lots of questions

[otachi]

alright, i recently discovered this forum and seeing all the posts about gains, growth and ect. has made me believe that i can change too. so how about a bit about myself?

alright, im 18 almost 19, im 5' 9"(well last i checked atleast) and 155 pounds. according to a BMI i should be able to get down to about 138 so my goal is somewhere around there, but i dont want to just lose weight i want to build muscle too. (^_^) problem is im quite the gym looser, well maybe looser is too harsh how about gym iliterite?. i have no clue what i should be doing when i go to the gym (and at this time i have never been to the gym...)

im also wondering about diet and things. im finding it really hard to eat well because im at university and on a meal plan (which was a horrible idea) so i try to eat as healthy as i can.

so far iv lost about 40 pounds, but in a really bad way. at about christmas time last year i was finding life really stressful just because worying about getting excepted to university and some other stuff. at this time i was about 195 pounds and told my weight was becoming a health risk which just made it worse. i decided that i wanted to look good for when i whent to university and for the summer, but im kinda embarased about excercising in public and stuff.
and well i made a bad choice and decided that not eating would be the easiest way to loose weight. it got to the point where i was only consuming about 300-400 calories a day. i cut back what i was eating quite a bit for about 3 months but only did the more extrem part for about 3 weeks. i ended up having to stop that because i had no energy and it was having an effect on my grades. but after about 3 months i had lost about 30 pounds, and it really helped lessen my depression.
over the summer i was working full-time at a desk job, but i rollerbladed to subway everyday and managed to take off another 10 pounds. i figured that once i got to university i would excercise more and be able to get in shape, but i just cant seem to get myself to the gym mostly because iv never gone to one before and im very self concious.

ok almost done(sorry its so long) so as an alternative i have been taking the longest and most stairy routs posible to class. and when i whent home after about a month of no one at home seeing me everyone was comenting about how it looks like i lost weight, but when i stepped on the scale it was up about 3 pounds (which im going to assume is muscle because i deffinatly look thiner) so im going to assume that i have about 15 more pounds to lose (which would put me at about 10% BF) so im looking to speed this up a bit (if posible, although im not sure at what rate im losing weight right now) and when/how to start bulking up. i would really love to see myself get to about 170-180.

so i would really apreciate any help i can get, the gym on campus is completely free and alot of people seem to say its really good. im also interested in any suplements that would help me out.

[brent]

otachi, thank you for your post. It wasn't too long, it just had good detail the rest of us can use to (hopefully) help you. If you are 155, I don't think you have to keep worrying about loosing the last 15 lbs. for the time being. I'd look more at adding mass. Being in univesity, you could not be in a better place to change your self/body! Here's a few quick points of what I think you should do:
? The first thing I'd do (if I were in your shoes) is sign up for a weightlifting class NEXT TERM (start looking at your class catalog now). You'll learn how to develope a balanced program & how to safely perform the execizes on that program. You will also have a trained professional (your instructor) helping you learn how to avoid injurring yourself. Most college weightlifting classes pair people into partners. So, don't be shy your first day, announce to the class that you want to build mass, and you want a partner that wants the same goal.
? Don't EVER be afraid to exercize in public! First, most people in a gym are more concerned with their own looks than yours (Sorry to burst your buble, but you are not the center of the other people's universe, and they will not remember you.) Second, everyone in that gym was once in your shoes. No matter how big, strong, thin, or sexy they look now, they once looked like you, and were scared too. Most gym members will gladly help you with advice, or a spot. Third, you will see lots of people in woase shape than you. If they can get over themselves about it, why can't you?
? When you start, go light for the first 2 to 3 weeks. You don't get sore imediately from exercise, it takes 2 to 3 days for me to fully feel it. Durring the first couple weeks, your body is learning how to repair itself, so go easy on it. If you get really sore (like ALL newbies do since it's hard to go light at first) you will want to stop working-out. Keep going every-other day no matter what. If you are too sore to work-out that day, just go there to form the habit, and turn around when you get there. I have last note on this point; if you work-out too hard at first, the toxins will make you sick the next day. This should not stop you, just take it as an indication to slow down.
? As for suplements, eat regularly, and try to eat some quality food. suplements only suplement what you don't naturaly get in your food. I am a big believer in taking a good (not cheap like Centrum?) multi-vitamin, and a separate multi-mineral each night. Those are the cheepest & best suplements. I am also a huge believer in Amino Acid suplements, I like Twin Lab?'s Amino Feul 1000?. Aminos will give you a good shot at having any protien your body needs, when it needs it. A protien shake (whey protien is the best) would be good instead of aminos, if you prefer. I simply like the covienience of tablets to shakes.

I hope this is helpful, and wish you all the luck in the world! Good luck, and happy lifting, Brent.

[buffdoc]

Congrats on losing so much weight. But please promise never to repeat that kind of radical diet. Starving yourself with 300-400 cals everyday will produce rapid and significant weight loss but at the expense of tremendous amounts of muscle. Losing significant lean body mass makes it far easier to gain fat later on as muscle burns calories even without exercise. Therefore I would:
-- Train with weights. Focus on mass building exercises: Bench Press, Squats, Military Press, Lat Pulldown. Your goal would be to add 10 lbs of lean body weight.. If you are afraid to lift in public, see if you can get a trainer partner. If you can't, buy a book. Check out the Body Sculpting Bible for men. Cheesy title but it is designed for the beginner and has pics of what to do for each exercise and routines that you could do at home.
-- Supplement using whey protein. Take 100 mg every day. If you want, add Creatine at 5g everyday
--Eat. At 138 pounds you would look like a stick-figure! High protein, moderate carbs, fats will take care of themselves. Avoid processed carbs--go for oatmeal, whole grain wheat bread.
-- Give up the scale. Look at the mirror. If you looked ripped and lean who cares what you weigh.

Good luck.