Help me with diet please

kakee

Hello all, I badly need your advise on a good diet plan. I recently got the p90x set of dvds, nutrition guide and worksheets. I am commited to do the workout dvds and stick with them for the 90 days.

I realised pretty quickly that I will never be able to follow their meal plans and I am hoping for some suggestions from the good folks here. Here is my situation........I am 34 years young, 14 stone and I sit at a desk nearly all day from 8.30am to 5pm.

What should I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Would a plan like this be any good.

Breakfast 7.30
1 bowl of porridge with no sugar
or
fried egg whites
or
museli type ceral
protien drink

Snack 10.30
Homemade protein bar
and an apple/orange


Lunch 1.00
3 Creamcrakers with tuna
or
3 Creamcrakers with phillidelphia cheese
or
Wrap with tuna/chicken/turkey and some lettuce and onion

Snack 3.00pm
Some nuts such as soy etc

Dinner 5.30
A homemade burger with mince and plenty veg
or
Fish/chicken with veg and brown rice

Workout 7-8.30
Recovery drink of chocolate milk afterwards

Thanks for reading and any help and advice will be recived most gratefully.

EileenG

Did the diet set any recommendations about proportions of protein, fat, carbs etc?

Fried egg whites? Ew! Eat a couple of whole eggs. Personally, I'm a fan of omlettes, because you can chuck in a load of vegetables with your eggs.

Porridge is not bad, and muesli depends on what's in it. Add protein and some decent fats.

What's in your protein drink and protein bar?

Cream crackers are rubbish. If you must eat bread, get some good quality rye or wholegrain bread instead. Better still, have your chicken or tuna with a big green salad.

Dinner looks okay.

Why chocolate milk after your workout, when you've been horsing back protein drinks during the day? This is the one time you could really benefit from a protein shake.

TommyKnocker

EileenG wrote: »

Did the diet set any recommendations about proportions of protein, fat, carbs etc?

Fried egg whites? Ew! Eat a couple of whole eggs. Personally, I'm a fan of omlettes, because you can chuck in a load of vegetables with your eggs.

Porridge is not bad, and muesli depends on what's in it. Add protein and some decent fats.

What's in your protein drink and protein bar?

Cream crackers are rubbish. If you must eat bread, get some good quality rye or wholegrain bread instead. Better still, have your chicken or tuna with a big green salad.

Dinner looks okay.

Why chocolate milk after your workout, when you've been horsing back protein drinks during the day? This is the one time you could really benefit from a protein shake.

+1 ^^ This. And why do you not have a proper meal after your workout? Even if you take a shake immediately after.

I would workout in the evening also and would usually be having a dinner around 20:00-20:30, consisting of some lean protein and some green veg. It would not be a big dinner, but I would have a proper meal after working out and about 2 hours before bed. And I would of had a shake after my lifting workouts.

kakee

Hello guys and thanks for the replies. I have a little more detail information from the guide. Here is what I should be eating on the first day of the plan.

Breakfast; 1 Mushroom omlette, 1 cup of strawberries, 12oz Cottage Cheese.
Morning snack; 1 Protein bar.
Lunch; 1 Chef salad.
Afternoon snack; 30 Pistachio nuts.
Dinner; 8oz Salmon, 3tsb Lemon Dill sauce, 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup wild rice, 2 cups Puree of red pepper soup and 2tsb of protein powder.
After workout; Recovery drink
2 hours before bed; 1 protein drink.

The servings I am allowed per day are;
7 from proteins group.
3 from dairy group.
1 from fruit.
4 from veg.
1 from fats.
1 from carbohydrates.
2 from snacks plus a protein bar and protein drink.
2 from condiments.

The breakdown for the first 4 weeks of the plan are Protein=50%, Carbohydrates=50% and Fats=20%

@Eileen, I found receipes online (including here on boards) for making my own protein drinks and bars. The bars are made up of;
250g of oats.
80-100g of unflavoured whey.
30g of sunflower seeds.
20g flaked almonds.
100-150g mixed fruit.
120g of olive oil.
Some milk/ natural yougart.

The protein shake would be ;
6 strawberries.
1/4 cup of crushed pineapple.
1 apricot, diced.
1 tbsp skim milk powder.
1 tbsp protein powder.
1 tsp flaxseed oil.
1 and 1/2 cups of water.

Basically I am looking for an easy diet to go along with the excercise plan. I am at work all day and wouldn't be able to cook some of the lunches recommended by the plan.

kakee

And why do you not have a proper meal after your workout? Even if you take a shake immediately after.

