In need of advice.

[DoubleTap`]

Height: 6'3"
Current weight: 197 lbs. (According to my ****ty digital scale)
Current BMI: High. I don't know the exact percentage but I would guess around 25%. I'm slightly flabby but I wouldn't say FAT.

I want to lose 12 more pounds if my weight is indeed 197 lbs at the moment. Regardless, I would like to drop to 185, and lower my BMI to around 10-12% while adding muscle so that abs and other muscles are defined.

What's the best way to approach this? What exercises/lifts should I be doing and what do you recommend I eat? I have time for 4 meals per day at roughly 3 hour intervals. Should I be cutting weight/fat and then start to lift or go right into lifting - converting fat to muscle right away? I'd probably have to make different food choices depending on whether I want to keep losing weight first, or pack on the protein and start lifting right away, which route should I take?

My goal here is to have defined abs/muscles but not to have 190 lbs of muscle with a gut.

[eman-resu]

Unless you're pretty muscular you could probably lose 20 lbs. If you're 25% bodyfat that's about what you'll need to do to see your abs.

[DoubleTap`]

I took some approximate measurements and according to an online body fat calc I am 20.3% body fat.

What I find hard to believe is that I supposedly lost 20 lbs in about a month and a half of dieting with a metabolism confusion diet or w/e, from 217 to 197. I did this without exercising a great deal. I hardly did any running, just walking to do errands, etc, nothing major at all. I did bicep curls, bent over rows, and sit-ups about every second day - but again, nothing major, just a few sets of each. Now logic would suggest that something is amiss considering muscle weighs more than fat and these numbers seem incorrect.

I've only weighed myself on my digital scale which I have my doubts about. Sometimes the readings hop all over the place and are blatantly inaccurate. I've experimented with it by weighing weights and other objects, and it's usually accurate. So I don't know what to think. Maybe I'll go to the doctor's and get an official weight, BMI, Body fat %, etc.

But can a diet work this well? I haven't been starving myself or any crazy ****, I eat 4 meals a day. This is like over half a pound a day of weight loss with minimal effort.

[peewee1460]

this is a post i wrote a little while back

i would say completely revamp your diet. eat 2 hardboiled eggs and a piece of wheat toast. two hours later eat an apple and 1/2 cup cottage cheese. 2 hours after that, for lunch eat a sandwhich(two pieces of wheat bread, 1 piece fat free swiss, 4 pieces of turkey or chicken) and 1/4 cup pineapple. 3 hours after that eat one whole wheat english muffin and 6 oz. of poultry or fish (preferrably not canned tuna) for dinner have a 8 oz. of fish poultry and either a spinach and blueberry salad (spinach and blueberries, that ones a little obvious) or sauted mixed vegetableswith garlic cloves and use nonstick cooking spray. 1 hour before you work out eat an orange. afterwards take one scoop of your favorite protien powder in water or 2 tablespoons of peanut or almond butter and a medium banana. you'll either get ripped up or end up in the hospital depending on your weight. for instance, this diet in four weeks takes me from 130 to 118 along with 4 miles 5 days a week. and drink plenty of water. you can also drink either 16 oz's of milk or orange juice per day. don't eat or drink anything else. expect a lightheaded feeling, lack of energy, and a short temper. Another thing bake or grill your meat and no seasoning.

hope it helps