Advice on diet - Lean muscle

[phrenetic]

Hey everyone, new member, I posted over the introduction forum, I'm not sure your allowed to link to other threads, so search for "getting serious" in there and that will be me

Ok, so I will admit, up until now my diet has been terrible, I'm surprised I've added any weight the way I'v been eating, but im far more on track now and feeling really good about it. For the last 1-2 weeks I've gotten this down as my daily diet.

Basically If you have any advice I'd love to hear it.

Current stats
male, 27
76kg (167 or so pounds)
12% body fat
supplements - whey protein
anabolics - none

Been weight training for about 1.5 yrs, id say only about 6 months serious though where I'm consistent and lifting right. Starting weight was 70kg or (154 pounds), obviously still have a lot to learn though.

Target goal
85kg (187 pounds)
8% body fat

I'm also 100% Lactose intolerant, so i can't touch Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Ice cream. Otherwise I get horrible stomach cramping, bloating and intense other things that I won't mention. Although Whey shakes don't seem to affect me in the slightest.


If i left anything out just ask


Current Diet


8am - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g (24g p / 3g c / 2g fat)

8.30am, - bowl of oats + fruit nut mix (cashews, cranberries, almonds, raisins, sun flower seeds), with oat milk

11am - Either
Sandwich - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
or
100g fruit nut mix (as listed above)

1pm lunch - 250g chicken breast or white fish, 150g mixed vegies (brocli, cauliflower, carrot, beans capsicum)
Green tea with honey


4pm - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
Green tea with honey

5pm - banana


7pm or 8.30pm - Dinner

Training day 8.15pm - 2 scoops whey protein after workout + a Dinner below

else 7pm

Either
- 250g chicken breast, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
- 250g white fish, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
- 3 beef or pork lean heart smart sausages, 150g mixed vegies
- 200g kangaroo steak, 150g mixed vegies, 1 egg

Typically with one teaspoon olive oil, 1-2 grams of sea salt (basically its just a sprinkling i have no idea what it would weigh :P )


11pm - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g



I'm sticking hard by that diet for now, But i'd also like to know how to tweak it.

Here is my current workout scheduele in its simplest form


Monday - 5pm Weights, 6.15pm 1hr Kick boxing, 7.15pm 1 hr teaching Kick boxing

Tuesday - off

Wednesday - 5pm Weights, 6pm 1hr boxing, 7.15pm 1hr Kick boxing

Thursday - off

Friday - 5pm Weights, 6pm 1hr teaching boxing

Sat / Sun - Try to stay active on weekends, but certainly don't do any hard physical work





----------------------------------------------
Current weight program. 3 days a week cycling between two workouts (2 weeks in currently) Only posted it for helpful info, Im going to change my workouts every 10 - 12 weeks

(Day 1)

Chest-

10 degree Decline Press- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
10 degree Incline Press- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Shoulders-

Dumbbell over head shoulder presses- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Lateral raises- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Lats-

Medium/wide grip pull-ups - 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Close grip pull downs (plams facing each other)- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Traps-

Seated Dumbbell shrugs-3 sets (8-10 reps)



(Day 2)


Biceps-

Seated dumbbell curls 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Seated dumbbell Hammer curls 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Triceps-

Lying Tricep extensions 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Tricep pushdowns with small straight bar 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Quads-

Squats- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Partial dead-lifts -1 set (8-10 reps)
Leg press 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Hams-
Lying leg curls 3 sets (8-10 reps)


Calves-
Standing calves raise 3 sets (8-10 reps)

[gbrice75]

Hey everyone, new member, I posted over the introduction forum, I'm not sure your allowed to link to other threads, so search for "getting serious" in there and that will be me

Ok, so I will admit, up until now my diet has been terrible, I'm surprised I've added any weight the way I'v been eating, but im far more on track now and feeling really good about it. For the last 1-2 weeks I've gotten this down as my daily diet.

Basically If you have any advice I'd love to hear it.

Current stats
male, 27
76kg (167 or so pounds)
12% body fat
supplements - whey protein
anabolics - none

Been weight training for about 1.5 yrs, id say only about 6 months serious though where I'm consistent and lifting right. Starting weight was 70kg or (154 pounds), obviously still have a lot to learn though.

Target goal
85kg (187 pounds)
8% body fat

I'm also 100% Lactose intolerant, so i can't touch Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Ice cream. Otherwise I get horrible stomach cramping, bloating and intense other things that I won't mention. Although Whey shakes don't seem to affect me in the slightest.


If i left anything out just ask


Current Diet


8am - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g (24g p / 3g c / 2g fat)

8.30am, - bowl of oats + fruit nut mix (cashews, cranberries, almonds, raisins, sun flower seeds), with oat milk

I would drop the fruit/nut mix and just add some berries to your oats. Also, you have no protein in this meal - how about adding 2 whole eggs and a few whites?

