# Weight loss / protein advice please



## JamesGarner (Jan 29, 2007)

Just after a bit of advice please

After years of being overweight doing no real exercise and eating bad. This year i have decided to do something about it
I was 27 odd stone before xmas and am now down to about 23 and a half so it’s working 
I’ve been losing about 2lb a week now for a few weeks slow but I’m happy and feel a lot better

I’m 6ft 7 so never going to be light and tbh its not the weight but the size I’m interested in I’m initially aiming to get under 18 stone and see what happens from there

I've cut out snacks crisps etc
Started drinking 2 lts of water a day
Started having porridge and orange juice for breakfast which i used to just skip
Lunch tends to be slim-a-soup melba toasts, low fat yogurt & Banana
Tea tends to be something normal but have stopped having pre packed and fry'd foods

I’ve been going gym every weekday since xmas at about 20:00 and normally do about an hour cardio and half an hour on various weights. and go swimming once a week

The problem is recently as I’ve started to increase the speeds, resistances and weights a bit as they were starting to feel easier. I feel i am lacking in energy during the gym particularly as the week goes on.A few times I have come home and feel light headed and more tired than when I first started

I’m wondering now if in not eating enough or if i should be looking at the likes of protein shakes
But nervous of protein shakes particularly due to my size and fear they will put weight on
The internet seems to show very mixed opinions
(also keep thinking of the south park episode were cart man is drinking weight gain 4000 :lol

Should I be eating after the gym as I have tea around 5 and breakfast at 7 is 14 hours to long to be going without food overnight?
I can’t really shuffle tea and gym times around any

thanks


----------



## Mixman (Dec 18, 2007)

I'm not an expert so I won't give you advice on what you should/shouldn't be eating but I just wanted to say that you're doing fantastic and I'm dead chuffed you're working so hard.


----------



## JamesGarner (Jan 29, 2007)

Thanks Mixman
some of your posts have been a real motivation tbh
particually the before and after pictures

i thought it was just a case of eat less and do excercise and you will lose weight
i cant belive how complicated it can be working out what is good and bad for you
my brain just wont accept cheese is bad


----------



## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

So far i`ve lost 5 and half stone in 16 month, mainly through training at the gym 6 days days a week and eating healthy during the week, but eating what i fancy at the weekend. No need to kill yourself when training as doing a little each day keeps you burning of the calories that you are taking in.


----------



## Razzzle (Jul 3, 2010)

you need to give your body time to rest and IMO shouldnt be hitting the gym everynight.

Daz.


----------



## Shug (Jul 13, 2007)

If you've been going every weekday since christmas, your body is probably crying out for a rest.
Ease off a little and see how you get on.


----------



## hulla the hulla (May 20, 2009)

4 days at the gym, rest, 3 days at the gym - repeat

mix up your program, there's little benefit (after a while) of just going and doing the same stuff time after time - your body will know and you won't feel the benefit of all those hours - plus it breaks it up and makes it more interesting

When you do go, push hard, to exhaustion - as your body will carry on burning calories longer after you have stopped than if you spend twice as long at half the pace

Food
Avoid carbs except directly after exercise and even then, make sure it not processed carbs (eg pasta, bread etc) - try brown rice, oatmeal, legumes, other whole grain foods etc

Also avoid dairy in all forms - nothing good will come from it

Make sure you eat a portion (size and thickness of the palm of your hand) of lean protien with every main meal. This could include fish, chicken, beef steak, lean pork, turkey, eggs (2-3) .... even bacon just don't go mad ! Make sure it's baked, steamed, grilled etc, not fried, covered in bread crumbs or batter.

Eat lots of fresh fuit and veg, especially green leafy veg and try and avoid too much really sweet fruit.

Avoid tea and coffee (max 2-3) a day but less the better

Avoid anything with artificial sweeteners as they are proven to inhibit weight loss.

Also, add a few healthy snacks like carrot/pepper/sugar snap peas/apples/banana/orange or orange juice/small handfull of mixed unsalted nuts and eat them between meals (mid morning/afternoon) as they help stablise your blood sugar levels, make you feel less hungry and therefore less likely to eat more at main meal time.

