Best way to get in shape?

[killer_carlson]

my virus scan picked up a trojan horse on page 12 of this thread. something to do with a waterfall

[JohnnyFlame]

Originally Posted by V

I'm starting to get into the weights thing again. I'm 6'2", 30 yo, and a year ago I quit smoking. After I quit smoking I ballooned from 177 to 206 lbs.

I've always been skinny as a rail, and could eat whatever I want, but now I've got a noticeable pot. Still fairly skinny everywhere else, but I really want to do something about that pot. At the same time, since I'm going to be working on my body shape, I was thinking of trying to build some sort of muscle definition.

So now I'm working on a 4 day split workout. But I haven't noticed a difference, and after reading all of this thread I'm figuring that has a lot to do with my diet.

I went to that fitday website and created my average daily consumption. I pick up 2400 calories, but only 120g of protein. I'm guessing that's why there's very little increase in muscle.

It was mentioned that carbs are the worst of the three macro-nutrients, and I have over 250g of carbs in those 2400 calories. So is that the problem? I have to cut down on carbs, while increasing proteins? I would've thought fat would be the problem. Should I look for foods that are both high in fat and protein? Eggs would be an example of that.

Also, what is the best way to build muscle? I do 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise. I've heard that fewer reps and more weight is more effective for building muscle. Is this true?

Total noob questions here, but I'm hoping someone's got a few answers for me. It's extremely frustrating working so hard and seeing so little gain.

The last time I got in real good shape was in my 30's. I paid zero attention to my diet. None whatsoever. Ate the same old junk food, swigged back even the good food with a coke. I didn't smoke or drink so those were not factors.

For me and for a lot of people it's all about creating a new habit. I went to a club during my lunch hour. It was close and easy. I made a few buddies there and we needled each other into coming on a regular basis. A lot of them were as far as I was concerned way out there. They were running and swimming and biking etc. as well. So I joined in on those activities but only once a week for each and only for an hour. Plus I started doing the after work class once I had been going to the club for over a year. I was in better shape than I ever been.

Kept it going for a few years but then changed jobs and the ease of going was lost and so was my fitness.

Key to me is it has to be habit forming or it won't work.

[NoWorries]

Originally Posted by V

I'm starting to get into the weights thing again. I'm 6'2", 30 yo, and a year ago I quit smoking. After I quit smoking I ballooned from 177 to 206 lbs.

I've always been skinny as a rail, and could eat whatever I want, but now I've got a noticeable pot. Still fairly skinny everywhere else, but I really want to do something about that pot. At the same time, since I'm going to be working on my body shape, I was thinking of trying to build some sort of muscle definition.

So now I'm working on a 4 day split workout. But I haven't noticed a difference, and after reading all of this thread I'm figuring that has a lot to do with my diet.

I went to that fitday website and created my average daily consumption. I pick up 2400 calories, but only 120g of protein. I'm guessing that's why there's very little increase in muscle.

It was mentioned that carbs are the worst of the three macro-nutrients, and I have over 250g of carbs in those 2400 calories. So is that the problem? I have to cut down on carbs, while increasing proteins? I would've thought fat would be the problem. Should I look for foods that are both high in fat and protein? Eggs would be an example of that.

Also, what is the best way to build muscle? I do 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise. I've heard that fewer reps and more weight is more effective for building muscle. Is this true?

Total noob questions here, but I'm hoping someone's got a few answers for me. It's extremely frustrating working so hard and seeing so little gain.

First of all - Great job on quitting smoking!

2400 cals is not anywhere near enough to make you gain weight. If your goal is to put on muscular body weight, you should be eating at least 3500 cal and quite likely more. At 6'2", I think you could easily be 220. Obviously you want to drop the pot, but gaining muscular body weight, while dropping fat is very hard. It would be best for you to focus on getting stronger first, exhausting your linear gains on a program like Starting Strength and then focus on leaning out.

I am not sure what lifts you are doing for your workout, but squats and deadlifts should be the staples you build around. I would highly recommend getting Starting Strength from here:

http://www.aasgaardco.com/store/stor...on=show_detail

You can get the program/workouts and all the information for free here:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi..._Strength_Wiki

I would still recommend getting the book for reasons I stated earlier in this thread (portability, illustrations, technique corrections etc). You can find all this for free on the net, but I still think the book is worth it.

