# I'm after the brutal truth...



## Damothedevil (Feb 12, 2013)

So just over a week ago I started on a weight loss journey. I'm 34, 5ft 11 and was 102kg (now 101.6kg) goal of 85kg and some sort of fitness. Not getting out of breath after walking up to second floor in a hotel

Between my job and family i'm struggling on gym time but getting there 3 times a week. (Monday, wednesday, thursday) I could do another day but if i did would end up only having around 4-5 hours sleep that night.

I'm doing....

1st day

Legs & shoulders

Leg Press 4 sets of 12. 2 x light 2 x heavy, can only just do 12 tried for 13 and could not do it

Leg Curls 4 sets of 12 as above

Leg Extensions 4 sets of 12 again as above

Shoulder press 5 sets of 12. 2 x light 3 x heavy

Rest day (It was needed)

2nd day

Boxer size type class (high intensity 45min Free class via hotel)

3rd day

Back & Chest

Lat pull down wide grip 5 sets of 12, 2 x light 3 x heavy on last set I could do 13 here but no more.

Seated cable row again 2 x light 3 x heavy

Chest press 5 sets of 12 again 2 x light 2 x heavy

Peck deck 5 sets of again as above

I then did 2 sets of bicep curls (free weights) and 2 sets of tricep extensions (cable)

I'm going to look into some simple core strength stuff that i can do while I'm in my hotel room 1st thing in a morning before i start for the day. Plank maybe?

I have recorded what i have eaten over the last week and i don't think its to bad but may be too high in carbs in the long run? I'm not sure, just going off what i read on here I'm going to try put myself a meal plan together

It worked out average of 1800cal split between 54% carbs, 16% fat and 30% protein and that includes 2 x protein shake a day (100% gold standard whey)

My food intake is what i see to be my biggest problem as i used to eat loads of take aways due to my job (away from home travel around a lot and stay in hotels 5-6 nights a week) its been really really hard not to just go to a drive though and make sure i go to a shop tesco etc to buy fruit pot, salad pot, pasta pot, chicken or a tin of tuna. My company pay for my food bill while I'm away upto £20 per day

Basically I want to know if i continue as above will i be ok and get to my goal or am i going to end up in starvation mode or hurt myself? I feel abit saw everywhere right now and i really don't want to fail like i did when i tried getting into shape afew years ago. That's why I'm on this forum to get some help and do some reading on what i need to do.

Feed back very much welcome

Thanks

Damo


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## MF88 (Jul 1, 2012)

First off mate, keep your head up, stay focused and realise how shit you'll feel if you fail. You can achieve whatever you set your mind to as long as you stay dedicated.

Secondly, if at all possible, prepare your meals for the week and take them with you to your work. That way, you'll always have food to hand when you need it and you'll know what you're eating, instead of Donald's or KFC etc..

And thirdly, you said you're struggling to get in the gym due to family and work. My advice would be get there whenever you can, join a 24 hour gym if there's one in your area and change your sleep pattern so you get up early enough to do it before work.

Good luck mate, I wish you all the best.


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## Gaijin (Jan 26, 2014)

youll be fine mate. theres enough info on here and peer supprt for you to gain the relevant info. i personnaly use apps such as 'my fittness pal' to track macros and i fine this helps becaus it aids in the planning aspect of the diet which imo is the hardest thing to do. As for the gym will as said above you could try the 24 hour gym options or eben invlove your family in some exercise weather it be hill walking, a run, cycle roud the local park. every bit helps. even getting a hold of some of those work out dvds like insanity or p90x or meta fit would be a good shout as they take minimal time can be done in house and are convenient as can be really.

Just keep the motivation up.


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## Damothedevil (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks for the good words gents. Its going ok so far I'm down to 97.5kg  hard work keeping on the diet as been on 2 holidays 3 weeks apart but managed to keep the training up.


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## EpicSquats (Mar 29, 2014)

Maybe this short video clip will help you.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

First of all good on you for making the decision to try and get healthier. It won't happen overnight, but if you stick at it your goal is totally achievable.

