need help, want to get lean while not loosing mass

[mgs83]

guys, i need some help on formulating a proper eating plan. Right now, i am 217 pounds, 6'0, BF%16-18%

my diet as of now is very clean, i only take in about 2100-2500cals a day

my workouts are pretty intensive, weight training for about an hour, then cardio for an hour burining 1000-1200 cals. I dont have a lot of fat on me as it is, but i def want to tone out and get lean. I plan on doing a cycle of test-enanthate once i get my BF% down a little bit more, but i need help with timing of my food intake, and exactly what types of food to take in. A sample meal for me during the whole day would be as folllows:

Breakfast : 5:30am (i work early)
whole wheat english muffin with 2 tbps of all natural peanut butter
1 cup of mixed fruit
1 yogurt

typical cals -290 -300cals

snack: 8:30am
yogurt (1)
rice cakes plain (3)
whey protein shake

cals: 290

Lunch: 12:00ish

6 oz plain grilled chicken breast
1 cup brown rice
1 medium sweet potato

cals: 350-400

snack/pre workout: 2:00
whey protein shake
half a turkey sandwich on each, one piece of fat free low cal cheese
2.5mg intraxcell (beta alanine carnosine booster)
1 animal EAA stack packet
5 grams of l-glutamine (mixed in with shake)
5 grams of BCAA poweder( mixed in with shake)
1 black ace fat loss supplement

cals- 280

post workout
whey shake (2.5 grams of l-glutamine)
2.5mg intraxcell

dinner 4:30-5

grilled salmon 6 ounces
salad (2 cups) very light olive oil and a little vinegar
1 cup brown rice

415cals

nightime snack
casein protein shake

cals 180

total cals about 2,000.

Like i said, i am trying to cut down in weight quite a bit, i am not loosing any strength while lifting, actaully since taking the beta alanine product, i have gotten quite a bit stronger, better endurance.


If you guys could please tell me how i can change this around, so that i am maximizing weight loss while keeping or gaining some muscle mass. Also, if i can add and supplements other than what i am taking currently. Thanks guys!

[Damienm05]

guys, i need some help on formulating a proper eating plan. Right now, i am 217 pounds, 6'0, BF%16-18%

my diet as of now is very clean, i only take in about 2100-2500cals a day

my workouts are pretty intensive, weight training for about an hour, then cardio for an hour burining 1000-1200 cals. I dont have a lot of fat on me as it is, but i def want to tone out and get lean. I plan on doing a cycle of test-enanthate once i get my BF% down a little bit more, but i need help with timing of my food intake, and exactly what types of food to take in. A sample meal for me during the whole day would be as folllows:

Breakfast : 5:30am (i work early)
whole wheat english muffin with 2 tbps of all natural peanut butter 1/2 cup oats
1 cup of mixed fruit no
1 yogurt no
2 eggs, 8 egg whites

typical cals -290 -300cals

snack: 8:30am
yogurt (1) no
rice cakes plain (3) no
whey protein shakePreferably eat lean meat with 40g complex carb

cals: 290

Lunch: 12:00ish

6 oz plain grilled chicken breast nice.
1 cup brown rice cut it.
1 medium sweet potato 1 carb source is plenty - stick to just this.

cals: 350-400

snack/pre workout: 2:00
whey protein shake no.
half a turkey sandwich on each, one piece of fat free low cal cheese Cut this. Have a meal that looks like your 12:00 lunch. Lean protein/sweet potato.
2.5mg intraxcell (beta alanine carnosine booster)
1 animal EAA stack packet
5 grams of l-glutamine (mixed in with shake)
5 grams of BCAA poweder( mixed in with shake)
1 black ace fat loss supplement

cals- 280

post workout add 1/2 cup oats
whey shake (2.5 grams of l-glutamine)
2.5mg intraxcell

dinner 4:30-5

grilled salmon 6 ounces
salad (2 cups) very light olive oil and a little vinegar use greens or sub 2 cups fibrous vegetables with evoo. Typical romaine/iceberg salad has no NV.
1 cup brown rice cut this.

415cals

nightime snack
casein protein shake add 2 tbspn. natty PB

cals 180

total cals about 2,000.

Like i said, i am trying to cut down in weight quite a bit, i am not loosing any strength while lifting, actaully since taking the beta alanine product, i have gotten quite a bit stronger, better endurance.


If you guys could please tell me how i can change this around, so that i am maximizing weight loss while keeping or gaining some muscle mass. Also, if i can add and supplements other than what i am taking currently. Thanks guys!

No time to say more but make those changes asap and use fitday.com to calculate how many cals you're actually eating at that point. Currently your diet is like a flaccid penis. Ineffective.

