Any Flaws in my Diet??

[nsbfl1987]

Hello All,

So I have been maintaing this diet for the past 2 years and it has worked wonders for me. I am trying to maintain a lean, low-body-fat, "cut" type of build rather than bulking up. I'm 21, 5'7, 140lbs.. I haven't had a problem maintaining my weight or the body type I'm after, but I'm only 21 so I don't think that is saying much... I want my diet to be something I can take into old age with me.. so when my metabolism starts to slow I can still maintain a good look. Above all else, however, my main goal is to have a healthy body on the inside, and basically live as long as humanly possible. Both of my grandfathers are in their 90's and still kickin.. so I like to think I have good blood . I am just wondering if there are any flaws in my diet?? I am familiar with, but by no means an expert in nutrition, so it is definitely possible that I may be missing some key vitamins and minerals. Please point anything out and don't be afraid to be blunt or harsh... I like straight shooters.

*****Things to know:******
-My diet rarely changes.. I eat pretty much the same thing everyday, The only thing I change is the fruits and vegetables; I buy different kinds every two weeks, but I always have apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, onions, and celery in my fridge.
-I eat 3 fish meals a week, never twice in the same day, only fish that are high in Omega 3.
-I drink 3 eggs whites a week, never twice in the same day, never the yolk (the yellow stuff)
-For the flavonoids and antioxidants, I use to drink 2 glasses of red wine a day, but recently cut back to one 4oz glass per day, and substituted a 14oz glass of purple grape juice for the other. I also buy the frozen kind (Welch's), I couldn't find any difference between the ingredients in the two, but if anyone knows if there is a difference in the Frozen kind vs the Jug, please say so.
-Throughout the day I drink A TON of water and iced tea (probably about 7-10 , 14oz glasses) and 1 or 2 14oz glasses of 100% Vegetable Juice (V8).
-Nothing is in large, excessive, portions (I can't stand that "being so full my stomach is going to explode" feeling).. what i'm after here isn't necessarly the calories, but rather the essential vitamins and minerals my body needs.
-I exercise 6 days a week, (M,W,F = Run 5 Miles; T,Th,S = Swim for an hour against the current in the river)... I'm not too big on lifting weights.. I only do pushups and pullups for the most part.. however I plan on getting some 20lb dumbells very soon. I don't go to Gym's because I am very tight on time and every minute counts to me.. so I consider the 30 Minute drive going to the Gym and then the 30 Minute drive home, a waste of a much needed extra hour. I also just enjoy being outdoors.

**Meal #1 (8 or 9 am)**
-Oatmeal (no sugar, skim milk)
-1 Banana
-Coffee (black)

**Meal #2 (11am or 12pm)**
-Ham Sandwich on whole grain wheat bread, w/ onions, and lettuce
-Carrot
-Grape Juice (14oz)

**Meal #3 (3pm)**
-Cereal (plain kinds, low sugar, skim milk)
-Celery
-1 piece of fruit (usually apple or orange)
!----OR------!
1 can of Herring (like sardines) or Alaskan Salmon (I eat a fish meal 3x a week, never twice in the same day, high Omega 3 only)

**Meal #4 (7 or 8pm)
-Soup (more slop really) made w/ brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, and Lime Juice
-1 Corn Tortilla
-1 spoon of non-fat sour cream
-1 glass of red wine (Pinot Noir or Cab Sav, 4oz)

**Meal #5 **
Well, there is no Meal #5 really, just a small snack here and there until i go to bed at 12 or 1 usually.. but its always..
-Fruit
-Celery or Carrots
-Cereal if I get really hungry (rarely)
-Green tea
-Grape juice

**** CALORIES, PROTIEN, CARBS per day ****
Calories:
Oatmeal- 400
Sandwich- 240
Soup- 400
Cereal-250
Wine-100
Grapejuice-160
Vegetable Juice-50

TOTAL= 1600/day

Protein:
64 grams/day (no fish)
80 grams/day (on days when i eat fish)

Fat:
14 grams/day (no fish)
18 grams/day (fish)
**is that too low??

Carbs:
257 grams/day


So I'm getting about 1600 calories/day.. give or take about 100. I have absolutely no idea what those numbers mean so anyone with knowledge about this kind of stuff please help!! For some reason to me, the Fat intake seems really low.. but I honestly don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to numbers like this.

