Support NeoGAF

[BugCatcher]

Last year, I spent a few months lifting weights to try to transform myself from a 98-pound weakling into what passes for an average guy. I didn't do a very disciplined job of it, and in the process put on a lot of fat. So after I decided I was done lifting weights for the time being, I did cardio for an hour, 6 days a week, and restricted my calorie intake to 1500 (the amount I ate before I started working out) for 2 months. At the end of it I had lost 20 pounds, but a lot of the muscle I had worked so hard for was gone as well.

This year, again, I've spent a few months trying to gain muscle, but now I want to try and lower my body fat percentage a bit before I leave the country at the end of May. I've read a lot of different stuff giving all sorts of different answers about how often and how long to exercise, what exercise is best, what to eat, how much to eat, etc etc. Apparently I did something wrong last time, whether it was exercising too much, eating too little, or some combination of the two, and I prefer not to repeat that if I can help it, but I don't know what I should do. So I ask you, GAF exercise gurus: what would you suggest in terms of amount/type of exercise and calorie reduction to lose weight (fat) while minimizing muscle loss?

My scale tells me I'm at ~14-15% body fat, but I don't think these things are known for being ultra reliable. However, last fall it was at ~11% so at least I can see that it's gone up. I'd like to get that number to 10% if possible before June hits; is that realistic?

 

[Yamaha98]

When your body cannot take it anymore. I use to over do it with lifting (6days a week @ 2hr), Karate (Shotokan @ 3 times a week) & the occassional 10mile cycle. Was too much, but I am young so I was able to coup with it for a bit.

 

[Diablos]

If your body can't take it anymore, give yourself a rest for a while... you won't gain more weight unless you fuck up your diet.

 

[BugCatcher]

I am young, but not so young that I can do whatever I want and hope my body will forgive me. I'd like to maximize for efficiency if possible. It's not necessary that I lose weight as fast as possible (although that's always nice); the most important thing is that the time I spent lifting weights is not wasted now that my goal is to lose fat.

 

[Kastrioti]

Anyone got any good pushup and core exercises?

 

[teh_pwn]

I'm just going to lazily post links to articles, um yeah....


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460048
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460051
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=629609
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

 

[7Th]

Be careful with over-exercising, specially cardiovascular, as it won't get you near your goal, but will increase your distance to it. I had a problem extremely similar to yours. Lower your running, keep doing it but on a much smaller scale and also be careful with strength building work, as they burn muscle when done in excess. As for the diet... increase it a little, it'll be hard to keep the new nutrients from turning into fat, as a weakened body will seek to save all the energy it gets a hold of, though.

 

[teh_pwn]

Personally, I don't see the need for much cardio. I do it mostly for the health benefits. I do walk about 10 miles to/from classes each week, but I only run maybe 2 miles a week (1 at a time).

If you have to do cardio to keep your body fat down, then your diet has issues. High GI carbs, too much soy (more estrogen, more body fat), etc, I don't know what you're problem is, but there's tons of detailed articles about how to eat and work out, and none of them are about starving yourself to 1500 calories a day. Furthermore, what are these 1500 calories? Not all calories act the same. Some will fuel body fat and estrogen, others will encourage muscle growth, testosterone production, and body fat reduction.

 

[bjork]

300 calories/day + 1 hr DDR/day = huzzah

 

[7Th]

300 calories/day + 1 hr DDR/day = huzzah

How can you even turn on the PS2 eating only 300 calories per day?

 

[Phoenix]

When you start having health problems as a result of excercise/dieting, its too much.

 

[7Th]

When you start having health problems as a result of excercise/dieting, its too much.

No, you should stop before the problems start, as irreversible damage to your body may be done. In my opinion, you should check your health condition from time to time.

 

[bjork]

How can you even turn on the PS2 eating only 300 calories per day?

I don't remember how I did it, actually. But I dropped about 40 pounds in 3 months that way, as unhealthy as I knew it was.

 

[Diablos]

I don't remember how I did it, actually. But I dropped about 40 pounds in 3 months that way, as unhealthy as I knew it was.

That is dangerous... be careful. If you limit your calories like that, and then start eating normally again, you can gain most of that weight back. And IIRC, it's not a good thing for your heart, especially if you do it often (going from 300 calories/day to gaining weight, then cutting back like that again and of course gaining more).

