Low carb diet critique

[Matt3533]

So just a little background info about myself before I lay out my diet for (hopefully) some good critique on it.

I have been weight training for about 7 years now, but have been more serious about it for around 4-5 years. I am currently around 168lbs and maybe around 12-13% BF (I have some calipers in the mail so I'll have a better idea on the percentage later). Like most people trying to lose weight on here, I am trying to get around that 8% BF. I have a very good knowledge of nutrition and how the body works with my education background, but sometimes there is no better education than hearing personal experience from people with success on weight loss diets.

I am trying to keep my carbs low (sub 100g) for 6 days with a carb up (300+g) on the 7th day. Now I am a fairly picky eater so I am not really looking for different food options, but more or less if my macros seem good and if the choices of my foods that I am eating right now are sufficient.

My days don't vary much from day to day, so here is a look at what my typical low carb day looks like:

Breakfast - 4 scrambled eggs, 1 whole grapefruit
Lunch - chicken breast, 8 stalks of asparagus
Early dinner - chicken breast, 1 1/2 cups of sugar snap peas, 1 cup spinach
Late dinner - 3 scrambled eggs, 2 stalks celery, 1tbsp natural peanut butter
Snacks during the day - almonds, sunflower seeds, 2 protein shakes

That all ends up being around 80g of carbs, 108g of fat, 175g of protein.

My high carb days look about the same (minus the nuts, seeds, and peanut butter) with about 75g of carbs at each of my 4 meals in the form of brown rice, quinoa, steel cut oats, and sweet potatoes.

I am wondering if this diet looks good, if anyone has tried something similar with success, and if something a little more extreme/less extreme would be more beneficial.

 

[jimbuick]

You're trying to lose weight at 168? I feel like you would look like a Holocaust survivor if you started cutting.

At your current stats you would be better off gaining some muscle before a cut IMO.

 

[Matt3533]

Yeah not quite a holocaust survivor haha. Weight isn't everything when it comes to having muscle. Frank Zane was only 185lbs during contest and he looked like he had a pretty damn good muscular physique to me.

 

[jimbuick]

Yeah not quite a holocaust survivor haha. Weight isn't everything when it comes to having muscle. Frank Zane was only 185lbs during contest and he looked like he had a pretty damn good muscular physique to me.

185 at <10% is a lot different than the 155 or so that you would weight at a similar bf%.

 

[Matt3533]

Not like I'm trying to be a mass monster here regardless.


Anyways...

 

[jimbuick]

Not like I'm trying to be a mass monster here regardless.

Anyways...

Lol in what world is not being tiny instantly becoming a mass monster?

To be completely honest if you cut down to 8% bf you probably wouldn't even look like you've ever lifted a weight.

 

[uvawahoowa]

Lol in what world is not being tiny instantly becoming a mass monster?

To be completely honest if you cut down to 8% bf you probably wouldn't even look like you've ever lifted a weight.

This times 100

 

[OnionKnight]

how tall op?

 

[Matt3533]

...

 

[Matt3533]

I'm 5'10

 

[jimbuick]

I'm 5'10

This will be you if you cut.

 

[Matt3533]

Wow that will look just like me if I cut only 4% BF since of course you already know exactly what I look like now. Thanks chief

 

[jimbuick]

Wow that will look just like me if I cut only 4% BF since of course you already know exactly what I look like now. Thanks chief

I know that in any cut you will lose muscle mass, I also know that at 5'10" 168 you don't have an awful lot of that.

And I also know that when most people say they are at 12-13% bf they are really at 16-17% bf.

So with that knowledge I can make the safe assumption that cutting down to 8% will make you look like someone who has literally never stepped foot in a gym. Ever.

 

[DatRep]

iwanttolooklikethatguy.com/

You can see him at 30% then 6% and at contest ithink he hits 5%.

He was never "big". But he became ripped as **** all natty...

Diets are just calorie restriction and not much else... The guy that went from 30% bf to 5% supposedly never used drugs and just kept cutting calories...

