Work out, year II

[mirrodie]

So its been a year since I probably posted about this. I just renewed my gym membership for the year. Here is how it went:

My goal of getting to within 10 pounds of my weight in high school is done. I have been working out about 3-4 days a week, doing 50-60 minutes of cardio each time, then a bit of light work on the abdominals.

Diet is relatively consistent. 2-3 pieces of fruit a day. Usually eat breakfast. But I do have to eat late at night sometimes.

While I'm not looking for a 6 pk, I am still looking to reduce my belly from the keg it was to at least a case of 24 or maybe even a 12 pack ;)

So where do I go from here? Still looking to lose the weigh around my belly. What am I doing wrong?

[wunaladreamin]

How often do you eat? It could be partly a metabolism issue. Try eating more often meals that have less caloric value. That would increase your metabolism while still watching the diet. Couple that with the gym and things should be kosher. Good luck.

[mirrodie]

Eat an avg or 304 meals a day but hte largest is in the evening.

And I don't follow a diet persay. I like grilling steaks and chicken. Not going nuts with pasta or rice, all decent proportions. And I kick back with a glass of red wine at least 3 nights a week.

My metabolism is relatively slow though;)

[lijk604]

Eat an avg or 304 meals a day but hte largest is in the evening.

My metabolism is relatively slow though;)

Heck, my metabolism would be slow if I ate 304 meals a day too! ;)

[mirrodie]

ROFLMAO....

I should really take a class in typing.

anyway, 3-4 meals a day. ;)

[PhilDernerJr]

Mario, I would recommend shrinking your late meal. In fact, I would say to try to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day, and to cut carbs from all meals eaten 10 hours before you would go to bed.

So if you wake up at 8am and go to bed at midnight, eat whatever carbs you'd like until noon. After that, only eat proteins and leafy veggies until bed. Like I said, aim for at least 5 small meals.

If you do that, you'll speed up your metabolism a bit and lower the amount of fat that your body is saving, as cutting out carbs in the 2nd half of your day will leave little energy left in your body that will have to be stored (as fat).

Also make sure that you have a HIGH protein source after your workouts. A can of tuna, maybe 4-6 eggs, a steak, whatever. Get at least 40g of protein within an hour after your workout. If you wiat until after that hour, you've wasted your workout, as your body will not be able to recover and strengthen as much as it could have.

[Mateo]

4-6 eggs? Yeesh - he'll be nice and slim when they wheel him in for a cholesterol-induced angioplasty!

[PhilDernerJr]

Exercise and some bran in a diet easily can counter the cholesterol effectsof 4-6 properly prepared eggs.

I used to eat 18 eggs a day, usually raw, and my cholesterol is 150.

[hiss srq]

And add up to a heck of a healthy dump at that too.

[mirrodie]

Also make sure that you have a HIGH protein source after your workouts. A can of tuna, maybe 4-6 eggs, a steak, whatever. Get at least 40g of protein within an hour after your workout. If you wiat until after that hour, you've wasted your workout, as your body will not be able to recover and strengthen as much as it could have.

Im pretty much on board with everything except this. How does the high protein just after the workout contribute to toning down? SInce all I do is cardio and some abs? I was under the impression it would contribute to weight gain, no?

[Mellyrose]

4-6 eggs? Yeesh - he'll be nice and slim when they wheel him in for a cholesterol-induced angioplasty!

Or he could just eat the white....excellent protein source, zero cholesterol.

[PhilDernerJr]

Im pretty much on board with everything except this. How does the high protein just after the workout contribute to toning down? SInce all I do is cardio and some abs? I was under the impression it would contribute to weight gain, no?

Protein cannot contribute to weight gain....unless you develop gout and swell up.

Fat ONLY develops when your body has more energy than it needs, and it stores it....which is what fat is. Carbs are energy. You control your fat by monitoring carbs.

As for the necessity of protein, when you workout, your body is breaking down your muscle fibers. Your body gets stronger by repairing those muscles,a nd they grow back stornger....in order to adapt to your body's needs. The ONLY way that muscles can recover is through proper nutrition...and protein is the cornerstone of muscle growth.

So, if you don't have post-workou tprotein...you literally wasted yoru workout and are doing the opposite of working out. It's like putting up studs in your wall without nailing them together...build all you want, but you're only wasting your time.

[mirrodie]

Protein can't contribute to weight gain at all. But if I have those proteins just after the workout, doesn't that build muscle and therefore build weight? Or am I gaining lean muscle?


I'll be at the gym in an hour or so. Will do an hour of cardio, then the abs again, with low weights.

Thanks Phil, I appreciate the knowledge.

[Jonesbeach]

Mario,

I'm by no means an expert on nutrition, but a great resource I've used in the past is http://www.johnstonefitness.com. The people in the forums are very knowledgeable and seem to really know their stuff. Like any forum you have to weed out the good information from the bad, but I learned a lot from his website.

Just for kicks, check out his transformation at the following link:

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/php/t_ani_1_year.php

[Mellyrose]

Wow, what a transformation! That's some serious discipline.