Thread: would this plan work

i might change it a little, what if i still have the 2 cardio days, same cals/ratio, but for the 3rd day ( lifting), i keep 1800 but have the 40/40/20 ratio AND THEN the 4th day i have the higher carb (55-60%) , relax day around 1800-2000 to make sure my body does not lower it's metabolism..and then back to 1600....this i think might work out better b/c i would have more of a selection on the 4th day concerning carbs, all good carbs though...., do you guys think this would work better/faster for fat lose and maybe putting on some muscle? maybe i should let you guys answer before making changes or asking more questions....thanks

We would able to help you better if you posted your meals in a meal by meal format.

ok, well, i only made 2 change ups where meals are concerned.
1st three meals ham sub ( i know you guys don't like bread, but before and after a workout i thought would be good, only 3g sugar, pretty much the only sugar i get) OR
3/4 cup egg beaters +10g almonds+ cup brown rice
2nd three meals either can be 1tuna+2 flax caps +veges OR
4oz chicken + 5g almonds+veges
For the 1800 calorie day i would just add a ham sandwich somewhere for the extra 200 cals.
It is very hard to come up with a lot of combos, but as you see, my carb intake is very low for the last 3 meals of the day, but im going to work out in the morning so it wouldn't matter. I guess i'll alternate with the meals ( back and fourth with 1st three meals and 2nd three) i don't want to get many foods that is why my food if made up of only a few things, but on the 4th day i have more carbs. I heard though that it could be beneficial to keep carbs low for the week ( go 2 days 1600 cals, 1 day 1800, back down to 1600) untill the weekend and THEN eat up to 2000 calories with higher carbs. Ill let you guys answer before i ask more questions ( i know you'll get mad with the wheat sub bread, but i thought with the protein and fat and the 4grams of fiber, it wouldn't be that bad) thanks

You are right, I don't like the sub idea. I think you egg beaters and brown rice option is better. I'd cut back on the almonds a bit and add in some more EFA's like fish oil.

Why don't you look at the journals for meal ideas. Start a journal of your own.

ok..but is is alright sometimes fo b/c i really have no variety, like maybe on the workout day?..2 more things.though..could i keep 1600 40/40/20 for 3 days ( one being work out day) and then 4th day relax day ( 1800 with about 55-60% carbs) or do i need to go higher on cals or carbs?, and when you weight things like chicken, should it be pre cooked weight or do you weigh it after it's cooked?, thank you

When I cycle, I do higher carbs (and lower fat) on my higher days, which seems to work for me. I keep my protein constant at whatever ratio of grams to bodyfat I've picked whether low or high, and I try to avoid fat and carbs together, so it happens naturally.

I think for purposes of "refeeding" and metabolism (correct me if I'm wrong) carbs are most important, since they're what refill glycogen stores and trigger leptin.

As for how you weigh things, it truly doesn't matter, as long as you know how many grams of protein are in x amount of cooked chicken vs. y amount of raw! I prefer to cook a big pile of chicken and weigh out servings cooked, but fish I weigh raw, since I don't cook that ahead of time. Do whatever works for you.

ok cool. so can i have fiber one ( or other fiber cereal) of maybe oatmeal on my high day, even though they have a few grams of fat in them, and do i need to eat them with protein, or could i eat them alone in the beginning of the day and then have most of my protein in the last 3 meals, which brings me to whether i need to eat more carbs in the 1st three meals or could i space it out, as long as i have about 60% carbs at the end of the day. and if i eat 1600 cals for 3 days ( running/weights those days), what amount of cals should i have on the high day, is 1800 enough or should i shoot for 2000,( i assume i just need to eat maintenance and not higher since my cals aren't that low and its only 3 days), hope all my questions are understandable. Thank you

Don't worry about a few ambient grams of fat here and there. When I say "avoid fat and carbs" I mean things like almond butter stirred into my oatmeal (delicious though that is).

Whether you concentrate your carbs at the beginning of the day or spread them out is pretty much up to you. I know, I know, everyone says "don't eat carbs last thing" but honestly if my ratios and totals stay the same, I don't notice much difference. I tend to eat less altogether if I cut out carbs late in the day, but that's a whole other cuppa noodles.

What you should do to figure out your high/low is this:

You want a deficit all told, right? What's your maintenance? Take that, and (just for the sake of the argument) multiply it by seven -- the number of days in the week. That's how many cals you'd need in a week to maintain. (Say 1800 per day: 12600/week.)

Now, if you're doing three low, one high, you'll note you'll get either five low, two high days per week, or six low, one high. Let's go with Scenario One, since if that's okay, the other will fall into place. Thus, five days of the week at 1600 equals 8000 calories.

Two days at 1800 calories equals 3600. Total weekly calories, on a two-high-day week, is therefore 11600 or a 1000 calorie deficit from diet. Note, too, that you are burning more calories through cardio and other exercise. As well, a cyclic pattern itself appears to have some positive influence on metabolism for many people.

Since your deficit is not that low, 1800 should be enough to start. If you find you're plateauing, you can tweak by, for instance, lowering the calories on low days, or lowering carbs on some or all of the low days. I wouldn't drop high days, though, if you do, and in fact if you lower carbs you may want to increase your high days a bit, as they will then be taking on even more of a refeed role.