Diet advice?

[Gerbil]

Looking to cut a bit of fat currently at 211lb looking to get down to 200lb.
Stats:
Height: 6ft
Bf%: 18% (skin fold test)
Bench: 245 for 3x5
Box squats: 275 for 3x5
Pullups: body weight only 8 dead hang

Diet:
15minutes before breakfast:
1 oxyelite pro
1 Primaforce cla

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled with 1 tsp 2%milk 1/8th onion pinch of cheese for taste
8 almonds
1 apple


2 hour later snack:
1/4 cup oatmeal with 1/2 cup of 2% milk

Lunch:
1 Primaforce cla
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese tabsco for taste
6 ounces turkey
1 celery stalk

2 hours later:
1 celery stalk
2 tsp of natural peanut butter on 1 slice wheat toast

Preworkout:
1.5 scoops of bull nutrition's savage

Post workout:
1 scoop gold standard whey with water
1 scoop of optimum nutrition's fitness fiber

Dinner:
1 can tuna
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/4 onion
1/2 tomato
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 stalk of celery

Dessert:
8 chopped almonds
1/2 cup of low fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup of oatmeal
1 tps honey




This is how my diet has broken down with a few variations day to day any advice?
Thank you in advance

 

[Gerbil]

Just calculated it
1600 calories
75 g fat
85 g carbs
141 g protien

 

[Rethink]

That's a well structured diet, so there isn't much advice anybody here can offer you that would dramatically improve it.

You have more than enough protein and have even included fibre supplements which is an important and overlooked part of a healthy diet.

The only advice that I could give for you to consider would be to limit yourself to 3 meals a day. Most people recommend 5-6 meals a day but recent research has found that 3 meals a day leaves people more satisfied and less hungry. The two most salient factors affecting hunger while calories are restricted are nutrient timing and amount of protein and fibre. When you limit yourself to 3 meals you can also make proper meals like normal people eat albeit with healthier choices. This really makes dieting much more tollerable.

Another suggestion would be to limit the amount of protein supplements, increase the amount of dietary protein in the diet and limit yourself to one egg yolk a day. Consider foods such as lentils and textured soy flour (also known as TVP) as great sources of both protein and fibre. TVP can be included with tomato soup for flavour and lentils can be included in any soup. A great suggestion is to include a soup with either lentils or TVP as a dinner because you get plenty of natural protein and fibre.

 

[jumpshot903]

If your getting good results from it, stick to it my only thing is id rather go about 200-300 below maintence to limit the amont of muscle burned i feel like your calroies are a bit low im 6'3 196 atm and the lowest i go is about 2000-2200 and with a good amount of cardio i lose weight while at some points gain strength. But everyone reacts differently and when i did go sub 2000 cals i found i lost weight faster just also lost some strength so its all personal preference.

Only suggestion id have is add in a bit more fruit, especially berries like blueberries, rasberries are high in antioxidants. Also some variety is key maybe add some brocoli or other vegatables in too i know its annoying getting variety sometimes but it must be done especially this time of the year to get all your nutrients to avoid getting sick.

 

[Rethink]

If your getting good results from it, stick to it my only thing is id rather go about 200-300 below maintence to limit the amont of muscle burned i feel like your calroies are a bit low im 6'3 196 atm and the lowest i go is about 2000-2200 and with a good amount of cardio i lose weight while at some points gain strength. But everyone reacts differently and when i did go sub 2000 cals i found i lost weight faster just also lost some strength so its all personal preference.

Only suggestion id have is add in a bit more fruit, especially berries like blueberries, rasberries are high in antioxidants. Also some variety is key maybe add some brocoli or other vegatables in too i know its annoying getting variety sometimes but it must be done especially this time of the year to get all your nutrients to avoid getting sick.

With a deficit of 200-300 calories a day a person would only lose half a pound of fat a week, thats far too slow.

 

[Gerbil]

Thank you all for your replies.
Rethink why do you recommend I only take in one egg yoke a day? Is 24 grams of protein from a shake too much?

 

[jumpshot903]

With a deficit of 200-300 calories a day a person would only lose half a pound of fat a week, thats far too slow.

The healthy range of fat loss in a week is 0.5-1 pound a week and this is a widely viewed topic, nowadays everyone wants the results RIGHT NOW so this weight loss seems very slow to most if they don't see 5 pounds drop of the scale every time there doing something wrong. But from my perspective losing 0.5-1lb a week while perserving or even gaining muscle is much more viable then losing 3 pounds a week and stripping away your muscle. I think about it like this id rather lose 0.5-1lb of fat a week rather then 2lbs of fat and 1lb of muscle you lose when you go into very low calorie defecits over an extended time.