As far as diet...avoid all processed foods, cereals, avoid as much sugar as possible. Try to eat only whole foods.

Shoot for 1 gram per lb of body weight for protein. Eat as much leafy greens as you can stand and broccoli is good too. Round out your calories with healthy fats...which is everything but trans fats. Get a good variety. Olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, cream, butter etc. This will be a lot of food to try and gain size. Especially if it is hard for you to gain weight, so if you can tolerate milk, drink whole milk to get to your caloric needs.

Some other links for diet and Starting Strength:

http://www.strengthmill.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=36

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/

http://robbwolf.com/?s=low+carb

After exhausting linear gains on starting strength...then worry about dropping the extra weight. I bet you will start shedding fat and gaining muscle if you change your diet to the above advice (in the links I posted) and do starting strength as the book details.

It is about a lifestyle change though. Especially diet - diet is what controls body composition. What your body looks like is largely controlled through diet - roughly 80%.

Hope this helps.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Can someone tell me why cereal is so bad? Is it too carby?
I mean Shreddies/Raisin Bran has to be good for you right?

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Can someone tell me why cereal is so bad? Is it too carby?
I mean Shreddies/Raisin Bran has to be good for you right?

Beats me. I got bored of eating Shredded Wheat every morning, switched to some sort of Post Oats'N'other stuff cereal, still lost 30 pounds.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Can someone tell me why cereal is so bad? Is it too carby?
I mean Shreddies/Raisin Bran has to be good for you right?

Lots of cereal has a high amount of sugar in it. Thats the only thing I can think of offhand.

Personally I really like the Nature's Path cereals. The Flax/Pumpkin one in particular is awesome.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Can someone tell me why cereal is so bad? Is it too carby?
I mean Shreddies/Raisin Bran has to be good for you right?

Fruitloops, Captain Crunch, Coco Puffs, etc. = Garbage
Rice Crispies, Shreddies, Cheerios, etc = Good

[Azure]

If money isn't a problem, Vector Cereal is also very good.

[OilersBaby]

The sugary cereals are bad for you, but even something like Rice Krispies isn't "good" for you (its just not as bad as those). If you really want to eat a healthy cereal, have something high in fiber. It's good to start off your day that way. Choices are Kashi (I think it tastes like crap personally), but I like eating Oatmeal.

Other random tidbits that could be useful to you:
- A gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. A gram of protein also contains 4 calories. A gram of fat, though, contains 9 calories — more than twice the amount of the other two.

- One lb of fat is 3500 calories. So essentially to lose weight, one way is to go in a calorie "deficit" of 3500 calories (not in one day, but you could certainly do this one week). This means that you burn more calories than you consume and are burning 3500 more than you are eating in a week.

- The above is okay if you have a lot of weight to lose. However, for someone like me (Im light, and not trying to lose weight, just trying to gain muscle). Rather than worry about calorie deficits I try to eat more. But that doesnt mean junk food because even though I wont get FAT, I wont get FIT either. So you have to increase your caloric intake by having GOOD calories - veggies, proteins, fruit (though dont have more than 3-4, too much sugar). My best friends in terms of snacks are things like protein bars, beef jerky, yogurt, rice cakes, carrot sticks, and celery and peanut butter.

- When you gain muscle, you will lose weight quicker because muscle burns fat quickly. So the more muscle you gain, the more fat you will lose.

- Some people that are underweight think that to gain weight and get FIT, its all about consuming extra calories. This is true, but I repeat, you want to consume good caloires. While you MAY gain weight by eating pizza and pop tarts, you are going to gain bad weight (ie fat) not good weight (ie muscle).

[mikey_the_redneck]

Okay I see.

http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/resources/fo...dry.fiber.html

Here is a link with some breakfast cereals considered high in fiber. The only one on that list I eat with regularity is Raisin Bran. That along with honey Shreddies are my cereals of choice.

BTW.........Raisin Bran makes me gassy........

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Cereal, at least in Canada, has an awful lot of sodium in it as well.

[OilersBaby]

Wow thanks for the list...the top one on that list has 36 g of fiber..if Im not mistaken, the daily recommended amount for fiber (in a day) is around 25 g (I could be a little off but its somewhere around there). So you dont need that. I bet it tastes like hay or something yucky like that.