Drink lots of water (you've already said you do so good on ya) as sometimes people mistake thirst for hunger and eat when a glass of water would have staved off the feeling until next meal time.

Limit / stop alcohol (this was tough for me)

Other than that - good luck - I've pretty much followed the above (maybe not so much on the gym side but I cycle to work 3 times a week, 18 miles each way so for me thats enough) for the past 6 weeks and have lost 1.5 stone and still losing. Yes it's tough but I've not really felt like I'm gonna die from hunger and if you want it enough you'll do it, it's not forever and you can indulge every now and then (beer or 2 at the w/e and the occasional bit of choc)

Most important - I feel great !!! :thumb:


----------



## hulla the hulla (May 20, 2009)

ps - PORTION CONTROL ! Too much of anything, even good stuff, is too much


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

JamesGarner said:


> I've been going gym every weekday since xmas at about 20:00 and normally do about an hour cardio and half an hour on various weights. and go swimming once a week


Sounds to me like you are waaaay over training....

There is all different advice out there, depending on your goals and how you want to look...

Doing heavy weights usually build muscle quicker, and raises metabolism...

CV is for toning and losing weight, but you need to do lots more of it to get any gains...

It sounds to me, like you are stuck in the middle of doing both, and not very well to get any further gains...

You have done great so far by the sounds of it...don't think I am trying to be negative!

I tend to stick to circuits now, using high reps and medium weights...I am happy with my size and shape, so find it keeps me good - and I only spend at most 40 minutes 3 times a week....

If I, and this is only imo, was trying to lose weight, build muscle and tone up, I would be doing heavy weights, and either working the whole body 3 times a week, with active rest in between, or splitting body areas up and training a different part each night...

Do not underestimate REST... this is when your body recovers and repairs...if it can't do that, your wasting your time...

:thumb:


----------



## JamesGarner (Jan 29, 2007)

thanks for all the replies

this is the only part of losing weight that does my head in its noware as simple as i thought
ive reacently increased cardio and gone from 4 to 5 days a week

Id be happy with a more muscular figure rather than a slimer toned figure
was concentrating on cardio to lose some weight them weights to build muscle later
would increasing muscle mass and metabolism in turn bun fat


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Muscle needs more energy to function, so yes it does ramp up your metabolism and you burn fat quicker...

Also eat smaller meals, and work on keeping your Blood Sugar Levels as constant as possible....

6 small meals a day is better than 3 larger ones...

Throughout all my training etc I have found that medium to heavy weights still change peoples body shape quicker than anything else....

:thumb:


----------



## DagenhamGeoff (Mar 20, 2011)

Now that is an amazing story, well done.
I`m overweight by about 2 stone, unfortunately due to renal failure etc a lot of exercise isn`t advisable for me..however before I was ill i got into weight training quite heavily and I made the worse mistake ever.protein!!!!!! forget the protein shakes, muscle build-up etc....these have detrimental affect on your kidneys....I should know as I`m now surviving on 1 transplanted kidney, even that is now only functioning at 15%...mind you I`ve had it for approximately 19 years so not doing bad at all...........only advice I can give is SLOW DOWN!!!!! you are well over-training...you`ll find you will initially lose a lot of weight and quite rapidly....this will slow down quite a bit as the first lot of "speedy" weight is water.....losing between 1.5 2lb per week is ideal..do not try for any more as you will end up straining your vital organs without knowing it...you`ve done well and admire your determination but please don`t over do it...you`re getting results and you`ll still get them results by going to them gym less and eating the way you are..the reason you feel you`re tiring easier is your body telling you to slow down...

A quick tip for you to lose weight....that`s if you`re brave enough........have a shower!!!.warm first and slowly turn the hot down til you`re left with only cold.....stay there for 30 seconds..this activates your brown fat, which we use to burn white fat, brown fat is usually more active around shoulder, back and chest..........not only does this speed up the "burning" process but it makes you feel absolutely brilliant and revitalised.give a try and let me know how you feel afterwards.....it`s not a miracle weight loss solver but it does actually work.