 

[EasyEJL]

With a deficit of 200-300 calories a day a person would only lose half a pound of fat a week, thats far too slow.

too slow for what? most people don't add fat that rapidly, taking it off that fast isn't the greatest idea either.

 

[JudoJosh]

You need to eat more calories. At 200+ lbs I would say that 1600 calories is too low

 

[AaronJP1]

The healthy range of fat loss in a week is 0.5-1 pound a week and this is a widely viewed topic, nowadays everyone wants the results RIGHT NOW so this weight loss seems very slow to most if they don't see 5 pounds drop of the scale every time there doing something wrong. But from my perspective losing 0.5-1lb a week while perserving or even gaining muscle is much more viable then losing 3 pounds a week and stripping away your muscle. I think about it like this id rather lose 0.5-1lb of fat a week rather then 2lbs of fat and 1lb of muscle you lose when you go into very low calorie defecits over an extended time.

Very good comment....

 

[Rethink]

Thank you all for your replies.
Rethink why do you recommend I only take in one egg yoke a day? Is 24 grams of protein from a shake too much?

The reason I recommend only one yolk a day is because of the cholesterol. One egg yolk contains half your daily allotment for cholesterol. As far as shakes are concerned it's not getting too much protein thats the problem provided you don't exceed 30% of your calories. It's just more nutritious to get your protein from dietary sources rather than supplements; its also much cheaper.

Whenever a person posts a diet on this forum there is always a person who chimes in that the calories are too low. I think the calories in this diet are ideal and it would be easy to lower them if your progress stalled several weeks down the track by eliminating the nuts for example.

As far as dietary authorities are concerned about healthy rate of weightloss they usually say between 1-2 pounds per a week. It naturally makes more sense to go for the higher figure because gaining muscle is all about being in a calorie surplus for longest and a time economy exists.

For example: If you could lose 4 pounds a week and lose 1 pound of muscle it would be more time efficient than losing 1 pound a week and 0 pounds of muscle because provided you gain weight at 1 pound a week you remain in a calorie surplus longer. I would like to point out also that losing 1 pound of muscle a week is typical of astronauts in 0 gravity or people confined to bed rest but unheard of in active populations. The point I am trying to make is its faster to regain muscle.

All the studies on muscle catabolism I have read point to activity being the biggest factor in determining the amount of catabolism rather than calorie restriction. Use it or lose it appears to be the rule rather than "starvation mode" anxieties.

Muscle catabolism in scientific literature is generally limited to 0 gravity studies and sarcopenia in the elderly but there have been a few studies involving very low calorie diets and resistance training that show that while people train muscle loss is insignificant even with calorie restriction that elicits the starvation response.

 

[EasyEJL]

The reason I recommend only one yolk a day is because of the cholesterol. One egg yolk contains half your daily allotment for cholesterol.

you know that the daily allowance for cholesterol was based on the mistaken belief decades ago that dietary cholesterol affected serum cholesterol don't you?

 

[JudoJosh]

The reason I recommend only one yolk a day is because of the cholesterol. One egg yolk contains half your daily allotment for cholesterol.

dietary cholesterol has very little impact on serum cholesterol. Simple sugars have more of an impact then eggs would have.

As far as shakes are concerned it's not getting too much protein thats the problem provided you don't exceed 30% of your calories.

Why not past 30%?

Whenever a person posts a diet on this forum there is always a person who chimes in that the calories are too low
.

Reason why I say they are too low because I am 200lbs myself and maintain weight at 2300-2500 calories. Now I know me does not equal him but 1600 seems on the very low side. What will happen to him if he continues on such an extreme deficit is his metabolism will catch up to him and crash and then the weight loss will stop and he will be forced to cut calories again only resulting in crushing his metabolism even more. Extreme deficits are not needed to loose weight and usually are the reason most diets fail eventually.

 

[jumpshot903]

I still think its too low, people who go into very big calorie defecits very rarely keep the weight off you may see good weight loss the first few weeks maybe even a few months but it will stall and eventually even out, the key to losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle change not little quick 5 week diets to lose 10 pounds then just go back to bulk up 10 pounds if your saying youd take losing 2 pounds of fat and 1 pound of muscle its inversely related to bulking so when you bulk you'll take 2 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat if you adopt the same strategy and your just basically idling.

I myself am a believer that gaining and losing weight slowly while limiting either fat gain or muscle loss is the best way to get to further levels but thats my opinion.

