Help me with my diet

[SuppKnight]

I was 200 lbs this past July 28. As of today, August 23, I am 190 lbs, meaning I lost 10 lbs in a little less than a month.

The following is my diet plan:

1. Basketball 3 days a week: Wednesdays and Fridays I shoot-around, do dribble drills, and run the court for 1 hour; Saturdays I play 4-on-4 for 3 to 4 hours. That's a total of about 6 hours a week.

2. I take Leviathan Re-loaded and Hydroxycut Hardcore, alternating between them each week. I alternate because HH works much better for me in suppressing my appetite and as a thermogenic, but the side effects are harsh (diarrhea, headaches and dehydration).

3. I eat the same as I did before, but stopped drinking cola, and stopped eating after 7:30 p.m.


That's it. That's my diet. I honestly can't believe I lost 10 lbs doing only that, especially seeing as I was 220 lbs 1 year ago. Those first 20 lbs I lost without dieting at all, just playing a little b-ball here and there, so it took me 1 year. But in total I am 30 lbs skinnier than a year ago.

Thing is, I know there will come a time when my weight loss will taper off, and I will really have to start a strict diet, or double my exercise output, and what I need help with is in identifying that plateau.

Can I lose 10 more lbs doing what I am doing before it gets harder? 20 more lbs? Or should I already start doing more? What do you guys (and gals) recommend?

 

[rolandajoint]

what are your goals exactly? to just drop as much weight as possible, or to maintain your muscle mass while cutting fat?

and if youre getting those sides from hydroxycut, why continue? not to mention LR is a far superior product IMO.

you say you stop eating after 730, there is no need for this. normally, people cut out carbs from their meals later in the day because insulin levels are lower. in order to keep your metabolism running at full speed, you gotta be eating a meal or snack every 2-3 hours. snack on some walnuts, almonds, or any dried nuts. a good source of fat and fiber and will suppress your appetite. your nighttime snack could be some fat free cottage cheese.

hope this helps man. let me know if you have any more questions.

2 years ago i was at 230, probably 20+% bf. now im 176 and around 12-13. keep up the hardwork as you seem to be doing great so far. and yeah, as you get lower, youll hit plateaus and need to change stuff up. ie diet, cardio, training, etc etc.

 

[SuppKnight]

what are your goals exactly? to just drop as much weight as possible, or to maintain your muscle mass while cutting fat?

and if youre getting those sides from hydroxycut, why continue? not to mention LR is a far superior product IMO.

you say you stop eating after 730, there is no need for this. normally, people cut out carbs from their meals later in the day because insulin levels are lower. in order to keep your metabolism running at full speed, you gotta be eating a meal or snack every 2-3 hours. snack on some walnuts, almonds, or any dried nuts. a good source of fat and fiber and will suppress your appetite. your nighttime snack could be some fat free cottage cheese.

hope this helps man. let me know if you have any more questions.

2 years ago i was at 230, probably 20+% bf. now im 176 and around 12-13. keep up the hardwork as you seem to be doing great so far. and yeah, as you get lower, youll hit plateaus and need to change stuff up. ie diet, cardio, training, etc etc.

Thanks.

Well, I keep using Hydroxycut Hardcore because I can actually feel it. Even though the sides are bad, I can feel the jitters and the thermo effect. With L-R, I just don't feel anything. I can even drink a Coke or 2 (thus adding caffeine), and still not get the jitters. I guess I need to feel something to get the sense that the product is working.

As for my goal, I want to be much skinnier, but also cut (not huge like a wrestler), I am going for something like Ichiro or a professional swimmer (you know, where you can see the muscles, but the muscles don't actually have a life of their own, haha).

My biggest questions I guess would be:

(1) Should I lose as much weight as possible (like go down to 150 lbs), and then start lifting and defining?

(2) Or should I keep playing basketball and start lifting from now so I can lose weight and define at the same time?

The reason why no. (2) scares me is because knowing muscle mass is heavier than fat, lifting might make me feel like I am not losing enough weight, and thus might kill my motivation, which is sky high right now.

