Hi I’m new here. A friend told me about this forum and recommended that I post my problem here. I’m a 21-year old male who’s quite a bit overweight and trying to do something about it. I’ve actually lost about 20 pounds over the past 6 months, but it seems like I’m always hungry. Another problem is that I think I look even WORSE now than I did when I was heavier and am wondering if all this torture is really worth it. I lived most of my teen years on McDonalds and regular Coke, which is probably mostly responsible for my current weight problem. But, now I try to limit these to just a couple times a week at the most. I really don’t eat that much anymore – breakfast is usually a bagel or muffin and coffee and lunch and dinner are mostly Subway subs and Diet Coke. I even walk the ½ mile to the Subway and back when the weather is nice. I’m not sure if you people can help me out, but my friend seemed to think you could, so I await your replies.
Uh oh…not another one of these. Before I roll out the red carpet and welcome you to the brotherhood known as T-Mag, you’re going to have to earn your stripes. Subway subs? Are you auditioning to be the next Jared?
Okay, sorry if that sounds harsh, but sometimes a little tough love is necessary. We can most definitely help you, but you’re also going to have to be willing to help yourself. Before asking any more questions, read the FAQ as well as the Diet Manifesto article, Foods that Make You Look Good Naked, the Little Black Book of Training Methods, the Dawg School columns. Use the search on the T-Mag home page to find them. This is a wealth of diet/training knowledge at your disposal. Also, you have to provide more info other than being hungry all the time. Daily calories? Meal frequency? Protein intake? Supplementation? Now go do your above assignment and then you can come back.
Is that you Jared? Are we being set up? Okay, if this isn’t a joke, then you might start by reading “Jared is Still a Dork”, an Atomic Dog by Shugart. Then read the Diet Manifesto article and the old Dawg School columns. And print out the “Foods that Make you Look Good Nekid” article and memorize that sucker. All these are at the main T-mag site under Previous Issues. Or you can use the search engine over there.
You have come to the right place, IF you’re serious. First of all, what you’re eating now is probably no better for you than what you ate to get overweight and out of shape in the first place. Do a search in the Testosterone “Previous Issues” section for The Diet Manifesto, Dawg School, and Foods that Make You Look Good Naked. Read these articles. Read them again. Get fired up to change your lifestyle, because that’s what it’s going to take. Nothing short of a lifestyle change will get you permanent results. And no offense, but walking 1/2 mile to get a sandwich that truthfully probably isn’t good for you anyway is not exercise, it’s locomotion. Pushing iron and running is exercise. Good luck, and keep us posted. A lot of us here have done exactly what you dream of, so it is possible.
Fred, seems like you are eating 3 times a day. If I am correct, try eating smaller portions 6 times a day, almost every 2 to 3 hours, the idea is to increase the speed of your metabolism. Bearing in mind that your ultimate target is to get rid of all junk food from your diet, start counting calories, when you have figured out your calorie intake start working on cutting your calories. When you feel ready for more then check out in T-Mag how to calculate your maintenance level calories and make sure you are always below that.
Dude, you must find the desire to hit the weights and gain muscle mass which will also help with fat burning. Something else that you should check out are Biotest’s fat burning supplements MD-6 and T-2. Good luck.
Fred, you never said if you are doing any exercise other than your walk to Subway (You need to be doing resistance exersises.) There are plenty of good workout routines on this sight. And also a couple of times a week of McDonald’s and Coke is not going to help you on your plan to lose weight. You should read some of the articles on this sight about diet plans (T-Dawg, Fat Fast, Dtc…) and formulate a new plan of attack where you will be eating at least 5 times a day and consuming plenty of protein and healthy fats in those meals. Also if you are looking for something to help with those cravings try MD6 from Biotest, it helps me resist when I am tempted to hit the junk food. I’m not an expert on this. But with the help of all the information on this sight, I have made some very good progress. You just have to find a plan and stick with it. And keep using this board for information, it is a great asset. Good luck on your plan, hope all goes well for you.
