Help me get my strategy right with diet and exercise.
Discussion
Starting point about six weeks ago. I am mid 40s, was doing weights twice a week, running 2/3 times a week for 3 miles. Diet was low-carb. I returned from the United States weighing 14st 2lbs (put on some timber out there).
I am 5ft 9.5. Not sure what body fat % was, guessing high teens.
I want to achieve: To be more healthy immediately, to build a good base of strength and health as a foundation for an extended working life (I have decided that I am unlikely ever to retire and want to be economically active and physically fit into my 70s).
I also want to be leaner. A gent over 40 shouldn't strive for a 6 pack and to wear tight beachwear, but looking muscular and well-poised is positive.
I moved to this about a month ago:
Diet on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
Breakfast: 2 small rashers grilled bacon, 1 egg fried in olive oil, 1 grilled tomato.
Lunch: Small grilled steak (fat on) with green salad, tomato, and chopped pepper, spring onion, black olives (a dessert bowl level).
Dinner: As per lunch but with chicken.
Diet on Tuesday and Thursday:
Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with one chopped mushroom, one chopped tomato.
Lunch: Half a steak grilled or dry fried on green salad as above.
Dinner: Small chicken salad.
I have limited alcohol to weekends and it's always white wine or white spirits. Drinks daily 6-8 pints sparkling water. One coffee morning, two white coffees during day, one green tea. On "fast" days coffee is swapped for green tea.
Exercise:
Monday: Weights 3 x 10; flat bench, inclined bench, decline bench, flat flyes, decline flyes, incline flyes with swiss ball and pulleys, seated cable rows, seated wide grip rows with machine, front lat pulls, some form of abs exercise.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 30 mins cycling at 70-90% effort(calf injury prevents running right now), sit ups.
Wednesday: Weights 3 x 10; Squats free bar, dead lifts free bar, leg press alternating calf raises and fast leg press, leg extensions on machine, leg curls on machine, bicep curls (machine, low cable, or bar), tricep push downs or other tricep exercise, some form of abs exercise.
Friday: Shoulder press machine, press behind neck free bar, side lateral raises, external rotation cable, bent over raises dumbbell, upright rowing, some form of ab exercise.
I am finding that I am losing fat quite slowly. My weight dropped 2 lbs on week 1 and has remained at 14st since. But I look like I have gained muscle underneath, my chest and back are noticeably wider.
So I am noticing changes, but given how hard I am working I am not happy with the speed of change. Also, on the lower calorie "fast" days I am finding energy a problem and I am not thinking clearly. I am working hard at the gym and have DOMS most days which is nice but also draining some days.
On the subject of carbs, I personally find that avoiding carbs except for veggies makes me less likely to be hungry. In fact I rarely feel hungry at all, it's energy levels and head clarity that suffers.
So, does anyone have any suggestions regarding how I might improve the above, particularly with regard to shedding fat more quickly?
Many thanks.
I am 5ft 9.5. Not sure what body fat % was, guessing high teens.
I want to achieve: To be more healthy immediately, to build a good base of strength and health as a foundation for an extended working life (I have decided that I am unlikely ever to retire and want to be economically active and physically fit into my 70s).
I also want to be leaner. A gent over 40 shouldn't strive for a 6 pack and to wear tight beachwear, but looking muscular and well-poised is positive.
I moved to this about a month ago:
Diet on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
Breakfast: 2 small rashers grilled bacon, 1 egg fried in olive oil, 1 grilled tomato.
Lunch: Small grilled steak (fat on) with green salad, tomato, and chopped pepper, spring onion, black olives (a dessert bowl level).
Dinner: As per lunch but with chicken.
Diet on Tuesday and Thursday:
Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with one chopped mushroom, one chopped tomato.
Lunch: Half a steak grilled or dry fried on green salad as above.
Dinner: Small chicken salad.
I have limited alcohol to weekends and it's always white wine or white spirits. Drinks daily 6-8 pints sparkling water. One coffee morning, two white coffees during day, one green tea. On "fast" days coffee is swapped for green tea.
Exercise:
Monday: Weights 3 x 10; flat bench, inclined bench, decline bench, flat flyes, decline flyes, incline flyes with swiss ball and pulleys, seated cable rows, seated wide grip rows with machine, front lat pulls, some form of abs exercise.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 30 mins cycling at 70-90% effort(calf injury prevents running right now), sit ups.
