Need Diet Help!!

[Signmaker]

This post is long over due!!!I found this forum because I was put on TRT about a month ago for having extremely low Test levels and Vitamin D. I have been researching and learning over in the HRT Threads and feel I pretty much have my TRT protocol in check, and now its time to work on my Diet. I have just recently started back at the gym and try to go 2 -3 time a week but sometimes my schedule is to hectic and I can only go once. Hopefully this will change bc I'd like to go more. I recently relocated and have a new job which happens to be my first desk job so I don't really get any kind of activity during the day and I am the heaviest I've ever been... I tend to snack a lot more at work mostly on sweets to help pass the time. Here are my stats so you have a better idea of where I;m at:
32, 5'10", 225lbs, 22%BF as of a month ago. Every day I take 40mg of Test, 2000IU Vitamin D, 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil, Protein Shake and a multi Vitamin (usually). I know my diet sucks and really need some advice on types of food to avoid and specific foods That are good. I have never been this big and most of the extra weight is in my stomach and sides, my face gets bloated too. I think most of my weight gain has been due to stress this past year during which time I have fluctuated 10lbs up or down in just a few weeks. I am starting to feel great since starting TRT, but want to fix my Diet too. I want to get my confidence back and feel good about myself. Any help would be much appreciated!!

[Signmaker]

Does anybody have any advice for me? I'm on the go a lot and don't have time to cook meals except for dinners and on weekends. I'd like to figure out some meals that are quick and I could make at work. This is my first post here so at least a nudge in the right direction would be a start.

THANKS AGAIN

[Back In Black]

Can you list your current diet including macro's?

Also your workout schedule?

A good start would be the cutting 101 sticky.

[gbrice75]

Can you list your current diet including macro's?

Also your workout schedule?

A good start would be the cutting 101 sticky.

^^ this. Thanks Stem!

[Signmaker]

I looked through the cutting 101 sticky but am still not sure about macros. My diet is kind of all over the place but I'll start with what I have been doing for the past couple of weeks.

Wakeup: Coffee, sometimes Cereal (Mueslix)
Breakfast: Somewhere between 7-9:30 1 cup instant oatmeal (flavored) or a protein bar,and (2) Vitamin D's 2000iu total
Snack: between 10:30-11:00 Usually Swedish Fish or something sweet and chewy
Lunch: 11:30-12:00 Sometimes Raman noodles and chips, but mostly faster food like a Jimmy John's sub, Noodle bowl, Pizza etc.and (2) Omega 3 gels 1000mg total
Snack: Around 2:00 more sweets, cheez its or Tapioca pudding cup sometimes Coffee
Snack: between 3:30-4:30 Muscle Pharm Combat Powder Protein Shake
Dinner: between 6-7:00 Varies....spaghetti w/ meat sauce, meatloaf, Chicken, mashed potatoes and usually a side of veggies...corn or broccoli
Desert: between 8-9:30 I stopped the ice cream but now I'll have some gluten free tapioca pudding and cheez its

I know that I this is a horrible Diet and has mostly come about by stress from this last year. The rough patch is over now and I want to make positive changes in all areas of my life.

I try and get to the gym a couple times a week and when I do its around 5:30-6pm. I try and do free weights, 2 large muscle groups each workout and finish with abs. I haven't done cardio

in a long time bc a lack of motivation...I now realize that was mostly due to my low test. I feel much better and more motivated being on TRT and am ready to get back in shape.

Thanks for the help!

[gbrice75]

What about macros aren't you sure? I specifically addressed macros in the sticky, and tried to make it as 'fool proof' as possible. Not being a dick, just curious what you're having an issue with as maybe I can help.

[Signmaker]

Maybe I overlooked that part or just misunderstood what Stem wanted. I just looked at the sticky and saw the Chart...Do you want me to
follow this format--Format: Food - Quantity - Calories - Carbohydrate - protein - fat and list each one for my current diet.

If this is what your looking for I will do my best, but again, My current diet has been so erratic and what I listed previously is not even a regular thing.

If the food is not on the chart, do you want me to Fill in the format from the packaging? These terms and all are a bit foreign to me so bear with me as I learn.

Thanks

[gbrice75]

Yes ^^^. If you don't have the info readily available, there are websites for this. My personal favorite is livestrong.com

I'll tell you now that you are definitely going to need to work on a much less erratic diet. Unfortunately, erratic just doesn't work in this game. Regimented does.

[Signmaker]

Thanks GB, and I totally agree.. That is why I'm here. Life got stressful and I got into a really bad habit of eating some meals, skipping some meals and grabbing the quick easy meal
that I could unwrap or throw in the microwave. I know my work is cut out for me, but I am ready to do things right. I'll try and get a list of my macros together tonight and we'll go from there.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Or if your diet is really that bad and totally inconsistent just post up a proposed diet of foods that you enjoy and can/will eat consistently and we can start with that. I say that because from the diet you posted above, it doesn't look like too many of those food choices can remain if you want to reach your goals. No sense in posting the macros for pizza, tapioca pudding, ice cream, etc. LOL.

[gbrice75]

^^ lmao good point!!

OP - great attitude! Keep it up and you'll reach your goals bro.

