Need help with my diet.

[PistolPete33]

I'm currently on a cutting cycle and will be for the next 7 weeks. I've cut out 500 calories a day and have increased my cardio as well. Here is a typical day for me:

Typical diet:

Meal 1: 6:15 5 eggs (3 whites- 2 whole eggs) 1 slice of whole grain toast no butter

Meal 2: 7:45: 2 scoops of Protein shake (42 grams protein) mixed with water

Meal 3: 9:00-9:30: 2 cheese sticks or graham crackers

Meal 4: Lunch 11:30: Turkey sandwich with whole grain bread, some greens

Meal 5: Preworkout 2:15: Peanut butter sandwich w/whole weat bread, banana 1 scoop protein shake with water

Meal 6: Postworkout: 4:15: Protein shake with 2 scoops and milk

Meal 6 1/2: 4:30-4:45: Chicken breast, veggies (broccoli etc) brown rice

Meal 7: 7:00: Snack: graham crackers or something light

Meal 8: 9:45: Casein Shake with water or cottage cheese

Also, I drink at least a gallon of water a day throught the day.

Supplements I'm taking are:

Lipo 6 Black (Been on just over a week- (3) at 5:45 AM and (3) around 1pm
Whey Protein- see above Casein Protein- See above
BCAA's- with preworkout meal
and Multi-vitimans with breakfast and lunch

That's pretty much an average day for me give or take. My workout split is:

Day 1: Chest/Shoulders (20 mins cardio at end of workout)
Day 2: Bis/Tris (20 mins cardio at end of workout)
Day 3: Rest Day
Day 4: Legs (20 mins of cardio at end of workout)
Day 5: Cardio day 1 hour
Day 6: Back (20 mins of cardio at end of workout)

The cardio is up right now because I'm on a cutting phase but that will be tapered off when on a bulking phase. Some days I will do a bit longer with cardio.

I will be taking the Lipo 6 Black for 6 weeks total. I typically take creatine but I came off it for the cutting phase. I will prob. take 4 weeks off and then go back after this.


After the 7 weeks I'm going to switch to a bulking phase and could use help there as well. I was told I need to cut down on my protein shakes and swap with chicken breast etc. What else should I correct?

Thanks in advance,
Pete

[PistolPete33]

Sorry, I didn't post my macros:

age 33
height 5'8"
weight 180
bf% 8-9%
diet summary/# meals per day (Currently cutting phase 1.5 grams protein/day 1 gram carbs around 2500 calories currently typically 3000+- cut 500 a day.
years lifting / workout split Currently training for 6 months. Previously 2 years lifting- 12 years martial arts and MMA
cycle experience NONE
pct/estrogen control knowledge Learning more about this everyday. Depends on what I use for a cycle
goals (size/cut/strength/speed etc...) Looking at building more size. I'm happy with my cut as of right now and where I am but want to add more size to my frame.

[jamyjamjr]

sooo where are those macros for each meal??

[PistolPete33]

sooo where are those macros for each meal??

I guess I'm not too accurate because I try to get in 270 grams of protein a day and 180 grams of carbs. However, I think I'm getting that in most cases but prob. a lot more than 180 grams of carbs.

That's why I'm posting in here because I guess I have no idea what I'm doing. LOL
Seriously, though I thought I had a pretty decent diet but I know it could use a ton of work. That's why I'm posting here.

Pete

[jamyjamjr]

do you have your bmr/tdee??

what formual did you use??

you've already done a coupla things here, but go ahead and run through my sticky...

Welcome to the diet forum....

please take the time to follow these directions, they will better prepair the both of us for the critique and tweaking of your diet..

you need to figure our your BMR (this is the basal metabolic rate of your body... which means if you were to do nothing all day, ur body would burn these many calories)

once u'v figured out your BMR, u need your TDEE (this is your total daily energy expenditure, it's based upon your activity level)


But first things first, please post up your current diet.. you have to be brutally honest about what you've been eating on average for the last few weeks so i know where your metabolism is at..
please include macros

MACROS = pro/fat/cal/carb of every meal and a daily total on the bottom
you can use fitday . com to help you our with this... be as detailed and specific as possible

please include the time of when u eat and the time of your workout

also tell me what your workout reg is...



