What is the best way to structure (build) my diet and set goals?

[Jedimindtrick]

Hello all! I have been researching this forum for a few months and the amount of info is a little overwhelming. I have a working understanding of body composition, tdee, etc... Things I didn't quite understand before I found all the great posters here so first off a big thanks! My question is what is the best way to set up a complete nutrition program start to finish. I figured up mine and my wife's tdee based on our stats but that was with bf% estimated. Im searching for a bod pod in my area to give us the best readings to start with. I eat as clean as i know how and in the last 4 months I have noticed a a good amount of recomposition. To get to the next level though I need a better plan and would really like an overall lifestyle change.

[Jedimindtrick]

I forgot to say that my wife did not start the plan I did 4 months ago. After seeing my results she is motivated to get fit again (shes a knockout when she tones up!). So basically we are trying to structure our nutritional stuff together and learn a new way to cook and live.

[RaginCajun]

Welcome!

You said it right, it's a lifestyle change!

Post up a daily food log with macros and foods, so we can critique it.

You are in the right place, we can help you get to where you want to be

[Jedimindtrick]

Thanks Cajun, as soon as I get back to my notes I'll post it all up. I have not been doing a daily food log so my stats aren't gonna be %100 but they should be reasonably accurate.

[RaginCajun]

Thanks Cajun, as soon as I get back to my notes I'll post it all up. I have not been doing a daily food log so my stats aren't gonna be %100 but they should be reasonably accurate.

no prob, we are all here to help!

when we say stats, we mean (age/height/weight/BF%)

we need to know your goals, or where you want to take this

making a daily helps out more than you can imagine!

breeze thru some of these threads and see how people structure everything so that we can better assist you!

[Jedimindtrick]

Age 31. Height 69 3/8" weight 205 lbs. bf% ? Taken today 01/04/13
According to the staff at my gym, next week there will be trainers taking body measurements bf% so if they are there before i go out of town I'll get it then.

In october I took measurements this is what they looked like:

Can we derive bf% from these?

all measurements in inches, taken 10/29/12

Age: 31
Height: 69 3/8"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Neck: 15
Shoulders: 44
Chest: 40
Waist: 38.5
Hips: 40
L Calf: 15.5
R Calf: 15.5
L Thigh: 23
R Thigh: 23
L Bicep: 12.5
R Bicep: 13
Wingspan: 70
L Forearm: 11
R Forearm: 10.75

I wish I had taken a picture because I am much more toned than I was. Have worked out seriously for 5 out of last 7 years. Took almost 18 months off after discovering that I had a schwaannoma in my neck in 2010. Had 2 major spinal surgeries in June 2011. I have always been athletic, played competitive sports, lifted since junior high school. Also, I don't know if this matters but I lost 1 1/4" off my height from the bone removed during surgery. If i can figure it out, I will post a current pic to help with body fat% and when I have someone to tape me later I will post updated measurements.

[Jedimindtrick]

My goal is to be an amateur bb. I would like to develop overall symmetry and get bf down around 10-12% A more important goal is to learn a better way to cook, eat, live etc... I have a lot of bad eating habits from my wrestling days. I basically starved myself all the time and did tons of cardio, dehydrated myself but I was a mean s.o.b. lol My wife wants to lose 40lbs she is 5'2" 182lbs. Looking at her though you would never think she weighs that much. She has a gymnast body type, great curves, muscular legs and trunk. She asked me to set her up a diet plan also but I don't have a clue what to do for her other than to get her weaned off of sodas, teas, and the small amount of fast food she eats. So basically I'm trying to set up two different plans with different goals but with foods and meals we can both eat. I hope I'm making sense, and did I leave any info out that you may need?

[RaginCajun]

look up body fat calculations. i would assume that you could go off of those numbers

tell her to sign up! there is a women's only section. it is not as busy as the rest but it might help her out to have like minded females to talk to

like you said in your first post, it is a lifestyle change, not a diet. at least that is how i approach it

this is unlike your wrestling days where you had to cut weight to make a certain weight class, this is a lifestyle change!

best thing you did was start an account here!

you are making perfect sense!

now, search thru the stickies at the top and get a better grip on the nutrition side of things and then, try to come up with a daily food log with pro/carb/fat/cals with workouts and everything!

the more we know, the more we can help!

you are very similar to when i started out. looks like you are around 5'9" 195lbs, not sure yet on BF.

i will be the first to tell you it isn't easy and there will be bumps in the road!

the big cavot is how you over come those little bumps!

go check out my log, it is both informative and hysterical!

[Jedimindtrick]

I lift 3x per week, cardio and core 2x per week and have a physical job that requires I walk 5-10 miles daily climb up and down railcars, hang on those ladders for long periods of time and I do this 5 days a week 8-12 hrs a day. I am not sure if this is considered moderately or very active for the purpose of figuring tdee so i calculated both.

