Diet Help

DamienH

I've recently moved country so I've decided that now would be a good time to lost some weight. There's no sweeties to be keeping me away from my goals (all the chocolate is ****e) and most whole foods are good quality and inexpensive e.g. 20kg of chicken breasts for 50EUR and 30 eggs for 2.40EUR!

I've been weight training for a good while so I've got the exercise front covered. I usually do 4 days of weight training and have some kind of cardio work aswell. Cardio will be a low/medium/high intensity split ranging from below 5 minutes to 30 mins in duration (I can't stick cardio for more than 30 minutes, it's far too boring!). I read up on the stickies and I've done a bit of homework.

Before I start my stats are:
Age:23
Height:6ft
Weight:117.5kg
Bodyfat: Estimating this to be 20-25% so for the purpose of calculation I'm using 23%. I'm fat
LBM by this is 90kg or 200lbs.

Using Gem's posts in the stickies I've got my calorie allowance at this
It's all taken from this post
(118 * 15.3) + 679 = 2484
2484 * 1.4 = 3478.16

2 hours of weight training 760 Cals
Cardio for the week 650 Cals
Total calories for training / 7 = 201

Total Calories = 3680kCal

Reduce calories by 20% for weightloss
Calories/day = 2944
2950 for the sake of argument.

Please tell me I did the above correctly?
Splitting this into about 5 meals gives me a 600cal meal, which to my suprise is a lot of food

I've broken this allowance down into
Protein 300g (1.5 per lb of lean body mass) 1200kCal 40% of my daily allowance.

I want to try and only eat the carbs when I need them so I will start out getting most of my energy from fats. TBH I just kind of picked a figure out of the sky here, let me know if I'm doing something wrong.

Fat 40% (this is from memory) 26g a meal, so 1170kCal (39%)
Carbohydrates 30g a meal (21%)

I'm slightly worried that the carb count is pretty low. I've been eating like this for about 4 days and I haven't noticed myself being tired, but in saying that I haven't been to the gym either. A fair bit of my carbs I plan to use for breakfast ,before and after my workouts.

I'll post up what I ate yesterday just to show where I get the calories from:

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs and 2 slices of wholemeal bread toasted
(4 whole eggs to 10 egg white)
Total 60g of protein, 55g of carbs and 28g of fat

Lunch
40 almonds
2 protein shakes
Total 56g of protein 9.5 carbs and 24 fat

Lunch
3 Tins of Tuna and two apples
Total 60g of protein , 58g carb and 27g of fat

Dinner
Grilled chicken (don't know the weight but it was two breasts to be sure)
Bagel
Total xg of protein 55 carbs and 1.7 g of fat

Before bed
2.5 protein shakes and some almonds, not sure of the amount maybe 30-40
60g of protein and 24 fat.

I haven't totaled up how many calories that comes to but it must be fairly close.
I know I had way too many shakes but I was at my girlfirends house and it was all I could get that late.

Does this seem okay to everyone?
I have to shift the gut!!
Thanks

EileenG

Open a free account with Fitday.com or some similar site to add up your calories for you. If you'd rather, you can download "HelpDiabetes" to your phone and it will do the adding for you.

Personally, I think those calories are too high unless you have a very active manual job. If you commute to a desk job, you can definitely reduce them. Someone who goes to the gym four times a week and does some moderate cardio as well can't really expect to lose weight on 3000 calories a day.

It's a myth that you need carbs for energy. Calories provide energy, and you have lots of those. 300g of protein a day is probably more than you need. Normal recommendation is 1g of protein per pound of lean, so around 200g for you. Only if you are doing something like PSMF (not recommended) would you need to go higher than that.

Eat whole eggs. Throwing out ten yolks a day is a shocking waste, not to mention expensive. Chicken and tuna are fine, but don't forget salmon and steak (gotta keep your testosterone levels high). And where are the vegetables? You should be lashing into the salad, broccoli, spinach, chard, celery, fennel, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus etc.

Lantus

You don't say what is it your trying to achieve? EDIT: lose the gut....

Anyway's I would personally start with a very moderate 40/40/20 protein/complex carbs/fat. You should aim to eat a bit of each in every meal. i.e. don't have all protein and then all carb and then all fat. And eat some veg man! fibre, vitamins, nutrients! = strong healthy body and bigger better muscles.

You will also need to up your cardio unless your BF% is dropping at the levels you stated.

ease back on the carbs for the last meal or two later in the day when you don't need them as much.

Drink loads of water. Also, are you sure you haven't added your exercise in twice. Once when you *1.4 and then you add all the exercise again?

Mellor

Firstly you calculated the calories wrong.
the forumla you used mentions that it is for use with lean body mass, you used total weight.
There are plenty of formulas out there, try out a few and take the lowest.

