Originally Posted by
vdom32011
Hey Gbrice, really just wanted to thank you for even taking the time to look at my diet and help me out. I just wanna run through some of your questions so you can give me the best help possible.
My pleasure!
Insanity is a high intensity cardio workout (lots of plyometrics, sprints, etc. i actually enjoy it, reminds me of my college days playing ball with the drills)
Ok, so we're talking about 45 mins or so of high intensity cardio (or at least intervals of high intensity) - and how many days/week did you say, 6? We will DEFINITELY want to add a meal before this. I realize your goal is to burn fat with the cardio, but at a higher intensity you'll be burning glycogen. Do this fasted, and you're torching LBM. I'll address the food question below
I calculated my TDEE with the following formula Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years) - i figured a 1.70 factor was fair for my activity level. I'm 169LBs (76.66kg) and 5'9" (175cm) and 29 years old.
With this formula i calculate my TDEE to be 3050. At my gym they have a scale which they've said is pretty accurate measure of body fat % and it estimated me at 23% which im not sure if you can judge by my pics but i'm guessing that accuarate?
I find the formulas to always wind up coming out too high. The activity multiplyers aren't specific enough, and people always wind up overestimating. A much more simple approach is LBM x 15 = TDEE. It's a starting point and far from scientific, but I find it to be much more accurate 9 times out of 10. Based on your stats, you have a LBM of 135lbs (I used 20% bodyfat to calculate your LBM as I think you're right around there). 135 x 15 = 2025. Now, that's pretty low so here is where we start using common sense. We know you're doing that intense ass cardio, so we have to up this right away. I would guesstimate your TDEE at around 2500 (no way are you at 3000 unless you have a very intense hard labor job as well). However, i'm a big believer of eating close, at, or in some cases ABOVE TDEE (yes on a cut diet) and relying on cardio to create the deficit. You're eating 2700 calories right now, which is 200 above your new estimated TDEE. If you're happy with your results so far, then we stay at 2700 and just move some things around to make the diet more efficient. If you haven't been happy so far, then we drop it to 2500 and make the cardio right.
I will go back and redo my diet with the suggested change in foods but i guess what i'm struggling with is how many calories should i be eating and like what type of split for proteins, carbs, fats?
Answered above about calories. Assuming you want to stick with 2700 calories, i'd start you at:
290g protein = 1160 calories
240g carbs = 960 calories
65g fat = 585 calories
Feel free to play with the numbers a bit, but i'd stay somewhere in that neighborhood. Enough carbs to fuel that cardio and your workout, plenty of (healthy) fats, and protein is definitely up there for your weight.
Again i really want to thank you for all the help - i had been fortunate enough for years before my accident to just workout and have a good body but never truly understood a proper diet. Thanks Again for taking the time to help me (now i know why they call you the diet expert)
Thanks bro! =)
Trainer wants to lower me to like 2200 calories, but he's telling me very little carbs which i would think is going to wipe me out.
What would you eat before my morning cardio?
The trainer might be right about lowering calories, possibly even to 2200 - my TDEE estimate could easily be off. That's why you need to monitor your progress VERY carefully so we can make adjustments as you go along. 2 week periods - if no changes, or changes for the worse, we drop a few hundred calories. We continue to do this until we find your sweet spot for the given goal.
I DO disagree with the trainer on the low carb thing, especially given your cardio routine. You will be wiped out, and you will lose LBM. Generally, carbs first meal of the morning, and around the workout window (pre/post). In your case, i'd probably add carbs after that cardio as well. Honestly, you might consider ditching it all together in favor of fasted lower intensity cardio in the am. Up to you, but it might suit your goals better, for now.
I would eat at least 50g of a good slow burning complex carb - oats would be excellent. I'd also add a shake - if you have a multi-source protein, that would be best (whey, casein, egg albumin, etc) as well as some egg whites with a whole egg throw in. Sounds like alot, but it's practically a workout. That's why i'm suggesting you consider lower intensity cardio. Right now, you'll be doing this intense cardio but it has to be fueled, and it probably won't be the best for fat loss. My .02, hope this helps
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