carb cycling diet - please comment

[ziggz]

Hey guys. I used to weigh 250 lbs, now down to about 205. I am trying to get down another 20 or so lbs, where I think I'll be lean enough where I can start bulking. To do this, I have been working on a carb cycling diet and would welcome any comments and/or suggestions!

My Stats:

Height: 6'0
Weight: 205 (approx)
BF: 20 - 24%
Lean mass: 160 - 165 (approx)
fat weight: 40 lbs (approx)

BMR: 1937 (approx)
TDEE using 1.55 factor: 3003

Carb cycling diet:

Mon - medium - chest/triceps - PWO cardio
Tues - high - back/biceps - pwo cardio?
wed - low - off
thurs - medium - shoulders - PWO cardio
fri - high - legs
sat - medium - AM cardio
sun - low - off

Low - days off - Sunday and Wednesday



Medium - Monday and thursday



High - Tuesday and Friday



Saturday - medium - TBD

The whey and bagel meal is PWO nutrition.
Btw, does PWO cardio make sense on high carb days?

[ziggz]

anyone??

[Damienm05]

Well, your diet isn't in a format that I can really work with but that's for the best since I'd be sitting here all day if it were.

Your diet is OK for an average Joe who's simply looking to not be fat anymore but for someone implementing a carb cycle, something unique to bodybuilding for the purpose of getting ripped; it's a bit of a joke. No offense at all.

I see things like bread, bagels, deli meat, unspecified meals, fruit sugar, mayo, casein in the middle of the day - it's just not a strong diet at all. If your level of dedication is low to the point that you're still eating like an average guy, I don't know why you're carb cycling and why you've gone through all the effort of making that spreadsheet - I know you can do better.

I like doing a three day cycle just fine but four would be better to achieve some semblance of glycogen super-compensation like you'd get with a real "carb-up". Say no, low, moderate, high. No processed foods such as I've listed above and no fructose as it is a detriment to this type of dieting.

Example 6-meal no-carb day: 60/40 pro/fat calories 45/15g per meal
1- pro/fat - 5 whole omega-3 egg
2- pro/fat - 6 oz raw lean meat, veggies, healthy oil or nuts
3- pro/fat - same as above
4- fast pro/fat - PWO whey, organic peanut butter
5- pro/fat - same as 2/3
6- slow pro/fat - casein or steak with healthy oil or nuts

Sample 6-meal low-day - moderate complex carbs (20-30g) pre/post workout:
1- pro/fat - 5 whole omega-3 egg
2- pro/fat - 6 oz raw lean meat, veggies, healthy oil or nuts
3- pro/moderate carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, small sweet potato
4- fast pro/moderate carb - PWO whey, 1/2 cup raw oats
5- pro/fat - same as 2
6- slow pro/fat - casein or steak with healthy oil or nuts

Sample moderate day - moderate complex carbs through your workout time, pro/fat otherwise
1- pro/moderate carb - 10 egg whites, 1/2 cup oats
2- pro/moderate carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, veggies, 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
3- pro/moderate carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, small sweet potato
4- fast pro/moderate carb - PWO whey, 1/2 cup raw oats
5- pro/fat - 6 oz raw lean meat, healthy oil/nuts
6- slow pro/fat - casein or steak with healthy oil or nuts

Sample carb up day: about 300-400g divided between each meal, very, very low fat to keep calories low.
1- pro/carb - 8 egg whites, 1 cup oats
2- pro/carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, veggies, 1 cup brown rice
3- pro/carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, 2 sweet potato
4- fast pro/high carb - PWO whey, 2 bagels
5- pro/carb - 6 oz raw lean meat, 1 cup brown rice, veggies
6- slow pro/fat - casein or steak with 1 cup oats.

[MBMETC]

don't nuts count as a carb i know we are using them for their fat benifits but they do in fact contain carbs, sorry my anal brain won't let this go

[Damienm05]

Sure they do but I'm only talking about 12-15g of fat via nuts per a couple meals on the no-carb day - that's a total of no more than 20g carbs which is even sufficient for a keto diet. I think it's fair to refer to that as no-carb, especially since we're not talking about anything referenced on the GI.

