Green_Giant
10-06-2011, 09:07 AM
Hey guys!
First, I want to thank you for all the useful information you put out on this site. I’ve been lurking for a while, learned a lot and now I need your advices. So here it is :
I’ve always been struggling with my weight. I reached my max weight two years ago, at 6’4’’ I weighed in at 320 pounds and trust me there was not alot of muscle on that frame! Anyways, I met this dietician who got me to start eating ‘clean’. That led to living a more active lifestyle and finally joining a gym. Next thing you know, I was hooked to weightlifting.
My first goal was just to loose weight and look healthy. Now I’m thinking about stepping on stage (in a few years…). So far, I did every mistake most newbies do… 1. Eating way below maintenance in order to lose fat, 2. Buying every supplement in sight in order to get bigger muscle… But by consistantly hitting the gym 5 days a week before sunrise and gradually improving my diet, I’m now at 230 lbs (-90 lbs), my BF is ≈ 18 % (started at 40% +), and my muscle definition is improving every day. Curling 50s instead of 20s and starting to see my abs are the most motivating things ever!!
Over the past 4-5 months I’ve stayed pretty much the same weight (dropped a few), got leaner and much stronger. So I guess I’m still riding the Noob train as I’m still gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time pretty easily. I dont count calories but my diet is set around maintenance (7 meals x 500 cal ≈ 3500 cal) and I’ve been lowering my carbs intake on off days. Also for some reason, eating clean got me addicted to peanut butter so overall my caloric intake must have got higher with the cheating :). I should also add that during those last months I was not doing as much cardio. 20 minutes PWO and 30 minutes walks or jogs maybe 3 nights a week compared to 1 hour every day (high intensity) for the first year or so.
Basically I feel like I’m at the crossroads and that I’m gonna have to make a decision soon, keep going? Cut? Bulk? Maybe just drop the cardio?...
Increasing my caloric intake will probably be necessary to keep gaining muscle mass. Considering that in the long run I’m thinking about competing, thats probably my best bet. But I’m kind of scared about gaining some fat again. On the other hand, if I keep going like I’m doing right now, I feel like I’m gonna waste some time as the gains will not be optimal. Finally, there’s always that little voice inside my head that’s telling me to diet hard for the last 20-30 lbs. Afterall, I’ve always been fat and that ‘beach body’ seems closer than ever!
I know the final decision is up to me, but I’m having a hard time setting specific short term goals. Maybe hearing from experienced guys or even people who have been there could help me.
Merci (I’m french, sorry for the spelling)
GG
First, I want to thank you for all the useful information you put out on this site. I’ve been lurking for a while, learned a lot and now I need your advices. So here it is :
I’ve always been struggling with my weight. I reached my max weight two years ago, at 6’4’’ I weighed in at 320 pounds and trust me there was not alot of muscle on that frame! Anyways, I met this dietician who got me to start eating ‘clean’. That led to living a more active lifestyle and finally joining a gym. Next thing you know, I was hooked to weightlifting.
My first goal was just to loose weight and look healthy. Now I’m thinking about stepping on stage (in a few years…). So far, I did every mistake most newbies do… 1. Eating way below maintenance in order to lose fat, 2. Buying every supplement in sight in order to get bigger muscle… But by consistantly hitting the gym 5 days a week before sunrise and gradually improving my diet, I’m now at 230 lbs (-90 lbs), my BF is ≈ 18 % (started at 40% +), and my muscle definition is improving every day. Curling 50s instead of 20s and starting to see my abs are the most motivating things ever!!
Over the past 4-5 months I’ve stayed pretty much the same weight (dropped a few), got leaner and much stronger. So I guess I’m still riding the Noob train as I’m still gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time pretty easily. I dont count calories but my diet is set around maintenance (7 meals x 500 cal ≈ 3500 cal) and I’ve been lowering my carbs intake on off days. Also for some reason, eating clean got me addicted to peanut butter so overall my caloric intake must have got higher with the cheating :). I should also add that during those last months I was not doing as much cardio. 20 minutes PWO and 30 minutes walks or jogs maybe 3 nights a week compared to 1 hour every day (high intensity) for the first year or so.
Basically I feel like I’m at the crossroads and that I’m gonna have to make a decision soon, keep going? Cut? Bulk? Maybe just drop the cardio?...
Increasing my caloric intake will probably be necessary to keep gaining muscle mass. Considering that in the long run I’m thinking about competing, thats probably my best bet. But I’m kind of scared about gaining some fat again. On the other hand, if I keep going like I’m doing right now, I feel like I’m gonna waste some time as the gains will not be optimal. Finally, there’s always that little voice inside my head that’s telling me to diet hard for the last 20-30 lbs. Afterall, I’ve always been fat and that ‘beach body’ seems closer than ever!
I know the final decision is up to me, but I’m having a hard time setting specific short term goals. Maybe hearing from experienced guys or even people who have been there could help me.
Merci (I’m french, sorry for the spelling)
GG