Good luck and again well done!!!!


----------



## demon_dan (Jul 1, 2009)

JamesGarner said:


> I was 27 odd stone before xmas and am now down to about 23 and a half so it's working


Firstly well done mate :thumb:
Personally I'd say you're not eating enough ...this is only my opinion and from my experience, I'm no expert and though not qualified to give you advice, I think it's OK to have others input and maybe you find something helpful in it.
Your light-headedness is caused by a drop in blood sugar levels, try a banana and/or a snack like a couple of plain rice cakes with some peanut butter on and some nuts and raisins before you train plus drink a high carb 'sports drink' along with water during your session. 3 hours between your tea and the gym is still quite a lot when you're working out. I'd also recommend what someone else said about having 6 meals during the day as opposed to breakfast/lunch/tea ... maybe cut those down a bit and snack in between. Porridge is good for breakfast, though an apple or banana before you eat it will be good. Some fruit/nuts/rice cakes mid-morning then a tuna salad or chicken salad for lunch. You can afford to have some carbs here, home-made tuna pasta salad/rice salad or something similar. A mid-afternoon snack similar to the morning one, then tea ...a smaller tea, some protein (fish/chicken/meat) and veg/salad, omelette ...try not to have too many carbs if any. Snack before the gym then have something within 20 mins of finishing your workout. It takes some getting used to but it will become a way of life and you'll eventually do it without thinking. 
I take protein shakes, especially after the gym, to help repair my muscles. That's my preference because of the training I do, but it might not be suitable for you. There are low carb/fat protein shakes, they're not all weight-gainers, some are purely just to keep the protein levels topped up as the body can't store large amounts. 
When you're doing weights, try to train different muscle groups each session, this gives a 'break' in between instead of doing everything at once. Maybe use your cardio just for warm-up/down. What do you enjoy more?


----------



## VillanJC (Mar 31, 2011)

Your doing an incredible job mate so well done!
However you must rest more, sometimes less is more. Gym 4 times a week, Total rest one night and brisk walks for two nights. Stay positive, sleep well and keep up the good work!


----------



## Griffiths Detailing (Mar 29, 2011)

JamesGarner said:


> Just after a bit of advice please
> 
> After years of being overweight doing no real exercise and eating bad. This year i have decided to do something about it
> I was 27 odd stone before xmas and am now down to about 23 and a half so it's working
> ...


I train as a body builder, I used to be 26 stone and im now 17 stone. I had a tank accident in the army and couldnt walk for 2 years so piled weight on.

Ok protein shakes, look for something low in carbs something like pro IGF-1 would be really good for you. High protein diets burn lots of fat its the carbs you need to miss. Also I get up and go for a 30 minute walk in the mornings i have a black coffee before and a few sips of water, return home have porridge with water sweeten it up with some fruit as it will be bland. then eat every 2.5 - 3 hrs through the day. your protein shakes can count as meals but only a max of 2 in my opinion and have no carbs atall after 6-7pm.

I think doing weights and cardio in same sesh is never good and this is prob why your not feeling great in the gym, cardio is sapping your energy for pushing weights. If you do your cardio in morning then weights in night, or if thats too hard try monday, wed, fri weights and tue, thurs, sat cardio! 
Well done so far and goodluck!


----------



## SubtleAggressiv (Jul 17, 2010)

Theres nothing wrong with doing weights and cardio in one session. Training one major muscle group with the right intensity should last about 30-45mins depending and 30 mins to 1hour of cardio after will help with your fat loss. But make sure you do weights then cardio after.

You probably need to take some time off training to give your body a rest. 
A protein shake after training (one with low carbs) will give your body the nutrients it needs and aslong as your burning more calories than your putting in, you should be fine. Just remember you need to eat enough so that your body gets the nutrients it needs to repair itself but not so much that theres an excess.

Good luck with your goals. Its nice to hear about someone trying to do something good for themselves. All the best.


----------



## Doc (Feb 2, 2008)

Remember all the above is advice, it's what suits you that makes the difference.

