Blackjack's Long Term Exercise and Diet Goals (1 year)

[Blackjack200]

Brief History: GF dumped me Superbowl Sunday Feb 3rd, I weighed 250 lbs. On Tuesday I decided to go to Taco Bell for the Last Supper and pounded down about 3500 calories worth of burritos, drove to the supermarket, bought eggs, butter, cottage cheese, frozen grilled chicken, greek yogurt, and frozen veggies. I dug the old food scale out of the cabinet, and ate 1,883 calories in total the next day. In the three months that followed, I've lost over 40 lbs, sitting at just under 210 lbs. right now.

Thankfully I started lifting on March 25, and have not lost much muscle. I'm just starting to see some definition in my midsection.

Stats:
Age: 31
Height: 5'11
Sex: M
Weight: 210

My Goals

My long term fitness goal is to improve my athletic performance on the ice and on the pitch (hockey and soccer) by increasing my strength and power to "intermediate" power lifter or weight lifter standards. Roughly estimated to be:
Bench: 215 lbs.
Deadlift: 335 lbs.
Squat: 285 lbs.
Powerclean: 205 lbs.
Press: 145 lbs.
(http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html)
Also to reduce my bodyfat percentage enough so that I can see some abdominal definition, but not so much that it impacts my athletic performance. I will achieve this long term goal by achieving 3 intermediate goals.

Intermediate Goal #1: I will lose 30 lbs. by August 7th through strict diet and will minimize muscle loss by continuing the "Starting Strength" program.

Intermediate Goal #2: After I have established a consistent sub 180 lb. weight, I will switch from cutting to bulking. I should have excellent definition by this point, and as I bulk I expect to lose some definition as my body puts on muscle and fat. I will minimize fat gain as much as possible, but exercise progress will be my focus so I will eat. I will use a creatine supplement to help my lifts improve. My bulk will be complete by January 7th, and I will gain 20 lbs. of lean mass, and hit specific performance goals (to be developed) in the shuttle run and vertical leap.

Intermediate Goal #3: At this point I will fine tune my caloric intake to eliminate as much fat as possible without impacting athletic performance. By March 7th I will be at <10% body fat (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3348718) while maintaining the athletic performance achieved in Intermediate Goal #2

 

[Blackjack200]

Intermediate Goal #1, Week 1 - 5/6/13-5/12/13:

(Starting weight 210 lbs)

Nutrition Goal: Eat at or below my daily calorie budget of 1,866 and make up for 325 calories of overeating from Monday and Tuesday. Close All went according to plan until I got to my folks place for mother's day dinner. I definitely ate too much, though I had a light breakfast and skipped lunch, it wasn't enough to compensate. I'd guess I was about 1,000 calories over for the day. All in all, if I can stay good for the whole week and I overeat by 1k calories one day for a good reason (visiting my family), I'll take it.

Lifting Goals:
Squat: 5RM of 185 lbs Achieved
Bench Press: 5 RM of 195 lbs. Achieved
Deadlift: 5RM of 275 lbs. Achieved
PowerClean 3RM of 165 lbs. Achieved
2 x 5 chins (unweighted) Achieved

 

[Zeze]

Best of luck to you.

I was 194 lbs (@ 5'10") when I broke up with my ex. I was quite damn beefy. Then I started to run 3x a week and exercise and became 163 lbs over 9 months. That's when I met my fiancee.

Felt absolutely great.

Remember that you WILL succumb to bingeing once in awhile (otherwise you'll go insane). Don't beat yourself up when that happens and take it as a part of the run. As long as you keep up, you will succeed.

My hardest challenge wasn't exercise, but eating. I had a diet plan where I'd still eat whatever I wanted, but with strict portions (eat half a cookie vs never eating it). That worked well for me vs going insane.

 

[Blackjack200]

Thanks,

This is partly an effort to curb bingeing. Dieting in February, March, and April was fairly straightforward as I was mostly just working and doing recreational things alone like skating and walking. Now it will be much tougher when I'm spending the rest of the spring and summer sailing, playing softball, dating, etc.