Secondly, I don't add in the excercise calories for weight loss, its too easy to over estimate what you have used. amd its better to have the excercise and extra, no point in eating to cover it.

finally, you are eating too much and are underestimating the calories. 80 almonds a day is an awful lot. Far too much, thy have no place on a weight loss diet really, defo not 80 of them a day. You are estimating far too much and if you weighed the food the calories could well be higher (will never be lower)

Lantus wrote: »

You will also need to up your cardio unless your BF% is dropping at the levels you stated.

Why?
Resistance training is a prefectly able to rreduce BF%

firstprime

well it seems to me that youre eating way too much, unless youre training to be a bodybuilder or something. you could probably do with canceling one of those lunches and cutting back in general. just eat less and more healthy and do some exercise. i have been doing this for a month now and i have lost 25lbs. (and maybe too many protien shakes, not as important as you seem to think)

Lantus

IF the OP's BF% is droppping at a steady rate then there is no need to change what he's doing. However, if it isn't and he's already working out at his resistance training 5 times a week say then introducing more cardio would be a requirement to shift the fat.

There will always people who can eat pizza and watch tv and still have a 6 pack, genetics isn't fair (unless your that person Mellor?) for the rest of us it's hard work. 3500 calories in a pound of fat. ouch.

Of course he needs to sort out that nutrition plan first...

DamienH

EileenG wrote: »

Eat whole eggs. Throwing out ten yolks a day is a shocking waste, not to mention expensive. Chicken and tuna are fine, but don't forget salmon and steak (gotta keep your testosterone levels high). And where are the vegetables? You should be lashing into the salad, broccoli, spinach, chard, celery, fennel, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus etc.

I agree that throwing out so many yolks is a bad waste of food. Is it true that all the fat of an egg is contained in it's yolk? The whites were mainly used to up the protein content.

I like to eat beef once or twice a week but here in Korea it is extremely expensive and of low enough quality. When I do eat it I make sure that it is only grilled on a type of george foreman grilll. It's not exactly a sirloin though.

As regards fish and testosterone is salmon the only choice? I can get fish here cheap but due to language difference I have no idea what it is Salmon can't be found here apparently

Veggies have been a pain here. I didn't include the vegetables that I had eaten but the tuna was with a salad and the eggs had broccoli. Most of the veg is different to home so I have been sticking with beansprouts, broccoli, lettuce + leaves, onions and peppers. Do you think this would be enough? I'd eat a good amount of each.

Mellor wrote:

Firstly you calculated the calories wrong.
the forumla you used mentions that it is for use with lean body mass, you used total weight.
There are plenty of formulas out there, try out a few and take the lowest.

Thanks for this Mellor, it would of put me out majorly. I didn't see LBM written anywhere in Gem's post so I was a bit confused.

Thanks for the advice about not adding in the extra exercise. I agree 80 almonds is mad but I was really just focusing on getting the right amount of x and y.

Is there anything wrong with almonds themselves? (other than the fact that I ate 80 )

firstprime wrote:

just eat less and more healthy and do some exercise. i have been doing this for a month now and i have lost 25lbs.

Thanks for the advice I realise that eating less and doing more should get me where I need. 25lbs in a month is way too fast for me. I'd be happy with 10 a month. If I was losing almost 2 stone a month I don't think I'd feel too good.

I'm going to write up a revised of the above, for today I'm going to eat one meal less so that should get me to about 2500 ish, I think that's more where I need to be.
Thanks

EileenG

Eggs are now one of the shining stars are far as nutrition is concerned. Yes, the yolk does contain fat, but it's fat that tends to improve your HDL cholesterol levels (the good ones) so it's good for you.

Any oily fish would be fine. Whatever is fresh and in season where you are is your best bet. Same with the veg. Eat plenty of what's available locally.

You don't have to eat beef if you can't get it easily, but don't assume that tuna and chicken is always better than red meat.

If you are eating veg as well as all the other stuff you have listed, you are definitely eating too much. To be honest, I'm wondering where you find room for it all.

DamienH

Thanks very much Eileen, these are the questions that I need answered.

Just back from work now so I'll either post late tonight or in the morning. I'll put what I've eaten today in fitday aswell to see how I fared.

DamienH

Ok so I've totaled up the food I ate today.

Breakfast
1 Tuna Kimbap Roll
This is basically white rice with vegetables, tuna and a little mayonnaise all rolled up in a sheet of seaweed. It's korea's version of fast food and it's handy in the morning.
1 Chicken Breast
Total Cals: 877 - Fat/32.8g Carbs/73.8g Protein/72.3g

Lunch
Tuna Salad
2 tins of tuna, leaves, half an onion and a bell pepper.
1 Apple and 1 Banana
Total Cals:665 Fat/19 Carbs/65 Protein/60

Dinner
Korean Beef BBQ
This is skirt steak, which has been trimmed of any big bits of fat. You cook it on a sloped plate at the table and it has a grease trap, it's basically like a big george foreman with no cover. Fitday has a value for skirt steak so it was handy enough.
I'm fairly sure a portion is 120g and you've to buy it in threes. I ate it with my gf so I said I ate 2 portions she ate 1.