This is a very good read and has proven results.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Good luck on your journey.


----------



## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

There are many diets on the market but one of the best that I had great success with is the carb cycling diet. You basically eat a low carb diet for a few days and then eat a high carb diet for 1 day and then repeat. This may seem counter productive but to loose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit which means you needs to be burning more calories than you eat. The trouble is that your body is a survival machine it will adapt quickly to stop you loosing to much weight. This is why people "stall" and stop loosing weight on diets that did loose fantastic amounts of weight at the start. Thats the great thing about the carb cycling diet, it boosts your metabolism and gets your body out of survival mode by increasing your calories for that day which in turn raises your metabolism. The side effect of this is also increased energy as it replenish your glycogen stores so I always coincide the high carb day with my heavy leg day which gets you the most bang for your buck as this increases your metabolism even more. 

On low Carb days try and consume the majority of your carbs within 45 minutes after a workout, then the carbs will be used to replenish Glycogen stores and not stored as fat.

With regards to your feeling tired in the gym, Do you know the "secret" to almost instantly increasing your strength by 10-15% and endurance by 20-30%. No its nothing illegal its simply water, I had the best increase in gym performance by increasing my water intake. You only have to be dehydrated by 4-5% to lose 20-30% performance. Yes your drinking 2L a day but your working out 6 times a week so I wouldnt say your drinking enough. I'm 16 stone and I drink 4.5litre a day at least more on heavy workout days. The 8-10 glasses guideline is your minimum before doing any exercise.

With regards to Protein Shakes, I put nearly every one I trained on protein shakes as its hard to get constant protein in to your system throughout the day. Yes it can be done but it takes a serious amount of preparation and organization to do. If your goal is Weight Loss I would recommend 100% Whey protein, you want something that is high in protein, loss in carbs and fat and take it with water instead of milk to keep your calories down. I reconmmend and use Sci-Mx 100% Whey, its the only protein I given to people that they all like and it has been voted the best tasting shake for years.

When training I normally break my weights and fitness up and train weights 3 days a week and fitness 2-3 days. I have trained people who like doing weights & fitness more which is fine if your body can take it but always do your weights before fitness.

You saying you want to slim down and then build up is a common statement when people come to me but I always suggest working out as if you want to build muscle but with a calorie deficit. The reason I suggest this is every pound of muscle you put on burns calories while your doing nothing, its actually uses calories to maintain muscle so every pound of muscle you put on helps with weight loss.

Hope this helps


----------



## Griffiths Detailing (Mar 29, 2011)

SubtleAggressiv said:


> Theres nothing wrong with doing weights and cardio in one session. Training one major muscle group with the right intensity should last about 30-45mins depending and 30 mins to 1hour of cardio after will help with your fat loss. But make sure you do weights then cardio after.
> 
> You probably need to take some time off training to give your body a rest.
> A protein shake after training (one with low carbs) will give your body the nutrients it needs and aslong as your burning more calories than your putting in, you should be fine. Just remember you need to eat enough so that your body gets the nutrients it needs to repair itself but not so much that theres an excess.
> ...


Cardio after weight training will hinder your muscle growth HUGELY! I suppose it depends what you want, the guy said he felt weak in gym also so I think doing a 2hr sesh will finish him off. I do body building so I knwo the training is diffirent to most as I need to gain as much muscle as possible. its just advice on my part!


----------



## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

Chris Griffiths said:


> Cardio after weight training will hinder your muscle growth HUGELY! I suppose it depends what you want, the guy said he felt weak in gym also so I think doing a 2hr sesh will finish him off. I do body building so I knwo the training is diffirent to most as I need to gain as much muscle as possible. its just advice on my part!


I totally agree with this and always advocate doing cardio on a separate day. I also never work out longer than 45 minutes.


