Hi guys, not really sure how to do a neat journal but will try my best.

Some introduction - Am studying overseas, currently on my summer holiday (1 more month to go) and decided to lose some fat during this holiday.

Aims - Ultimately to lower down BF % and hopefully get visible abs.

Current Progress - Started at 95kg last month, followed "The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet" for 25 days. Ended up at around 87kg. Went for a short holiday, put up 2kgs so I'm currently at 89kg. In terms of fat loss I'm pretty sure I can see the results in the mirror, however I get two different readings on two scales. Choosing to believe the higher one (about 22%).

Next target - Aiming to hit near 80kg in the next month and hopefully be near 15-17% BF.

Current Diet - Trying to eat near 1.7k calories a day, having protein + carb meals in the morning/lunch, and only meats + vege at night. Meats are usually lean beef/chicken breast/canned tuna in water. Vegetables I eat all kinds as long as it's not in a fatty gravy like curry. Carbs are a mixture of fruits, white rice or pasta. For fat intake either I eat salmon/eggs/nuts, mostly almonds. Besides that supplementing with Xtend (BCAAs) and Protein Whey.

Weekly Workout - Haven't really got specific. For now I play badminton 3 times a week(mon,wed,fri) (pretty intense, it's a training session.) Planning to have gym days on Tues,Thurs,Sat so it's alternating and want to add 3 HIIT sessions into the week as well. Sunday will be a rest day.

In the gym currently I do Squats,Deadlifts,Bench Presses/Push Ups, Rows, Overhead Presses. Trying to add a few more good compound exercises. I split my workout into 2 circuits, 3 exercises each, 8-12 reps. An example I did today would be

(try to get 12)
Squats x 10
Push Ups/Deadlifts x 10
Rows x 10

After 3 sets
Deadlifts x 10
Overhead Press x 10
Lunges x 10

I try to rest a little only in between exercises, 1-2 mins after every cycle and 3-5 mins between both circuits.

Hope I outlined things pretty clearly and also welcome anyone to give corrections if I did anything wrongly. Feeling very motivated to start this journal and also hope will get a lot of support and help from you fellow forumers.

PEACE

Hey man. I see a lot of compound exercises which is very good for a beginner. What is more better is that you follow a well built routine and I'm suggesting Stronglifts 5x5.

A little bit of SL 5x5.

There is 5 exercises that are used in this routine (up until 2nd revision) which is the Squat, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Bench Press and Pendlay Row. What is good about this routine is that it is a goal driven kind of routine. Every workout would be trying to gain a new Personal Record (PR) thus making the workout more fun and motivating. I've tried it myself and I like it very much.

Anyway, goodluck for your 'journey'.

Thanks for the suggestion! Will read into it and do it!

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Added on September 5, 2012, 11:25 pmLatest update. Started on Stronglifts as recommended, sticking well to my diet. So far lost 2kgs+ in the first week. Weights on Stronglifts still pretty low at the moment so I didn't take a log yet.

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Added on September 11, 2012, 10:19 pmLost another 1kg+ this week. Current weight 84.9kg. Today continued the SL 5x5 program. Still low on weights but slowly increasing. Workout log for today

Warming up - Jogging 10 minutes, stretching.

Squats
Bodyweight x 10
44lbs x 10

94lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Bench Press
44lbs x 8

74lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Barbell Rows
44lbs x 10

64lbs x 5 (5 sets)

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Added on September 15, 2012, 7:06 pmLast workout:

Squats
44lbs x 10
99lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Overhead Press
44lbs x 10
54lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Deadlift
110lbs x 5

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Added on September 18, 2012, 12:45 amWorkout Last Saturday
Squats
44lbs x 10
94lbs x 5
104lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Bench Press
44lbs x 10
79lbs x 5 (5 sets)

Rows
44lbs x 10
69lbs x 5 (5 sets)

After one week maintaining my calorie around 1400-1700 daily. My weight dropped 1kg exact. Feels like it's slowing down now. Worried I'm hitting the plateau soon.

Current Weight - 84.0kg

This post has been edited by cheesycake: Sep 18 2012, 12:45 AM