Thanks for the reply Tony.
The reason I was going to eat dinner before the workout was because I reckon I would be so hungry that I wouldn't be able to get through the workout. Do you think it would be best to do the workout first and then have dinner.
I have never attempted anything like this before but like I said in the first post I am determinded to do the 90 days, but I know I won't be able to follow the nutrition plan as laid out in the guide.
The last thing I would want to do is to keep doing the exercise routines but fcuk it all up by not eating properly.

teacosy

kakee wrote: »

Hello all, I badly need your advise on a good diet plan. I recently got the p90x set of dvds, nutrition guide and worksheets. I am commited to do the workout dvds and stick with them for the 90 days.

Hi there
What are you planning to do after the 90 days is up? Make the plan for your weight loss for 2-3 years, or even longer if necessary, not 90 days.

Sustained weight loss is very very difficult to achieve. Generally speaking, those who DO manage it achieve weight loss, and keep it off long term are those who make changes that are small, sustainable and compatible with their life in the long term. I think the http://weigh2live.safefood.eu/ website gives very sound, sensible advice.

I meet women in their 40s, 50s and 60s who have been dieting for practically all their adult lives, and are miserable for it, never mind not a pound lighter. Be careful not to fall into that dieting cycle.
Good luck.
Teacosy.

EileenG

kakee wrote: »

Hello guys and thanks for the replies. I have a little more detail information from the guide. Here is what I should be eating on the first day of the plan.

Breakfast; 1 Mushroom omlette, 1 cup of strawberries, 12oz Cottage Cheese.
Morning snack; 1 Protein bar.
Lunch; 1 Chef salad.
Afternoon snack; 30 Pistachio nuts.
Dinner; 8oz Salmon, 3tsb Lemon Dill sauce, 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup wild rice, 2 cups Puree of red pepper soup and 2tsb of protein powder.
After workout; Recovery drink
2 hours before bed; 1 protein drink.

The servings I am allowed per day are;
7 from proteins group.
3 from dairy group.
1 from fruit.
4 from veg.
1 from fats.
1 from carbohydrates.
2 from snacks plus a protein bar and protein drink.
2 from condiments.

The breakdown for the first 4 weeks of the plan are Protein=50%, Carbohydrates=50% and Fats=20%

@Eileen, I found receipes online (including here on boards) for making my own protein drinks and bars. The bars are made up of;
250g of oats.
80-100g of unflavoured whey.
30g of sunflower seeds.
20g flaked almonds.
100-150g mixed fruit.
120g of olive oil.
Some milk/ natural yougart.

The protein shake would be ;
6 strawberries.
1/4 cup of crushed pineapple.
1 apricot, diced.
1 tbsp skim milk powder.
1 tbsp protein powder.
1 tsp flaxseed oil.
1 and 1/2 cups of water.

Basically I am looking for an easy diet to go along with the excercise plan. I am at work all day and wouldn't be able to cook some of the lunches recommended by the plan.

I'd like to see that diet calculated out into calories, protein, fat etc.

Those protein bars, for instance, look as if they pack one hell of a lot of calories. And your shake had a lot more carbs than protein in it.

kakee

I'd like to see that diet calculated out into calories, protein, fat etc.

Those protein bars, for instance, look as if they pack one hell of a lot of calories. And your shake had a lot more carbs than protein in it.

Hi Eileen, here is my problem. I havn't got a clue about calories, fats or proteins. It is recommended I eat 2400 calories per day.
The recipe I posted above was for 10-12 bars.
At the moment I am trying to sort out meal plan that I can stick to easily enough.

EileenG

Open a free account with www.fitday.com or www.dailyplate.com or www.livestrong.com.

All of them will add up the food if you just put in what you eat and the amounts. You really do need to do this, or you are just guessing about what your calories are. Most people completely under-estimate the amount of cereal and rice and pasta that is in a portion, for instance. But if you weigh or measure a couple of times, you get to know what amount you should be eating.

TommyKnocker

Hi Kakee

Made some comments below in red and apologies in advance for the long post

kakee wrote: »

Hello guys and thanks for the replies. I have a little more detail information from the guide. Here is what I should be eating on the first day of the plan.

Breakfast; 1 Mushroom omlette, 1 cup of strawberries, 12oz Cottage Cheese.
Morning snack; 1 Protein bar.
Lunch; 1 Chef salad.
Afternoon snack; 30 Pistachio nuts.
Dinner; 8oz Salmon, 3tsb Lemon Dill sauce, 1 cup asparagus, 1 cup wild rice, 2 cups Puree of red pepper soup and 2tsb of protein powder.
After workout; Recovery drink
2 hours before bed; 1 protein drink.

