Dieting: Am I doing it right?

Yes im doing resistance training mostly... The only part that im worried about is the belly area as that was by far the largest... Other parts are ok... No skin excess so far and building some muscle along the way is helping a lot.
 
Hi,

Small update and some questions!

Now 8 months in and I am weighing 202 lbs (92Kg). Getting closer to my 176 lbs (80Kg) goal!

My questions are regarding supplement.

Right now I only take some Vitamin B and Whey Protein (post workout).

I was thinking of adding the following:
Fish Oil capsules (omega 3) as I feel I am not getting enough of this in my diet.
Pre-Workout Supplement - For this I am looking for more energy for workouts.
My workouts are usually a mix. I go to gym 3 times a week and usually get 2 times circuit/resistance training so low weights high reps focusing more on cardio and the other time high weights low reps focusing on weight lifting.
Would a pre-workout supplement help me? And if yes, what kind should I take?

My aim is to lose more fat, but I think with a pre workout supplement I would have more energy and work harder.

Opinions?
 
Hi,

Small update and some questions!

Now 8 months in and I am weighing 202 lbs (92Kg). Getting closer to my 176 lbs (80Kg) goal!

My questions are regarding supplement.

Right now I only take some Vitamin B and Whey Protein (post workout).

I was thinking of adding the following:
Fish Oil capsules (omega 3) as I feel I am not getting enough of this in my diet.
Pre-Workout Supplement - For this I am looking for more energy for workouts.
My workouts are usually a mix. I go to gym 3 times a week and usually get 2 times circuit/resistance training so low weights high reps focusing more on cardio and the other time high weights low reps focusing on weight lifting.
Would a pre-workout supplement help me? And if yes, what kind should I take?

My aim is to lose more fat, but I think with a pre workout supplement I would have more energy and work harder.

Opinions?

Don't bother with a pre-workout. The only thing in 99% of them that has an actual (rather than perceived) effect on a workout is caffeine, and you're best off having a cup of coffee beforehand, or popping so ProPlus/whatever.

Some people find a lot of benefit from pre-workouts, but - based on their ingredient lists - this is primarily due to placebo. Some have some weird and freaky ingredients in that have no research behind them (and may provide some benefit), but generally just dose with caffeine and be done with it. :)

Get some decent sleep, too.
 
Don't bother with a pre-workout. The only thing in 99% of them that has an actual (rather than perceived) effect on a workout is caffeine, and you're best off having a cup of coffee beforehand, or popping so ProPlus/whatever.

Some people find a lot of benefit from pre-workouts, but - based on their ingredient lists - this is primarily due to placebo. Some have some weird and freaky ingredients in that have no research behind them (and may provide some benefit), but generally just dose with caffeine and be done with it. :)

Get some decent sleep, too.

Don't really like coffee (except with sugar), thus I don't take anymore.

Was looking into this tbh

Congratulations on the progress made so far dude!

In terms of a pre-workout I just use caffeine too, rather than drink coffee I use these http://www.discount-supplements.co....loss-fat-burners-nutrisport-cut-burn-300-caps

300 capsules for £14.95 seems good value to me, I'm not saying there aren't any cheaper, I just haven't looked into it.

Thanks, will take it into consideration. That's not a bad price though.

The problem is that coffee, I got kind of used to it, so I didn't notice any effects much (or at didn't used to, since I don't drink it anymore).
 
No, I haven't.

I'd like to learn, so an explanation would be great :)

Oh, really? :)

Caffeine: does what it says on the tin.

Beta alanine: the 750mg of BA in this per serving will - over a period of around 5-12 weeks, improve your strength (and ability to maintain it during workouts) through the accumulation of carnosine in your muscles. This is a cumulative effect that is dose-sensitive. It has no stimulatory effect whatsoever. However, supplement companies use a side effect of its dosing to claim an increase in energy and "amped-ness" which is actually neural pain, known as parasthesia (manifests as tingling in your arms and face). Dosing at 750mg MIGHT stimulate some parasthesia, but 750mg/day will do nothing for the increased synthesis of carnosine, so it's almost not worth bothering with in this pre-workout (unless you're dosing elsewhere).

L-Tyrosine: has something of an effect on blood pressure during activity, and helps working memory. No idea why/how this is pimped as helping a workout.

Vitamin B6: interesting in doses above 100mg for men (it can eliminate the refractory period - google it... ;) ), but at 0.35mg? Pointless.

Panax ginseng: Getting good evidence for what this does is difficult because nobody can patent it. Colloquial opinion suggests this MAY help with things like working memory, etc., too, but I have a big bag of sugar here, which will also do the same thing: give me £100 for it and it will improve your workout. ;)

Olive Leaf: Same as for ginseng.


If you are DESPERATE to take a pre-workout, find something with a sci-fi-sounding compound ending in 'amine' as the chances are this is a derivative of a quasi-amphetamine that actually has a substantive chance of improving your workout. However, you run the same potential risk (even if it's significantly and exponentially smaller) as you would with regular amphet.