 

[Rethink]

It seems the preferred solution on this board is:

Diet with a 200-300 calorie deficit. Go a month unsure whether you have lost any weight or whether its all fluid fluctuations. Have a cheat meal once a week, after all you don't want your metabolism to crash. Go another month without losing a significant amount of weight. Post a help message of AM. Follow the board sponsors advice and do 3 HIIT cardio sessions a week and buy the weight loss supplement he's trying to sell. Go another 4 months without losing a significant amount of weight and decide you want to be big and quit losing weight and bulk up. It's the mediocre solution to becomming fat thats sold around here all the time.

If your serious about losing weight you should aim for 1600-1200 calories, no cheat meals,1 hr of steady state cardio a day and no need for weight loss supplements (everything that works gets quickly recalled). That advice will get a person to 8% body fat and out of the mediocre territory of abandonned dreams.

 

[jumpshot903]

It seems the preferred solution on this board is:

Diet with a 200-300 calorie deficit. Go a month unsure whether you have lost any weight or whether its all fluid fluctuations. Have a cheat meal once a week, after all you don't want your metabolism to crash. Go another month without losing a significant amount of weight. Post a help message of AM. Follow the board sponsors advice and do 3 HIIT cardio sessions a week and buy the weight loss supplement he's trying to sell. Go another 4 months without losing a significant amount of weight and decide you want to be big and quit losing weight and bulk up. It's the mediocre solution to becomming fat thats sold around here all the time.

If your serious about losing weight you should aim for 1600-1200 calories, no cheat meals,1 hr of steady state cardio a day and no need for weight loss supplements (everything that works gets quickly recalled). That advice will get a person to 8% body fat and out of the mediocre territory of abandonned dreams.

Im open to every viewpoint i don't negate the fact that you will lose weight in a 1200-1600 calorie range its just seen in most that theres significant strength loss and once the diet is stopped most gain the weight back hence opting for a route that is a bit slower but yields better results come a year down the road.

I'll say one thing the key at the end is calories in vs calories out and when your taking in only 1200-1600 calories a day on top of cardio for someone over 200 pounds you leave very little room for nutrients your body needs. So lets say you abide by this take in aproximately 1400 calories we'll say with 1hr steady state cardio a day so on average you burn 100 calories per mile well say at best you do a 10 minutes mile for moderate cardio thats 600 calories in an hour so your already down to 800 calories left for your body. Add in resistance training thats another 200-400 calories so your down to about 500 calories this will put a 215 pound person in about a 1700 calorie defecit a day. If you can assume you lose a pound of fat for every 3500 calories (not sure if this is true just heard) thats a pound every two days or 3.5 pounds a week. No i challenge you to do this for a month and see the same results without losing significant strength/muscle and energy.

Now i'll comment on your normal 200-300 calorie defecit person that roams these boards, if they were to lay out there exact diet and excercise routine you would find the cause for the little results right there enough said. I went from 217 last winter to sitting at 196 right now while gaining strength and muscle by eating at or below maintence in this said range.

 

[EasyEJL]

It seems the preferred solution on this board is:

Diet with a 200-300 calorie deficit. Go a month unsure whether you have lost any weight or whether its all fluid fluctuations. Have a cheat meal once a week, after all you don't want your metabolism to crash. Go another month without losing a significant amount of weight. Post a help message of AM. Follow the board sponsors advice and do 3 HIIT cardio sessions a week and buy the weight loss supplement he's trying to sell. Go another 4 months without losing a significant amount of weight and decide you want to be big and quit losing weight and bulk up. It's the mediocre solution to becomming fat thats sold around here all the time.

If your serious about losing weight you should aim for 1600-1200 calories, no cheat meals,1 hr of steady state cardio a day and no need for weight loss supplements (everything that works gets quickly recalled). That advice will get a person to 8% body fat and out of the mediocre territory of abandonned dreams.

I'd have to say that both of those choices are terrible advice.

 

[Rethink]

I'll say one thing the key at the end is calories in vs calories out and when your taking in only 1200-1600 calories a day on top of cardio for someone over 200 pounds you leave very little room for nutrients your body needs. So lets say you abide by this take in aproximately 1400 calories we'll say with 1hr steady state cardio a day so on average you burn 100 calories per mile well say at best you do a 10 minutes mile for moderate cardio thats 600 calories in an hour so your already down to 800 calories left for your body. Add in resistance training thats another 200-400 calories so your down to about 500 calories this will put a 215 pound person in about a 1700 calorie defecit a day. If you can assume you lose a pound of fat for every 3500 calories (not sure if this is true just heard) thats a pound every two days or 3.5 pounds a week. No i challenge you to do this for a month and see the same results without losing significant strength/muscle and energy.