[baseline_9]

No time to say more but make those changes asap and use fitday.com to calculate how many cals you're actually eating at that point. Currently your diet is like a flaccid penis. Ineffective.

Love it LOL HAHAHAHA

[mgs83]

hahah, yes, it is quite flaccid lol, i knew it was penis "like" lol...i will make those changes asap and go to that site.....thanks for the help bro, any one else wanna take a stab at my flaccid penis meal plan lol......PLEASE!!!!

[mg1228]

we really need to know ur tdee---imo, no way ur eating enough

i like the rice in ur ppwo meal---maybe damien was short on time and didnt see it was ppwo and only 4:30pm

[Damienm05]

we really need to know ur tdee---imo, no way ur eating enough

i like the rice in ur ppwo meal---maybe damien was short on time and didnt see it was ppwo and only 4:30pm

Yup. Haha. That's a huge time lapse and a new issue for the diet as a whole. But put your carbs back in at that hour. my b.

[mgs83]

can anyone help any more on this? i would love to get more feedback as i am trying to cut and not loose my muscle mass..

[mgs83]

mg1228, do you have any other suggestions, or damien??

[RoadToRecovery]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

Here is a great place to start.

[mgs83]

thanks man, anyone else. I really need some good solid ideas here for dieting while on a cutting phase....i am loosing the weight, but the diet is where i am lacking. I feel as if i pack in the calories now, i will be counterproductive, and gain weight, i am trying to lean out, hence a not so calorie intensive diet??

[mgs83]

i have another possible diet i wanted to try out, tell me what you guys think about this, please make recommendations here as well

meal 1: 8 eggs(2 whole 6 whites) **hard boil



meal 2: 50g whey protein with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter **Only Water



meal 3: 7 oz chicken or turkey(boars Head is the best because it is all natural with no added perservatives) with 1 cup rice and 1 cup greens



meal 4: same as meal 2



meal 5: 7oz salmon or steak with sweet potato and cup of greens



meal 6: Protein shake with celery or green beans

Training Split:
Sun- Off



Sat- Shoulders/Calves



Fri-Back/Traps



Thurs- Arms



Wed- OFF



Tues-Legs (Quads, Hams, Calves)



Mon- Chest

[RoadToRecovery]

I dont know if you noticed, but there is a calculator at the bottom of that article.

[RoadToRecovery]

One thing I want to add, you need to calculate your diet... not just throw a bunch of foods together and cross your fingers. I will tell you from looking at your diet that you posted, it will not support much. In some schools of thought - it is recommended .5g of carbs per lbs of body weight when cutting. I think im seeing about 45g-60g for the day. Its unhealthy and unbalanced.

While I some people will disagree, you can still eat carbs and still lean out.

Check the calculator out... put your stats in and see what you get.

[I_Want_Abs]

While I some people will disagree, you can still eat carbs and still lean out.

I agree with this statement... I'm eating about 100-140g of carbs on low days and 350-400g of carbs on high days and losing BF!

Personally I don't like either of those diets you've posted. Your diet needs to be calculated in regards to your training, goals, BF% and the cals you're burning.

Check out Nark's/Nova's thread, there is a lot of useful information in there! I use to just throw things together and hope that it would work out until I did some research and some trial and error. Now I know how my body reacts to different foods and at what times I eat them.

Also as previously mentioned, your cals are pretty low for your LBM if your BF is what you say it is. I'm 10kg lighter than you but at 12-13% and I'm eating a shitload more than you are and dropping BF.. I guess everyone's different..

Anyways calculate a proper diet for yourself based on your stats and goals and then post it up

[mgs83]

thanks guy, i know this diet is what is killing me. i am not getting the results i want primaraly because of this. My workouts are solid, its just the diet is getting me.......if you say .5grams of carbs per lb of body weight, i should be getting aroudn 110g/day, which i think i am, but probably not. ill do a little more research here and post what i found.

[mgs83]

hey roadtorecovery, i did usd that program and it did spit out the following results for me. MG1228, maybe this will help you give me guidance, also to anyone else, i need help with a good cutting diet. I want to loose about 15 pounds, and retain as much muscle mass as possible.

Your bodyweight is 99 kilograms.

Step 1 - BMR Based On Weight

For Men: 1 x 99 Kg x 24 = 2373

Step 2 - BMR With Bodyfat Percentage Calculation

Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 2255 calories per day. This is equal to 94 calories per hour.

Step 3 - Total Daily Calories Burned

Adding in your activity level, we times your BMR by 1.65. This means that your approximate total calories burned each day is 3720.

