I’m 7 months into a diet and have already lost 67 pounds. I’m a little over half way to my goal and have started lifting weights in addition to my daily cardio routine in an effort to help add definition to the loose skin that is starting to appear. I previously had been against protein shakes and other types of muscle building enhancers; however, a friend of mine recently gave me some muscle milk to try after a work out. Reluctantly I obliged and to my surprise not only did I feel better the next day, I actually liked the taste as well. So now I’m on the search for protein shake that fits my needs. My primary question is which of the two aforementioned shakes should I use, and secondly should I use them as a meal replacement or a snack after workout. My primary goal is to lose weight/fat, muscle gain falls second to that. I realize gaining muscle adds to my overall weight, but I have a lot more fat to lose and I don’t feel it’s possible to add muscle weight faster than I lose fat. Help me out. 23 year old male. 250lbs.

I’m 19 years old. Like I said, while I’m obviously obese, I have a large muscle mass… I’ve always been the strongest person I know… And to boot, I can run a mile in just under 8 minutes… Quite fast for a 425 lb. man. My blood pressure, and heart rate are healthy, so exercise is not out of the question. I’m about to begin a diet (Or should I say, life-style change), and all of the nutrition books I read say 1-2 lbs. a week is a healthy loss, and will avoid the “Starvation Mode”.

But what I’m wondering, is considering my extreme situation (High Metabolism due to high muscle mass, along with a relative good health, and extreme obesity)… Can I lose more than 2 lbs. a week and still avoid “Starvation Mode”? Also, if any one has an tips for extreme Weight loss that maybe a standard nutrition book wouldn’t tell me, please feel free to tell me. Thanks!

FYI… My goal in this is to get my fat down to the teens, and keep my strength. Hefty goal, I know, but I don’t find this worth it otherwise.
P.S.: If you guys HONESTLY think that an 8 min. mile for me is impossible… To quote my own family doctor… I’m a “Freak of nature”. 8 min. mi. is a recommended time for someone my age, and one day (Just last month), I set out a goal to do a mile in just under 8 mins., and I DID IT! It nearly killed me (Probably literally), and I haven’t been able to recreate the event… But I’m telling you I did it, and I’m VERY proud of it. Obviously that isn’t my average time… Since then, my best has been 8 min. 27 sec…. If I jog, and not run/kill myself, it would take much more time obviously… Anyone who doesn’t believe me… Shame on you… Like I said, I’m very proud of it, so don’t deny me my right to “Advertise” it.

I recently am seeing a nutritionist and for the past 5 months and it has been going very well. In short, I have been eating 5-6 times a day and cutting out obvious deadly ingredients and foods while still working out 5 days a week. This has produced a 21lb loss in 5 months. I feel great, leaner, my abs are somewhat back, and everything fits alot better.

March 1: 5′10, 215lbs, 19% body fat
July 1: 5′10, 194lbs, 13% body fat

Now, the side I’m not so happy with. Of the 21lbs lost, 12lbs of that was fat, and 9lbs was lean muscle. I was hoping not to lose that much muscle as I’m also noticing a bit of loss in strength in the bench press as well as over all size. I was at around a 2300-2500 ca/day diet, so I assume I need more…..better yet, more protein? I currently am taking Optimum Nutritions shake which is only 20grams 2-3 times a day. My nutritionist suggests I up my calorie intake but a friend who is a trainer says I should not up calorie intake….but protein instead.

I’m a 17 year old male. I am 6′4 maybe still growing a little, but I am about 295 pounds, maybe a bit more. I have a surprisingly built body, and I really am not that fat. Looking at me, you would think I weigh about 240, but that is far off.
I am looking for ideas how to lose weight. I understand that muscles weigh more than fat, so that you cannot gain muscle without gaining weight. I am okay with this, as after I get the fat off I will be glad to lift twice as much as I do now to have tone muscles.