Wednesday: Weights 3 x 10; Squats free bar, dead lifts free bar, leg press alternating calf raises and fast leg press, leg extensions on machine, leg curls on machine, bicep curls (machine, low cable, or bar), tricep push downs or other tricep exercise, some form of abs exercise.
Friday: Shoulder press machine, press behind neck free bar, side lateral raises, external rotation cable, bent over raises dumbbell, upright rowing, some form of ab exercise.
I am finding that I am losing fat quite slowly. My weight dropped 2 lbs on week 1 and has remained at 14st since. But I look like I have gained muscle underneath, my chest and back are noticeably wider.
So I am noticing changes, but given how hard I am working I am not happy with the speed of change. Also, on the lower calorie "fast" days I am finding energy a problem and I am not thinking clearly. I am working hard at the gym and have DOMS most days which is nice but also draining some days.
On the subject of carbs, I personally find that avoiding carbs except for veggies makes me less likely to be hungry. In fact I rarely feel hungry at all, it's energy levels and head clarity that suffers.
So, does anyone have any suggestions regarding how I might improve the above, particularly with regard to shedding fat more quickly?
Many thanks.
Edited by Perec on Friday 14th June 07:55
Edited by Perec on Friday 14th June 07:55
If you want to look "muscular and well-poised", follow a proper progressive strength training routine. 3x6 or 5x5, lifting as heavy as you dare once or twice a week. (Working with an empty bar is fine for getting your form right but now it's time to load it up.)
Eat lots of protein, go easy on the carbs. Since you're open to fasting, check out 16/8 fasting (can't remember the blogger who has written a lot about it but he's demonstrated great results).
I would log your calories for the day just so you know what you're taking in. Unless you're morbidly obese, you don't want to be doing a VLCD unless on purpose on a fasting day.
Eat lots of protein, go easy on the carbs. Since you're open to fasting, check out 16/8 fasting (can't remember the blogger who has written a lot about it but he's demonstrated great results).
I would log your calories for the day just so you know what you're taking in. Unless you're morbidly obese, you don't want to be doing a VLCD unless on purpose on a fasting day.
There's nothing wrong with striving for abs when you're over 40 (I'm 41) ..
I think you're on the right track with what you're doing but personally I'd drop the cardio a bit and look at weight training 4 days a week (and fill in with cardio if you want to) ..
I'd look at doing an upper body/lower body split so for instance Mon - lower, Tues - upper, Wed - rest (rest days are important, but you can do cardio if you wish), Thurs - lower, Fri - upper, Weekend - off/cardio. 1 hour weight sessions in the gym at high intensity.
Look into HIIT instead of your 30 min cycle (you can do HIIT on a bike too).
Stick to the big exercises, squats, deadlifts, bench, military press, upright rows, 5x5 or 4x8. You seem to be doing an awful lot of chest exercises, I'm not sure it's worth it. Also ab exercises most days is overkill.
The ONLY thing that'll make your abs come through is having low body fat levels, by all means do an abs session once or twice a week, but if you're squatting heavy enough your core will be worked hard enough.
I would add some carbs in to your diet, try carb cycling, and I'd add the carbs in on your lower body days (oats/brown rice).
Use myfitnesspal and log what you're eating, at a guess I don't think you're eating enough. Just looking at your height, weight, diet and exercise I reckon your maintenance calories will be somewhere between 2500-3000 a day. You need a deficit of about 500 cals a day to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Slow and steady is the way to go.
I wouldn't worry about your weight, the mirror is your friend, do you look better, more muscular, leaner? If yes then who cares what the scales tell you?
You basically are doing what I was 3 years ago, and I got to 10 1/2 stone at 5'7 and about 15% body fat. I'm now 11 stone and sub 10% (I competed in my first bodybuilding show last year).
Hope the above helps (or at least some of it).
Avalyn.
I think you're on the right track with what you're doing but personally I'd drop the cardio a bit and look at weight training 4 days a week (and fill in with cardio if you want to) ..
I'd look at doing an upper body/lower body split so for instance Mon - lower, Tues - upper, Wed - rest (rest days are important, but you can do cardio if you wish), Thurs - lower, Fri - upper, Weekend - off/cardio. 1 hour weight sessions in the gym at high intensity.
