Help with diet...

[Danb2285]

I'm having some trouble with my diet. I'm trying to cut right now to drop some bf. I've lost about 35 pounds and probably around 5% bf (according to the hand held things at the gym. Which I know aren't real accurate). I'm sitting at 215 right now with about 18% bf. I'd like to get down to about 14 but I'm having problems with the last 4%. My diet is pretty clean I think. But I don't have much knowledge when it comes to dieting. I've always ate whatever I wanted while staying away from fried foods and fast food. My diet right now consist of about 2000-3000 cals depending on the day. 200 gr protein 75-125 gr of fat and 150-200 carbs. My carbs mostly come from whole wheat breads and fruits. Any suggestions? By the way I read a lot of people talking about macros but have no idea what mine should be. I think my maintenance cals is around 3300. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post lol didn't want to leave anything out.

 

[jaycuda]

What helps me stay lean is to cut carbs to <100g on days I do not work out. From my understanding fats are more of an inside issue(bad cholesterol levels / coronary artery diseases / etc) and carbs are more responsible for high BF%.

 

[jswain34]

This is also what I do. Keeping carbs <100 g on non workout days. The day after dead lifts or heavy squats I will let myself get closer to 100 g. On the day after chest day or sundays (2nd off day in a row) I will keep it closer to 50 or under. With the only carbs really just coming from nuts, broccoli, asparagus, and maybe a carbmaster yogurt (4 g carbs per cup).

As for your maintenance and macro question, I usually go 40 percent of cals from protein on all days and fill the fats and carbs depending on the day to reach my calorie goal for that specific day. It really takes experimentation to see what works best for your individual body though. But generally you should shoot for between 1 - 1.5 g of protein per pound of lean body mass.

hope this helps a little.

 

[Danb2285]

Thanks for the response guys. Im thinking carbs must be my problem then because I always eat WELL over 100 carbs. My creative alone has 40 carbs haha. Which I think I'm gonna drop it anyway it's always made me feel like I'm holding a lot of water the whole next day after I lift. Anyway thanks guys I'm gonna try to cut the carbs and hope it works haha.

 

[EasyEJL]

measure + weigh. estimation is a huge part of the problem

 

[Danb2285]

Thanks for the input easy. I Actualy do measure and weigh everything. I started doing it a couple months back when I got serious about dropping BF. Your 100% right it is Crucial. IMO anyway.

 

[Swanson52]

I'd change up your carb source from bread to something else (sweet potato, beans, etc.), and also if you decide to go lower carb on non-workout days I'd incorporate a refeed once a week for a few hours.

Try to center your carbs around your workout on training days as much as possible as well. These strategies have worked well for me.

 

[Whacked]

All good advice above IMO

Now that you've reduced your weight significantly (congrats!), you are hitting plateaus again. You're at the next level of resistance. So, you need to ramp up your exercise. IMO, this approach is much healthier than ramping down k/cal as this will reset leptin and thyroid levels and in the long term, screw u over by shifting down "metabolic needs" (food and k/cal) thus making it more difficult to maintain weight.

Time to put your work in buddy and hit the cardio

Since you are in fatloss stage: You can up your LEAN protein to 50% and low the other macros as a result (Id lower the carbs by 10-15% but everyone responds to macros differently).

It also might be time to research some supplements to assist you in your efforts provided you keep in mind these are supplements and NOT main the drivers in this endeavor.

Diet and Exercise are 90% of the equation (if not 95%) but supps can change the game if used correctly.

 

[Danb2285]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Definetly all great advice. Can someone explain what a macro is for me though? In slow guy terms please lol. I've read a little about it and don't understand. Thanks for the congrats by the way. While 35 lbs might not be a whole lot I busted my ass for those 35 lbs...in the gym and the kitchen haha

 

[Swanson52]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Definetly all great advice. Can someone explain what a macro is for me though? In slow guy terms please lol. I've read a little about it and don't understand. Thanks for the congrats by the way. While 35 lbs might not be a whole lot I busted my ass for those 35 lbs...in the gym and the kitchen haha

Macronutrient-Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate.