11am - Either
Sandwich - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
or
100g fruit nut mix (as listed above)

Neither of these are good choices. I'm assuming the turkey is cold cut/deli meat - if so, it's an inferior protein source loaded with sodium and preservatives. If you're serious about your diet, then bread isn't the best carb choice either (yes, even wholemeal bread) - go with something cleaner such as oats, sweet potato, brown rice, yam, quinoa, lentils and beans, etc. I don't know what's in the olive spread, but i'd probably drop it as I doubt it's any good

1pm lunch - 250g chicken breast or white fish, 150g mixed vegies (brocli, cauliflower, carrot, beans capsicum)
Green tea with honey

This is a good meal, consider adding a complex carb. Careful with the honey in the tea


4pm - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
Green tea with honey

Same as above - make better protein/carb choices here

5pm - banana

Is this supposed to be a meal? Just drop it, unecessary here


7pm or 8.30pm - Dinner

This doesn't tell us anything! What does dinner consist of?

Training day 8.15pm - 2 scoops whey protein after workout + a Dinner below

else 7pm

Either
- 250g chicken breast, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
- 250g white fish, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
- 3 beef or pork lean heart smart sausages, 150g mixed vegies
- 200g kangaroo steak, 150g mixed vegies, 1 egg

Typically with one teaspoon olive oil, 1-2 grams of sea salt (basically its just a sprinkling i have no idea what it would weigh :P )

All good choices except for the sausages.


11pm - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g

Can you tolerate casein protein as well as whey? If so, switch to it ASAP - whey digests way too fast and won't do much of anything for you overnight. Casein is much slower. You can also add a tbsp of natty peanut butter to further slow digestion



I'm sticking hard by that diet for now, But i'd also like to know how to tweak it.

I was the same way bro, I came on this forum thinking I had a good diet and I was happy with it. The members proceeded to rip it apart and pointed out so many things I had wrong, I realized I didn't know much at all about dieting. I'm glad they did!!!

Honestly, the diet needs ALOT of work. Suggestions above in bold. Also, i'm confused on your PWO/dinner situation, times, etc. Will need to see macro info (protein/carbs/fat/total cals) for each meal next time you post.

[Damienm05]

Hey everyone, new member, I posted over the introduction forum, I'm not sure your allowed to link to other threads, so search for "getting serious" in there and that will be me

Ok, so I will admit, up until now my diet has been terrible, I'm surprised I've added any weight the way I'v been eating, but im far more on track now and feeling really good about it. For the last 1-2 weeks I've gotten this down as my daily diet.

Welcome! You're about to have your world rocked my friend.

Basically If you have any advice I'd love to hear it.

Current stats
male, 27
76kg (167 or so pounds)
12% body fat
supplements - whey protein
anabolics - none

Been weight training for about 1.5 yrs, id say only about 6 months serious though where I'm consistent and lifting right. Starting weight was 70kg or (154 pounds), obviously still have a lot to learn though.

Target goal
85kg (187 pounds)
8% body fat Great goal, but that's a 30 lb. increase in lean body mass and a good goal over the course of 2 years - Even with the perfect diet.

I'm also 100% Lactose intolerant, so i can't touch Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, Ice cream. Otherwise I get horrible stomach cramping, bloating and intense other things that I won't mention. Although Whey shakes don't seem to affect me in the slightest. No problem. Dairy is for baby cows, not people. As long as you can do whey isolates, it won't prevent you from having a perfect diet.


If i left anything out just ask


Current Diet


8am - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g (24g p / 3g c / 2g fat) I suppose the concept of the shake here is to get protein ASAP upon waking up? That works.

8.30am, - bowl of oats + fruit nut mix (cashews, cranberries, almonds, raisins, sun flower seeds), with oat milk OK, this is where most newbies get off track. Eating healthy vs. correctly. This is a wholesome bowl of food but it's not offering much. The fat from the nuts is senseless because you already have oats as an energy source. The fruit is also too high in sugar, especially the raisins. The oat milk is an empty calorie as far as the meal is concerned too. Also, there's no protein - I know you had a shake 30 minutes prior but that's the whole point of whey - it digests over the course of 30-45 minutes - you need a sustained source of amino acids. OK, so what's a better breakfast? Lean protein/Complex carb - 30-50g of each is pretty standard. Example (and the ideal for this meal): 1 egg, 6 egg whites, 1 cup oats cooked in water.

11am - Either
Sandwich - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
or
100g fruit nut mix (as listed above) Problems: Whole wheat bread is fine for average Joe's but if you're trying to pack on 30 lbs. of muscle; you need to choose better carb sources. Ones that are raw foods, unprocessed. Think of oats, sweet potatoes, whole grain rice, lentils, beans, quinoa, all those very natural, low GI carbs. Fruit and nut mix again is good for a Tour de France racer but adds nothing to your diet that will help (it's calorie dense without complex carbs or protein). Lastly, the turkey breast is lean but it's processed with tons of sodium and you'd need about 8 slices to yield 40g of quality protein. Solutions: 30-50g protein via lean meat (chicken breast, fish fillets, lean beef, raw turkey breast, canned tuna, shrimp, I could go forever) - 30-50g complex carbs via the sources I mentioned above. You can always do a little olive spread, salsa, or whatever for taste.

