I just finished reading Chris Shugart’s article about the missing ingredient. I like the concept, and I’ve been thinking about trying to keep one for a while now. I think it would be easiest and probably best to plan a week ahead of time, and that’s what I’ve seen that most of you guys do. Unfortunately, I have a small problem. My problem is being 18. Teenagers, unfortunately, do not live by schedules, particularily during the summer. Let me try to explain my problem with a few examples of regular activities for a dude my age, and I’ll specify what I can easily change:
Ma cooks the meals and the ‘rents determine what’s in the fridge - I could cook my own meals, regular healthy food(oats, tuna, chicken, veggies) ain’t hard to cook, and do my own shopping(they aren’t to expensive either). 2) Shifts at work are upwards of 5 hours - but I could bring preplanned meals there.3)Quite common(like daily) to go to restaurants with the boys or hang out with em, playin’ b-ball or whatever for a number of hours, I can’t count macros at restaurants or bring tupperwear to the courts?! 4) Gotta spend time with the girl too, and I’m not about to pull out a foodlog and open a can of tuna in front of her. 5)As much as I hate to admit it, drinking is a regular activity too. I realize the negative impact this has on the physique, so I keep it to a minimum - I guess I could be the DD to bars, but that’s no fun(I think most dudes can hear me on this one, I CAN’T dance with out liquid assistance)? What about parties? Do I tell everyone that those 12 pints just didn’t fit into today’s meal plan? These problems aren’t just occasional things, they happen daily, so a foodlog will be difficult. But I’m willing to make reasonable sacrafices for the body I want.
I know it will make the difference between lookin’ like a t-man or just training and trying to eat like one. My message here might have seemed a little long-winded, but if any of you folks can help solve my problems, I’d appreciate it. I respect what y’all have to say to the greatest extent, puh-lease help!
I am 18 too, and I have the same probs. Well I do have a few suggestions. I guess we at this age do not have to be that meticulous. Just get the protein up and the rest will take care of themselves. As for drinking, I refrain from beer. I think beer has more calories per glass than liquor, but thats just a guess. I usually take put as little coke into my bourboun coke as possible to mask the bitter taste of vodka.
Dino: In the “World of Adults” it’s called SETTING PRIORITIES! I don’t think anyone on this site will (or can) set those for you. But I tell you…you’re in a situation a LOT of us wish we could be in…18, with an appreciation for health and fitness that is augmented by all of the available information on “Testosterone”. There should be no “trail and error” in terms of trying to just follow the programs you read in the mags. As I’m sure others will also tell you…if you REALLY want to do something, you’ll find a way to do it…
I don’t have anything special to do for the next couple of weeks so I’ll load up the massive eating mobile and head down there. I’ll follow you around with my notebook and specially prepared meals. Seriously though, what do you expect us to tell you?
Dino, this isn’t aimed at you, but rather, it’s a release of my frustrations. Two days ago, some skinny kid (must have been 5’10" 160) comes up to me and says, “dude, how can I get mine to look like yours, (while pointing at my traps) they’re huge dude. So, like what exercises do you do to make em like that?” I tried to explain to this kid that he can do every exercise I show him but if he didn’t take in the appropriate amount of calories he wouldn’t gain a pound of lean body mass. He then told me that he already knew that but he works 30 hours per week (wow! lol)and doesn’t have time for much other than a cereal bar. I must have reiterated the same point ten times before I became very frustrated and just told him to do the same exercises as me and his traps will be huge as well. Ten minutes later I catch the kid on the eliptical machine!
Anyhow, Dino, trust me, I’ve been there and I still am there lol in terms of being around your age. Look, while in high school I took some heat for being so “strict” and not being one known for drinking. However, what I did become known for was having one hell of a physique and a brain to go along with it. That alone has allowed me to “toss it up” with some very attractive ladies. Although that probably doesn’t appeal to you as much considering you have a girl friend. Never stopped me. lol I understand you feel you need to be a little tipsy in order to dance but you really need to sit down and decide what you want. Fortunately, I’ve reached the point where I don’t need to drink in order to have fun. I think you know what you need to do, it’s just a matter of buckling down and doing it. If you go back and look at your reasons for not doing what you should be doing, you’ll notice it’s(ultimately) to conform to what others want you to do or what they think you should be doing. This is body building though, and it’s not for those that simply conform to whatever everyone else is doing. If it were, we’d all be a pudgy, lazy, pathetic looking dork who never gets laid, like many of my college classmates. Good luck bud.