Either that, or just buy yourself a box of Chest-Eze or whatever it's called, which contains ephedrine, a more potential compound with similar - but more significant - effects to caffeine.

EDIT: Most pre-workouts operate off the back of caffeine, i.e. beating the pants off your sympathetic nervous system (increases in heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and getting you into the 'fight or flight' zone. The other bits added to pre-workouts generally do things like "maybe perhaps doing something completely unrelated in a medical/clinical trial somewhere" but nothing that would help your workout. A lot of the impact on workouts - beyond caffeine - is probably just placebo...
 
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seriously though... how much coffee should I take pre-workout (to increase my energy a bit and work harder)?

Apologies - I seem to have missed my own point.

The main thing is your mindset: pre-workouts work for some because they think they will be getting buzzed out of it... so thinking you are going to go in for a hard session means you probably will.

The best athletes/lifters/whatever out there are those that hit the gym and train hard regardless of how bad they feel. Illegal stuff helps, but ultimately if they weren't motivated, they wouldn't be good/big/whatever.

So get your brain and mind in gear (this - for me - is a byproduct of sleep and diet) and ditch the idea of needing a crutch. ;) :D
 
I understand what you mean...

But the thing is since my aim is weight loss, I reduced the amount of carbs heavily and my diet is a low carb diet.

That's why I sometimes feel I don't have enough energy to make it through the session.

I eat my lunch at 1pm, I have a snack at 4pm and I now started taking a carbish snack at 6pm as my training is at 7pm.

It helped but there are some really bad days where I have a lot of soreness from previous session and I feel really weak.

Yesterday I was sore from the saturday session (a lot of upper body weights, mainly a lot of soreness in chest and shoulder area), so when yesterday I tried to do shoulder presses (30Kg) which I had no problem doing on Saturday, I couldn't do it felt really weak and had some pain when lifting.

This is mainly why I am asking for something to give me more energy or maybe heal the muscle quicker, or maybe I am looking at it the wrong way. I really don't know lol :confused:
 
I understand what you mean...

You might want to think about how you structure your diet, then. :)

For instance, depending on what is in your carb-y snack at 6pm, you could very well feel knackered for your training at 7pm... you know how tired you used to get from a big carb-laden lunch, and want to sleep at your desk?

Same issue. So try eating AFTER your training session.

This approach may well do you better from a weight loss perspective because your body is looking to get glucose out of its circulation immediately after exercise... so what better time to go nuts with sugar?

It might take a bit of getting used to, sure, but what you're doing (or thinking about doing) won't necessarily help, so why not try something different? :)
 
I think you are eating too much at the wrong times. I don't think...you must, be because you are not loosing it.

Can you supply a list of what you are eating in a week and at what times, and tell the truth including the 11pm hand in the biscuit tin.
 
I am definitely not eating too much

Breakfast - 30-40gr cereal usually or 2 eggs and 1 slice gammon
10am - 1 fruit (banana or apple)
1pm - chicken (150gr) with couscous or rice (30gr) and vegetables
4pm - some gran pavesi crackers snack or 30gr mixed nuts
6pm (only on monday and wednesday for training) - some protein bar with some sugar and carbs
9pm - soup with chicken and gammon and/or protein shake

That's basically it... the problem is sometimes I feel weak for when I go to the gym
 
Get some proper bean coffee, gives me the buzz needed for the gym or some pro plus down your neck. Just be careful how late you take it, that can be intresting!
 
wow you seem to have gone all out to lose the weight and very dedicated to it judging by your diet.

i mean you have managed to lose quite a lot in a short space of time.

there's guys out there that have taken years to lose how much you lost.

personally i would get rid of the protein bar unless they are home made ones, the ones that are mass produced are usually crap and expensive and eat something else instead. or even have some oats, peanut butter and whey in a blended shake instead.
 
Get some proper bean coffee, gives me the buzz needed for the gym or some pro plus down your neck. Just be careful how late you take it, that can be intresting!

I have the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Machine at work and I'll start taking some espresso from it before gym :D

wow you seem to have gone all out to lose the weight and very dedicated to it judging by your diet.

i mean you have managed to lose quite a lot in a short space of time.

there's guys out there that have taken years to lose how much you lost.

personally i would get rid of the protein bar unless they are home made ones, the ones that are mass produced are usually crap and expensive and eat something else instead. or even have some oats, peanut butter and whey in a blended shake instead.

Thanks for the feedback. I am quite happy with what I managed to accomplish so far tbh :)

Will take your guys advice and ditch the protein bar and take coffee before gym and see how it goes!

If I don't notice any difference, then I might try a pre-workout supplement. Until then, the coffee will do!

Cheers
 
Just to add my 2p, make sure you're well hydrated before exercise. I find that makes more of a difference than what I eat the hour before. Coffee and something a bit sugary helps immediately beforehand too, but to a lesser extent in my own experience.

Well done on your progress so far!
 
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