[ziggz]

Hey damien, thanks for the feedback! I am not offended at all. I have a bit of knowledge on nutrition, but I am still struggling on food choices. The half bagel and whey is PWO nutrition, btw, and I've read several times that a PWO bagel is a good carb since it is a waxy maize starch, but I can definitely throw it out and come up with something as you have outlined above. Also, I thought mayo is a decent fat since it is mostly poly and monunsaturated. The fruit is for high carb days, and I added it because I read it over here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm (scroll to high carb day), where he writes:

Also, each one of those meals must include a small piece of fruit (again, a requirement before downing enough other carbs to the point of no return). Almost any fruit will do (save bananas, kiwis, avocado, and other very high calorie or high fat fruits). We are looking for a small serving of fresh fruit, say between 50 and 100 calories worth. The fructose from fruit will help keep liver glycogen stores full and keep your body in the fed state as opposed to starvation-mode. And, if only consumed in small amounts, is not likely to spill over into adipose.

I was skeptical when I read that because I know that fructose is detrimental towards cutting, so I'll be taking it out. Would you also be able to advise me how many calories I should be aiming for each day? and how to cycle the carb days? Do I just go no, low, medium, high and start from no again? My workout schedule is currently:

Mon - chest/triceps - PWO cardio
Tues - back/biceps - pwo cardio
wed - off
thurs - shoulders - PWO cardio
fri - legs
sat - AM cardio
sun - off

But I can change it around if I need to. Finally, can you give me some examples of what you consider raw lean meat? Grilled turkey and chicken isn't good?

[Damienm05]

Lean meat is white meat breasts, white fish, egg whites, lean steak/ground. I dont consider nitrate processed deli turkey a quality protiein. The fruit is not the worst food you can eat, just that it is processed in the liver and then converted so it doesn't pump u with muscle glycogen rapidly like glucose. I knew the bagels are pwo and I allowed u 2 on High day, I just don't believe in messing with blood sugar on low carb days, we want to maximize fat burning. Sort for the short reply. On my iphone

[ziggz]

Lean meat is white meat breasts, white fish, egg whites, lean steak/ground. I dont consider nitrate processed deli turkey a quality protiein. The fruit is not the worst food you can eat, just that it is processed in the liver and then converted so it doesn't pump u with muscle glycogen rapidly like glucose. I knew the bagels are pwo and I allowed u 2 on High day, I just don't believe in messing with blood sugar on low carb days, we want to maximize fat burning. Sort for the short reply. On my iphone

Damien, thanks for the response! I am drafting up a new diet and I'll post it here in a couple of hours. Feel free to tear it up and send me back to the drawing board until I get it right.

[Damienm05]

Calories need to be based on your TDEE and I'd try to keep that number about 500 below TDEE every day in addition to moderate cardio. If you choose to do frequent, intense cardio, you could eat right at TDEE and still lose 1.5 lbs per week but it all comes down to how much cardio you're willing to do and how much you want to lose each week. Read the document below for TDEE calculation as well as food choices. And yes, low calories even on the high carb day - remember, there'll be minimal fat intake so you can still maintain a deficit.


http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ead&highlight=

[Damienm05]

Btw, you can eat some fruit on the carb up day, it definitely won't kill ya.

[ziggz]

Yeah, I actually already had calculated my TDEE in my first post:

Height: 6'0
Weight: 205 (approx)
BF: 20 - 24%
Lean mass: 160 - 165 (approx)
fat weight: 40 lbs (approx)

BMR: 1937 (approx)
TDEE using 1.55 factor: 3003

I do PWO HIIT cardio 3x a week for 20 mins (1 min HI, 2 mins LI) and 45 mins AM cardio on my day off.

[Damienm05]

Oops, got mixed up. I see that.

Well, PWO cardio is always a good idea, even on the high carb day. I'd day 500 calories below TDEE for now. at ~22% body fat, I don't think you'll burn up muscle. When we get to 15% or if your strength is really suffering, we can reevaluate.

[ziggz]

No Carb day:

8am: 5 Shoprite Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 6 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), veggie mix (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

339 / 15g F / 0 / 52g P (P seems high - not many sources for grilled turkey breast)

3 pm: 6 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Veggie mix, 1 TBSP EVOO

269 / 15g F / 0 / 33g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey (casein if it falls on day off) + 2 TBSP Smucker's organic PB

450 / 19g F / 12g C / 55g P

~ 8:30 PM: Canned tuna in water, drained well + Light mayo

359 / 16g F / 6g C/ 48g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

Total: 2082 / 103g F (44%), 26g C (4%), 258g P (50%)

Not quite there... any suggestions?

