Thread: Here is my current diet - advice needed

Total caloric intake equals 10 -- 15 calories/lb. of body wt

This is what we're aiming for when dieting down.

At 180lbs, I would suggest you start off for the first 2 weeks @ 14 cals/lb which puts you around 2,520 cals/day. You want to give yourself room for tweaking towards the final stages of your diet.

Right now you are eating around 8-9 cals/lb for your current size.

You have the right idea, I really want you to check this site out below, it has worked for me in the past, and I have used nothing but this method for cutting since I was 17 years old in high school. It is a strict diet to follow, but if followed, you WILL SEE RESULTS.

High Protein / Low Carb / Moderate Fat

What is it with people and carb-o-phobia around here???
And what is with the hideously low calorie diet - all that this will do is leave you flat, cranky and at risk of all-out binging.

Originally Posted by gonzo719

My Name is Steve
I’m 5 '8
180 pounds
28yr old male
around 18-19%BF
I workout one body part a day(except Friday I do arms) - 5 days a week
I do 20 mins of high intensity cardio 4 days a week
I do my abs four days a week
My goal is to lose body fat – 10-12 lbs would be nice especially for the summer - I basically want to lose my gut and get ripped – gaining some lean mass wouldn’t hurt. Is this possible?

At your height, weight, BF% and age I would start with at least something closer to:
220-250g carbs (1.5-1.75 x lean mass)
220g protein (1.5 x lean mass)
60g fats (0.4 x lean mass)

This is ~ 2300 to 2500 cals and is a LOT more appropriate. It means you have room to decrease your calories once your progress stalls. If you start with eating nothing and doing STACKS of cardio - what are you going to do when you hit a wall?

I would also start with 3 sessions of cardio a week and build up from there as the weeks progress..... and you don't need to train abs 4 x a week. 2 x is usually PLENTY (and, if you are doing GOOD solid compound movements in your routine then you can get away with no ab work at all).

In terms of gaining - you CAN do it (esp. at your BF%) but you certainly will not gain any lean mass at all on the routine you are doing. Starvations + mucho cardio does not mix with muscle.

A few suggestions:
Try to split your protein roughly evenly in each meal,
add carbs around your workouts and early in the day,
add healthy fats (unless you want to become bald, scaly and infertile),
add vegetables,
add fruit (yes, even when cutting),
Less whey more food

Meal 1:
(pre - wo)
Protein shake(23g)
Multi-vitamin w/water
Totals - 110/23/2/1.5

Add carbs. The last thing you want to do is workout first thing in the morning with no food on board. If you are working out with in 40 minutes of this meal then liquid food is good - yoghurt, skim milk etc. If it is longer than this then some oats or other solid carb is fine.

So - something like:
skim milk
protein powder

Meal 2:
(post - wo)
Protein shake (46g)
1 apple
Totals – 301/46/25/3

Take out the apple and have a banana instead. You could also add some oats or another carb source (skim milk or yoghurt again). You want your muscles to RECOVER!! Why starve your workouts? This is when you want to FEED your body!

so, something like:
banana (or another fruit such as blueberries)
oats
whey

Meal 3:
(WHOLE TIN) tuna on wheat bread
Low carb yogurt
Totals – 470/65/40/6.5

Drop the wheat bread and have a better carb source. Whole grains, legumes, sweet potato etc.
Drop the yoghurt.
Have the apple here too (apple is good).
Add vegetables.
Add 3 x fish oil capsules.

So something like:
4 oz tuna
brown rice
vegetables
fish oils

Meal 4:
Protein shake (46g)
Totals – 220/46/4/3

Dump this. Have real food instead.
Carbs + protein + vegetables + a little healthy fats.
eg: oats + 5 egg whites + 1-2 yolks + vegetables

or, if you must have a shake, blend together something like:
oats
whey
PB

and have some celery to munch on as well.

Meal 5:
1 chicken breast with a side of broccoli rabe or spinach(sautéed in 2 cloves of garlic and olive oil)
Totals – 120/25/2/1

Why are there no fats in this total?? Olive oil has fat in it - if you are going to use it, then you are going to have to measure it. Add more vegetables too.

