Thread: Diet help! (Includes macro's)

I'll leave the diet stuff to Built or Jodi since they kick my ass in that department, but you do have a decision to make.

You can't cut and bulk at the same time. One requires a caloric surplus, one needs a deficit - you can't do both at the same time, it's impossible (with an exception being made for the wonderful "newbie" period).

2000 calories is NOT enough for you though, I can tell you that straight out. I eat 2200-2400 calories depending on whether I'm in the gym that day or not and I am smaller than you are. I'm on a cut too - bulking for me would be around 2700-2800 calories.

Another thing is you need to stop taking in so much protein in those shakes, try and get some real food in there like chicken, steak, eggs, etc. There are other benefits from eating real food that are very important - one being that whey protein digests incredibly fast which is great for post-WO, however you want a slower digesting protein for the rest of the day. You also need to split that protein up into separate meals.

You also need to cut down on the cardio and maybe 1 lifting day, your schedule is overtraining just waiting to happen. Cutting is 90% done through dieting, cardio has very little effect on it. Do cardio for the heart health benefits, not to try and lose fat. If you must do cardio, do some HIIT or Hill Repeats (again, Built has a great blog on this, I really should bookmark that for easy linking).

Also eating late being bad for you is a myth, calories in versus calories out is all that matters. That said I wouldn't eat a lot of carbs that late, I would focus more on getting slow digesting fats and protein to last you through the night - your body doesn't really need the energy burst right before you go to sleep.

It's a lot to digest at once but just work through it slowly, it's not too hard to figure it all out after you've done it a couple times.

Originally Posted by danzik17

I'll leave the diet stuff to Built or Jodi since they kick my ass in that department, but you do have a decision to make.

You can't cut and bulk at the same time. One requires a caloric surplus, one needs a deficit - you can't do both at the same time, it's impossible (with an exception being made for the wonderful "newbie" period).

2000 calories is NOT enough for you though, I can tell you that straight out. I eat 2200-2400 calories depending on whether I'm in the gym that day or not and I am smaller than you are. I'm on a cut too - bulking for me would be around 2700-2800 calories.

Another thing is you need to stop taking in so much protein in those shakes, try and get some real food in there like chicken, steak, eggs, etc. There are other benefits from eating real food that are very important - one being that whey protein digests incredibly fast which is great for post-WO, however you want a slower digesting protein for the rest of the day. You also need to split that protein up into separate meals.

You also need to cut down on the cardio and maybe 1 lifting day, your schedule is overtraining just waiting to happen. Cutting is 90% done through dieting, cardio has very little effect on it. Do cardio for the heart health benefits, not to try and lose fat. If you must do cardio, do some HIIT or Hill Repeats (again, Built has a great blog on this, I really should bookmark that for easy linking).

Also eating late being bad for you is a myth, calories in versus calories out is all that matters. That said I wouldn't eat a lot of carbs that late, I would focus more on getting slow digesting fats and protein to last you through the night - your body doesn't really need the energy burst right before you go to sleep.

It's a lot to digest at once but just work through it slowly, it's not too hard to figure it all out after you've done it a couple times.

Thanks for the advice! I guess if I have to choose to bulk or cut first I want to cut my BF another 2% before i begin to bulk. I tried to work my diet a little better today, here is the log:

Wake up (non-gym day, but did include cardio)
8:00 AM- Protein Shake 270 cal, 1gfat, 2gcarbs, 60g protein

9:30 AM (1 Anabolic Pump pill, 2 VPX meltdown) - Organic Oatmeal- 100 cal, 19g carbs, 4g protein
Whole Wheat toast with naty Peanut butter- 225 cal, 10gfat, 26g carbs, 8g protein
1/2 Banana- 50 cal
4 sliced strawberry's- 40 cal

30 Minute run (4 miles)
Minor Ab workout at home (planks, V-situps)

10:30 Am- 1/2 Cup All natural Cottage cheese- 90 cal, 1g fat, 4g carbs, 16g protein
Totals so far: 775 calories, 14g fat, 51g carbs, 88g Protein

12:30- 3 egg whites (hard boiled)- 51 cal, 2g fat, 1g carb, 11g protein
1.5 Whole egg (hard boiled including yolk)- 105 cal, 6g fat, 6g carbs, 9g protein

New totals: 937 cal, 21.8g fat, 52g carbs, 108g protein

2:00- (1 Anabolic pump pill, 2 VPX meltdown)-
2 slices whole wheat toast- 240 cal, 4g fat, 40g carbs, 8g protein
1 Banana- 110 Calories
2 Tbls Naty Peanut Butter- 210 calories, 16g fat, 6g carbs, 8g protein

New totals: 1497 cal, 41.8g fat, 98g carbs, 124g protein

2:30-4:30 (theatre preformance)

5:00- 4 Celery sticks (plain)- 15 calories, 0g fat, 4g carbs, 0g protein
1.5 cups watermelon- 63 calories, 0gfat, 15g carbs, 1g protein

New totals: 1575 cal, 41.8g fat, 117g carbs, 125g protein

6:30- All Natural tortilla chips (no sodium)- 140 calories, 7g fat, 18g carbs, 2g protein
All Natural Guacamole- 60 cal, 4.5g fat, 3g carbs, 1g protein
(was this snack unacceptable?)
New totals: 1775 cal, 54g fat, 138g carbs, 128g protein

8:30- 1 slice whole wheat toast- 120 cal, 2g fat, 2g carbs, 4g protein
2 Tbls Naty Peanut butter- 210 cal, 16g fat, 6g carbs, 8g protein

10:15- All natural cottage cheese 1 cup- 180 cal, 2g fat, 8g carbs, 32g protein


Totals for the day:
2290 Calories
74g Fat
172g Carbs
172g Protein
(about 20/40/40) Is that good? I am worried about the fat intake being too high. I raised my calories about 300 from the day before. Protein went down slightly, carbs went slightly up and fat went up.

