*intro statement*
I used to think girls cared purely about looks so I've tinkered with diet and fitness for quite a while. I've seen people go to extremes (lyle mcdonald, atkins, etc.) I've found a no bullshit system that has been working for me for a couple years. I'd thought I'd share. There's a lot of fads, a lot of conflicting ideas (atkins, SPAM, zone diet lol), TONS of supplements promising mostly bullshit, however most of it is wasted energy. You can have that model body w/o any fads and it's FAR easier to do so w/o any of those things.


First things first, you must pick a goal. Either to lose fat or gain muscle, it's NEVER a good idea to focus on one because you need different calorie amounts for each.

Losing fat: Most of us have this problem more so then bulking. A guy that's ripped will appear buff even if he is of average muscle amount.

Basics of nutrition:

1. [b]Each meal should have carbs, protiens and fats.[/b] The RATIO's really don't matter all that much. It's a good idea to change them up quite a bit... some days/weeks/months go 50% protien, 30% carbs and 20% fats, other days go 1/3rd across the board, other days get more carbs or fats.
2. [b]They say eating more frequent meals speeds up metabolism,[/b] although it's true there's NO reason you can't get a great body on 3 meals a day if you have work or w/e... If you can definitely go for 6 meals though.
3. [b]CALORIES[/b] most important, google "harris benedict equation" complete it and eat less calories than that.
4. [b]Carbs[/b] VEGGIES > Everything else. Fruits are fine, whole wheat pasta is okay. If you want to be super ripped the Majority of your carbs should come from veggies stick with sweet potato's, yams, peas, corn (natural obviously), squash... think VEGGIES. Steel cut or irish oats are also pretty good.
5. [b]FATS[/b] for fats you want to split them up 1/3rd each type roughly.... there is saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated... you can get plenty of saturated fat from your meats + butter (butter is GOOD just watch the calories)... olive oil, nuts are really good, I use that true balance butter sometimes when i'm lazy.
6. [b]PROTIEN[/b] tuna (chunk light canned), chicken breasts, chicken tenders, turkey breast... COOKED from RAW state. Don't buy processed meats... if it goes bad fast it's good!
7. Include greens such as broccoli, green beans, or other low calorie veggies. I microwave them with some butter, it's a great snack. Try to include this in a couple meals in your day. Your veggies, (i liked mixed veggies) can be pre frozen.... just check the ingredients and make sure nothing but the whole food veggies are in it.
8. [b]How to put this into meals[/b]
I'm not a cook but this is how I make my meals. I tend to grill my chicken breasts on a george forman grill or in the oven by themselves, put a little greek seasoning on it, that's my protien. For Carbs I bake sweet potatos/yams, let them cool in the fridge and eat a measured amount for a few days cold. With peas and corn I just microwave them or steam them. Oats I boil to make SPAM. Fats I add butter to my meals or i'll eat nuts, or i'll put oils in chicken + bell peppers and eat fajitas without the tortilla.
9. WATER drink plenty.
10. [b]Supplements[/b] Twice a day or more multi-vitamin, Fish oil. That's all.
11. ECA stack do your research before using.

FOR troubleshooting if your not seeing results., I would suggest reading something from either john berardi or tom venuto.


Workout:
get yourself a copy of p90x, then p90x+ and insanity... and switch them up. These are GREAT programs for losing weight. It's also cost effective (no gym membership and better than one). It's also a lot easier to push yourself when you don't have to think, you just watch and do.



For bulking


1. generally same rules as above but more calories than your expenditure.
2. if you are an extreme ectomorph learn to LOVE chocolate milk and drink lots of it.
3. Post workout shakes can either be a carb supplement + whey protien, or just chocolate milk is what I use. [b][/b]

Workout: create your own program with low reps, 2-4 sets and 5-15 exercises (experiment with this depending on whether your 2x a week or 1x a week per muscle and how much muscular endurance you have) . COMPOUND exercises as many as you can fit in over isolation. Work 2-3 DIFFERENT muscles a day 5-6 days a week. When you first start out, work a muscle twice a week but as you become stronger think about switching to once a week.