1pm lunch - 250g chicken breast or white fish, 150g mixed vegies (brocli, cauliflower, carrot, beans capsicum)
Green tea with honey Much better protein choice. All veggies should be fibrous such as the broccoli and cauliflower - not starchy/sugary like capsicum and carrots. Spinach, asparagus, sprouts, mixed greens, zucchini, and others are perfect. Green tea is good but one teaspoon of honey is pure sugar; just use artificial sweetener like Splenda. Lastly, all meals must contain an energy source. Carbs when you need them (usually early in the day) and fats in sedentary times (before bed, on the couch, and such). I see only protein/veg for this meal. Add 30-50g complex carbs.


4pm - 2 slices turkey, 2 slices wholemeal bread, olive spread
Green tea with honey Exact same feedback as I had for the other meal

5pm - banana Sugar - you can get away with this at breakfast or as a PWO carb but not here ideally. I take it this is eaten right before the gym? Maybe just move your 4:00 PM meal up to 4:30 and do a larger carb portion then - 60-70g of carbs from oats or sweet potato.


7pm or 8.30pm - Got it, on training days, it's eaten right after your shake - that's perfect.

Training day 8.15pm - 2 scoops whey protein after workout + a Dinner below Since you're eating a nice dinner right after, just do 1 scoop to get some quick protein in directly PWO.

else 7pm

Either
- 250g chicken breast, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato Perfect. Remember, fibrous veggies.
- 250g white fish, 100g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato Perfect. Remember, fibrous veggies.
- 3 beef or pork lean heart smart sausages, 150g mixed vegies No. Dirty, processed food - the other choices are all much better.
- 200g kangaroo steak, 150g mixed vegies, 1 egg Add 100g sweet potato.

Typically with one teaspoon olive oil, 1-2 grams of sea salt (basically its just a sprinkling i have no idea what it would weigh :P )


11pm - Whey shake - 1 scoop 30g OK; here's the problem with this meal. Well, problems: A) Whey is too fast and you're not eating again until breakfast - you need something slow. B) there's no energy source which will further slow digestion and spare your body from burning that protein as energy to fuel your bodily functions at night. Solutions: replace the whey with steak, cottage cheese, or ideally, casein protein powder and add 15-20g healthy fat via nuts, olive oil, avocado, etc.



I'm sticking hard by that diet for now, But i'd also like to know how to tweak it.

Here is my current workout scheduele in its simplest form


Monday - 5pm Weights, 6.15pm 1hr Kick boxing, 7.15pm 1 hr teaching Kick boxing

Tuesday - off

Wednesday - 5pm Weights, 6pm 1hr boxing, 7.15pm 1hr Kick boxing

Thursday - off

Friday - 5pm Weights, 6pm 1hr teaching boxing

Sat / Sun - Try to stay active on weekends, but certainly don't do any hard physical work





----------------------------------------------
Current weight program. 3 days a week cycling between two workouts (2 weeks in currently) Only posted it for helpful info, Im going to change my workouts every 10 - 12 weeks

(Day 1)

Chest-

10 degree Decline Press- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
10 degree Incline Press- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Shoulders-

Dumbbell over head shoulder presses- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Lateral raises- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Lats-

Medium/wide grip pull-ups - 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Close grip pull downs (plams facing each other)- 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Traps-

Seated Dumbbell shrugs-3 sets (8-10 reps)



(Day 2)


Biceps-

Seated dumbbell curls 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Seated dumbbell Hammer curls 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Triceps-

Lying Tricep extensions 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Tricep pushdowns with small straight bar 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Quads-

Squats- 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Partial dead-lifts -1 set (8-10 reps)
Leg press 2 sets (8-10 reps)


Hams-
Lying leg curls 3 sets (8-10 reps)


Calves-
Standing calves raise 3 sets (8-10 reps)

My diet feedback is above in bold. It's a lot to take in but if you can absorb it, you'll be gaining like mad. Just avoid all those processed foods and sugars - stick to the foundation.

Now, even with my changes, you don't have nearly enough healthy fat in your diet. Especially with my changes actually, since I removed all the nut mix. So, get yourself some extra virgin olive oil, macadamia oil, almonds, cashews, natural peanut butter, organic guacamole, or whatever it is you like in terms of healthy fat and add 15g to your pre-workout meal and dinner. Shoot for 50g of poly/monounsaturated fats intentionally - the rest of your fat intake will be derived of animal protein and the small amount in carbs. Also, take a fish oil, omega-3 supplement to make sure you're getting 8g a day of those EFAs or more.

I don't care for your lifting routine. It is fine for overrall fitness, but won't build you a jacked upper body really. Post it in the workout section and in the mean time, look at what others are doing.

I'll post some info for you below to help understand how many calories you should be eating and the food choices they'll be derived from. When you feel good about it, post a better diet so we can check it out.

[Damienm05]

First, calculate your BMR/TDEE so you know how much you should be eating (for a strict cut, I'd suggest 300-500 calories below TDEE with cardio 5-7 days per week - for strictly gaining LBM, 300-500 above).

BMR/TDEE formula:

Let’s start with BMR. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. AKA – how many calories you burn each day by just sitting on your ass. In order to figure out your BMR, you need to know what your lean body mass is. In turn, you need to know what your body fat percentage is.