Please get away from "ratios" - try for LBM-targeted dosing. It's more transparent.

With roughly 160 lbs of lean mass, your fat could go higher. I like mine a lot higher than yours when I cut, it's more comfortable. (for reference, I carry about 110-115 lbs lean mass on my 137-lb frame, and my average fat grams for this last month were almost 90g:

Total: 1858
Fat: 87 787 44%
Sat: 22 200 11%
Poly: 15 137 8%
Mono: 25 222 12%
Carbs: 106 333 19%
Fiber: 23 0 0%
Protein: 168 673 38%

I personally would ditch the AM carbs unless you plan to lift in the AM. I eat protein and fat meals through the day - and target the carbs around my lifting (I carb cycle to take full advantage of this).

Not sure what the supps are that you're taking but I'd suggest adding in 10g fish oil. Also make sure you salt your food (I noticed the sodium free reference) and no more "carb and fat" or " carb only" meals - get protein in every time you eat. PB on toast isn't a protein source - PB's predominately a fat source.

Glad you added food at bedtime. I always eat at bedtime, especially when cutting. I generally postpone breakfast and push most of my food to the later part of the day - I'd rather look forward to eating at night than starving at night.

What kind of training you doing for this cut?

Thanks for the advice! I have the Carb meal in the morning because I do lift in the mornings. I usually eat a carb meal around 8:30 or 9:00 am and am in the gym by 9:30 am.
What foods would you recommend is a good food I can add to my diet for some extra clean fat? Since I do not eat meat (except for fish) is it ok to be having cottage cheese at every meal to increase protein?

My training goes a little like this (if you want more detail I will gladly give it to you but i'm not sure how much detail you are looking for)

Lift at the gym 3-4 days a week (every other day). I do cardio 6 days a week. I know that you recommend little cardio when cutting but I am also training for triathlons so I need to keep up my cardio. Since I am training for triathalons, most of the lifting I do at the gym are 5x3 (reps/sets). I also do a pretty copious amount of ab work because for some reason I am absolutely obsessed with having great looking abs. I work my core and do a decent amount of body weight training too.

Also if I am cutting is 2300 Calories a good amount for the day? Should I try less, should i try more?

I don't know what maintenance is for you. It does appear that you're trying for too many things at once. I have great abs and I only do 3x8 weighted crunches once or twice a week. They show with diet.

What are your maintenance calories, and how fast do you intend to drop fat?

PS fats: my faves are avocado, butter, egg yolks, coconut milk, olive oil, raw nuts and natural peanut butter.

Re cottage cheese: you bet. I freaking LIVE on that stuff!

Going to have to show my lack of knowledge here... what exactly are maintenance calories?

Also, I understand that I am doing a lot of things at once. I feel like I have to at this point because I have been doing so much cardio for a long time I am afraid of what my body might do once I stop. IE, there is just a lot of calories that I am not burning anymore. How can i cut when I am burning less calories?

Originally Posted by GOtriSports

what exactly are maintenance calories?

The number of calories that are needed to maintain (neither loose nor gain) your body weight.

Originally Posted by GOtriSports

Going to have to show my lack of knowledge here... what exactly are maintenance calories?

Also, I understand that I am doing a lot of things at once. I feel like I have to at this point because I have been doing so much cardio for a long time I am afraid of what my body might do once I stop. IE, there is just a lot of calories that I am not burning anymore. How can i cut when I am burning less calories?

Same way everybody else does: create a caloric deficit. IE eat less.

I understand, but lets say I eat 2300 calories a day, and I do not mind doing my cardio. It is still better to do it than to not do it if I am attempting to cut right? I do not really know my maintenance calorie level as I have been loosing weight for about 8 months now. I am about to add some pictures to my profile any advice on what to work on would be great! I will add one of me 8 months ago when I was massively fat as well!

I don't really do all that much cardio while I'm cutting. I find it makes me too hungry.

I have been finding that I am pretty hungry all the time even if I don't do cardio. That is why I am glad I have started to keep a food log, it keeps me honest and if I feel like I am having too much I feel guilty and stop eating!

With my workout today I started less long distance cardio and I did some High Intensity Interval Training.
Tell me if you think this is a decent intensity workout:
I run slowly (10 minute mile pace) for 1 Minute
Then after a minute I all out for 15 seconds
run (10 minute mile pace) 1 minute
sprint all out 15 seconds
ect..
ect..

I continue this for 20 minutes.

Got Built? » How to do Cardio if you MUST!

Intervals are described under HIIT. Read "hill repeats" also.

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

Diet?

Ok, I have been doing Cardio 6 days a week all distance and long time cardio type events. I am not starting to do Cardio 5 days per week. 3 days will be HIIT and 2 day of distance training.

Since I started this cut just a few days ago I have lost about 5 pounds already. It is quite odd because I allowed myself MORE calories yesterday (almost 2700) and I lost weight. Is this because my body used it as a refeed effect, or should I just be eating this many calories daily? (The anabolic pump I am taking does say that you should be eating more to make it a more effective fat burner and muscle building, I have read people that were eating up for 4,000 calories while on it and staying lean)