If anyone can make any suggestions as to anything I should get rid of, change, or add please tell me. I am open to any suggestions. I guess what i'm trying to do is make "the perfect diet." ... as in my body is getting everything it needs. The two things to remember here is (1) I want this to keep me healthy; and live as long as possible... and (2) (the less important) to maintain a lean, low body fat build. HEALTH is by far the biggest thing for me. I want to live a very long life.. To put it in perspective for someone, I would rather be overweight and have a healthy body, rather than have the body of a God and be lacking essentials for my organs to operate efficiently. Thank for you taking the time to read this, every response will be much appreciated!!

 

[allstar]

IMO on a cut you should be getting
1g Protien
1-2g Carbs
.2-.3g Fats
Per Lb. BW

Also should have 6-8 meals

 

[nsbfl1987]

wow, fast response! thanks! hmmm.. If im calculating this correctly, (150 pounds) i should be getting: 150g/protein, 150-250g/carbs, and 30-45g/fat per day?? anyone else have any input on this??

 

[Australian made]

do you do any weight lifting? if you do then you cannot grow on what you are eating...basically double everything you eat and eat more protein.

 

[allstar]

Yup thats great. This is how I would plan out the meals.

1st Meal Upon Awakening-Fast Digesting Protein(Whey)
2nd Meal-25% of your daily carbs and a whole food protein source
Pre Workout(in your case before running)-20% of your daily carbs
PWO(after running)-Not all will agree but I think you should take 25% of your daily carbs here,all being high GI(dextrose,maltodextrin,white bread,white rice) also 30-40g of whey
Meal before Bed-Slow digesting protein(casein,cottage cheese) healthy fats(nuts,oils,Peanut Butter)

Now I didnt include all meals just the ones I think are important

 

[raginfcktard]

5 meals...150lbs? go for 40g protein per meal, which btw you are not even close!

 

[allstar]

All meals should have complex carbs(brown rice,sweet potato,oatmeal) except morning and PWO

 

[jtp217]

All meals should have complex carbs(brown rice,sweet potato,oatmeal) except morning and PWO

Just out of curiosity why do you suggest doing it that way?

 

[allstar]

Are you asking why not complex morning and PWO?

 

[nsbfl1987]

do you do any weight lifting? if you do then you cannot grow on what you are eating...basically double everything you eat and eat more protein.

At the moment, no. I do not do any weight lifting, just pushups and pullups. I am going to start lifting however.. although not much, just enough to give me more definition. I am going to up my protein intake to 150g/day and switch my diet to

50% carbs
35% protein
15% fats

The extra protein should help out with weight lifting right??

All meals should have complex carbs(brown rice,sweet potato,oatmeal) except morning and PWO

I am also curious about this. I love eating my oatmeal in the morning because it gives me so much energy for the rest of the day.

5 meals...150lbs? go for 40g protein per meal, which btw you are not even close!

I thought about eating heavy amounts of protein, I'm sure it would help alot. The thing that I don't like about it though, is that it is such a heavily debated topic as to whether or not it is healthy. It seems to be about 50/50 on peoples opinion about it. Because health is my biggest concern, I would rather not gamble with it. I've heard great things about 1g/protein per pound though.

 

[allstar]

No, It's perfectly fine actually I suggest to eat complex carb in the morning it is your fuel, what I was reffering to was the only time I find it ok to take in a higher GI food is PWO and morning, i like mixing my oatmeal with strawberries or blueberries.

 

[Nitrox]

IMO marginal responses so far. Multiple meals are good. Seven or Eight meals are good for a bulk but overkill for maintenance. IMO five or six are fine.

You do not HAVE to have carbs in every meal yet alone complex carbs. There are lots of people here who do well with forgoing carbs for some meals. It is a matter of preference.

You do not HAVE to use processed macronutrient replacements like whey protein or dextrose/maltodextrin. At best these are inferior substitutes for whole food. At worst they are empty calorie junk foods. If you want to have some junk food in there fine, but call it like it is.

Ranking or classifying carbohydates based on the complexity of their molecular structure is outdated and next to useless. What is (somewhat) useful is the carb makeup (e.g. glucose, fructose, lactose) and its relative position on the glycemic index.

You do not HAVE to have 40g of protein per meal. Since you are 5'7" and 140lbs and only looking to maintain bodyweight, I doubt your protein turnover is anywhere close to 40g x 5 meals = 200g per day.