 

[Phoenix]

No, you should stop before the problems start, as irreversible damage to your body may be done. In my opinion, you should check your health condition from time to time.

Well if you're seeing a health professional, the question is moot. Otherwise if you're going on your own best judgement you won't know until problems arise.

 

[bjork]

That is dangerous... be careful.
If you limit your calories like that, and then start eating normally again, you can gain most of that weight back. And IIRC, it's not a good thing for your heart, especially if you do it often.

That was about 4 years ago. It was no big deal to me at the time because I worked 4 hours per day, so I could come home and sleep when I got too tired. But now, with 12 hour shifts? Ha... I dunno. I'd probably keel over.

 

[temp]

I need to lose about 10 to 20 pounds to get into my target weight. How does 50 push-ups and 30 minutes-a-day on a stationary bike sound for losing weight? Should I do more than that?

 

[Juice]

In high school I dropped from 245 to 168 in 7 months by dropping to about 1200 cals a day and 30 minutes a day on a manual treadmill.

Is that relevant?

 

[BugCatcher]

Sort of. If you were overweight (which sounds like what you're implying from your post), then it's supposed to be easier to shed fat then, compared to when you don't have much left. I'm relatively skinny and it seems hard for me to make progress from where I'm at now. So I think what I need to do may be different from what you did.

EDIT: Also 7Th, teh_pwn, thanks for the advice.

 

[bjork]

I need to lose about 10 to 20 pounds to get into my target weight. How does 50 push-ups and 30 minutes-a-day on a stationary bike sound for losing weight? Should I do more than that?

The bike will help more than the pushups, no?

 

[penguinonapole]

Last year, I spent a few months lifting weights to try to transform myself from a 98-pound weakling into what passes for an average guy. I didn't do a very disciplined job of it, and in the process put on a lot of fat. So after I decided I was done lifting weights for the time being, I did cardio for an hour, 6 days a week, and restricted my calorie intake to 1500 (the amount I ate before I started working out) for 2 months. At the end of it I had lost 20 pounds, but a lot of the muscle I had worked so hard for was gone as well.

This year, again, I've spent a few months trying to gain muscle, but now I want to try and lower my body fat percentage a bit before I leave the country at the end of May. I've read a lot of different stuff giving all sorts of different answers about how often and how long to exercise, what exercise is best, what to eat, how much to eat, etc etc. Apparently I did something wrong last time, whether it was exercising too much, eating too little, or some combination of the two, and I prefer not to repeat that if I can help it, but I don't know what I should do. So I ask you, GAF exercise gurus: what would you suggest in terms of amount/type of exercise and calorie reduction to lose weight (fat) while minimizing muscle loss?

My scale tells me I'm at ~14-15% body fat, but I don't think these things are known for being ultra reliable. However, last fall it was at ~11% so at least I can see that it's gone up. I'd like to get that number to 10% if possible before June hits; is that realistic?

It would help if I knew your height and age, just to judge how easy you can gain/lose fat and your healthy weight.

1. I can see what you did wrong already. If you want to gain muscle you have to eat more and do cardio less. If you are doing alot of cardio everyday, you are burning all the protein that you need to gain muscle. Cardio is ok, should only be basic if you want to gain muscle.

2. Judging from paragraph 2 you wrote. It seems to me you are happy with the amount of muscle you have now and you do NOT want to gain muscle. If this is true, Just continue to do basic work outs 3 times a week. Do cardio every day, but nothing hardcore. Just run 1-2 miles, you arent trying out for a marathon.

What you eat is most important when determining low body fat. Id recommend small meals through the day. Cut down on meats, and stick with vegetables/fruits. Working out will ensure the protein you eat does not turn into fat or even worse atrophied. Cardio will ensure your metabolism stays fast and gets rid of extra food, instead of storing it..

