Validation & Fat Loss

Hey guys,
 
  This is my first post here... I have lurked quite a bit but now I am ready to ask some questions.
 
Like many I am seeking an outside opinion to see if I am on the right track.
 
I am 6ft, 195lbs and 31 y/o ....
 
I am trying to get defintion in my abs. I think my BF right now is about 20%. But that is using the Army screwed up way of doing things. Like everybody I am trying to lose about 10-20lbs.
 
My workout is Whole Body 3x a week (M/W/F) 3 sets of 10 per major muscle group (2 diff exercise types per group total 6 sets of 10) Plus lots of situps and hanging leg lifts.
 
I generally run 3-4 miles a day. Except SAT & SUN.
 
I intake about 2k a day. It is a mixture of protien shakes, Subway sandwiches and power bars. I eat 4x a day.
 
I think the subway white bread is killing my quest for definition. I also think I am eating too little. I generally burn 660+ cals while running.
 
I guess my first question is where can I get a good type of BF calipers? Something one of you has used in the past.
 
Am I eating too little?
 
Is it bad to combine the slow walk (4.0 @ 2 Miles) which I read is good for fat loss and then speed up and run a couple of miles (7.5 @ 2 miles)? Will that negate the effect I tried to gain from walking?
 
Thanks for all your help!
Anthony
 
 
 

Anthony,
 
First off, welcome to DB! 
 
Second, you can get a standard set of body fat calipers that work quite well, you can use in the privacy of your own home.. here
 
Third, the best thing you can do is grab a copy of the Top 12 Beginner's Questions and Answers report and follow the calorie calculation formula.  Once you know how much you should be eating, you can easily tell if it's too much or too little for your goals.
 
Fourth, using a site like FitDay.com is the nail in the coffin as far as determining what you are eating compared to what you think your goals should be for fat loss or muscle gain.  At 20% body fat, you'll probaby want to burn the fat but keep the muscle.
 
Am I right?
 
So first order of business is to figure out how many calories a day you need for your fat loss goal and then compare it using FitDay.com to what you are actually eating and adjust your diet.
 
Your cardio isn't bad.  A combination of moderate to intense will work but it may be adjusted as necessary.
 
Subway and power bars... blech!
 
Processed meats and glorified candy bars.
 
Let's not go off topic and flood you with info.
 
Do a few basic steps first and then we'll discuss nutritional modifications once you have a baseline.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Dont feel over whelmed by all the info, please. I know i did when i was getting started.
 
The cardio looks reall really good.
 
Fitday cna be very confusing at first take it slow dont expect to be a master in one day
 
The protien bars and subway like mark said arnt good.
 
Good Food:
Chicken done hwo you want if you want to lose weight skinless
Brown Rice and wild rice
Quik Oats (oatmeal with out suger)
Egg Whites
Fish especialy tune if you like it
Vegetables (as many as you can) added bonues if there diffrent colors
 
 
that should get you started i put the good foods list because it sounded like you ahd good intentions but lacking a little in knoledge

 
 
anything that was unclear confusing or that we left out please ask.
 
 

starting
124 pounds
11 bfp
5"7
15 years old

Current
147
10 bfp
5"8
18 years old

 
 
  The fitday website is nice. I think I will use that daily. I do find it had to believe that I need 3247 calories a day. I usually take in about 2k a day. If that site is correct I can lose 2 lbs a week no problem.






 
 

 
   Also with the cardio... I have read that walking is better than running for fat loss. Is that true? It seems to go against conventional thought.
 
Well thanks for your quick response.
 
I look forward to hearing from you again and you have a great website.
 
Anthony
 

3200 sounds a bit high, is that to maintain or lose?
 
I was around 2900 with 25% BF at 250LBS. Thats around 188 lbs of lean muscle you said your BF may be off but at your stats you should have around 156 Lbs of lean muscle. Saying your moderatly active 2300-2500 cals is what I am coming up with.
 
If you have not read this yet, I would suggest you do Marc wrote it, when I first got into loseing this thread helped me more than any other thread on this site because it was easy and simple... then came Dans threads, which are more in depth... http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/How_Many_Calories_Do_You_Need_Calorie_Calculators_Includes_Quick_Spreadsheet_Too/m_45013/tm.htm
 
Use that spread sheet, it has worked wonders for me....
 
You would be supprised how much potatoe chips can hurt you. One thing you always want to keep in mind is that not all calories are the same.... they are but they arnt... a chicken breast at 200 cals, and a doughnut at 200 cals, which will you lose more weight from? Weight loss comes primarily from a caloretic defecite, but when choosing you diet you need to watch for the "other" stuff that comes with those calories, is what your choosing over 20% calories from fat? Does it have alot of simple carbs and sugar? How much sodium does it have?
 
For me those questions got to be very complicated questions and I got to the point that the best thing I could do is go natural, healthy, foods and snacks.. Another thing to keep in mind is watch out how low your calories are, if you are a much lower BF than 20% and need higher calories a very large defecite could slow/stop your fat loss, and actually promote you putting on fat and loseing more muscle. For me that was a very had concept to get over, eat more to lose weight, it goes against everything we have been taught......
 
Everytime my weightloss slows I look at my diet and realize that I have been slowely cutting my intake and got very close to starvation mode, I up my cals again, eat more, and I start to lose again.
 
(Note sorry for the spelling, my work wont let me install E-check and I cant spell... at all)

Eat...Lift....Sleep......Repeat

Enjoy the process.. but crave the goal.

Thanks for you response...
 
I orderd my calipers they should get here within the next week or so. Living in an APO sucks; too many restrictions.
 
I agree that 3200 sounds way high. I am trying to cut BF right now I am am floating between 18.5 and 20.5% depends on who is taping me and how many beers I drank the night before;) I really need the calipers to make me rest easy.
 
I am using the hell out of FITDAY and I have increased my protien to what is recommended using the Excel sheet. They recommend 178 Grams. 
 
I plan to eat anywhere from 1800-2000 cals per day and try to eat less than 20% fat perday.
 
Today after work I am going to try the guerrila drills. My body is too used to running distance and I need a change.
 
All I really want is to have ripped abs. I do not care much for the strength or bulk. But I do know they go hand in hand with increased metabolism and fat burning.