DaMayor seeks wisdom...or miracle..whatever.

[DaMayor]

DaMayor is 36, just quit smoking about four months ago, and is now 230lbs. DaMayor is extremely unhappy about his new girth, as he has always been in fairly good condition...usually around 200lbs. DaMayor has maintained a diet ~1800 calories, takes his vitamins, protein suppliments, drinks plenty of water, and works out 3-4 times a week, (weights and cardio) but has thus far seen NO FREAKIN' RESULTS! Obviously, DaMayors' metabolism has left town. Any suggestions for DaMayor before he eats an aerobics instructor?

 

[P-funk]

Sounds like DaMayor needs a new diet.
Looks like DaMayor is not consuming enough calories to get his metabolism working properly.
DaMayor should post his diet on the Diet/Nutrition forum so that everyone can help him out.

 

[Scotty the Body]

I Agree, it sounds like proper Diet may be DaMayor's biggest problem.

DaMayor is very welcome to the board

 

[Arnold]

DaMayor, welcome to IM!

Why don't you post a sample of your daily diet.

 

[ZECH]

Welcome! Yep your body is going into shutdown mode trying to keep fat. You need to eat more calories and the right kind of food.

 

[DaMayor]

Alright, gentlemen, here is a general sample of my daily intake:
(And keep in mind, I have been attempting to stay close to the reccomended portions/serving sizes-which as we all know, are based on the intake of dwarves)
Breakfast:
Oatmeal or Cream O' Wheat, usually 2 cups.
Ocasionally 1-2 eggs/egg products
Coffee
A.M. snack
1 cup tuna 'salad' (w/ lt. mayo,celery,egg whites)
1-2 pc.wasa bread
16 oz. water
Lunch:
Usually tuna, chicken (breast) or fish
1 serving vegitables (often saute'd w/ meat)
diet, caffeine free drink or water
afternoon snack:
EAS advantage protein drink
water
Supper:
Chicken,fish (yes,even tuna)or lean beef
vegitable (steamed or lightly saute'd)
diet drink
Later:
maybe a EAS protein drink.
12 pack of beer, 1 container of crisco and a bag of dixie crystals.
(just kidding)

Seriously, I was keeping a diet log, and for the most part, I was averaging about 1800-2000 calories. Lately, I have slacked off, but really need to keep track of my intake. I think that my problem here is more closely related to a combination of the metabolic and psychological aspects of the weight game than the dietary. In other words, I've never been in such pitiful shape, nor have I ever had such a hard time dropping a few pounds. (Of course, I smoked before.) Bad thing is, I find myself really pushing it in the gym (to the point where I'm expecting connective tissues to explode at any time) in an attempt to overcompensate. And yes, I realize that I'm not going to see extreme results in a period of weeks. However, while I cannot,and will not, accept this unconditioned, pudgy, Norm from Cheers state that I find myself in, the sad fact remains that I am 36, which, while not ancient, is definately not 26. Yeah, I know, whaa whaa whaa.
Your input is appreciated.

 

[ALBOB]

I can speak from almost the exact same experience. I turned 30 and quit smoking on the same day, talk about blowing up like a baloon. I'm now 40 and though I'm nowhere near as lean as I'd like to be I'm a heck of a lot better than I was. The problem you're having is psychological, you're still stuck in the mind set that your workouts are going to determine your shape. That's a very difficult paradigm to overcome. (I can't believe I just used that word.) Anyway, let's back up and think of your body as an engine, which it is. All engines need fuel. The more work your body does, the more fuel it needs. Now, the problem I see with your diet is that you're not eating ENOUGH. When your body senses an emergency, like not getting enough fuel, it starts to shut down. It then does a VERY strange thing, it starts to store every bit of fuel it possibly can. How does the human body store fuel? Right, FAT. Believe it or not, eating too little will cause you to get fat. So your next question is, if the food I'm eating isn't being used as fuel but is being turned into fat instead, what IS being used as fuel? Very good question. Your MUSCLES. Your body will begin to eat itself as a source of fuel. This condition is called catabolism and is the worst enemy of everybody in the iron game. You've probably heard the old mantra, "You have to eat every two to three hours." It's true, having a meal every two to three hours will prevent catabolism and allow your body to release it's stored fat to be used as fuel.

