New here, need help!

ok I been reading alot and started at the gym about a week ago.
im 5'7" 200LB. so I have a gut that im not happy with

I start off with some basketball with friends 30min-hour to warm up
then we hit the machines 3 sets of 10-12...chest/triceps day1, back/biceps
day2, shoulders/legs day 3, then I swim for about 30min -hour and finish at the hot tub 5-15 min, protien shake daily, drink water all day at work.

I want to lose weight but I also want to get ripped, not that big just a nice noticeable look to me. do I keep the weight I have and turn it into muscle and just lose my gut? or what, should I be doing more weight/less reps? I need some advice, thanks

go to the training and diet forums and read the stickies, it is clear from your post that you have alot to learn!

You never turn fat into muscle, you lose the fat and maybe gain some muscle. But reguardless if you lose the fat you are probably not going to gain any muscle until you are eating enough to gain muscle. Its almost impossible to lose weight and put on muscle at the same time.

Just keep up what you're doing and realize that you will start to notice a difference. Don't "starve" yourself... it's counterproductive - you'll eventually end up in worse condition. In the meantime... Read the Stickies. They really have helped me understand what the heck I'm doing, as well as preventing common mistakes.

Keep up the work. You can get what you want easier than you think if your serious.

Yeah im serious, I dont eat much, I drink water at work religiously,go to subway and get a turkey or tuna sandwich, no meal, I drink lipton green tea at the house and flavored propel and a small meal, nomore fast foods, nomore eating after 7:00pm

I plan to keep going to the gym 5-6 days a week and stick to what im doing, I just want to lose my stomach and build my arms and chest up, but i guess it wont happen till I drop some pounds i guess

Mystic Snake said:

Yeah im serious, I dont eat much, I drink water at work religiously,go to subway and get a turkey or tuna sandwich, no meal, I drink lipton green tea at the house and flavored propel and a small meal, nomore fast foods, nomore eating after 7:00pm

I plan to keep going to the gym 5-6 days a week and stick to what im doing, I just want to lose my stomach and build my arms and chest up, but i guess it wont happen till I drop some pounds i guess

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Mystic,

I get the 'feeling' you are cutting your food intake and "over-investing" in your gut feeling (no punn) that you will commit yourself to working out all the time.

When I started working a physical job and "working w/ weights" (at the same time) - I did not decrease my intake of food. My waist dropped from 40" to 36" inside of 4 months. My consumption of calories, in fact, has tripled... at least!!!

As before, I suggest you spend some time reading the stickies and various posts. DO NOT START 'DIETING'. Workout at comfortable pace and don't worry about your diet right now. I spent 5-10 minutes w/ weights 3 days a week at first - because I knew I wouldn't quit from frustration - I saw results. Rigid ideas are your worst enemy for success right now.

We want you to succeed!

so I need to keep eating the same,ill turn that into muscle, ill lose the gut by my workout/swimming/basketball? I also work out my abs on the machines.

Mystic Snake said:

so I need to keep eating the same,ill turn that into muscle, ill lose the gut by my workout/swimming/basketball? I also work out my abs on the machines.

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This added activity will tend to burn your bodyfat off - and typically where your body stores the most fat will be the most recognizable difference.

But if you diet like a devil... you'll lose both bodyfat and muscle - you'll be cutting out vital nutrients for the development of a strong and lean body. Your "depleted' body will scream for you to "binge eat" and give up working out. You'll repeat the process later, weaker than you were before. This is why "diets" and "crash workout plans" don't work.

Do what your doing, but don't diet... until you have some experience. Always - approach these things slowly. Time is your friend.

Mystic Snake welcome to IM!

Thanks Jim, I wont diet then, does this mean I change my workout from 3 sets of 10-15 to 6-8 of more weight?

Mystic Snake said:

Thanks Jim, I wont diet then, does this mean I change my workout from 3 sets of 10-15 to 6-8 of more weight?

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Start by reading this:

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=58699

It's a lot to take in at one time. I had to read it about 8 times. You really can't go wrong if you use this as a basic guide. Take a couple of weeks reading some posts. It will start to make sense very quickly!

What's a couple of weeks in your 'quest' for fitness?