I am 21 right now and i was in your possition not long ago. At the time i never keep a food log. what i would do was make sure i was getting at least six meals a day. If i happened to be cutting for a few weeks, i would then pay more attention to what i was eating, but i Know now that if i treated my diet a few year ago the way i treat it now, i would be a lot better off now. As far as the drinking goes, i don;t drink much anymore…maybe once a month, if that…but when i was in high school, all we did was pound Natty light (it was cheap) which is something else that slowed down my progress, but if i went back and did it again, i think i would still drink alot of beer. Prorities are the main thing. you gotta decide what is important to you, and once you decide that, that is when you will be the happiest… I know that at that age, never drinking, or never counting calories…or whatever would not have made me happy at the time, but it does now… And i think it is something i need to keep a good head on my shoulders now…You’ll see. Just figure out what is important to you and what makes you happy.
Bra, forget the food diary. Your’re going nowhere fast. Don’t worry, though. You will get that body of your dreams. Just roll over, relax, and go to sleep for a look at what might have been.
Heck,I am 18 too…I work 8-4 pm…I play bball with my frens…But I guess coming from a dif country and not being accustomed to American tradition of parties and beer,I am lucky because I don’t do those and I can set my priorities straight and I try to do most things right…man,if only now I had some Biotest products to use…hehe…
Dino:
I started living the T lifestyle in ninth grade! All through high school I ate 6 meals a day, carried a cooler full of food with me everywhere I went, didn’t drink at all, and always got plenty of sleep. I gained 50 lbs. in 4 years as a result. So don’t think it can’t be done. If you really want it, you’ll find a way to do it. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, then face the fact that you don’t want it that badly. It’s perfectly okay not to have bodybuilding be your #1 priority, but your shouldn’t kid yourself and say it is when your actions speak differently.
Thanks for the replies, everyone, even the rather critical ones. I appreciate it and realize that this game’s about overcoming obstacles and setting priorities. So I’m just gunna let y’all know that I’m gunna do it. If it’s to much for me, I’ll set it aside for a while and be satisfied with what I can achieve without it. I pump iron and eat right to have more fun. If I don’t enjoy something, why do it. So I’m gunna try it and see if it’s for me, ironbabe’s right, “Who gives a shit” what everyone else thinks, to quote TC. Good reply Cy, and to those who prefer the, ahem, more derogatory responses, just lettin’ ya know that time n’ time again, constructive criticism has proved more useful. Thanks y’all, peace!
Put as much or as little effort into things as you like. Generally, as long as you’re working constructively, you’ll take out what you put in. However, if you don’t put in %100 percent, somewhere out there someone is. And don’t be surprised when you meet them and their arms are 2 inches bigger, or they deadlift 80 pounds more than you. Good luck, Dino. As far as food log goes, you definitely have 3 minutes each day to write down what you eat and 7 more to plan your meals for the next day.
I was not allowed to eat at my old workplace. Alright, number one mistake. You can tell what to wear, where I have to stand, what I have to do, but you sure as hell aren’t going to tell that I can’t eat! Instead of confronting my boss, I snuck in anywhere from 1 to 4 protein bars and when no one was looking, i shoved one of those suckers down my mouth as fast my esophagus would allow. Apply this technique anywhere, and don’t be afraid to improvise. For example, it can be done while taking a wiz or one could substitute beef jerky and dried fruit or salted peanuts, all of which resemble ‘normal’ food. And my most IMPORTANT advice, instead of drinking beer, go out and buy some Everclear and some Diet Ruby Red Squirt… all (if not more) of the drunkenness with a fraction of the calories.
Hey stud, don’t worry about the food diary. When I was your age I had the same worries and frustrations. The bottom line is your 18 and you have a lot of time to be eating strict and living the bb lifestyle in the future. Enjoy the time with your freinds and eating your Moma’s great grub. When I was in high school, I went from 165 to 195 in about 2 1/2 years, and I didn’t use supplements or eat all that well. I just ate a lot of calories, lots of meat, and made sure to get my veggies and fruit. I didn’t have a clue about nutrition and supplements, but I had a great training program and naturally high T-levels that allowed me to really grow. Enjoy the time you are having right now. From your age and through college are going to be the funnest time in your life, so find a balance between life and bodybuilding. In a few years you can settle down with a job and really go into high gear with the bodybuilding lifestyle. Enjoy it while you’re young, dumb, and full of semen (wait a minute, that last part doesn’t rhyme). Later, and good luck.
Dude its all about DISCIPLINE!! You gotta set your priorities and do whatever it takes to meet your goals. As far as the work and eating thats a tough situation I am faced with myself but you just gotta find a way to get through. The other stuff(your boyz, girl and the drinking) that can all be managed. I know I’m in the same situation as you. Its all about priorities. For example I dont drink. The only reason I dont is because of my workouts. All my boys do, but we have different priorities. Just set goals and do whatever you have to go get them.