----------



## JamesGarner (Jan 29, 2007)

Thanks for all the replys

Think i may have a word with one of the instructors this week to show me around the free weights a bit more and try and build a bit of a program
then try and alternate days of doing cardio and heavier weights

going to try and eat little and more this week and see how i feel
Ive tried eating just before going to the gym and did feel i had more energy
was really chuffed when i managed to run a lot faster than normal and keep it up

only disappointing thing is last week i lost and 5lbs this week i only lost 1
but i do feel better this week

was chuffed last week though when i realized i was light enough to use the wii fit and not the industrial scales at work which arn't very accurate
the wii fit says i am half a stone lighter than i thought i was checked the gym scales and they agreed


----------



## shredder1uk (Oct 5, 2008)

Just thought i would pop into this thread. Started on a diet November 6th and on weighing myself this morning hit the 7 stone loss mark. Guess buying that pushbike is paying of lol.


----------



## SubtleAggressiv (Jul 17, 2010)

Chris Griffiths said:


> Cardio after weight training will hinder your muscle growth HUGELY! I suppose it depends what you want, the guy said he felt weak in gym also so I think doing a 2hr sesh will finish him off. I do body building so I knwo the training is diffirent to most as I need to gain as much muscle as possible. its just advice on my part!


I think the OP said he wanted to lose weight. I can only hazard a guess as to why hes feeling weak at the gym but from what I can see from his posts, its either because hes been training pretty much non-stop since before xmas and /or because hes not eating enough to fuel his work-outs and lifestyle. 
Everybody is different so my experience is that I can train weights and cardio on the same day and get results. A proper diet is the main thing.

All the best.


----------



## Richsw (Apr 11, 2011)

Just my bit from a new member. I've lost 4 stone in around 9 months. this has worked for me, im not saying its right in anyway or even wrong ! i also get 'out-of-fuel' days' and its when i have been busy at work and skipped meals or not eaten enough. make sure you eat enough of whats right - dont snack on rubbish !

Diet is the key factor - i have ditched white flour and refined sugars completly, if i need a sweetener i use honey. eat a little often - its important to keep your motabalism going - if your body thinks its starving them it starts automaticaly hording fat!. Drink lots of water - lots - helps you feel full. I have tried to avoid too many carbs in the diet and more protein, I eat apples but no bananas - day example:

Suppliments:
Green Tea Extract - great motabalism booster, anti oxident and holds off hunger
Aged Garlic Tablet - helps lower chloresterol - i cant spell
Omega 3,6 & 9 capsules - joints,skin, well being, important fats you body cant produce - very good if you are loosing weight as it helps the skin. Omega can be expensive , Flaxseed 3,6 & 9 can be cheaper and much the same

Breakfast - 2 poached eggs (Steamer is great to do them in - and cheap) or omelette made with 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites.
Coffee - with Honey

Snack - a few chashews (5), Dried Aprocots (5), Dates and Cranberries.

An Apple

Lunch - Small mixed salad with Chicken breast - the supermarket prepacked is fine - and is normaly 3 for 2 type thing so wont break the bank
Coffee - with honey

or

50g of brown rice with Chicken breast

Snack - apple

Evening meal - meat / fish, lots of steamed veg

Evening Snack -apple , whatever you fancy in moderation - but drink a pint of water before bed - keeps the motab ticking over.

Lay off the pints in the pub - i have switched to shorts and slimeline tonic - Red wine with the wife at weekends

as far as suppliments go at the weekend i may swap the eggs for a breakfast protein shake - but watch them - too much protien and not enough water can make you Sh1t diamonds and give you gout - been there! 

The good fats are important in the diet - from fish and nuts - not the other fats. 
Coffee - small amout is OK - 2/ 3 cups - its a good dieretic

Gym - i do 3 sessions of core work - weights on a swiss ball and medicine ball matt work - weights are good as you keep buring additional calories after the workout as your body repairs - thats why the rest days are important - otherwise the body starts to break down muscle instead of the fat. i also cycle at the weekends and evening when i can.

I bought a cheap HRM from Argos - great for motivation - after a ride or gym you can see the fat burned and calories used. i dont 'count' calories, im just more aware of what im eating now. 

this has worked for me - watching the carb intake and being sensible, but also have a cheat day here and there! - there are lots of zero carb diets - not for me but i understand why they work.

Rich


----------

