Diet post - Please help me find my way to the light

[Rookie75]

Hello,

I have only been a member for a couple weeks. I have been sharing some convo in the AAS forum and I have been advised to start here and get my diet sorted out.

Some background info and stats,

I began training/changing 1 year ago.

weight 217lbs
height 6'
age 38
BF 16%

I am going to try and post my daily diet for the next 2 weeks and see what happens...I know I need some work and that's why I am here so I am only looking for constructive criticism/feedback. My goals are to get my BF down to the 12% range but still have the energy to hit the gym 5-6 days a week.

April 15 non workout day

meal 1
- 1 cup egg whites in a whole wheat wrap with 1 half slice of cheese
- 1 bowl of mixed fruit (orange, pineapple, grapefruit)
- 1 cup of oatmeal with tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 half cup yogurt

meal 2
- 1 bowl mixed veg (carrot, zucchini, kohlrabi)
- 1 peanut butter and honey whole wheat wrap
- 1/2 cup of seasoned sunflower seeds

meal 3
- 1 peanut butter honey whole wheat wrap
- 1 trail mix bar
- small bowl of mixed fruit same as meal 1

meal 4
- 1 roast beef whole wheat wrap with small amount of mustard and 1 slice of cheese
- 1/2 cup of seasoned sunflower seeds

meal 5
- 1 trail mix bar
- 1 yogurt

meal 6
- 1.5 chicken breast pan-fried in onion rub, turmeric, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup couscous (used veg oil not butter)
- 1.5 cup sweet potato mixed with 1/2 cup mushroom
- 1/2 cup of cottage cheese

[gbrice75]

I'm on my phone so will be brief (more later), but your 'meals' 2, 3, and 5 are pointless. No protein source at all. Basically you have meals 1 and 4 (4 being suspect) containing anything substantial. I'd venture to guess you're getting under 100g protein per day, and that's being liberal.

Will eventually need to see macros for your meals so I know how much you're eating, but honestly, this isn't a good diet, and it's far from a 'bodybuilding' diet. It doesn't need work; it needs to be ditched completely and reworked from the ground up, IMHO. I'll be able to assist in better detail later.

[Turkish Juicer]

On top of everything that gbrice said above;

- Your diet consists of way too much simple sugars, which will eventually lead to an increment in your BF% as opposed to your goal being 12% BF.

- Our bodies response to trends/patterns, and 2 weeks falls a bit short for your in order to be able to ''see what happens.'' If anything, you'll most likely add water weight and fat with this diet.

- Looking at your current stats, it is simply IMPOSSIBLE for you to build muscle and burn current BF reserves while on a diet as such. If you are hitting it hard at the gym, with roughly 100gr of daily anabolic protein, YOUR MUSCLE FIBERS WILL NEVER RECOVER and your body will inevitably give in to the CATABOLIC STATE.

[Rookie75]

Ok thanks guys. I will continue to post for as long as it takes. I will gladly take all criticism and advice to get on track. As of today you will see more protein supplement in the mix. I will post todays "meals" at the end of day. I look forward to more convo!

[Turkish Juicer]

^^^ We will typically advise you to eat actual meals in order hit your daily protein intake as opposed to drinking bunch of shakes throughout the day; however, a lifter with stats like 217lbs and 16% BF, whether amateur or pro, you will need a shake or two in order to compensate your daily protein need.

My best advice would be you get yourself a bucket of decent Whey Isolate (stay away from expensive and ostentatious MuscleTech and alike brands, waste of your money) and Micronized Creatine Monohydrate (in powder form) and start properly incorporating these to your diet, as well as increasing your daily protein intake from whole food sources so that you can eventually hit 1.5gr of protein per LBS of LBM (your total body weight minus fat and water weight).

[3day]

Brown sugar is killing the oats. If you gotta have flavor try ground cinnamon.

[GirlyGymRat]

Brown sugar is killing the oats. If you gotta have flavor try ground cinnamon.

I use cinnamon and stevia for sweetening.