[ziggz]

Low Carb day:

8am: 5 Shoprite Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 6 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), veggie mix (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

339 / 15g F / 0 / 52g P (P seems high - not many sources for grilled turkey breast)

3 pm: 6 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Veggie mix, 5 oz sweet potato (yuck)

312 / 6 F / 28g C / 36g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: Canned tuna in water, drained well + Light mayo

359 / 16g F / 6g C/ 48g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

Total: 2065 / 81g F (35%), 75g C (13%), 250g P (50%)

[Damienm05]

Good no-carb day my man. Very good. The macros for turkey/chicken breast are fvcked so I'll just tell you what's correct. 4 oz of either skinless breast is 110 calories and 23/0/2 p/c/f. That would make your 6 oz portions (raw) come out to 34/0/4 at 165 calories.

To answer and earlier question I never addressed, not all fats, even of the same variety, are created equal just like protein from beans isn't the same as from chicken. It's a loose analogy but take a closer look at your mayo. Usually, with regard to the light variety, it's gonna have some hidden carbs and fillers and be made hydrogenated vegetable oil. Get a good brand at a health store if you can. Still, nothing wrong with what I see above - it's a huge step in the right direction.

[Damienm05]

Good low-carb day. If you don't like the sweet potato, you can do oats, brown rice, ezekiel bread, lentils, whatever man. Good complex carbs that are minimally processed, that's the idea.

[ziggz]

Moderate Carb day:

8am: 10 extra large egg white + 1/2 cup oats

320 / 3g F / 27g C / 45g P

11am: 6 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), veggie mix (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 45g Organic Brown Jasmine Rice (uncooked weight).

390 / 2g F / 35g C / 56g P (P seems high - not many sources for grilled turkey breast)

3 pm: 6 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Veggie mix, 5 oz sweet potato (yuck)

312 / 6 F / 28g C / 36g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: Canned tuna in water, drained well + Light mayo

359 / 16g F / 6g C/ 48g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

Total: 2085 / 49g F (21%), 132g C (23%), 277g P (53%)

[Damienm05]

That works. Let's see the big one.

[ziggz]

Good no-carb day my man. Very good. The macros for turkey/chicken breast are fvcked so I'll just tell you what's correct. 4 oz of either skinless breast is 110 calories and 23/0/2 p/c/f. That would make your 6 oz portions (raw) come out to 34/0/4 at 165 calories.

To answer and earlier question I never addressed, not all fats, even of the same variety, are created equal just like protein from beans isn't the same as from chicken. It's a loose analogy but take a closer look at your mayo. Usually, with regard to the light variety, it's gonna have some hidden carbs and fillers and be made hydrogenated vegetable oil. Get a good brand at a health store if you can. Still, nothing wrong with what I see above - it's a huge step in the right direction.

oh, crap.. I'm measuring the meat after it's been cooked. I basically grill a ton of meat on the weekends and take it to work with me every day. Also, the nutrition info for the mayo can be found here: http://www.hellmanns.us/products/nut...x?ProdId=LIGHT I don't see any hydrogenated oil. There are no saturated fats, in fact. Btw, how can I bump my calories? They seem low.. too close to my BMR, in fact.

[Damienm05]

Yeah, that mayo is not what I'd call part of a clean diet. Like I said, you need to look at the ingredients and not just whether it's saturated fat or not. Hell, coconut oil is pure saturated fat via MCFAs and it's the best fat source available, IMO. I'd just do a teaspoon of olive oil with some vinegar and/or lemon juice and mustard. If you can't stomach the tuna without mayo - eat more turkey, chicken, or white fish. Tuna has mercury issues, a lot of sodium, and not enough taste or a low enough price tag to justify it. If it's exponentially more convenient for you and you aren't ready to cut it out - the mayo won't hurt but my goal is to optimize your diet and knit pick as much as possible.

Calories - well your protein is good - excess protein won't do much so let's focus on fat intake. For example, on your medium day, your fat intake is only 50g which is the minimum I'd reccomend on a non-carb-up day, even for a small female dieter. Also, remember that without a lot of carbs, you need fat to spare protein and produce energy for your standard bodily functions, not just intense workouts. Whatever calories need to be increased on the no, low, moderate days should be done via fat. For starters add 12-15 fish oil caps throughout the day. The rest may come via nuts, oil, and avocados (organic guacamole is a great fat source and tasty. Maybe it would work for tuna, come to think of it - I know I make an ahi ceviche with with it that's dynamite).

