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wannabang

Fat burning, protein, carbs, and pre-workout.

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Decided I wanted to burn off a little fat I gained from Freshman year.  Started debating if the supplements or my diet was causing me to see a lack of results.

 

Old routine (6 months, from 180 to 160):

-Emerge Pre-workout + appetite suppressor

-Take Five Slow Release Protein

(Workout)

-Whey

-Breakfast without carbs

(The last month of this routine, I began replacing a meal a day with fruit/vegetable juice. Dropped ~5 lbs in that month.)

 

Began more weightlifting, instead of mostly cardio and core, and switched up my routine.  I have definitely continued to gain muscle, but it doesn't seem that I'm converting the fat, just that I'm putting muscle under it, mostly around the waist and chest.

 

New Routine (began 6 months ago 160 to 170):

-Emerge Pre-workout + appetite suppressor

(Workout)

-Breakfast with carbs and protein with every meal)

(No juice in this routine, but I intend on starting that today if I can get to the store.)

 

For those that know more, could you help me figure out an appropriate plan for supplements?

Edited by wannabang

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I have definitely continued to gain muscle, but it doesn't seem that I'm converting the fat, just that I'm putting muscle under it, mostly around the waist and chest

Can't help you with supplements. I'm not a supplement guy, only thing I take is protein shakes.

However, regarding the above...to my understanding, you can't do both. To truly gain muscle you need a calorie surplus, or at minimum the proper amount of calorie intake. To lose fat you need a calorie deficiency. This is the reason for the infamous "bulk-cut" cycle. Obviously you still want to eat cleanly when you are trying to gain muscle so you aren't just piling on fat. But you first need to figure out your goal. Gain muscle or lose fat, because it's VERY difficult to accomplish both at the same time.

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You need to prioritize your goals like Impious stated, in audio terms akin to Hofman's Iron Law. :lol:

 

Supplements don't play a large role in the big picture. Some may help you get motivated/pumped to work out which is good rather than not working out. Creatine might provide you with a little extra energy for that last rep here and there. Branched-chain amino acids are good for providing nutrients quickly for building muscle and if you consider protein a supplement then it's good if your diet is lacking, but even the listed (protein intake aside whether it be from food or powder) aren't going to dramatically increase muscle growth or fat loss like a magical pill.

 

If I wanted to lose fat I would focus more on aerobic exercises than anaerobic (I'd still do strength training as maintenance but not primary) and I wouldn't be eating or taking anything beforehand. Afterwards I'd stick to a fat and protein meal, later in the day I'd eat some carbs with a low glycemic index.

 

The reasoning behind my suggestion is that the metabolic pathway that uses fat as energy requires more oxygen than does the pathway that uses carbs. In essence at high heart rate / anaerobic you're mainly using carbs->glucose/glycogen for energy, as you reduce heart rate and lean more towards aerobic exercise then you can use more fat for energy rather than sole dependence upon carbs. Another reason why I suggested not eating before the workout and not eating carbs directly after is insulin levels. When you eat carbs and protein (to a lesser extent) it increases your insulin levels. Insulin levels and the rate of which fat can be used for energy are logarithmically proportional, so a small increase in insulin will substantially reduce the rate of "fat burning."

 

I'm oversimplifying the metabolic processes of the body very largely for what it's worth, but I hope it provides some insight as to the how or why, and like politics everyone has an opinion on nutrition whether they're right or wrong--including me.

 

Good luck.

Edited by ssh

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Thanks!  That's great information!  So when I start the juicing tomorrow, I can sorta combine my two routines, but alter my workout.  Pre-workout, complimented with a predominantly aerobic workout and some weightlifting.  After I can drink some protein and do my juicing.  Whatever meal follows can have some carbs, but not too many, I take it.  I'm happy with my current muscle growth, so toning and running with body-weight exercises should be fine.

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Keep in mind you'll drop some muscle when you lose the fat as well.

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Eat healthy, non-processed foods.  Don't smoke and try to stay away from too much alcohol.  If you can do that, you are going to be 100% better off in the long run.

 

I used to spend an ungodly amount on suppliments for years.  Decades.  As I get older I realize that clean living eating healthy foods is really best.  Obviously you must work out (hard) regularly, but your diet plays such a big role in everything...