Look into HIIT instead of your 30 min cycle (you can do HIIT on a bike too).
Stick to the big exercises, squats, deadlifts, bench, military press, upright rows, 5x5 or 4x8. You seem to be doing an awful lot of chest exercises, I'm not sure it's worth it. Also ab exercises most days is overkill.
The ONLY thing that'll make your abs come through is having low body fat levels, by all means do an abs session once or twice a week, but if you're squatting heavy enough your core will be worked hard enough.
I would add some carbs in to your diet, try carb cycling, and I'd add the carbs in on your lower body days (oats/brown rice).
Use myfitnesspal and log what you're eating, at a guess I don't think you're eating enough. Just looking at your height, weight, diet and exercise I reckon your maintenance calories will be somewhere between 2500-3000 a day. You need a deficit of about 500 cals a day to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Slow and steady is the way to go.
I wouldn't worry about your weight, the mirror is your friend, do you look better, more muscular, leaner? If yes then who cares what the scales tell you?
You basically are doing what I was 3 years ago, and I got to 10 1/2 stone at 5'7 and about 15% body fat. I'm now 11 stone and sub 10% (I competed in my first bodybuilding show last year).
Hope the above helps (or at least some of it).
Avalyn.
Perec said:
On the subject of carbs, I personally find that avoiding carbs except for veggies makes me less likely to be hungry. In fact I rarely feel hungry at all, it's energy levels and head clarity that suffers.
So, does anyone have any suggestions regarding how I might improve the above, particularly with regard to shedding fat more quickly?
Increase complex carbs when your injury heals and start running if dropping further fat levels is your target.So, does anyone have any suggestions regarding how I might improve the above, particularly with regard to shedding fat more quickly?
Hoofy said:
Awesome. Post a pic. Nohomo.
Lol, is this turning into the misc with all this nohomo?It looks like your definitely on the right track, don't worry about how much you weigh too much if you're looking like your getting a little leaner and your fitness levels/strength levels are going up.
All I'd say is do a good 5x5 program and use the big compound lifts, bench, squats, dead lifts, overhead press and bentover rows.
Look at the Stronglifts 5x5 program, that's a good start place. HIIT interval training is really good for getting rid of fat quickly and leaning out but it can be tough but give it a try.
Thanks for the input fellas, genuinely appreciated.
Yes, I am doing a lot of pec stuff at the moment. The reason being, sorting pecs out is an immediate cheat to look fitter. If your tits stick out more than your belly it's a good start right? But high BF means I've got a bit of b
h tit and M&S doesn't sell any bras I like.
With regard to the 10 rep thing, I have been doing that with 30 seconds between sets in order to introduce a bit of cardio into things. I leave the gym sweaty and out of breath. I also have a tendency to a minor groin strain and knee pain (linked to my calf injury I suspect) so I am trying to work on form. I will seek to drop reps and go heavier though once I have my base stability there.
Another thing is I train alone, so going very heavy isn't easy for safety reasons. Ours isn't the sort of gym where people ask others to spot them. So at the moment I am using 60k for bench flat and inclined, 70k decline, 70k for squats and 90k for deads (3x10 reps).
With regard to carbs, I am willing to try anything. But I tend to find that carbs of any type seem to cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate a lot. I will feel full (even bloated) when I have eaten, have a brief period of being OK and then an hour before meal times I'm ready to kill someone I'm so hungry. When I am using fat as energy I don't get these swings, I also find I am able to train hard when hungry and my energy reserves seem almost bottomless.
Some thoughts regarding body fat: Currently I have a layer all over of fat. My stomach is flat and I don't have love handles, I just don't look toned. When I was younger and low enough BF to have a six pack I looked gaunt, I think nowadays Help the Aged would be sending me food parcels.
Yes, I am doing a lot of pec stuff at the moment. The reason being, sorting pecs out is an immediate cheat to look fitter. If your tits stick out more than your belly it's a good start right? But high BF means I've got a bit of b
h tit and M&S doesn't sell any bras I like.With regard to the 10 rep thing, I have been doing that with 30 seconds between sets in order to introduce a bit of cardio into things. I leave the gym sweaty and out of breath. I also have a tendency to a minor groin strain and knee pain (linked to my calf injury I suspect) so I am trying to work on form. I will seek to drop reps and go heavier though once I have my base stability there.