[ziggz]

Yeah, that mayo is not what I'd call part of a clean diet. Like I said, you need to look at the ingredients and not just whether it's saturated fat or not. Hell, coconut oil is pure saturated fat via MCFAs and it's the best fat source available, IMO. I'd just do a teaspoon of olive oil with some vinegar and/or lemon juice and mustard. If you can't stomach the tuna without mayo - eat more turkey, chicken, or white fish. Tuna has mercury issues, a lot of sodium, and not enough taste or a low enough price tag to justify it. If it's exponentially more convenient for you and you aren't ready to cut it out - the mayo won't hurt but my goal is to optimize your diet and knit pick as much as possible.

Calories - well your protein is good - excess protein won't do much so let's focus on fat intake. For example, on your medium day, your fat intake is only 50g which is the minimum I'd reccomend on a non-carb-up day, even for a small female dieter. Also, remember that without a lot of carbs, you need fat to spare protein and produce energy for your standard bodily functions, not just intense workouts. Whatever calories need to be increased on the no, low, moderate days should be done via fat. For starters add 12-15 fish oil caps throughout the day. The rest may come via nuts, oil, and avocados (organic guacamole is a great fat source and tasty. Maybe it would work for tuna, come to think of it - I know I make an ahi ceviche with with it that's dynamite).

Thanks Damien! Any particular brand of fish oil caps you would recommend? I've seen them at Costco priced inexpensively, if I recall correctly. I have no problem throwing out the tuna and mayo. I just couldn't stomach the tuna without the mayo, but perhaps I can replace it with a lean ground beef mixed with some broccoli and other green veggies? I'd like to try to get a different source of protein with each meal, as I've seen those videos with Milos Sarcev about a year ago, (and several times since then), and he says that you can develop an allergy if you eat the same meat too often. I don't know how accurate this is though. As far as nuts are concerned, I do like roasted cashews from trader joe, but as someone said in this thread, I saw they contained a decent serving of carbs, and so I dropped it out of my diet. I could certainly add it back in if they aren't an issue, or maybe try a different nut?

[Damienm05]

I wouldn't call it an allergy. Well, maybe I would if I was Slavic with only a functional understanding of the English language, lol. Anyway, I'd use the word, "tolerance" to describe the concept. Ground beef would be exponentially better than canned tuna and yes, a wide array of protein sources with different amino profiles and absorption rates is often what separates good diets from great ones.

I would eat cashews if you like them. They're an excellent fat source despite having less fiber and accordingly more "net carbs" than other nuts. While they may have more carbs, they still aren't a starchy carb. It's like calling a bean a serving of protein - it's not, it just has more protein than most carb sources. The carbs in cashews have no affect on blood sugar/insulin response and as such can be eaten just like you would almonds or peanuts. Just like your proteins, it's best to mix up the nuts as well as they all have different lipid profiles. For example, walnuts are all polyunsaturated fat with Omega-3 - peanuts are just the opposite.

Brand of fish oil: if money is an issue, which is the case for 90% of people, go with any brand of just plain old fish oil. If it's not, I'd recommended a condensed cod liver oil blend or something similar that's gonna pack more of a punch. We want fish oils for the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the better/more pricey blends may sometimes be pure DHA just as a very good fast recovery protein powder may be 100% whey isolates.

[ziggz]

Hey Damien, how would you cycle the carb days? Would the following work:

Mon - chest/triceps - PWO cardio - low carbs
Tues - back/biceps - pwo cardio - moderate carbs
wed - off - no carbs
thurs - shoulders - PWO cardio - moderate carbs
fri - legs - high carbs
sat - AM cardio - low carbs
sun - off - no carbs

[ziggz]

Also, should I be concerned with all the cholesterol in the omega-3 eggs that I would eat on no and low carb days? Finally, the fish oil caps, do I eat them with meals or do I just take a few between meals? I ask because I'm not sure if it's good practice to eat between meals, as this may disrupt the body from burning adipose tissue for energy?

[Damienm05]

No - consumed dietary cholesterol doesn't have a bearing on LDL blood cholesterol levels. Conversion of nasty foods that aren't part of a healthy diet and genetics are what causes high bad cholesterol. Eggs are fine.

I would take them with meals but eating between meals doesn't have a negative effect provided it fits in with your daily macros; that's also a myth.