You do notice that he was never a monster nor was he "huge". He went from a fatty to being insanely ripped.

 

[EasyEJL]

I'm going to agree that at that weight, the best way to lower your bodyfat % will be to add more lean muscle mass while not adding fat.

 

[DatRep]

I'm going to agree that at that weight, the best way to lower your bodyfat % will be to add more lean muscle mass while not adding fat.

That seems like a somewhat impossible task... I would say cutting calories is the best option... This is what most people do to get to very low BF%.

It really depends how this guy wants to look... If he doesn't want to be huge and simply wants to be ripped he doesn't need to build more muscle...

Eating enough to build muscle without putting on any weight can be a royal PITA. In the end he will be big & lean, but its the long path. If he just wants to be lean he can just follow a simple calorie deficit.

 

[jimbuick]

That seems like a somewhat impossible task... I would say cutting calories is the best option... This is what most people do to get to very low BF%.

It really depends how this guy wants to look... If he doesn't want to be huge and simply wants to be ripped he doesn't need to build more muscle...

Eating enough to build muscle without putting on any weight can be a royal PITA. In the end he will be big & lean, but its the long path. If he just wants to be lean he can just follow a simple calorie deficit.

Its called a lean bulk and it is incredibly easy to accomplish, especially when one has little muscle mass to begin with.

 

[EasyEJL]

That seems like a somewhat impossible task... I would say cutting calories is the best option... This is what most people do to get to very low BF%.

It really depends how this guy wants to look... If he doesn't want to be huge and simply wants to be ripped he doesn't need to build more muscle...

Eating enough to build muscle without putting on any weight can be a royal PITA. In the end he will be big & lean, but its the long path. If he just wants to be lean he can just follow a simple calorie deficit.

there is nowhere I said he has to get huge. 168 is barely considered "normal" weight for 5'10, which means he has fairly low muscle mass as it stands. Adding 6lbs of muscle would probably drop his bodyfat % by 1-2%. Also, having some more muscle mass will make it easier to lose the fat when he does later go to cutting calories.

 

[BigRigg]

there is nowhere I said he has to get huge. 168 is barely considered "normal" weight for 5'10, which means he has fairly low muscle mass as it stands. Adding 6lbs of muscle would probably drop his bodyfat % by 1-2%. Also, having some more muscle mass will make it easier to lose the fat when he does later go to cutting calories.

This is money, good post.
I also vote for adding muscle

 

[Pypp]

First you gotta forget this whole cutting bulking bull****. If you eat right and workout hard you'll gain lean mass without excess weight. People focus too much on stupid terminology and not on nutrition. Your diet plan looks great, try varying the veggies and having simple carbs pre/post workout helps with recovery. Also you taking any supps? I've gotten down to 4% weighing 185 with good nutrition, hard training, and lots of sleep. Don't underestimate the rest part!

 

[Matt3533]

I'll have to post some pictures of myself once I am home from work later today because I do have muscle mass contrary to what some people have been saying on here. I've always had a lean physique, so I do have a muscular physique but it is on the lean side. Once I get some pictures up I think everyone will get a better understanding of my goals and where I stand right now with my size. I have had people guess that my weight was around 180-185 before in the past so I do have a pretty light frame to begin with.

Some good comments received so far though.

 

[jimbuick]

I'll have to post some pictures of myself once I am home from work later today because I do have muscle mass contrary to what some people have been saying on here. I've always had a lean physique, so I do have a muscular physique but it is on the lean side. Once I get some pictures up I think everyone will get a better understanding of my goals and where I stand right now with my size. I have had people guess that my weight was around 180-185 before in the past so I do have a pretty light frame to begin with.

Some good comments received so far though.

You need 50 posts to post pictures IIRC.

 

[Matt3533]

You need 50 posts to post pictures IIRC.

Even profile pics?

 

[jimbuick]

Even profile pics?

You can do that (I think)

But most of us use the phone app and it would be very small.

 

[skinnybones]

Lol
This guys was like.....f*ck it, I'm done