Whats this diet like?

hefferboi

I'm a 5'8 male and weigh around 11/11.5 stone. Have started in the gym since October, going approx 5 days a week doing all weight training. I play football twice a week also. I've been going well and I notice a big difference since I started but my diet has never been right so from this week onwards I've settled on this diet. I'm looking to cut my fat but keep my muscle.

Breakfast:
Porridge(50g), 2 eggs(whites), 2 slices of wholegrain bread, Water/milk

Snack:
Bannana/Apple

Lunch:
Tuna/pink salmon, Salad on wholegrain bread

Gym:
Protein Shake

Dinner:
Chicken/Fish(150g), Salad, Peas/beans, 1 sweet potato

Snack:
Muller greek styled yogurt, Protein shake.



Is there anything I should add/take out/replace from that list? Thanks.

danlen

hefferboi wrote: »

Breakfast:
Porridge(50g), 2 eggs(whites), 2 slices of wholegrain bread, Water/milk

Snack:
Bannana/Apple

Lunch:
Tuna/pink salmon, Salad on wholegrain bread

Gym:
Protein Shake

Dinner:
Chicken/Fish(150g), Salad, Peas/beans, 1 sweet potato

Snack:
Muller greek styled yogurt, Protein shake.



Is there anything I should add/take out/replace from that list? Thanks.

Get rid of the bread and milk. I would stop the porridge for breakfast in the morning too, go with just the eggs. Maybe some bacon. Or perhaps some nuts.

I don't see the need for the banana/apple as a snack? Leave that out. If you do want to include it anywhere it might be an idea to take with your protein post workout.

For dinner, you would be way better off changing the beans and peas for some green leafy veg like spinach, kale, cabbage, etc. Include some fat with the veg (butter/coconut oil/olive oil).

Also I would probably go with some beef/lamb instead of the chicken or tinned fish. Way better quality.

hefferboi

danlen wrote: »

Get rid of the bread and milk. I would stop the porridge for breakfast in the morning too, go with just the eggs. Maybe some bacon. Or perhaps some nuts.

I don't see the need for the banana/apple as a snack? Leave that out. If you do want to include it anywhere it might be an idea to take with your protein post workout.

For dinner, you would be way better off changing the beans and peas for some green leafy veg like spinach, kale, cabbage, etc. Include some fat with the veg (butter/coconut oil/olive oil).

Also I would probably go with some beef/lamb instead of the chicken or tinned fish. Way better quality.

Would porridge not be healthier than bacon?

danlen

hefferboi wrote: »

Would porridge not be healthier than bacon?

No not really.

Bacon gets a bad rap from people going on outdated guidelines. Most important thing is how its cooked. If you are going to fry it use something like coconut oil/butter/ghee and keep the heat low to moderate. You want to make sure it's cooked but avoid any excessive browning/slight burning. Do not use veg oil or olive oil to cook with.

Porridge is often touted as the perfect breakfast but for most people it's not all that good a choice. You are going to get an elevated insulin response to it (especially if it's made with milk), nevermind the high probability of it being cross-contaminated with gluten.

fearcruach

danlen wrote: »

Get rid of the bread and milk. I would stop the porridge for breakfast in the morning too, go with just the eggs. Maybe some bacon. Or perhaps some nuts.

I don't see the need for the banana/apple as a snack? Leave that out. If you do want to include it anywhere it might be an idea to take with your protein post workout.

For dinner, you would be way better off changing the beans and peas for some green leafy veg like spinach, kale, cabbage, etc. Include some fat with the veg (butter/coconut oil/olive oil).

Also I would probably go with some beef/lamb instead of the chicken or tinned fish. Way better quality.

What is the quality problem with chicken?

hefferboi

danlen wrote: »

No not really.

Bacon gets a bad rap from people going on outdated guidelines. Most important thing is how its cooked. If you are going to fry it use something like coconut oil/butter/ghee and keep the heat low to moderate. You want to make sure it's cooked but avoid any excessive browning/slight burning. Do not use veg oil or olive oil to cook with.

Porridge is often touted as the perfect breakfast but for most people it's not all that good a choice. You are going to get an elevated insulin response to it (especially if it's made with milk), nevermind the high probability of it being cross-contaminated with gluten.

