seldom_seen Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hey folks, New to the boards & to getting in 'shape.' Anyway, I've been searching the boards, & I'm definitely managing to overload myself with information, so I'll give you my story and throw myself on the mercy of complete strangers for advice... 31 years old, been a vegetarian for a few years and vegan for a little over a year now. About 6'1" and 160-ish pounds - skinny but with some extra unwanted belly fat for sure... (I'll post some photos if that'll help.) Started hitting the gym & running about 2-3 weeks ago. Doing the lifting (machines) & the cardio together appx. 4-5 times/week. Eating 2 meals/day (lunch & dinner) with a protein shake for breakfast, one post workout and one before bed... Not wanting to get huge, just toned, lean & mean. Do I really need to pack on the calories, eat 6 times/day & go the big mass route? Also, should I be resting more or changing my cardio/workout schedule? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalBrada Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Let me be the first to welcome you to the site. It's great that you went ahead and perused the forums. There is alot of useful diet plans, workout routines and knowledge throughout this site. Needlesstosay amazingly helpful people.Regarding the mass route, if gaining mass isn't your goal then it is fine not to increase your calories. Although it is a very good idea to break up your meals with frequent 5-6 portions a day and to get into a proper sleep routine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom_seen Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks for the welcome and the advice LB! I'm sure more mass wouldn't hurt, but that's not the main goal, I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivalasvegans Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Let me be the second to welcome you...Welcome! I love your name, is it from the monkeywrench gang? Seems like you started increasing your protein intake, which is in line with your lean-mean-vegan-machine goal. What goals do you have specifically for doing cardio... cut/burn fat, cardio fitness, endurance, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom_seen Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks for the welcome VLV, and yes on the name, that's one of my favorite books! My primary goal with cardio is to drop the beer gut action I've got going. It's not that big, but I'd like to be rid of it... Get that other kind of six pack going... I'm starting to think I need to maybe work on gaining more muscle first then drop fat the fat, maybe? Can both be done at the same time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Welcome! You'll continue to get feedback and will be well on your way...I'm about to head to bed so I don't have feedback now other than saying consistency is the most important key to achieving your vision. That goes for training, eating, and sleeping...focusing on doing all of those very well. All the best and welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hey welcome to the site. Definitely possible to gain muscle and lose fat, and you are probably likely to do that if you have just started training. Weight lifting is great because it will build muscle as well as using up energy - whilst cardio doesn't really build muscle in the same way, although it is convenient to use up energy. Going 4 / 5 times a week to the gym can be great, although be sure not to train the same muscles two days in a row, that's my advice. Allow time for those muscles to recover. Some would say even longer than that in between - you could split the body into 4 sections and train one of those each day, so then you'd be giving each of them a week's rest. I'm not an expert, but I would also recommend having the protein after training, I'm not sure it's best to have it for breakfast. I wouldn't say it would harm you, but I think you get best results having a high amount of protein after the training when your body will be recovering the most, and later on in the day after the work out (with dinner or something). Definitely, I would say that consistency is the most important thing. Stay active, and your body will adapt and change over a number of weeks / months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasha Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi Welcome Lift weights !!!!! If you want to loose some weight. Most of it is from your diet. My suggestion is you should start recording your workouts and a food diary. Another tip you mentioned you wanted to loose some around you mid section. I learned from others and I've been noticing faster results. Don't be afraid to add weight when you're training your abs. All the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thendanisays Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Hi Welcome Lift weights !!!!! If you want to loose some weight. Most of it is from your diet. My suggestion is you should start recording your workouts and a food diary. Another tip you mentioned you wanted to loose some around you mid section. I learned from others and I've been noticing faster results. Don't be afraid to add weight when you're training your abs. All the best This is good advice from Tasha! All of it! I find that i never make gains as well as when i'm recording my workouts and food intake. also, try to take in a fair amount of protein. you dont necissarily have to go crazy with it, but I personally have found superior gains on a higher protein diet. shakes, tempeh, tofu, seitan, legumes are all great sources. Welcome to the boards. oh and i love your name also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Welcome! I'm glad you are here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropSoul Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 What she says ; -) that is Dani. I use a resistance ball for abs and sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly strong, I hold a dumbell, but my favorite killer ab exercise, which I'm sure you know that you can't spot lose, but it's nice to have strong core, is a home cheapo version of the ab wheel. I use a rag and scrub the floor, I posted a thing on it in the training area of the site. Welcome to the site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom_seen Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's been crazy busy the past week so I haven't logged on in awhile. I have stayed hard at it in the gym, at least! Over the next few days or so, I'll try to get a food diary going and start keeping track of what I'm doing cardio & lifting wise.Will probably even suck it up & post a "before" photo so I can stay motivated... I figure if I post everything here, I'll have you guys to help set me straight if I'm doing something unproductive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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