2 years. I'd say the first thing you can do would be to put some muscle on (i know, it sounds wierd, but in the long run it will REALLY help.)

In june '05 when i was somewhat ok with how i looked, i went to get my BMR calculated and i was told it was 1815 cals a day, for an active 20 year old. NOT GOOD!!! since then i've just been lifting my brains out with two cycles of the single factor 5x5, and wow has it helped. as for diet, i moved off campus so i've had much more controll on what i eat. are you still eating on campus?

 

[CRounder99]

I'm in college too, and was even bigger when i came into school. For 2 years i tried to just get smaller, lose fat, diet, and never really lifted hard. I lifted more as a form of cardio. Sure, i lost some weight. But over the last 8 months i've focused on lifting HARD, and i've had better results than over the last 2 years. I'd say the first thing you can do would be to put some muscle on (i know, it sounds wierd, but in the long run it will REALLY help.)

In june '05 when i was somewhat ok with how i looked, i went to get my BMR calculated and i was told it was 1815 cals a day, for an active 20 year old. NOT GOOD!!! since then i've just been lifting my brains out with two cycles of the single factor 5x5, and wow has it helped. as for diet, i moved off campus so i've had much more controll on what i eat. are you still eating on campus?

Actually no, I do not live on campus and do most of my eating from what I buy at the grocery store. I don't eat out a lot, except when I take the girlfriend somewhere then I try to get grilled fish or chicken. Is there any links that helped you get started in lifting? I know people do different parts of the body on different days, ect. but I'm not really sure on any specifics.

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

When you have your diet down a great way to track your cals is by using www.fitday.com, its free and is a must in my book.

 

[CRounder99]

When you have your diet down a great way to track your cals is by using www.fitday.com, its free and is a must in my book.

Thanks man, I appreciate the link.

 

[dce2956]

Fitday will definatly help you, also what i did once i moved out of the dorms was cook and portion out all my food for the next two or three days at a time. Every meal is planned for me, even the cheats. I try and do a week at a time for the planning, and cooked as much as i could hold in my gladware. Some of my favorite recipies are stir frys with some type of lean meat, and broccoli (i LOVE broccoli). Also, a george foreman grill makes a hell of a grilled chicken breast and there are hundreds of seasonings that you can put on one for variation. Thats pretty much what i've lived off of for the last 8 months, and it's been great.

I know people do different parts of the body on different days, ect. but I'm not really sure on any specifics.

on the topic of weight lifting, the following link is to Madcow2's site, which has loads and loads of very good information.

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/index.htm

i reccomend taking a few hours and going through ALL of it, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. the program that i would reccomend for you is the single factor 5x5. I personally think that the best way to work your body is as a whole. Not only do you burn a lot of calories with these types of compound movements, but you also add muscle which will raise your BMR. It will take a while for you to get used to, most people that train to lose weight don't work their body as a whole, and there are many suport muscles that have to get up to shape. You may even grow to love this type of lifiting, as i have in recent months (powercleans and squats are AWESOME!). Again, read up, absorb, and get ready for some hard work, that will in time become very enjoyable.

 

[cyrex]

Thanks man, I appreciate the link.

I'm working on something VERY similar except much higher quality and geared more toward body building rather than run of the mill weight loss with half right info