3. You said you were really skinny before, and was at 11%. Are you still skinny now? I do not advise you to go down in body fat if you are still skinny. 20-24% body fat is normal. Only go down body percentage fat once you have filled out your frame with muscle. I find people who are kind of skinny when trying to lower the body fat percentage to become really skinny, and unhappy with their results. What usually made them really skinny is they were too obsessed with their Body fat%, they lowered their calorie intake, and performed cardio way too often. The fact is some fat is good for you, and low fat percentage doesnt mean you'r healthy. You should concentrate on how your body looks first. Ask yourself. Is my body filled out with muscle and Do I want to gain more muscle? Before you attempt to drastically lower your body percentage.


At 14% body fat Percentage, I dont see the reason why you would want to lower it. You say you lost muscle, so thats something to also worry about. I dont know what you really want. But at your Body fat Percentage I wouldnt worry about it too much. If you want to gain muscle it requires highering your calorie intake, you may gain alittle fat. But at the same time you will see better results gaining muscle. I guess it's what matters to you, Do you want to gain muscle or lose fat faster? You can do both, by taking a regulary calorie intake, and by doing what I said earlier. You will not see as dramatic results if you were to higher your calorie intake, to gain muscle; or lower your calorie intake to lose fat. Remember when you do either you are taking a sacrifice. You may gain fat, or lose muscle. IMO. Take a look at your body. Forget about Fat percentage for now. Do you see yourself as over-weight or skinny? Than improve yourself from there. Once you are happy with those results, than try to fine tune your body fat percentage.

I need to lose about 10 to 20 pounds to get into my target weight. How does 50 push-ups and 30 minutes-a-day on a stationary bike sound for losing weight? Should I do more than that?

It depends. Diet matters just as important as working out itself. Make sure you eat those fruits and vegetables. If you want to lose weight, and dont care about gaining muscle than yeah that would work. The general formula I use is take your target weight and times it by 10, that's how much calories you should intake. Now dont drastically lower your calorie intake becuase your body will be put into shock. Which will make your body eat away your muscles, and ruin your train of thought in the short term. In the long term it can become fatal, thats basically anorexia.

 

[BugCatcher]

If you have to do cardio to keep your body fat down, then your diet has issues. High GI carbs, too much soy (more estrogen, more body fat), etc, I don't know what you're problem is, but there's tons of detailed articles about how to eat and work out, and none of them are about starving yourself to 1500 calories a day. Furthermore, what are these 1500 calories? Not all calories act the same. Some will fuel body fat and estrogen, others will encourage muscle growth, testosterone production, and body fat reduction.

Yes, but if I read 5 articles I get 5 different strategies that may or may not have conflicting advice. I get really confused relying on stuff I find on the internet, it just seems so inconsistent. Not that I'm saying anecdotal evidence on a forum is better, but I am interested in what works for you guys and your opinions on the subject.

Also, I wouldn't say I was starving myself to 1500 calories. If left to my own devices, that's about how much I eat normally (despite being 6'0"). So it didn't seem extreme to me at the time. It's much more difficult for me to increase calories than decrease them...

 

[penguinonapole]

Yes, but if I read 5 articles I get 5 different strategies that may or may not have conflicting advice. I get really confused relying on stuff I find on the internet, it just seems so inconsistent. Not that I'm saying anecdotal evidence on a forum is better, but I am interested in what works for you guys and your opinions on the subject.

Also, I wouldn't say I was starving myself to 1500 calories. If left to my own devices, that's about how much I eat normally (despite being 6'0"). So it didn't seem extreme to me at the time. It's much more difficult for me to increase calories than decrease them...

A daily intake of 1500 calories should mean your around 150 pounds.. At 6' thats definately not starving yourself or unhealthy, but it is skinny. If you find it difficult to increase calories then buy some protein shakes. With that height and weight, I do not think you should be worrying about body fat percentage. Id concentrate on filling that frame with muscle.

 

[temp]

It depends. Diet matters just as important as working out itself. Make sure you eat those fruits and vegetables. If you want to lose weight, and dont care about gaining muscle than yeah that would work. The general formula I use is take your target weight and times it by 10, that's how much calories you should intake. Now dont drastically lower your calorie intake becuase your body will be put into shock. Which will make your body eat away your muscles, and ruin your train of thought in the short term. In the long term it can become fatal, thats basically anorexia.

Well yeah, haha, I figured eating well would come into play. But you don't think that I'd get considerably better results with riding a bike for, say, an hour a day? Would it be worth it?