[Signmaker]

"just post up a proposed diet of foods that you enjoy and can/will eat consistently and we can start with that"

That sounds a little easier too!!! Trust me, I thought long and hard before posting that but If I wasn't honest I'd only be cheating myself.
I know I'll catch a little hell for it, so go ahead and get it out!!....LOL!!

Is there a basic Diet that is already made up that can be personalized to ones liking? I mean....I don't really know where to start. I'm not a picky eater and don't mind eating
things that don't taste like, well....Tapioca pudding-if they're good for me.

[Sgt. Hartman]

"just post up a proposed diet of foods that you enjoy and can/will eat consistently and we can start with that"

That sounds a little easier too!!! Trust me, I thought long and hard before posting that but If I wasn't honest I'd only be cheating myself.
I know I'll catch a little hell for it, so go ahead and get it out!!....LOL!!

Is there a basic Diet that is already made up that can be personalized to ones liking? I mean....I don't really know where to start. I'm not a picky eater and don't mind eating
things that don't taste like, well....Tapioca pudding-if they're good for me.

You really need to make up your own diet, that way you learn as you're putting it together and can understand why you're eating the way you are but here's a little help.

Your daily caloric maintenance should be around 2600cal. 225lbs x .78 (LBM %) = 175.5lbs of LBM. 175.5 LBM x 15 (a good starting point if you don't know how many cals to eat) = 2632.5cals.

That's 2630 cals to maintain your current weight so let's cut that by 500cal per day and shoot for 2100 cals.

I'd start with 1.5g of protein per lb of LBM so that would be 262.5g of protein which is 1050 calories from protein or 50% of total cals.

For fats I'd shoot for 45g or 405 cals from fats which will be 19% of total cals.

That leaves about 160g of carbs which is 645 cals from carbs to make up 31% of total cals.

How many meals you eat and how you space them out is up to you, but IMO when you're just starting out it is much easier to try to eat 6 meals per day or about every 3 hours.

For protein eat things like chicken breast, lean beef, fish, whole eggs and/or egg whites, turkey, and pork.

Carbs can be brown or basmati rice, whole oats, sweet potato, quinoa, lentils, whole wheat or quinoa pasta, or any fibrous vegetable.

Fats could be fish oil pills, EVOO, flaxseed oil, natural peanut butter, almonds, or other healthy nuts.

So now put together a diet of good food sources with the proper macros and cals that you can eat consistently and we'll take a look and tell you what we think. BTW, that macro split is one that works well for me while cutting and it is by no means set in stone that you must use it. Some people like to drop carbs even lower and some people can lose weight while eating alot more carbs. You won't know until you eat a consistent diet how your body will respond so just pick a starting point and then you can make adjustments from there. Good luck.

Also, 280mg of test a week is a generous TRT dose, so get you ass in the gym and start training.

[Signmaker]

Sgt. Hartman, Thanks for taking the time to put that together for me!!! It can be a little overwhelming when first starting out especially when you don't really have a decent base to start with. That is a tremendous help and I will start working on it right away.


My TRT dose is actually in gel form, so I'm not sure if would still come out to 280mgs compared to if I were injecting...but no doubt, the gym is where I need to be!

[SlimmerMe]

Slow wins the race
Consistency is the key


GOOD LUCK!

[Signmaker]

Thanks Slim!!....and Congrats!! I took a look at your progress log and am impressed. 30.6 lbs in what,..7 months? Gives me some inspiration.

[Signmaker]

Ok, so I thought of some foods I think I can eat regularly and have access to during the day. This is just a start, so I'm sure there will be some fine, or even major tuning involved.

The macros are in order of total Calories followed by Protein, Fats and Carbs...

MEAL 1:
Instant oatmeal- 160 Cals, 4g, 2g, 32g
Scoop of Protein- 140 Cals, 25g, 2.5g, 5g
Coffee- 2 Cals, .3g, 0g, 0g
Vitamin-D- 1000ius

MEAL 2:
Handful of Trailmix- 203 Cals, 6g, 13.4g, 18.9g

MEAL 3:
Italian Sub on Wheat- 880 Cals, 0g, 23.8g, 71g
or Japanese Pan Noodle Bowl- 420 Cals, 20g, 6g, 72g
or Soup & Salad- 540 Cals, 33g, 56g, 52g
and-Sun Chips- 210 Cals, 3g, 9g, 29g

MEAL 4:
Nutrigrain Bar- 130 Cals, 2g, 3g, 24g
or Protein Shake- 140 Cals, 25g, 2.5g, 5g

MEAL 5:
Chicken Breast- 110 Cals, 23g, 2.5g, 0g
Sweet Potato- 103 Cals, 2g, 0g, 24g
Cup of Broccoli- 30 Cals, 2.6g, .3g, 6g

MEAL 6:
Cup of Cheez its- 150 Cals, 3g, 8g, 17g
Cup of Tapioca Pudding- 130 Cals, 3g, 3g, 23g

I'm sure it could still use a lot of work, so any suggestions of foods to add or take away would be helpful.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Start all over again. Most of your food choices are highly processed and not ideal for cutting or really for good health in general - cheez its, instant oatmeal, all of meal 3, pudding all needs to go. Meal 5 is the only one that looks good TBH. Checkout this thread by jimmyinkedup of good food sources. http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...t#.Ttf5fWBuHJw