Love Lifting, Need to Lose Fat

Hello my name is Sam and i am very new to the site and new to lifting, i started lifting about 3 and a half months ago with a powerlifter(that more or less told me some stuff to do because he is old and kind of out of it now, so a lot of my program was built by me from stuff like west side routine and reading stuff about Eric Cressey) and i absolutely love it, but there is one problem. I am FAT. I am 233 pounds, 5’11. I want to get down to 195 if possible.

I started on a diet yesterday but it is not much of one. I basically am cutting out all sugar and doing bleachers and sprints(hope to do them 5 days a week). I still eat some fruit, like a banana or something in my cottage cheese and eat meat, egg whites, a bowl of white rice(love it) before my workouts and drink whey protein after and in the mornings. I work out 3 times a week and grapple almost everyday, so i need some energy for practice.

Also i am now working at the gym that i train at. I am a college student so i don’t have much money to buy a lot of supplements. I have asked many people at the gym about a diet, but they were all bodybuilders, i know they know how to cut but i dont want to lose any of the muscle that i have been working for lately.

But it is my birthday July 13th so i took all of my money and bought some stuff i kept hearing about Biotest Creatine and Surge (also knee straps,bad knee). I dont even know when to take the stuff, guessing right after a workout.

I also dont know if i am supposed to load like i have heard from some folks and i also dont know about how much water i am supposed to drink with it. And my goal was to cut sugar but Surge is full of it. If anybody can point me to a diet i would appreciate it. Also my bench is struggling. If you have any pointers there tell me.

I recorded my best lifts after 3 weeks of working out and these are what i got this week:
Bench 170->240
Deadlift 365->450

Because of my knee i have not been able to go heavy because until a month ago it was messed up, now its a lot better. But i am working very hard to improve it.

I know this is a ton of shit but any help would greatly be appreciated.

                              Thanks,
                                    Sam

oh i have two scars on my stomach from an Appendicitis

I do not mean to be glib but since you are new the list is short.

1 - Set a goal. You have. 195. Remind yourself of it and know the sacrifices you make are what is going to get you there.

2 - Calories In < Calories Out

You are a big dude so for right now I would work on getting a handle on what you really consume and really burn in 1 day, and 1 week.

Get a food journal and write what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat. It is a pain but you need to do it. For a month. Get online and find a calorie calulator so you get an idea of what the caloric cost of what you eat really is.

3 - Training Journal, keep one

Just write down what you do when you train. No one cares if you park far away from the gym and walk all the way there.

4 - READ as many articles on this site around nutrition as you can. The broader your base of knowledge the more you will bebefit down the road.

5 - Read training articles. Go to the authors tab on this site and pick an author. Read what they think about training and see what resonates for you.

I have gone in this order since I have been here:

Waterbury
Thibaudeau
Cressey
Poliquin

It helped me know why what I had been doing for so long had stopped working.

6 - Other guys here know suppliments much better than I do. I will say this. Quality fish oil is the single most important suppliment I take.

7 - Finally. Believe in yourself and fuck those who do not believe in what you are trying to do.

Case in Point. August 1 2007 I was 5-9ft, 220lbs and just over 20%BF.

July 9th I am 5-9ft, 185lbs and 11%BF.

(Oh yeah - and I am 35)

You have started on a great journey. This is going to be the hardest part. This site is great and make sure you use everything it has to offer.

If you’re looking for feedback / guidance, tell more about your goals, including:

Body Composition (lean and ripped, or huge)
Level/Type of Fitness (you want to be a triathlete or powerlifter)
Specific Lift Max’s

You’re on the right track with the diet. Throw out ALL processed foods, and try to eat as much food in its natural state as you possibly can.

Establish your daily caloric requirement (based on weight, current body composition, physical activity, and goals), and create a diet based on that. Re-evaluate your diet say every 2-4 weeks, depending on progress.

One thing to keep in mind is that, while weight training is great for building muscle, getting stronger, and overall sense of well being, it’s the caloric deficit that will strip the fat. The greater the deficit, the faster it will come off. The quickest/best way to create the deficit is to incorporate some level of (HI) cardio into any plan. If you do this, you must accept the fact that you will probably lose some muscle, but proportionally to the amount of fat will be small.

Other tips:
Drink AT LEAST 1 gallon of H2O daily.
Spread your calories, particularly protein calories, over 5-7 meals daily.
Front load carbohydrate calories to early in the day (breakfast, and mid-morning snack).
Supplement with EFA’s and take a multivitamin daily.