Another thing is I train alone, so going very heavy isn't easy for safety reasons. Ours isn't the sort of gym where people ask others to spot them. So at the moment I am using 60k for bench flat and inclined, 70k decline, 70k for squats and 90k for deads (3x10 reps).
With regard to carbs, I am willing to try anything. But I tend to find that carbs of any type seem to cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate a lot. I will feel full (even bloated) when I have eaten, have a brief period of being OK and then an hour before meal times I'm ready to kill someone I'm so hungry. When I am using fat as energy I don't get these swings, I also find I am able to train hard when hungry and my energy reserves seem almost bottomless.
Some thoughts regarding body fat: Currently I have a layer all over of fat. My stomach is flat and I don't have love handles, I just don't look toned. When I was younger and low enough BF to have a six pack I looked gaunt, I think nowadays Help the Aged would be sending me food parcels.
Hi, interesting read. Well I'm 44 and last summer decided to sort my body out and get myself fit. I was 14 1/2 stone @ 5 ft 11 in and thought I was just a bit over weight but my size 36 trousers were getting tight and shirt collars were 17 1/2 in.
In August last year I set about doing something about it and and joined a triathlon club which involved running 3 times a week, swimming 3 times a week and cycling 3 times a week. You will notice that this involves sometimes 2 sessions a day and in the start I couldn't manage that. I just wasn't fit enough to train at that level but it has come good over the months. Anyway I have just maintained a "normal diet" which included alcohol, beer and wine, and basically I would continue to eat what ever I wanted which might involve a packet of biscuits somedays and Pizza on others! Now (June) I am 12 st 3lbs and seriously fit having managed a sprint triathlon in a little over 1:16 which I was chuffed with. For the record it took me over 1:32 3 years ago. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get there but I now enjoy doing the training and am reaping the benefits. My shape has changed massively in that 32 in trousers are now baggy, my collar size is a 16 and people stop me in the street saying how amazing I look on it. Non of my old clothes now fit me.
Much of the training is interval training with a club, including the swimming, (by the way I have learnt to swim too this year). The interval training really shifts the pounds and running is excellent for this. Do watch out for injury though as if you are over weight you will put more pressure on your muscles and joints. The beauty with Tri training is that if you have injured your calf running I have still been able to swim etc. thereby improving my fitness levels week on week. After a summer of races my plan is to get into the gym in the winter months to do more weight training and also stretching to improve flexibility. This is something all my colleagues in the club encourage. Getting out on the bike in the summer is great too as it enables you to enjoy the good weather. Sign up to strava.com for some local challenges and makes each and every bike ride a little more of an event! (basically racing against the GPS, apps available on blackberry and I-phone etc)
Have fun and best of luck.
My advise is there is no quick fix. Make it a lifestyle and it will come. When you are talking this time next year you will be wondering why you ever worried about speed in getting results. In many ways the longer it takes for the changes to occur the more likely they are to stick.
In August last year I set about doing something about it and and joined a triathlon club which involved running 3 times a week, swimming 3 times a week and cycling 3 times a week. You will notice that this involves sometimes 2 sessions a day and in the start I couldn't manage that. I just wasn't fit enough to train at that level but it has come good over the months. Anyway I have just maintained a "normal diet" which included alcohol, beer and wine, and basically I would continue to eat what ever I wanted which might involve a packet of biscuits somedays and Pizza on others! Now (June) I am 12 st 3lbs and seriously fit having managed a sprint triathlon in a little over 1:16 which I was chuffed with. For the record it took me over 1:32 3 years ago. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get there but I now enjoy doing the training and am reaping the benefits. My shape has changed massively in that 32 in trousers are now baggy, my collar size is a 16 and people stop me in the street saying how amazing I look on it. Non of my old clothes now fit me.
Much of the training is interval training with a club, including the swimming, (by the way I have learnt to swim too this year). The interval training really shifts the pounds and running is excellent for this. Do watch out for injury though as if you are over weight you will put more pressure on your muscles and joints. The beauty with Tri training is that if you have injured your calf running I have still been able to swim etc. thereby improving my fitness levels week on week. After a summer of races my plan is to get into the gym in the winter months to do more weight training and also stretching to improve flexibility. This is something all my colleagues in the club encourage. Getting out on the bike in the summer is great too as it enables you to enjoy the good weather. Sign up to strava.com for some local challenges and makes each and every bike ride a little more of an event! (basically racing against the GPS, apps available on blackberry and I-phone etc)
Have fun and best of luck.