I'm just wary of bacon as its processed food? I'd usually grill it if I was cooking it though.

siblers

danlen wrote: »

No not really.

Bacon gets a bad rap from people going on outdated guidelines. Most important thing is how its cooked. If you are going to fry it use something like coconut oil/butter/ghee and keep the heat low to moderate. You want to make sure it's cooked but avoid any excessive browning/slight burning. Do not use veg oil or olive oil to cook with.

Porridge is often touted as the perfect breakfast but for most people it's not all that good a choice. You are going to get an elevated insulin response to it (especially if it's made with milk), nevermind the high probability of it being cross-contaminated with gluten.

Gluten contamination wont mean anything if he doesn't suffer a gluten intolerance, plus there's loads of gluten free brands out there.

SunnyDub1

danlen wrote: »

Get rid of the bread and milk. I would stop the porridge for breakfast in the morning too, go with just the eggs. Maybe some bacon. Or perhaps some nuts.

I don't see the need for the banana/apple as a snack? Leave that out. If you do want to include it anywhere it might be an idea to take with your protein post workout.

For dinner, you would be way better off changing the beans and peas for some green leafy veg like spinach, kale, cabbage, etc. Include some fat with the veg (butter/coconut oil/olive oil).

Also I would probably go with some beef/lamb instead of the chicken or tinned fish. Way better quality.

Nothing wrong with having a little milk once in a while.
I agree that eggs are a good option but what is wrong with having porridge? No need to cut it out totally. I can think of worse things the op could be eating for brekfast.

Why don't you see the need for snacking?

How is beef/lamb better quality then eating chicken or fish?

hefferboi wrote: »

I'm a 5'8 male and weigh around 11/11.5 stone. Have started in the gym since October, going approx 5 days a week doing all weight training. I play football twice a week also. I've been going well and I notice a big difference since I started but my diet has never been right so from this week onwards I've settled on this diet. I'm looking to cut my fat but keep my muscle.

Breakfast:
Porridge(50g), 2 eggs(whites), 2 slices of wholegrain bread, Water/milk

Snack:
Bannana/Apple

Lunch:
Tuna/pink salmon, Salad on wholegrain bread

Gym:
Protein Shake

Dinner:
Chicken/Fish(150g), Salad, Peas/beans, 1 sweet potato

Snack:
Muller greek styled yogurt, Protein shake.



Is there anything I should add/take out/replace from that list? Thanks.

OP, your diet seems OK.

Only thing I can really see wrong is you eat a good amount of carbs and you seem to be eating very little for someone who is training 5 days a week. Have you worked out how much calories you should be eating, and how much you are actually eating?

If you are having porridge for breakfast there is no need for the bread as well.

If you are having bread or porridge for breakfast there is no need for bread at lunch. Try just sticking to salad.

Carbs are best eating post workout. You don't need to get your carb intake from processed foods like bread. Brown rice and veg are also (better) sources of complex carbs.

Greek "style" yogurts are laced with sugars. Try getting the real thing.

danlen

siblers wrote: »

Gluten contamination wont mean anything if he doesn't suffer a gluten intolerance, plus there's loads of gluten free brands out there.

There is a good chance that the majority of people who think they dont have a gluten intolerance do in fact have an intolerance on some level, whether symptoms are severe or not.

The fact is, gluten is bad for everyone.

Sure, you can get gluten-free oats but how many people that eat porridge actually do that? Never mind the fact that you are going to pay twice the price for it in order for it to be gluten-free so why not just choose a breakfast that isn't going to have any gluten anyway?

In any case, I don't see why the oats are necessary here. Especially considering the OPs goals.

Even disregarding the gluten, oats are not all that good anyway. If you really want to include them, proper steel-cut oats are your best bet. But again, these are not what most people are buying. The majority of oats on sale are commercial instant oats.

@OP: The bacon was just a suggestion to accompany the eggs. It doesn't have to be a staple. An ommlette with some spinach leaves is another option. As would be the Greek yogurt you're having at the end of the day.

hefferboi

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with having a little milk once in a while.
I agree that eggs are a good option but what is wrong with having porridge? No need to cut it out totally. I can think of worse things the op could be eating for brekfast.

Why don't you see the need for snacking?

How is beef/lamb better quality then eating chicken or fish?



OP, your diet seems OK.

