XFatMan

General

I consider myself a beginner without any sound knowledge. My idea is to post what I’m doing, get some feedback from people who know more than I do and then adjust my plan accordingly. So please, feel free to criticize. All your suggestions are welcome.

My Goal

My goal is to reduce my body fat percentage from currently 22.2% (December 21, 2007) to anything below 15% by June 30, 2008.

Diet

My diet is so simple that it hurts and starts from scratch. I have taken out most if not all junk food, so it’s comparatively clean. I will slowly dial into the diet and begin with 14 calories per pound of bodyweight during my off week (December 24 – December 30). To ensure that my body can’t adjust to a given number of calories, I will use a complex zigzag method. At this point, I won’t even mention macronutrients as I need to get this simple diet going first.

The Workouts

I’ll be doing three full-body workouts per week with different exercises for each workout. Since I want to stick to the same workout routine until June 2008, I have based my choice of exercises mainly on preference. They’re mostly compound exercises that will allow me to work the entire body each workout.

The number of repetitions varies. One week I’ll do 4 – 6 repetitions and 9 – 12 repetitions the following week.

The number of sets varies even more. If I can do the minimum number of planned repetitions without reaching technical failure, I will add another set. Otherwise, I’ll go to the next exercise or hit the locker room. There will be one week off for each six weeks training.

Workout 1

Barbell Overhead Press
Chest Dips
Bent-Over Barbell Rows
Close Grip Bench Press
Barbell Squat

Workout 2

Lateral Raises
Flat Bench Barbell Press
Pull Ups
Barbell Curls
Barbell Deadlift

Workout 3

Barbell Upright Row
Inclined Bench Barbell Press
Straight Leg Deadlift
Dumbbell Lunges
Hanging Leg Raises

Cardio

I’ll be doing cardio every day except on Sundays. It would be fine if I could lose one pound per week, which means that I need to create a 3500-calorie deficit per week.

Walking is my preferred cardio exercise. Since I hate walking on treadmills, my cardio will be done outside. If I can’t go walking for any reason or if time is very short, I will jump rope in the gym. I will do as much cardio as necessary to get to my 3500-calorie deficit per week. During off weeks, I will reduce my calorie intake so I can maintain my weight – or almost so – with only 30 minutes cardio per day.

Measurements

I don’t care much for measurements. But others love them, so they’ll go here. Most if not all measurements will go down due to the currently high body fat percentage and some muscle loss on the way. I don’t really care because I prefer to measure things by looking into the mirror. And I believe that you should take measurements seriously only if you have reached a decent body fat percentage, something like 12% for men.

Neck 15.7 in.
Biceps (not flexed) 13.6 in.
Forearm 11.4 in.
Chest 41.7 in.
Waist 34.8 in.
Hips 38.0 in.
Thigh 22.8 in.
Calf 15.2 in.
Body Weight 172.2 lbs.
Body Fat Percentage 22.2%
Fat Weight 38.2 lbs.

Supplements

I strongly believe that most supplements are rubbish. However, I will try out anything at least once. If it’s useful, I’ll recommend it.

Creatine works fine if you take it correctly. But it makes only sense to me when you’re bulking. That won’t happen so soon, I guess.

Something that I can really recommend is ZMA. It gives you some weird dreams at the beginning, but they disappear after a couple of days. ZMA makes you sleep better and consequently you’re more relaxed and recover faster.

The best fat loss supplement I know is the Brazilian herb Guaraná. Native Brazilian tribes use this herb to treat obesity. It also makes you more alert and boosts your power. Just take care that you don’t take it with Coke or alcohol – unless you don’t want to sleep for the next two or three days. Since I’m living in Brazil, this is one is pretty cheap, 50 grams cost about $2 and is good for about a month. It doesn’t really dissolve in water and the taste is truly horrible, but I really want to lose some extra fat.

That’s it for now. Next post will be after my first workout on December 31, 2007.

Goal: < 15% Body Fat by June 30, 2008
December 30, 2007: Body Weight: 75.8 Kg / 174.3 lbs Body Fat Percentage: 21.9%
Current (January 13, 2008): Body Weight 75.7 Kg / 174.0 lbs Body Fat Percentage: 21.4%