Step 4 - Macronutrient Breakdown In YOUR Diet

Now that we know how many total calories need to be consumed each day, where do the calories come from? Based on your BMR, Activity Level and Athletic Category you need:

Protein Grams: 218 Grams Per Day.
Protein Calories: 872 Protein Calories Per Day.

Fat Grams: 62 Grams Per Day.
Fat Calories: 558 Protein Calories Per Day.

Carbohydrate Grams: 573 Grams Per Day.
Carbohydrate Calories: 2290 Carb Calories Per Day.

[gbrice75]

i have another possible diet i wanted to try out, tell me what you guys think about this, please make recommendations here as well

meal 1: 8 eggs(2 whole 6 whites) **hard boil Add 1/2 cup oats here



meal 2: 50g whey protein with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter **Only Water Is this your PWO meal? If so, drop the PB and add another 1/2 cup oats



meal 3: 7 oz chicken or turkey(boars Head is the best because it is all natural with no added perservatives) with 1 cup rice and 1 cup greens Try to stay away from cold cuts - it's still nothing close to real chicken/turkey breast. What kind of rice? If whole grain brown, you're good. Good job on the greens - hopefully fiberous veggie like Broccoli or Asparagus?



meal 4: same as meal 2 No need for another shake - real food here - it would also be helpful to know the time of day for each of these meals



meal 5: 7oz salmon or steak with sweet potato and cup of greens Good meal UNLESS this is later in the day; in that case i'd drop the sweet potato



meal 6: Protein shake with celery or green beans Another shake? Is this a casein shake before bed? IMO that'd be the only acceptable shake. Drop the celery/green beans and add the 2tbsp of Natty PB here

Training Split:
Sun- Off



Sat- Shoulders/Calves



Fri-Back/Traps



Thurs- Arms



Wed- OFF



Tues-Legs (Quads, Hams, Calves)



Mon- Chest

We really need all meals posted with time of day, and macros for each meal. Without knowing that info, you're just throwing food together with no idea of what you're actually taking in. Let's see some numbers!

[mgs83]

hey brother, here are some numbers and more info for you.

meal 1: 8 eggs(2 whole 6 whites) **hard boil Add 1/2 cup oats here

650am- cal-370/protein- 30g/carbs-40-44g



meal 2: 50g whey protein with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter **Only Water Is this your PWO meal? If so, drop the PB and add another 1/2 cup oats

this is not a PWO, rather s meal replacement
10am
cals- 200/ protein- 30g/ carbs-20g



meal 3: 7 oz chicken or turkey(boars Head is the best because it is all natural with no added perservatives) with 1 cup rice and 1 cup greens Try to stay away from cold cuts - it's still nothing close to real chicken/turkey breast. What kind of rice? If whole grain brown, you're good. Good job on the greens - hopefully fiberous veggie like Broccoli or Asparagus?

it is brown rice here, yes, brocolli and or asparagus.

1230ish
cals- 300/ protein- 30-40g/ carbs- 45-50g


meal 4: same as meal 2 No need for another shake - real food here - it would also be helpful to know the time of day for each of these meals

about 230ish P.M...what would you suggest for a snack here??


meal 5: 7oz salmon or steak with sweet potato and cup of greens Good meal UNLESS this is later in the day; in that case i'd drop the sweet potato

PWO meal 530-6p.m
cals- 385/ protein-65grams/ carbs 50g



meal 6: Protein shake with celery or green beans Another shake? Is this a casein shake before bed? IMO that'd be the only acceptable shake. Drop the celery/green beans and add the 2tbsp of Natty PB here

this is a shake before bed, yes, casein.
a bout 930p.m

what do you guys think now?? be brutally honest, please!!!

[mgs83]

have any of your guys ever heard of muesli cereal? it consits of the collowing

rolled oats
reduced fat milk
sugar
honey
vitamin A palmitate
apples, bananas
cranberries

there is about 350 calories per serving

does that sound like a decent snack to have, covers all teh based food groups???

[baseline_9]

have any of your guys ever heard of muesli cereal? it consits of the collowing

rolled oats
reduced fat milk
sugar
honey
vitamin A palmitate
apples, bananas
cranberries

there is about 350 calories per serving

does that sound like a decent snack to have, covers all teh based food groups???

No, Reason being, there isnt a real source of lean protein. All carbs and some milk proteins, but not much.

Oats made with a egg and milk mixture would be a better snack.

I havnt read your requirments but this is what i have done b4.

1 cup oats, 4 whole eggs, 0.5 cup 1% fat milk.

