Kinda new and need some help..

[ramyers2]

Currently been in the gym about 5 days a week for about 3 weeks.. and totally reformed my diet and have been eating healthy with what appears to be the proper supplements.. l-glutamine, protein, NO-shotgun for the creatine and overall a total lifestyle change. I gained about 45 pounds since high school and am at 228 right now. I've lost 12 pounds in the last 3 weeks and am wondering long term goals. Is this weight water weight and will and can I expect to lose more? Also if I continue this diet and cardio/workout program when can I actually start to seeing some cuts or definition in my body. I know every person's body is different but maybe some general advice so I can continue to stick to this to get peeled by next summer... thanks again everyone.. this place helps more than you can imagine!!

:woohoo:

 

[Hurleyboy05]

First of all, congrats on the lifestyle changes, and the weight loss. You're headed in the right direction for sure. Now on to the info. Your supplements look good, I don't see a multivitamin listed, and that is an essential. As for your 12 lost pounds - yeah a lot of that is water weight, but 4 lbs a week is awesome. If I could drop 4 lbs a week while cutting I'd be in heaven. But it's a great start dude. My advise to you is to continue your routine for awhile (maybe adding new exercises every now and then, but mostly keeping it pretty regular) Once you've done this for a couple of months you'll hit a plateau. You'll notice the weight isn't coming off as fast, or at all. Don't worry this happens to everyone. What you do is change it up, find a new, and possibly more strenuous routine, and also tighten the diet up a bit more. Just shock you body a little because it too, will be used to your routine. If you do this correctly, you should start to see results again pretty quickly. It won't be 4 lbs a week, but 2-4 depending on how much effort you exert and how clean your diet is. I can't really say when you're gonna start getting shredded or ripped because, well, I have no idea what your body's make up/chemistry is, but sticking to a routine and a good diet will eventually get you there.

Keep it up man, I wish you the best!

 

[ramyers2]

hey thanks man.. like i said the diet has been slimmed down from the normal pizza wings and beer diet .. to oatmeal/eggs for breakfast.. snack of some type.. all wheat products for everything.. alot of turkey, chicken and tuna.. and of course the ever popular salad.. i know that i will continue to lose for a while because of how overweight i let myself get.. i could easily stand to lose 40 pounds of just plain body fat.. the only thing saving me is that i'm 6'1 and its not as noticeable.. and again like i said i hope to see the results.. took a while to become committed but i'm to the point where its time to change.. and for the vitamin.. i take b-12, vit. C and also fish oil and glutamine pills.. so does that cover the essentials.. and a mens one a day.. again appreciate the help.. this place is cool.. surrounded by knowledge and ppl that want to help.. good times...

 

[suncloud]

you're not loosing weight by doing cardio instead of weights are you? and welcome to the forums brotha.

 

[Hurleyboy05]

Essentials are covered man! And this is just my opinion from personal experience (I was once about 210 and got down to 160 one summer) but cardio is key. I forced myself out there whether it was walk/jog/run I made myself do it daily and the weight started falling off. It may not be the same for everyone, but cardio is definitely a powerful tool in the fight against extra weight.

Just keep bustin' ass in every workout session and I'm sure you'll get to where you wanna be pretty quick. Again, good luck dude!

Oh yeah, scour this site for info - there's more than you'll ever need for weight loss.

 

[ramyers2]

suncloud.. seems to be i'm breaking my workout up into a muscle group a day until i can find something that works.. but on my days i don't work my legs i hit the cardio hard.. maybe 30-45 minutes... but for the most part i want to at least get on the stationary bike for 10 to work on my heart rate.. and then most days i run between the treadmill/eliptical/stationary and get a good workout like that.. depends on how i feel. .but i try to do this about 4 days a week.. depending again on what workout i'm doing.. any other suggestions are much appreciated.. i'm figuring the weight is dropping from the diet alone.. i was eating bad and unhealthy things everyday.. but i figure the cardio will help drop it too then the weight work will kick in and start turnin it into some muscle for me..

 

[Zero V]

Welcome.

Biggest thing I will say, Don't over train or injure yourself because you want it done fast. Its not a race, its better to achieve your goals with all good health....most of us...we are the walking wounded lol.

congrats on moving your life forward in a beneficial manner, and starting the unendable addiction to Anabolic Minds....once you post, you just cant stop.

 

[ramyers2]

zero.. i was told to break it up and work only a muscle group a day to keep myself from over working my muscles.. and also to develop a routine of going to the gym on a regular basis.. and if i feel i'm too burnt out to run or get cramped up i don't push it.. i understand the recovery of the body and i'm not going to break myself.. just curious what everybody on here went thru time wise to get to the point that they are now.. like i said kinda new so just feelin out what i'm gettin myself into.. haha but thanks for everything!

 

[suncloud]

suncloud.. seems to be i'm breaking my workout up into a muscle group a day until i can find something that works.. but on my days i don't work my legs i hit the cardio hard.. maybe 30-45 minutes... but for the most part i want to at least get on the stationary bike for 10 to work on my heart rate.. and then most days i run between the treadmill/eliptical/stationary and get a good workout like that.. depends on how i feel. .but i try to do this about 4 days a week.. depending again on what workout i'm doing.. any other suggestions are much appreciated.. i'm figuring the weight is dropping from the diet alone.. i was eating bad and unhealthy things everyday.. but i figure the cardio will help drop it too then the weight work will kick in and start turnin it into some muscle for me..

again, welcome to the forums brotha. cardio definitely has its place in cutting. i have seen many people do this without weights, and lost an incredible amount of muscle in the process of loosing weight (remember muscle weighs more, and your body always wants to get rid of it first).

be sure if you're cutting (loosing weight) that your diet is adjusted appropriately. after workouts, try to eat only protein for as long as you can (a few hours or so).

most of us do protein and carbs to refuel our body, but for your goals, the calories in the carbs can cancel the weight loss benefits of cardio.

as far as breaking your workout into different muscle groups per day, you may want to look into Invalid Link Removed (link courtesy of neoborn). its a great way to increase strength, and burn fat at the same time.

your body always wants to get rid of muscle first. your body does not need to be fed carbs, like most of us (who are usually bulking). keep the protein high, and you will reach your goals. there are other total body workouts i can suggest that work better for dropping fat, but they're so intense i think the 5x5 is a better place to start.

at your height i don't think you want to be under 200 lbs is why i'm saying this. given that your body is used to carrying around that kind of weight naturally, why not have it be muscle?

anyways, its your choice, as always. i'm offering pointers as to what I would do, were i in your shoes. again, great job on the progress so far, and welcome.

we also have a weight loss section that will offer advice and keep you motivated. i hope you find everything you need here - this is an awesome community.