Help me with my diet plan!

[Lacoste]

Weighed myself today out of the shower, and I was 138.8. My stomach is looking a lot flatter, and there doesn't seem to be much more fat in that area to burn off. I've been eating really low carbs for the past 3 days, no apples or anything! My weight will fluctuate after eating, and I'll probably be around 142 before bed. 138.8 is easily the lowest I've ever weighed. My stomach usually grows later on in the day though

 

[Ben dur]

STOP

5'9"
140 lbs

stop trying to loose weight
i can see your bones through the internet

 

[MCx2]

I agree with Ben. I think you need to concentrate on putting some mass on your frame. I think you'd be happier with the way you look if you were 20 lbs heavier @ the same bf.

 

[Lacoste]

Yeah, I'm really not even trying to lose any more weight, I'm mainly looking to lower my BF %, and have more lean muscle. It seems as though this low-carb and low-fat diet is working in terms of losing weight. Is it cool to eat carbs before a workout? What would a good food - carb wise - be to eat before a workout, and how much of it? Any quick responses will be appreciated because I plan on going to the gym at 3. Note that I also drink whey protein mixed with water (35g of protein) pre and post workout.

 

[Ben dur]

sorry for the delay...

increasing fats would probably have little impact on your body fat
in fact ive always felt that increasing EFA's helped me keep bf% down


eating carbs befor workout isnt just "ok" its practically required for me

i like oats, and whey, myself
i put a half cup of oats and 2 scoops of whey in my pre workout shake

that is

1/2 cup old fashion oats: 150 cal, 3g fat, 19g carbs, 5 g protein
2 scoops on whey:......... 240cal, 2g fat, 6g carbs, 48g protein
..................................390cal, 5g fat, 25g carbs, 53g protein


not a really bad meal anytime of day...
low in fat for a regular meal, but before workout it works well

 

[Built]

Great suggestion. Something as simple as a lowfat bagel and a shake, or a half a lowfat sandwich of some kind can do the trick, too.

 

[Lacoste]

That sounds great! Thank you very much for the suggestion. I just so happen to have some old fashioned oats in my house, so I wouldn't even need to go buy any. Would I cook the oats first? I'm guessing not if I'm adding them to my protein. I personally just mix 1 scoop of whey protein with water and drink.

Today I decided to have a whole-wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter pre-workout. Does that sound like it would be good on a cut? After eating really low carbs for the past few days, the english muffin really gave me a boost and I found my workout to be more successful.

 

[Built]

Try buzzing the raw oats to powder in a coffee grinder before adding it to your shake.

The muffin and PB must have felt great! You could try having a small shake with that if you like, or some cottage cheese. How far ahead of your workout did you have it? I'd suggest for what you ate, about an hour ahead of time would work - at least if it was me. As long as you maintain a deficit, anything you eat will "work" for a cut.

 

[Lacoste]

Yup, I did wait an hour. Actually, I ate the english muffin, waited 45 minutes, drank my protein mixed with water, then headed over to the gym. When I got home I ate a can of tuna and another scoop of protein mixed with water. Am I on the right track?

 

[Lacoste]

Also picked up a pack of fat-free rice cakes! 8 grams of carbs per cake, should be a great pre-workout snack too

 

[Built]

You are indeed on the right track - eat a few of the rice cakes post workout along with your shake. Nice, fast glucose polymers.

 

[Lacoste]

Awesome! That's great to hear Today I actually only consumed 40 grams of carbs! And that's even including the english muffin I had for my pre-workout. I've been eating like that for the past few days, but minus the english muffin, so I've been eating about 20-30g of carbs a day (down from 230+ on my previous diet of low GI carbs). I think I might actually be in Ketosis right now. I'm going to purchase some ketostix tomorrow and find out.

Once I burn off this excess fat and get my BF % down, I'm going to get off my caloric deficit and eat to maintain a weight of 145ish pounds. Then I need to decide weather or not I want to bulk up to 150 and maintain my low BF %.

Your guys advice has really changed my life. I never knew I would be able to cut the carbs like I have, but after the first few days it became a lot easier. I haven't even had a cheat meal in 9 days, and I still feel great! I prefer protein rich foods (tuna, steak, chicken etc.) over the carb heavy foods. Cooking up an awesome omelet with 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, turkey breast and a few blue berries beats a bowl of cereal any day.