 

[penguinonapole]

Well yeah, haha, I figured eating well would come into play. But you don't think that I'd get considerably better results with riding a bike for, say, an hour a day? Would it be worth it?

I personally think an hour is too long for everyday. You will lose alot of weight fast, but remember some muscle may be gone too. Push-ups will only help for so long, it's just resistance. Once you get used to doing push-ups, you need to challenge your body more. Bike everyday 20-30 mins and working out 3 times a week would be ideal. Make sure you challenge yourself when biking too. In other words dont just bike slowly if you are capable of biking faster. If you cant bike fast yet, work your way up to it. You do something similar to that, and eat healthy, it would definately be worth it. The key is just consistentcy. Make sure you keep biking, and working out even when you do lose weight, to ensure you dont gain it all back.

 

[sans_pants]

I need to lose about 10 to 20 pounds to get into my target weight. How does 50 push-ups and 30 minutes-a-day on a stationary bike sound for losing weight? Should I do more than that?

diet is the most important factor

 

[sans_pants]

Yes, but if I read 5 articles I get 5 different strategies that may or may not have conflicting advice. I get really confused relying on stuff I find on the internet, it just seems so inconsistent. Not that I'm saying anecdotal evidence on a forum is better, but I am interested in what works for you guys and your opinions on the subject.

Also, I wouldn't say I was starving myself to 1500 calories. If left to my own devices, that's about how much I eat normally (despite being 6'0"). So it didn't seem extreme to me at the time. It's much more difficult for me to increase calories than decrease them...

um how much do you weigh?

 

[BugCatcher]

It would help if I knew your height and age, just to judge how easy you can gain/lose fat and your healthy weight.

1. I can see what you did wrong already. If you want to gain muscle you have to eat more and do cardio less. If you are doing alot of cardio everyday, you are burning all the protein that you need to gain muscle. Cardio is ok, should only be basic if you want to gain muscle.

2. Judging from paragraph 2 you wrote. It seems to me you are happy with the amount of muscle you have now and you do NOT want to gain muscle. If this is true, Just continue to do basic work outs 3 times a week. Do cardio every day, but nothing hardcore. Just run 1-2 miles, you arent trying out for a marathon.

What you eat is most important when determining low body fat. Id recommend small meals through the day. Cut down on meats, and stick with vegetables/fruits. Working out will ensure the protein you eat does not turn into fat or even worse atrophied. Cardio will ensure your metabolism stays fast and gets rid of extra food, instead of storing it..

3. You said you were really skinny before, and was at 11%. Are you still skinny now? I do not advise you to go down in body fat if you are still skinny. 20-24% body fat is normal. Only go down body percentage fat once you have filled out your frame with muscle. I find people who are kind of skinny when trying to lower the body fat percentage to become really skinny, and unhappy with their results. What usually made them really skinny is they were too obsessed with their Body fat%, they lowered their calorie intake, and performed cardio way too often. The fact is some fat is good for you, and low fat percentage doesnt mean you'r healthy. You should concentrate on how your body looks first. Ask yourself. Is my body filled out with muscle and Do I want to gain more muscle? Before you attempt to drastically lower your body percentage.


At 14% body fat Percentage, I dont see the reason why you would want to lower it. You say you lost muscle, so thats something to also worry about. I dont know what you really want. But at your Body fat Percentage I wouldnt worry about it too much. If you want to gain muscle it requires highering your calorie intake, you may gain alittle fat. But at the same time you will see better results gaining muscle. I guess it's what matters to you, Do you want to gain muscle or lose fat faster? You can do both, by taking a regulary calorie intake, and by doing what I said earlier. You will not see as dramatic results if you were to higher your calorie intake, to gain muscle; or lower your calorie intake to lose fat. Remember when you do either you are taking a sacrifice. You may gain fat, or lose muscle. IMO. Take a look at your body. Forget about Fat percentage for now. Do you see yourself as over-weight or skinny? Than improve yourself from there. Once you are happy with those results, than try to fine tune your body fat percentage.

Thanks for the detailed response, penguinonapole. I'll try to answer your questions.

