Shiggy, just scanning the replies quickly, I can see you’re getting some fabulous advice.
Discipline. As super* alluded to, if you’re not getting enough calories, your body will revolt, and you will find yourself eating everything in sight. It is a common occurence in BBs who take their body fat down ultra low. The body doesn’t know you’re dieting down; it thinks you’re starving and does everything it can to save your life.
Second, the reason most people break down at night is once again, just not enough calories during the day. We’re going to take a hard look at what you’re eating; P, C and F grams. If you track it, we’ll be able to make adjustments. The cool thing is that with most of the people I work with, hunger is just not an issue. One of my guys (273 pounds) called me up one day asking if he had to eat his sixth meal if he just wasn’t hungry. (The answer was yes. (grin))
So I guess my promise to you is that once we get things running right, you’re probably not going to be breaking down.
The advice about FitDay is excellent. You won’t have to do it for the rest of your life, but when you’re trying to break a plateau or overhaul your diet, it becomes a necessary/vital/critical tool to analyzing just what is going on.
Let me addres the HotRox and Tribex issue(s), though, before I get started.
Biotest is an awesome company. They have a money-back guarantee. If the racing heart thing is too much, give customer service a call, or forward them the text of the message you posted, and they’ll take care of you. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk to them. I’ve never heard of any problems with Tribex causing a person’s heart to race, and if stress and cortisol are high, T levels will be low. I think Tribex might be the better choice for you right here and now.
If you call, ask to speak to Mary or Haley, and tell 'em Tampa-Terry told you to give 'em a call and is causing problems again. (grin)
Let’s talk about cardio and why it’s important to what you want to achieve. When you diet, your metabolism starts to slow down. You start running colder and slower metabolically (in numerous ways you can’t see or feel). Cardio in conjunction with optimizing your diet is like a one-two punch. Cardio kicks your metabolism into overdrive. It causes you to run hotter and faster. It burns a few calories, yes, but for me the real benefit is that it kicks you into fat burning mode.
I understand the issues with the shin splints. But here’s what I do want you to do. I want you to search online for a < $49 heart rate monitor. Find the simplest cheapest one you can get. I want you to use it because you’re not going to have to work out as hard as you think.
To calculate MHR, subtract your age (31) from 220. Your MHR is 189. The cardio I’m going to want you doing is 65-75% of your MHR. In other words, I want you working out at between 123-142 bpm. Feel free to shovel all the snow you want between now and when you get your bike. Make mountains and move 'em if you have to round the yard. Consider a used bike. Check out eBay. Also consider an eliptical trainer. However you get your cardio, just keep it in the range I specified for 45 minutes prior to eating your first meal of the day.
Gotta do the cardio, though. Find a way that works, but make it happen. It’s part of the equation.
Okay, time to run the numbers. (Good thing I’m not a betting person, huh? (wink))
At 210 pounds and 26% BF you carry 155 pounds of LBM. I calculate protein and fat requirements off of LBM.
Protein requirement are 1.5g x LBM, a total of 233g of protein per day or 39g per meal. You need to record and memorize those numbers, Shiggy.
Fat requirements are generally between .4 and .5g x LBM. I’m going to go with 66g of fat per day, divided rougly equally between your P+F meals. Not all at one meal; divided between your P+F meals.
Carbs we’re going to stick with 70g on non-workout days and 100g on workout days (meaning days you lift).
Lets talk about sources.
Protein = lean cuts of meat; chicken breasts, ground beef, steak, shrimp, scallops, canned or fresh salmon, canned or fresh tuna, eggs, lamb, veal
Fat = flaxseed, flaxseed oil, fish oil, Udo’s choice, olive oil, satuarted fat found in the meat you eat, the fat in eggs, raw/not-roasted nuts, peanut butter.
Carbs
Category A = green veggie carbs = kale, collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, green beans, asparagus
Category B = starchy carbs = oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice
Category C = junk food carbs, carbs in a box, cookies, donuts, cake, sweets, bread, pasta, pizza
Eating patterns are as follows:
Workout Days
AM FS Cardio, 45 minutes, 65-75% of MHR
Meal 1 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 2 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 3 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 4 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Weightlifting Workout
Meal 5 P+C (25gP + 49gC) Liquid Surge
Meal 6 P+C (40gP + 40gC) Starchy Carbs
- You still have 11g of carbs you can use in your first four meals for flavor; 2 cups of salad, spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc.
Non-Workout Days
AM FS Cardio, 45 minutes, 65-75% of MHR
Meal 1 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 2 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 3 P+F (40gP + 16gF)
Meal 4 P+C (40gP + 20gC) Green veggie
Meal 5 P+C (40gP + 20gC) Green veggie
Meal 6 P+C (40gP + 20gC) Green veggie
- You still have 10g of carbs you can use in your first three meals for flavor; 2 cups of salad, spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc.
Okay, Shiggy. Re-read TheBow’s thread, read my recommendations to you, and hit me with your questions. (grin)