 

I am almost 40.  I work out 5 days a week, I run a lot.  I work 60+ hrs a week.  I don't really get sick, ever.  I don't get injured too often, I really have to push to get injured.  I eat lots of red meat I kill myself (Elk, Bear and Deer) I eat stuff I grow in our garden and try not to eat much junk food.  I haven't taken any meds other than a pain killer when I break a bone or am getting stitches...  Seems to work for pretty good for me...

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Oh yeah, if you eat too much you get fat.

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Dang.  As a (typical.. merp.. stereotypical) college student, junk food and beer are my main food groups.  I'll be limiting my junk food, eating healthier, focusing more on aerobics and cardio while still lifting, and shrinking my calorie intake.  I'm sure being home for some of the summer will also decrease the amount I drink.  Summer is usually my healthier months, and I have lost what I gained freshman year.  I just needed a little insight on where to go.  I seemed to plateau.  Thanks, all. 

 

I love juicing.  You can make some tasty drinks, and I just replace lunch with a 16 ounce glass of veggies and fruit (did it over winter break).  Dinner is usually carbs/protein, and breakfast is somewhat small after my workout (i.e. yogurt and a protein shake).

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So today was my first workout on the new plan.  I have four more weeks until I leave the country, so this will continue for that long. 

 

-Wake-up
-Pre-workout

-Workout (20 minute run @ 155 bpm, curls, dips, free-weight bench, shrugs, 15 minute core workout with 30 second rest intervals, lunges into squats, burpees, and three minutes of walking @ 135 bpm) 

-Protein shake

-Lunch of Juice (1 peach, 1 orange, 3 celery stalks, two kale leaves, 5 cabbage leaves, 4 luttuce leaves, a carrot) and a single serving of yogurt.

 

Any critiques?  More aerobics?

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What are your sets and repetitions like for each exercise?

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More hiit style workouts...would help (full body)

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So today was my first workout on the new plan.  I have four more weeks until I leave the country, so this will continue for that long. 

 

-Wake-up

-Pre-workout

-Workout (20 minute run @ 155 bpm, curls, dips, free-weight bench, shrugs, 15 minute core workout with 30 second rest intervals, lunges into squats, burpees, and three minutes of walking @ 135 bpm) 

-Protein shake

-Lunch of Juice (1 peach, 1 orange, 3 celery stalks, two kale leaves, 5 cabbage leaves, 4 luttuce leaves, a carrot) and a single serving of yogurt.

 

Any critiques?  More aerobics?

What you described sounds good for strength and aerobic work, but maybe not the most optimal if your main goal is losing weight. If you lose weight with it and happy with the progress then I would stick with it, however; if it isn't working or the progress is slow than I would either switch or add workouts with lower intensity for longer amounts of time. IMO one of the best ways to lose weight is hiking. It's high enough intensity that you're using a good bit of energy, but low enough that a good portion of the energy comes from fat.

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Unfortunately, growing up in suburbia has made it difficult to find places near me to hike, but I do enjoy it on occasion.  I did tone down the running today, 20 minutes @ 150 bpm, 5 minutes @ 130 bpm.  I don't really have all that much fat to burn, but I'm trying to define my core some, and I know there's some fat preventing that from happening.

 

Hit style, meaning like boxing?  There's a boxing club in town, but I don't really have time or money to switch clubs.  I do know a bunch of people who really like it there.

 

Usually my sets are 12, 10, 8 or 15, 12, 10.  On days that I just focus on reps, it's usually something like 25, 20, 15, but I'll work backward and move down in weight.

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I'm a little confused about your goal, and are you looking for a fast track to loose fat now or are you looking to make a lifestyle change and see longer term results?

To loose fat you need to increase your metabolism and change how you process food.

If you are trying to just loose a large sum of fat right now and then slip into something healthier you have to change your approach significantly. If you are trying to loose weight, simply eat less calories than you take in.

If you can say, "I want to loose X amount of body fat by XX/xx/xx" it would be much easier to help you.

If you don't have a set goal, then the advice to eat whole foods and drop the processed foods is the best answer. Skip the supplements and just eat good fresh food.