1. Thanks for the advice on calories/cardio. I'll keep that in mind this time around.

2. Yeah, I'm happy where I am for the time being. I'm not ripped or anything (gimme a few more years), but I have enough muscle that I feel like I could pass myself off as active-lifestyle-guy. Again, thanks for the diet & exercise recommendations.

3. Right now, I am 26.9, 6'0", 168lbs. Last fall I was 157lbs. and felt very skinny. If I try to be as objective as possible, I would say that I put on enough muscle to put me well within a healthy size, but I still have enough fat that I would never be mistaken for athletic. I thought 20-24% was average for women? Guys are something like 13-19% right? I think I am pretty typical in that regard.

The reason I mention bodyfat percentage is because I felt it would be more specific when asking for advice. I don't really have any obsession over the number itself, but men's magazines and the internet tell me that for stuff like abs to show up nicely it needs to be less than 8%. I know I've got some hiding, but I'm not that ambitious yet; I do have more muscle than before but not enough that I should even consider trying to get my BF% down to bodybuilder/professional athlete levels.

Basically, as far as what I want, it's like this. I put a good deal of effort into gaining muscle, and while it's only a tiny first step compared to some of you who have been doing this for years, I'm proud of the progress I've made so far. However, no matter how much weight I've gained or lost over the years, I've always had a couple (few? lol) fistfuls of fat over my stomach that never seem to go away. This is the primary reason I want to lower my BF%. Since I can't spot reduce, I just need to lower the total percentage, as I understand it. Now that I've gained some muscle, I want to concentrate on this for a while. I'd be really happy if I could get a flat(ter) stomach by June. So for the time being, I'm not concerned with gaining any more muscle if it means I can lose fat more efficiently. After I'm satisfied that I've improved this, then I would ideally switch back to weight training, continuing to put on more muscle.

Of course, if I have some sort of body image complex I'm sure you guys won't hesitate to point it out to me :lol

 

[sans_pants]

l

if you really want to lose weight(which it doesnt sound like you need to, but whatever) you need to figure out your maintenance calories, subtract 500 a day. You need to do a basic lifting routine, upper/lower/upper split at least if you want to preserve any muscle. Do low reps, probbaly 6-8 reps and 4 sets per exercise and mostly do compound movements like benching and squatting.

Do cardio on your off days from lifting. it will not be fast but this is the best way to preserve the muscle you have

 

[BugCatcher]

Thanks. I am doing ~2500-3000/day now (did my best to increase it!) I'll try cutting it to ~2000-2500 and read enough articles to know that they are the right kind of calories as well.

 

[temp]

I personally think an hour is too long for everyday. You will lose alot of weight fast, but remember some muscle may be gone too. Push-ups will only help for so long, it's just resistance. Once you get used to doing push-ups, you need to challenge your body more. Bike everyday 20-30 mins and working out 3 times a week would be ideal. Make sure you challenge yourself when biking too. In other words dont just bike slowly if you are capable of biking faster. If you cant bike fast yet, work your way up to it. You do something similar to that, and eat healthy, it would definately be worth it. The key is just consistentcy. Make sure you keep biking, and working out even when you do lose weight, to ensure you dont gain it all back.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[travisbickle]

3. Right now, I am 26.9, 6'0", 168lbs. Last fall I was 157lbs. and felt very skinny. If I try to be as objective as possible, I would say that I put on enough muscle to put me well within a healthy size, but I still have enough fat that I would never be mistaken for athletic. I thought 20-24% was average for women? Guys are something like 13-19% right? I think I am pretty typical in that regard.

I'm turning 26 soon, 6' and around 155, I feel quite skinny now(I've finished my skinny student stage where I got away with it, now I look like a skinny guy in a suit) but find it really hard to put on weight. How did you manage to put on the weight? Did you have a training regime or was it disciplined eating? I've just moved into a new flat with a gym that we(residents) get a good reduction on, is it worth signing up or should I just do minimal exercise while I try to gain weight and then join the gym when I've reached my desired weight?

 

[Fresh Prince]

How do I get rid of my gut and manboobs?

 

[jenov4]

Lots of good advice here. It basically comes down to this:

Calories in versus Calories out. Cut ~300 calories from your diet daily and you'll be dropping a pound a week. Of course this all depends on your body and its metabolism, so I'm generalizing here. But that's how you do it.