You have come to the right place, IF you’re serious. First of all, what you’re eating now is probably no better for you than what you ate to get overweight and out of shape in the first place. Do a search in the Testosterone “Previous Issues” section for The Diet Manifesto, Dawg School, and Foods that Make You Look Good Naked. Read these articles. Read them again. Get fired up to change your lifestyle, because that’s what it’s going to take. Nothing short of a lifestyle change will get you permanent results. And no offense, but walking 1/2 mile to get a sandwich that truthfully probably isn’t good for you anyway is not exercise, it’s locomotion. Pushing iron and running is exercise. Good luck, and keep us posted. A lot of us here have done exactly what you dream of, so it is possible.
DAYUM! Look what Jared is doing to people! Get your head out of your ass and start reading the info on this site. There are no shortcuts, but the answers can be found. Just make sure you have the dedication, discipline and desire to make the changes in your life.
I did what you are trying to do. As mentioned above, read those articles. A lifestyle change is required to meet your goals. It seams like you eat out for almost every meal, it will be tough to lose weight this way. Start preparing your own meals after reading "Foods that make you look good nekkid! Also start excersising, a 1/2 mile walk when the weather is nice is not going to be enough to reach your goals. Your goals are possable though, good luck!
Hey Freddie. You see that glow over there - that is the light at the end of the tunnel. Your friend has shown you the door to the tunnel, now all you have to do is walk through it. Go and do what the others suggested, then come back here and let the questions rip. As long as you make an effort to educate yourself and work hard at changing your life - there are loads of people here who would love to help you make it happen. Good Luck!
Yes, you’ve definitely come to right place, and you definitely have some learning to do. This is the place for that. I know, 'cause I was in the same situation about 6 months ago, only I’m a lot older than you.
You need to understand that conventional fat loss "wisdom" is less than useful. I spent 15 years following conventional wisdom and just got fatter. So let me recommend some things you need to research. (And it ain't that hard to learn.)
You need to understand the role of insulin in the body and that it also controls fat accumulation. You need to understand glycemic index and that high glycemic foods (sugar, breads, etc.) increase insulin response. You need to know that muscle tissue consumes more calories than fat tissue, therefore muscle building is good and can help burn fat. You need to learn that just aerobic exercise will not build muscle (and might even consume muscle.) You need to know that muscle building requires the consumption of additional protein. Optionally, you might want to understand the role of various hormones on the entire process. You also need to know HOW to work out, once you decide to go about it.
Every single piece of information is on this site. Plus there's a lot of entertaining stuff too. Remember, knowledge is power.
Whatever you do, if you think you have a fat problem, SOLVE IT NOW WHILE YOU'RE YOUNG!!!!GET SOME PROTEIN! The reason you are looking worse is your muscles are atrophying and being used for energy, and there is not enough protein to help them rebuild and maintain nitrogen balance. Increase the frequency of your meals (5+/day), and make vegetables your main carbs. Try to consume about 40 grams of protein/meal. Chicken, tuna, and GROW! are excellent sources. Maybe substitute in some salmon and lean beef, and include some fish oils and flax for your beneficial oils and testosterone production. Drink 2 gallons of water as well and cut out the diet coke. MD-6 and T-2 would also help. The water, “constant” meals with vegetables, and MD-6, should act as a substantial appetite suppresent. Start hitting the weight like a madman to put some muscle back on your frame (there are lots of good articles in the archives to help get you started.) And once you become a T-man go and beat Jarrod’s flabby ass!
Thanks for all the replies, I guess my buddy did send me to the right place. I’ll get right to reading some of those articles that you guys suggested. To answer a few questions, I will admit that those Jared commercials have influenced how I’m currently eating and the “Subway diet” did help me lose weight. But what good is losing weight if you feel like crap and don’t look any better? Other than the ½ mile walks I don’t do any other type of exercise. I’ve never really lifted weights because I think they make you bigger and my goal is to get smaller and running is kind of tough when you’re carrying a lot of excess baggage. Would something like a stationary bike or rowing machine be a good idea?