Mix together and cook on hob

[mgs83]

ok, cool, thanks man.....i wanted to get you guys feedback on my info i posted above, i posted it above, but i iwll post it again....i need serious help so lets keep the recomendations coming guys, i gotta get lean!

Your bodyweight is 99 kilograms.

Step 1 - BMR Based On Weight

For Men: 1 x 99 Kg x 24 = 2373

Step 2 - BMR With Bodyfat Percentage Calculation

Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 2255 calories per day. This is equal to 94 calories per hour.

Step 3 - Total Daily Calories Burned

Adding in your activity level, we times your BMR by 1.65. This means that your approximate total calories burned each day is 3720.

Step 4 - Macronutrient Breakdown In YOUR Diet

Now that we know how many total calories need to be consumed each day, where do the calories come from? Based on your BMR, Activity Level and Athletic Category you need:

Protein Grams: 218 Grams Per Day.
Protein Calories: 872 Protein Calories Per Day.

Fat Grams: 62 Grams Per Day.
Fat Calories: 558 Protein Calories Per Day.

Carbohydrate Grams: 573 Grams Per Day.
Carbohydrate Calories: 2290 Carb Calories Per Day.
Edit/Delete Message

[RoadToRecovery]

3720 sounds more like it - You can break it down into however many meals you prefer but keep it to no less than 5 meals. So to break it down for you, it should look like this:

For arguments sake lets say you are going to break it down into 7 meals for the day.
So That would mean you would need to eat every 2 hours from your first meal when you wake up.

3720/7 = 531kcal/meal

Now to take it further, you will break down each macronutrient per meal.

31g Protein/meal
8g Fat/meal
81g Carb/meal

So this is a rough idea of what each meal should look like. But its not this easy. To take it one step further, you need to figure out your activity plan for the day. If you plan on working out @ 3pm you should take in about 75-100kcal at that meal prior to support your energy output. Then take those calories out of the last meal you eat before bed.

[mgs83]

now can i ask you, if i am cutting, which i am, isnt 530cal/meal a tad much? the macronutrients sound good, really good

so 31g protein X 7 meals = 217g protein total
8g fat/mea; X7 = 56g fat per day
81g carbs/meal X 7 = 567g carbs

that is great if i were bulking no? i think the is high on the carb side, but again not to sure hence y i need help.... i work out at around 2:30 each day, for 2 hours. I burn about 1000-1200 cals per workout on cardio alone.

any other recommendations ?

[RoadToRecovery]

Its a trial and error type thing. If you feel it is a bit high you can do this:

Multiply 4 x 180 (LBM in lbs) = 720

Subtract 720 from 3720 and you will get 3000kcal which comes to 428kcal per meal

[gbrice75]

hey brother, here are some numbers and more info for you.

meal 1: 8 eggs(2 whole 6 whites) **hard boil Add 1/2 cup oats here

650am- cal-370/protein- 30g/carbs-40-44g

Check Macros bro, because 1/2 cup of oats is no 40g carbs - more like 27g



meal 2: 50g whey protein with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter **Only Water Is this your PWO meal? If so, drop the PB and add another 1/2 cup oats

this is not a PWO, rather s meal replacement
Shake should not be meal replacement! Whey shake should ONLY be PWO - you need real food here. Any lean protein source (chicken, turkey, lean beef, tuna, etc.) plus more oats - still drop the PB

10am
cals- 200/ protein- 30g/ carbs-20g



meal 3: 7 oz chicken or turkey(boars Head is the best because it is all natural with no added perservatives) with 1 cup rice and 1 cup greens Try to stay away from cold cuts - it's still nothing close to real chicken/turkey breast. What kind of rice? If whole grain brown, you're good. Good job on the greens - hopefully fiberous veggie like Broccoli or Asparagus?

it is brown rice here, yes, brocolli and or asparagus.

1230ish
cals- 300/ protein- 30-40g/ carbs- 45-50g


meal 4: same as meal 2 No need for another shake - real food here - it would also be helpful to know the time of day for each of these meals

Still the same deal - real food here, no shake

about 230ish P.M...what would you suggest for a snack here??

I would probably not snack but rather fit in a meal


meal 5: 7oz salmon or steak with sweet potato and cup of greens Good meal UNLESS this is later in the day; in that case i'd drop the sweet potato

PWO meal 530-6p.m
cals- 385/ protein-65grams/ carbs 50g



meal 6: Protein shake with celery or green beans Another shake? Is this a casein shake before bed? IMO that'd be the only acceptable shake. Drop the celery/green beans and add the 2tbsp of Natty PB here

this is a shake before bed, yes, casein.
a bout 930p.m

what do you guys think now?? be brutally honest, please!!!