[Rookie75]

Ok lets try todays meals.

meal 1
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal (1 teaspoon brown sugar)
- 2 whole eggs, 1 cup egg whites, wrapped in multi grain/flax tortilla with 1 slice of cheese
- 1 grapefruit
- water

meal 2
- small black coffee
- yogurt
- whey protein isolate - ISOFLEX (mixed with water)

meal 3
- trail mix bar
- large bowl mixed fruit

meal 4, 2 hrs before workout
-1.5 skinless chicken breast
-couscous

work out - shoulders/quads/calves/abs/40 min cardio in fat burning zone

meal 5 post work out
-protein drink (same as above)

meal 6
- 8 ounce cold smoked salmon
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 glass of almond milk
- after dinner - tea with a tsp of honey

with the exception of the beverages I posted I drink water all day - I would guess a couple liters/day


I will use cinnamon tomorrow morning in my oats...great idea!

[Rookie75]

^^^ We will typically advise you to eat actual meals in order hit your daily protein intake as opposed to drinking bunch of shakes throughout the day; however, a lifter with stats like 217lbs and 16% BF, whether amateur or pro, you will need a shake or two in order to compensate your daily protein need.

My best advice would be you get yourself a bucket of decent Whey Isolate (stay away from expensive and ostentatious MuscleTech and alike brands, waste of your money) and Micronized Creatine Monohydrate (in powder form) and start properly incorporating these to your diet, as well as increasing your daily protein intake from whole food sources so that you can eventually hit 1.5gr of protein per LBS of LBM (your total body weight minus fat and water weight).

I will pick up some creatine tomorrow. If its any use I figured I would mention I am also taking megaman vitamin packs - just vitamins but figured its worth a mention

[Turkish Juicer]

I will pick up some creatine tomorrow. If its any use I figured I would mention I am also taking megaman vitamin packs - just vitamins but figured its worth a mention

Shop for Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate, possibly the best price-quality ratio in the market regarding brands. Cheap too. A small tub will go for months, literally. 5gr post-workout with your protein shake, drink plenty of water throughout the day and take 5gr on empty stomach first thing in the morning on non-training days.

[Turkish Juicer]

ok lets try todays meals.

Meal 1
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal (1 teaspoon brown sugar) using a natural sweetener such as sativa instead of brown sugar is a better idea regarding your goal of trimming bf%.
- 2 whole eggs, 1 cup egg whites, wrapped in multi grain/flax tortilla with 1 slice of cheese i wouldn't really bother with tortilla, even though it is multi grain, it is still a processed carb. Moreover, you are eating oats already, i would eat a bit more oats instead of bringing in the tortilla. Also, the cheese you are eating; is it the good old processed american cheese? That stuff is basically plastic, i wouldn't bother with it either.
- 1 grapefruit grapefruit is an interesting fruit. Very low gi, apparently doesn't spike insulin. Keep it.
- water

meal 2 negligible.
- small black coffee
- yogurt
- whey protein isolate - isoflex (mixed with water)

meal 3 not negligible. You are basically loading yourself up with bunch of simple sugars. This meal needs to be replaced with a protein & essential fat meal imo, such as 8oz sirloin and steamed veggies drizzled with evoo (extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed).
- trail mix bar
- large bowl mixed fruit

meal 4, 2 hrs before workout yes, this is what a bb meal should look like.
-1.5 skinless chicken breast
-couscous

work out - shoulders/quads/calves/abs/40 min cardio in fat burning zone

meal 5 post work outok. Do not exceed two scoops, you don't need it. Add creatine mono to this, as i explained in a different post under the same thread.
-protein drink (same as above)

meal 6
- 8 ounce cold smoked salmon
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 glass of almond milk make sure you are shopping for unsweetened almond milk.
- after dinner - tea with a tsp of honey please dump the honey. It is 100% sugars and goes against the entire idea of leaving insulin alone in your last meal. I drink several cups of heavy black tea throughout the day and always after meals, i never feel the need of adding sugars and/or sweeteners in it. Stable blood sugars is what you need, not vice versa. You have to teach yourself this and follow through for the rest of your life.

with the exception of the beverages i posted i drink water all day - i would guess a couple liters/day


i will use cinnamon tomorrow morning in my oats...great idea!

diet modifications in bold.