Only thing I can really see wrong is you eat a good amount of carbs and you seem to be eating very little for someone who is training 5 days a week. Have you worked out how much calories you should be eating, and how much you are actually eating?

If you are having porridge for breakfast there is no need for the bread as well.

If you are having bread or porridge for breakfast there is no need for bread at lunch. Try just sticking to salad.

Carbs are best eating post workout. You don't need to get your carb intake from processed foods like bread. Brown rice and veg are also (better) sources of complex carbs.

Greek "style" yogurts are laced with sugars. Try getting the real thing.

No I haven't checked my how much calories I should be taking. How would I check this?

I think I'll cut out the bread so.

SunnyDub1

danlen wrote: »

There is a good chance that the majority of people who think they dont have a gluten intolerance do in fact have an intolerance on some level, whether symptoms are severe or not.

.

WTF where are you getting this info from ?
source?

And you never answered the question about chicken and fish being a poor quality source of protein?

SunnyDub1

hefferboi wrote: »

No I haven't checked my how much calories I should be taking. How would I check this?

I think I'll cut out the bread so.

Read post number 12 by g'em

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055963342

danlen

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with having a little milk once in a while.

True. But having it every morning when he is trying to drop body fat is kind of counter productive. Milk is very insulinogenic.

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

I agree that eggs are a good option but what is wrong with having porridge? No need to cut it out totally.

See previous reply to other post.

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

I can think of worse things the op could be eating for brekfast.

Sure there are worse things. But the OP is looking for a diet that is best to help him with a particular goal. Why would we include something on the basis that there are still worse options out there?

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Why don't you see the need for snacking?

I have no problem with snacking. It was the choice of snack. Having a banana mid-morning isn't really serving any purpose and again is going to be counter-productive to his goals. I'll admit, it's a small detail but I was just letting the OP know what I think would make a bit of a difference.

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

How is beef/lamb better quality then eating chicken or fish?

The quality of the feed and living conditions of the animal when it was alive. We are lucky in Ireland to have beef and lamb that is pretty much all grass-fed and the livestock are living outside on pasture most of the time. This makes a huge difference to the final meat quality, especially the fatty acid composition.

Unless you are able to find (and pay for) chicken that has been pasture-raised and fed a diet natural to it, then you are getting poorer quality meat. Any of the fat is going to have a high omega 6:omega 3 ratio.

The fish is less of a problem and is fine to include. Ideally you're looking for wild fish. Salmon is going to be very pricey but I have found wild mackerel to be quite cheap in most supermarkets.

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Greek "style" yogurts are laced with sugars. Try getting the real thing.

One in Lidl is pretty decent. 10g+ fat, 4g carbs. Pretty cheap too.

danlen

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

WTF where are you getting this info from ?
source?

Have a read through this paper.

siblers

danlen wrote: »

There is a good chance that the majority of people who think they dont have a gluten intolerance do in fact have an intolerance on some level, whether symptoms are severe or not.

The fact is, gluten is bad for everyone.

Sure, you can get gluten-free oats but how many people that eat porridge actually do that? Never mind the fact that you are going to pay twice the price for it in order for it to be gluten-free so why not just choose a breakfast that isn't going to have any gluten anyway?

In any case, I don't see why the oats are necessary here. Especially considering the OPs goals.

Even disregarding the gluten, oats are not all that good anyway. If you really want to include them, proper steel-cut oats are your best bet. But again, these are not what most people are buying. The majority of oats on sale are commercial instant oats.

@OP: The bacon was just a suggestion to accompany the eggs. It doesn't have to be a staple. An ommlette with some spinach leaves is another option. As would be the Greek yogurt you're having at the end of the day.

There are roughly one in one hundred who have an intolerance of gluten, so I don't really see why you have such a strong issue with gluten. It's a naturally occuring protein, its not like its some chemical additive to enhance flavour.

pumpingiron

danlen wrote: »

True. But having it every morning when he is trying to drop body fat is kind of counter productive. Milk is very insulinogenic.



See previous reply to other post.



Sure there are worse things. But the OP is looking for a diet that is best to help him with a particular goal. Why would we include something on the basis that there are still worse options out there?



I have no problem with snacking. It was the choice of snack. Having a banana mid-morning isn't really serving any purpose and again is going to be counter-productive to his goals. I'll admit, it's a small detail but I was just letting the OP know what I think would make a bit of a difference.