When people talk macro ratio, it's the percentage of your diet made up of each of the 3 components. For example. 40/30/30 would be 40%, 30% and 30% of whatever you assign to each percentage.

Edit: percentage of your calorie intake. Protein and carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram, fat has 9 calories per gram.

For a 2000 calorie diet, and a macro ratio of 40/30/30 pro/carb/fat, one would eat 800 calories from protein, 600 calories from carbohydrates, and 600 calories from fat. That equals out to 200g protein, 150g carbohydrates, and 67g fat.

 

[Danb2285]

% of what though is what I'm confused about. I don't understand how it's broke down. Like if I have a 3000 cal diet and I eat oats, chicken and lean beef and fruits how would that work out? I'm sorry for all the questions I'm really new to this. I keep track of Cals proteins carbs and fats everyday I just don't understand where all the %'s come from. All this stuff makes my head spin lol sorry again guys

 

[Jiigzz]

You can use fitday . com or food programs like FoodWorks to work out how many calories you are taking in and then work out the percentages and decrease or increase to suit macro goals.

Or, you can just work out the kcals yourself the long way. Weigh your portions, measure etc. and then use the nutritional information and work it out using a little basic math. Or get a calorie counting book.

I ont use the percentage method, I myself use a g/kg/BW (I'm from NZ so we use the metric system). So my carb intake is 5g/KG/BW (BW=bodyweight). Protein is 1.8g/kg/BW, my fats are 1g/KG/BW.

 

[MuscleGauge1]

Congrats on the weight loss! I think its major to make sure you are getting adequate protein per day. Each meal should have 45-50grams of protein. I think you should also eat as clean as possible. Stay away from white breads and dairy for a while. Have you ever heard of CLA? It's a fatty acid that is great for weight loss. I would look into getting some of that also. Good luck on your fitness and nutrition goals!

 

[Whacked]

Swanson did a nice job above....let me add a sthis can be confusing

MACRO's (macronutrients)

A generalized term for the 3 food groups (protein, carbs, fats) along with their ratio's...the specific % they are eaten in terms of their calories aka "k/cal"

Let me explain.....

Example:
My macro's are 50% P (protein), 35% F (fats), 15% C (carbs)

Also expressed as 50 P/35 F/15 C <--------short hand version

More detail from the above:
50% of my calories are coming from protein
35% of my calories are coming from fats
15% of my calories are coming from carbohydrates

So, when someone asks me what my macro's are, I would reply 50 P/35 F/15 C

If someone was giving me dietary advice, and would tell me to change my macros, they are referring to the ratio's

My ratio's are 50% P (protein), 35% F (fats), 15% C (carbs) but remember that this will typically be expressed in simple form as 50 P/35 F/15 C

My macros are 50 P/35 F/15 C

 

[Danb2285]

I guess the main thing I'm confused by is how do you know what to classify as proteins,fats,and carbs?

 

[Swanson52]

I guess the main thing I'm confused by is how do you know what to classify as proteins,fats,and carbs?

I don't understand the question. Protein is protein, carbs are carbs, fats are fats. If you've been tracking intake thus far, you've been putting food into these groups, no?

 

[Danb2285]

No I haven't been grouping anything just keeping track. I'm sorry I feel like a retard for these questions let me try and make it more clear. For example say I eat a chicken breast for dinner...it has fats and protein. So is that considered a protein because it has more protein than fat? Or like oatmeal for instance it has fats protein and carbs so how would I group that? I hope this is more clear.

 

[Danb2285]

Haha I'm sorry guys but I'm completely confused. Am I just a lost cause or what?

 

[Swanson52]

No I haven't been grouping anything just keeping track. I'm sorry I feel like a retard for these questions let me try and make it more clear. For example say I eat a chicken breast for dinner...it has fats and protein. So is that considered a protein because it has more protein than fat? Or like oatmeal for instance it has fats protein and carbs so how would I group that? I hope this is more clear.