Basal Metabolic Rate: 2012.8
Moderately Active TDEE: 3,119.9
Very Active TDEE: 3,472

Sample Day:

0415 wake-up
0445 gnc amplified creatine 189 (creatine hydrochloride 1250 mg), gnc rampant NOS
0500-0600 HITT style workout M-W-F. Cardio and Core (active recovery) T-TH. SAT-SUN rest.
0615-0630 Post Workout Recovery Cell Tech Nitro-Tech protein with liquid egg whites. 40 P, 2 C, 1.5 F. 140 cals
0700-0730 Four large eggs fried over easy in extra virgin olive oil, 3 pieces of turkey bacon. 31.5 P, 0C, 26 F. 425 cals
1000-1100 2.6 oz chunk lite tuna in water. 18 P, 1 C, 0.5 F. 80 cals
1300-1500 12 oz grilled, boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1/2 cup uncle bens instant brown rice, 9 spears steamed asparagus. 100P, 40.5 C, 13.5 F. 695 cals
1700-2030 Three pan fried tilapia filets in extra virgin olive oil with seasoning, medium sweet potato, 2 cups salad with fresh vegetables drizzled with e.v.o.o. 16 oz unsweetened almond milk. 72 P, 57.4 C, 30.3 F. 760 cals
1900-2100 Cell Tech Nitro-Tech protein with liquid egg whites. 40 P, 2 C, 1.5 F. 140 cals

TOTALS: 301.5 P
102.9 C
73.3 F
2,240 CALS

This is a good example of what and when I eat everyday. I always have two protein shakes and four meals. I always have the tuna as a snack meal sometimes two servings or a rice cake. I always use tilapia, grilled chicken or ground turkey for my lunch and supper meat with brown rice, sweet potato, black beans or whole grain pasta for my starch with asparagus, salad boiled cabbage, turnip greens or Brussels sprouts for green leafy vegetables. I drink1 1/2 to 2 gals. Of water daily and have diet citrus green tea, unsweetened almond milk, or 2% skim milk with breakfast and supper. Some mornings I have a banana with post workout recovery or a red apple with lunch. Never drink sodas, juices, alcohol but I do have 2-3 snack size pieces of candy about once every week.

Daily Vitamins: 3 omega-3 soft gels, 10,000 iu's D3, 2,000 iu's E, 1,000 mg C, 320 mg saw palmetto, 2,500 mg creating hydrochloride.

[Jedimindtrick]

WORKOUT

I change my split every 2 weeks for muscle confusion so I'll post all three splits.

Week 1-2 Push-Pull Split

Monday Back and Bi's. Wednesday Chest and Tris Friday Shoulders and Legs

Lat pull downs. Flat Bench. Dumbbell Shoulder press
Reverse flies. Incline (hammerstrength). Dumbbell front raise
Seated cable rows. Decline (hammerstrength). Shrugs
Straight leg dead lift. Dumbbell flies. Bent over rows

EZ bar curls. Skullbusters (Lying Triceps extension). Leg press
Machine curls. Cable triceps push downs. Hack squats
Rope hammer curls (cable machine). Close grip flat bench. Leg extensions
Low cable curls. One arm low cable kickbacks. Leg curls
Standing calf raises

Tuesday, Thursday Cardio and Core (Active Recovery)

30 minutes low-medium intensity cardio (elliptical)
Seated crunch machine
Weighted decline crunches
Dumbbell side bend
Standing weighted twist
Weighted back extension

I do 3-4 circuit sets with these 5 exercises with no rest between exercises and :60 or less between circuits. It sucks!


Week 3-4 Opposing Split

Monday Chest and Bi's

Wednesday Shoulders and Legs

Tuesday and Thursday Core and Cardio


Week 5-6 Antagonist Split

Monday Bi's and Tris

Wednesday Chest and Back

Friday Shoulders and Legs

Tuesday and Thursday Core and Cardio


Regardless of the split I do light stretches and a warmup set for each exercise then 3-4 working sets with :60 or less between each set and :90 or less between each exercise 10-15 rep max with progressive overload. Sometimes I do super sets with no rest between each exercise and :60 or less between each superset. I also change or mix up the combination of exercises I use for each muscle group so that I work each muscle group a different way each week. My training lasts between 45-75 minutes depending on whether or not I need extra stretch and warm up time to achieve the desired intensity level. As you probably already know, I am 100% hypertrophy training right now and will for at least another 90 days as long as I continue to see and feel the level of improvement I have over the last 90 days.