IMO if optimizing health is your priority then a somewhat balanced macronutrient profile according to your preference made up of whole foods is better suited to your goals. If it were MY diet I would:
- Drop the processed starches: bread, tortillas, and cereals (mainly for sodium content). If you want, sub in whole food starches like potato, yams, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
- Drop the fruit and vegetable juices and eat whole fruits and vegs + water.
- Drop the ham if it is smoked or luncheon meat style (sodium nitrates) and replace with a variety of unprocessed meats (beef, poultry, pork) according to your preference.
- Balance out the meals more (e.g. breakfast is a carb-fest. where are they healthy fats and proteins?) Healthy does not have to mean low fat OR low carb.

 

[Nitrox]

Also:

Is that iced tea the home brewed, unsweetened kind or the commercial Nestle soda pop kind?

Why are you not eating whole eggs? Egg yolk is source of healthy saturated fat.

 

[allstar]

I just read a good article saying to eat the whole egg, and thats its a myth its bad for your cholosterol

 

[Nitrox]

I just read a good article saying to eat the whole egg, and thats its a myth its bad for your cholosterol

/Agree

I have 3-4 whole eggs every day (sometimes cooked in a teaspoon of butter) and my endochronologist wants me to RAISE my cholesterol level...

 

[allstar]

Haha wow even with the butter. Plus the yolk is much more vitamin and mineral happy than the white of the egg.

 

[Nitrox]

Also needs to be taken in the context that I also eat fish everyday and have zero trans fat in my regular diet (cheat meals not included)

:burg:

 

[allstar]

Fish everyday, I commend you,I get sick of fish so fast. What do you eat? Salmon,Tilapia?

 

[nsbfl1987]

Conclusion

Diet revised

Thank you all very much for your input, It made me see a lot of what I was missing. I did some recalculating yesterday, and have revised my diet. It might take some getting use to.. I have been on my old diet for the past 2 years. But after everything I have read, it seems I am low in essential protein and fats.. and just about right on the calories and carbs. So I had to revise my diet to include more protein and fats, without changing the carbs and calories to much. Now I am getting

Calories: 1300-1600 per day
Carbs: 250g per day
Protein: 150g per day
Fat: 40g per day
Sat Fat: 4g per day

All this being done with healthy foods and no artifical supplements. I seriously mean it when I say Thank you all for your input on this. I have posted on a bunch of different forums and this is by far the best one.

You do not HAVE to use processed macronutrient replacements like whey protein or dextrose/maltodextrin. At best these are inferior substitutes for whole food. At worst they are empty calorie junk foods. If you want to have some junk food in there fine, but call it like it is.

Yeah, I'd rather not use that stuff. I never cared for the artificial stuff. I'd rather spend the extra money and get the proper foods to fill the gap.

You do not HAVE to have 40g of protein per meal. Since you are 5'7" and 140lbs and only looking to maintain bodyweight, I doubt your protein turnover is anywhere close to 40g x 5 meals = 200g per day.

I know, that is way to much protein. I'm constantly hearing excess protein is very hard on your kidney's... I don't want to stress my kidney's especially since I already drink 1 glass of wine a day. Health is the most important thing here FOR ME by far.

IMO if optimizing health is your priority then a somewhat balanced macronutrient profile according to your preference made up of whole foods is better suited to your goals. If it were MY diet I would:
- Drop the processed starches: bread, tortillas, and cereals (mainly for sodium content). If you want, sub in whole food starches like potato, yams, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
- Drop the fruit and vegetable juices and eat whole fruits and vegs + water.
- Drop the ham if it is smoked or luncheon meat style (sodium nitrates) and replace with a variety of unprocessed meats (beef, poultry, pork) according to your preference.
- Balance out the meals more (e.g. breakfast is a carb-fest. where are they healthy fats and proteins?) Healthy does not have to mean low fat OR low carb.

I am getting rid of the cereal... to many carbs and not enough protein and fat. I am now only drinking 8 ounces of Grape Juice with Meal #2 instead of 14.. and 1 10oz glass of V8. As far as whole fruits and vegetables go.. i already got that covered.. i eat a ton of them.
- I don't necessarly agree w/ you on the ham. The ham isn't luncheon style or smoked, its just an unprocessed slab of Jenni-O extra lean ham. Its got a lot of protein for very little calories, carbs, and fat. However I do plan on buying some extra lean ground beef to add to the diet.

Is that iced tea the home brewed, unsweetened kind or the commercial Nestle soda pop kind?

Its green tea.. I concentrate 4 green tea bags into a pot of boiling water, let it cool, then place into a 2 gallon jug and fill w/ water... then into the fridge it goes. No sugar or anything like that.

