Critique my body recomp diet

[gbrice75]

Age: 34
Height: 5'11
Weight: 200lbs
BF%: between 15% - 20% (probably right in the middle)
TDEE: between 2500 - 3000 (can't get this figure right yet)
Immediate goal: 185lbs, 10% - 12% bodyfat

Working with a 3000 calorie/day diet in an effort to recomp. Not carrying enough muscle to warranty cutting IMO (can't afford to lose any muscle), hence the slower recomp. Do not go by my avatar as that pic was taken after running a keto diet - I was 177lbs in that pic. Here it goes:

Meal 1 4:30am
2 eggs (whole) – 12g protein, 2g carbs, 9g fat – 140 calories
1 premier protein shake – 30g protein, 2g carbs, 3g fat – 160 calories
1 cup oats – 10g protein, 48g carbs, 5g fat – 280 calories

TOTAL: 52g protein, 52g carbs, 16g fat – 580 calories

WORKOUT - 5:30am - 7:00am
Cardio: 7:00am - 7:30am

PWO Meal 2 7:30am
2 scoops whey – 48g protein, 4g carbs, 3g fat – 230 calories
12oz skim milk – 12g protein, 18g carbs – 135 calories
1 cup oats – 10g protein, 48g carbs, 5g fat – 280 calories
5g creatine

TOTAL: 70g protein, 70g carbs, 8g fat – 645 calories

Meal 3 10am
6oz raw (about 4.5 oz cooked) chicken breast, tilapia or mahi mahi– 36g protein, 3g fat – 165 calories
1 medium sweet potato (about 9oz) – 4g protein, 60g carbs – 160 calories

TOTAL: 40g protein, 60g carbs, 4g fat – 325 calories

Meal 4 1pm
6oz raw (about 4.5oz cooked) Chicken Breast, Tilapia Filet, or Mahi Mahi – 36g protein, 3g fat – 165 calories
1 cup (cooked) brown rice - 4g protein, 33g carbs, 1g fat – 150 calories

TOTAL: 40g protein, 33g carbs, 4g fat – 325 calories

Meal 5 4pm
6oz raw (about 4.5oz cooked) Chicken Breast, Tilapia Filet, or Mahi Mahi – 36g protein, 3g fat – 165 calories
2 hard boiled eggs (whole) - 12g protein, 2g carbs, 9g fat – 140 calories
2 cups raw spinach

48g protein, 2g carbs, 13g fat - 305 calories

Meal 6 7:00pm
6oz raw (about 4.5 oz cooked) London Broil or Sirloin – 36g protein, 8g fat – 150 calories
1 cup broccoli, asparagus, spinach, or other fiberous veggie – 3g protein, 6g carbs, 30 calories

TOTAL: 36g protein, 6g carbs, 8g fat – 320 calories

Meal 7 10:00pm
1 scoop Casein – 24g protein, 2g carbs, 1g fat – 120 calories
2tbsp Natty PB – 6g protein, 3g carbs, 17g fat – 180 calories

TOTAL: 30g protein, 5g carbs, 17g fat – 300 calories

TOTALS: 316g protein, 228g carbs, 72g fat - 2800

Coming up a bit light on calories, but i'm sure some of this is underestimated so I think i'm breaking right around 3000. Let me know what you think!

[YoungGunsNY]

All-in-all looks good, some comments...
4:30 - 7:30 decent sized gap between meals (at least for me I don't like to go past 2.5 hours), so BCAAS in between workout & cardio maybe?

Just 5g creatine? Have you been doing this for a while - maybe 10 would be better?

-Hm a medium sweet potato - so are you not weighing that out prior - shame on you man lol! I find it easy to just cook 5/6 in the oven and then just fridge them and use them accordingly.

-I like how you have some various foods so you don't get too bored.

-I'd be surprised if you got ur bf up to 20% after that picture though! I thought you were strict for a year and a half... did you cheat for a while or?

[gbrice75]

All-in-all looks good, some comments...
4:30 - 7:30 decent sized gap between meals (at least for me I don't like to go past 2.5 hours), so BCAAS in between workout & cardio maybe?

Just 5g creatine? Have you been doing this for a while - maybe 10 would be better?

-Hm a medium sweet potato - so are you not weighing that out prior - shame on you man lol! I find it easy to just cook 5/6 in the oven and then just fridge them and use them accordingly.

-I like how you have some various foods so you don't get too bored.

-I'd be surprised if you got ur bf up to 20% after that picture though! I thought you were strict for a year and a half... did you cheat for a while or?

Now you're critiquing my diet, my how the tides have turned, lol!

Just about all of my meals are 3 hours, but you're right - I probably could slam a shake between workout and cardio. I try to supplement as little as possible ($$$$$$), so I don't currently take any BCAA's.

I haven't seen evidence that anything over 5g of creatine (that's a single serving) provides further benefit. Also keep in mind I don't load or cycle it; I just take 5g M-F.