Meal 6:
.5 cup of 1% cottage cheese
Totals – 90/16/4/1

Add fats (eg: walnuts) and 3 x fish oil capsules.

first of all - thank you for all your help - i have some questions though - the diet that you have setup for me - will I lose BF and gain some lean mass at the same time or is this just to gain lean mass for now and change my diet again to cut me up later? i am sorry for misunderstanding all this - I am a newbie to the diet thing.

At your height, weight, BF% and age I would start with at least something closer to:
220-250g carbs (1.5-1.75 x lean mass)
220g protein (1.5 x lean mass)
60g fats (0.4 x lean mass)

This is ~ 2300 to 2500 cals and is a LOT more appropriate. It means you have room to decrease your calories once your progress stalls. If you start with eating nothing and doing STACKS of cardio - what are you going to do when you hit a wall?

I would also start with 3 sessions of cardio a week and build up from there as the weeks progress..... and you don't need to train abs 4 x a week. 2 x is usually PLENTY (and, if you are doing GOOD solid compound movements in your routine then you can get away with no ab work at all).

In terms of gaining - you CAN do it (esp. at your BF%) but you certainly will not gain any lean mass at all on the routine you are doing. Starvations + mucho cardio does not mix with muscle.

A few suggestions:
Try to split your protein roughly evenly in each meal,
add carbs around your workouts and early in the day,
add healthy fats (unless you want to become bald, scaly and infertile),
add vegetables,
add fruit (yes, even when cutting),
Less whey more food

I have been working out for 5 weeks now - so i should cut my cardio back huh? even though i am trying to lose BF? Do my abs only twice a week huh? very interesting

Add carbs. The last thing you want to do is workout first thing in the morning with no food on board. If you are working out with in 40 minutes of this meal then liquid food is good - yoghurt, skim milk etc. If it is longer than this then some oats or other solid carb is fine.

So - something like:
skim milk
protein powder

i assuming an 8oz glass of skim milk with my whey? and if I use yogurt should it be FF plain yogurt?

Drop the wheat bread and have a better carb source. Whole grains, legumes, sweet potato etc.
Drop the yoghurt.
Have the apple here too (apple is good).
Add vegetables.
Add 3 x fish oil capsules.

So something like:
4 oz tuna
brown rice
vegetables
fish oils

Sometimes i also have a chicken or turkey cold cut and american cheese sandwich instead of tuna - i guess i should drop that too huh? How much brown rice should i have and whats another alternative to brown rice? What kind of veggies and how much? - low gi or high gi - does this matter? Does the sweet potato fall under veggies and a good carb source? If i do have the sweet potato how should i prepare it?

Dump this. Have real food instead.
Carbs + protein + vegetables + a little healthy fats.
eg: oats + 5 egg whites + 1-2 yolks + vegetables

or, if you must have a shake, blend together something like:
oats
whey
PB

and have some celery to munch on as well.

Here is my dilemma here - i am at work when i eat this meal - so really cant prepare the real food - which i would rather do - but if i did the real food - how much oats and what kind of veggies? - any suggestions on doing this at work go ahead and tell me. And i dont have a blender at work - could i blend this at home before - then eat it later - only thing i would blend it at around 10 am and i eat meal this meal at 5pm. As for PB - i assuming natural PB - do they sell this in a regular grocery store?

Why are there no fats in this total?? Olive oil has fat in it - if you are going to use it, then you are going to have to measure it. Add more vegetables to.
QUOTE]

add more veggies huh? what kind exactly? and how much?

Originally Posted by gonzo719

first of all - thank you for all your help - i have some questions though - the diet that you have setup for me - will I lose BF and gain some lean mass at the same time or is this just to gain lean mass for now and change my diet again to cut me up later? i am sorry for misunderstanding all this - I am a newbie to the diet thing.

If you want to both gain fat and loose muscle then you need to eat just at or just below maintainence... If you eat at a marked calorie deficiency then you will not be able to build muscle tissue.

The calorie intake I suggested (~2300 to 2500 cals) is much more in keeping with this - if you ate 1500 cals you would simply waste away.

If you eat CLEANLY, train HARD and be patient, then you will get results.

I have been working out for 5 weeks now - so i should cut my cardio back huh? even though i am trying to lose BF? Do my abs only twice a week huh? very interesting

In terms of cardio it is always better to start with less and add more if you need it.