Save the fruits for pre/post grappling.
Reduce carbohydrate intake to near nil within 2-3 hours of sleep.

Try to get as much sleep as you can every night.
Stay away from people that are not supportive.
Write down your goals, and BELIEVE you can do it. So much so that you see them in your mind’s eye… your body will follow, I promise.

Keep a food and training diary/journal/notes, whatever. This is the surefire best way for you to be honest with yourself about whether your daily routine and habits are in keeping with your physical goals.

The scale is a fucking liar, don’t believe it. Embrace calipers, the mirror, and how you look and feel about yourself (and feedback from others) as indicators of progress. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a mental rut, and the scale will help to put you there. Avoid it.

And, most importantly, NEVER give up. Your journey will have ups and downs… if you ‘fall off the wagon’, don’t sweat it. Get back on and do your best, that’s all you can ask of yourself!

Now, get moving!!!

[quote]haggle wrote:
oh i have two scars on my stomach from an Appendicitis[/quote]

looks like a lawsuit to me

my goal is to be thick,ripped but i am not lookin for a beach body model crap,i want to be a huge 195, strong as shit,(i want that weight for competition)

thanks for the advice, i will do everything you guys have said

i want to deadlift 750/bench 450/squat 700+

[quote]haggle wrote:
my goal is to be thick,ripped but i am not lookin for a beach body model crap,i want to be a huge 195, strong as shit,(i want that weight for competition)

thanks for the advice, i will do everything you guys have said

i want to deadlift 750/bench 450/squat 700+

[/quote]
aiming for the stars

[quote]thosebananas wrote:
haggle wrote:
my goal is to be thick,ripped but i am not lookin for a beach body model crap,i want to be a huge 195, strong as shit,(i want that weight for competition)

thanks for the advice, i will do everything you guys have said

i want to deadlift 750/bench 450/squat 700+

aiming for the stars
[/quote]

Indeed! That IS the only way to fly!!! What’s the worst that could happen, fall on top of the mountain? Or tear a rotator cuff LOL.

Well, losing fat and gaining strength at the same time is a lofty goal. You need more calories when you’re lifting heavy and fewer when you’re losing fat. I would recommend focusing on one or the other first.

I would probably go with strength, so when you go on you’re cutting phase you’ll still be strong in those lifts to help maintain muscle and not lose too much strength.

As for supplements, protein and fish oil are by far the most important. Aim for one gram of protein for every pound you weigh, even if you’re trying to lose weight. And keep in mind, just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you should buy any old supplement. A huge amount of them are garbage with very little of the ingredient they claim to have in it.

I never believed in loading creatine, you just piss most of it out anyways. Take creatine in your protein shake whenever you work out. Surge should be taken directly after a training session and don’t worry about the sugars in it, those are in there to help your muscles better absorb the protein and nutrients in it.

Diet is the most important thing when losing fat. If you eat garbage, you’ll look like garbage. Lean meats, eggs, peanut butter, cottage cheese, olive oil, fruits and vegetables. Also, try not to drink your calories unless it’s milk or a protein shake. And remember diet is a not a temporary thing but a lifestyle change.

Hills and stairs are great for torching fat, so keep it up. Stay committed and consistent, you’ll see results in no time.

would it be possible to lose fat(not in huge amounts) and still get a little stronger by following the diet i am on(eating some carbs) if i work(sprint, hills, lift and grapple) my ass off, i dont have to lose it as soon an possible or anything but how long would it take to loose about 25 pounds, should i run 2 times a day?

Haggle,

You will hear lots of people hold to the adage that you can not lose fat and gain strength at the same time. This is true - for experienced lifters and people with a high training age. Trainig age is the number of years you have been able to accumulate some serious training time.

For instance - My Energy Systems Training age is 6 years. I was a racing cyclist for over 10 but have been away for sometime.

My STRENGTH training age is less than 1 year. In that time I have lost 35 pounds and increased all of my major lifts significantly.

This is why I suggest reading training articles that talk about the science and process more than the program.

Whatever you do right now as long as you are lifting above 80% of your 1 rep max will bring stregth gains for some time. Imbalances are what will hold you back.

Example - I hated pull ups. Why? Because I had a back like a 16 year old girl. Bench fine, squats great but pull ups? FUCK NO.