My advise is there is no quick fix. Make it a lifestyle and it will come. When you are talking this time next year you will be wondering why you ever worried about speed in getting results. In many ways the longer it takes for the changes to occur the more likely they are to stick.
r7ehw said:
Hi, interesting read. Well I'm 44 and last summer decided to sort my body out and get myself fit. I was 14 1/2 stone @ 5 ft 11 in and thought I was just a bit over weight but my size 36 trousers were getting tight and shirt collars were 17 1/2 in.
In August last year I set about doing something about it and and joined a triathlon club which involved running 3 times a week, swimming 3 times a week and cycling 3 times a week. You will notice that this involves sometimes 2 sessions a day and in the start I couldn't manage that. I just wasn't fit enough to train at that level but it has come good over the months. Anyway I have just maintained a "normal diet" which included alcohol, beer and wine, and basically I would continue to eat what ever I wanted which might involve a packet of biscuits somedays and Pizza on others! Now (June) I am 12 st 3lbs and seriously fit having managed a sprint triathlon in a little over 1:16 which I was chuffed with. For the record it took me over 1:32 3 years ago. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get there but I now enjoy doing the training and am reaping the benefits. My shape has changed massively in that 32 in trousers are now baggy, my collar size is a 16 and people stop me in the street saying how amazing I look on it. Non of my old clothes now fit me.
Much of the training is interval training with a club, including the swimming, (by the way I have learnt to swim too this year). The interval training really shifts the pounds and running is excellent for this. Do watch out for injury though as if you are over weight you will put more pressure on your muscles and joints. The beauty with Tri training is that if you have injured your calf running I have still been able to swim etc. thereby improving my fitness levels week on week. After a summer of races my plan is to get into the gym in the winter months to do more weight training and also stretching to improve flexibility. This is something all my colleagues in the club encourage. Getting out on the bike in the summer is great too as it enables you to enjoy the good weather. Sign up to strava.com for some local challenges and makes each and every bike ride a little more of an event! (basically racing against the GPS, apps available on blackberry and I-phone etc)
Have fun and best of luck.
My advise is there is no quick fix. Make it a lifestyle and it will come. When you are talking this time next year you will be wondering why you ever worried about speed in getting results. In many ways the longer it takes for the changes to occur the more likely they are to stick.
To be honest, whilst my weight / size has fluctuated there has only been a period of about 4 years (age 39) where I lost touch with my fitness since I was 21. That's not to say that I have been buff at all other times, but not completely lost the plot.In August last year I set about doing something about it and and joined a triathlon club which involved running 3 times a week, swimming 3 times a week and cycling 3 times a week. You will notice that this involves sometimes 2 sessions a day and in the start I couldn't manage that. I just wasn't fit enough to train at that level but it has come good over the months. Anyway I have just maintained a "normal diet" which included alcohol, beer and wine, and basically I would continue to eat what ever I wanted which might involve a packet of biscuits somedays and Pizza on others! Now (June) I am 12 st 3lbs and seriously fit having managed a sprint triathlon in a little over 1:16 which I was chuffed with. For the record it took me over 1:32 3 years ago. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get there but I now enjoy doing the training and am reaping the benefits. My shape has changed massively in that 32 in trousers are now baggy, my collar size is a 16 and people stop me in the street saying how amazing I look on it. Non of my old clothes now fit me.
Much of the training is interval training with a club, including the swimming, (by the way I have learnt to swim too this year). The interval training really shifts the pounds and running is excellent for this. Do watch out for injury though as if you are over weight you will put more pressure on your muscles and joints. The beauty with Tri training is that if you have injured your calf running I have still been able to swim etc. thereby improving my fitness levels week on week. After a summer of races my plan is to get into the gym in the winter months to do more weight training and also stretching to improve flexibility. This is something all my colleagues in the club encourage. Getting out on the bike in the summer is great too as it enables you to enjoy the good weather. Sign up to strava.com for some local challenges and makes each and every bike ride a little more of an event! (basically racing against the GPS, apps available on blackberry and I-phone etc)
Have fun and best of luck.