My carbs are only coming in the form of vegetables, fruits (about 15 blueberries a day) my fat-free yogurt, and my cottage cheese. Then I do a small carb-up before my workout which is about 16grams of carbs.

I'm so into this now, and not only have I lost weight, put on muscle, and lowered my BF %, I've also been saving money by buying groceries and making my food every single day instead of eating out. I'm loving it!!!

 

[Ben dur]

Try buzzing the raw oats to powder in a coffee grinder before adding it to your shake.

speaking of coffee...
built, would you hate me if i said i like coffee in my pre workout shake?

 

[Built]

Of course not!

I just won't kiss you.

I hate coffee. I just take pills for my caffeine. I know, I have no soul...

 

[Lacoste]

Hmmm, so coffee is okay in your diet? What would be the best thing to put in it? I've never been a huge coffee drinker, but eating on a caloric deficit (with really low carbs) working 2 jobs, and working out has got me tired some times. Would a low-fat/fat-free cream be okay to use? Assuming it's low in carbs?

 

[Built]

If it's pre-workout, how about caffeine and a couple of grams of tyrosine? And if you can afford the very few calories, perhaps 5-10g of dextrose, just to bring up your blood sugar a smidge? Lyle McDonald suggests this in PSMF as I recall.

 

[Ben dur]

i just add black coffee to my shake

with oats and chocolate whey it makes a very pleasing taste

 

[DaMayor]

Right or wrong, I vote YES for the coffee shake combo.

*stirring his coffee whey beverage*

 

[Built]

Just don't try mixing it in while the coffee is hot. Maybe some brands are okay, but the ones I've tried curdle.

 

[DaMayor]

Oh, no curdle-age here.

Besides, I usually like my coffee strong, and just a little sweet....justa-ah-like-I like-ah-a-mah-womens. (Bad Steve Martin..sorry)

I do wonder about the effects of coffee in a post workout shake...you reckon the caffeine would have a negative effect?

 

[Ben dur]

yeah i cant drink hot coffee...

i put coffee in the blender with ice,
pulse until brown slush
add whey, pulse
add oats, pulse
-add cold water to desired consistency-

insert straw
enjoy frothy goodness

 

[Lacoste]

That actually sounds amazing! It's like an iced-cap without the fat and sugary carbs, and it's loaded with protein! I was thinking about buying dextrose today, but I wasn't sure. Do I use dextrose even if I had 2 rice cakes pre-workout? Or is it more of a thing to use if I feel a bit sluggish and want a little boost? Pre or post workout, or both??

Sorry for all of these questions, I'm really just trying to be as efficient as possible with the diet. Thanks guys

 

[Built]

Get your carbs from rice cakes, glucose, or both. Rice cakes are so high GI they might as well be dextrose.

 

[Lacoste]

Hey guys, here comes another annoying question . So, after cutting out a lot of the carbs in my diet, and only consuming about 50 grams a day, I started feeling very sluggish. I tend to always do things to the extreme, and this was not any different.

Okay, so I need you guys to tell me pretty much exactly what to do How many carbs (in grams) are okay to eat per day? What are the best foods to eat with good carbs? (I know, I will focus on complex carbs). And when should I eat said carbs? Keep in mind I generally start workouts around 9:30pm, on the odd occasion around 5:00pm.

I am still focusing on lowering my body fat % to get my abs popping. Thanks again for all the help and advice

 

[Built]

Why so low? I mean, personally I'm quite comfortable with low carbs, but there's no need.

What macros are you running, and are you carb-cycling or keeping them the same every day?

 

[Lacoste]

Update: Raised my carbs back up a bit. I feel much more normal now. I really think I was an idiot for lowering my carbs that much for more than a couple days. Anyways, I'm starting up a solid routine in the gym (based on Built's "Baby Got Back"), and I really can't wait. I have already gotten compliments on how much I have already changed, and I have only been lifting for 2.5 weeks! The diet really helps keep the gains, and burn the fat while lifting, and I'm sooo happy

Thanks again.