Help me plan a good cutting diet

[Vincent]

Well last semester I worked out for about 2 months straight. I noticed an increase in the amount I could lift and a little fat loss. I did enjoy the gains, but I promptly gained back the fat after losing my routine come finals and christmas break. But I've gotten back into it and am already on week 2 and it's just as easy to maintain the routine as last time and want to really see some changes.

Now me and one of my friends I work out with are gonna go on a diet to lose some weight, maybe 5-10 lbs just to get to a good body fat percentage. We plan on doing this for a month to 8 weeks.

Of course I've read all of diesels and Industry's posts but I just want to get some tips because I have kinda a weird sleep cycle right now.

Ok now I have classes starting at 12 mwf and 11 TR, which means that I'm usually up untill about 2 in the morning at least. I generally sleep up untill the last second when I have to leave meaning I generally skip breakfast. This is the first problem I run into.

On mwf I have a gap from 2-4 where I come home and eat lunch. This is also a gap where I'm trying to work in my workout routine since I have hockey from 730-10ish MW and have class from 4-510. So this means that from 510-730 is when I try to eat dinner.

Now I know he advises that you have 4-6 small means a day. Now If I do add breakfast, that means that I can eat at 11ish, 2ish, and 6ish mfw. Those are the only good times to eat for me. Would it be ok for me to have a small meal around 10 after hockey. That's about 4 hours before I'd go to bed. Or is it really that big of a deal to eat 4-6 meals a day, maybe just do 3?

Now in terms of what to eat:

I've heard chicken and brocolli for dinner is a great way to lose weight. Then have maybe a tuna fish on wheat bread sandwich for lunch and eggs for breakfast? Then maybe almonds and cottage cheese as my 10 o'clock meal?

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33874

From the looks of it there are quit a few options for foods to eat, I suppose that just limiting quantity is the best way to do it. Seems like it would be pretty difficult to eat 130ish g protein and 130ish g carbs in one day without over eating.


So basically, give me your tips on ways to really cut off some fat quick.

 

[semag]

Seems like it would be pretty difficult to eat 130ish g protein and 130ish g carbs in one day without over eating.

hahah, what are you talking about... I can cram that much in 2 meals easy....

MWF, if you're starting at 11, eat @ 11, 2, 5, 8, 11, and a protein shake prebed. That'll get you 6 meals a day.

 

[AgonyUncle]

Sheesh


Would love to help dude, but you dont even have a basic understanding of nutrition.

Best advice? Go and see a proper dietician. Or consult with a personal trainer.

 

[Vincent]

Originally posted by AgonyUncle
Would love to help dude, but you dont even have a basic understanding of nutrition.

Uhm. Thanks for trolling my thread, but those things cost money, and that's one thing I don't have.

I'm not trying to go on an insane diet just something easy that will help me lose weight. So if you're not gonna give advice maybe you should just stay out of this.

MWF, if you're starting at 11, eat @ 11, 2, 5, 8, 11, and a protein shake prebed. That'll get you 6 meals a day.

Any recomendations on food? Also I'm probably not gonna use protein. I know everyone recomends it but that's at least 50 bucks for a big container and I'm pretty poor right now.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

You have to DETERMINE want her + budget.

How bad do you want, whatever you want?

And what's your budget?

Realistically, we want to sculpt something you can stick to, so we must be "just on the edge" of pushing you past your comfort zone. And what I mean is, if you've never experienced gains or losses to the degree you want, it's because you've done the same things and gotten the same results, which have yielded nothing. Or at least "nothing" efficiently.

With that in mind, I drop about $80/month on food @ my place, and On Occasion Buy Lots of protein, depending on cutting or bulking. The protein, per order, costs about $70, and will last 3 weeks to 1 month. My most recent order was for about 10lbs of protein.

Total monthly cost, $150.

What do I buy?

7 Dozen eggs
5 Tubs of protein
Whole gain bread, for dipping with oils
Sardines, Tuna
Bananas, Oranges, Kiwi (any fruit high in nutrients and that I like)
Corn, Spinach, Asparagus, Broccoli
Whole Grain/Wheat Bagels
Grape Juice, OJ, and White Grape Juice

I've personally avoided the chickens and what not b/c of time to make them. Some say "well, make them before you work or go to class."

I just don't like to make them, and get bored of them. Chicken is OK, but I read somewhere recently in a list I subscribe to that Lamb is better in protein quality because they're a more pure animal while they're alive. Chickens will eat their own feces and they're generally housed in large farms/barns. The "energy" i get from Protein really isn't there. I don't feel "energized," and to me, food does give a certain "energy" to the body based on how it's prepared, how it lived, and what it consumed. Why do you think young girls have C's @ age 13? Because of the hormones found in most of everyday products.

That said, I KNOW my Calorie expectations based on Lean Body Mass. So from their I can vary my nutrient intake. IT ISN"T an exact science, BUT, you need some base line to KNOW what would be excessive fat and what would be too little.

I can say, for the average male, 180lbs or MORE, with 156 lbs of Lean Body Mass, that you're Calorie intake should be 2800 if you lift 3-5x per week. That's Maintenance. 500-600 calories MORE would account for growth. And dropping about 500, to 2300 would be for cutting.