Wanna know what Ive been eating for breakfast thats healthy and yummy? A glass of milk and these really really really really yummy high fiber bars. Its how I usually start my day and Im SO thankful for my husband finding them! They make a good midday snack too, especially if you are craving something sweet. It has dark chocolate chips in it which taste sweet but are not bad for you (dark chocolate in small amounts is actually GOOD for you).

http://www.viewpoints.com/General-Mi...y-Bars-reviews

[Azure]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Okay I see.

http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/resources/fo...dry.fiber.html

Here is a link with some breakfast cereals considered high in fiber. The only one on that list I eat with regularity is Raisin Bran. That along with honey Shreddies are my cereals of choice.

Raisin Bran is good. Even if...

BTW.........Raisin Bran makes me gassy........

[mikey_the_redneck]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

Wow thanks for the list...the top one on that list has 36 g of fiber..if Im not mistaken, the daily recommended amount for fiber (in a day) is around 25 g (I could be a little off but its somewhere around there). So you dont need that. I bet it tastes like hay or something yucky like that.

Wanna know what Ive been eating for breakfast thats healthy and yummy? A glass of milk and these really really really really yummy high fiber bars. Its how I usually start my day and Im SO thankful for my husband finding them! They make a good midday snack too, especially if you are craving something sweet. It has dark chocolate chips in it which taste sweet but are not bad for you (dark chocolate in small amounts is actually GOOD for you).

http://www.viewpoints.com/General-Mi...y-Bars-reviews

I have stayed away from "bars" because they tend to be pricey.....especially if they are taking the place of good ol' cheap cereal. Do you get 'em for cheap anywhere?

Also, I have not tried this myself but you can take one of those nasty high fiber cereals and just mix it 50/50 with a cereal you CAN tolerate, like honey nut cheerios or something. Or you can mix in some nuts and raisins yourself too.....

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Beats me. I got bored of eating Shredded Wheat every morning, switched to some sort of Post Oats'N'other stuff cereal, still lost 30 pounds.

Did your significant other require a permission slip before you embark on this high-fiber diet?

You may look good, but your probably stinkier than a Gorilla's arse.

[NoWorries]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Beats me. I got bored of eating Shredded Wheat every morning, switched to some sort of Post Oats'N'other stuff cereal, still lost 30 pounds.

You can lose weight in lot of different ways. The key is to lose fat and build muscle. Eating proteins, carbs and fats in different percentages can have quite a different effect on the human body. Changing the source of carbs by itself can have a significant impact.

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Lots of cereal has a high amount of sugar in it. Thats the only thing I can think of offhand.

Personally I really like the Nature's Path cereals. The Flax/Pumpkin one in particular is awesome.

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Can someone tell me why cereal is so bad? Is it too carby?
I mean Shreddies/Raisin Bran has to be good for you right?

As FDW said, it is sugar for the most part...some people try and stay away from grains as well in general. A lot of people have an intolerance to gluten which is in grains.

Originally Posted by HOOT

Fruitloops, Captain Crunch, Coco Puffs, etc. = Garbage
Rice Crispies, Shreddies, Cheerios, etc = Good

Take a look at the label sometime. You would be surprised how much sugar is in Cheerios. In fact, even milk has tons of sugar...most of the carbs in Milk is sugar. Some of the effects of sugar can be mitigated somewhat if consumed with fat. Fat slows the digestion of sugar...look into Glycemic Index and more importantly Glycemic Load for more information on it..

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

The sugary cereals are bad for you, but even something like Rice Krispies isn't "good" for you (its just not as bad as those). If you really want to eat a healthy cereal, have something high in fiber. It's good to start off your day that way. Choices are Kashi (I think it tastes like crap personally), but I like eating Oatmeal.

Other random tidbits that could be useful to you:
- A gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. A gram of protein also contains 4 calories. A gram of fat, though, contains 9 calories — more than twice the amount of the other two.

- One lb of fat is 3500 calories. So essentially to lose weight, one way is to go in a calorie "deficit" of 3500 calories (not in one day, but you could certainly do this one week). This means that you burn more calories than you consume and are burning 3500 more than you are eating in a week.

- The above is okay if you have a lot of weight to lose. However, for someone like me (Im light, and not trying to lose weight, just trying to gain muscle). Rather than worry about calorie deficits I try to eat more. But that doesnt mean junk food because even though I wont get FAT, I wont get FIT either. So you have to increase your caloric intake by having GOOD calories - veggies, proteins, fruit (though dont have more than 3-4, too much sugar). My best friends in terms of snacks are things like protein bars, beef jerky, yogurt, rice cakes, carrot sticks, and celery and peanut butter.