IF you have anything to add I'll try to include it, but this is a no bullshit thing, so I don't want to hear about tons of supplements or about a magical item that will make you fit... if it involves nutrition + hard work i'll add it though. Work out routines, meal plans etc.. I would love.

reserved

One important thing to note is the awareness of overtraining. When most people start off a new diet and routine the shock of change is difficult enough (along with the bad gas) but it only gets worse when people push themselves to the limit constantly without adequate rest. Remember, the body changes when you rest and recover.

My personal 4 basic rules for health:
1. eat right
2. workout hard
3. drink plenty of water
4. Get your rest/sleep

Learn to like running and get in a habit of getting a few miles in a couple of times a week.

In the process of improving ourselves, the physique and health cannot be neglected. Our bodies are like machines, the mental and physical are interwoven.

Nice guide.

being healthy will make you a happier person, more confident, higher self-esteem... when you have abs you might even become an asshole, it'll do quite a bit for your inner game.

OP, congratulations on your results and well done on the thread. I can tell you meant well. Having said that, some of your advice is misinformed. Here are some corrections that should improve the quality of the thread.

1. Every meal DOESN'T need to have carbs, fats and protein. In fact, a cut-off point for carbs works very well for just about everyone who wants to limit fat gain on a bulk, or lose fat. Low carb diets and things like the anabolic diet are amazing for fat loss.
2. Butter is NOT good. It's not as bad as some people make it out to be, but there's nothing particularly good about it. Natural peanut butter, olive oil, fish, avocado and even nuts are all better sources of healthy fats.
3. ECA should not be used by beginners or anyone who hasn't done proper research. Definitely not something to play around with.
4. Guys reading this, DON'T "learn to love chocolate milk." A little junk food is OK on bulks if you find it really hard to get enough calories in. This will mainly apply if you're a naturally skinny person.

But if you're an ex-fat ass like me and most other people, for the love of God don't listen to OP unless you want to get a second chin. Bulk up with healthy fats and low-GI carbs.
5. 2-4 sets of 5-15 exercises work for absolute beginners, but after a month or two you need to find a serious program. I advise newbies to check out something basic like Bill Starr's 5x5 and use that for a couple of months while eating a lot, just to get used to big compound exercises and get a foundation of strength.
6. Carbs/whey are best consumed pre-workout. Only problem is, they make a lot of people feel sluggish.. If that's the case with you, OP's advice is solid.

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This is a guide to becoming Hot. Although low carb might work for fatties trying to reach normal weight... when unaided by drugs, you need a very solid fitness plan to attain single digit body fat... you need healthy complex carbs to push yourself as an athlete to obtain this. Anyone claiming low carb diets give you as much (lol i've even heard more!) energy is straight up bullshitting. Butter is a healthy fat, your body needs some saturated fats to create hormones, having a low amount of sat fat will reduce a lot of hormone production within the endocrine system. The reason it's demonized in media, is because people often get to MUCH sat fat.
Again this is for people getting RIPPED, this is not intended for people OVERWEIGHT. They may need that extra boost.
Most people will not have problems bulking, it's cutting that they have trouble with. Ectomorphs are the one's who need help bulking and have no trouble losing fat... lot's of milk ='s lot's of carbs and protien the body needs to build muscle. There's of Course plenty of other ways to get a lot of protien/carbs but eating that much chicken/tuna could be really expensive and difficult.


Getting to normal weight from being obese or overweight is a LOT easier than getting ripped from normal weight.

1. I agree that most people will need some carbs to stay energetic. However, having carbs with every meal is counterproductive when you want to get really lean.
2. Butter is not healthy. I already suggested healthy alternatives to getting the sat fats you need. I don't mind a little butter, but saying it's healthy is just not true.
3. If we're talking about cutting, chocolate milk definitely goes out of the window. I don't see how there is any confusion on this. Sugars aren't for people dieting down. Period.

_________________
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Why Men Suck at Sex (fun read) - LINK

Olive oil .. if you need fats .. just drink olive oil

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AK-47...When you absolutely positively have to kill every fucking orc in the room
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Yep. When I'm feeling extra poor, I take shots of extra virgin olive oil before bed. Coconut oil is preferable if you can get your hands on some.

_________________
To download the 53-page Manual of Confidence for FREE, visit my blog
Why Men Suck at Sex (fun read) - LINK

[quote="Lodewijkp"]Olive oil .. if you need fats .. just drink olive oil[/quote]
wrong... olive oil is mostly monounsaturated, you need an even balance of mono/poly unsaturated and sat fat. >_>