The goal I am looking for is a leaner body. With my large height, I am fine with weighing more that most people, and I know I will never be able to get down to be a small 180 pound kid. The goal I want to strive for in the long run is 225 maybe. My real goal is to lose a lot of body fat though.

I am looking for ideas of workouts and and nutrition that could help. Maybe a list of foods that are okay to eat. Also, if I should do cardio 40 minutes a day everyday or whatever. Thanks!

For the past year, I have been dieting, and I have lost over 75 pounds. Now, I am satisfied with my fat loss and I want to put on muscle…a lot of it. I am going to the gym with my cousin and I want to say dedicated, but I have a question about nutrition.

Alright, to build muscle, do you have to intake a lot of calories? I know to load up on protein and stay away from fat, but what about calories?

I am 16 very very soon (2 weeks) and I am 5′9 165 lbs..How many calories daily should I intake to gain muscle?
165 at 5′9 might seem a bit pudgy but I have a naturally large build and very wide shoulders, so it’s spaced out and I carry it well.

Currently, I am 5′11, 215lbs, and my bench max is 365lbs. I don’t specifically target bench over other muscles, so this bench max is indicative of my overall upper body strength.

Although most of my weight is from muscle mass, I do have fat I can lose. Also, I could stand to lose some muscle, but I want to keep as much as possible. Ideally I want to weigh 190lbs or so. I doubt I have enough fat I can reasonably lose to get down to 190 soley by losing fat, so I probably would have to lose 5-7lbs of muscle also. Still, I want to limit my muscle loss and maximize my fat loss. In the past, if I have ever tried to lose fat I have not been pleased with my ratio of fat to muscle lost. Whereas I’d preferably want something like 3lbs of fat per 1lb muscle, its more like 3lbs muscle per 1lb fat (my estimation based on how much weaker I get compared to how much weight I have lost)

Here is the plan. I currently lift 4-6 day a week. I think I am going to try to add 45 minutes of consecutive cardio (probably something like 3 sets of 5 min punching bag with 3 min jumping rope in between, then finish with 20 min run, I would do this variety mainly so I don’t get bored), which although I should be doing, I have not been. As for my diet I currently eat like crap, and am almost certainly running a calorie surplus. I figure if I want to lose weight and keep muscle I need to eat a lot better and maintain a fairly small calorie deficit. Probably going to try for 4-5 small meals a day, including 3 servings of vergetables/fruit each day. For two of those meals I will probably have chicken, for one maybe tuna (I have heard eating tuna daily is no good because you might get too much mercury, can anyone confirm or deny this). I might look into lean ground beef as another entree for one of the meals. Any turkey I find has too much sodium, so thats a no go. Salmon is too expensive. Any other nutrition suggestions?

I am thinking if I really want to maintain muscle while losing weight, this will have to be a slow process. So, I would probably be happy with losing 1lb a week, as long as that pound is around 75% fat. Has what I have laid out look good? Any other advice?

I’m an 18 year old female, 5′3 and I weight about 127-129 lbs (It keeps going up and down lately for some reason), however I’m not fat and I already have muscles, but I wanna look more toned up, so I’m doing a muscle gain/fat loss program this summer and here is how it’ll go:

Nutrition:Breakfast, 9 am:
-Scrambled egg. (100 calories, 6 gm of Protein).
-Slice of loaf. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein)
-Cup of Green tea. (0 calories, 0 gm of Protein)

Noon snack, 12 am:
-Bottle of Whey milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Lunch, 4 pm:
-Piece of Steak/chicken/or fish. (300-500 calories, 40 gm of Protein).
-Tomato and Green paper. (50 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-1 slice of loaf/or a piece of potato or anything with carbs. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein).

Late afternoon snack, 7 pm:
-Bottle of Whey Milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Dinner 9/10 pm:
-Apple. (maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-Banana/or orange. (Maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).