I also think you should just use your better judgement as to your workout and how days fall on different levels of carb consumption. Everyone puts too much stock into timing it accordingly. You should have plenty of reserve muscle glycogen/pump for workouts on the no/low days and plenty of consumed dietary carbs for sustained energy on the other two. I suppose if you really wanted to knit pick, you'll probably experience the lowest energy levels on your low/moderate day but still, you should never be lethargic.

Put more stock into the workout itself and post your movements/sets/reps/order in the workout section for optimal feedback. Now that the diet's dialed in, the other 30% is a consistent, good workout.

[ziggz]

Hey Damien. So I finally got some free time to work out my diet and made the changes you suggested.

No Carb day: (Rest days)

8am: 5 Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

3 pm: 5 oz cooked Chicken breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

~6 pm: Casein + 2 TBSP Smucker's organic PB

450 / 19g F / 12g C / 55g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

6 Costco Brand Omega-3 Fish oil softgels (1200mg each with 684mg of omega-3 each) spread throughout the day (15 cal each)

90 / 115g F / 0 / 0

Total: 2207 / 115g F (46%), 23g C (3%), 253g P (46%)

Low Carb day:

8am: 5 Shoprite Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

3 pm: 5 oz cooked Chicken breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

6 Costco Brand Omega-3 Fish oil softgels (1200mg each with 684mg of omega-3 each) spread throughout the day (15 cal each)

Total: 2198 / 90g F (37%), 79g C (13%), 255g P (46%)

Moderate Carb day:

8am: 10 extra large egg white + 1/2 cup oats

320 / 3g F / 27g C / 45g P

11am: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

3 pm: 5 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Mixed veggies, 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4 F / 35 C / 44g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + EVOO

359 / 16g F / 6g C / 48g P

6 Costco Brand Omega-3 Fish oil softgels (1200mg each with 684mg of omega-3 each) spread throughout the day (15 cal each)

Total: 2219 / 58g F (21%), 136g C (22%), 274g P (49%)

Carb up day:

8am: 8 extra large egg white + 1 cup oats

436 / 6g F / 54g C / 42g P

11am: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 70g Organic Jasmine brown rice (0.75 cup raw weight)

464 / 5g F / 54g C / 46g P

3 pm: 5 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Mixed veggies, 70g Organic Jasmine brown rice (.75 cup raw weight)

464 / 5g F / 54g C / 46g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1 White bagel

598 / 5g F / 75g C / 62g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (0.5 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + 1/2 cup oats

270 / 4g F / 30g C / 29g P

Total: 2602 / 28g F (10%), 303g C (44%), 269g P (41%)

My calories are pretty high on carb-up day. I know you said to keep them low, but I don't see how I can get 300g - 400g carbs and stay at 2200 cals.

[ziggz]

I am also thinking of cycling my carbs this way.. i guess:

Mon - chest/triceps - PWO cardio - low carbs
Tues - back/biceps - pwo cardio - moderate carbs
wed - off - no carbs
thurs - shoulders - PWO cardio - low carbs
fri - legs - high carbs
sat - AM cardio - low carbs
sun - off - no carbs

[Damienm05]

Diet looks good man. With your cardio schedule, there's nothing high about your calories on any of the days - you're going to cut up nicely. I would definitely try to work out big on your no-carb day though as you're gonna wake up pumped and you should take advantage of it.

[ziggz]

Hey Damien, would it be bad to have casein + 2tbsp organic peanut butter before bed? I ask because of the carbs. Two scoops of casein has 6g carbs and 2 tbsp of organic PB also has around 6g carbs. What do you think?

[Damienm05]

well fiber isn't a "net carb" - it's not metabolized as energy, if you will. So really, PB has less than 4g per serving generally, same with most nuts/veg. Regardless though, as long as you don't take in any starchy carbs, it's fine. Nuts, veggies, powders that take your net carb total as high as 40g isn't a problem - the goal is just nothing with a non-negligible glycemic load/energy factor. But yeah, you're not doing keto, just trying to avoid starchy carbs/sugar on this day - it's fine.

[Damienm05]

I will add however, 2 tbs natty PB is a lot but I suppose if it fits your macro allotment.

[ziggz]

yeah, well if i cut down on the omega-3 caps and take out the EVOO I was adding to the casein shake, 1 - 2 tbsp PB fits in nicely. I was mostly worried about the carbs since they are before bed. But if they don't mess up my diet, especially when you consider in net carbs, then it's a nice treat with the casein shake before bed. I also get to mix up the fats a bit instead of it just being EVOO and omega-3.