Now i'll comment on your normal 200-300 calorie defecit person that roams these boards, if they were to lay out there exact diet and excercise routine you would find the cause for the little results right there enough said. I went from 217 last winter to sitting at 196 right now while gaining strength and muscle by eating at or below maintence in this said range.

Last year I consumed 1400 calories a day and ran at 14 km/h for an hour each day on a treadmill, this totaled 1000 calories according to the machine but I suspect the machine over estimated. I lost weight at close to 3 pounds a week and lost 35 pounds and I didn't notice any significant muscle loss.

 

[jumpshot903]

Last year I consumed 1400 calories a day and ran at 14 km/h for an hour each day on a treadmill, this totaled 1000 calories according to the machine but I suspect the machine over estimated. I lost weight at close to 3 pounds a week and lost 35 pounds and I didn't notice any significant muscle loss.

Power to you bro as i said im open to different ways of doing things that worked for you and what i did worked for me. My last point is i can understand dipping to 1200-1600 calories in a severely obese person who needs to drop weight i just don't see the practical purpose of dipping so low just to lose a few pounds when going at a slower steadier pace has been shown to yield better long term results. Come a year down the road if you chose a 1200-1600 calorie diet or a 200-300 calorie defecit the results would be very very similiar since the first will yield quicker results but tail off after a few months and that later with yield consistent results. And im one for consistent results and the extra couple hundred calories you can take a day help for overall energy which helps intensity in my idea.

 

[EasyEJL]

Last year I consumed 1400 calories a day and ran at 14 km/h for an hour each day on a treadmill, this totaled 1000 calories according to the machine but I suspect the machine over estimated. I lost weight at close to 3 pounds a week and lost 35 pounds and I didn't notice any significant muscle loss.

so your one example (if true and accurate) makes that the optimal safest way? please.

 

[JudoJosh]

so your one example (if true and accurate) makes that the optimal safest way? please.

Of course it does! Thats all you need for proof....

Hey rethink, I got this pen that keeps tigers away for sale. Ever since I started carrying it I havent been attacked by a single tiger! Thats proof right? Wanna buy it?

 

[Gerbil]

I am maintaining a 4 day a week lifting schedule and jog an hour 3 times, on top of 2 HIIT sessions a week.
So far I am not hungry excluding in the middle of my 3 hour lecture class.

 

[OrganicShadow]

Usually when people post a diet here and someone chimes the cals are too low... its because they're right. I have a real bad habit of undershooting my daily cal intake.

My first thought is to drop out the dairy. Thats more personal preference than anything. I just find dairy is a tricky factor when dieting down.

And the carbs so late for "dessert" isnt a good idea. Especially something simple sugar like honey. Granted its low GI, its still simple carbs. I know Judo is gonna refute me on this but I would cut carbs a few hours before bed. And besides, dessert while dieting? That doesnt sound right.

Jumpshot made a good point - fruits and veggies to balance things. 1/2 a grapefruit does well for dieting and I would keep them more towards morning and preworkouts. Green fibrous veggies will make your meal more satisfying and filling while easing the digestive process. Also helps maintain a positive nitrogen balance in the bloodstream, minimize atrophy. Insoluble fiber is metabolically inert in humans so itll just cleanse your system.

 

[JudoJosh]

And the carbs so late for "dessert" isnt a good idea. Especially something simple sugar like honey. Granted its low GI, its still simple carbs. I know Judo is gonna refute me on this but I would cut carbs a few hours before bed.

Who me??? Naaaaa never that

 

[Gerbil]

Diet 2.0 time
This is what I had today

Diet:
15minutes before breakfast:
1 oxyelite pro
1 Primaforce cla

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled with 1 tsp 2%milk 1/8th onion pinch of cheese for taste
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 onion
1/4 cup cottage cheese

Lunch:
1 Primaforce cla
1 oxyelite pro
1 cup green beans
8 ounces of turkey
1/4 cup cottage cheese


2 hours later:
1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
10 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup oatmeal
10 almonds

Preworkout:
1.5 scoops of bull nutrition's savage

Dinner:
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/4 onion
1/2 tomato
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup black beans
2 egg whites scrambled
Tabasco

1670 calories
67.8g fat
129g carbs
144.4g protien
38.6g fiber

 

[flw]

I've dieted down from 225 to 180 over about 5 months.
For myself 1800-2400 calories has been the sweet spot. When I dipped down below 1800 for a few weeks or a month my weight loss stopped, when I upped things back up to 1900-2100 weight started coming off again at about 2lbs/wk.
I have a pretty strenuous workout routine and fir me keeping my strength plays an important role in burning calories, enjoying my self and not burning out.
From my experience protein should be at 1 gram/lb body weight, fat should be 30% or less of your calories and carbs take up the rest.
A little carb cycling is a great thing, 150-250 on lifting days and at or below 150 on off days.
This is what has worked for me, I have gotten a lot of great advice here but it boils down to trial and error.
I've found that the "lose it" app (they have a website too is a great tool for tracking calories and exercise and will give you a good calorie start point based on your weight loss goals.