Personally I find the P90X nutrition guide fairly fussy. IMO your results will be just a good if you adhere to the principles, though not necessarily verbatum to the outlined meal plans.

The servings I am allowed per day are;
7 from proteins group.
3 from dairy group.
1 from fruit.
4 from veg.
1 from fats.
1 from carbohydrates.
2 from snacks plus a protein bar and protein drink.
2 from condiments.

The breakdown for the first 4 weeks of the plan are Protein=50%, Carbohydrates=50% and Fats=20%

IMO either you made a typo with the macro breakdown or this is a little messed up. Your breakdown of the macro-nutrients should add up to 100% of your total calorie intake, not 120%

@Eileen, I found receipes online (including here on boards) for making my own protein drinks and bars. The bars are made up of;
250g of oats.
80-100g of unflavoured whey.
30g of sunflower seeds.
20g flaked almonds.
100-150g mixed fruit.
120g of olive oil.
Some milk/ natural yougart.

This is meant to be a protein bar, but it contains a fair amount fo carbs and fats also. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something you should be aware of.

The protein shake would be ;
6 strawberries. --> Carbs
1/4 cup of crushed pineapple. --> Carbs
1 apricot, diced. --> Carbs
1 tbsp skim milk powder. Protein, fats, some carbs
1 tbsp protein powder. --> Protein, Carb, Fat breakdown will be brand dependant
1 tsp flaxseed oil. --> Fats
1 and 1/2 cups of water.

As you can see your "Protein" shake contains quite a big percentage of Carbs. Again not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of.

Basically I am looking for an easy diet to go along with the excercise plan. I am at work all day and wouldn't be able to cook some of the lunches recommended by the plan.

Again as I said earlier, there is no requirement IMO to stick rigidly to the meal plans provided with P90X. Also you would be surprised what you can do with a little planning I cook whatever meat I will have for lunch the night before while I am cooking dinner. I will also chop up all the salad veg if salad is on the lunch menu and possibly cook some hard boiled eggs. I will also make a batch of Ratatouille some weekends, which easily keeps for a week in the fridge and have it two or three times through the week for lunch. You just need to get a routine going.

kakee wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Tony.
The reason I was going to eat dinner before the workout was because I reckon I would be so hungry that I wouldn't be able to get through the workout. Do you think it would be best to do the workout first and then have dinner.
I have never attempted anything like this before but like I said in the first post I am determinded to do the 90 days, but I know I won't be able to follow the nutrition plan as laid out in the guide.
The last thing I would want to do is to keep doing the exercise routines but fcuk it all up by not eating properly.

My interpetation of P90X is that it is a workout with the primary focus of helping you drop body fat and get your "Beach Body", but folks were and are able to achieve this goal without P90X.

Basically what you should look to do IMO is think long term. By all means do the P90X program, but diet wise just start with healthy foods. If you are looking to gain some muscle, eat slightly more calories then you require to fuel you normal daily activities plus your training. And if you are looking to shed body fat cut back on the carbs and eat slightly less calories then you need to fuel your normal daily activity plus your training.

It's actually really simple, you eat healthy foods, little or no processed rubbish, fast foods, sweets & cakes etc, lots of meats, veg, eggs, moderate amounts of fruit and don't forget healthy fat sources (Olive oil, Coconut Oil, Nuts & Seeds, Nut Butters, Oily fish, Advacados).

Use the information in the Stickies to get an idea of your daily maintenance calories. This is an idea of the number of calories you should eat each day to maintain your current weight. Then adjust this figure up or down to help you meet your goals.

So if you are doing P90X to drop body fat and get into shape, then eat slightly less (around 500 calories to start) then your maintenance figure. And remember as you lose body fat and get lighter, you will need to recalculate your calories requirements, as the lighter you get the lower your maintanence calorie requirements will be.

To give you an idea this is what a typical days food intake looks for me (male, 48 yrs, 12st 6 @ 13% BF)

05:20 Breakfast
20g Oats, 3 Almond nuts, 4 hazel nuts, 4 brazil nuts, 4 half walnuts, table spn of mixed seeds, 6 grapes, 6 raspberries, 6 blackberries, 3 strawberries, table spn blueberries with 200ml skimmed milk.
200ml Cranberry Juice
1 Mug green tea

Supplements: 1 multi vit, 4 fish oil caps, 1 Mega Cissus, 2 Glucosamine & Chondritin (for Joints)

09:00 At desk in work
2 scoops ON Protein, 5g Creatine 5g L-Glutamine, 300ml skimmed milk
2 generous tea spns of Peanut Butter
1/2 Banana
1 mug green tea

13:00Lunch
Today will be 2 5oz chicken breasts, 350g Ratatouille (homemade)
1 mug green tea.