BMR formula


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



in order to figure out your bmr, you need to know what your lean body mass is.. so, in turn, u need to know what your body fat percentage is...

if you dont know your bodyfat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please dont use electronic scales to get your bf checked, they're horrible)

if you cannot find a gym to get tested at, please post up a picture for estimates, we're pretty good at it (you also have the option of pming it to me if you have more then 25 posts)

Total weight x bf in decimel form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

if your total lean body mass is in lbs, u can divide it by 2.2 to get it in kilograms..

for example..

i am 6'4 275lbs at 14% bf... so i would multiply 275 by .14 (converted from percent to decimal)= 38.5lbs

275 - 38.5 = 236.5lbs lean body weight

236.5 / 2.2 = 107.5 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 107.5) = 2692 BMR (this is high for the average person, im a big guy)

TDEE

Once u have you bmr, u need to calculate your TDEE, this is simply done with some multiplication...

you can multiply it by an activity number to figure out your daily caloric expenditure, be honest here as this is the very cornerstone of your diet, if you are between two of the below activity levels then just multiply by a number in between them

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:


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 moderatetely 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



Once you have your TDEE, i need you to watch these videos

Milos Sarcev "Secret of the Pro's" on Nutrition

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=323516

this video will give you a great idea as to what your diet should be looking like and the foods you should be eating..

it's also very informative as to how dieting works and what you need to be doing..


once you've aquired this vast knowledge and done what i'v asked of you, please post up a new diet for critiquing and finalization...
please include macros and times just as before...


try to remember that dieting is not an overnight thing.. it takes time and patience....

[PistolPete33]

So, should I take a journal of everything I eat for the next week and then figure out how many calories etc I take in?

[eatrainrest]

So, should I take a journal of everything I eat for the next week and then figure out how many calories etc I take in?

yesss

[jamyjamjr]

yup..

[ExtremeDude]

If you 8-9% body fat, why do you want to cut further ?
What do you want to drop your body fat to ?

[PistolPete33]

If you 8-9% body fat, why do you want to cut further ?
What do you want to drop your body fat to ?

I just want to be as ****** as I've ever been. I have good ab defination but I want it to be GREAT defination. Plus, I'm trying to get a little more defination in my bis and tris so by cutting out any excess fat should help. I know you can't spot reduce which is why I'm doing this.

Also, I just started my food/workout log today so I'll post on Sunday with my findings.

Thanks again,
Pete

[supragasm]

Just for thought, as far as my research, 6% is the lowest a male should be, to be in the "Ideal" range,and still considering healthy.
5'8 180lbs, 6% bf would be diesel! =)

[PistolPete33]

OK, so here we go... I spent the past week tracking Everything I've eaten and calculating the calories, protein, carbs, and fat of everything. I have a complete log in an Excel file. Should I post the entire week or just a few days? It's been a great experience and I've already made changes from the beginning of the week to the end. I was taking in WAY too many carbs so I adjusted that and I think I'm already in a better diet.

Here is some of the info:

Weekly Average:

Calories: 2530.81/day (Sat + Sun Average: 2167.750)
Protein: 248.285/day (Sat + Sun Average: 268.5)
Carbs: 262.75/day (Sat + Sun average: 153.145)
Fat: 67.182 (the fat is scewed because on Friday my fat intake was more than double every other day. Average was around 50 grams/day)

I'm going to have my wife take pics tonight so i can post them up.

Here is todays diet:

Fat-Burner Lipo 6 Black (3 capsules 0 0 0 0
Breakfast 5 eggs (3 whites 2 whole) 218 23 2.02 12.37
Breakfast 2 2 Scoops Protein shake w/water (no oats) 250 42 12 1
Snack chicken and broccoli stir fry. No seasoning etc. 190 32 13 1.5
Lunch 6 oz steak + whole wheat bagel with I can't Believe It's Not Butter 386 44.5 49 16
Fat-Burner Lipo 6 Black (3 capsules 0 0 0 0
Snack Peanut butter sandwich w/whole grain bread 410 17 49 18
Dinner Stuffed chicken breast w/cheese and marinara sauce 500 38 34 24
Snack Tuna w/tiny bit of Miracle Whip 175 26 2 5
Pre-Bed Shake Casein shake w/water 120 24 3 1





TOTALS TOTALS 2249 246.5 164.02 78.87

(please let me know if you would prefer the Excel file instead)

My morning weight went up and down by a few pounds all week as well. The only drinks beside Protein shakes and Orange Juice before some workouts is water. I'm drinking a minumum of 1 gallon a day.

I'm currently not taking any creatine or N.O. product. I am taking Lipo 6 Black for 1 more week as well as Protein.

My weight actually dropped about 5lbs over the past week and a half as well. My 7 day average weight for the past week is 175.96.

What else do you need?
Thanks,
Pete