Weight training work out schedule:

Abs workout
Friday

-Regular Crunches 25 reps4 sets
-Vertical Crunches25 reps4 sets
-Bicycle Crunches 25 reps4 sets
-Twisting Crunches50 reps4 sets
-Dumbbell side bents 50 reps4 sets

Arms workout

Mon-Wed

A.Bicep Barbell curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 rep Average weight
- 8 reps Max weight

B.Bicep curls30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Tricep V-bar pull-downs 30 reps 3 sets

D.Tricep Kickback 30 reps3 sets
-10 reps Inner Triceps
-10 reps Middle Triceps
-10 repsOuter Triceps

E.Tricep Extension 30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

F.Shoulder front Raise30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

G.Shoulder press 30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

H.Shoulder/Lateral raise 30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

I.Wrist curls30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

Leg workout

Tue-Thur

A. Leg press30 reps3 sets
-12 reps Least weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

B.Leg extension30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Calf raise30 reps3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

D.Dumbbell Lunges30 reps3 sets

- Each day, the work out should take about 45-50 mins including rest time, about 2-3 mins rest between each set.

Cardio workout schedule:

Mon through Thursday:
- Treadmill 2 miles (Walking/Jogging) with 20 minutes rest between each mile.
- Bicycling 2 set (Regular and max intensity) for 15 minutes each set and about 20 minutes rest between each set.

Sat and Sun are off-days for my muscular repair and growth, but I will still move a lot, because I have a job everyday anyway and I do a lot of other things too so I’m not going to lay down and watch T.V or anything, this summer is hopefully going to be very active for me!

* I might eat some fast food or go out to a restaurant every once in a while (Once every couple weeks or so) so I hope this won’t kill me or anything.

PLEASE tell me what you think about this whole plan? I really need opinions! Thank you!

I’m an 18 year old female, 5′3 and I weight about 127-130 lbs (It keeps going up and down lately for some reason), however I’m not fat and I already have muscles, but I wanna look more toned up, so I’m doing a muscle gain/fat loss program this summer and here is how it’ll go:

Nutrition:Breakfast, 9 am:
-Scrambled egg. (100 calories, 6 gm of Protein).
-Slice of loaf. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein)
-Cup of Green tea. (0 calories, 0 gm of Protein)

Noon snack, 12 am:
-Bottle of Whey milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Lunch, 4 pm:
-Piece of Steak/chicken/or fish. (300-500 calories, 40 gm of Protein).
-Tomato and Green paper. (50 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-1 slice of loaf/or a piece of potato or anything with carbs. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein).

Late afternoon snack, 7 pm:
-Bottle of Whey Milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Dinner 9/10 pm:
-Apple. (maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-Banana/or orange. (Maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).

Weight training work out schedule:

Abs workout
Friday

-Regular Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Vertical Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Bicycle Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Twisting Crunches 50 reps 4 sets
-Dumbbell side bents 50 reps 4 sets

Arms workout

Mon-Wed

A.Bicep Barbell curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 rep Average weight
- 8 reps Max weight

B.Bicep curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Tricep V-bar pull-downs 30 reps 3 sets

D.Tricep Kickback 30 reps 3 sets
-10 reps Inner Triceps
-10 reps Middle Triceps
-10 repsOuter Triceps

E.Tricep Extension 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

F.Shoulder front Raise30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

G.Shoulder press 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

H.Shoulder/Lateral raise 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

I.Wrist curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

Leg workout

Tue-Thur

A. Leg press 30 reps 3 sets
-12 reps Least weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

B.Leg extension 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Calf raise 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

D.Dumbbell Lunges 30 reps 3 sets

- Each day, the work out should take about 45-50 mins including rest time, about 2-3 mins rest between each set.

Cardio workout schedule:

Mon through Thursday:
- Treadmill 2 miles (Walking/Jogging) with 20 minutes rest between each mile.
- Bicycling 2 set (Regular and max intensity) for 15 minutes each set and about 20 minutes rest between each set.