I noticed that I was slipping into a mentality of 'well I'm almost there, it's not a big deal if I go over my calorie budget as long as I'm still in a deficit.' This is to remind me that I still have a way to go.

I don't have anything off limits on my diet, but with a calorie budget of 1,866, and trying to get 180g of protein and almost two pounds of veggies everyday, it sort of excludes much other food.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Good luck! How tall are you?

 

[Sixguns]

Eating is still the hardest thing for me. I wish I could get it under control.

 

[Zeze]

I don't have anything off limits on my diet, but with a calorie budget of 1,866, and trying to get 180g of protein and almost two pounds of veggies everyday, it sort of excludes much other food.

You gotta be realistic man. You WILL go insane if you never give yourself a break to eat some junk food. This will result in bingeing which will mentally and physically set you back terribly.

 

[rga]

You gotta be realistic man. You WILL go insane if you never give yourself a break to eat some junk food. This will result in bingeing which will mentally and physically set you back terribly.

No offense, but I don't think a guy who couldn't go a week without blueberry pie, and who couldn't say no to his fiancee's leftover chipotle and cookies, should be giving advice on how to control cravings.

 

[Blackjack200]

Good luck! How tall are you?

5'11, but 6'0 according to my dating profile. :biggrin:

You gotta be realistic man. You WILL go insane if you never give yourself a break to eat some junk food. This will result in bingeing which will mentally and physically set you back terribly.

No, I won't go insane. When I binge it's not because I just get to the end of my rope and just can't take it anymore, it's because I'm out with friends and I start making excuses for myself "oh, everyone else is having dessert, If I just have a small dessert, I'm still doing better than them!" And then "Damn, I had dessert, and I don't know how many calories are in that, ehh, fuck it, what's one cheat day?" ...BINGE

That is seriously how my mind will work. I do best if I don't deviate at all.

 

[Zeze]

No offense, but I don't think a guy who couldn't go a week without blueberry pie, and who couldn't say no to his fiancee's leftover chipotle and cookies, should be giving advice on how to control cravings.

:thumbsup: But I still lost weight and got in good shape as seen on my 167lb pic.

 

[Koing]

No offense, but I don't think a guy who couldn't go a week without blueberry pie, and who couldn't say no to his fiancee's leftover chipotle and cookies, should be giving advice on how to control cravings.

lol

Didn't you call someone out on some other binge or something earlier?

Koing

 

[KirbyCodeMonkey]

Controlling my calories is what gets me. Great luck to you!

 

[blackdogdeek]

lol

Didn't you call someone out on some other binge or something earlier?

Koing

Me And I'm still binging.

 

[Koing]

Me And I'm still binging.

lol

How much have you put on in the binge? I'm going to see if I can crack 10k in a day on my refeed day . My mate and I are going to dedicate a whole day to eat as much as we possibly can. We won't train that day as it'll eat in to our refeeding time

Koing

 

[blackdogdeek]

lol

How much have you put on in the binge? I'm going to see if I can crack 10k in a day on my refeed day . My mate and I are going to dedicate a whole day to eat as much as we possibly can. We won't train that day as it'll eat in to our refeeding time

Koing

I'm not sure but I'm probably at right about 165 lbs now so probably something like +3 lbs. I like to go to buffets for efficient binging

 

[Koing]

I'm not sure but I'm probably at right about 165 lbs now so probably something like +3 lbs. I like to go to buffets for efficient binging

We are going to eat an ungodly amount of food

When I hit the magic sub 87kg market this is when my mate and I are going to hammer it. He started the cut the same time as me.

Koing

 

[blackdogdeek]

We are going to eat an ungodly amount of food

When I hit the magic sub 87kg market this is when my mate and I are going to hammer it. He started the cut the same time as me.

