getting back my physique, and pride... - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

mandu · 12-06-2004, 06:36 PM

hello all. first off, i should apologize...this may be a long post. i am 27 y/o. 195 lbs, 6'4", 15%(guestimate) body fat. i have been in the martial arts for about 16 years, so formerly had a well defined body. about a year ago, i was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, so my metabolism went into hyperspeed, burned all the fat AND muscle off me and left me at 135 pounds....skin and bones. after having my thyroid removed and tossed into the local landfill, my metabolism has since slowed to a crawl, and meat packed on me within weeks to where i am now. however, it did not give me back my muscle, i have a lovely gut, and lovehandles to compliment the outfit...my questions are:
1) i plan to weightlift 3 days a week, and cardio 2 days (rowing machine, swimming, etc.) i am not looking to become a full fledged body builder, i just want to get my body back into the condition it was before my thyroid condition, and maybe add a wee bit more size to all the muscle groups.
2) how do i get rid of 'love handles' and the little rooster waddle under the neck?
3) i have a habit where i must ingest a large double cream double sugar coffee every morning, is this a no-no?
4) the thing i miss the most is my 6 pack abs, what's a nice intense workout to get these back quickly? i have read that i can do crunches till i'm blue in the face without getting results....
5) finally (sorry), how can i make any sense of all this calorie, protein, and such information? does anyone have a sample weekly diet that will help my goals? if possible i would like to avoid the powders and pill diets, just go all natural...
any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

mandu · 12-08-2004, 07:35 AM

in all this time, not one reply...how courteous

phillydude · 12-08-2004, 02:48 PM

1) If you want to lose fat, you need to focus on the aerobic activity a little more than twice a week. I'd go three or four days a week for the aerobics, and twice a week for the weight training instead.

2) There is no way to "spot reduce"... the fat will come off your whole body. Nothing specific will trim your love handles or neck waddle. Unfortunately for most, the areas they MOST want to improve are the last to lose the fat.

3) The coffee thing is fine... it's the sugar and cream that could be a problem. I seriously doubt that two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of cream will "wreck" your diet, however, so go ahead and indulge.

4) Chances are good you still have your sixpack... you just can't see it for the fat. Train your abs at the same frequency and intensity as other body parts, and by the time you get your body fat down (usually under 10% for men) you'll be pleasantly surprised at what's there.

5) Nothing wrong with going "all natural". Try to not incur more than a 7000 calorie per week deficit (which will let you lose roughly two pounds per week), try to eat 1g of protein for every pound of body weight, and cut back on your "refined" foods: anything processed and packaged, things like white bread, white rice, and pasta, and of course sweets, sodas, and alcohol.

By the way, using your height and weight, you have a Ponderal Index of 13.11, which would give you a body fat percentage of 11.4%. Take this with a grain of salt (or maybe that should be with a pound of butter) as the same formula says that at my current height and weight, I'm carrying only 22.5%, when I know I'm closer to 25-26%. As a comparison, your BMI is 23.7, which is within the "normal" range of 18.5 - 24.9.