Why are you not eating whole eggs? Egg yolk is source of healthy saturated fat.

I already got enough fat in my diet now that I re-arranged a few thing (see above).. I might eat the yolk of one now, but I'm trying to stay below 45g/fat per day.

Also needs to be taken in the context that I also eat fish everyday and have zero trans fat in my regular diet

idk about fish everyday.. my father is a fisherman and he warns me about the Mercury content that keeps rising among the worlds fish. If you eat it everyday with a decent amount of Mercury content in it, you could have some serious problems down the road. I would seriously advise you to find out the facts about this

 

[Force of Green]

If you're diet works for you and you feel and look good, then just keep it up!

 

[Nitrox]

If you already have enough whole fruits and veg in your diet then why are you drinking grape juice and V8? Ever checked the sodium content in V8? The glycemic load of grape juice?

A healthy diet does not have to be low fat if you are monitoring calories. If it were me I would drop the grape juice (high GI dextrose) and use the calories for whole eggs but keep it that way if grape juice makes your day; there are worse things for you.

I have read mercury content in fish studies. I eat mostly salmon and it is not at high risk. Tuna on the other hand is and also is not a good source of EFA anyway. Regardless, I was not suggesting that you do, simply offering an explanation as to why my cholesterol level is low.


:cheers:

 

[nsbfl1987]

If you already have enough whole fruits and veg in your diet then why are you drinking grape juice and V8? Ever checked the sodium content in V8? The glycemic load of grape juice?

haha touche.. touche.. I decided I am going to drop the grape juice and the tortillas. They are just extra calories and carbs that I don't need.. especially since I am not getting any protein or fat from them either. For the V8, i've kinda fell in love with that stuff, but I'm going to really try to limit it to one serving per day (an 8oz glass). the V8 gives me this good kick of energy (dunno if the high sodium or what?).. a kick almost as strong as my morning carb fest w/ the oatmeal. But you're right, I could definitely drop it and have no issues in my diet.

If you're diet works for you and you feel and look good, then just keep it up!

ehh.. not really... see I'm only 21 years old.. honestly i have a really good metabolism and I could probably get shredded on a Burger King diet. Thanks to you guys, I have discovered that there are some flaws in my diet.. and my body is lacking some of the nutrients it needs. Also, I want to make good habits while I'm young... plus I feel responsible to set a good example for my little boy. It's a great feeling when he ask me what I'm doing, and why I eat the "yucky" food. Then I tell him cos it will make me big and strong and he goes "I wanna be big and strong" .. and now this kid is volunteering to eat fruits and vegetables everyday. I can't take all credit though, his mom is a total gym rat and health freak as well. But these freakin kids are like sponges and they take it all in.. and they want nothing more to be like their parents. So to a point, I feel I am almost obligated to eat healthy. It's comforting to know that he'll have a good head on his shoulders when it comes to nutrition.

 

[Force of Green]

ehh.. not really... see I'm only 21 years old.. honestly i have a really good metabolism and I could probably get shredded on a Burger King diet. Thanks to you guys, I have discovered that there are some flaws in my diet.. and my body is lacking some of the nutrients it needs. Also, I want to make good habits while I'm young... plus I feel responsible to set a good example for my little boy. It's a great feeling when he ask me what I'm doing, and why I eat the "yucky" food. Then I tell him cos it will make me big and strong and he goes "I wanna be big and strong" .. and now this kid is volunteering to eat fruits and vegetables everyday. I can't take all credit though, his mom is a total gym rat and health freak as well. But these freakin kids are like sponges and they take it all in.. and they want nothing more to be like their parents. So to a point, I feel I am almost obligated to eat healthy. It's comforting to know that he'll have a good head on his shoulders when it comes to nutrition.

If my metabolism were that good, I wouldn't be eating fast food, but I'd be enjoying more foods no doubt. If it's healthy and it's not making you fat... uhhh... why become like one of us and obsess over stupid things? Foods are some of life's greatest pleasures.

 

[Nitrox]

If my metabolism were that good, I wouldn't be eating fast food, but I'd be enjoying more foods no doubt. If it's healthy and it's not making you fat... uhhh... why become like one of us and obsess over stupid things? Foods are some of life's greatest pleasures.

/agree

However many of what are considered food staples really are not the best for us. Even whole grain breads, cereals, granola bars, fruit juices, oils, etc are not as good as the whole food counterparts. While I agree that one most certainly should treat himself periodically, the former should be the basis of one's diet.

