Well I'm more confused now than before...

[bluefrog]

Hi all, been reading through the forum for the past few hours now, and while I have gained some great information most of which I had no idea about, it has had the side effect of making me more confused!

What I came here for is to try and check if my nutrient levels are balanced for losing some weight/toning up and maybe building a little at the same time (I know that it's not likely to lose & build at the same time but what I should really say is I'm looking to lose my gut)

A seven site caliper test asscertained that I am 20% (just under) bodyweight but I hold fat like a girl around the lower abodomen which I find hard to shift.

OK the vitals:

I'm 35, 6' 2", 44" chest, 44" waist and guess what 44" hips lol, fairly well build if you don't look at my face or gut. Not you guys well built, I couldn't pull a train with my teeth but well built for an average guy.

Looking to get the waist down to at least a 36" (Ironically thats the pants size I wear but I guess they are generously cut!)

Nutrients:

35% protein
12% carbs
53% fat

RMR 2127, moderately active 6 days a week TDEE=3298 with a 500 cal defecit leaving 2548

Broken into 6 meals throughout the day comprised of approx. 149g protein (calories from protein), 50g carbs(calories from carbs), 225g fat(calories from fat)

A typical meal would be like this:

35g peanut butter
90g chicken breast
5g olive oil
30g soybeans

Calories: 393
From carbs: 44
From protein: 131
From fat: 217

This meal is slightly under but some are over so they average out. Oh yeah and I have a candida problem due to too much sugar so I'm trying to follow the increasingly restrictive paleo style of diet, despite I can't eat many of the foods (most veggies make me hurl - sorry but it needed saying lol.)

Any and all constructive help is welcomed and appreciated.

Oh my activity levels:

3 days 20 min cardio
3 days moderate full body workout.

Like I say I'm not really concentrating on building up too much so the 'strength' training is for variety, keeping my muscles alive lol, and because I hate cardio. The cardio is varied like a sort of martial arts aerobics lol, keeps my heart rate up at around 150 bpm (average 143) which when worked out on my polar I should be between 124 and 166.

Thanks everybody, and if the forum owner reads this, thank you for creating such a great place to share and exchange information.

Have a great day folks :)

[Skelator03]

If your trying to lose weight while gaining muscle your on the right track but you need more veggies in there man find some you like and eat the hell out of them

[Trainwreck]

Track your eating habits to figure out what your maintenance actually is, calculators are nothing more than a guesstimate.You can use something like Fitday (http://www.fitday.com) to keep track of what you eat on a daily basis.
You're trying to lose weight so the caloric deficit is a step in the right direction, the macros sound like something out of a carb cycle (with the high fats) but if thats working for you then great. Up the protein to ~1g/lb of body weight and adjust carbs and dietary fats accordingly to maintain a deficit, the bigger the deficit the faster the weight comes off.
Try doing 30 minutes of HIIT 3 times a week instead of the 20 minutes, as far as the full body workout, look into something like WBB1.1 (http://www.wannabebig.com/training/routines-and-programs/wannabebig-11-an-improved-routine/), Starting Strength (http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124795) or the Texas Method (http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125357). If you haven't been training for long then you might be able to get the most out of recomp by eating maintenance and lifting heavy on one of those splits.
In conclusion, the cut happens in the kitchen with the caloric deficit and the building happens in the gym with the routine (really more after the gym than in it).
I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in with more info. Good luck.

[bluefrog]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.


I actually track my consumption and everything else on VidaONe diet and fitness software. Seem to work well and I can make goals and other stuff.

What would be the best way to check my calorific needs? Something like use the base of 2,500 for a male and monitor the results for a week? Would that work or would it need longer? If I was using weights at the same time wouldn't I put weight on too? Exchanging fat for lean mass? :confused:

A word on the carb element, Ive noticed in the past that my body dislikes working with too much carb input so I bought the levels down to around 75g per day, is this too low?

Also my tentative research pushed me in this direction for the sugar conversion of carbs in the body, I have a candida overgrowth caused by sugar feeding the candida bacteria so I have pulled back on overall sugar from whatever source to under 18g per day. So very little to no dairy, no sweetners of any description, most if not all grains and unfortunately most natural plant and fruit sugars too. The veggies with little sugar conversion are the ones I physically cannot eat, I'm trying to train my taste to accept them but so far it's not happening.

Can somebody explain to me if this is wrong and why? Sorry to be totally noob but there is so much conflicting information on the net it will make a big difference coming from a source that actually knows something.

HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training?? I train at home for various reasons (long story) so is there any HIIT I can do which is low impact, quiet and cheap?

Will having this little carb and this much fat harm me? I was under the impression that if there were little carbs then the body would consume fat instead being our natural fuel?? Is this wrong?

Again, sorry for all the questions but we all gotta be noob sometime I guess :)