Long time browser, first time poster...

Hey guys. I've been browsing this forum for a while now but just recently made an account. I'm 5'8 and 160 pounds. Oh, I'm a 20 year old male by the way, lol. ANYWAYS, I was 170 pounds a week and a half ago. But I've been hitting the gym twice a day (45 minutes of Cardio both times with moderate weight lifting) and have kept to a very strict diet.

I have two questions for you guys. Both pertaining to diet.

my first question is, how healthy is my diet. I've counted calories and I'm at about 1200 a day, but I wanted to make sure I was eating the right things.

Breakfast- Carnation Breakfast drink (Sugarless) 150 calories

Snack- Either Yogurt/Jello/Pudding/Fresh Fruit- About 100 calories

Lunch- A Bowl of Special K with Fat free Milk- 160 Calories

Snack- Either Yogurt/Jello/Pudding/Fresh Fruit- About 100 calories

Dinner- Either grilled lemon Chicken or grilled lean meat with steamed vegetables and brown rice. I really don't know how many calories.

Another Snack. Does this equate to a normal diet?

Also, I went out to dinner tonight with my girl friend and I drank mineral water and ate a seafood salad, which is basically boiled calamari, scungilli with olives and celery. Is that a "good" fish meal or did I make a bad decision?

I'm trying to achieve that Brad Pitt Fight Club look (high aspiration, I know) but am trying to lose this beer belly I developed. Am I going about it the right way?

well, hm.... seems to me you're pretty skinny just need to target your abs and build some  muscle, so you probably need more protein to build it. what you described above sounds like a prefect diet, and the seafood salad was a right choice but. try burn the fat feed the muscle, i think that might be a better guide for you. good luck and btw you're doing great!

While you seem to be eating healthy, 1200 calories is simply not enough for you.

1200 calories a day for a 5'2" adult woman, is just enough for all of her organs to function if she were to lay in bed all day, this is too restrictive for a male.

Men shouldn't eat less than 1500 on a Completely Sedentary Lifestyle.  If you are exercising you need to eat more than 1500 calories.  This is because your body requires more fuel to function.  Calories burnt extra at the Gym Minus 1500 calories = ?  too little again.

Let me go calculate your stats real quick and I'll edit this.
Okay EDIT:

"You burn 2100 calories during a typical day. Remember that this estimate is based on your body weight, height, age, gender, and your average level of activity. "

You burn 2100 calories Sedentary.  2100 - 500(deficit) means you can eat 1600 calories a day and lose 1lb a week.  Remember this is with no exercise.

When you eat too little your body doesn't have enough fuel to burn fat.  What can also happen is that if you continue for too long, your body may get confused and believes you are starving.  This changes how it works, it will start using your muscles to feed itself when the calories arn't available.

Okay example time.

Lets say you eat 1600 calories today, but you also go to the gym and burn 600 calories (hypothetically).  This leaves you with a net intake of 1000 calories, wayyyyy too low.   You now need to eat 2200 to make up for the activity.  In this case, Less Calories isn't More weight loss.

Because you're in a healthy BMI, it's going to be harder to lose because you need to maintain a smaller deficit.  So it takes longer.

Hope this helps, feel free to post again if I've managed to confuse you. =)

Hmmm... I've read that you in order for you to lose weight you have to burn more then you take in. I see I've been misled. But what if one wants to lose more then 1-2 pounds a week. Is there any other way to go about it while still restraining the calories?

I understand where you're coming from completely and have read that notion on this forum several times, but I just want to maximize the amount of weight loss/toning in the shortest period of time possible.

Nocturne is right.  You have to increase food intake if you increase your activity.  You still will have burned more calories for the day than what you ate.  If you don't it will get harder and harder to exercise at  a such an intensity.  You will get fatigued and tired faster.  I

f you don't eat enough and continue to excersise twice a day, there's a possibility that your body will start burning muscle for fuel and your metabolism can slow down dramatically and stop losing weight even if you keep exercising. 