Losing 11 lbs shouldn't be too hard whether you choose a minimal calorie deficit or a large one as long as you creat a plan you can stick with.


My last piece of advice would be; if your going to go with a large deficit, don't plan on doing it long term (not a problem with your stated goal) and don't jump your calories back up when you've reached your goal, slowly ramp them back up.

Best of luck!

 

[EasyEJL]

And the carbs so late for "dessert" isnt a good idea. Especially something simple sugar like honey. Granted its low GI, its still simple carbs. I know Judo is gonna refute me on this but I would cut carbs a few hours before bed. And besides, dessert while dieting? That doesnt sound right.

since JJ declined, i'll take the bait.
a) its not really a dessert as his caloric content on that meal and for the day is still low
b) this article http://anabolicminds.com/forum/content/bedtime-carbs-fat-343/ from a study would seem to suggest that concentrating carbs into the evening is better.

"We have demonstrated improvement in hunger/satiety status, persistence in the weight loss process, better anthropometric outcomes, improved insulin sensitivity, improvement in metabolic syndrome parameters, less inflammation and hormonal changes, following simple carbohydrate manipulation", the researchers conclude.

and that is vs a control group that had the same amount of carbs, just spread more evenly through the day.

 

[EasyEJL]

I'd also say that with a high deficit like that it is a good idea to throw in 1-2 higher calorie days a week. not necessarily over maintenance even, but if going just to maintenance i'd say 2 days in a row of it.

 

[Gerbil]

Thank you all for your advice.

 

[OrganicShadow]

EJL, thanks for that. I've been looking for literature like that. And you do present a good case for that. And I agree with you on the 1-2 days of higher caloric... like a carb cycle. I found great response from doing that, especially with a total cal this low.

 

[JudoJosh]

EJL, thanks for that. I've been looking for literature like that. And you do present a good case for that. And I agree with you on the 1-2 days of higher caloric... like a carb cycle. I found great response from doing that, especially with a total cal this low.

What??

Ohh so when I say it, its BS but when Easy says it, then its plausible? I am offended OS!!!!!!!!



























J/K

Nice post BTW Eric!

 

[OrganicShadow]

Thats not what I meant!! lol. I want to be proven wrong and understand counterargument but im just ill-informed. If you have any good links or info by all means PM me. I usually train late and all my carb meals get pushed toward the evenings.

 

[JudoJosh]

Thats not what I meant!! lol. I want to be proven wrong and understand counterargument but im just ill-informed. If you have any good links or info by all means PM me. I usually train late and all my carb meals get pushed toward the evenings.

No worries bud.. I was just joking

 

[AaronJP1]

Diet 2.0 time
This is what I had today

Diet:
15minutes before breakfast:
1 oxyelite pro
1 Primaforce cla

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled with 1 tsp 2%milk 1/8th onion pinch of cheese for taste
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 onion
1/4 cup cottage cheese

Lunch:
1 Primaforce cla
1 oxyelite pro
1 cup green beans
8 ounces of turkey
1/4 cup cottage cheese

2 hours later:
1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
10 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup oatmeal
10 almonds

Preworkout:
1.5 scoops of bull nutrition's savage

Dinner:
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/4 onion
1/2 tomato
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup black beans
2 egg whites scrambled
Tabasco

1670 calories
67.8g fat
129g carbs
144.4g protien
38.6g fiber

Yuck.

lol no offense

 

[flw]

Lol. Hopefully the OP liked it

Yuck.

lol no offense

 

[OrganicShadow]

Yuck.

lol no offense

I was thinking it... didnt wanna say it. Not a lot of greenery here, any reason for that?

 

[Gerbil]

I was a bit lacking in vegetables in my house on that day. Also I rather enjoyed that day. Out of curiosity what is so yuck about it?

 

[OrganicShadow]

Its a lot of dairy which, as expressed earlier, is not my thing. And its kind of a random assortment... like black beans eggs w/ milk and cottage cheese for breakfast? You have time to prepare all that everyday? I can only deal with eggs once a day I even bother at all. But if you like cottage cheese that much to have it 4x a day then by all means go for it.