Help a newbie with diet?!

Hi everyone.... I'm new to this forum. Lots of useful info and great people! I've been dieting for about a year now and have dropped from 240lbs to about 200lbs. Mainly watching my diet and doing cardio, playing with weights here and there. But about 3 months ago I got serious on weight training. I've seen some pretty good gains but I am ready to get moving with this the right way and start cutting. Maybe you can help by critiquing my plan below......?

Wakeup 8am
Meal #1 - 9:00am
protein shake
6 egg whites/egg beaters
quaker oatmeal 1 serving
DD coffee (skim milk & no sugar)
24oz water

Meal #2 - 12:30pm
chunk-lite white tuna - 1 can
or roasted chicken breast - 6oz
apple or banana
24 oz water
Multivitamin

Meal #3 - 4:00pm
deli-sliced turkey breast - 6oz
wonder wheat bread or wrap
1 slice kraft fat free singles
lettuce/tomato/onions/mustard
24 oz water

Workout 5:30-6:30pm (see plan below)

Meal #4 - 6:30pm (post workout)
1 serving EAS phosphogen creatine
1 serving nitro-tech protein shake

Meal #5 - 7:00pm
boneless chicken - 6oz
or grilled flounder - 6oz
or lean beef (try to vary it day to day)
1 serving of chopped brocolli,
couliflower, spinnache
leafy green salad (no dressing or vinegar or balsamic)
24oz water

Meal #6 - 9:00pm
boneless/skinless chicken - 6oz
or turkey or tuna (opposite of 7pm meal)
1 serving vegetables (similar to 7pm)
24oz water and/or diet coke

Meal #7 - 11:00pm
protein shake
Bed 12am

I used CalorieKing to track all the nutrient info and it averaged out daily to always about the same.....
2500cals, 225-250g protein, 200-225g carbs, 40-60g fat which was about the 40/40/20 plan. I currently weight 200lbs, 6'0", 25yrs old.

Should I be eating more? Less? It seems as though my strenght gains are definately increasing (although slowly), I'm becoming more defined, and fat seems to be steady and/or slowly dropping. Maybe should I cycle? Bulk then cut? Instead of trying to weight lift while shedding these last 15-20lbs? I believe I'm currently at 20-22% bodyfat last time I checked (started around 28% looking to get down around 14-15% abs!)

I've been following the MAX-OT training as follows:
Monday
Weight training 45min - Back/Traps
Tuesday
Weight training 45min - Legs
Wednesday
Weight training 45min - Chest/Forearms
Thursday
Weight training 45min - Shoulders/Triceps
Friday
OFF
Saturday
Weight training 45min - Biceps/Abs
Sunday
Cardio - Hockey (play goalie for ice & roller leagues) 1 hour.

Thanks in advance!

Originally posted by dazz828
playing with weights here and there.

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keep in mind weights are not toys

haha what i meant was i'd go 2 or 3 times a week, nothing consistent and my plan was lacking. i read the Max-OT training and have seen awesome results so far. and i am actually sticking to it for 2 months straight now.

Must agree Max OT is great. See that you are using ???1 serving EAS phosphogen creatine
1 serving nitro-tech protein shake??? try ast VP2 and creatine HSC give it a try and then see your gains, I am sure you will be very happy. In the UK Nitro tec is more expensive than VP2 and not a spot on the same quality it???s only a blend of proteins not a pure isolate (don't believe all of the advertising hype on nitro tec). If you wish to use a blend try to find dymatize elite.

First of all your 6' tall and 200lbs, so why are you cutting?

2nd - where are the EFA's?

3rd - Last meal of the day needs fat.

Pretty good overall but I still can't figure out why you aren't trying to build muscle instead.

ah1-
thanks for the advice! i was actually looking at ast's products from reading the max-ot program. i'm running low so i will give them a try. i was definiately overtraining, not doing body parts right, and my high-rep pyramid scheme was all wrong. every since i started max-ot i've made better gains in a few weeks than i did in a few months before.

Jodi-

I guess I'm cutting because I still have alot of fat around my stomache and love handles. My abs are there I just need to shed a few layers and it's very frustrating. My arms and shoulders have definately cut up alot and I can see the results. But this mid-section is just impossible to get rid of! I guess my ideal weight if I lost these last lbs of fat would be around 180-185 or 200+ if I had more muscle.

I used to do alot of cardio but cut back following the max-ot program (I lost alot of weight but want to gain muscle now). Except for hockey on Sundays can't give that up. I will try to get some pics up soon (before & current).

EFA's? Essential fatty acids right? What would be some good food sources for those? Or supplements?

Thanks Jodi!

Originally posted by dazz828
What would be some good food sources for those? Or supplements?

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fish oil

Is that really 200-255g carbs? Seems like the only carbs in there are oatmeal (one serving= 1/3 cup??) , the fruit and the bread wrap.

Peace.

Originally posted by dazz828
EFA's? Essential fatty acids right? What would be some good food sources for those? Or supplements?

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Fish oil, flax seed/oil, hemp seeds/oil, olive oil. I use peanut butter and sardines (I get them packed in olive oil) as decent sources of EFAs without supplements.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Premo-
It usually ends up about 175-200 on some days and 225 on other days. I change things up a bit each day. It's usally around 20-30 carbs a meal.

Carbs
Meal#1 oatmeal it ends up about 30
Meal#2 banana/apple is about 15-20
Meal #3 the wrap or bread is about 35-40
Meal #4 creatine sugar is 35grams for spike
Meal #5 big serving of greens (broccoli or spinnach) about 20-25
Meal #6 veggies got some carbs 20
plus a few coffees or skim milk and some other carbs that sneak in.

Also somedays I have an extra wrap or bread at dinner so the chicken isn't so plain. Make a nice grilled sandwich on wheat or sundried tomato wrap after the workout. Or a potato/brown rice serving (forgot to list!)

Should I be eating more or less carbs? I see alot of people have a serving of nuts or peanut butter too?

I will go get some flax seed oil - fish oil - and olive oil to toss into some meals.

Thanks everyone!