It's hard to lose more than 3-4 pounds a week, if you don't want it to be water weight.  One pound of fat equals to 3500 calories.  To burn one pound of fat per week, you'd have to burn 500 extra calories that you eat per day.  4 pounds lost in a week would mean you'd have to burn 14,000 extra calories that week than what you eat, that would be 2,000 calories a day.  Not healthy.  Don't forget that you should give your muscles a rest to rebuild themselves or you might injure yourself. 

I didn't think *what* you are eating is that great, IF you want to gain muscle.  I wasn't familiar with Brad Pitt fit club, so I did a search.  He totally has a muscular body - 6 pac abs, etc.

When my son was about your age and size he decided to get into body building - he even did one of the competitions.   You have to eat protein to build muscle and carbs for the energy to workout.  He ate often!  He'd have grilled chicken for lunch and broiled fish for dinner.  He ate cheese for snacks.  He had oatmeal (steel ground) for breakfast.  He'd also have egg white omlets (2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, a little water, and a hand full of raw spinach...mix it together and cook in microwave).  Have whole wheat bread with that.  I'd suggest having a small amount of protein with every meal.  He did cardio everyday with the tread mill, and also used weights.  For weight training, he divided his body into three parts (I'm not sure how)...he'd work out one part Monday, the next part Tuesday, the next part Wednesday - then go back to the first part on Thursday.  Your muscles need *time off* to repair themselves, so by rotating he was able to work out every day AND give his muscles the time off.

I hope that helps.  Maybe check out some bodybuilder's magazine, and talk with the body builders at your gym.

I'm glad you understand.  I've done the same thing, thinking, I only burned calories when I exercised, so I have to make sure I burn more than I eat.  I got pretty ill and gained weight instead lol.

Other people have made some good points, you also need to make sure you're eating the right things and enough of it to sustain continuous muscle growth.  I am not a body builder, nor do I frequent body building sites, but I do know that you need a considerable amount of protein and carbs.  Some people even eat MORE than their BMR (in your case 2100)  to build their muscles. 

It is my opinion that you should focus on your weight loss, then once that is finished, tone and shape your body.

Good luck =)

I may not be right, but I agree with nocturne's first post, and disagree with nocturne's second post.  I don't think you should worry at all about losing weight.  I think you should use the tools here to determine how many calories you're burning, plus the 2100 you burn just living - cut back 500 - 1000 calories from that, and keep working out like you have been.

Currently, you're eating way too little and hardly any protein.  You can't build muscle on what you're eating.  You WILL ruin your metabolism, which will be counter-productive.  My opinion only, but I think if you'd add some protein to every meal that you are currently eating - and some vegetables, you'd probably be fine. 

I'm FAR from an expert, so I'm just throwing this out there for thought.  I really think you'd be wise to ask a bodybuilder.

diana2356  -- I have no problem with you disagreeing with my opinion, but did you mean to say you disagree with my entire second post?

His BMI is 24.5, which is just slightly under the overweight mark. HOWEVER I have no idea how much muscle he currently already has, nor do I know his body fat %. 

http://www.tvnorge.no/bilder/01/01/81/16/brad _pitt_som_tyler_durden_l.jpg

Ok, this is the desired goal.

And here are two pictures of me, around where I am now, except I'm a tad bit leaner now.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m30/Fallin g2infinity319/DSCF0046.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m30/Fallin g2infinity319/DSCF0054.jpg

I'm the boy on the left and that's my g/f on the right. She's eats garbage and maintains her tiny frame. It's silly, actually.

Anyways, seeing where I am and where I'd like to go, what suggestions would you guys make in terms of diet, or would you stick by your previous posts. It's not so much that I want to build muscle, as much as it is be lean.

Thanks

Nik

I'm so sorry, nocturne.  No, I didn't mean your entire second post.  I only meant that I didn't think he needed to focus on losing weight - I think his fat will come of on it's own as he's working out to build muscle.

Nik - You look as I imagined.  I think if you just make some minor changes you'll build an awesome body.  You might want to give up the beer!  Wasted calories.  LOL

Kayy lol, just checking =)

http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Require ment.html


Someone posted this somewhere else - see if it helps you, Nik