The sweet potatoes I buy are from a company called PotatOH! and they come wrapped and ready to go in the microwave. A 9oz sweet potato is around 60g of carbs (according to livestrong.com) - so I do weigh them and try to keep as close to 9oz as possible. Since my carbs (and total calories) are relatively low, I don't get too worried if it's a few oz. more (never less) as I feel I have the room to 'play' a bit.

My bodies ability to store fat amazes me too! I was very strict, but ever since I upped my calories (still kept it clean) I added 25lbs VERY quickly (could also have to do with the test e, lol) but I do feel and look bloated. I know I put some bodyfat back on, I can just feel the layer over my abs and it's different from a couple months ago. Hopefully not 20% but I can't get a damn accurate reading!

Thanks for the comments bro.

[YoungGunsNY]

Now you're critiquing my diet, my how the tides have turned, lol! lol - I haven't really critiqued it - it looks good .. I just threw in my .02 and u shut me up quick with the sweet potatoes

Just about all of my meals are 3 hours, but you're right - I probably could slam a shake between workout and cardio. I try to supplement as little as possible ($$$$$$), so I don't currently take any BCAA's. Gotcha - well you're in Jersey & GNC has a buy one get one half off deal on GNC products - so I think that would be about $50-60 for 2 tubs.

I haven't seen evidence that anything over 5g of creatine (that's a single serving) provides further benefit. Also keep in mind I don't load or cycle it; I just take 5g M-F.I was recommended to take 10 by fireguy (but I was asking him if I could take 10 pre & 10 post)

The sweet potatoes I buy are from a company called PotatOH! and they come wrapped and ready to go in the microwave. A 9oz sweet potato is around 60g of carbs (according to livestrong.com) - so I do weigh them and try to keep as close to 9oz as possible. Since my carbs (and total calories) are relatively low, I don't get too worried if it's a few oz. more (never less) as I feel I have the room to 'play' a bit.Ah, gotcha - I thought u threw in 'medium' because you were eyeing/feeling them out...but aren't 8oz = 41g carbs .. so 9oz would be about 45-47g?

My bodies ability to store fat amazes me too! I was very strict, but ever since I upped my calories (still kept it clean) I added 25lbs VERY quickly (could also have to do with the test e, lol) but I do feel and look bloated. I know I put some bodyfat back on, I can just feel the layer over my abs and it's different from a couple months ago. Hopefully not 20% but I can't get a damn accurate reading! Hmm, 25lbs - that's alot! damn .. I guess your genetics are a very big factor there...

Thanks for the comments bro.

Comments are in bold - good luck with this...

[Damienm05]

Looks good. If I were really scrutinizing it, I'd say do a whey/casein mix in meal 1 and yes, sip bcaas during your w/o.
Drop the milk in your pwo; I really see no benefit but it's no biggie.
I'm sure you have a good reason for not having a ppwo meal but try to do at least some ostrim jerkey and almonds on your way to work or something.
Check macros - 60g carbs via sweet potato is 240 cals, not 160. You know the importance of that 100 calories. Also, another carb meal wouldn't kill you but then again, for all I know you have no need for it based on how your day progresses.

[gbrice75]

Comments are in bold - good luck with this...

About the creatine - if FG's recommending people to take 10g daily, you now have my attention!

I'll look into the BCAA's further. Not too keen on adding another supplement, and BCAA's seem to be sort of 'fad-ish', but that's not a reason to ignore them I suppose.

I gotta recheck the whole PotatOH thing, livestrong.com might have gotten that one wrong! Yea bro, my genetics just plain suck, I really got screwed in that department...

[gbrice75]

Looks good. If I were really scrutinizing it, I'd say do a whey/casein mix in meal 1 and yes, sip bcaas during your w/o.
Drop the milk in your pwo; I really see no benefit but it's no biggie.
I'm sure you have a good reason for not having a ppwo meal but try to do at least some ostrim jerkey and almonds on your way to work or something.
Check macros - 60g carbs via sweet potato is 240 cals, not 160. You know the importance of that 100 calories. Also, another carb meal wouldn't kill you but then again, for all I know you have no need for it based on how your day progresses.

Thanks bro. The shake in meal 1 is a blend - casein, whey, and milk proteins. Not the greatest quality but very quick, convenient and tastes pretty good.

The milk in PWO is for nothing more than taste. Obviously I don't mind the extra 12g of protein, but am not thrilled about the 18g of sugar either. Hope this isn't screwing me up!

I know my PPWO meal is way later (2.5 hours) than a PPWO meal should be. I guess I could bump the time up to say 9am, but that would throw off the rest of my meal timing, and I love the way it falls right now. Do you feel this is a really big deal?

As for that pesky potato, you're right - something is wrong with my macros on this, I have to work it out again.

I was actually doing another carb meal at 4pm, but dropped it recently once I decided this would be more of a recomp than a bulker. Other than the gym, I am VERY sedentary at work all day. Another carb meal at 4pm leaves me bloated and lying around full of carbs!