And in answer to your comment on abs - answer me this - would you train your legs 4 x a week?

i assuming an 8oz glass of skim milk with my whey? and if I use yogurt should it be FF plain yogurt?

Quantities should be based on finding something that will fit with the rest of your meals so you reach the calorie suggestions I made. 1 cup milk has roughly 86 cals, 12g carbs and 8g protein.

So go through and make another diet and then post that.

Yes, the yoghurt should be natural, FF/SF yoghurt.

Sometimes i also have a chicken or turkey cold cut and american cheese sandwich instead of tuna - i guess i should drop that too huh?

Yes.

How much brown rice should i have and whats another alternative to brown rice?

As above - you will have to go through and make up a diet and then I will look at it.
0.5 cups brown rice = 105 cals, 24g carbs, 2g protein.

Other alternatives would be sweet potato, legumes (chick-pea's, lentils, kidney beans), or grains (pearl barley, buckwheat, rye, oats).

What kind of veggies and how much?

As much as you want really... But I would say 1 to 3 cups of something like - broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, spinach, tomato, mushroom, sweet peppers, chinese greens etc. Just go for high fibre, low calorie.

- low gi or high gi - does this matter?

When it comes to vegetables it does not matter really.

Does the sweet potato fall under veggies and a good carb source?

Sweet potato is a carb source. Not a vegetable. Same goes for carrot and pea's.

If i do have the sweet potato how should i prepare it?

Geezzz - I don't know!! Cook it how you WANT to cook it!
Bake it in the oven, cook it in the microwave, steam it, mash it up... There are LOTS of things you can do.

Just keep the skins on (most nutritious part) and don't add anything nasty (butter, cream etc).

Here is my dilemma here - i am at work when i eat this meal - so really cant prepare the real food - which i would rather do - but if i did the real food - how much oats and what kind of veggies? - any suggestions on doing this at work go ahead and tell me. And i dont have a blender at work - could i blend this at home before - then eat it later - only thing i would blend it at around 10 am and i eat meal this meal at 5pm. As for PB - i assuming natural PB - do they sell this in a regular grocery store?

just pack a meal at take it with you.
Oats, once again, would be based on how much you need.
0.5 cups oats = 150 cals, 26g carbs, 5g protein, 2.5g fat.
Vege's - as above. Something quick and simple would be 1.5 cups brussel sprouts (already cooked - eg: steamed) then you can just snack on them. Also very quick and easy would be some celery.

Suggestions - Just take 2 tupperware containers. One with celery in it, the other with some oats and your cooked egg/ egg whites in it. Take a fork as well. Eat. You could also pre-make protein pancakes or protein bars out of the oats/egg whites and take those.

If you had a shake then blend your oats and protein powder together and leave them in a shaker bottle (dry). Take a tupperware container with some celery sticks with your PB spread on them (and yes, natty is better... and yes, you can get this from the supermarket - ingredients should be peanuts and peanuts only). Then just add water to your shaker and eat the celery/PB combo.

add more veggies huh? what kind exactly? and how much?

As much as you want - Total of 2-3 cups.... As stated before - green, high fibre ones are best.

thanks so much for your help - i went to the grocery store today - and bought alot of stuff that you mentioned. i am going to do this diet. i will go ahead and write out the diet again with the new suggestions. hopefully this diet will drop my BF down for the summer months.

instead of wheat bread - could i use La tortilla factory low carb wraps? i am just curious

Originally Posted by gonzo719

instead of wheat bread - could i use La tortilla factory low carb wraps? i am just curious

No.

Replace the wheat bread with a HEALTHY CARB you goose!!

Well here is my new diet - i just did all the numbers - Emma please tell me what you think.