The quality of the feed and living conditions of the animal when it was alive. We are lucky in Ireland to have beef and lamb that is pretty much all grass-fed and the livestock are living outside on pasture most of the time. This makes a huge difference to the final meat quality, especially the fatty acid composition.

Unless you are able to find (and pay for) chicken that has been pasture-raised and fed a diet natural to it, then you are getting poorer quality meat. Any of the fat is going to have a high omega 6:omega 3 ratio.

The fish is less of a problem and is fine to include. Ideally you're looking for wild fish. Salmon is going to be very pricey but I have found wild mackerel to be quite cheap in most supermarkets.




One in Lidl is pretty decent. 10g+ fat, 4g carbs. Pretty cheap too.

Wild Mackerel, as opposed to ?.....

danlen

siblers wrote: »

There are roughly one in one hundred who have an intolerance of gluten, so I don't really see why you have such a strong issue with gluten.

Did you even read the paper I linked to?

Where are you pulling that 1 in 100 figure from? It is WAY off.

siblers wrote: »

It's a naturally occuring protein, its not like its some chemical additive to enhance flavour.

Being naturally occurring means absolutely nothing in terms of how problematic it can be. Cyanides are naturally occurring compounds. The "naturally occurring" logic is a fallacy.

In fact I would go as far as to say gluten is more harmful than many of he the artificial flavourings you mention.

danlen

pumpingiron wrote: »

Wild Mackerel, as opposed to ?.....

Farmed salmon.

I was stating that it's best to eat wild caught fish but as the majority of affordable salmon is farmed, I usually buy mackerel.

spiralbound

danlen wrote: »

Did you even read the paper I linked to?

Where are you pulling that 1 in 100 figure from? It is WAY off.




Being naturally occurring means absolutely nothing in terms of how problematic it can be. Cyanides are naturally occurring compounds. The "naturally occurring" logic is a fallacy.

In fact I would go as far as to say gluten is more harmful than many of he the artificial flavourings you mention.

Did you read the paper? Where does it say most people have a problem with gluten?

danlen

spiralbound wrote: »

Did you read the paper? Where does it say most people have a problem with gluten?

...

Sapone et al. wrote:

It is now becoming apparent that reactions to gluten are not limited to CD, rather we now appreciate the existence of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders. The high frequency and wide range of adverse reactions to gluten raise the question as to why this dietary protein is toxic for so many individuals in the world.

Sapone et al. wrote:

All individuals, even those with a low degree of risk, are therefore susceptible to some form of gluten reaction during their life span.

To me, this suggests that a lot more than 1% of the population have a problem with gluten.

I'll try to have a dig through other papers I have on this too.

The main problem with finding an exact value or hard data on gluten sensitivity is that there is no real standard way to measure it at the moment. The research on gluten sensitivity outside of Coeliac Disease is only emerging recently. However, I think it's fair to assume that gluten is far more of a problem for people than previously thought.

I just don't see how our gut can handle it without there being at least some inflammatory response to the gliadin component of gluten. Obviously this response is on a spectrum from extremely low to severe, thus why there is a wide range of symptom expression.

spiralbound

All individuals, even those with a low degree of risk, are therefore susceptible to some form of gluten reaction during their life span.

I think perhaps they mean that gluten is so prevalent in the Western diet these days that most people will be exposed to it, probably at relatively high levels, and so if there is an issue with gluten, they will have a reaction, not that most people will have a reaction.

danlen

spiralbound wrote: »

I think perhaps they mean that gluten is so prevalent in the Western diet these days that most people will be exposed to it, probably at relatively high levels, and so if there is an issue with gluten, they will have a reaction, not that most people will have a reaction.

I disagree.

I am of the opinion almost everyone will have an immune response to gluten (specifically gliadin), it is just the extent of the response which will dictate how symptoms are manifested/expressed. The extent of the response will come down to a host of variables specific to the individual.

spiralbound

danlen wrote: »

I disagree.

I am of the opinion almost everyone will have an immune response to gluten (specifically gliadin), it is just the extent of the response which will dictate how symptoms are manifested/expressed. The extent of the response will come down to a host of variables specific to the individual.

Okay, fair enough. That opinion is not backed up by the paper you linked to, however.