Check out http://forum.bodybuilding.com as it's an excellent resource for this stuff. Pretty much all questions have been answered there. Good luck and KEEP AT IT!

 

[Slo]

If you're 6'0, 168 and still consider yourself both skinny and fat, then you're likely have very little muscle. Cutting weight in order to get more ripped is exactly the wrong thing to do in that case. You don't look like an underwear model under that pot belly of yours, you look like a skeleton. Worry about filling out your frame before you think about getting abs.

Here's what you do:

- Start keeping a food log at http://www.fitday.com. Write down everything that you put into your mouth. Find your maintence calories, and eat about 250 -500 cals OVER your maintenence number per day. Do this over the course of 5-6 meals a day, trying to get quality protein with each meal. This should allow you to start building muscle with minimal fat gain.

- Sit down and write down your goals. Chose measurable goals, record how you currently measure up to those goals, and set dates as to when you want to achieve them. Then, break down those long term goals into short term milestones. When you reach a milestone, record it, give yourself a gold star and a pat on the back. When you've reached your goals, set new ones. If you're not making progress towards your goals, either your goals weren't realistic or you're doing something wrong. Either reset your goals, or fix what's wrong.

- Stop killing yourself with cardio. That much cardio eats just as much muscle as it does fat. Limit cardio to 2-3 20 minutes sessions a week.

- Pick a premade workout routine from here and follow it exactly- http://forums.menshealth.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/855109121/m/156108723
Most people seem to like HGM or Waterbury's ABBH1.

 

[NLB2]

Anyone got any good pushup and core exercises?

Oh yeah!
I do!

Try this one - reverse pyramid 10 pullups, 20 pushups, 9 pullups, 18 pushups etc. downt to 1 pull up 2 pushups and then back up again.

Also try continous pushups for 2 minutes then 2 minute rest. 1:30, then 1:30 rest, down to 30 seconds then back up.

Tabbatas also work really good.

Make sure that you incorporate pullups with your pushup exercises. you'll progress much faster with the pullups in.

 

[APF]

I'm turning 26 soon, 6' and around 155, I feel quite skinny now(I've finished my skinny student stage where I got away with it, now I look like a skinny guy in a suit) but find it really hard to put on weight. How did you manage to put on the weight? Did you have a training regime or was it disciplined eating? I've just moved into a new flat with a gym that we(residents) get a good reduction on, is it worth signing up or should I just do minimal exercise while I try to gain weight and then join the gym when I've reached my desired weight?

Join the gym now.

The key to gaining weight is eating a lot, and hopefully if you're exercising productively at the same time, you won't put on too much additional fat (though inevitably you will get fatter if you're trying to gain weight). The best thing to do is to go through cycles where you gain weight, then go through a weight-loss phase, repeat, etc. In general you want the periods where you're trying to lose weight to be as brief as possible (cause dieting sucks, and the longer you're on a diet the less effective it is, and also you can lose muscle/strength which also sucks); that means you still have to be disciplined during your weight-gain phase and not just be a glutton (especially when you get older--when I was in my late teens/very early 20s I could eat upwards of 4,000kcal/day for months and still be below 10% BF; now only a couple of years later I need to be very conscious of what I'm eating in order to get that low in the first place)

 

[BugCatcher]

If you're 6'0, 168 and still consider yourself both skinny and fat, then you're likely have very little muscle. Cutting weight in order to get more ripped is exactly the wrong thing to do in that case. You don't look like an underwear model under that pot belly of yours, you look like a skeleton. Worry about filling out your frame before you think about getting abs.

...

- Stop killing yourself with cardio. That much cardio eats just as much muscle as it does fat. Limit cardio to 2-3 20 minutes sessions a week.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the (brutal) honesty as well :lol A couple things tho:
1. Yeah, I minced my words there saying I am both skinny and fat. I was responding to Juice and was just trying to say that I'm not overweight, so the techniques he used won't work for me. I'll try and choose my words more carefully. When I was 157 I really did feel this way (skinny and fat), but I knew it was because I didn't have any muscle.