If you don’t know your body fat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please don’t use electronic scales to get your bf % checked, they're horrible). If you don’t have a gym that offers this service; ask me and I’ll give you a pretty good estimate.

With your bf % in hand, here’s the formula:

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Total weight x bf % in decimal form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

For example:

I am 6'1 210 lbs at 10% body fat... so I would multiply 210 by .10 (converted from percent to decimal) = 21 lbs
210 – 21 = 189 lbs lean body weight

189 / 2.2 = 86.0 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 86) = 2227.6 BMR (this is high for the average person)

Now that we have a BMR figure, we can move on to TDEE. Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is how many calories we actually use during the day via our BMR and activities such as work, exercise and various tasks. We can figure this number out with simple math but be honest because this figure is to be the cornerstone of your diet and healthy lifestyle. We need to determine your activity level. We’ll choose from a few levels:

§ If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): Calorie - Calculation = BMR x 1.2
§ If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
§ If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
§ If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
§ If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For example:

I train with weights 5 days for 90 minutes per week. I play hockey three times per week
for 90 minutes. I do 60 minutes of cardio training 5 times per week as well. I also practice my sport 3 times per week for 90 minutes. Either via skating or puck/shooting drills. All are high-intensity. I am between very and extra active. Let’s say BMR x 1.8. My TDEE is 4010.

In terms of food choices, here goes:

I love analogies. Let’s use a good one. Think of your perfect body as a house that you must build. You’ve figured out your BMR and TDEE, so you know the exact specs of the property you have to work with. You know how exercise affects weight loss and how much of a caloric deficit/surplus we must create to lose/gain said weight; so you know how to build - you understand architecture. You also know the pace you intend on losing/gaining weight at based on these other factors, so you know it will be harder to get your house built in weeks as opposed to months. The only thing left is the tools/building material you must use and because you don’t know how to eat, you still can’t build anything. At least, not well. Sure, you can starve yourself for a few months but you’ll just gain all the weight back in a couple weeks of binge drinking and shitty eating on a vacation – you’re house will fall down!

So, let’s talk tools baby. Let’s talk food. First off, there are only 3 types of foods/macronutrients. Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. That’s it.

Protein – 4 calories per gram - Building material. Bricks. You can’t gain energy from protein, you can only use it to build muscle/skin/hair/nails. It’s basically just amino acids and it’s what our bodies are made of. As such, we need lots of it. 1g of protein per body lb is a good number to shoot for . Go as high as 2g per body lb if you’re lifting weights and trying to build muscle. For example, I am 207 lbs and I eat between 300-400 grams per day. Our body can only break down so much at one time however, so we want to eat 20-40 grams of protein in every meal, several times per day. Protein, being building material only and not energy/labor – the body can rarely find a reason for it to be stored as fat. If you must over-eat – make it lean meat/fish.

Carbs – 4 calories per gram - Think of these as human labor for your house. Think of sugar as dudes you pick up out front of home depot and oatmeal as a skilled carpenter. Both are carbs, both serve very different purposes. Carbs help transport essential nutrients to the muscles, create glycogen stores, and as such, increase protein synthesis but do not build muscle; they are simply an energy source. As such, they should only be eaten/used when we need energy. Any carbs we ingest before bed or before watching a movie, or something sedentary are not used as energy, and as such, are more likely to be stored in the body as glycogen (glucose/water in our muscles that we will use when doing high-intensity exercise). Once our glycogen reserves are full, they will spill over and be stored as fat. Yes, they will make you fat. Carbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Fats – 9 calories per gram - Like carbs, fats are an energy source, not a building material like protein. They provide nowhere near as much energy as carbs however. Ask anyone who's on a ketogenic diet. With regard to our house, think of fats as the glue/cement. They provide much needed essential fatty acids, which are great for joint/organ health and increase our protein synthesis. Going back to our analogy, cement/glue increases the effectiveness of bricks! If we give our bodies the right fats, it will be able to burn stored body fat quickly as it won’t see any use in keeping it. Remember, like carbs – not all fat is good and ALL fat is high in calories so watch out. A tablespoon of peanut butter can be a good addition to a meal. Snacking on 5-6 tablespoons, however, means you’ve just eaten over your TDEE for the day.

Acceptable proteins for your healthy lifestyle diet:

The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.

§ Ground beef (93% lean or better)
§ Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
§ Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
§ Chicken breast
§ Turkey breast
§ Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
§ Salmon
§ Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
§ All shellfish
§ Venison
§ Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
§ Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the
good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated
fat!

§ Bacon
§ Sausage
§ Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
§ Pork and beef ribs
§ Pork/Lamb chops
§ Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
§ Duck
§ Chicken legs/thighs
§ Chicken skin
§ Cheese

Acceptable Carbs for your healthy lifestlyle:

Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.

