Thread: Having woken up and smelt the coffee, I'd like some suggestions

On August 31st 2005, I will be 31 years old. At the moment, there is only one way I can describe myself and that is "in a mess". True, I may not be a "binge drinker" (the only thing I drink is low calorie orange) and true, I may not smoke any cigarettes at all, but looking at this, does this look anything like the sort of body a 31 year old should have in 2005?



My humble opinion to the above answer is NO!

So I am therefore opening up to be a) ridiculed by those who often ridicule people who post useless pics (for which I answer that's what happens when you buy a cheapo webcam in the UK) and b) to be told in no uncertain terms how to turn that mass of flab above into something approaching this



before my 35th birthday in 2009. There are however a couple of caveats

a) I am a registered carer for my grandparents (both of whom are over 80) and one of who was disabled following a hip operation
b) I am scared witless of entering a gym in my present shape unless it's with someone I know very well indeed (ideally a 35 - 45 year old am bodybuilder willing to help me get in shape)
c) I don't do supplements, roids or any drugs in any shape or form
d) I don't eat meat or vegetables, but have been eating more whole grains in recent months than ever before (please see diet sheet below)

Current Stats:

Height: 6ft 0in (1.82m)
Weight: 207lbs (94.1kg) (was 215lbs 97.6kg at the start of April)
Waist: 41in (104 cm)
Hips: 42in (106 cm)
BMI: 28.41 ("Overweight")
Estimated Bodyfat: 26.28%

Diet Sheet

Breakfast

2 slices of wholegrain toast (198 cals, 36.4g carbs (1.4g sugar), 2.2g fat (0.4g saturates), 8.6g protein, 0.36g salt (0.9g sodium))
1 slice of processed cheese (47 cals, 1.8g carbs (1.4g sugar), 3.8g fat (1.8g saturates), 2.2g protein, 0.5g salt (0.22g sodium))

Lunch

150g of pasta (536 cals, 110g carbs (5g sugar), 3g fat (0.8g saturates), 18g protein, Trace salt (Trace sodium))
50g Weight Watchers Low Fat Cheese Spread (56 cals, 1.7g carbs (0.6g sugar), 1.5g fat (1.1g saturates), 9.1g protein, unknown salt (0.6g sodium))
1 slice of prime cooked ham (12 cals, trace carbs (trace sugar), 0.4g fat (unknown saturates), 2.2g protein, unknown salt (unknown sodium))
2 slices of processed cheese (94 cals, 3.6g carbs (2.8g sugar), 7.6g fat (3.6g saturates), 4.4g protein, 1.0g salt (0.44g sodium))

or (dependent on mood)

1 Dalepak Vegetable Quarter Pounder (and before people raise thier hands in abject horror), these are British vegetable burgers meaning that they contain carrots, onions, cauliflower, sweetcorn, peas, green beens and red peppers (with no meat at all) covered in a crunchy crumb

227 cals, 30g carbs (4g sugar), 10g fat (1.3g saturates), 5g protein, 1g salt (0.5g sodium)

Dinner

75g of Shredded Wheat (263 cals, 52g carbs (0.75g sugar), 2g fat (0.4g saturates), 8.9g protein, trace salt (trace sodium))
150ml of semi skimmed milk (74 cals, 7.5g carbs (7.5g sugar), 2.6g fat (1.5g saturates), 5.1g protein, trace salt (trace sodium))
1g of Slimmer Sweetener (4 cals, 1g carbs (no sugar), 0g fat (0g saturates), trace protein, trace salt (trace sodium)

Grand Totals

Calories: 1,284 (RMR: 2,047)
Carbs: 109g (436 cals = 34%)
Sugars: 19.5g
Fat: 23.1g (208 cals = 16%)
Protein: 58.5g (234 cals = 18%) (assuming that 1g protein = 4 cals)
Salt: 1.86g (Sodium: 2.16g)

Exercise Levels

Normally the only exercise I take is walking down to the bottom of our garden and back again (a distance of less than 250m once a day), but during any election campaign (which lasts 4 - 6 weeks) this figure climbs as high as 26 miles (on average about 2 miles a day with a one day rest). As an example at the last election (held in May 2005, I walked a grand total of 14 miles on 7 different occasions, and once clocked up 4.3 miles in just under 80 minutes (3.3 mph). I find it's easier to go for a walk when I am doing something (hence the reason I have applied to volunteer as a tour guide at a local historical house). As mentioned in my previous post, I am "wary" of entering a gym in my current condition, but have found a local bodybuilder (who lives 20 or so miles from me and is currently 13 weeks from contest) so am hoping to speak to him with a possible view of training with him.

Medical Condition

As far as I understand, I have no medical conditions preventing me from exercising and the like (at my most recent healthcheck in May 2005 my blood pressure was recorded at 140/80 (slightly elevated due to the clothes I was wearing) with a resting pulse of 84, but am afraid (and I mean that quite literally) that because I am overweight that every single prang or odd feeling I have might be a sign of something worse (for instance when I had indigestion in 1995 for two days in a row, I was sure it was a heart condition). Part of the reason I want to lose weight (and weigh in my ideal weight zone of 184 - 196 lbs) is to eliminate health concerns and then identify prangs as purely that.

Any suggestions / comments gratefully recieved

Well, you might want to start with your diet...way low on protein, way high on carbs. There are vegetarian bodybuilders out there but if you are not going to use supplemental protein and/or develop a real passion for tuna, muscle development is going to come very slowly, if at all. And why doesn't "prime cooked ham" count as meat?