Doug's starting from scratch, need help!! Journal

[dougz]

34y, male, 207lbs, 6'3"

Bodyfat 21.5%

Daily caloric intake to maintain weight (Harris Benedict Formula):

3200 cal (based on moderate activity 3x per week).

Desired routine:

Starting Strength (book on route)

Goal:

Add muscle mass while hopefully keeping my body fat percentage down.

I've been running 3 miles right before I start lifting weights.. But I've been told that's a big no-no, so I will do that on my off days..

I go to the gym every 2nd day.

My diet has been up till now 40 carb - 30 protein - 30 fat, with a daily cal intake of around 2800.

I think that's been a big part of why I'm not seeing any gains. (besides bringing down my BF% down to 21.5% from 23%..

It's odd that I've been stable at 205lbs..

Guess I must have been cheating on the calorie side more than I thought!!!


To do:

Drink more water!
Get dextrose and maltodextrine
Get Starting Strength
Eat more!


Diet:

Breakfast: ? + water and a glass of milk

Lunch: ? + water and a glass of milk

Preworkout shake: ? + Omega 3 vitamin + glass of water

Post workout shake:

2 cups of water
37.5g of protein (whey powder)
37.5g of dextrose
37g of multidextrine
1 multivitamin

***** Do I need BCAA powder or creatine?

Dinner: ? + water and a glass of milk

Snack: ? + water and a glass of milk

Any comments, help you could give would be most appreciated!!!!

[Ross86]

It's odd that I've been stable at 205lbs..

I think it was Lyle McDonald that was writing about a "settling point" in his blog recently. Despite a caloric surplus or deficit, your body will adjust and maintain a given weight.

Do I need BCAA powder or creatine?

No. I'm for the most part against BCAA powder just because whey is VERY rich in BCAAs. If you get it from nutraplanet, then it won't be tooo expensive, but it tastes awful & I think it's not worth it overall. Creatine on the other hand is dirt cheap. I can tell a difference in my workouts when I've been taking it. Whether the little extra work that it allows me to do makes a difference or not...I have no idea. Because creatine is so cheap, I'd say go for it. Just add 5g to your PWO shake.

Other people will disagree with my take on creatine (Andrew ), and I know some of the other guys like the BCAAs a lot. Basically, it's not going to make much (if any difference). There are so many other bigger, more important factors at play. I liked one thing that Andrew mentioned in one of his recent posts...if you take the money that you would spend on supplements & spend it on a piece of equipment, then you would be much better off. I just bought a grip strengthener for home use....and a can of tennis balls.

An alternative to the maltodextrin/dextrose combo is WMS. I like it more personally. I find that it mixes a lot better & I don't mind the taste...some people say there is a taste, but I haven't noticed it.
http://www.nutraplanet.com/product/n...ze-3-3-lb.html

[Pitysister]

and wms is one thing....instead of two...less work

[dougz]

WMS, eh?

How much would I take?

[Ross86]

The same quantity as the combo of malto & dextrose, so...around 70g for you, I believe.

[dougz]

k, thanks!

[Ross86]

Have you been weighing yourself every morning?

[dougz]

Well, I'm not going to change my diet radically either way until I can pin down an answer on which is the way to go for fat loss..

From what I can tell so far, I need to get strict and eat clean, but not necessarily more..

When I get strict, starting tomorrow, I'll start with the morning weigh ins..

Just weighed myself now (4pm, just after my pre-WO shake..Banana, 35g of whey protein, cup of milk, 2 omega 3 pills), and I got 209.

In contact with a trainer, will consult with her hopefully soon..

[dougz]

Had a really good workout yesterday..

Drank a more or less balanced protein shake (minus the fat) an hour before the workout..

Did a 10 min warm up walk on the treadmill, and a 50min bi/tri and abs workout after that..

Went for lower reps (5) of much heavier weights than I was doing 10 reps of before.

And more sets.. Did one or two warm up sets, then 3 more sets of 5 of the heaviest I could do..

Doubt I could have done it after 3 miles of running..

Had a PWO shake right after (1.5 bananas, milk, 35g protein powder) then a cheat(?) meal an hour after that (2 whole-wheat tortillas with lean ground beef, salsa, and full-fat cheddar).

Then rolled oats and cottage cheese before bed.

Weight this morning after breakfast and a bm = 205lbs.

What a surprise.......

[dougz]

Here's an example of what I'll eat in a day that I just put together on fitday:

9am: Breakfast

Rolled oats and cottage cheese

510 cal. (26%F 34% protein43% carbs)

½ cup of old fashioned rolled oats (large grain)
1/8 cup of ground walnuts
½ cup of 1% milk
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1 cup of 1% cottage cheese

12am: Lunch

Chocolate shake 434 cal. (38%P, 27%F, 35%C)

35g of whey protein powder (BioX Xtreme)
1 cup of 1% milk
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
1 tbsp of organic peanut butter
1 tbsp of fructose


4pm: Snack

Chocolate shake 434 cal. (38%P, 27%F, 35%C)


8pm: Dinner

Chicken Salad 685 cal. ( 27% F, 28% C, 44%P)

8oz boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cups of romaine lettuce
1 apple
1 cup of grapes
2 tbsp of salad dressing


10:30pm Snack

Chocolate shake 434 cal. (38%P, 27%F, 35%C)

Total calories: 2497

Ouch! So why haven't I been dropping body fat, along with muscle?