Focus on your weakness and your strengths will explode. Damn if I did not put over 50 pounds on my bench by working on brining up my back and my external rotators. I am not saying I push big weight but my goals are 2xBW bench - 2.5xBW Squat and 3xBW DL. These are graduated of course but if I had not worked on my weaknesses I never would have planned my next year.

There is a ton of exprience on this site. Someone who has been training for 5 years has different needs than someone training for 5 months.

remember - your body wants to adapt. It has adapted which is why you are where you are right now. READ articles, get in the gym and write shit down.

Start there. . .

Yeah, it’s pretty much impossible to gain strength a lose weight at the same time. It may be possible for beginners though, as beginners’ nervous systems have not yet learned how to properly utilize its potential to lift weights. But for the most part, losing weight and maintaining your current strength is very possible and ideal.

If you train hard and follow a strict diet, you can see 25 pounds come off in as little as 10-12 weeks. Two summers ago, I dropped 25 pounds in 12 weeks, going from 195 to 170.

it is great to talk about losing weight and hear walking mentioned

Take photos at the start of every month to keep a visual record.

Relaxed and tense states.

Dude:

It’s your body and your life, but you look like you have a ton of potential to get very strong if you work hard at it.

If I were you, I’d just clean up my diet (by basically avoiding foods I knew were bad for me,) but eating a shit ton of food, and following a basic progressive overload powerlifting plan.

If you’re lifting hard and eating mostly clean foods, you’ll add muscle and probably drop some fat slowly. You won’t get ripped overnight but in my opinion you shouldn’t waste time trying to find your abs.

I’m telling you, just get your numbers, get to a 600 pull, 500 squat, 400 bench, don’t stuff your face with crap, and then if you want to go the bodybuilding route go for it.

Take advantage of your youth and potential. You look like you could become a monster.

I think i meant to add “not” somewhere. idk

From what I’ve seen 600-650 lbs deadlift is like the most a non-mutant can do. Not to say a 600 lbs deadlift isnt fucking awesome. Same with the squat… I see even fewer big squats.

If you got 10+ inch wrists size 14+ feet or something then yeah otherwise no.

If I saw anyone deadlift 5 plates in my gym i’d sit back and watch. It would be spectacle at least where I am.

[quote]Ramo wrote:
Dude:

It’s your body and your life, but you look like you have a ton of potential to get very strong if you work hard at it.

If I were you, I’d just clean up my diet (by basically avoiding foods I knew were bad for me,) but eating a shit ton of food, and following a basic progressive overload powerlifting plan.

If you’re lifting hard and eating mostly clean foods, you’ll add muscle and probably drop some fat slowly. You won’t get ripped overnight but in my opinion you shouldn’t waste time trying to find your abs.

I’m telling you, just get your numbers, get to a 600 pull, 500 squat, 400 bench, don’t stuff your face with crap, and then if you want to go the bodybuilding route go for it.

Take advantage of your youth and potential. You look like you could become a monster.[/quote]

i want to start entering more grappling tournaments, and i dont want to be in the heavy weight division, 195 is the cap for the division i want, so i want to be a monster in that division, if i cant beat them with technique at least maybe i can over power them :slight_smile: but for i while i really wanted to just eat and get fucking strong but i love to grapple

[quote]beeph wrote:
From what I’ve seen 600-650 lbs deadlift is like the most a non-mutant can do. Not to say a 600 lbs deadlift isnt fucking awesome. Same with the squat… I see even fewer big squats.

If you got 10+ inch wrists size 14+ feet or something then yeah otherwise no.

If I saw anyone deadlift 5 plates in my gym i’d sit back and watch. It would be spectacle at least where I am.

[/quote]

my goal is 500 by the end of the year on deadlift and 650 by the time i am 21 or 22, i am 18 now, i like the other lifts but there is something about the deadlift that i dream about

I really, really hate to be the one to say it…but if you intend on cutting any significant amounts of fat (20+ lbs.) I would re-think the 500 lbs DL by the end of this year.
That is a much bigger lift than people seem to think, and strength gains will be slowed because of the reduced calories. A more realistic goal (seriously) may be to reduce body fat to a certain level (whatever you feel happy with) and simply maintain that 460 lb lift…with 3 months of lifting under you, hitting a 460 lb dead is absolutely unheard of.

What type of dead was it (pin pull/full dead/sumo?) and how did your lower back feel after that?