 

[nsbfl1987]

The Perfect Diet

Foods are some of life's greatest pleasures.

bleh.. not to me. The only food/beverage I TRULY enjoy from time to time is a good glass of wine (god that makes me sound so old!!).. just over the years of drinking it I've really developed a love for it... hey, they don't call it the "drink of the Gods" for nothing!

But honestly even when I was a kid I didn't really like eating all that much.. I would just shovel food in my mouth until I was full enough to go surf again for 4 hours without feeling hungry. Speaking of.. surfing is life's greatest pleasure atleast for me.. and that's all that matters to me. That and my son.. who by the way I am taking surfing for the FIRST TIME tomorrow! He's stoked .

By the way if any one is interested in exactly what I did, I wrote it out in detail.. if you feel like reading a bit, here it is. Also, take note of the increase in calories.. I am going to be working out more now, as I am adding weight training to my routine on top of running 6 miles (3x/week) and swimming for an hour (3x/week).. so I need the extra calories and protein to put on some weight and help my muscles grow. Also, Meal#4 and Meal#5 arn't ideally what I'd be eating... but I am at work during these hours... so the meal has to be quick and convenient. I am a bartender at a high volume bar, so I usually get about less than 1 minute to run to the Liquor room in back and scarf down a meal real fast. Anyway here it is..

**Grand total of**
Calories - 2153g /day
Carbs - 289g /day
Protein - 194g /day
Fat - 40g /day
Fiber - 49g /day

(here it is in detai...l)

Meal #1 (9am) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- Oatmeal --------> 150 - 27 / 5 / 3 / 3
- Milk --------------> 90 - 12 / 9 / 0 / 0
- (2)Egg Whites -->60 - 0 / 30 / 0 / 0
- Apple -----------> 90 - 23 / 0 / 0 / 4
- (1/4tsp)EVOO --> 30 - 0 / 0 / 4 / 0
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 420 CAL - 62C / 44P / 7F / 7Fb ******

Meal #2 (12pm) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- (2)Bread --------> 180 - 32 / 8 / 1 / 10
- Ham ----------------> 70 - 1 / 9 / 3 / 0
- Lettuce ------------->10 - 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
- Onion ------------->20 - 10 / 1 / 0 / 1
- (2/4)Wine --------->50 - 2 / 0 / 0 / 0
- (1/2)Tuna -------->75 - 0 / 16 / 1 / 0
- (1/8tsp)EVOO ---->15 - 0 / 0 / 2 / 0
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 420 CAL - 45C / 34P / 7F / 12Fb ******


Meal #3 (3 pm) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- Rice ------------->150 - 32 / 3 / 1 / 1
- Vegg --------------->20 - 4 / 1 / 0 / 1
- Tomato ------------>13 - 3 / 0 / 0 / 1
- Beans ----------->60 - 17 / 6 / 1 / 3
- Chicken ------->110 - 0 / 24 / 3 / 0
- (2/4) Wine ------>50 - 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
- (1/8tsp)EVOO -> 15 - 0 / 0 / 2 / 0
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 418 CAL - 56C / 34P / 7F / 6Fb ******


Meal #4 (6 pm) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- Beans -----------> 120 - 22 / 7 / 0 / 7
- Spinach -----------> 45 - 7 / 2 / 1 / 4
- Orange ----------> 60 - 15 / 1 / 0 / 3
- (1/2)Tuna -------> 75 - 0 / 16 / 1 / 0
- (1/2)PB ---------> 105 - 3 / 4 / 8 / 1
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 405 CAL - 47C / 30P / 10F / 15Fb ******


Meal #5 (9 pm) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- (3)Eggs Whites ---> 90 - 0 / 30 / 0 / 0
- Carrot ---------------> 35 - 9 / 1 / 0 / 2
- (1/2)PB -----------> 105 - 3 / 4 / 8 / 1
- Banana ---------> 110 - 47 / 1 / 1 / 3
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 340 CAL - 59C / 36P / 9F / 6Fb ******


Meal #6 (12 am) CAL - C / P / F / Fb
- Cottage Cheese --> 90 - 6 / 15 / 0 / 0
- Celery ---------------> 10 - 2 / 0 / 0 / 1
- V8 ------------------> 50 - 12 / 1 / 0 / 2
__________________________________
*****TOTAL = 150CAL - 20C / 16P / 0F / 3Fb ******


________________________________________________
***GRAND TOTAL = 2153/CAL - 289C / 194P / 40F / 49Fb ***