In bold

[mgs83]

ok, thanks guys.......so does 300cals sound like a good amount of calories to be taking in if i am cutting? if you take 3000 and divide by 7, it ends up bein 428 cals like roadtorecovery said per meal.......

[gbrice75]

It all depends on your TDEE - if your TDEE is 3500, then 3000 is good for cutting. You generally want to be at a 200-500 calorie deficit from your TDEE. If you go with less (such as 200) then the cardio really needs to be in check to widen the deficit.

[mgs83]

well, i get this off bodybuilding.com....you enter info, and spits back these results

Step 1 - BMR Based On Weight

For Men: 1 x 99 Kg x 24 = 2373

Step 2 - BMR With Bodyfat Percentage Calculation

Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 2255 calories per day. This is equal to 94 calories per hour.

Step 3 - Total Daily Calories Burned

Adding in your activity level, we times your BMR by 1.80. This means that your approximate total calories burned each day is 4058.

Step 4 - Macronutrient Breakdown In YOUR Diet

Now that we know how many total calories need to be consumed each day, where do the calories come from? Based on your BMR, Activity Level and Athletic Category you need:

Protein Grams: 218 Grams Per Day.
Protein Calories: 872 Protein Calories Per Day.

Fat Grams: 68 Grams Per Day.
Fat Calories: 609 Protein Calories Per Day.

Carbohydrate Grams: 644 Grams Per Day.
Carbohydrate Calories: 2577 Carb Calories Per Day.

my TDEE 4058?? so 4058-500 = 3558 cals/day?? that still seems high if i am cutting, maybe around 3000 would be good?

could you give me a sample meal plan for a day given i am on a 3000 cal diet say 428 cal/meal??

[RoadToRecovery]

well, i get this off bodybuilding.com....you enter info, and spits back these results

Step 1 - BMR Based On Weight

For Men: 1 x 99 Kg x 24 = 2373

Step 2 - BMR With Bodyfat Percentage Calculation

Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 2255 calories per day. This is equal to 94 calories per hour.

Step 3 - Total Daily Calories Burned

Adding in your activity level, we times your BMR by 1.80. This means that your approximate total calories burned each day is 4058.

Step 4 - Macronutrient Breakdown In YOUR Diet

Now that we know how many total calories need to be consumed each day, where do the calories come from? Based on your BMR, Activity Level and Athletic Category you need:

Protein Grams: 218 Grams Per Day.
Protein Calories: 872 Protein Calories Per Day.

Fat Grams: 68 Grams Per Day.
Fat Calories: 609 Protein Calories Per Day.

Carbohydrate Grams: 644 Grams Per Day.
Carbohydrate Calories: 2577 Carb Calories Per Day.

my TDEE 4058?? so 4058-500 = 3558 cals/day?? that still seems high if i am cutting, maybe around 3000 would be good?

could you give me a sample meal plan for a day given i am on a 3000 cal diet say 428 cal/meal??

Dont use this calculator as your end all be all nutrition guideline. This is a very rough estimate using a calculator.
This calculator is not conclusive. I would measure it differently, but like i said, its just a
starting point.

Do you know exactly where your body fat % stands? If you can give me a specific number I can guide you in a more proper direction.
Unless you are face to face with a fitness professional doing a hands on assessment, you need to keep in mind that all advice on nutrition is otherwise just
a mere reference point that you need to work out on your own and find out what works for you. Caloric intake needs to be adjusted regularly to prevent any
type of plateau. Along with your work out regimen as well.

The more popular route is .5g of carbs per body weight, but in my experience that is way to low for someone who is not competing for a show.

[mgs83]

hey man, no i dont know exactly, but it was 21% last year, since then i have lose over 30 pounds, so i would estimate it to maybe be at 16 or 17% now?? where can i get it tested?

[mgs83]

i wanted to get my stats tested asap....where can i do that?

[RoadToRecovery]

hey man, no i dont know exactly, but it was 21% last year, since then i have lose over 30 pounds, so i would estimate it to maybe be at 16 or 17% now?? where can i get it tested?

A few ways:

BIA or Bioelectrical Impedance.
Calipers
Hydrostatic Weighing
Tape measurements

Tape measurement would be the cheapest way to go. Not necessarily the most accurate but its definitely a good reference point. The US Military uses this method.

http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/b...calculator.php

Hydrostatic weighing is probably the most accurate out of all of these but is hard to come by. The rest can be done at a nearby gym by a trainer.

[mgs83]

i assume when it asks for abdomen measurements its your waist? i followed that link, and it asks for abdomen in inches?

[RoadToRecovery]

Abdomen meaning the circumference of your torso @ your navel line.