advice for an obese newbie

[ingy271]

Just wondering if any experienced posters (or Lou and/or Alwyn for that matter) can provide an obese newbie som advice.

I have just commenced this program: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1140463 but have recently purchased NROL and can hardly wait to have a crack at the programs when I finish with my current assignment.

I have 3 questions however:
1) Which NROL program should i commence after I finish my current program. Like I mentioned I am obese so should I start Fat Loss I in the 'The Eternal Beginner' program or 'Hypertrophy I' in the 'The Guy who considers skinny an insult program'. I am 120kg with a 117 cm waist measurement, I lack strength, lean muscle but have 35-40% body fat if i had to guess; dangerous as that is.

2) When doing squats, hang cleans and power cleans I have a tendency to tip forward so my weight ends up on my toes. Is this a flexibility issue, form issue or both?

3) I am wondering about my protein intake - I do not eat a lot of meat normally that isn't considered a takeaway food. I am just starting with daily protein shakes but how many per day will meet my protein needs but yet satisfy caloric/vitamin & mineral requirements.

Many thanks to those who take the time to offer advice.

[Lost Dog]

Welcome aboard.

Are you new to weight training? Waterbury's Summer Project might be too much.

If you just started, I'd stop WSP and start NROL on the fat loss track. Start with the break in and then move on to FL1 and FL2.

2) When doing squats, hang cleans and power cleans I have a tendency to tip forward so my weight ends up on my toes. Is this a flexibility issue, form issue or both?

It could certainly be a flexibility issue. But, if you're wearing shoes with tall heals, that could be a problem, too. Running shoes and some crosstrainer have you more up on your toes. You can try in flatter shoes or take off the shoes to see if that's the issue.

Meanwhile, those exercises might be more than you're ready for. I still can't quite do power cleans, and I have to front squat or zercher squat rather than back squat.

3) I am wondering about my protein intake - I do not eat a lot of meat normally that isn't considered a takeaway food. I am just starting with daily protein shakes but how many per day will meet my protein needs but yet satisfy caloric/vitamin & mineral requirements.

Hard to say how many shakes. Use protein powder to make up for the solid protein that you don't get. Drink them between solid meals or use a small shake with your meal to make up for too little protein in the meal.

[cdkrug]

Welcome aboard.

I started out roughly your size last year, but didn't "track" anything until this year, by which time I'd lost roughly 10kg just lifting but still eating crap. Eating MUCH better this year, and already dropped 10kg and it's only April.

I agree with LD. NROL Lifter IV, starting with Break-In, is going to be a better choice for guys like us than anything else. I THOUGHT I knew how to lift until I started doing pushups to a 311 tempo, just sayin'.

You might even consider doing all three Fat Loss programs. Lifter IV assumes an experienced lifter for whom FL-I wouldn't be as valuable as for a novice.

This year, I followed Lifter IV, substituting FL-I for Breakin as I'd been lifting NROL-style the previous nine months.