Juicing isn't really an answer to much. It's about the same as protein shakes. It's arbitrarily supplementing food, with something else. It does taste good though. If you juice a lot of fruit though, your basically just drinking tasty sugar with vitamins.

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I'm a little confused about your goal, and are you looking for a fast track to loose fat now or are you looking to make a lifestyle change and see longer term results?

To loose fat you need to increase your metabolism and change how you process food.

If you are trying to just loose a large sum of fat right now and then slip into something healthier you have to change your approach significantly. If you are trying to loose weight, simply eat less calories than you take in.

If you can say, "I want to loose X amount of body fat by XX/xx/xx" it would be much easier to help you.

If you don't have a set goal, then the advice to eat whole foods and drop the processed foods is the best answer. Skip the supplements and just eat good fresh food.

Juicing isn't really an answer to much. It's about the same as protein shakes. It's arbitrarily supplementing food, with something else. It does taste good though. If you juice a lot of fruit though, your basically just drinking tasty sugar with vitamins.

Tasty sugar is tasty. :P

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..tasty vajayjay is tasty:)

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I want to burn some fat off and keep it off.  My legs and arms aren't too fatty, so lifting is doing them fine, but the core workouts I do are only showing strength, and I'm not getting any visual result from the fat on top of my abs.  This is what I want to reduce.  Eating well, and less, as well as the aerobic exercise seems to be the right combination. 

 

I'm not concerned about weight, just about burning the fat in my midsection.  Does anyone know the science of why beer causes so much build up in the midsection, and seems to be harder to work off that just excess calorie intake?

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I want to burn some fat off and keep it off.  My legs and arms aren't too fatty, so lifting is doing them fine, but the core workouts I do are only showing strength, and I'm not getting any visual result from the fat on top of my abs.  This is what I want to reduce.  Eating well, and less, as well as the aerobic exercise seems to be the right combination. 

 

I'm not concerned about weight, just about burning the fat in my midsection.  Does anyone know the science of why beer causes so much build up in the midsection, and seems to be harder to work off that just excess calorie intake?

Carbs and simple sugars. You want abs, drop the booze. Especially the beer and mixed drinks. Straight liquor or wine is a better alternative, but no booze is best.

J

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Ahh straight liquer kills me, but duely noted.  Guess it will all come off after college lol.

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Ahh straight liquer kills me, but duely noted.  Guess it will all come off after college lol.

It's all about moderation, and not outting off till tomorrow what you can do today.

J

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Right.  Hopefully the moderation comes even with the 21st upcoming.

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Just an FYI I am saying such things as a 29 year old who didn't listen and needs to start playing catch up. You have the work ethic already, don't let diet fuck that up.

J

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Soda, vodka, and a lime. Not sweet lime, just a lime wedge.

That's the best drink you can drink for the calories. It will help keep you a bit more hydrated too.

Booze is interesting in what it does to your insulin and metabolism. Beer seems to have the worst effect on us. Especially watery shit beer in large quantities. You can actually cause a sodium deficiency from a lot of beer. Then you really Fuck up your metabolism.

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Soda, vodka, and a lime. Not sweet lime, just a lime wedge.

That's the best drink you can drink for the calories. It will help keep you a bit more hydrated too.

Booze is interesting in what it does to your insulin and metabolism. Beer seems to have the worst effect on us. Especially watery shit beer in large quantities. You can actually cause a sodium deficiency from a lot of beer. Then you really Fuck up your metabolism.

I was wondering if it messed with insulin but never looked into it. :D

 

Do you know at what ABV you're still hydrating?

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Vodka Tonics with Lime are great, so maybe I will have to start drinking those.  Mixed drinks will help me drink a little more responsibly, too. ;)  The only poor thing in my diet is the cafeteria food and alcohol.. granted, that's all my diet is during the school year, but the fast food basically stops away from school, and the alcohol consumption dips quite a bit.  I do tend to favor 6-8% beers, so I guess that helps some(?), but by far, my favorite liquor is rum.

 

God, (that's a badass way to address someone) hopefully I won't have too much catching up to do.  I'll be abroad in Australia the next few months and hope to focus more on my working out, and maybe train like I used to for baseball.  Either way, being away for four months has got me motivated to make changes that will make my physical appearance different upon return.  The bar scene there, hopefully, will help me limit my over-consumption, too.

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