Q: Hi Pauline,

My name is Josh, I am a Senior in High-school in San Jose, California. In the past year I have shed about 70 lbs, going from 240 lbs to 173 lbs. Currently my stats are approx. 175 lbs @ 6’2 height. My goals for the future are getting Bigger and Leaner! – something that I hope you can help me with.

I understand you probably have loads of people who email you with questions about working out etc.. so i’ll try not to take up too much of your time. I am subscribed to Fighter Diet on Facebook and to your channel on Youtube. My friend is also subscribed to you, his name is Larry Fleming. He is a personal trainer who helped kick start my weight loss and life-gain and is a really great guy.

He told me that I should come check out your page and see what tips you could give me in terms of diet and lifting schedules. Currently I consider myself pretty educated in terms of lifting / diet, but I fully acknowledge that you are the master and I could learn some things from you

So in short, I was wondering if you could take a look at my diet/workout routine and let me know your thoughts. It would be greatly appreciated! I really can’t express enough how much excersize and fitness have changed my life, and I can’t wait to keep giving it my all and improving in terms of my physique, strength, and life!

My Meal Plan

This is typically what I eat every day, I also try to use non-stick pans when making food but sometimes my mom will use a bit of butter L. What do you think?

Meal 1: Oats (56 gram), ½ Scoop Casein, ½ Scoop Whey, Cinnamon

Meal 2: Lean Turkey Slices (1-2 oz), Salad (1 cup)

Meal 3: Brown Rice (½ Cup), Lean Turkey Slices/Chicken Breast (4-6 oz), Salad (1-2 Cups)

Meal 4: Post-Workout Protein Shake (1 Scoop Whey Protein w/ Water)

Meal 5: Optional Turkey Slices (1-2 oz) Salad (1 cup) [[Sometimes ¼ Cup Cottage cheese]]

Meal 6: Brown Rice (½ cup), Chicken Breast (6-8 oz), Salad (1 cup), Optional: ½ Yam

Meal 7: Casein Shake (1 scoop Casein), ½ Cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)

Lifting Routine:

Monday: Chest, Triceps, Abs

Exercises: Bench Press, Incline Bench, Dumbbell Press, Pec Fly, Skull Crushers, Pushdowns, Extensions.

Tuesday: Legs, Cardio

Exercises: Leg Press, Superset: Pushups, Leg Curls, Calf Raises, Leg extensions, Lunges, Dumbbell Squats, Run – 1-2 miles.

Wednesday: Shoulders, Biceps, Abs

Exercises: Shoulder Press, Shoulder Raises, External Rotation, Delt Flyes, EZ bar Curl, Dumbbell Curls, Hammer Curls, Preacher Curls, Incline Curl.

Thursday: Back, Traps, Lats

Exercises: Deadlift, Upright row, Lat Pulldown, Shrugs, Incline row, DB row, hyper extension, bent row, low row.

Friday: Abs + Cardio

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest / Light Cardio

For abs I do: Rope Crunches, Decline Crunches, Leg Lifts, Leg Kicks, and Planks

Thanks a bunch,

ANSWER:

Hey Josh! Congrats to the weight loss. What an achievement! Also, in your email I can tell you have patience and great work ethic. This is going to come in handy because getting muscular and leaner takes exactly those skills.

Your food doesn’t reveal the total calorie intake or how many grams of each macronutrient you’re getting, so I recommend you first of all analyze your intake to see where you end up. The turkey slices do look suspicious to me. They usually contain nitrates to keep the food looking good. Not that healthy when used as an additive. The salad, is that iceberg lettuce? If yes, ditch it. No nutrients.

If I were you I’d rotate the carbs a bit so your rice came right after your workout. That’s when you need it to refuel your muscles. I’d also choose baked potatoes instead of rice, but that’s my personal preference. Kabocha squash is also another great way to eat veggies AND restore muscle glycogen. Baked it tastes wonderful.

I see no good fats at all in the diet plan. You need that for optimal health as well as for your hormones.

Vegetables are missing big time. You want to get  at least 2 lbs of those per day. Broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, red peppers, onions, mushrooms etc. This is very important and something I truly emphasize in my concept Fighter Diet.

When it comes to your workouts, as long as you keep track on your progress and not just go through the motions you should be covered. You must work out like you mean it. Always push for more reps and heavier weights. Mix it up too so you follow one routine to the letter for a month, then switch it around.

Now, you cannot be more than 18 or so, right? To build muscle and lose fat you need to commit! A few years of doing that consistently will show off!

Keep up the good work.