Anybody care to critique my diet????

[BrysZ]

Okay I have been trying to cut for spring break so I have been seeking out advice on another thread but I fear this thread has died an early death so in a desparate attempt to validate my diet and since time is at the essence I thought maybe a new thread might spur some activity.

Goal: get as cut as possible over the next 5 weeks
Stats: 5'-11" 195# approx 16-18% BF, 44 years old
BMR: 1883
TDEE: 3248

Currently taking Clen/Keto and low test TRT. Will be starting T3 and ECA stack and will increase my TRT to 300mg/week this week.

Here is what I put together from all the info I gathered (THANK YOU) and the routines I tried last week...which was a very successful week...

5:15am Fasted Cardio 30-45 minutes low intensity
Post Cardio Shake 50g Whey
7:00am 6 Egg Whites 1/2 cup oats
9:30-10:00am 6oz Chicken Breast in 1 tbsp EVOO
12:00 noon 8oz Tilapia or Salmon in 1 tbsp EVOO
1:30 - 2:00pm 6oz Chicken Breast 2oz Almonds
Preworkout 3/4 cup Oats (Sweet Potato, Whole Grain Pasta, or Brown Rice optional) 2oz Blueberries 6oz Chicken Breast
Weights 8-12 reps/exercise little rest btw sets (60 sec max) followed by cardio 30-45 minutes low intensity
Postworkout Shake 50g Whey 1/4 cup oats
Last meal 4-6oz lean steak
Desert: 2tbsp Natty Peanut Butter

Total Grams: 328P 97F 147C 14S
Total Calories: 1312P 873F 588C
Combined Calories: 2773

Percentages: Protein Fat Carb
47% 31% 21%

Thank you very much for your help!!!

[FireGuy]

I think what you have set up is well thought out and should give you very good results.

[Gucks]

only thing i wuld suggest is cut the fat out a little bit, 97g is 2 much 4 cutting, try 70ish grams. and u dont have a night tiem meal. i think u shuld have a casein or some lean beef. other then that, it looks gd! good luck m8

[Gucks]

sorry ignore that about night meal! didnt read properly. u have lean beef as last meal anyway. wht time it it though?

[Sgt. Hartman]

I agree, looks really good - just stick to it and you should see the results you're after.

Just glancing through the macros and your diet, I don't see where 97gr of fat is coming from?

[BrysZ]

sorry ignore that about night meal! didnt read properly. u have lean beef as last meal anyway. wht time it it though?

Lean steak usally is at about 8:00pm...thank you for your feedback

[BrysZ]

I agree, looks really good - just stick to it and you should see the results you're after.

Just glancing through the macros and your diet, I don't see where 97gr of fat is coming from?

The 97g of fat is mostly 2tbsp of EVOO, 2oz of almonds, 2 tbsp of peanut butter and the steak fat....thank you for your help

[BrysZ]

only thing i wuld suggest is cut the fat out a little bit, 97g is 2 much 4 cutting, try 70ish grams. and u dont have a night tiem meal. i think u shuld have a casein or some lean beef. other then that, it looks gd! good luck m8

I started with low fat and got majorily fatigued and loss a ton of energy...I could cut down on the almonds and the peanut butter though. Maybe I will back off a tad and see if my energy drops markedly....thanks again for your help bud.

[gbrice75]

I'm glad to see you took some advice - you're diet looks MUCH better now. You're pretty much gtg IMO, although I agree that the fat should come down a bit. I know I know, i'm the one who told you to add fat. But we have to keep it in check, and 100g fat is seriously pushing it IMO. I'd get that down to 80g at most. Make up for it in early am and/or preworkout carbs if you want to stay at the same caloric level. Make the PB 1tbsp, maybe almonds 1oz instead of 2, stuff like that. If you can get the fat down to about 17% of the total intake, you're gtg.

[BrysZ]

I'm glad to see you took some advice - you're diet looks MUCH better now. You're pretty much gtg IMO, although I agree that the fat should come down a bit. I know I know, i'm the one who told you to add fat. But we have to keep it in check, and 100g fat is seriously pushing it IMO. I'd get that down to 80g at most. Make up for it in early am and/or preworkout carbs if you want to stay at the same caloric level. Make the PB 1tbsp, maybe almonds 1oz instead of 2, stuff like that. If you can get the fat down to about 17% of the total intake, you're gtg.

Thanks G....I will cut back on the almonds and peanut butter...

[BrysZ]

One more question...how much calorie deficit should I be targeting understanding I only have 4.5 weeks left to go? Thank you.

[BrysZ]

I recommend to take fruits like Orange,Lemon,Grapes and Watermelon along with 3/4 cup oats.


six pack abs

I would be concerned about the additional sugar...

[BrysZ]

One more question...how much calorie deficit should I be targeting understanding I only have 4.5 weeks left to go? Thank you.

Any opinions on what my target calorie deficit should be?

[gbrice75]

Any opinions on what my target calorie deficit should be?

First, you need to be absolutely certain that your TDEE is close to what you have. IMO it's high, unless you're a VERY active person.

That said, no matter what your TDEE is, I wouldn't drop below 500 calories. Personally, i'd only drop about 200 and rely on cardio to widen the deficit. In so doing, you stand a better chance of preserving LBM.

[Damienm05]

Agreed with the above OP. You've cited issues with LBM loss in the past, so I wouldn't take any chances. Even if you sacrifice some fat loss to preserve your muscle, you'll look better after your time is up.

[BrysZ]

Thanks guys.

So if I use a TDEE of 3000 and I keep between 2500 and 2800 I should be doing well?

As far as active....I am a teacher but I dont sit down for more than 60 minutes all day. I am teaching 50% overload which means 7 classes. I eat my 'during the day meals' while walking between classes. Thursdays I don't even have a scheduled lunch break. I am totally exhausted at the end of the day. Mentally, emotionally and physically drained. Combine that with 2 sessions of cardio and 4 days a week of lifting. Its 8:46pm right now and I just sat down to eat. I have been going full throttle since 5:00am...IDk is 3000 going to work?

[BrysZ]

Agreed with the above OP. You've cited issues with LBM loss in the past, so I wouldn't take any chances. Even if you sacrifice some fat loss to preserve your muscle, you'll look better after your time is up.

Also I was low-t back then now on 100mg per week trt protocol. Thanks

[gbrice75]

I think 2500 - 2800/day is good based on a 3000 TDEE. Maybe stay closer to the higher end to be safe for now. Even with your job, it's still not manual labor so I wouldn't worry much. If you were working construction or something along those lines, it'd be a different story.

[BrysZ]

A question on cheat meals.

So far after 16 days I really haven't used the cheat meal. Is that doing more harm than good? Is it necessary to have a cheat meal to confuse your body or something? If so what does a typical cheat meal consist of? Thank you!

[gbrice75]

A question on cheat meals.

So far after 16 days I really haven't used the cheat meal. Is that doing more harm than good? Is it necessary to have a cheat meal to confuse your body or something? If so what does a typical cheat meal consist of? Thank you!

Are you still making progress? If so, then I don't think not having the meal is doing you any harm. Could it make things even better? Sure. The high calories could stimulate metabolism and keep your body from getting used to the same amount of food day in and day out.

As for the content of the meal, this is up to you. The cleaner the better, but for me, a cheat meal is going to be a cheat meal, not alot more of the healthy stuff. Chinese food, pizza, beer, whatever. You have to live sometimes.