§ Oats/Oatmeal
§ Grits/Cornmeal
§ Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
§ Sweet potato (the best choice)
§ Butternut squash
§ Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
§ Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
§ Brown rice
§ Ezekiel bread
§ Swedish grain bread
§ Gluten free bread
§ Wheat couscous
§ Corn
§ Quinoa
§ Lentils
§ Beans
§ Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black List:

§ White pasta
§ White bread
§ Baguette
§ Bagels
§ Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
§ White couscous
§ White rice
§ You get the idea…

Don’t get discouraged upon reading this list. I still make desserts all the time with whole
grain flour and splenda. I buy bagels and baguettes at the health food store that use
complex carbs as a base. If you’re dedicated, you don’t have to miss out 100%

Acceptable fats for your healthy lifestyle:

We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.

§ Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
§ Natural almond butter
§ Cashews
§ Almonds
§ Peanuts
§ Flax seeds
§ Flax seed oil
§ Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
§ Fish oil
§ Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
§ Chia seeds
§ Grapeseed oil
§ Macadamia nut oil

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).

§ Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
§ Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
§ Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
§ Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
§ Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[gbrice75]

I'm happy to see that me and Damien have provided almost identical critique/changes to your diet. Implementing these changes will really kick up the diet to be that of a bodybuilder instead of an average person who wants to be healthy, as Damien mentioned.

[Damienm05]

Bah, that was overkill - 2 heads is better than one of course!

[phrenetic]

hehehe, cool, yeah everything in stages right, trust me current diet is far better then what it was, and already seeing body fat fall off, specially round the stomach.

Thanks heaps for the advice I will go through it and make the changes, work out my BMR cals etc. I find it difficult to figure all that shit out every meal..

Cheers bros

[phrenetic]

Damienm05 & gbrice75

Heya, Ok the casein should be fine, my whey protein is Optimum Nutrition 100% gold standard blah blah, they also make a casein, pretty expensive, but if I'm having that at night it halves the cost the whey anyway. So happy to do that for night time shake

Will the extra virgin olive oil give me enough fats, I typically have it with dinner and lunch, either on the fish/chicken and sometimes on the vegies, maybe 1 - 2 tablespoons. Or should I chuck in some avocado also?


Regarding brekky - I have known for a while I need more protein in the mornings, as obviously the oats + fruit nut mix is pretty high in carb content. But dam I feel good after eating a bowl of it, and the energy lasts for hours. I get really brain fuzzy in the mornings if I just smash eggs and toast, and it does my gut in all day if I start that way. I'm not debating its good for me, just that I have tried that before and wasn't able to continue with it.

Would a casein shake in the morning with the oats, be a decent morning protein source?


Thank you for all the other info, sausages are goneski will substitute with more fish.
deli turkey breast and wholemeal bread gonna ditch em in favour of a can of Tuna, pretty sure I can get used to eating that daily. See how I go

Banana is mostly before training, or other vigorous forms of activity

Honey in the green tea, ok ditched, I'm sweet enough already.


Couple quick questions:

Chicken Breast - How the hell do you guys eat so much of it, seriously I normally bake mine in the oven with some olive oil on top and a sprinkling of garlic and chilli powder for taste, but honestly I can't force it down more then a couple nights each week. Is it just one of those things you gotta suck up and shut up about, or can you guys recommend some good ways of cooking it


Soy based products - As I'm lactose intolerant, I typically use soy milk when I can't get my hands on things like rice and oat milk. I've heard stories about the high levels of estrogen in soy, obviously we want to avoid estrogen as much as possible, so just wondering what peoples take on it is, as soy milk is high in protein.


Soy based pasta - I love cooking up a big spaghetti full of vegies and lean mince on weekends as a bit of a treat, I used to use white pasta, switched to wholemeal but don't like it much. I've recently tried "Gluten free, organic soy spaghetti pasta", its not to bad and has more protein in it then carbs.

Here's its NI

Per 100g
Protein - 41g
Fat - 9g (sat 0.8g)
Carbs - 32g (sugars 0g)
Fibre - 1g
Sodium - 155mg

Bloody salt... Anyway what do you reckon, good substitute or steer away from it?

[gbrice75]

Damienm05 & gbrice75

Heya, Ok the casein should be fine, my whey protein is Optimum Nutrition 100% gold standard blah blah, they also make a casein, pretty expensive, but if I'm having that at night it halves the cost the whey anyway. So happy to do that for night time shake

Will the extra virgin olive oil give me enough fats, I typically have it with dinner and lunch, either on the fish/chicken and sometimes on the vegies, maybe 1 - 2 tablespoons. Or should I chuck in some avocado also?

It all depends on your daily fat macro goals/needs. If 1-2tbsp of olive oil plus whatever fats you get from the other foods/lean meats you eat fills up your day, then it's enough. If not, you can add some avacado, almonds, natty PB, etc. What you need to do is come up with what you need daily so you have numbers to work with


Regarding brekky - I have known for a while I need more protein in the mornings, as obviously the oats + fruit nut mix is pretty high in carb content. But dam I feel good after eating a bowl of it, and the energy lasts for hours. I get really brain fuzzy in the mornings if I just smash eggs and toast, and it does my gut in all day if I start that way. I'm not debating its good for me, just that I have tried that before and wasn't able to continue with it.

Would a casein shake in the morning with the oats, be a decent morning protein source?

