Help me with exercise/eating plan

[why]

Originally Posted by Connemara

Are cheat meals OK? I've been eating a lot of lean protein & greens this past week but would like to do at least one to two "crappy meals" per week to keep me sane (a Chipotle burrito, couple slices of pizza, etc.).

No.

 

[Connemara]

I'm not trying to become a muscle jock here.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by Connemara

I'm not trying to become a muscle jock here.

The problem with cheat meals is that it takes incredible self discipline (which you don't have, no offense) to keep it to only the single meal and then get back to normal.

 

[why]

Honestly, I've seen lots of people experiment with cheat meals and stuff and if it's not done right it generally just ***** things up. Most people don't know how to do it right. You're not in as big a caloric deficit as you think you are, so don't order a pizza and waste the last 3 days worth of work. Deal with the fact that you're hungry. It'll subside and you won't have a huge appetite all the time unless you constantly tease yourself with cheat meals.

Seriously. Don't eat. I don't understand why this is so hard for people to understand. Your bicepz wont atrophieezzz and your metabolism won't slow down anymore than if you had cheat meals.

From the pictures I've seen of you (I'm assuming you're 5'10"-6') you won't have the body fat you really want until you're pretty waify (160lbs. or so). Get your diet in check, don't torture yourself with cheat meals and stuff, and worry about things other than your piehole and cornhole.

 

[Connemara]

I'm 5'8" and somehow shed weight over Christmas. 158 lbs. on the scale today which seems wrong. I was 162-164 a few months ago.

 

[Invicta]

Since you apparently lack self-discipline, the best advice I can give is find a training partner or even better a group of people to work out with. They can help keep you on track on those days when you really just don't feel like going to the gym. I find it improbable that you don't have at least one friend with a body that they want to improve.

Immediately forget about looking better, and instead focus on getting fitter. It is nearly impossible(unless you are a genetic freak) to see huge improvements in the way you look in a short time frame (say 4 weeks) and it's a major reason why people don't stick with exercise, they don't turn into models after 4 weeks of workouts. But you can see strength gains within 4-6 weeks if you stick with compound movements and power lifts. Focus on the fact that you are improving your athletiscism and the body will come naturally. Form follows function when it comes to the human body and the fitter you are the better you will look.

Vary your exercises in your workouts, nothing says training plateau more than doing the same workouts month after month. While some exercises should always remain in your rotation (deadlifts, squats, cleans, pullups, and dips to name a few), you can swap out others.

Vary the focus of your workouts. Week 1 could be a power lift week with workouts like 5 rounds of 5 reps maximal weight deadlifts, while week 2 has workouts like 3 Rounds of: 400m sprints, 21 reps of 2 pood kettlebell swings and 12 pullups, done in the shortest amount of time. Both workouts are done at high intensity but one focuses on power generation, the other on hightening your metabolic conditioning.

The best thing to do before diving into a fitness lifestyle is to do a little research. For starting reading I recommend Starting Strength by Mark Ripptoe. Back when I first started lifting weights for my HS lacrosse team, I followed the lifting routines set out by the coaches, they were some seriously antiquated protocols by today's standards. You live in an age where there is terrabytes of information on fitness floating around the internet, use some of it.

 

[thekunk07]

cheat meals ARE good, but they don't mean twinkies. replacing glycogen is good every 7th or so day on a CKG, so long as they are good, whole foods that are nopt ordinarily part of the itinerary, i.e., ezekiel bread, whole grains, etc.

though many people overestimate glycogen depletion and for that matter, how hard they are training.

Originally Posted by why

Honestly, I've seen lots of people experiment with cheat meals and stuff and if it's not done right it generally just ***** things up. Most people don't know how to do it right. You're not in as big a caloric deficit as you think you are, so don't order a pizza and waste the last 3 days worth of work. Deal with the fact that you're hungry. It'll subside and you won't have a huge appetite all the time unless you constantly tease yourself with cheat meals.

Seriously. Don't eat. I don't understand why this is so hard for people to understand. Your bicepz wont atrophieezzz and your metabolism won't slow down anymore than if you had cheat meals.

From the pictures I've seen of you (I'm assuming you're 5'10"-6') you won't have the body fat you really want until you're pretty waify (160lbs. or so). Get your diet in check, don't torture yourself with cheat meals and stuff, and worry about things other than your piehole and cornhole.

 

[wiscogooner]

I'd say cheat meals are good if it's only one a week, two at absolute most (like if there's 2 special events or holidays back to back or something).

if you eat 6 meals a day, 1 cheat meal a week will put you at eating clean >97% of the time. With 2 cheat meals it's >95%

Get your cheat meal in, enjoy it, and go back to your diet for another week.

 

[why]

Glyocogen depletion is rarely a problem for strength athletes and bodybuilders.

 

[Connemara]

I am ******* beat. Mile on the track, 2.5 miles on the bike, a lot of arms/back work (overhead press, etc.), 250M on the rowing machine.

Whew.

 

[Gradstudent78]

Originally Posted by Connemara

Are cheat meals OK? I've been eating a lot of lean protein & greens this past week but would like to do at least one to two "crappy meals" per week to keep me sane (a Chipotle burrito, couple slices of pizza, etc.).

I think it's ok only if you plan it out right, do it one time a week, and take portion size into consideration. For example for lunch one day of the week order a single slice of pizza OR half a chipotle burrito (share it with someone). If you think you'd be tempted to eat more then that, then its just not worth it.

 

[thekunk07]

a chipotle burrito is never okay

 

[Gradstudent78]

Originally Posted by thekunk07

a chipotle burrito is never okay

If his only cheat meal in a week is half a chipotle burrito it wont kill his diet. It's only going to have about 550 calories (with everything on it), which is a reasonably sized lunch.

 

[thekunk07]

no, it's just gross. too much salt. i prefer baja fresh.

 

[wiscogooner]

I always go with the chicken burrito bowl

no rice
black beans
fresh tomato salsa
cheese
sour cream

580 cals, 55g protein

but yeah. tons of sodium.