1800 kcal per day is too low a starting point IMO. Have a go with the calculator here:

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/food-diet-nutrition-info/164237-diet-formula-work-out-bmr-bulk-cut-calories-macros.html

If you start on higher calories but find you aren't losing enough then you can reduce calories by more. But over time you body will adjust to a calorie deficit, so starting too low gives you no room to manoevure.

As for training, I'd suggest you do whole body training on your two weight sessions. There is no good reason for you to be using any form of body part split.

A programme like Stronglifts wouldn't be a terrible place to start if you are able to squat and deadlift at your gym?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Oops, hadn't realised the OP was 6 weeks old!


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## mal (Dec 31, 2009)

20 a day on grub,ide be down the supp shop stocking up...


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## Damothedevil (Feb 12, 2013)

Ultrasonic No prob bud happy to take on board all the advice i can get 

Mal that is something i have talked to my work about and been given the ok to spend part of my meal allowance on sups :thumb:


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## mal (Dec 31, 2009)

Damothedevil said:


> Ultrasonic No prob bud happy to take on board all the advice i can get
> 
> Mal that is something i have talked to my work about and been given the ok to spend part of my meal allowance on sups :thumb:


Jammy sod lol

I'm off to h&b tomoz,they got there penny sale on! Stock up on aminos..


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## Damothedevil (Feb 12, 2013)

Will do Mal.

After having a look see at that cal. I'm going to up my cal intake to 2200-2400 and see how the weight loss continues. I'm also going to add in another cardio day starting this week. Got an aim of around 85kg for xmass.

Thats me now doing 2 x weight training days and 3 x cardio days.

Will see how i get on and report back in a couple of weeks


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Sorry I've confused things, but don't jump calories up to that level now. Have you been sticking to 1800 per day for the last six weeks?

Well done on your weight loss so far BTW .


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## nWo (Mar 25, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> Oops, hadn't realised the OP was 6 weeks old!


Fúck me, they start young these days don't they :laugh:


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## nWo (Mar 25, 2014)

£20 a day meal allowance?? That's a bodybuilder's dream haha, you lucky cúnt mate :lol: Do your hotel fees get paid as well?

What do you do for a living, out of interest?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

I said:


> Fúck me' date=' they start young these days don't they :laugh:[/quote']
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## nWo (Mar 25, 2014)

Ultrasonic said:


> I meant Original Post not Original Poster. Not sure what is standard? I'm probably not consistent though to be honest!
> 
> Hope he checks back though or I fear my first post has lead him astray  .


Yeah both are right mate. Just looked really funny as I skimmed over it :laugh:


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## Damothedevil (Feb 12, 2013)

Signalling engineer on the railway bud. Yes all hotel costs are paid too


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## itsdavem8 (Oct 15, 2014)

Firstly, congratulations on deciding to do this.

Yes, your going to end up in starvation mode. At 100kg you should eat 2000-2200 calories per day for fat loss, It's good your worried about starvation mode because it's one of the main reasons people give up.

Worrying about macros is irrelevant for your current situation and will likely cause you to give up too. You have 15kg to lose mate, don't restrict food at the moment, just make sure you get plenty of protein and good fats. Obviously you won't be eating takeaways everyday, but obsessing about the number of carbs in a pasta sauce is stupid at this stage.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

I don't personally think it is appropriate to think of a 'starvation mode'. When on a calorie restricted diet the body isn't either 'fine' or in 'starvation mode', but rather it is gradually adapting to the energy deficit. This paper gives an excellent summary of this for those who are interested:

http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-11-7.pdf

Most people who diet for more than a brief period notice that their rate of fat loss gradually decreases, or even stops completely, despite consistently eating the same reduced calorie diet, and doing the same amount of (usually LISS) cardio. The reason for this is the combination of adaptations discussed in the paper.

@damonthedevil: assuming that you have been consistantly eating 1800 calories per week for the last 6 weeks it is not easy to know what might be best now. I'm tempted to suggest that you try increasing your calories by 50 kcal per week and see what happens in terms of weight loss. But to be completely honest it might be that you are best keeping doing what you are doing for now. But once you come to the end of your diet, I would definitely recommend a reverse diet (gradually increasing your calories back up again, not going straight back to your pre-diet daily calories).


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## mal (Dec 31, 2009)

All you need to do is cycle carbs,it's that simple.


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