Meal 1:
(pre - wo)
Protein shake w/ 8oz skim milk
Multi-vitamin w/water
Totals - 200/32/16/1.5

Meal 2:
(post - wo)
Protein shake
1 banana
½ cup oats
Totals – 582/52/52/4

Meal 3:
(WHOLE TIN) tuna
1 cup lentils
1 cup spinach
1 Apple
3 fish oil capsules
Totals – 470/65/69/7

Meal 4:
5 egg whites – 2 yolks
½ cup oats
celery w/PB
Totals – 568/36/40/28.5

Meal 5:
1 chicken breast
spinach(sautéed in 2 cloves of garlic and olive oil)
1 cup lettuce
Totals – 389/26/9/29

Meal 6:
½ cup of 1% cottage cheese
3 fish oil capsules
Totals – 120/16/4/4

Total cals - 2329
Total protein - 227g = 908 cals
Total carbs - 190g = 760 cals
Total fat - 74g = 666 cals

It seems like my first and last meal are weak in calories - but i am not an expert. just curious if i could eat oats w/ the cottage cheese for meal 6 or is that not good before i go to bed?

Originally Posted by gonzo719

Well here is my new diet - i just did all the numbers - Emma please tell me what you think.

MUCH, MUCH better!!

Only things I have to say...

Meal 1:
(pre - wo)
Protein shake w/ 8oz skim milk
Multi-vitamin w/water
Totals - 200/32/16/1.5

I agree that this is a little small for a PWO meal - you might want to add a little more carb to this meal... something like 1/2 a banana might be a good idea.

Meal 2:
(post - wo)
Protein shake
1 banana
½ cup oats
Totals – 582/52/52/4

Excellent.

Meal 3:
(WHOLE TIN) tuna
1 cup lentils
1 cup spinach
1 Apple
3 fish oil capsules
Totals – 470/65/69/7

GREAT!

Meal 4:
5 egg whites – 2 yolks
½ cup oats
celery w/PB
Totals – 568/36/40/28.5

Little too much fat for my liking in this meal - decrease your egg-yolks to 1 and increase whites to 6.

Meal 5:
1 chicken breast
spinach(sautéed in 2 cloves of garlic and olive oil)
1 cup lettuce
Totals – 389/26/9/29

Excellent. A little high in fats - I would limit it to 1 tbs of olive oil (~14g fat)

Meal 6:
½ cup of 1% cottage cheese
3 fish oil capsules
Totals – 120/16/4/4

Add a little more to this meal - 0.75 cups CC and something like 0.5 oz of walnuts.

Total cals - 2329
Total protein - 227g = 908 cals
Total carbs - 190g = 760 cals
Total fat - 74g = 666 cals

This is great... Your carbs and fats are MUCH better for you....

It seems like my first and last meal are weak in calories - but i am not an expert. just curious if i could eat oats w/ the cottage cheese for meal 6 or is that not good before i go to bed?

I would certainly increase your pre-workout calories with a little more carb... Even if you have 0.5 a medium banana - it would give you another 14g carbs and 60 cals.

And then add some more fats to your last meal (take them out of some of your other meals and put them here instead).

If you wanted oats pre-bed then that is fine (lots of people cut carbs out in later meals - but it is your overall calories that count)... But, personally, I would take some fats from some of your earlier meals instead.

thanks again for all your help. i have a couple questions - i want to lose body fat from about 19% to about 10-12 %. after i make the final adjustments you said to do - how long do i stay on this particular diet for? am i suppose to slowly drop calories from this diet? ALso - when i eat celery w/ PB - how PB should i use? ABout the walnuts - did you mean .5 cups of walnuts? - how do i measure .5 oz of walnuts? About having oats for my last meal - i guess i will stay away from all those carbs.

Meal 5:
1 chicken breast
spinach(sautéed in 2 cloves of garlic and olive oil)
1 cup lettuce
Totals – 389/26/9/29

for this meal i screwed up - i get three servings of spinach w/ 2 tbsps of of olive oil. some those numbers have to be divided by three. which would make the final count - 229/26/9/10 - is this enough calories for this meal?

New totals - Calories = 2169
Protein = 227g
Carbs = 190g
Fats = 55g

My overall calories are low now - right? help me out here Emma.

thanks
Steve

Originally Posted by gonzo719

thanks again for all your help. i have a couple questions - i want to lose body fat from about 19% to about 10-12 %. after i make the final adjustments you said to do - how long do i stay on this particular diet for? am i suppose to slowly drop calories from this diet?

You may or may not - depending in how your body responds. You might also just have to add a little more cardio.