Sat and Sun are off-days for my muscular repair and growth, but I will still move a lot, because I have a job everyday anyway and I do a lot of other things too so I’m not going to lay down and watch T.V or anything, this summer is hopefully going to be very active for me!

* I might eat some fast food or go out to a restaurant every once in a while (Once every couple weeks or so) so I hope this won’t kill me or anything.

PLEASE tell me what you think about this whole plan? I really need opinions! Thank you!

I’m an 18 year old female, 5′3 and I weight about 127-130 lbs (It keeps going up and down lately for some reason), however I’m not fat and I already have muscles, but I wanna look more toned up, so I’m doing a muscle gain/fat loss program this summer and here is how it’ll go:

Nutrition:Breakfast, 9 am:
-Scrambled egg. (100 calories, 6 gm of Protein).
-Slice of loaf. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein)
-Cup of Green tea. (0 calories, 0 gm of Protein)

Noon snack, 12 am:
-Bottle of Whey milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Lunch, 4 pm:
-Piece of Steak/chicken/or fish. (300-500 calories, 40 gm of Protein).
-Tomato and Green paper. (50 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-1 slice of loaf/or a piece of potato or anything with carbs. (100 calories, 4 gm of Protein).

Late afternoon snack, 7 pm:
-Bottle of Whey Milk. (200 calories, 30 gm of Protein).

Dinner 9/10 pm:
-Apple. (maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).
-Banana/or orange. (Maximally 150 calories, 0 gm of Protein).

Weight training work out schedule:

Abs workout
Friday

-Regular Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Vertical Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Bicycle Crunches 25 reps 4 sets
-Twisting Crunches 50 reps 4 sets
-Dumbbell side bents 50 reps 4 sets

Arms workout

Mon-Wed

A.Bicep Barbell curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 rep Average weight
- 8 reps Max weight

B.Bicep curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Tricep V-bar pull-downs 30 reps 3 sets

D.Tricep Kickback 30 reps 3 sets
-10 reps Inner Triceps
-10 reps Middle Triceps
-10 repsOuter Triceps

E.Tricep Extension 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

F.Shoulder front Raise30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

G.Shoulder press 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

H.Shoulder/Lateral raise 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

I.Wrist curls 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

Leg workout

Tue-Thur

A. Leg press 30 reps 3 sets
-12 reps Least weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

B.Leg extension 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

C.Calf raise 30 reps 3 sets
-12 repsLeast weight
-10 reps Average weight
-8 reps Max weight

D.Dumbbell Lunges 30 reps 3 sets

- Each day, the work out should take about 45-50 mins including rest time, about 2-3 mins rest between each set.

Cardio workout schedule:

Mon through Thursday:
- Treadmill 2 miles (Walking/Jogging) with 20 minutes rest between each mile.
- Bicycling 2 set (Regular and max intensity) for 15 minutes each set and about 20 minutes rest between each set.

Sat and Sun are off-days for my muscular repair and growth, but I will still move a lot, because I have a job everyday anyway and I do a lot of other things too so I’m not going to lay down and watch T.V or anything, this summer is hopefully going to be very active for me!

* I might eat some fast food or go out to a restaurant every once in a while (Once every couple weeks or so) so I hope this won’t kill me or anything.

PLEASE tell me what you think about this whole plan? I really need opinions! Thank you!

iam a bit skinny guy but my eight is an average for my height and age,but havinga serious persoblem with much fat around my waist and my belly,especially my waist that doesnt seem to b affected with whatever i do,i work out with heavy weights,iam very careful in my nutrition,so far from fats and junk food,and i walk ALOT,and i do sit ups and crunches,and by the way its not something natural in me,cause i didnt have that waist like two years ago..so,i do exercise in the best ways to gain muscle and lose my mid section fat,but seems useless,any suggestions for losing my mid section fat? especially my waist and sides ? thanks for your time and your opinion