If it's your very first meal of the day, i'd say 1/2 casein and 1/2 whey would be better. This way you get some quick protein after sleeping all night, as well as some sustained protein from the casein. I would still have a couple of eggs in this meal, and nobody said anything about toast - keep the oats, they're a great clean carb source!


Thank you for all the other info, sausages are goneski will substitute with more fish.
deli turkey breast and wholemeal bread gonna ditch em in favour of a can of Tuna, pretty sure I can get used to eating that daily. See how I go

Banana is mostly before training, or other vigorous forms of activity

Honey in the green tea, ok ditched, I'm sweet enough already.

Haha, nice


Couple quick questions:

Chicken Breast - How the hell do you guys eat so much of it, seriously I normally bake mine in the oven with some olive oil on top and a sprinkling of garlic and chilli powder for taste, but honestly I can't force it down more then a couple nights each week. Is it just one of those things you gotta suck up and shut up about, or can you guys recommend some good ways of cooking it

I'll be the first to admit it gets old. I save it for the meals/times of day I find myself more hungry, this way it's easier to eat. I marinade big batches of it in Wishbone House Italian Dressing. I know it's not the greatest idea, has crappy fat (soybean oil) and other additives/preservatives, but IMO it's a small price to pay and makes the chicken tolerable for me. I grill it all outside and it's actually pretty good. I eat it every single day. You should experiment with different marinades and consider using olive oil which would be a better choice than what I do =)


Soy based products - As I'm lactose intolerant, I typically use soy milk when I can't get my hands on things like rice and oat milk. I've heard stories about the high levels of estrogen in soy, obviously we want to avoid estrogen as much as possible, so just wondering what peoples take on it is, as soy milk is high in protein.

For a while, soy products were all the rage. More recently, it's being considered an inferior source of protein and the estrogen situation is definitely something to be concerned about. I would rather err on the side of caution and stay away from soy as much as possible. Try hard to get rice, oat, almond, coconut milk, etc. What are you using it for anyway, your shake? If so, just drop it all together and use water!


Soy based pasta - I love cooking up a big spaghetti full of vegies and lean mince on weekends as a bit of a treat, I used to use white pasta, switched to wholemeal but don't like it much. I've recently tried "Gluten free, organic soy spaghetti pasta", its not to bad and has more protein in it then carbs.

Here's its NI

Per 100g
Protein - 41g
Fat - 9g (sat 0.8g)
Carbs - 32g (sugars 0g)
Fibre - 1g
Sodium - 155mg

Bloody salt... Anyway what do you reckon, good substitute or steer away from it?

Again, i'd be concerned with the soy more than anything else. Pasta isn't the greatest carb choice to begin with, but if it's once a week then I think it's fine. I like Barilla Plus - it's not the greatest but it's definitely not the worst. See if you can find it near you.

Comments above in bold

[phrenetic]

Ok pretty much what I thought

My little brother is a chef so he might have some good recommendations on the chicken breast, I will get my cooking hat on and if I find something tasty and amazing I will post it up for everyone.

Going to work out my cal intake today after I go vote, wonder if we will have a female PM for the next three years, or an evil little monkey. Those are my choices :/

Soy, yeah ditched soy milk these days, don't like the estrogen, hell I'm even thinking of buying free range chicken breast to remove the hormones you ingest from the normal store bought Chicken breast.

Aight report back soon with my stats.

[gbrice75]

My little brother is a chef

LoL nice, Damien and I both trained in culinary as well. Except i'm a hacky gimp and he's actually good.

[phrenetic]

Aawwww common, you can marinade chicken, thats gotta put you above 90% of the populace when it comes to the culinary arts

[phrenetic]

OK here we go

Current weight - 76kg or (167 pounds)
Body fat - 15% (thats probably higher then what I actually am) but I'm alright with that.

body fat% .15 * 76 = 9.88
lean mass = 76kg - 9.88kg
BMR : 370+(21.6 * 66.12kg)
BMR = 1798


I guess since I only train 3 days a week I'm moderately active.

TDEE : 1.55 * 1798
TDEE = 2786


Pretty sure I did that correctly?



Ok so im saving the Nutritional information section of everything of eat, Once the casein arrives, and I do my shopping this weekend, I will have all the necessary foods to give a protien / carb/ fat breakdown for a typical day of what i'd eat.

So Tomorrow I will post up that stuff and you guys can rip into it, and get me on track.


Is there anything to look out for with the Tuna? I'm guessing you only want to eat the stuff that comes in the spring water yeah. Anything else to watch out for?

good times

[gbrice75]

Aawwww common, you can marinade chicken, thats gotta put you above 90% of the populace when it comes to the culinary arts

LoL thanks for the vote of confidence bro. If dumping a batch of chicken in Wishbone House Italian dressing is considered marinading it, i'm the Gordon Ramsay of the BBing world!

[gbrice75]

OK here we go

Current weight - 76kg or (167 pounds)
Body fat - 15% (thats probably higher then what I actually am) but I'm alright with that.

body fat% .15 * 76 = 9.88
lean mass = 76kg - 9.88kg
BMR : 370+(21.6 * 66.12kg)
BMR = 1798


I guess since I only train 3 days a week I'm moderately active.

