I will pop the steps in here and then we can go from there...
This is a lot of info so go step by step! Ask questions. #1 diet - most important
You need to be eating enough calories so that your body is not in survival mode!
500 calories under your needs will lose you 1 pound a week...if you need more, some will likely be muscle...so you have to decide what weight you want to lose, just decide how much you want by how much you lose per week!
At least 4-6 meals a day! Go to this post to figure your daily calories if you don't have a clue.
Calories needed per day for various goals <------ link for you to click
At the bottom of the post is a link to a spreadsheet/calculator that you can use...
Use
fitday.com to plan meals to get what you need not just as a meal journal
...it is free! Use fitday.com as a
MEAL PLANNER..not just a journal. To help you tweak your diet into different mixes!
Basic meal:
A protein (3 oz Chicken/turkey/beef/soy...)
A vegetable (1/2 cup broccoli/green beans/peppers/ 2 cups salad...)
A carb source (1/2 cup Rice/quinoa/amaranth/oatmeal...sweet potato, potato...)
Sufficient good fat (from the protein and/or Fish oils, omega 3 oils, flax oils, nuts..)
You are looking for: Protein-15-30%,
carbohydrates-40-75%,
fat-10-30%
...of your total calories
The ideal range of protein for growth is .6-.9 grams per pound of body weight.
If you are a light eater and meats sit like a brick in your tummy then go for the lower part of that range.
If you enjoy meats and could eat them many times in the day, and they give you energy...go for the higher end.
Target the fat % on the scale proportionate with the protein. Then inversely proportion the carbs to the protein.
Foods should be fresh whole foods. Carbs should be from veggies and non processed starches (rice, baked sweet potato, potato, quinoa, amaranth...) with some fruits. Drop most processed sugars from your diet.
It depends on your preferences and your body chemistry. Everyone IS different in the way they digest and use food. You have to work with it to find what gives you the most energy and power, focus and good feeling.
Yes, I am speaking from experience as a trainer. I assess clients for where to start their meals, then assign a diet and adjust based upon what we observe. This is what you will do for yourself.
Experiment with different mixes...1 week
strict per "experiment"!
I.E. (these are the extremes and represent points in a whole spectrum! They give you ideas of parts of the spectrum to explore)
The moderate protein type=
Protein-20%,
carbohydrates-65%,
fat-15%
High Protein type=
Protein-30%,
carbohydrates-40%,
fat-30%
High Carb type=
Protein-15%,
carbohydrates-75%,
fat-10%
#2 Training train your whole body Chest
Back
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Legs
Calves
Abdominals
Optimal set / rep ranges and days between: For
muscular Endurance the rep range is 12-25 slow pace/30-90 second rests/ 1-3 sets / 1-2 days between
For
muscle size the rep range is 9-12 slow- moderate pace/30-60 second rests / 3 -4 sets per / 4-7 days between
For
Strength (vs. power) the rep range is 6-8 slow pace/2-3 minute rests/ 3-4 sets per / 4-7 days between
For
power the rep range is 1-5 fast/explosive pace /3-5 minute rests/ 4-8 sets per / 2-3 days between
That has been heavily tested and it works...courtesy of the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
You may want to start in the endurance range and work your war up in weight slowly adn thus into the muscle size range. Later doing occasional strength and power for variation!
There are a lot of intensity principles that you can toy with to spice up your results a bit. Some discussion threads on varying intensity...
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_87226/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#87256 http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_93729/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#94183 #3 Cardio The body adapts very quickly to cardio, even faster than it does to lifting. For this reason it is important to vary an aspect of your Cardio about every 2-3 weeks,
or as needed to maintain the momentum of body fat loss.
If you do the same things every day, you get less and less caloric expenditure from them. Additionally, as you lose weight, the number of calories expended from an activity declines!
The solution? Vary your training to keep your body from getting accustomed to it.
The things to vary every 2-3 weeks or so - in this order of "importance":
The the
intensity of your training...slower/low intensity, moderate speed and intensity, high speed and intensity, intervals
The
type of exercise you do...bike, rowing, elliptical trainer, treadmill, walking, etc
The
length of time you train...from 20 minutes, to 30 minutes, to 40 minutes, to 50 to an hour.
The
frequency with which you train...3 days a week, to 4 days a week, to 5 days a week, to 2x day 3 days a week
Some notes about this...
change your frequency only as a last resort!!! The more frequently you do cardio, the quicker the body adapts and the LESS you get from it!!!!!
Be sure to take 1 full week at least every 3 months doing NOTHING!!! In addition to other benefits, this de-conditions the body so that when you come back your body is more responsive again. When you come back, start your training at 30 minutes 4x week and moderate intensity with a new type of cardio.
Then increase the intensity (2-3 weeks), then try interval training (2-3 weeks), then switch the type of cardio and start the new type at moderate (2-3 weeks), then high (2-3 weeks), then intervals (2-3 weeks), then switch and repeat. Then add 10 minutes and go 50 at moderate (2-3 weeks), then high (2-3 weeks), then intervals (2-3 weeks).
After 3 months...REST and come back and repeat the pattern.
IF after 1-2 weeks you are not seeing
any loss of body fat weight, you may need more time. If you still see nothing, you may need another day.
#4 track your progress! On the topic of Body fat measurement...
The methods YOU can use to test your body fat yourself are unreliable on a one time basis.
They are better used to track changes over time on an ongoing basis. Test
every 1-3 weeks at
the same time of day...and use the
same scale to take your weight.
Here is a calculator that allows you to use skinfold calipers (3 or 7 point test) or tape measure
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html Here is the best price I have found to date for good cheap accurate calipers:
skinfold Calipers <--- link to place on amazon where it is cheapest
Once your diet and training are in place, measure your body composition and go a week following your plan. Take circumference measurements of your muscles.
At the end of the week (and each week) check your body composition again - always at the same time of day with the same method and tools.
--If at first you are just gaining fat, then revamp your training it is obviously not sufficient to create muscle gains, also look at adjusting your caloric intake and nutrient balance.
--If you are gaining fat and muscle, stay where you are! or if it is too much fat, you can drop calories 250 or add a bit of cardio.
--If you are just gaining muscle go another week as is.
--If you gain muscle and lose fat but gain no weight (or lose weight), add calories (keeping the %) 250 and go another week
--If you are gaining muscle and losing fat...while gaining weight you are at an optimal balance.
--If you are just losing fat bump your calories up 250-500 calories.
--If at first you are just losing muscle, adjusting your caloric intake up 500 calories.
--If you are neither gaining nor losing muscle or fat...you are at maintenance. Add 500 calories.
#5 the basics Keep the training under an hour
Do not over train
Don't miss a meal.
Don't go low carb on us.
8-12 cups water minimum a day!!!
Don't let your calories get behind your muscle gains.
Multivitamin to support growth!
8 hours sleep a night
Avoid artificial additives (flavorings, coloring, preservatives) in foods
Cut out processed foods
get pre and post work out nutrition:
Here is a general rule for replenishing glycogen and sparing muscle pre-post workout:
0.2 g/lb high glycemic index carbs
0.1 g/lb whey (or Just 5 grams of BCAA or 15 grams of EAAs)
with cardio, start with the least amount of it you can do…3x20 minutes. I will guess you are training and so you probably will not need to.
Diet will be your biggest challenge. You have to get the caloric level sufficient so that you are gaining weight. You should expect to gain .5 to 2 pounds a week.
Any questions…after you do your homework…post your caloric needs, diet, and training and we can comment to get you in the groove!