2. That's why I've been doing my best to build muscle to fill out my frame as you say. I knew I would have just ended up looking like a skeleton if I tried losing weight first But I've been doing this for a few months and can see enough of a change that I wanted to take a short break and lose a few pounds of fat, then go back to putting on more muscle. I guess my rationale is that even if (heaven forbid) I dropped back down to my old weight, if it is all fat loss then since I've gained muscle I'll still end up in better shape then when I started. But since I'm not trying to lose that much weight, I figure I should be fine.

3. The cardio thing is why I made this thread in the first place. What you're referring to was what I did a year ago, and it's obvious even to me that I screwed things up back then. I'm just trying to avoid repeating those mistakes. This time, I'll limit it to what you suggest.

The best thing to do is to go through cycles where you gain weight, then go through a weight-loss phase, repeat, etc.

Ideally this is what I'd like to do, as long as it isn't totally nonsensical for someone in my position.

 

[sans_pants]

I'm turning 26 soon, 6' and around 155, I feel quite skinny now(I've finished my skinny student stage where I got away with it, now I look like a skinny guy in a suit) but find it really hard to put on weight. How did you manage to put on the weight? Did you have a training regime or was it disciplined eating? I've just moved into a new flat with a gym that we(residents) get a good reduction on, is it worth signing up or should I just do minimal exercise while I try to gain weight and then join the gym when I've reached my desired weight?

you arent going to be gaining anything but fat unless you are lifting

 

[teh_pwn]

Yes, but if I read 5 articles I get 5 different strategies that may or may not have conflicting advice. I get really confused relying on stuff I find on the internet, it just seems so inconsistent. Not that I'm saying anecdotal evidence on a forum is better, but I am interested in what works for you guys and your opinions on the subject.

Also, I wouldn't say I was starving myself to 1500 calories. If left to my own devices, that's about how much I eat normally (despite being 6'0"). So it didn't seem extreme to me at the time. It's much more difficult for me to increase calories than decrease them...

I'm not expert, and after my Finals are over, I'm going to do more research on diet and bulking. But here's what I do.


Nutrition, Drinks:

Water
Whey Protein (water or skim milk base)
Green tea (Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea specifically...)
Other various teas for health unrelated to bodybuilding, such as Bilberry (brain, sight)

Nutrition, Food:

Oatmeal
Cottage Cheese (skim)
Tons of produce (spinach, broccoli, garlic, red onions, carrots, bananas, blueberries, apples, red grapes, kiwi, strawberries, oranges, etc)
Rice
Whole grain breads
Hippy yogurt (Stoneyfield Vanilla organic fat free yogurt with 6 live cultures)
chicken breasts, frozen precooked (Pilgrim's Pride, found them at Walmart)
lean beef 4%
whole grain pasta (Barilla Plus)
organic prego (cane sugar > HFCS)
Olive oil/Bazil pesto
Amy's Cheese and Pesto Pizza
Nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios, etc)
DHA Fish oil pills
peanut butter (has palm oil instead of trans fats)


I could go on, but you have the idea.

I don't count calories, at all. It's my belief that if you do, you're not eating correctly.

I don't eat meals really. I eat when I feel like it, and I try to incorporate both carbs, fats, and protein. I eat probably every 2-3 hours. I'd say I eat nearly 2500 calories a day. I'm 5' 9", and 145 lbs, and I seem to be growing about 1-3 lbs of lean mass a month, which isn't that impressive.

I workout about 3-4 times a week. I do upper body and lower body days. I try to work out my legs most on Fridays, so that they can grow during the weekends when I don't walk several miles to classes.

 

[teh_pwn]

How do I get rid of my gut and manboobs?

Eat correctly to encourage testosterone production, and hit the weights. Add light cardio with a low GI diet, it's drop quickly.

Some easy stuff you can do is drink green tea and take fish oil supplements. It encourages low body fat. Something about green tea (not caffeine) encourages burning intramuscular fat which is a problem in abs.

 

[alejob]

I'm 6'4" and about 189 pounds. Anyone got a link where it tells you how heavy you are supposed to according to age and height?

I have skinny armas and legs, I need to gain some muscle. I should probably loose some fat around my belly.

 

[APF]

I'm 6'4" and about 189 pounds. Anyone got a link where it tells you how heavy you are supposed to according to age and height?

http://www.simplymirrors.com/

Spoiler

You're the only one who can say that one way or another