[Jedimindtrick]

look up body fat calculations. i would assume that you could go off of those numbers

tell her to sign up! there is a women's only section. it is not as busy as the rest but it might help her out to have like minded females to talk to

like you said in your first post, it is a lifestyle change, not a diet. at least that is how i approach it

this is unlike your wrestling days where you had to cut weight to make a certain weight class, this is a lifestyle change!

best thing you did was start an account here!

you are making perfect sense!

now, search thru the stickies at the top and get a better grip on the nutrition side of things and then, try to come up with a daily food log with pro/carb/fat/cals with workouts and everything!

the more we know, the more we can help!

you are very similar to when i started out. looks like you are around 5'9" 195lbs, not sure yet on BF.

i will be the first to tell you it isn't easy and there will be bumps in the road!

the big cavot is how you over come those little bumps!

go check out my log, it is both informative and hysterical!

Thanks for the help and encouragement Cajun! I took forever to get all this posted so I will have to get to that research and your log after work tomorrow.

I was 195 in October but that was on different scales. I started using my gyms scales two weeks ago I weighed 202 and today I weighed 205.

[SlimmerMe]

Welcome and GOOD LUCK!

and tell your wife to sign up too!

Keeping a log is the best thing you can do here. Will keep you focused.

[Jedimindtrick]

Age 31. Height 69 3/8" weight 205 lbs. bf% ? Taken today 01/04/13
According to the staff at my gym, next week there will be trainers taking body measurements bf% so if they are there before i go out of town I'll get it then.

In october I took measurements this is what they looked like:

Can we derive bf% from these?

all measurements in inches, taken 10/29/12

Age: 31
Height: 69 3/8"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Neck: 15
Shoulders: 44
Chest: 40
Waist: 38.5
Hips: 40
L Calf: 15.5
R Calf: 15.5
L Thigh: 23
R Thigh: 23
L Bicep: 12.5
R Bicep: 13
Wingspan: 70
L Forearm: 11
R Forearm: 10.75

I wish I had taken a picture because I am much more toned than I was. Have worked out seriously for 5 out of last 7 years. Took almost 18 months off after discovering that I had a schwaannoma in my neck in 2010. Had 2 major spinal surgeries in June 2011. I have always been athletic, played competitive sports, lifted since junior high school. Also, I don't know if this matters but I lost 1 1/4" off my height from the bone removed during surgery. If i can figure it out, I will post a current pic to help with body fat% and when I have someone to tape me later I will post updated measurements.

EDIT: I used the measurements above and calculated BF % with six different calculators and averaged them. Low 21.19%. High 26.42%. Average 23.65%.

[Jedimindtrick]

Ok, using the measurements posted above I calculated bf % with 6 different calculators. This gave me a high of 26.42%. A low of 21.19%. And an average of 23.65%.

[Jedimindtrick]

Anybody got anything? Started using my fitness pal to track cals and macros.

[Jedimindtrick]

So I went through the stickies, I figured out that I'm not eating near enough so I got some cyto gainer to help add a few calories and added another meal to my diet. I think it's better for me just to have a pen and pad handy to write down a daily food log. Still not sure where my macros should be I know most start with a 40/20/20, I guess how you tweak it is dependent on goals? Felt much stronger in the gym this a.m. From the extra cals and also added a small pre workout shake just to have something on my stomach as I have been lifting fasted.

[RaginCajun]

you mean 40/40/20!

yes, that is a good split. i use my fitness pal also to track cals/macros/etc..

you can manipulate the numbers online and it syncs with your app

i have your maintenance cals around 2340.

you need to be eating around 1800-1900 cals a day and maybe want to try the split i am doing at 50/30/20 (pro/carb/fat)

the pen and pad help but if you are like anyone else these days, you will have your phone on you! so take 2 minutes to log your food!

its not a sprint, its a marathon!

[jeromehauser]

Thank you for proving that some of us newbies are serious about this life....great job.

[Jedimindtrick]

Thanks for the help guys! Cajun I just wanna learn the process bro, I know if i can master the process the results will follow. I do get impatient at times and have to be checked up though so thanks!

[RaginCajun]

Thanks for the help guys! Cajun I just wanna learn the process bro, I know if i can master the process the results will follow. I do get impatient at times and have to be checked up though so thanks!

Everyone's process is different

You have to find what works for you

Still waiting to see your daily dietary intake for the day so we can get your process started

[Jedimindtrick]

Breakfast 0600
Cyto gainer 4 scoops 3/4 cup liquid egg whites
78 P 77 C 30 F 830 cals
Snack 0900
1 medium orange
1P 19C 0F 80 cals

Lunch 1230
1 2.6 oz pouch chunk lite tuna in water
18P 1C .5F 80 cals

Snack 1600 2 cups velveeta shells and cheese
30P 114C 9F 660 cals
1 cup 2% milk
8.1P 11.4C 4.8F 122 cals

Total for now 135 P 222.4 C 44.3 1772 cals

Supper ??
??? I know its gonna be lean ground turkey with green veggies and no carbs, starches. Waiting on the wife to get home from work.
Doesn't look so great.

[Jedimindtrick]

Cooked spaghetti for supper with 97/3 lean ground turkey tomato sauce cheese 100 % whole grain pasta.