16:00 At desk in work
150g homemade Cottage Cheese and mixed berries mix.
1/2 Banana

Workout between 18:00-19:30
Tonight will be a SS type Compound lifts routine

19:35 Post workout shake
2 scoops of ON Protein, 1.5 scoops of Glucose, 5g Creatine, 5g L-Glutamine, 400ml ice cold water.

20:15 ish Dinner
Tonight I will have 7oz fillet steak, 4 soft boiled eggs scooped out of their shell and mashed up with a knob of butter, and a fairly large salad (mixed leaves, mixed peppers, red onions, spring onions, grated carrot, 1 table spn cashew nuts, 6 cherry tomatoes with a balsamic vinegarette
1 Mug green tea, 2 squares of 90% dark chocolate (my treat on lifting days )

Supplements: 4 fish oil caps & 2 megs Cissus

I would also get through another 3-4 liters of fluids (water) throughout the entire day.

I think my diet is reasonably good, little starchy carbs, good protein & healthy fat sources and IMO not overly fussy. I eat like this all the time. I just adjust the quanity depending on whether I am trying to gain some lean weight or drop body fat.

Dixie Chick

I did Insanity which is another BeachBody workout and also knew straightway that I wouldnt be following the nutrition guide. Its very fussy I agree with a previous poster and I find you end up eating mental things just cos the guide tells you to do so.

Did you look at the community forums on the Beachbody website? Also there is a very active facebook page for P90X that you could ask people what alternatives they use

If you are interested I am in a facebook group for people who have done P90X and Insanity and i found it to be a great tool for motivation and info, I could suggest you to join that but then again that mightnt be your kind of thing at all.

kakee

Hi Eillen

I went on to livestrong.com as you suggested, I think it is really helpful to plan what to eat and after messing around a bit with various I came up with this as my daily total.

Cals-2161
Fat-52g
Cholesterol-158mg
Sodium-2668mg
Carbs-170g
Fiber-21g
Protein-220g
Sugars-75g

Do you think the levels of the various groups are ok for someone who wishes to shed a few pounds in say, 3 weeks or so. I myself think I might need to add a few more calories. Thanks again for your help so far.

Bottle_of_Smoke

TommyKnocker wrote: »

+1 ^^ This. And why do you not have a proper meal after your workout? Even if you take a shake immediately after.

I would workout in the evening also and would usually be having a dinner around 20:00-20:30, consisting of some lean protein and some green veg. It would not be a big dinner, but I would have a proper meal after working out and about 2 hours before bed. And I would of had a shake after my lifting workouts.

chocolate milk has a lot of protein in it. 34-36g per litre. Know a bodybuilder who takes it after training. aren't sugars good in some ways after a workout anyway?

EileenG

kakee wrote: »

Hi Eillen

I went on to livestrong.com as you suggested, I think it is really helpful to plan what to eat and after messing around a bit with various I came up with this as my daily total.

Cals-2161
Fat-52g
Cholesterol-158mg
Sodium-2668mg
Carbs-170g
Fiber-21g
Protein-220g
Sugars-75g

Do you think the levels of the various groups are ok for someone who wishes to shed a few pounds in say, 3 weeks or so. I myself think I might need to add a few more calories. Thanks again for your help so far.

I doubt you need to add any more calories. 2161 is about maintenance for an normal adult, and even allowing for your extra exercise, you are not going to lose weight if you eat more than this.

Personally, I think the carbs are very high for someone who wants to lose weight. Carbs (apart from green veg and a few similar things) tend to have a pretty crap nutritional profile, so you end up eating a lot of calories for the nutrients you get. The fact that you've only got 21g of fiber for 170g of carbs means you are not eating the high fiber ones you need.

EileenG

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

chocolate milk has a lot of protein in it. 34-36g per litre. Know a bodybuilder who takes it after training. aren't sugars good in some ways after a workout anyway?

A litre of chocolate milk is a lot. I reckon you're looking at around 700 odd calories, and 100g of mostly sugar carbs, just to get 34g of protein.

A small amount of a high gi carb like sugar can be useful post-workout, but 100g is way over the top.