Trying to get in better shape

[Feint]

A Little Background
I am a 24 year old male and I stand 6 feet tall. I've never really been in the greatest shape, but over the last few years I have ended up getting pretty fat, honestly. In February, it got to the point that I really had to make a change. I weighed approximately 265lbs, which is way too much. I started eating less, and working out 4-5 days a week in an effort to become healthier and get in better shape.

My Goals

 

[MMA RLZ]

You need some greens in there, bro. Teriyaki and pickles are mad salty, I'd chug water all day if I were you. And I'd throw some cardio in there. That said, if you've already dropped 40 lbs, go with what works. That just does not seem healthy if it's consistently your diet.

 

[Feint]

You need some greens in there, bro. Teriyaki and pickles are mad salty, I'd chug water all day if I were you. And I'd throw some cardio in there. That said, if you've already dropped 40 lbs, go with what works. That just does not seem healthy if it's consistently your diet.

It's not what I eat all the time, just what we had today. I also do drink a lot of water. I've been doing cardio 3 days a week, but my foot has been hurting this week so I haven't been running. I have to get my bike from my dad's house so I can ride for cardio when I don't feel like running.

 

[nyNinja]

Wheat bread is better than french bread. Read the ingredients on everything you buy. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, enriched bleached flour, partially hydrogenated crap. Watch your sodium intake. Definitely throw in some greens. Lifting weights will help you lose weight. More muscles = burn energy faster = faster metabolism. You have to get good sleep after you exercise. Staying up all night and sleeping all day won't help, unless you're working the graveyard shift and it's your only option. There are a million articles on the web that can help you with your diet and exercise routine. Good luck.

 

[D4rthKitty]

A really good thing to join actually for you method would be weight watchers

They have a point system of what each amount of each food is. And they tell you how many 'points' you should be eating for you current weight

I have a couple friends who had joined it and it seems to be working pretty well for them

 

[Feint]

A really good thing to join actually for you method would be weight watchers

They have a point system of what each amount of each food is. And they tell you how many 'points' you should be eating for you current weight

I have a couple friends who had joined it and it seems to be working pretty well for them

I think Weight Watchers would be a waste of money for me. I generally try to figure out the nutritional value of everything I eat, and that is pretty much what Weight Watchers does using a simplified system. My mom and sister have both tried it. They both pretty much gained everything back because they decided to stop.

 

[Feint]

June 4, 2010

3:00am - Tried to sleep
5:30am - Got up because I wasn't sleeping
9:30am - Tried sleeping again
11:30am - Finally fell asleep
5:30pm - Woke up
6:00pm - Ate pasta with meat sauce
-Approximately 400 calories for pasta, 200 for sauce
12:00am - Plate of shepherd's pie
-estimating 500 calories

Notes: Not being able to fall asleep even after trying for hours really sucks. Been like this for 3 weeks and I'm really getting tired of it. I checked the ingredients for the french bread, has no corn syrup or bleached flour. Nutritional info says less than 1g of sugars. It's the fresh baked bread from the bakery. Bread and pasta are two of my favorite things, I don't know if I could commit to eating whole wheat versions. I have at least cut down on how much I do eat of it though. Eat them less frequently and when I do them it's less than half of what I would have eaten before.

 

[Feint]

June 5, 2010

Weight: 221

3:00am - Attempted to sleep
~4:30am - Fell asleep
7:30am - Woke up
12:30pm - Ate grilled chicken salad w/Italian dressing and piece of wheat flatbread
-estimating 125 calories for salad, 250 for chicken, 250 for dressing, and 75 for bread
7:30pm - Ate baked chicken breast w/buffalo sauce and corn
-estimating 300 calories for chicken, 50 for sauce, 100 for corn

Notes: I feel like I shouldn't have lost that much this week...was only expecting 2-3lbs as that has been normal for me. I weighed myself four times though, so I don't know.

 

[10thpjj]

Ok firstly, not to be rude but the 'advice' you have been given in this log so far is pretty abysmal.

To the posters who raised the concern over sodium intake. In a active and healthy person sodium intake is regulated by the kidneys. Excess is simply excreted in the urine. Sodium intake only becomes an issue when a person is obese, sedentary or suffers from hypertension. In fact, the majority of people who are working out regularly are probably suffering from a lack of sodium in their diet, as they avoid it like the plague.

To the guy who mentioned weight watchers. . . Seriously, WTF?

Also, on the bread thing. All breads are pretty much shit. They are empty calories and IMHO are something that should be axed when on a weightloss diet. They are processed grains and contribute to a whole host of little nasties. (a google search about the detrimental effects of grains will suffice)

Ok, now onto the diet. Your first goal, Eat less. . .Probably not a good idea. From what you have posted the past few entries I would hazard a guess that you are chronically underfed. Not only that but your food choices are pretty horrible.

You say that your not sure if you could switch to the whole wheat versions of bread and pasta. . .IMO switching isn't the answer here. You need to get rid of them. Not completely, but it seems your whole diet is centred around carbohydrate.

Also, If you are losing weight I am almost certain that some of that what you are losing is lean muscle mass. Your dietary protein intake is very low. Especially for your size. you need to shot for 1g of protein per 1lb of LEAN body mass. This will aid muscle growth but will also prevent you from burning away lean muscle for energy.

Your macronutrient breakdown probably looks terrible. You eat far too many carbohydrates, not enough protein and certainly not enough fat. You need to up your dietary fat intake drastically. Also, look into a good fish oil supplement to aid your weight loss and general health. Fish oil is a quality fat, it is anti inflammatory and will help to balance your O3/O6 ratio, something which you need.

I suggest that the best thing you could do right now is read the FAQ's. I don't want to come across as an ass but it seems like you have no clue what you are doing and have no idea why you are eating what foods you chose. Read the FAQ's and then come back and ask some questions! Good luck!

 

[Feint]

June 6, 2010

9:30pm - Went to bed, probably fell asleep within a half hour
12:30am - Woke up but stayed trying to sleep
8:30am - Slept off and on from 12:30, got up at this time
9:00am - Ate an omelette(3 eggs and ham)
-285 calories(21g fat, 18g protein, 1.5g carbs) for eggs, 12 calories(2.8g fat, 20g protein, .6g carbs) for ham
-SubTotal: 425 calories(23.8g fat, 38g protein, 2.1g carbs)
12:00pm - Ate oven roasted chicken salad(chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, banana peppers) from subway...bleh
-Apparently that is only 130 calories(2.5g fat, 19g protein, 10g carbs)
-SubTotal: 555 calories(26.3g fat, 57g protein, 12.1g carbs)
6:00pm - Ate pulled pork and turnip
-estimating 500 calories(28g fat, 54g protein, 5g carbs) for pork, 35 calories(0g fat, 1g protein, 8g carbs) for turnip
-SubTotal: 1090 calories(54.3g fat, 112g protein, 25.1g carbs)
12:30am: Ate more pulled pork
-estimating 300 calories(23g fat, 43g protein, 4g carbs)
-SubTotal: 1390 calories(77.3g fat, 155g protein, 29.1g carbs)

Notes: Tried to do calories and macronutrients as best as possible. Definitely still room for error.