Lifting Weights won’t make you bigger in the way you’re thinking. In your case, pumping iron will ultimately in time combined with “proper diet” make you leaner and trimmer and more muscular. Big difference between big and fat versus lean and muscular. Pumping iron will also speed up and boost your metabolism. Get started and stick with it through the summer and you will be very pleased. Good Luck!
To answer your questions, no, lifting weights won’t make you big unless you’re eating to get big. Ask one of us 170lbs guys if you want some further proof. Strength training will help you build lean muscle mass, which will help you burn fat. It’s all a cycle.
RTFM
Stay with it. Keep a food log and a training log. Ask questions as you see fit.
Fred - I assume that when you say “pumping iron makes you bigger” you have a mental picture of the bodybuilders that you see on the cover of Flex. Those people are vary rare and almost always have above average genetics, lots of chemical assistance and an immense desire to be HUGE combined with years of training. The vast majority of people involved in recreational bodybuilding do it because they love to train, be healthy and look good naked. It is true that weightlifting will help you gain muscle mass, but this is the kind of weight that looks good whereas body fat just kind of hangs on to the body and gives people that soft look. Anyway, I have no idea how overweight you are, but I imagine that you have some serious weight to lose so you are going to have to combine a clean diet, resistance training and cardiovascular activity to acheive your goals IN THAT ORDER. First things first, get your diet in order. Read the articles previously mentioned and commit to eating 5-6 clean meals a day. Lots of us vary in our opinion regarding free (cheat) days where you can eat whatever you want, but I think they play a hugely important role for the initial diet down. Therefore, M-Sat eat clean and on Sunday go to town and eat whatever you want, just make sure that you were strict with the other 6 days. These free days help satisfy cravings and also remind you of how sick, bloated and full this kind of eating makes you feel and why you don’t want to eat like that every day. Next, start hitting the weights using lots of big compound movements (squats, deadlifts, chins or pulldowns, bench press, shoulder press, and rows). For information on how to do these exercises use the search engine. After you have those two steps in place, you can add cardiovascular exercise into the mix. My reasoning for the order is based on how much time is spent within these 3 categories. Diet is number 1 because you have to deal with eating right from the moment you wake up to the momen you go to sleep. Resistance training takes number 2 because this is the core of the training program that is present 3-5 times a weeks almost every week of the year. Cardio is a distant third because it comes and goes depending on your training goals and is all to often used as a crutch to help fix a bad diet and lifting program. So do your homework by reading all those articles and commit to making a lifestyle change. Good Luck!
Fred,
If you are going to be on any diet with your current level of nutritional knowledge I would suggest picking up a copy of The Zone. Once you get ingrained the insulin controlling principles down you can incorporate some more advanced principles i.e. Massive Eating/Don’t Diet.
Your weight loss/healthier living success will only come with the addition of resistance training by stoking your internal furnance to burn that fat. Use the KISS method, get a membership at a YMCA if they sufficient free weights, read and ask questions at this and other bodybuilding forums.
Good Luck
Fred, walking is not a workout it’s how you get somewhere.
Guys, I have to say that reading this thread has made me proud! I thought that this guy was going to get flamed off the board, but the T-brethren have stood up and made themselves heard in support of a fellow man. (Sniff!) All I can say, Fred, is: you’ve gotten some of the best advice there is, and for free. If you don’t use it, there will definitely be some massive karmic revenge coming your way down the road. For my own two bits’ of advice, something Chris Shugart said last issue: “Protein is great. Fat (dietary fat, not body fat - the two are different!) is good. Carbs are trickly little bastards.” Keep that in mind when you eat!
I recently put together a list of articles for one of my friends who wanted to get into the iron game and I put them on my website. It includes the Dawg Schools, Foods to look good naked, diet manifesto, and a bunch of other articles I thought would be helpful for him. It’s at Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos if you want to look at that, most of the afore mentioned articles people listed are on it, and it’s a little more conveniant than searching for all of them. Hope this helps.