Ok now I understand. Personally, I count EVERYTHING in the food towards my daily total. If something has protein & carbs, I count them all.

I know some only count the macros for the primary reason they're eating a certain food (i.e. don't count the protein from oats, just the carbs), but I prefer to track them all.

 

[Jiigzz]

You have to learn somewhere, nowhere better but here. I'll give you some advice
Get any packet of food out from your pantry and check its nutritional panel, this will show how much protein, fat and carbohydrates are in a product (note however, and this is an example ONLY, the panel may say total carbohydrates 50g and underneath state how much of that 50g is sugar, do not ADD the too together as sugar is a carbohydrate).

So, lets make up a product. Say I bought a food that had this nutiritonal info:

total carbohydrate: 50g
of which is sugar: 36g
Protein: 50g
Fat: 50g

You would count all of these toward your macro goals. Not just one, but all. This is important if you need to make your hitting maintainence caloires, surplus or deficit calories. (depending on goals).

FYI, vegetables (non-root vegetables) contain carbohydrates but as this is mostly fiber,it doesnt count toward total marco goals as most of the caloires will not make it into the bloodstream (our body simply cannot digest it very well). My advice would be to hit up your local library and get a little background info on Carbs, proteins and fats and what there functions are, that way itl make more sense when we explain things

 

[Danb2285]

But how do u out the grams into a %value? Let me do this....this is my diet for today and pretty much everyday how does is break down

Oatmeal-3f/27c/5p=150 Cals
Protein shake- 4f/8c/40p=240 cal
8 oz 96% lean burger on wheat buns11f/40c/54p=460 cal
Grilled chicken breast 10oz 8f/0c/77p=385 Cals
Almonds 1.5 oz=21f/16c/9p=280cals.
PB sandwich 16f/13c/10 p 320 Cals

1835 Cals/200 grams is protein/64fat/111 carbs. So how would I figure my macro out?

 

[Danb2285]

I REALLY appreciate the time and effort you guys are putting into this for me. Sorry I'm such a slow head

 

[Jiigzz]

But how do u out the grams into a %value? Let me do this....this is my diet for today and pretty much everyday how does is break down

Oatmeal-3f/27c/5p=150 Cals
Protein shake- 4f/8c/40p=240 cal
8 oz 96% lean burger on wheat buns11f/40c/54p=460 cal
Grilled chicken breast 10oz 8f/0c/77p=385 Cals
Almonds 1.5 oz=21f/16c/9p=280cals.
PB sandwich 16f/13c/10 p 320 Cals

1835 Cals/200 grams is protein/64fat/111 carbs. So how would I figure my macro out?

Math

Convert protein grams into calories by multiplying by 4 (protein and carbs yield 4 caloires per gram,while fat has 9).
This is your intake:

Protein: 200x4=800
Carbs: 111x4=444
Fats: 64x9=576

Then convert into percentages:
800/1835= 43.5%
444/1835=24.2%
576/1835=31.3%

43.5/24.2/31.3

 

[Swanson52]

Math

Convert protein grams into calories by multiplying by 4 (protein and carbs yield 4 caloires per gram,while fat has 9).
This is your intake:

Protein: 200x4=800
Carbs: 111x4=444
Fats: 64x9=576

Then convert into percentages:
800/1835= 43.5%
444/1835=24.2%
576/1835=31.3%

43.5/24.2/31.3

Nice.

Honestly, if you can cut out the bread and replace it with another carb source I don't have a problem with your macro percentage breakdown here. Add in some PWO carbs on training days (40-50 to start), then refeed for 4-6 hours one day a week. A refeed would entail you consuming as many calories from carbs as you can during the refeed window, then resuming regular diet when you're done.

 

[Danb2285]

You guys are awesome lol I finally understand! Haha I've seriously been trying to figure that out for probably 2 weeks lol. I didn't understand the math part. But I totally get it now. Thanks again guys Huge help!