Why do this?

Because, THE only thing burning anything in your body is Lean Body Mass and the cells that require calories/nutrients for repair and organ growth. You can factor FAT into the equation. So even if you're 190, or 200, eating LOTS of anything with convert to MORE fat, since there's only so much of you to burn off the extra calories.

You can Fudge the Ratios ANYWAY you want, BUT, the bigges contributor will initially be MORE calories. Even if you did 200 g of protein, but few fats and few carbs, you WOULD NOT GAIN A THING. And you might lose muscle, because the body MIGHT believe it's in starvation mode. Flip side, if you consumed 400 g of protein, and with LOTS of carbs and fats BLEW past what your body can reasonably consume, you'd gain FAT, and MUSCLE, but you wouldn't know you're gaining muscle, except through Strength gains. You CAN feel muscle, but the general public doesn't see it if you're fatter.

Next, comes the ratios, and this comes down to playing with it. You have to experiment. I don't think CALORIC expendency is an EXACT science, but you want to be IN THE BALL park, or you'll be wasting $$ on protein and making yourself fatter needlessly.

An Extra 1000 calories per day might suffice for the HARDCORE Gear USING BB'er, but it won't work for the average joe, just living moderately for 3x per week, looking to gain some pecs, abs, and shoulders. He'll be fat.

People can go back and forth on this all they want, and there are literally guys who can Eat McD's all day, and gain tons of muscle and no fat. And other's who can't eat a thing, and they'll be fat. Genetics. But once you know they, you can manipulate them, somewhat. Meaning, you'll know what makes you fat and what doesn't. What your body digests easily, and what it takes to grow.

For me, it was consuming slightly more protein, and more healthy carbs. I always consumed MORE protein, like 200g, but NOT enough carbs, so post workout, your body NEEDS carbs, because that is what you used to LIFT. Also, since you've focused on only a few muscles, the need for protein isn't SUPER high. The most important need is just CONSTANT protein, and aside from the ESSENTIAL amino acids and proteins, the BODY can make from Carbs the other IN-essential proteins. SO keep that in mind, when you're over eating, or trying to gain, the reason you're consuming PROTEIN-specific foods is for THOSE proteins NOT found in fruits, veggies, and grains. Otherwise, you ARE getting protein to some degree in the carbs you take in.

The other reason we consume HIGHER protein amounts is because we can't consume ALL fats or carbs, our bodies would look like shyt. So we balance that out.

The ratios I've seen...

Carbs/Protein/Fat
40/30/30
50/30/20
30/60/10
All protein
No protein
Etc.

As I said, there are some guys who CAN gain on next to nothing of protein, and others so carb sensitive they MUST do high protein. So it's not ALL or nothing in terms of protein.

And protein isn't stored. While HIGH Calorie consumption is ANABOLIC to the body, and will create new muscle by eating much bigger, extra protein is only converted to glycogen for the muscles or lipids to be stored in fat cells. They're not converted BACK to protein when you need them either, so maintaining control over calorie consumption within reason is what helps.

The other benefit to EATING more, is not only muscle gains come EASIER, but you're more energetic at the gym. When I began eating much more, and I'm talking 3500-4000 (which was alot for me at the time), I'd go on and NOT feel winded, tired, or burnt. I could go, set after set.

And when I'm talking eating I mean this...

Breakfast: 100g protein shake, banana, cereal with skim milk
2.5 hours later: 10 eggs, fruit, bread with oil
Lunch: Tub of Cottage Cheese, Fruit, Nuts/Amonds
Snack before Gym: Lean Meat to 50g of Protein, Veggies
During workout: Dextrose drink (Ultimate Fuel -75-100g of carbs)
Post Workout: 100g of protein (usually Muscle Milk)
Before Bed: 35-50g of Muscle Milk again

Between meals I'd down some snacks, and it wasn't ever this rigid. I'd gained some fat, but my lifts went up quite well. I was never a beast before I ate like that, but by doing it, I learned ALOT about how eating REALLY effects what you gain, lose, and how much. And how eating strong through out the day can effect good workouts. Had I known this while Powerlifting some years ago, I'd have grown beyond anything I ever had.

So on, RATIOS, it isn't perfect, but you must decide on your goal. Lose fat, Gain muscle, or stay the same, and TRY to eat according to that, about 80%+ of the time. If you're trying to gain, just eat more all the time. If you're trying to lose, control what you eat 5 days of the week, and if you stray, don't stray far. If you're trying to stay the same, eat until just before full.

I'm not getting into the 1-2g/lb of bodyweight protein thing, because all guys are different, and some of the gains can be attributed to just eating more, and not just the protein. Protein isn't totally damaging to the body, but generally the sources it comes from aren't good in the long-run, since it contributes to the male heart disease problems with the kidneys, liver, etc.



A-Unit

 

[semag]

vincent.. are you from the US or canada??? protein is cheap.

 

[Vincent]

Wow A-unit that was a great post. Thanks a lot

 

[manuva]

Originally posted by Vincent
Seems like it would be pretty difficult to eat 130ish g protein and 130ish g carbs in one day without over eating.

One of my regular PWO meals contains 110g protein and I'm guessing about 200g carbs.

You gotta change your understanding of nutrition mate.