TDEE : 1.55 * 1798
TDEE = 2786


Pretty sure I did that correctly?

It all looks good. The activity multiplier is the trickiest part to get right. Sure you go to the gym 3 days a week, but what does the rest of your week look like, and what does the rest of your DAYS look like when you DO go to the gym? Are you sitting on your ass most of the time like me? If so, i'd probably bump it down one to be on the safe side. If you notice you're dropping weight too fast you can adjust. Of course you could go the other way if you were too high, but who wants to add more fat, or make NO progress? =)



Ok so im saving the Nutritional information section of everything of eat, Once the casein arrives, and I do my shopping this weekend, I will have all the necessary foods to give a protien / carb/ fat breakdown for a typical day of what i'd eat.

So Tomorrow I will post up that stuff and you guys can rip into it, and get me on track.


Is there anything to look out for with the Tuna? I'm guessing you only want to eat the stuff that comes in the spring water yeah. Anything else to watch out for?

I eat the solid white tuna in olive oil as a perfect protein/fat meal. I even add a bit of avacado to bump the fat even more. If you do this, look for Tonno in olive oil - don't just get the ones that say 'tuna in oil' as it's usually soybean oil and other crap.

If you're using tuna along with carbs or something, then yes i'd stick to tuna in water.

good times

Bold =)

[phrenetic]

Yeah I'm pretty happy with moderately active. Yes I work a office type desk job, 3-4 days a week as a web developer, but spend my weekends hiking, bushwalking, rock climbing and generally trying to remain somewhat active.

Add to that the intense cardio that is my fight training and my spontaneous push ups when im bored and I think Moderately active is perfect, and once summer comes back I can get back to hitting the beach and swimming too. Also thinking of taking up indoor soccer once a week as soon as my ankle heals.

Aight Im off to the supermarket to get my food for the week, I actually enjoy the fact that I know exactly what to buy and dont have to stuff about. 8 billion pieces of fish, 3 trillion pieces of chicken, 10 tonnes of kangaroo and 7 thousands bags of broccoli

easy

[phrenetic]

Ok finally got around to counting the protein / carb / fat ratio for my daily intakes.

Here is my new diet.

protein / carbs / fat


8am -
Whey + Casein shake (50/50) - 1 scoop 30g

Should I have a full 30g whey shake here and casein shake with breakfast?

Multi vitamin, zinc + magnesium, fish oil (1000mg)
25g / 3g / 1g



8.30am -

Should I have a full 30g Case in shake here to up the protein intake?

bowl of oats + mix (cashews, almonds, sun flower seeds, goji berries)
with oat milk

Breakdown
oats 50g - 5.4g / 31g / 4.3g
oat milk - 1g / 9.1g / 1.8g
nut mix 20g - 5g / 10g / 5g
total - 11.4 / 50.1 / 11



11am -
Can of Tuna - 100g
(22g/0g/1g)



1pm lunch -
250g chicken breast or white fish, 150g mixed vegies (brocli, cauliflower), 50g Brown rice
60g / 39g / 23.4g
White tea

******************
Lunch
brown rice - 4 / 35 / 1.4
vege - 3.9 / 3.9 / 0
chicken - 57.7 / 0 / 3.1
almond, cashew, brazil nut butter - 1.7 / 0.8 / 6
total - 65.6 / 39 / 10.5
******************



4pm -
Can of Tuna - 100g
White tea
(22 / 0 / 1)


******
if training day 8.15pm - 2 scoops whey protien
(48 / 6 / 2)
+ banana
(2 / 20 / 0)
********


Dinner 7pm or 8.30pm

Dinners

- 250g white fish, 150g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
(44 / 28.6 / 10.3)
- 225g kangaroo steak, 150g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
(52.5 / 28.6 / 8.25)

Typically with one teaspoon olive oil
(0 / 0 / 18)


11pm -
Casein shake - 1 scoop 30g,
fish oil (1000mg)
(25 / 3 / 1)



/*************************/
The daily counts


----------------------------------------------------


*****Non training day

1. 25 / 3 / 1

2. 11.4 / 40.1 / 11

3. 22 / 0 / 1

4. 65.6 / 39 / 10.5

5. 22 / 0 / 1

6. 44 / 28.6 / 10.3 + (0 / 0 / 18)

7. 25 / 3 / 1


Total For NON training day

p 215 / c 114 / f 54 = 383

p 56% / c 30% / f 14%




----------------------------------------------------







*****Training days


1. 25 / 3 / 1

2. 11.4 / 40.1 / 11

3. 22 / 0 / 1

4. 65.6 / 39 / 10.5

5. 22 / 0 / 1

6. 2 / 20 / 0 (banana)

7. 50 / 6 / 2 (2 scoops whey)

8. 44 / 28.6 / 10.3 + (0 / 0 / 18)

9. 25 / 3 / 1


Total For training day

p 267 / c 140 / f 56 = 463

p 58% / c 30% / f 12%



----------------------------------------------------





Ok, advice, critique. Etc
.

I'm feeling amazing on this diet its only been 4 days

Casein doesn't seem to upset my stomach at all which is great.