 

[EasyEJL]

keep in mind tho, macro %s barely matter at all.... I don't even consider the idea anymore when planning eating

 

[AaronJP1]

keep in mind tho, macro %s barely matter at all.... I don't even consider the idea anymore when planning eating

I'm a way I kind of agree. Just eat right balanced & don't count shyt.... You can still grow.

 

[Whacked]

Generally speaking....

Fats: butters, oils, cheese, lard, creams, nuts

Protein: meat (chicken, pork, beef, steak, deli meat), protein powders, eggs, nuts

Carbs: bread, potatos, corn, flour, grains, oats, sugar, fruits, candy, wheat, torrtilllas, muffins, cereal, high furctose syrup, glazes

1) Some of these will overlp or be considered DUAL source-macro's like.....

Nuts and nut-butters (considered both a fat macro and a protein macro)
Whole Eggs (ditto)
Deli meals (ditto)
Fatty meat like a fat hanburder form a restarurant (ditto)
Chicken wings (ditto)

Candy bars (considered fat and carb sources)
Chocolate cake (ditto)
Trail mix (ditto)
Pizza (ditto)

2) All carbs are not created equal (quality wise)
100 calories of Skittles is NOT the same as 100 calories from an apple

3) All proteins are not created equal (quality wise)
100 calories from egg whites are not equal to 100 calories of salami form the deli

if I were you, I'd pick up a Nutrition book on the basis as this will provide you with the foundation you really need bud

Good luck

I guess the main thing I'm confused by is how do you know what to classify as proteins,fats,and carbs?

 

[Whacked]

Whilo I agree....You guys are going to wreck everything this guy needs to learn from the outset IMO

Learning the basics, acclimating to them/fostering them for a little while and THEN trying/diving into the varying disciplines/philosophies would be the best for him to learn and evolve.

He has to start somewhere - the basic tenants would apply here.

He has to walk before he crawls

You all are going from basic math to calculus in one day

keep in mind tho, macro %s barely matter at all.... I don't even consider the idea anymore when planning eating

I'm a way I kind of agree. Just eat right balanced & don't count shyt.... You can still grow.

 

[EasyEJL]

well, I mean moreso that you have a bottom amount of grams of protein and fat to hit, and depending on your personal tolerance you may have a maximum amount on carbs. The percentages don't really matter so long as you get in at least .8g/lb of protein, 60g healthy fats (really my lower end threshhold is higher) and carbs based on how they affect you.

I've just come to disliking thinking about it as percentages as the whole 40/40/20 thing is pointless and at 2000 calories really not enough fat for optimal health + hormone levels.

but yeah, that is a bit higher level

 

[Whacked]

Agreed man. PS: Poor guy probably read your post and put a gun to his head LOL

It's a LOT to take in at first for a total newbie

As I was tryping out soen of my posts, I was thinking how fortunate we all are and how much for granted we all take having this knowledge already ya know?

Dan: If you didnt blow ur brains out, keep keeping on bud

 

[Danb2285]

Haha no brain splatter yet. I understand everything you guys are saying I have a general understanding of nutrition. I just wasn't sure how to put it all together I.e. converting grams to a percentage,that's what almost made me put a gun to my head lol but I get it now.

 

[AaronJP1]

Agreed man. PS: Poor guy probably read your post and put a gun to his head LOL

It's a LOT to take in at first for a total newbie

As I was tryping out soen of my posts, I was thinking how fortunate we all are and how much for granted we all take having this knowledge already ya know?

Dan: If you didnt blow ur brains out, keep keeping on bud

Having the knowledge and using it are two different things....

 

[Jiigzz]

Yeah dont get too caught up on it all, the math and stuff is ust there as a guideline to help you work out the minimums you need. Generally, I will base my diet around my macro percentages but I wont get too hung up on it. Its probably because ive been doing this awhile (as have many others) and after a while you just know when you are hitting the macro amounts.

Do what suits you, if that way works for you then do it that way.