 

[Rugger]

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/weight-loss/99832-master-thread-cutting.html

 

[rolandajoint]

Thanks.

Well, I keep using Hydroxycut Hardcore because I can actually feel it. Even though the sides are bad, I can feel the jitters and the thermo effect. With L-R, I just don't feel anything. I can even drink a Coke or 2 (thus adding caffeine), and still not get the jitters. I guess I need to feel something to get the sense that the product is working.

As for my goal, I want to be much skinnier, but also cut (not huge like a wrestler), I am going for something like Ichiro or a professional swimmer (you know, where you can see the muscles, but the muscles don't actually have a life of their own, haha).

My biggest questions I guess would be:

(1) Should I lose as much weight as possible (like go down to 150 lbs), and then start lifting and defining?

(2) Or should I keep playing basketball and start lifting from now so I can lose weight and define at the same time?

The reason why no. (2) scares me is because knowing muscle mass is heavier than fat, lifting might make me feel like I am not losing enough weight, and thus might kill my motivation, which is sky high right now.

try not to judge progress pound for pound. go by the mirror.

if you plan your diet right, you can achieve a recomposition effect, ie gain muscle, lose fat. its a slower process to cutting, but in the long run, its much better. and it will allow you to maintain your lean physique. remember its a marathon not a sprint.

lifting now will do a few things. it will burn more calories, and build muscle. and since muscle requires more energy than fat, you increase your metabolism as you increase your muscle mass. set yourself a simple and easy to follow lifting routine, and make it something you can stick to. a 3 or 4 day split is usually best when starting out. for example: day 1 chest/biceps
day 2 back and tricep
day 3 shoulders and legs
and train calves and abs twice a week.
stick to 3 or 4 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise.

and trust me, seeing your muscles start filling out will be more than enough motivation to stick to it. your body will be harder, and youll be stronger. keep up with your cardio. basketball is good, i like trail running personally, but i also do low or moderate intensity cardio after weights, or in the morning on an empty stomach.

as to hydroxycut, i dont wanna bash muscletech, but its simply not that good. because you dont feel something doesnt mean its not working. all of the ingredients in LR are solid. if you dont feel a stim effect, grab some caffeine tabs. theyre damn cheap. and supps in general will not do the work for you. and make sure you do your research before taking anything. know what your taking at all time.

and i almost forgot. tips for nutrition:
shoot for about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
shoot for about 1 gram of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight
shoot for about .5 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight.
this is a very simply guideline. a more exact approach will be to find your maintenance caloric intake (using a simple calculator online). subtract 300-500 calories from that, and that will be your goal intake. then set up a proper macronutrient profile. i usually use 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats. im a little carb sensitive so i try to only utilize them in the morning and around my workouts. protein will be from lean meat sources like chicken, turkey, tuna, EGGS!, and lean beef. complex carbs from brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, and whole wheat pasta. fat should be from natural peanut butter, extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, flax seed/oil, and other dried nuts.

just wrote a lot. that should be more than enough to get you on your way haha. good luck man. any other questions, dont be afrain to PM me either.cheers brotha!

 

[SuppKnight]

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/weight-loss/99832-master-thread-cutting.html

I read it, and it's a great post, but it's way too basic. Most of the stuff I knew before. Still, it doesn't help me with knowing whether it is better to lose a lot of weight first and then define, or lose weight and define at the same time.

 

[SuppKnight]

try not to judge progress pound for pound. go by the mirror.

if you plan your diet right, you can achieve a recomposition effect, ie gain muscle, lose fat. its a slower process to cutting, but in the long run, its much better. and it will allow you to maintain your lean physique. remember its a marathon not a sprint.

lifting now will do a few things. it will burn more calories, and build muscle. and since muscle requires more energy than fat, you increase your metabolism as you increase your muscle mass. set yourself a simple and easy to follow lifting routine, and make it something you can stick to. a 3 or 4 day split is usually best when starting out. for example: day 1 chest/biceps
day 2 back and tricep
day 3 shoulders and legs
and train calves and abs twice a week.
stick to 3 or 4 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise.

and trust me, seeing your muscles start filling out will be more than enough motivation to stick to it. your body will be harder, and youll be stronger. keep up with your cardio. basketball is good, i like trail running personally, but i also do low or moderate intensity cardio after weights, or in the morning on an empty stomach.

as to hydroxycut, i dont wanna bash muscletech, but its simply not that good. because you dont feel something doesnt mean its not working. all of the ingredients in LR are solid. if you dont feel a stim effect, grab some caffeine tabs. theyre damn cheap. and supps in general will not do the work for you. and make sure you do your research before taking anything. know what your taking at all time.

and i almost forgot. tips for nutrition:
shoot for about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
shoot for about 1 gram of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight
shoot for about .5 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight.
this is a very simply guideline. a more exact approach will be to find your maintenance caloric intake (using a simple calculator online). subtract 300-500 calories from that, and that will be your goal intake. then set up a proper macronutrient profile. i usually use 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fats. im a little carb sensitive so i try to only utilize them in the morning and around my workouts. protein will be from lean meat sources like chicken, turkey, tuna, EGGS!, and lean beef. complex carbs from brown rice, whole wheat bread, oats, and whole wheat pasta. fat should be from natural peanut butter, extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, flax seed/oil, and other dried nuts.

just wrote a lot. that should be more than enough to get you on your way haha. good luck man. any other questions, dont be afrain to PM me either.cheers brotha!

That was very nice my friend, thank you!

I'm thinking I will finish the bottle of Hydroxycut (I already paid for it), and lose 10 more lbs, and then I'll probably do something like what you typed here in terms of lifting and nutrition. I don't want to change immediately because like they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And so far I am doing fine. But I am thinking when those next 10 lbs roll off, it will get much harder to lose weight, so I'll jolt my system with your plan.

Again, thanks a lot!

 

[SuppKnight]

I just got rid of the Hydroxycut Hardcore (the diarrhea was extreme:dump and ordered Leviathan Reloaded with DCP (stack). Would this help me lose weight faster than just playing basketball and eating less? How is the stack better than LR alone?

 

[snowflake]

I was 200 lbs this past July 28. As of today, August 23, I am 190 lbs, meaning I lost 10 lbs in a little less than a month.

it might have nothing to do with diet see maybe your doctor

things like cancer can cause weight loss, have you been on any steroids, you might as well have at this point prostate cancer etc.

or any cancer

have bee doing any drugs, it might also be the reason, so withoud seeing you at doctos's office to run some tests it is hard to say,

os if you haven't been doing any steroids and you simply did not loose any weight after a cycle then see your doctor because 10 lbs in a month might be indication of something serious

 

[SuppKnight]

Well, I haven't lose a single lb. this week, so I guess it's time to diet better and exercise more, although I didn't take any supps at all this week either (because of the Hydroxycut sides).

I just got Leviathan Reloaded and DCP on the mail today, so hopefully that'll kick start my weight loss again.

How do you stack these two?

L-R

2 in the morning
2 in the afternoon

DCP

2, 3 times a day

Do I take 2 of each in the morning and afternoon and then 2 DCPs at night, or is there a better way?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rolandajoint]

LR dosing is good. dosing it preworkout is best IMO.

as for DCP, i saw best results dosing higher, around 8 a day.
2 in the morning, 4 pre w/o, and 2 before bed

 

[SuppKnight]

Hey, it's been a while since I posted last. I've been quite busy: kids, wife, work, school, diet and exercise. No, I haven't stopped dieting or exercising.

I started a lifting routine and took away one day of basketball. I now lift 3 days a week and play basketball 2 days a week for a total of 5 exercise days out of 7.

One strange thing I noticed. I have only lost about 4 lbs. in the past month, but my body looks quite a bit different (pics below). So what happened here? I don't see muscles anywhere, so I don't think it's the lifting. So how come I can lose 10 lbs. and look about the same, and then lose 4 lbs. and see a noticeable difference, especially in my belly.

(leftmost is before, second is after, third before, and rightmost after).

 

[ranel2220]

first of all congrats on the progress so far. you only lost 4lbs because you gain muscles at the same time, its that simple, muscle is heavier than fat. even if you dont see some muscles appearing you are certainly building some

 

[rolandajoint]

first of all congrats on the progress so far. you only lost 4lbs because you gain muscles at the same time, its that simple, muscle is heavier than fat. even if you dont see some muscles appearing you are certainly building some

and the more muscle you build, the faster the fat will fly off. the amount of lean muscle on your body determines your resting metabolic rate. so more muscle equals higher metabolism.

keep it up buddy! youre looking awesome so far!

 

[crazyfool405]

a really great way to help you is by you giving us a 24-hour Recall (and from now and on keep a food diary and write it out in a way we can understand)

24- hour Recall is What you ate and when all of yesterday and up until today: this includes portion sizes, times, ect.

from there we can assess your needs as far as macros give you provide us with : height Weight Age Goals Training Favorite foods Comfort foods ect, when you work, lunch break, dinner times, meal times in general, and when you sleep and wake

from there we can all help develop some sort of diet for you to follow that will help you achieve your goals.

 

[SuppKnight]

a really great way to help you is by you giving us a 24-hour Recall (and from now and on keep a food diary and write it out in a way we can understand)

24- hour Recall is What you ate and when all of yesterday and up until today: this includes portion sizes, times, ect.

from there we can assess your needs as far as macros give you provide us with : height Weight Age Goals Training Favorite foods Comfort foods ect, when you work, lunch break, dinner times, meal times in general, and when you sleep and wake

from there we can all help develop some sort of diet for you to follow that will help you achieve your goals.

Let's try this:

Age: 27 years old

Gender: Male

Height: 5'8

Weight: 187.6 lbs. actual (220 lbs max about a year ago, 150 lbs. min about 6 years ago)

Goal weight: 150 lbs.

Daily life: Law student (20 hrs. week plus study time), law clerk (20 hrs. week), husband and father of two boys (1 million hours a week.)

Wake up at around 8:30 a.m. everyday.

Work from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. everyday except fridays

Study from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. everyday except fridays

In Bed at 12:00 to 12:30

Workout Routine:

Lift on Tuesday (10 p.m.), Wednesday (10 p.m.) and Friday (whenever)

Play basketball on Friday (4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and Saturday (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)



*From yesterday morning until this morning I ate:

9 a.m. (woke up) (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

9:30 a.m. Ate 1 can of tuna with mayo and 2 heads of broccoli (took 2 pills of DCP)

12:30 p.m. Had to eat chinese takeout, don't do it always, but sometimes I have no choice. (Fried rice, Broccoli chicken with spicy sauce)

3:00 p.m. (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

3:30 p.m. Ate 30 almonds and 2 boiled eggs. (took 2 pills of DCP)

6:30 p.m. Ate 30 more almonds.

8:30 p.m. (Workout - 1 hour)

9:30 p.m. Ate 1 350 calorie microwave pizza with whole wheat crust.

10:00 p.m. (took 2 pills of DCP)

8 a.m. this morning (woke up) (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

8:30 a.m. ate whole wheat sandwich (without the bread borders, I hate them) made up of bacon, lettuce, egg and a touch of mayo) (took 2 pills of DCP)

 

[crazyfool405]

Let's try this:

Age: 27 years old

Gender: Male

Height: 5'8

Weight: 187.6 lbs. actual (220 lbs max about a year ago, 150 lbs. min about 6 years ago)

Goal weight: 150 lbs.

Daily life: Law student (20 hrs. week plus study time), law clerk (20 hrs. week), husband and father of two boys (1 million hours a week.)

Wake up at around 8:30 a.m. everyday.

Work from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. everyday except fridays

Study from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. everyday except fridays

In Bed at 12:00 to 12:30

Workout Routine:

Lift on Tuesday (10 p.m.), Wednesday (10 p.m.) and Friday (whenever)

Play basketball on Friday (4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and Saturday (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)



*From yesterday morning until this morning I ate:

9 a.m. (woke up) (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

9:30 a.m. Ate 1 can of tuna with mayo and 2 heads of broccoli (took 2 pills of DCP) this meal looks good, ADD FAT to the meal (olive oil or macnut oil)

12:30 p.m. Had to eat chinese takeout, don't do it always, but sometimes I have no choice. (Fried rice, Broccoli chicken with spicy sauce) Only thing bad about it is the rice as im sure you know, theres always better choices to make

3:00 p.m. (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

3:30 p.m. Ate 30 almonds and 2 boiled eggs. (took 2 pills of DCP) if your going to eat the almonds, DO NOT eat whole eggs make it about 15 egg whites

6:30 p.m. Ate 30 more almonds.no protein in this meal, have a whey isolate shake with the almonds itll leave your stomach faster even with the almonds you eat

8:30 p.m. (Workout - 1 hour)

9:30 p.m. Ate 1 350 calorie microwave pizza with whole wheat crust.not the best option after a workout, if your going to eat after your workout have protein and fat, i only say this because , 1 your GH levels will be higher, and 2 your goal is not to gain muscle, its to loose fat.

10:00 p.m. (took 2 pills of DCP)

8 a.m. this morning (woke up) (took 2 pills of Leviathan Re-loaded)

8:30 a.m. ate whole wheat sandwich (without the bread borders, I hate them) made up of bacon, lettuce, egg and a touch of mayo) (took 2 pills of DCP)

on days you play basketball have some carbs before so you do not burn up muscle.

also what is your training split like?

 

[SuppKnight]

on days you play basketball have some carbs before so you do not burn up muscle.

also what is your training split like?

My training split is:

Tuesday: Arms (shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, wrists)

Wednesday: Chest and Back

Fridays: Arms, Chest and Back

All three days: Abs

I don't work my legs because basketball takes care of that. They are pretty developed as it is.

 

[crazyfool405]

My training split is:

Tuesday: Arms (shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, wrists)

Wednesday: Chest and Back

Fridays: Arms, Chest and Back

All three days: Abs

I don't work my legs because basketball takes care of that. They are pretty developed as it is.

#1- dont do ARMS the DAY BEFORE your do CHEST AND BACK.
#2- your not recovering that well if your training those body parts on a split like that
#3- Do legs, it will help overall strength and development. and it will give your upper body time to rest
#4 New split should look like this.
Tuesday- Chest and Back
Wednesday- Arms
Friday- Legs and shoulders (or you can do shoulders with arms)

or you can do legs on tuesday, then chest and back on wednesday, then arms friday..

see where im goin with that?

 

[SuppKnight]

#1- dont do ARMS the DAY BEFORE your do CHEST AND BACK.
#2- your not recovering that well if your training those body parts on a split like that
#3- Do legs, it will help overall strength and development. and it will give your upper body time to rest
#4 New split should look like this.
Tuesday- Chest and Back
Wednesday- Arms
Friday- Legs and shoulders (or you can do shoulders with arms)

or you can do legs on tuesday, then chest and back on wednesday, then arms friday..

see where im goin with that?

I really don't want to work my legs for now, I want parity in my muscles and right now my legs are too muscular compared to my upper body. Once my upper body and legs are on even ground, I'll start working them.

Also, what's the reason for not working arms the day before chest and back? Is it because of the pain I feel while working chest and back later? I thought that was part of it. Is it less painful if I work chest and back first?

One more thing, since I won't work my legs for now, how about this?

Monday: Chest and Back

Tuesday: Arms

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Chest and Back

Friday: Arms and Basketball

Saturday: Basketball

Sunday: Rest

 

[SuppKnight]

One more thing: I've used Levaithan Re-loaded for about 8 weeks now, and my bottle just finished. I'm afraid of developing tolerance to it rendering it ineffective. Now that the bottle's finished, should I buy a different supp for a while? I was thinking Recreate, to stack it with my DCP, do you guys recommend it?

 

[rolandajoint]

how about pure diet? supps arent necessary. if youre hitting a plateau, change up youre diet, or maybe change up your cardio. maybe do morning fasted cardio a few times a week.