[Rookie75]

Todays feast

meal 1
- 2 full eggs, 1 cup egg whites, mixed into tortilla with 1 slice cheese. (I will drop the tortilla and cheese tomorrow breakfast)
- 1/2 cup oatmeal with tsp cinnamon
- 1 grapefruit

meal 2
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- 2 pieces of chicken
- 1 yogurt

meal 3
- red dragon roll (raw shrimp, raw smoked salmon, rice, avocado)
- small wonton soup

meal 4 (2 hrs before workout)
- 3 chicken thighs
- 1 cup of white rice

Work out (biceps, back, abs, cardio)

post workout 2 scoops protein, 1 scoop creatine mixed with water

Meal 5
- 2 small apples with peanut butter
- 2 chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- small glass of almond milk (unsweetened)
- cup of tea (black)

couple liters of water throughout the day

[Turkish Juicer]

^^^ Alright. Your modified diet looks much better compared to what was initially proposed. Keep it up like that, you will start burning fat reserves and now you are much less likely to loose lean muscle tissue, thanks to the drastically increased amount of daily anabolic protein intake.

Also try to take it easy with sodium since a diet in which sodium intake is not monitored, you will look as if you have a higher BF% than what it actually is, simply due to the bloating caused by high sodium intake.

If you plateau with this diet, which you eventually will, come back here and we'll show you all sorts of new tricks for that

[Rookie75]

^^^ Alright. Your modified diet looks much better compared to what was initially proposed. Keep it up like that, you will start burning fat reserves and now you are much less likely to loose lean muscle tissue, thanks to the drastically increased amount of daily anabolic protein intake.

Also try to take it easy with sodium since a diet in which sodium intake is not monitored, you will look as if you have a higher BF% than what it actually is, simply due to the bloating caused by high sodium intake.

If you plateau with this diet, which you eventually will, come back here and we'll show you all sorts of new tricks for that

Thanks for the help,

I will continue to post my daily intake for the forseeable future.

[Rookie75]

Todays eats

meal 1
- 2 whole eggs and 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal with cinnamon
- 1 grapefruit

meal 2
- 8 ounce smoked salmon
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- tea (black)
meal 3
- 2 chicken thighs
- trail mix

meal 4 (pre workout)
- 3 chicken thighs
- 1/2 can of tuna ( water based)

Post work out
- 2 scoops protein
- 1 scoop creatine

meal 5
- 6 ounce new York steak
- 1.5 cups mixed veg steamed (cauliflower, asparagus, olives, Broccoli)
- 1 cup sweet potato
- tea (black)

snack

- 2 apples with peanut butter

[Rookie75]

I thought I would mention I had a hard time getting through my workout today. I did chest, triceps, abs and I didn't have the stamina I normally do. I felt tired (weak/hungry). I thought maybe I just over trained a little due to fatigue but this was only 3rd straight day. I usually do a 2on 1off schedule but I wouldn't think 1 day more would hit this hard...would it? I felt more sore than normal and ready to sleep when I was done...similar to a great round of sex, lol. I managed to push my reps and maximize all my weights but just didn't feel tip-top.

Any thoughts?

[Turkish Juicer]

^^^ Your metabolism is currently trying to adjust from constantly being fueled with carbs to getting the same job done with relatively emptier glycogen stores. Don't think about it too much, you are going through a cutting phase and it is what it is.

[Rookie75]

Yesterdays meal (steak day)

Meal 1
- Creatine
- 2 whole eggs, 1/2cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal mixed with almond milk and cinnamon
- 1 Grapefruit

Meal 2
- 1 plum
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts

meal 3
- 8 ounces shaved roast beef
- 1 small bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup

meal 3
- 8 ounce steak
- 1 cup steamed veg (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, olives)

Protein (2 scoops)

meal 4
- 8 ounce steak
- asparagus (2.5 cups)
- 1 small baked sweet potato

Snack
- 1/2cup pistachios

[Rookie75]

Yesterdays meal (steak day)

Meal 1
- Creatine
- 2 whole eggs, 1/2cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal mixed with almond milk and cinnamon
- 1 Grapefruit

Meal 2
- 1 plum
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts

meal 3
- 8 ounces shaved roast beef
- 1 small bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup

meal 3
- 8 ounce steak
- 1 cup steamed veg (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, olives)

Protein (2 scoops)

meal 4
- 8 ounce steak
- asparagus (2.5 cups)
- 1 small baked sweet potato

Snack
- 1/2cup pistachios

forgot to mention 2.5 glasses of wine

[Rookie75]

Saturday (work out day) This day may get me some negative comments

meal 1
- 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 grapefruit

meal 2
- 8ounce smoked salmon
- 1 cup cottage cheese

work out (hams, calves, abs, cardio)

post work out (2 scoops protein, 1 scoop creatine)

meal 3

- 3 slices of thin crust whole wheat pizza ( tomato sauce unsweetened, 2 cups grilled chicken, banana peppers, 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup feta cheese)
- 1 pepsi (first pop in many months, I wanted something sweet) I know bad, bad, bad. I would have went diet but I find the aspartame gives me headaches.