Start with this diet and stick to it for 2 to 3 weeks. If you do not see a change, decrease cals by 5 - 10% (so, if you aim for 2500 cals, decrease by 250 cals) and then stay at that calorie range for another 1 to 2 weeks. If you still see no change, decrease by a further 5 to 10% (so, this time it would be 225 cals). Then repeat.

ALso - when i eat celery w/ PB - how PB should i use?

How did you calculate your above figures if you do not know how much PB to put on?? If you are getting the 1 egg yolk in this meal (5g fat) then I would say 1tbs PB would be fine.

ABout the walnuts - did you mean .5 cups of walnuts? - how do i measure .5 oz of walnuts?

No I ment 0.5 oz walnuts. Do you have a scale? Because that would be the easiest way. Otherwise, it is about 8 walnut halves (there are between 15 and 20 walnut halves in an oz of walnuts).

About having oats for my last meal - i guess i will stay away from all those carbs.

That is fine - but I still suggest you increase your carbs in your first meal so maybe add 0.25-0.33 cups to your first meal instead (grind them in a blender and combine them with your shake).

for this meal i screwed up - i get three servings of spinach w/ 2 tbsps of of olive oil. some those numbers have to be divided by three. which would make the final count - 229/26/9/10 - is this enough calories for this meal?

You might want to increase it slightly - but, at the end of the day, it is your overall intake that matters. If you wanted, then increase it slightly (add a another 5g of fat).

New totals - Calories = 2169
Protein = 227g
Carbs = 190g
Fats = 55g

My overall calories are low now - right? help me out here Emma.

Yeah - they are a little low for starting out... but what does it include? Does it include the PB and the walnuts you were not sure about? If not, do not forget to add those to your total. And I suggested you increase your CC in your last meal to 0.75 cups - did you do that?

Also - if you add 0.33 cups oats to your first meal and you get another 100 cals (18g carbs, 3.3g protein, 1.65g fat). You could also increase your milk to 10 oz (gives you more protein) as well.

Then, if you also add another 5g of fat to your spinach/chicken meal this will also increase cals as well.

here is another revision of my diet.

Meal 1:
(pre - wo)
Protein shake w/ 10oz skim milk
.5 banana
.33 cups of oats
Multi-vitamin w/water
Totals - 383/38/50/3.5

Meal 2:
(post - wo)
Protein shake
1.5 banana
½ cup oats
Totals – 550/53/62/4

Meal 3:
(WHOLE TIN) tuna
1 sweet potato
1 cup spinach w/2 tbsp. light oil and vinegar dressing
1 Apple
3 fish oil capsules
Totals – 452/52/66/8

Meal 4:
6 egg whites – 1 yolk
½ cup oats
3 large stalks of celery w/ 1 tbsp. of PB
Totals – 425/38/37/15

Meal 5:
1 chicken breast
1 serving of spinach(sautéed in 2 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp. olive oil) - I get 3 servings of spinach using 2 tbsp. of olive oil and garlic so that has to be divided by 3
1 cup lettuce w/2 tbsp. light oil and vinegar dressing
Totals – 279/26/9/12

Meal 6:
3/4 cup of 1% cottage cheese
3 fish oil capsules
.5oz of walnuts
Totals – 258/26/7/14

Total cals - 2347
Total protein - 233g
Total carbs - 241g
Total fat - 56.5g

i had meal 2 total cals wrong before so that changed from 582 to 490. and for meal 3 I replaced the lentils w/ a sweet potato - that also changed the numbers. I also figured in the PB and walnuts and cottage cheese change. my overall cals are still low - i want them to be at 2500. my last two meals are low in calories. but for my overall diet - there is a couple of things i though might help - but you can correct me if i am wrong. should i chnage all oats servings to 1 cup. use another tbsp. of olive oil? use 2 tbsp. of PB? or you might have other suggestions. i just want to get this right. again thanks for all your help.

haha, at 1500 calories, you're eating less than me!

I have to disagree with your totals for meal 5. If you are using 2 tbs. of olive oil to sautee your spinach you have to be getting some calories from it and seeing how each tbls. of oil is 120cals. and your meal total is only 279. I may be wrong but i think you might be underestimating your calories.

for meal 5 - your right it is misleading - but i changed it to explain that i get three servings from those two tbsp of olive oil.