- When you gain muscle, you will lose weight quicker because muscle burns fat quickly. So the more muscle you gain, the more fat you will lose.

- Some people that are underweight think that to gain weight and get FIT, its all about consuming extra calories. This is true, but I repeat, you want to consume good caloires. While you MAY gain weight by eating pizza and pop tarts, you are going to gain bad weight (ie fat) not good weight (ie muscle).

Some good advice. One thing to note though is that eating fat does not make you fat. Your body needs fat. Your body needs protein. Interestingly enough...I do not believe there are any essential carbs. That's not to say you don't benefit from some carbs though...epescially green veggies and berries.

Fat loss and muscle gain is very hormonal...and food, excersie, sleep and stress control our hormones.

Some helpful links:

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/univ...h-and-food.htm

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/univ...ise-cardio.htm

[mikey_the_redneck]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Did your significant other require a permission slip before you embark on this high-fiber diet?

You may look good, but your probably stinkier than a Gorilla's arse.

I find if I consistently eat raisin bran (for example).........my body takes a few days to adjust and then I am not so gassy after that.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by NoWorries

Some good advice. One thing to note though is that eating fat does not make you fat. Your body needs fat. Your body needs protein. Interestingly enough...I do not believe there are any essential carbs. That's not to say you don't benefit from some carbs though...epescially green veggies and berries.

Fat loss and muscle gain is very hormonal...and food, excersie, sleep and stress control our hormones.

Yes, I agree with you that we NEED fat. The problem is that most of us have more fat than we need. Humans werent born to require 24 lbs of fat etc. Im not sure for men, but for women, somewhere in the 17-20% body fat is considered IDEAL although the majority of women in both Canada and the US have around 27-30% fat!

Im 5'8", 120 lbs and have 19.5% body fat. That means that roughly 24 lbs (round upto 20% body fat) of my body is fat, while the remaining 96 lbs is muscle, bones, organs etc etc etc. Sure I can gain weight. I know Im skinny. But if I eat the wrong things and gain fat, then Im not achieving my goal of being FIT. I need to gain weight (although I think I dont, but its subjective depending on what one thinks a woman should look like)......but it should be healthy weight like MUSCLE!

The goal is to increase weight by increasing muscle, not fat! And unless anyone here is anorexic or has other health issues, I am pretty certain that we all have enough fat. So cut the carbs, especially sugars like you mentioned, increase the protein and veggies. Choose lean meats over red meats and exercise (strength and cardio). You WILL see changes. And its okay to drink regular milk even though there is sugar...we cant totally escape sugar..and the nutritional value of milk trumps the sugar in it. Just dont eat sugars that are found in things like cookies or cakes or cokes (ie Simple Sugars). We need complex carbohydrates as our body derives energy from these.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

I have stayed away from "bars" because they tend to be pricey.....especially if they are taking the place of good ol' cheap cereal. Do you get 'em for cheap anywhere?

Also, I have not tried this myself but you can take one of those nasty high fiber cereals and just mix it 50/50 with a cereal you CAN tolerate, like honey nut cheerios or something. Or you can mix in some nuts and raisins yourself too.....

GOod idea regarding mixing the high fiber with regular cheerios.

These bars that I wrote about earlier (the fiber ones) arent expensive like protein ones. These ones are found in the granola bar section. I get them from Costco for pretty darn cheap......Costco is my new best friend. I get beef jerky (protein) and these bars (fiber) and a huge thing of Cuties (manadarin oranges = Vitamin C) almost every time I go

My husband and I are really aware of what we eat. I know its not fun, but hey, I loved it when I went to Vegas and felt like I fit in with all the other skinny/fit biatches in their stilettos and mini dresses And Ill like it again when I go to Hawaii next Thanksgiving and can feel confident on the beach. Seriously, call me superficial but although we cant control beauty, we can for the most part control our bodies and physique (unless we have health issues, then thats different)

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Did your significant other require a permission slip before you embark on this high-fiber diet?

You may look good, but your probably stinkier than a Gorilla's arse.

LOL.

Shredded Wheat did nothing for me in terms of gas. Cereal in general does nothing to me gas wise. Grapes on the other hand...