 

[P-funk]

Albob is right. You need to eat more!!

You can push all you want in the gym but really you need to get your diet on track.

The way I look at it is a healthy lifestyle can be broken down into three major groups:
80% diet
20% excersise
20% rest

(this is just how I feel, others may disagree with this breakdown)

 

[Twin Peak]

Originally posted by P-funk
Albob is right. You need to eat more!!

You can push all you want in the gym but really you need to get your diet on track.

The way I look at it is a healthy lifestyle can be broken down into three major groups:
80% diet
20% excersise
20% rest

(this is just how I feel, others may disagree with this breakdown)

Funk, that's 120%?

Generally, DaMayor's food choices are good. You need to add a FEW more cals. Not too many. Maybe cycle from the 1800-2500 range, some heavy days, some light.

And you need either a lot more complex carbs OR EFAs, or a little of both. You need fuel for energy and protein isn't great for that.

 

[DaMayor]

I agree with Albob, as well as TP. And hey, P-funk, thanks for the support, man.The psychological aspects of this game are hard to get a handle on. And yes, I plan to slowly integrate a few more "good" calories into my diet in the near future. (In fact, I did just a few minutes ago) However, my main concern is the fact that my job is totally sedintary....I sit on the ol' glutes, or what are supposed to be glutes, all day. Will working out 3-4 times a week be enough to compensate? Of course, as time goes on, and I develop more stamina, I plan to increase this slightly.
Thanks for the input, fellahs
.

 

[Bear]

This is what works for me.

Years ago, I stumbled across "The Hilton Head Metabolism Diet"

Basically, when you restrict your calories, your metabolism slows down.

By utilizing low level intensity cardio (brisk walking), and/or weight training after 2 or 3 of my meals, that's how I have kicked up my metabolism, and repeatedly reduced my BF% every year for summertime.

If you can, I recommend you find yourself a copy, but basically, if you utilize the men's cutting diet from the nutrition forum, and take a 20-30 minute brisk walk or weight train 20-30 after 2 or 3 of your meals every day, that ought to do the trick.

Oh yeah, I'm 40 years old

 

[P-funk]

Funk, that's 120%?

OOPS (lol. Damn math). I meant to say 10% excersise and 10% rest.

However, my main concern is the fact that my job is totally sedintary....I sit on the ol' glutes, or what are supposed to be glutes, all day. Will working out 3-4 times a week be enough to compensate?

I think 3-4 days of excersise a week will be fine, even if your job is sedintary. All the Lean Body Mass that you will be gaining from working out is going to increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories while you are just sitting there.
I wouldn't be to worried about it.

 

[askjoe]

First off, it sounds like you're taking in too few calories - you're slowing your metabolism to a crawl - how can you ever expect to lose fat if your body is in constant energy conservation mode? My first piece of advice is to eat more.

My second piece of advice is to cut the carbs from your diet and eat plenty of lean portein. By cutting carbs you force your body to utilize seconadry sources of fuel - chiefly body fat.

Diet is the most important thing to focus on when it comes to losing body fat. If you're not seeing results I can almost guarantee it's the culprit. Also, take advantage of a good fat bunrer.
Quit posting links Joe

 

[ALBOB]

Originally posted by DaMayor my main concern is the fact that my job is totally sedintary....I sit on the ol' glutes, or what are supposed to be glutes, all day. Will working out 3-4 times a week be enough to compensate?

Back to my engine analogy, more important than how much fuel you're using (work outs) is WHAT your body is using for fuel (diet). Your lifestyle and/or workouts won't mean a thing if you're body isn't buring the correct source of fuel. That's determined by your diet. P-funk hit the nail on the head with his priority breakdown. (Not counting his math. ) Make the right diet choices and even your "sedentary job" will get you skinnier, working out will just speed up the process.