Koing

I'd be interested in a binging log

 

[Koing]

I'd be interested in a binging log

Don't worry, we will log it

Koing

 

[Blackjack200]

Intermediate Goal #1, Week 2 - 5/13/13 - 5/19/13:

(Starting weight 206 lbs)

Nutrition Goal: On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday eat at a 400 calorie deficit to my daily calorie budget of 1,866, this will give me a 2,000 calorie surplus to spend this weekend on my sailing cruise on the Chesapeake. I expect that I'll exceed the surplus by about 1,000 calories, but I can make that up next week. Uncertain: I don't think "banking calories" was a good idea, I overate on the cruise, but at the end of the day (or, I should say, week) I'm down a pound and looking forward to getting back on a regular diet and hopefully, somehow improving my lifts.

Lifting Goals:
Squat: 5RM of 205 lbs. Achieved Don't think I can move up 20 more lbs. next week though, maybe 10.
Press: 5RM for 105 lbs. Failed But I actually made progress. Might try 105 again next week.
Bench Press: 5 RM of 195 lbs. Failed Need to deload this and try again
Deadlift: 5RM of 295 lbs. Achieved Went to alternating grip, will bump it again next week
PowerClean 3RM of 170 lbs. Failed Will try 170 lbs next week
2 x 7 chins (unweighted) Uncertain for some reason I thought my goal was 2x8. I did 1x8 and 1x6.

 

[Blackjack200]

Intermediate Goal #1, Week 3 - 5/20/13 - 5/26/13:

(Starting weight 205 lbs)

Nutrition Goal: After starving myself for the first five days last week to bank calories for my weekend cruise, I'm looking forward to a nice, consistent 1,735 calories per day. Uncertain - I stayed good all week but I had a bit of a binge on Saturday. I was good on Sunday though.



Lifting Goals:
Squat: 5RM of 215 lbs. - Achieved
Press: 5RM for 105 lbs. Missed hit 5RM of 100 lbs.
Bench Press: 5 RM of 195 lbs. Missed hit 5 RM of 185 lbs.
Deadlift: 5RM of 305 lbs. Achieved
PowerClean 3RM of 170 lbs. Missed Deloaded because I'm not happy with my form on this and I want to correct it. I'm not sure if my catch is right. I'm trying to get a video together, I'm just so pressed for time.
2 x 8 chins (unweighted) Missed But close. I did 1x8, 1x5, 1x6

 

[z1ggy]

1735 net, or 1735 of just food? If it's the latter, that seems low.

As reference, for myself (192lb) to lose 1lb/week I need to consume 2100 cals net. Ie, I intake around 2300-2600, depending on if its a day I am lifting or not.

Koing might want to join in here, but from all the literature I have read, it seems like the best path to fat loss is slow, but steady. If you cut cals too drastically, you may drive your body into "fat retaining" mode because your body will want to slow metabolism down, as you aren't feeding it enough.

 

[Blackjack200]

1735 net, or 1735 of just food? If it's the latter, that seems low.

Net. I add on calories when I play soccer, sail, skate, or lift weights (other things too, but those are just the ones that I do the most).

That said, I tend to be very conservative with activity calories. They're hard to measure if you're not on a machine, and I just don't believe that I'm burning 500 calories an hour sailing like "Lose It!" claims.

1 lb./week is too slow for my goals. It would take me six months to reach my goal of 180 pounds, and in that time I think I would lose too much muscle. I've been losing 2 lbs./week for three and a half months now, and based on my lifts and appearance, haven't lost too much muscle.

I agree that it's not a good idea to lose it too fast... but I don't believe in the "starvation mode" stuff. I don't think it's good to lose it too fast because at those caloric deficits I think your daily functions are more noticably impacted, you lose muscle much quicker, and you suffer much more than with a moderate caloric defecit (this makes it more likely that you'll quit or fail to adopt the new style of eating as a permanent change).

I think the whole "banking calories" was not a good idea though. I need to figure out a different way to have a good time on a cruise while not stuffing my face.

BTW, I like your log thread quite a bit and think you're going about it the right way. I'm about to incorporate the push press into my routine to try to "unstick" the overhead press. I'll put notes in this thread. Good luck.

 

[z1ggy]

Net. I add on calories when I play soccer, sail, skate, or lift weights (other things too, but those are just the ones that I do the most).

