How much time should I allow myself to get into beach shape (visible abdominals, I have the top four now)and what diet alterations would you recommend?
I was a typical skinny kid but I have now gained a little excess fat that I would like to shed prior to May first.
I am probably 165lbs and 5’11 (so I am still pretty skinny).
My recent diet has included eating just about everything (no fast food or anything like that) that my college budget can afford. This also includes a ton of carbs.
I lift four to five days a week.
-Should I start cardio too?
I KNOW T-Nation has someone who can help so thanks in advance!
just eat less carbs for maybe 2 weeks and see if you get any leaner, if not than maybe that and the cardio will do the trick. I know being at college you cant always pick exactly what to eat so its a little diffrent
Yeah, college budgets aren’t the best when trying to diet properly. Cutting down on my carb intake is my first consideration but from there I am a little clueless.
i like JB’s 7 habbits as a foundation to anything i do with my diet. The article is on here if you do a search.
basicly make sure you get protein at every meal. atleast one serve of veggies with every meal. 6 meals a day with upto 4 healthy cheats. No liquid Calories. Combine that with some fish oil and i think you would be set.
[quote]dalejohnson wrote:
visible abdominals, I have the top four now
[/quote]
along with this
[quote]I am probably 165lbs and 5’11 (so I am still pretty skinny).
[/quote]
makes me seriously question your decision to focus on getting into “beach shape”. You seem to be pretty lean already given that you can see the two upper rows of your abs. You definitely are skinny given your stats, which you have acknowledged yourself, and you’ll be even more so after a cut.
What muscle do you expect to show after losing even more weight? Is very skinny with visible abs the look you are after? Is it worth to setback your attempts at gaining muscle will take just for this one summer when - in my opinion - you probably won’t even look any better overall after the cut?
As you say your diet is the weak point, why don’t you simply work on that. Cut back a little on the carbs, up the vegetables and healthy fats. Lift heavy and add some sprint intervals once or twice a week (see Thib’s “Running Man” for a challenging and time efficient program) and you should be set. You’ll be able to set a base for years to come and most likely even see a favorable shift in body composition without having the drawbacks of making an all out effort at losing bodyfat.
I know this is not what you want to hear but it is the best I can offer in terms of advice. I’ve made the very same mistake myself years ago and it was a waste of time and effort which I could have directed into getting bigger, faster, stronger etc.
Michael, any advice is what I’m looking for. I think you have the ideal plan I should be on but it is this college budget that makes it a little hard to eat that well all year. Carbs are just so cheap.
Dale, I live on a college budget do, I still live in a freakin dorm I’m first year…and I manage to eat quite healthy. If you wanted to, you’d find a way to make the changes. Frozen vegetables are inexpensive, eggs are inexpensive, a big bottle of EVOO will last you a long time.
It comes down to your desire and dedication level.
[quote]dalejohnson wrote:
Michael, any advice is what I’m looking for. I think you have the ideal plan I should be on but it is this college budget that makes it a little hard to eat that well all year. Carbs are just so cheap.
[/quote]I see where you are coming from. My post wasn’t that much about following an ideal plan, though. You probably will require a more ideal approach if you actually decide to drop to a very low bodyfat level as opposed to what I suggested.
The point I was trying to make is that I’d rather focus on long term progress than looking good at the beach on a few occasions this summer. As I said before, I also doubt the result of your cut would turn out the way you want it to because your stats suggest you’re lacking muscle mass and when all is said and done, you’d simply look skinny.
[quote]GetSwole wrote:
Dale, I live on a college budget do, I still live in a freakin dorm I’m first year…and I manage to eat quite healthy. If you wanted to, you’d find a way to make the changes. Frozen vegetables are inexpensive, eggs are inexpensive, a big bottle of EVOO will last you a long time.
It comes down to your desire and dedication level.[/quote]
I have all of those ingredients now and I use them everyday. I just managed to eat a lot of pasta, rice, and bread too. What kind of protein are you buying other than eggs and supps that work on the college budget?
80% lean ground beef isnt too expensive and is good for protein+fat meals.
canned tuna/salmon
chicken breast cutlets…I shop deals…you can often find specials where you can buy in bulk and freeze stuff. Also, look into a bulk club like sam’s and costco and such where you can buy pounds of frozen stuff for less.
I wasnt criticizing your choices, I’m just saying if you play with the numbers and look around, you can trade the carbs for other choices for around the same prices.