Hey everyone! first off, I apologize if this post is all over the place so please bear with me. I'm here because I need some help with trying to get my ass in gear. So here is my situation.... I'm a 22 year old male who just graduated college, 5'6 135lbs, barely ever worked out a day in my life. I am what you would probably call "skinnyfat". I look like a very little guy on the surface, but all the weight I have on me is mostly fat, with very little muscle mass. If you were to look at me, you would say I'm a very skinny fellow, however, I hide my blubberiness pretty well so looks ARE deceiving. My chest/stomach/lovehandles and upper thigh area are where the bulk of my fat lies.
Anyway, I joined a gym and this is my second week. I'm currently lifting weights and alternating between upper and lower body, just focusing on the machines until my body gets used to working out and I build some sort of a foundation for myself. I also do 20-30 minutes of cardio after my workout (usually between 1.5 to 2.5 miles). I lift until muscle fatigue and I have pretty much been sore since day one. I go to the gym 4 days per week and alternate days between upper and lower body. so my week looks like this essentially: day 1, day 2, rest, day 3, day 4, rest, rest.
I've been browsing these forums for months now, and have a pretty firm grasp on how I should be lifting. However, I'm just stuck on whether I should be bulking or cutting. At the moment, I have been eating a lot of protein and cut out junk food. I'll eat scrambled eggs in the morning (3 eggs, with only 1 yolk) and yogurt. Then about an hour or so later, I'll eat a slice of wheat bread with peanut butter and head off to the gym, then when I get home I'll have a protein shake with a banana and peanut butter, and usually make myself a tuna sandwhich, then for dinner I eat whatever is made, which is usually whole wheat pasta or chicken (my mom cooks pretty healthy meals), and then I'll try to have another shake at night. I will also snack on peanuts at night as well. I try to throw in some salad or fruits in the mix as well.
now, like I said, it's my second week and I have been feeling very good and have noticed improvements, I can actually see a bicep moving when I contract my arms. However, I feel like I'm getting fatter, which is discouraging to me. My shirts are getting snug and I feel like my moobs and lovehandles are getting bigger and I attribute that to the protein shakes. I know it's very hard to gain muscle and lose weight, so you need to go through phases. But my goal isn't to bulk up and become huge, I just want to look lean and lose my bodyfat. Essentially, I don't want to look like a fetus anymore. It's annoying when I go to a bar or somewhere and people look at me and ask me if I'm really 22 and not 16. I want to have definition and some muscle mass, but I don't want to look ripped.
Cutting and calorie restriction isn't a tough feat for me, I actually have a harder time trying to make myself eat more than eat less. I just don't know what to do. I want to have muscles that you can see, but I don't want to look like a meathead and i want to get rid of this fat content on my body and firm up.
I know that whatever I am doing at the moment is a movement in the right direction. Lifting and running is better than doing neither. I just need some direction and hopefully you all can help me.
I should probably tell you the supplements I take as well:
In the AM: 2 fishoils and a b-complex.
PM: 2 fish oils, zinc, magnesium.
Also, as far as the protein shakes go should I remove the peanut butter and banana? Two scoops of the powder is 240 calories and 45-50g of protein, which I drink once to twice a day. So I'd say I'm getting atleast 500 calories a day from the shakes.
Thank you so much!!
Anyway, I joined a gym and this is my second week. I'm currently lifting weights and alternating between upper and lower body, just focusing on the machines until my body gets used to working out and I build some sort of a foundation for myself. I also do 20-30 minutes of cardio after my workout (usually between 1.5 to 2.5 miles). I lift until muscle fatigue and I have pretty much been sore since day one. I go to the gym 4 days per week and alternate days between upper and lower body. so my week looks like this essentially: day 1, day 2, rest, day 3, day 4, rest, rest.
I've been browsing these forums for months now, and have a pretty firm grasp on how I should be lifting. However, I'm just stuck on whether I should be bulking or cutting. At the moment, I have been eating a lot of protein and cut out junk food. I'll eat scrambled eggs in the morning (3 eggs, with only 1 yolk) and yogurt. Then about an hour or so later, I'll eat a slice of wheat bread with peanut butter and head off to the gym, then when I get home I'll have a protein shake with a banana and peanut butter, and usually make myself a tuna sandwhich, then for dinner I eat whatever is made, which is usually whole wheat pasta or chicken (my mom cooks pretty healthy meals), and then I'll try to have another shake at night. I will also snack on peanuts at night as well. I try to throw in some salad or fruits in the mix as well.
now, like I said, it's my second week and I have been feeling very good and have noticed improvements, I can actually see a bicep moving when I contract my arms. However, I feel like I'm getting fatter, which is discouraging to me. My shirts are getting snug and I feel like my moobs and lovehandles are getting bigger and I attribute that to the protein shakes. I know it's very hard to gain muscle and lose weight, so you need to go through phases. But my goal isn't to bulk up and become huge, I just want to look lean and lose my bodyfat. Essentially, I don't want to look like a fetus anymore. It's annoying when I go to a bar or somewhere and people look at me and ask me if I'm really 22 and not 16. I want to have definition and some muscle mass, but I don't want to look ripped.
Cutting and calorie restriction isn't a tough feat for me, I actually have a harder time trying to make myself eat more than eat less. I just don't know what to do. I want to have muscles that you can see, but I don't want to look like a meathead and i want to get rid of this fat content on my body and firm up.
I know that whatever I am doing at the moment is a movement in the right direction. Lifting and running is better than doing neither. I just need some direction and hopefully you all can help me.
I should probably tell you the supplements I take as well:
In the AM: 2 fishoils and a b-complex.
PM: 2 fish oils, zinc, magnesium.
Also, as far as the protein shakes go should I remove the peanut butter and banana? Two scoops of the powder is 240 calories and 45-50g of protein, which I drink once to twice a day. So I'd say I'm getting atleast 500 calories a day from the shakes.
Thank you so much!!
