Dr. Pugsley's Body Improvement Journal

[Dr. Pugsley]

Hey guys,

Long time reader, first time poster. Anyway, (like many others) I'm starting this thread to record my progress over the upcoming weeks in regards to my body improvement quest.

I'm a 25 y.o. doctor. Over the last couple of years I've really let my health slide as I studied for exams and worked long hours at hospital. I've finally gotten some time off (to complete my PhD) for the next 8 months.

Currently I am approx 172 cm (5'8") and weigh 87kgs (191 lbs), with a bf% of about 28%.

I'm dividing my body improvement into 2 stages. For the first 14-16 weeks I am aiming to lose 18-20 kilos, and get my bf% to 10%. For the next 16 weeks after that, I plan to bulk up, and get my weight to 84kgs, whilst maintaining my bf% of 10.

Weight loss diet:
Eat under 1600 calories per day. Eat planty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Cut out the snacks. Drink 2L of water on a regular basis.

Weight loss exercise program:
Walk/jog/run 8km/day (not including walking required for daily activities i.e. walking to bus stop etc).

Resistance training in the form of push-ups, situps, dips and chin-ups. No weights until I've gotten down to 77kilos.

I realise I might get flamed by some experts on this board for not having a more specific diet and exercise program and not doing more weights. But for me, I've learnt that the simpler the program the easier it is to stick to. i.e. EAT LESS, EAT HEALTHIER AND EXERCISE MORE. When you think about it, anyway fat loss program can be acheieved by following 3 virtues: persistence, patience and discipline.

Anyway, that's the plan for now. I've tried many times in the past to lose the gut and get back the 6 pack I used to have in highschool, to no avail (mainly because I never stuck to the diet and exercise program I had designed). I'm hoping posting up here will force me to stick to my diet and exercise program Hopefully it may help others in my position get into better shape aswell.

Dr. Pugsley.

 

[yungahdubz]

According to DIESEL you should NEVER go below 1600 calories.

Also, would it be wise to do just calisthenics(sp?). How are you planning to dips and chins when your just starting to workout at a weight of 191lbs, unless your pretty strong.

 

[eldafar]

For your size and the amount of exercise you're planning on doing, 1600 calories is like starving yourself. That's never good.

Why don't you check out the vault (sticked in this forum) for threads on nutrition basics.

 

[Quiksilver]

Unless your metabolism is slower than global warming, I wouldn't go as low as 1600cals.

Stick to 1900 as a minimum and add a cardio session to make up the balance. More food + more exercise will elevate your metabolic rate much better than Less food + less exercise.

I like your view on simplicity. Do whatever you can manage consistently for 3-4 weeks. Once you've built a foundation of habit, you can mold whatever you're doing to better fit your situation.

At 28% bodyfat and 25 years old, just raising your metabolic rate through food + exercise, you'll shed pounds quickly.

It may take a little longer than 16 weeks to lose 18% body fat. As you lose the extra baggage, your body will struggle harder than ever to keep as much as it can.

The more weight you have to lose, the slower you should aim to lose it, which is why I recommend not jumping STRAIGHT down to a 1600cal intake. Just dropping your daily intake of carbs and lowering your calories by 200-300, will yield results when combined with steady cardio.

By cutting 250 calories from your daily intake each week, you'll keep your body guessing and keep the weight coming off.

--

Here's what I have to offer:

1) Find out how many calories you're eating daily, take everything into account.

For example, we'll say you eat 2400cals per day at maintenance.

2)

Weeks 1-2, keep intake the same and add cardio aiming for 1500cals burned each week.

Week 3, keep intake the same and add more cardio(intensity/duration) to burn 2500cals each week.

Week 4, intake stays the same, bump cardio up to 3500cals burned per week. This is the most cardio you'll be doing.

Weeks 5-6, take 250cals out of your daily diet. This will amount to 1750cals a week or 1lbs of fat per two weeks.

Weeks 7-8, knock another 250cals of your diet. Now you're 500cals/day below maintenance(1lbs per week). 1900cals/day, this is as low as you're going to go until you've milked as much weight off as you can at that intake.

Week 9, keep intake at 500cals under maintenance(1900/day), lower intensity of cardio to a bare minimum. This is a 'rest' week, before you really start cruising.

Weeks 10-18, intake will be 500cals below maintenance, cardio at 3500cals burned per week, add in weight training. Your body/heart should be conditioned enough by this point to handle the weights. You might be fatigued at this point from low food intake and lots of cardio, if so tweak your diet by adding an extra serving of protein and fat at breakfast, tweak every 3 days until you aren't too fatigued.

Week 19, bump calories up to maintenance, keep carbs very low(0-15% of intake), cut weight training and cardio. This is a week off. Assess where you need to go from there and decide how to get there.

---
Summary: You'll be burning 1lbs per week through cutting calories alone. You'll be burning another 1lbs per week through cardio. There will be some more fat burn from the elevated metabolism you get from working out, but its impossible to calculate how much. That's 2lbs per week, plus maybe another 0.25-1lb from weight training + elevated metabolism.

By week 19, you'll have lost mathematically 38lbs but realistically including having a life + cheat meals + discipline, closer to 25-30lbs. The scale won't say so, because your muscles will be storing more liquids so trust the mirror instead. Take progress pics.

That's as fast as you'll want to lose fat, and faster isn't healthy and you're liable to end up with loose skin or thyroid issues.



* Intake ratios should be: 40-45% protein, 40-45% balanced fats, 10-20% complex carbs, no sugars/starches.

** Cardio should be fasted, before breakfast.

*** Weight training shouldn't be strength training, keep reps in the 6-12 range. You can injure yourself by going too heavy while cutting.

**** Keep water intake at 4L+ a day, fish oil intake at 10g+ a day, take a good multi, almonds are good snacks, carb and fat cutoff 5hrs before bed, carbs should come at breakfast and post-workout only, 9 hrs of sleep, 1 cheat meal a week or 1 cheat day per 3 weeks.

--

Good luck man, you'll have questions as you go, and ill be willing to help you from my experiences. I also am not a skinny lad, the key is consistency, and the holy grail of fat loss is fasted morning cardio.

cheers mate

 

[EFFORT]

I would only take in carbs postworkout, fat+protein for your meals with a lot of veggies, and do cardio 5 days a week (3 high-elliptical all out for 20min, 2 low- 1hour walk on treadmill at 2.5-3.0mph with an incline 5.0) , and also do weight training, muscle burns fat.