God how I love this site!

Anyway, I've been a member for nearly a year but hardly posted. That'll soon change

Okay, well I'm 270 pounds, 5'10 and 18 years old from the UK.

Im looking to lose 80-100lbs (over the course of many, many months).

I've bought:

- VPX Meltdown
- Lean Xtreme
- Fishoil Tabs
- Multivitamin
- Whey Protein

I've got that side sorted, and also my training. 5 days a week, 45-1hr a pop at cardio each of the 5 days, and weights 3/4 days a week for a similar amount of time.

The only thing I need to sort out is my diet, and that's where I need you guys' help.

What do I eat !?!?

I do eat meat (minus beef and lamb - personal preferences) however I live in a predominantly veggie household. By predominantly, I mean 2 brothers 3 sisters and both parents all vegetarian.

I can sneak a few tuna tins in, which is frowned upon but allowed.

I'm looking to eat 1800-2000 calories a day (calculated).

Any help would be very much appreciated, and I apologise in advance if this is posted in the wrong section.

Cheers!

You should do weight training before cardio on your weight training days. Your glucose stores will be depleted, so by the time you hit the treadmill/elliptical or whatever, you'll be burning fat. I don't eat much meat, not because I lack it in my household but because I don't like it, and I've done fine. I say, you should at least try and sneak in eggs, very good source of protein and will save you money because it has omega fatty acids, so you won't need your fish oil pills. Also, try and get as much fruit as possible. Although you don't need the vitamins in them because of multivitamin pills, fruits are low in calories, so you can eat a ton and not cost a lot of calories; berries are high in fiber, so you'll feel full longer.

Thanks for the reply, Matt.

I'll definately try berries as the only fruits I eat are the standard ones such as bananas/oranges/apples.

Yeah, everyone eats eggs in my house, so that wouldn't be a problem.

I normally do cardio then weights, so thanks for the tip! I'll be doing it the other way round in future.

Another question if it's okay:

Burning about 1k calories a day on machines, and eating 1.8k a day... would this be healthy? I mean, I really want & need to lose weight however I wan't to stay healthy and do it safely. I know I'm kinda contradicting my actions by saying this as I've ordered some thermogenics, but I've heard/seen this speeds up the process.

Cheers!

You're a big guy, so I see nothing wrong with that. I burn at least 500 calories from workout, and I am 184lbs. Since you lost 1k calories, you should add 250-500 extra calories, because the amount of calories in your diet is already set low enough to stimulate fat loss, and losing more isn't a good thing in that case. Speaking of cardio, you should split it up, not burn 1k calories in 1 sitting. Let's assume you work out for 2hrs: you should go weight training for the first 30min, then cardio for the next 30min, then 15min of weight training and 45min of cardio since fat loss is your priority.

Yeah, I understand.

Thanks again Matt, much appreciated!

Soup, what can of work out are you doing to burn 1k Cal? I'm curious because that is a lot of calories.

Probably an hour of cardio. Remember, he weighs 270+, the more you weigh the more faster you'll burn calories, because more energy is needed to move you. I burnt 600 calories last night in 35min on the elliptical.

Those machines overestimate. I would not count 1k Cal for a work out unless maybe it was a super intense hour of HIIT - MAYBE.

What, exactly, have you sorted out? First of all diet pills are gimmicks. All they do is allow you to burn fat without really requiring you to change your diet and lifestyle. Get off of them.

Secondly, what type of training are you doing that warrants you to consume Whey Protein? If you're not engaging yourself in heavy weight routines, the whey will offer you little-to-no benefit. The only benefit it will give you is 120 extra calories per serving (not including milk).

Third of all, what is your training routine composed of? All you give us is a blanket "x days cardio, x days weights". That means absolutely nothing. What are your intensity levels in both exercise arenas? How are your workouts structured? Do you perform lower intensity exercises or high intensity? There's a huge difference between the two, and the latter will give you better results than the former. Many people don't get this because higher intensity workouts are much harder to perform and are not comfortable at all. Judging from your 45 min-1 hr cardio workouts, I think I can safely assume that you prefer low-intensity workouts.

Fourth, never trust the calories burned readouts from machines. The "calculations" performed can easily be changed to read whatever the hell the machine technicians want.

Fifth, an 1800 calorie/day diet is ludicrously low. You keep this up and I guarantee that your body will plateau rather quickly as it realizes you're slowly starving it. Boost the consumption up to at least 2,000 calories and use them as fuel for the fire in the gym.

I am consuming 3000 calories per day and losing weight. I am about 188 lbs these days.

It is a misnomer that cutting calories is even required to lose body fat. Just eat smarter, and work out hard.

Don't kill yourself man, a dude who weighs getting on 300 lbs should not be eating 1800 calories per day. Do you pass out or feel faint often? Your blood sugar is probably going to send you into a coma.

You need some easy recipes. Try some of the vegetarian recipes and then have your meat when you are not at home. A steamer is what I always suggest. Mix up your yellows and greens. Potatoes and peas. Yams and cabbages. These are filling combinations of food and don't have lots of calories. Oh, Oatmeal dishes are great. I have an apple (sometimes peach) oat bake that tastes fantastic, Make sure you have tons of fiber in your diet.

@ Rachael

1 hour low intensity workouts on cross trainer / treadmill + weights would equal to 1000 or thereabouts cals (according to the machines)

@ Jericho Kane

Thanks for taking the time to post such a lengthy reply.

I'll be doing *some* weight training, so I thought I would need some protein shakes. Plus, I can't eat meats which would contain
protein, so this is the best way... I think? I'm new to all this and I was told this so if I'm wrong please say.

I'm a big lad so low intensity workouts are easier for me. I can do some high intensity but only for about 10 mins.

And yeah, I was thinking 1800 was too low. 2000-2500 sounds better.

@ Virginia

Nope I don't pass out or feel faint often. Yeah, I understand, 1800 will probably screw me over so I'm gonna up it.

@ Cathy

Thanks for the tip. Steamed veggies & fruit sounds good though. I'm not that big of a chef but I can try making some things.

Meats aren't the only thing that have protein. As I said in a previous posts, eggs are a great source of protein: 70 calories and 6g of protein per egg. Milk is good as well: 140 calories, 10g protein and (mine has) 35% calcium per cup. Beans are also high in protein, but they lack an essential amino acid for building muscle, leucine, but they are very high in fiber.

I'd look into sources like quinoa (KEEN-WAH). Would be well worth recommending to the rest of the family too as it is totally vegetarian and will provide huge protein sources. I believe it is a complete protein as well which is unusual in beans and grains.

It is relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare too so there really isn't anything going against it.

And look into hemp seeds as well. I've heard they have a cheeky charge to your protein needs.

Then I'd look at almonds. Very popular for serious trainers.

Good Luck!!

There is ALWAYS a way!!

Probably a stupid question, but you won't get "high" or feel different by eating them right?

Ha ha,

maybe? but not the high you're thinking of. Would be cool if they did though eh?

Thats what I would call health food. Getting caned as part of a nutritious lifestyle!

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I've received all my supplements and bought all the food I need so tomorow will be my first full day.

Cheers.