That said, I tend to be very conservative with activity calories. They're hard to measure if you're not on a machine, and I just don't believe that I'm burning 500 calories an hour sailing like "Lose It!" claims.

1 lb./week is too slow for my goals. It would take me six months to reach my goal of 180 pounds, and in that time I think I would lose too much muscle. I've been losing 2 lbs./week for three and a half months now, and based on my lifts and appearance, haven't lost too much muscle.

I agree that it's not a good idea to lose it too fast... but I don't believe in the "starvation mode" stuff. I don't think it's good to lose it too fast because at those caloric deficits I think your daily functions are more noticably impacted, you lose muscle much quicker, and you suffer much more than with a moderate caloric defecit (this makes it more likely that you'll quit or fail to adopt the new style of eating as a permanent change).

I think the whole "banking calories" was not a good idea though. I need to figure out a different way to have a good time on a cruise while not stuffing my face.

BTW, I like your log thread quite a bit and think you're going about it the right way. I'm about to incorporate the push press into my routine to try to "unstick" the overhead press. I'll put notes in this thread. Good luck.

Yeah I only use Lose It to track calories, I don't bother inputting exercise. I just eat more on days I lift to compensate for that.

I don't believe in banking either. Your body does not process energy discretely like some kind of in-out equation. It needs it/uses it at different times of the day/week. It's like saying you need to travel 500 miles in your car which requires 30 gallons of fuel. If your car tank only holds 15, you can't "shove" more fuel in there, even though you'll eventually need it.

Clearly I am not an expert (proven by my before photos from the other day) but I do a TON of reading on this subject, and my girl friend is a physical therapist with a lot of knowledge. I tend to read books by guys who have proven through themselves that what they preach is what they practice, and that it works. Papers and articles written by PhD's are great to expand the knowledge base you have, but when it comes down to it, you need to base that science in real life. If a guy eats and lifts a certain way and looks amazing ( with out roids ) then I am going to listen. He didn't get that way magically.

Check out Tom Venuto's stuff. I am loosely following his weekdly meal plans along with the 5x5 stuff.

P.S.- thanks for the props I am hoping the work I am putting into this pays off.

 

[Koing]

1735 net, or 1735 of just food? If it's the latter, that seems low.

As reference, for myself (192lb) to lose 1lb/week I need to consume 2100 cals net. Ie, I intake around 2300-2600, depending on if its a day I am lifting or not.

Koing might want to join in here, but from all the literature I have read, it seems like the best path to fat loss is slow, but steady. If you cut cals too drastically, you may drive your body into "fat retaining" mode because your body will want to slow metabolism down, as you aren't feeding it enough.

It depends on the person. SOME people can cut on 200g of carbs a day but most can not. So stick to your macros and adjust accordingly. My friend would lose weight on 3000c per day. He does weigh 101kg and is muscular as f0ck. If you do not see fat loss on the scales and in pictures and you are *strict* at hitting your macros then drop the calories and carbs a bit.

I think for most people they shouldn't be too worried about muscle loss. They simply don't have much muscle to lose and they aren't built anyway and they are most honestly more concerned with *weighing less* on the scales. But they will want to put on some muscle after hitting their ideal weight. This is if they hit their ideal weight!

Fat loss is simple. Set a target for your calories and macros. Eat so you hit your macros and adjust accordingly if fat loss does not happen. Do some cardio and hit the gym to keep muscle mass. The issue is people don't hit their macros or do any cardio or go to the gym. Most people do not have any will power at sticking to their macros.

OP be consistent. If you want 2lbs a week that is a deficit of 7000calories per week. You have dropped 28lbs in 14 weeks? I read that you are 205lbs you weighed in at 233lbs before? Congrats on your fat loss! Keep it up!

Koing

Koing

 

[Blackjack200]

Actually it's more like 45lbs.

I weighed 250 when I started. I didn't realize that I had exceeded 2lbs./ week by that much.

I'm usually a pretty active and athletic guy, so my guess is that my typical caloric maintenance is much higher than I thought since I've been careful to hit my calorie targets eat pretty consistently.