Another body fat/diet question

[lonestar_shawn]

Hi Coach,
I apologize in advance for this question, but frankly there is nobody else I trust when it comes to weight training questions. I have both SS and PP. I have been doing the SS novice program for about 6 weeks now. I am 34 years old, 6'2" tall, and on the program I have gained 15 pounds in that time, from 173 to 188. My body fat % is ~22%. As of today my strength numbers are:

Squat (3x5): 175 lbs.
Deadlift (1x5): 190 lbs.
Press (3x5): 82.5 lbs.
Bench (3x5): 125 lbs.
Power Clean (5x3): 75 lbs. - I started these 2 weeks ago. I started light to learn technique, but I'm increasing the weight fast.

So the bottom line is that I want to get a lot stronger and I need to gain quite a bit more weight. I just want to be fit and strong, but I'm not looking to be a competitor in any sports. What do you think a reasonable weight and bodyfat for my height should be? Since I'm sure I'm eventually going to need to lose body fat, is it better to start slowly trying to lose it now or is it better just to try and gain as much weight as possible and then lose the fat?

By the way, I did search on this topic. I saw several posts from overweight people, but nothing by someone who was both underweight and overfat at the same time!

Thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

You have a long way to go on your strength progress, so many things will change over the next few months of training. You need to drop your bodyfat down a little, and at 34 you could live with 15% or so. But your muscular weight gain will need to proceed as well, so you'll need to keep calories and protein up, watch your simple carbs, and eat pretty clean. But this will still be about 3000 cal/day. The GOMAD trick is probably not going to make you happy with your body composition, although it will work. If it were me, I'd try it without the milk for a while and see what happens.

But remember: I am not the best source of specific diet information.

[lonestar_shawn]

Thanks a bunch, that reply helps a lot. I'll cut out some of the whole milk and simple carbs, increase complex carbs, and add in some protein shakes, and see where that gets me. I've been real happy with all my gains so far so I've been hesitant to change anything.

[rocko]

Mark:
What source would you recommend for specific diet questions?

[Mark Rippetoe]

www.bodyrecomposition.com