[Damienm05]

Thanks bro. The shake in meal 1 is a blend - casein, whey, and milk proteins. Not the greatest quality but very quick, convenient and tastes pretty good. I see no problem

The milk in PWO is for nothing more than taste. Obviously I don't mind the extra 12g of protein, but am not thrilled about the 18g of sugar either. Hope this isn't screwing me up! As long as you don't expect to cut body fat, 18g of sugar won't kill you. In fact, it's not bad at all because it's PWO but I'd rather see another 18g of complex carbs. Just scrutinizing, it's fine man.

I know my PPWO meal is way later (2.5 hours) than a PPWO meal should be. I guess I could bump the time up to say 9am, but that would throw off the rest of my meal timing, and I love the way it falls right now. Do you feel this is a really big deal? Yeah, I'd say it is. Not for someone who's just started a BB diet but for someone as diligent as you - I'd expect it to be fixed. I mean, everything else seems dialed in near perfectly. Rather than re-work your whole day, I'd just have some BCAAs and EFAs in the interim.

As for that pesky potato, you're right - something is wrong with my macros on this, I have to work it out again. Bastards!

I was actually doing another carb meal at 4pm, but dropped it recently once I decided this would be more of a recomp than a bulker. Other than the gym, I am VERY sedentary at work all day. Another carb meal at 4pm leaves me bloated and lying around full of carbs! You know you better than I know you. Sounds like you've figured it out

BOLD. Your diet is nice man; I'm just very anal about dieting and figured, why not contribute my thoughts as to how I would run it.

[gbrice75]

Thanks again Damien. I'm still playing with it and tweaking; i've never designed a diet for anything other than cutting, so this is new for me.

On another note, suppose this were a cutting diet - you'd be worried about problems with reducing bodyfat with even just 18g of sugars?

[Damienm05]

On another note, suppose this were a cutting diet - you'd be worried about problems with reducing bodyfat with even just 18g of sugars?

I wouldn't be worried but it wouldn't help at all. That's 72 calories from sugar that you should be getting elsewhere. Also, I'm anti-dairy in general but that's for another thread.

[danielli]

gbrice - what brand / type protein do you use that only has 2 carbs/scoop?

[gbrice75]

gbrice - what brand / type protein do you use that only has 2 carbs/scoop?

I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey. I don't have the info in front of me; it may have more than 2g of carbs per scoop, but if so then it's fiber. I know for sure it only has 2g of net carbs per scoop.

[mperk]

Hey man - first off good size and thickness for your frame, nice work.
About the diet - I'd cut more of the fat out - like dump the whole egges in lieu of whites and get a simple carb in with your post workout shake - I'd suggest waxy maise or better yet Vitargo. I'd also dump the milk & oats - the oats will be too slow digesting after a workout. If you want to get lean, Id suggest a couple of extremely low carb days in the week and then 30 mins cardio am & pm for 3 weeks then 30 mins HIIT once a day. That should burn some of the fat and get the cuts you want.

Great job, dude - good luck (BTW - if you really want to feel good - look at the beer bellies on your other 30 something friends....;-)

[gbrice75]

Hey man - first off good size and thickness for your frame, nice work.
About the diet - I'd cut more of the fat out - like dump the whole egges in lieu of whites and get a simple carb in with your post workout shake - I'd suggest waxy maise or better yet Vitargo. I'd also dump the milk & oats - the oats will be too slow digesting after a workout. If you want to get lean, Id suggest a couple of extremely low carb days in the week and then 30 mins cardio am & pm for 3 weeks then 30 mins HIIT once a day. That should burn some of the fat and get the cuts you want.

Great job, dude - good luck (BTW - if you really want to feel good - look at the beer bellies on your other 30 something friends....;-)

Thanks for the positive feedback! Regarding cutting out more fats - the problem with this is I have X amount of calories needed to make up my day (in this case, 3000). If I don't get X amount of calories from fat, then they have to come from carbs (protein requirement already met of course) - and i'm VERY carb sensitive, and insulin resistant to boot. So dropping fat will reduce my overall calories unless I replace with carbs. Do you really feel 65 - 70g is too high? Keep in mind this macro breakdown is roughly based on a 40/40/20 split.

I currently do oats PWO for that same issue, the carb sensitivity. I didn't feel spiking insulin would be favorable for me. I have thought about trying out Waxy Maize though; how is the taste? No idea what Vitargo is, but i'll research now.

One interesting point you bring up is the carb cycling suggestion. I've never done it because honestly I don't know enough about it to implement. When you carb cycle, do overall calories stay the same? If so, then I assume I will have to replace the lost carb grams with fats, correct?

How many days per week would you suggest really low carbs? I lift 4 days a week, Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri. I already do low carb (about 50-75g) on Wednesday, but honestly trying to do that Sat-Sun will be VERY difficult if not near impossible for me - always some function, especially during the summer. Anyway, i'd like to hear more about this and hopefully I can work it into my routine in one way or another.

And yea, you're right - I probably look the best out of all of my friends!