This is all eaten with side dishes and leaves (lettuce and sesame). The side dishes I eat are onions, a kind of thick grass (that's what it looks like) in a spicy soy marinade, a little seasoned bean paste, cloves of garlic and pickled cabbage. I eat plenty of these cause I know how important veggies are.I just estimated the carbs to be around 15g in all.

Total cals : 804 Fat/37.4g Carbs/15g Protein/95.6

Today was a busy day at work, the breakfast is massive even by my standards. I know I should be eating less more often but this is the way that it worked out. I can't snack at work because I teach, eating in class is verboten.

Fitday total for today
Calories 2,527
Fats - 104.9 (37%)
Carbs - 159.8 (24%)
Protein - 238 (39%)

Am I on the right track with this? I'm going to have to start a food log aswell, the amount of calories in some foods is really suprising!

Mellor

Lantus wrote: »

IF the OP's BF% is droppping at a steady rate then there is no need to change what he's doing. However, if it isn't and he's already working out at his resistance training 5 times a week say then introducing more cardio would be a requirement to shift the fat.

Obviously cardio on top of a full weights program is better than the weights programme alone.
But some people find it a lot easier to be consistant with resistance training than cardio.

I would rather see the OP doing a full weights program every week, than half a cardio program half the time. What ever works and is most likely to be maintained.

Personally, I mixed both, 2 resistance days, to 1 cardio day, twice a week (6 sessions total)

DamienH wrote: »

Thanks for this Mellor, it would of put me out majorly. I didn't see LBM written anywhere in Gem's post so I was a bit confused.


Is there anything wrong with almonds themselves? (other than the fact that I ate 80 )

The LBM is mention in a later post I think, or prehaps in the original thread, over in diet and nutrition.

As for the nuts, they aren't bad themselves, but they are so calorie dense that its easy to over do it. Better off leaving them off the shopping list for a while.

Thanks for the advice I realise that eating less and doing more should get me where I need. 25lbs in a month is way too fast for me. I'd be happy with 10 a month. If I was losing almost 2 stone a month I don't think I'd feel too good.

Don't worry, I realy doubt that poster lost 25lbs in a month, probably meant 2.5
10 lbs a month is still a huge amount and equals a 1200 deficit a day.
A much more reasonable amount would be 1 lb a week, a very good week might see you break 2lbs.

DamienH wrote: »

Ok so I've totaled up the food I ate today.

Breakfast
1 Tuna Kimbap Roll
This is basically white rice with vegetables, tuna and a little mayonnaise all rolled up in a sheet of seaweed. It's korea's version of fast food and it's handy in the morning.
1 Chicken Breast
Total Cals: 877 - Fat/32.8g Carbs/73.8g Protein/72.3g

Lunch
Tuna Salad
2 tins of tuna, leaves, half an onion and a bell pepper.
1 Apple and 1 Banana
Total Cals:665 Fat/19 Carbs/65 Protein/60

Dinner
Korean Beef BBQ
This is skirt steak, which has been trimmed of any big bits of fat. You cook it on a sloped plate at the table and it has a grease trap, it's basically like a big george foreman with no cover. Fitday has a value for skirt steak so it was handy enough.
I'm fairly sure a portion is 120g and you've to buy it in threes. I ate it with my gf so I said I ate 2 portions she ate 1.

This is all eaten with side dishes and leaves (lettuce and sesame). The side dishes I eat are onions, a kind of thick grass (that's what it looks like) in a spicy soy marinade, a little seasoned bean paste, cloves of garlic and pickled cabbage. I eat plenty of these cause I know how important veggies are.I just estimated the carbs to be around 15g in all.

Total cals : 804 Fat/37.4g Carbs/15g Protein/95.6

Today was a busy day at work, the breakfast is massive even by my standards. I know I should be eating less more often but this is the way that it worked out. I can't snack at work because I teach, eating in class is verboten.

Fitday total for today
Calories 2,527
Fats - 104.9 (37%)
Carbs - 159.8 (24%)
Protein - 238 (39%)

Am I on the right track with this? I'm going to have to start a food log aswell, the amount of calories in some foods is really suprising!

That looks much better, keep the protein high and the fats carbs 20-25% each.
If that most comfortable for you then stick to 3 meals a day, i find 3 meals 3 snacks works better for me, but find what works best for you.

DamienH

Thanks for that Mellor, happy to finally be on the right track.

My goal for fat loss is to shift about 2 stone, a little more if I could by April. Anything more will be a bonus.

I'll have nothing much to do really but hit the gym for a good 3 months so working out shouldn't be a problem. Weights and metcons are what I usually try to do.