My advise is there is no quick fix. Make it a lifestyle and it will come. When you are talking this time next year you will be wondering why you ever worried about speed in getting results. In many ways the longer it takes for the changes to occur the more likely they are to stick.
I hadn't realised this time that I'd slipped as far as I had. Not weighed myself for twelve months, Christmas followed by time in Florida on a pancake diet and suddenly I had a face like Wallace and Gromit's love child.
I used to find that the most sustainable gains were the slow gains. A year to lose a stone and put on some muscle used to stick. Faster fat loss was hard to sustain. But then I have never been the sort to get away with eating what I liked. Even in my raving days, when I would be up all night dancing and eating nothing, a couple of days of unhealthy eating and small amounts of fat used to appear on my belly. My father in law on the other hand is mid 60s, eats like a horse, drinks like a fish and looks like a racing snake.
There's too much red meat in that diet....there's nothing good about having bacon for breakfast. Chicken and Fish should be much more dominannt. There's also nothing wrong with having carbs, porridge or other oat based cereals (Oatbix) are fine. You can eat bread too but Rye or Soya and Linseed.
Also regarding your exercise.....don't do too much work on your chest without working on your back and shoulders. You can end up with rounded shoulders doing too much chest work which is not good from either a posture perspective or long term it can cause problems. It's surprisingly common to see blokes in gyms who clearly do a lot of working out and have ended up with badly rounded shoulders.
Also regarding your exercise.....don't do too much work on your chest without working on your back and shoulders. You can end up with rounded shoulders doing too much chest work which is not good from either a posture perspective or long term it can cause problems. It's surprisingly common to see blokes in gyms who clearly do a lot of working out and have ended up with badly rounded shoulders.
Perec said:
A gent over 40 shouldn't strive for a 6 pack and to wear tight beachwear.
Why shouldn't you? Strive for the best you can be.You need to clean your diet up, less of the simple sugars, don't cut carbs out completely, lift heavy with lots of compounds and good amount of cardio.
I'm 35 and at 16%BF back in Aug 2011, I decided to take up a new sport (tennis) and upped my lifting with lots of compounds and cleaned my diet right up. I didn't do any silly Atkins, IF or any other fad diets...didn't starve myself...just made sure the 45mins-1hour in the gym that I spend 3/4 times a week was as intense as possible.
Cardio wise, HIIT training instead of long steady state cardio which TBH I'd rather stab myself in the eyeballs. DULL DULL DULL. Rather play tennis or basketball for 2/3 times week and have fun that way - I'm too busy having fun as opposed to thinking 'Jesus, when is this cardio session going to end...?'. I will periodically mix things up and introduce circuits, boxing training, skipping and plyometrics to keep things fresh. The problem why people don't get results is that they plateau by doing the same things OVER AND OVER AGAIN. You've got to challenge your body constantly with change.
I didn't track my progress with any stupid apps. I did 2 simple things: look at a mirror and judge by how my clothes fitted. I bought a couple of Nike compression tops with an aim that when I put it on, you could see my build, a lean athletic build to the point that my abs would show through my shirt. My objective was simple. Now maintaining it is simple, Rome wasn't built in a day so you have to be patient.
My transformation took 14 months of solid training and commitment. To give you an idea of what my physique look like:
Justin Theroux is 41, proof that it could be done. Oh yeah, I still enjoy life and have cheat meals and the occasional drink so it can be done.
Perec said:
Ordinary_Chap said:
It looks fairly good although I'd say there's room for improvement.
I think your weights program looks a little odd.
Anyway, good luck with it all!
Lee
Thanks for the good wishes, can you expand upon where you think the improvement should be please?I think your weights program looks a little odd.
Anyway, good luck with it all!
Lee
i.e. Chest/Tricep, Back/Bicep, Legs + shoulders. I know if I train chest on monday and then try to work triceps hard on Wednesday I can't do it very effectively as they are already tired from the Monday session.
I'd also throw in HIIT training immediately after weights (for 20 mins or so) since doing that is a very effective way to lose weight.
I think the key is to monitor progress and keep adapting training/diet based on the results and the speed of which you want the results.
Lee
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff