Looking for Guidance

[NoDakLifter]

Hello everyone! I have been a regular reader of these forums now for a good while and am looking for some help. Im an 18 year old senior in high school(i would say fully matured, havent grown in 4 years) and have been lifting weights on and off the past three years. I have been going at it seriously the past 6 months or so.

I know the first thing everyone seems to want to know is the specifics so I'm 5'9" 195 lbs. I believe somewhere in that 23% body fat range. I measure 38" at the naval, 42" at the chest, 24" at the thigh, 13" at the bicep.

My current Workout schedule is
Mon: Upper Body (Bench, Incline, Curls etc..) Cardio
Tue: Lower Body (Squat, Deadlift) Cardio
Wed: Cardio
Thurs: Upper Body Cardio
Fri: Lower Body Cardio
(Bench Max: 200 needs a lot of work, squat max 375, just starting on deadlift so not sure)

My overall goal is to continue to gain muscle while dropping 15-20 lbs.
I know about many of your views on BSN, but i ran across a blowout and was able to get some stuff cheap. My current supps are:
NO Explode
Cellmass
Nitrix
Syntha 6
L-Carnitine

I have been struggling with the weight loss part to date. I know the biggest limiting factor right now is my diet. I think my Caloric Intake is around the 2500-3000 range right now. But as of the last week i have been watching what i eat and have been draining myself on the cardio.(Nitrix has been improving running endurance) I rarely eat fast food, i dont drink pop or carbonated beverages. (NO is the most caffeine ive had in years)

Current Schedule is:
7:30 Wake up and take Nitrix and NO Explode
9-10:30 Lift and Run
11 Take Nitrix, Cellmass, and L-Carnitine
12 Eat (Salad with Chicken breast, two servings of fruit, milk and protein shake)
5 Cellmass and Nitrix
6 Supper (Protien shake and high protien low carb supper)
11 Bedtime

Like i previously said i have been making some gains in the weightroom. I have come miles since i started 6 months aggo in overall strength and feeling. I still have a visible gut though and really want to drop it. I have tons of questions and could probably throw them into 4 different forums but i figured i would start here.

Any diet suggestions?
I have been looking at recreate for weightloss but am worried about the hormone side of things that go along with it, any suggestions?
What can i do differently to increase weightloss?
What would be a good supp list for next time? (RPM, Leviathen, Neovar?)

Sorry for writing a book but any help would be much appreciated!

 

[futurepilot]

Straight off the bat i can tell you that your probably overtraining and undereating. If i read this right you only eating twice a day? At 12 and 6? Thats the opposite of what you want to do. If you can do it you should be eating every 2-3 waking hours. Or basically as manny small meal as you can over the course of the day.

And doing your whole body twice a week plus cardio probly has your body in starvation mode conserving calories, doing the opposite of what your trying to achieve.

Untill you fix that no supplement in the world will help you.

 

[NoDakLifter]

My biggest problem with eating the small meals is trying to fit the supps in around them. Im supposed to take them all on a empty stomach which is hard to do eating a lot of small meals during the day. I know i should probably drop the supps and work out the diet first. What would you suggest i do for meals? How do i find that balance between enough food for a healthy diet, to little food like i am eating right now and to much?

Thanks for the feedback, i want to work it out.

 

[futurepilot]

How do i find that balance between enough food for a healthy diet, to little food like i am eating right now and to much?

welcome to mans eternal quest.

The way that i do it, which seems to work. Is prepping meals. Its the easiest thing to boil up a couple pounds of chicken every other night to have in your fridge. After that you can boil up some pasta. that way anywhere you go its just a tupperware container and a fork away from a solid meal. Same goes for vegetables but i usually try to do those everyday so they dont get mushy.

As for how to fit it in? Lets say you can force yourself to eat 4 solid food meals. If you get in a good shake before and after you workout, or one more meal before then a good shake after thats 6 meals. Good enough for someone whose not a competitive bodybuilder.

And Supps on an empty stomach? Which ones? Maybe im missing something but most of the stuff you listed isnt really full/empty stomach dependant. If you really want to do it on an empty stomach just wait an hour after you last meal, food should be mostly out of your stomach in an hour.

 

[NoDakLifter]

Alright i can give the prepping meals a try for sure. The Nitrix and NO say to take on empty stomach for best results. Im guessing just for faster effect on NO and im not to sure on why that is on Nitrix. But the cellmass shouldnt matter as creatine is creatine. I was just reading also about cardio on empty stomach being the best for fat lass but to me it doesnt make much sense as you are trying to run on an empty tank. I also have a sweet tooth problem. Any suggestions on how to combat that or what i can eat healthily that will suppress that?

 

[Jsherbro]

Cardio wise...do short bursts of high-intensity sprinting...not just running on a treadmill for an hour or two at the same rate. Also you want to eat early and finish late..with 6-7 meals a day...small meals but nutritious. try some jump rope and box jumps...things like that also...the thing is you have to stick to it for a couple months...results take a while, be patient.

 

[NoDakLifter]

For cardio i have been running 1-2 miles and then doing the sprint 8 program on an eliptical. It is a series of sprints and breaks that really gets me going. I know nothing happens overnight, especially weight loss. Im going to stick it out and wait for the results for sure.

I did manage to eat 6 meals today. I cooked up some chicken breast and noodles and had those throughout the day with some tomato. I ate a smaller breakfast, good lunch and good supper with shakes in between as well. So i think that is a good start to a decent diet. Not sure if that is to much. I was really full all day and only got hungry after supper as i stay up a while without eating. Is it okay to eat again after 6 if im up till 11 or should i avoid it?

 

[futurepilot]

Any suggestions on how to combat that or what i can eat healthily that will suppress that?

The more you eat healthy the less you will desire the unhealthy foods, eventually they'll even taste bad. I havent had a regular soda in probly 4 years. I'll drink diet if i need a chaser/mixer for drinks, but even fast food holds no appeal for me. Its just sickening sweet, i feel like that guy in "super size me" when he eats his first supersize meal then yukes it up out the window.

As far as eating after 6? Just stay away from carbs. And i wouldnt eat right before bed, but it better to eat than be hungry. Even if if just a snack, or try drinking more water, you might just be thirsty. I know that works for me sometimes.

And to know whats to much or not you need to find a website to calibrate you caloric needs for your specific stats and activity level. Then you'll know for sure how much food to eat, unitll then your just guessing.

 

[NoDakLifter]

Yeah i have found that pop really doesnt appeal to me at all either after not drinking it for 4 years. That sounds right as i have heard to avoid carbs at night as well. I will substitute a protein shake in after supper i think.

What about flavoring of noodles and salads? Ive given up on dressings and a lot of sauces. Ive found that tomato based stuff like pizza sauce isnt to bad. Is there anything else to add to noodles and salads to spice things up? What about rice? I think i may have a similiar problem there.