Is this what I call my cheat meal?

snack
- 1 cup mixed nuts

[Turkish Juicer]

^^^ I don't really see anything poor nutrition wise except for the Pepsi, which you are already aware of.

3 slices of thin crust whole wheat pizza w/ unsweetened tomato sauce along with a decent amount of chicken is not as bad as you make it to be, especially when it is consumed on a training day and only once a week. It is OK.

Be careful about your fruit consumption though, especially on non-training days.

[Rookie75]

^^^ I don't really see anything poor nutrition wise except for the Pepsi, which you are already aware of.

3 slices of thin crust whole wheat pizza w/ unsweetened tomato sauce along with a decent amount of chicken is not as bad as you make it to be, especially when it is consumed on a training day and only once a week. It is OK.

Be careful about your fruit consumption though, especially on non-training days.

Cool then, I figured the pizza would get me some grief, lol. Yah pepsi is not a regular thing for me so nothing to worry about there...I may drink 3-4 a year. I am seriously craving chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. Any good tasting chocolate supplements out there. most I have tasted are chalky and don't substitute the chocolate flavor very well. Any suggestions or am I just going to have to man up and not think about it?

[Turkish Juicer]

I have come across with many great tasting chocolate flavored whey products in the past, which completely satisfied my need of chocolate. I have been drinking the vanilla flavored Dymatize Nutrition ISO-Whey over the past year or so, I am not sure about the taste of their chocolate flavored products but I certainly remember Gaspari Nutrition's Myofusion chocolate flavored tasting great...

[Rookie75]

k. I will see if available in my area. thanks!

[Rookie75]

Sunday (cardio, abs only)

meal 1
- 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 3 slices turkey bacon

snack
- 2 small apples with peanut butter

meal 2
- 1 large bowl of beef chilli

work out (60min cardio, weighted abs 3 sets, decline abs 3 sets, hanging leg raises 3 sets)

- 2 scoops of protein + creatine

meal 3
- 4 lean turkey sausage rolls (low sodium)
- 1 cup Freekeh

snack
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- 1 peanut butter wrap

meal 4
- 6 slices lean turkey bacon

[Turkish Juicer]

^^^ Looks good for a cardio & abs only day. You have been definitely eating better lately, great progress in such a short period of time. Congrats!

[Rookie75]

Thanks for the positive feedback!

Monday

Meal 1
- 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 grapefruit

meal 2
- 5 whole eggs
- 6ounce sirloin steak
- 2 black coffee

meal 3 (2 hours before workout)
-1 pear
- 1 orange
- 6 lean turkey sausages
- 1 cup freekah

30min before work out (1 scoop Vegan energy powder mixed with water) I will get the brand later as I cant remember atm.

Work out ( Shoulders, Quads, calves)

post work out (2 scoops protein, 1 creatine)

Meal 4
- 1.5 cups low sodium, cal pasta noodle
- 1 cup beef
- 1/4 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup Italian canned tomato's

[Rookie75]

Meals have been consistent with the previous posts so I haven't been posting everyday. Couple cheats I have had since last post as follows. 2 bowls of ice cream and 1 bag of m&m peanuts. I have successfully lost 5 pounds and I am feeling stronger every day. It would seem I am loosing weight from the preferred area (midsection) but still early to confirm. I will do another BF check over the weekend although I feel it may be early to expect results.

started at 117lbs I am now at 111lbs within a couple weeks of dropping heavy sugar intake from my diet so I will continue with this for now. I have had great workouts lately...lots of power! having fun and feeling better!

[GirlyGymRat]

Just read your log and latest stats and thought you where a gal at 117 and wondering why you where cutting! LOL

You are doing great! Feels good especially when you start seeing results!! Keep it going.

[Rookie75]

Should state 217 down to 211, lol.