Although I reckon i might get sick of the Tuna, whats another good easy protein source for those in between meals?


Thanks for the all the help so far guys!

[phrenetic]

Oh and my body type is Ectomorphic, most certainly ectomorphic

[gbrice75]

Ok finally got around to counting the protein / carb / fat ratio for my daily intakes.

Here is my new diet.

protein / carbs / fat


8am -
Whey + Casein shake (50/50) - 1 scoop 30g

Should I have a full 30g whey shake here and casein shake with breakfast?

If possible, i'd rather see a 50/50 whey/casein shake right here in this meal. However, you could do just the whey, but I woulnd't do casein again at 8:30; real food at that point, still looking to see some eggs thrown in there!

Multi vitamin, zinc + magnesium, fish oil (1000mg)
25g / 3g / 1g



8.30am -

Should I have a full 30g Case in shake here to up the protein intake?

bowl of oats + mix (cashews, almonds, sun flower seeds, goji berries)
with oat milk

Breakdown
oats 50g - 5.4g / 31g / 4.3g
oat milk - 1g / 9.1g / 1.8g
nut mix 20g - 5g / 10g / 5g
total - 11.4 / 50.1 / 11

Like stated above, I wouldn't do a 2nd shake here, it's time for real food protein. Eggs are the obvious choice. 2 whole, 4-6 whites. Again, I would drop the nuts from the oats, add berries instead. If you add eggs, you will get the fats that the nuts were providing, and both would be too much



11am -
Can of Tuna - 100g
(22g/0g/1g)

Add either a healthy fat or complex carb. My preference this early would be a complex carb





1pm lunch -
250g chicken breast or white fish, 150g mixed vegies (brocli, cauliflower), 50g Brown rice
60g / 39g / 23.4g
White tea

******************
Lunch
brown rice - 4 / 35 / 1.4
vege - 3.9 / 3.9 / 0
chicken - 57.7 / 0 / 3.1
almond, cashew, brazil nut butter - 1.7 / 0.8 / 6
total - 65.6 / 39 / 10.5
******************

Great meal, but drop the nut butter. Try and keep your fats/carbs separate



4pm -
Can of Tuna - 100g
White tea
(22 / 0 / 1)

Add healthy fat or complex carb


******
if training day 8.15pm - 2 scoops whey protien
(48 / 6 / 2)
+ banana
(2 / 20 / 0)
********

If training day, this is PWO right?


Dinner 7pm or 8.30pm

Dinners

- 250g white fish, 150g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
(44 / 28.6 / 10.3)
- 225g kangaroo steak, 150g mixed vegies, 100g sweet potato
(52.5 / 28.6 / 8.25)

Typically with one teaspoon olive oil
(0 / 0 / 18)

Getting late in the day here, consider dropping the sweet potato.


11pm -
Casein shake - 1 scoop 30g,
fish oil (1000mg)
(25 / 3 / 1)

Here's where you can add back in your nut butter



/*************************/
The daily counts


----------------------------------------------------


*****Non training day

1. 25 / 3 / 1

2. 11.4 / 40.1 / 11

3. 22 / 0 / 1

4. 65.6 / 39 / 10.5

5. 22 / 0 / 1

6. 44 / 28.6 / 10.3 + (0 / 0 / 18)

7. 25 / 3 / 1


Total For NON training day

p 215 / c 114 / f 54 = 383

p 56% / c 30% / f 14%




----------------------------------------------------







*****Training days


1. 25 / 3 / 1

2. 11.4 / 40.1 / 11

3. 22 / 0 / 1

4. 65.6 / 39 / 10.5

5. 22 / 0 / 1

6. 2 / 20 / 0 (banana)

7. 50 / 6 / 2 (2 scoops whey)

8. 44 / 28.6 / 10.3 + (0 / 0 / 18)

9. 25 / 3 / 1


Total For training day

p 267 / c 140 / f 56 = 463

p 58% / c 30% / f 12%



----------------------------------------------------





Ok, advice, critique. Etc
.

I'm feeling amazing on this diet its only been 4 days

Casein doesn't seem to upset my stomach at all which is great.

Although I reckon i might get sick of the Tuna, whats another good easy protein source for those in between meals?


Thanks for the all the help so far guys!

Getting better, but it doesn't look like you took alot of the advice. Still have alot of fat/carb meals together, and some meals have only protein. Sugggestions in bold. Chicken in a can is a quick replacement for tuna, but you'll get sick of that fast too! =)

[phrenetic]

Aight thanks gbrice, I didn't understand correctly about separating the fats and carbs.


Yes the whey and banana is PWO, well kinda, explained below.


Typical training day
****************
5pm - weights

- Banana
- Whey 30g

6.15pm kick boxing or tactical fighting

- Whey 30g

7.15pm Teach boxing/kickboxing

8.30pm - Dinner

*****************



Ok, will split up carbs and fats, that shouldnt be an issue.

I still can't do eggs in the morning, it just upsets my gut all day bro. I'm gonna try it out over the weekend again though with egg whites, fingers crossed.

Removing the nut mix from breakfast, goji berries only.


Will redo and come back with breakdowns