[ziggz]

Hey Damien. Diet is going well. If my scale isn't lying to me, I am dropping weight - I am weighing once a week at the same time/day. I do have a question about what to do with my diet in a couple weeks when Passover rolls around. I am not religious, but it is one of the holidays I do observe. Problem is, I can't have the following: wheat, spelt, barley, rye, rice, peas, lentils, or beans. This leaves me without really any options for complex carbs except maybe sweet potato and whole wheat matzah? I am really not looking forward to that week.

[Damienm05]

Just do heavy cardio and eat NO carbs the 2 days before Passover. Then, you can enjoy the meal fully with your family and not have to worry about simple/complex - just merely that the total calories aren't way high (no seconds on sweets, no high fat stuff within reason)

I'm not Jewish but am from Montreal and know all the traditional dishes - none are bad compared to the mashed potatoes and butter loaded thanksgiving foods. Just try to eat lean protein and not to many latkes (.high fat/delcious)

[ziggz]

Hey Damien. Thanks for the advice! The passover prohibitions last for a whole week though.. so from monday eve, april 18 to tuesday eve, april 26, I can't eat wheat, spelt, barley, rye, rice, peas, lentils, or beans. Should I low-carb it the whole week? I can eat sweet potatoes and whole wheat matzah.. that's about it for healthy grain (if you even consider the wheat matzah healthy)

[Damienm05]

Oh, didn't know! Just eat sweet potatoes for all your carbs. They are an amazing carb source. Also, quinoa is good too.

[Damienm05]

Whole wheat matzah can't be that bad btw but it's still best to stick to comletely natural foods when possible.

[ziggz]

Hey Damien. I think I need to drop 100 calories out of my diet and go down to 2100 calories/day. I don't seem to be dropping weight by very much.. less than a pound/week it appears.

[ziggz]

Here is my current meal plan:

No Carb day

8am: 5 Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

3 pm: 5 oz cooked Chicken breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

~6 pm: Whey + 2 TBSP Smucker's organic PB (or Whey/Casein blend if it falls on rest day)

450 / 19g F / 12g C / 55g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + 1 TBSP organic PB

345/ 10g F / 9g C / 52g P

Total: 2103 / 102g F (43%), 26g C (4%), 257g P (49%)

Low Carb day:

8am: 5 Shoprite Omega-3 eggs

350 / 23g F / 5g C / 30g P

11am: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

3 pm: 5 oz cooked Chicken breast (grilled), mixed veggies, 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats (or Whey/Casein blend if it falls on rest day)

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + 1 TBSP organic PB

345/ 10g F / 9g C / 52g P


Total: 2094 / 76g F (32%), 82g C (14%), 259g P (49%)

Moderate Carb day:

8am: 10 extra large egg white + 1/2 cup oats

320 / 3g F / 27g C / 45g P

11am: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

3 pm: 5 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Mixed veggies, 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (1/2 cup raw weight)

370 / 4 F / 35 C / 44g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1/2 cup oats (or Whey/Casein blend if it falls on rest day)

390 / 6g F / 33g C / 53g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz cooked Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 1 TBSP EVOO

319 / 17g F / 0 / 40g P

10:30/11PM: Casein + 1 TBSP organic PB

345/ 10g F / 9g C / 52g P

Total: 2114/ 44g F (19%), 139g C (23%), 278g P (52%)

Carb up day:

8am: 8 extra large egg white + 1 cup oats

436 / 6g F / 54g C / 42g P

11am: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 70g Organic Jasmine brown rice (0.75 cup raw weight)

464 / 5g F / 54g C / 46g P

3 pm: 5 oz Chicken breast (grilled), Mixed veggies, 70g Organic Jasmine brown rice (.75 cup raw weight)

464 / 5g F / 54g C / 46g P

~5 pm: Workout + cardio

~7PM: Whey + 1 White bagel (or Whey/Casein blend if it falls on rest day and oats instead of bagel)

598 / 5g F / 75g C / 62g P

~ 8:30 PM: 5 oz Turkey Breast (grilled), mixed veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, string beans), 45g Organic Jasmine brown rice (0.5 cup raw weight)

370 / 4g F / 35g C / 44g P

10:30/11PM: Casein

120 / 1g F / 3g C / 24g P

Total: 2452 / 26g F (9%), 276g C (43%), 264g P (43%)

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I believe my BMR is 1965 calories and my TDEE with a factor of 1.55 is 3047 calories.