Diet Critique Request

[SonofBone]

YJ, I posted this information on the Nutrition and Exercise site. Jackal recommended getting more good fats. PumpDogg recommended cycling my foods, more good fats & cutting back on the amount of cardio that I was doing.

I know I definitely need to get the good fats and add a little variety. I was also hoping to get your opinions. I've tried to make sure that I've got the information that you need to make informed observations.

I agree w/everything that PumpDogg said w/the exception of the cardio. How much cardio would you suggest? Maybe, he has more muscle mass, a higher metabolism and can cut efficiently on 2x/week. I'm not sure that will be sufficient for me, but at the same time, I don't want to do so much that I become catabolic.

Thanks in advance,

SonofBone

Here was my post:
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This is lengthy, but I'm trying to provide everything I can in hopes those in the know can make some good suggestions.

My goal is too basically drop my fat %. In 12 weeks I'd like to go from 26% to 11.5%. Also, I'd like to preserve and gain if possible any lean muscle.

I am 33 years old, 5'10" and weigh 192 lbs. A year ago I was doing triathlons and then I tore my ACL playing flag football. My BF% at the time was 12%, but I got a little discouraged due to the injury and basically just shutdown. I had surgery this summer and finally decided to put int behind me and I've been exercising for 2 months. I've been doing a lot of cardio on a elliptical machine because it doesn't bother my knee and some weight training as well.

4 weeks ago my BF% was 26, and I weighed 194. Now, I weigh 192 and my BF% is 23.15%. Unfortunately, last week my BF% was 22.9%, so it went up this past week. This could be because of upping my calories and cardio was same as week before.

On my diet, I'm using a zigzag method on calories. I was constantly hungry on weeks 1 - 3. I wasn't progressing as fast as I thought I should be, so I thought I'd increase my caloric intake. I bumped it from an avg. of 2045 calories (weeks 1-30) to 2170 calories (week 4).

On my training, I'm doing 8 cardio sessions for 240 minutes, and I've been doing weights 3x/week. One week I'm doing legs 2x and upper body 1x...the following week I'll do upper body 1x and legs 2x. On days I do weights, I only do 1 cardio session & on the off days I'm doing 2 cardio sessions.

I'll list measurements and my diet below. Also, I'm listing both legs because of my injury and atrophy that has occurred to my right leg. Also, I'm a little concerned because some body parts initially increased in size and now they're decreasing.

What recommendations would you make? Should I do more/less cardio? Consume more or less food? More proteins, carbs, fat? Is it normal for body parts to initially increase and then decrease in size...does this indicate too much cardio?

Measurements:
Body Part Before Wk1 B4Wk4 B4Wk5(Now)
Upper Arm inches 15 15 15
Chest relaxed 41.25 41.125 40.25
Chest Flexed 43 42.5 42.5
Waist 36 35 34.5
Quad (L) 20 20.75 20
Quad ® 18.5 19 18.25
Upper Leg (L) 25 25.25 25
Upper Leg ® 23.5 24 24
Calf (L) 14.5 14.75 14.75
Calf ® 14.75 14.75 14.5


Here is the diet I've been following both weeks.
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*****
Weeks 1 - 3
Day 1, 3, & 4
Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1 apple, 1 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Lean Body MRP
Lunch -- 5 oz. can chicken, Myoplex MRP, can of turnip greens
Midafternoon -- Lean Body MRP
Early Evening -- 1.5 cups of pintos
Dinner -- 1 Chicken Breast, 4 cups of cabbage
2030 calories, 48% protein, 44% carbs, 8% fat

Day 2
Breakfast -- 7 egg whites, 1 apple, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Myoplex MRP
Lunch -- 5 oz. can chicken, Myoplex MRP, can of turnip greens
Midafternoon -- Myoplex MRP
Early Evening -- 2 cups of pintos, apple
Dinner -- 2 Chicken Breasts, 1/2 bag Brown rice
2870 calories, 40% protein, 51% carbs, 9% fat

Day 5
Breakfast -- 6 egg whites, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Leanbody MRP
Lunch -- 10 oz. can chicken, 1 bag Brown rice
Midafternoon -- LeanBody MRP
Early Evening -- 2 cups of pintos,
Dinner -- 2 Chicken Breasts, 2 cups cabbage
2435 calories, 46% protein, 45% carbs, 9% fat

Day 6
Breakfast -- 3 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal
Mid Morning -- 2 egg whites, Apple
Lunch -- 1 Chicken Can 5 oz., Turnip Greens Can
Mid Afternoon-- 2 egg whites, Apple
Early Evening -- Lean Body MRP
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast, 1 can green beans, 1 small salad
1210 calories, 45% protein, 42% carbs, 13% fat

Day 7
Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, orange
Mid Morning -- 2 egg whites, pear
Lunch -- 1 Chicken Can 5 oz., Turnip Greens Can, apple
Mid Afternoon-- Lean Body MRP
Early Evening -- 1 5oz can chicken, 1/2 bag Brown rice
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast, 2 cups cabbage
1630 calories, 45% protein, 46% carbs, 9% fat

7 day average 2045 calories, 46% protein, 46% carbs, 9% fat

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*****
Week 4
Day 1, 3, & 4
Breakfast -- 7 egg whites, 1 apple, 1 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Myoplex Lite MRP, apple
Lunch -- 5 oz. can chicken, Myoplex MRP, can of turnip greens
Midafternoon -- Myoplex Lite
Early Evening -- 3 egg whites, 1.5 cups of pintos
Dinner -- 1 Chicken Breast, 4 cups of cabbage
2180 calories, 46% protein, 47% carbs, 7% fat

Day 2
Breakfast -- 10 egg whites, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Myoplex MRP, apple
Lunch -- 10 oz. can chicken, 1 bag Brown rice, pear
Midafternoon -- Myoplex MRP, apple
Early Evening -- 1 can 5 oz chicken, 2 cups of pintos
Dinner -- 1. 5 Chicken Breasts, 2 egg whites
3020 calories, 47% protein, 45% carbs, 8% fat

Day 5
Breakfast -- 8 egg whites, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Myoplex MRP, 3 egg whites
Lunch -- 10 oz. can chicken, 1 bag Brown rice, 1 apple
Midafternoon -- Myoplex Lite MRP, 3 egg whites
Early Evening -- 2 cups of pintos
Dinner -- 1 Chicken Breast, 4 cups cabbage
2435 calories, 43% protein, 49% carbs, 8% fat

Day 6
Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal
Mid Morning -- 3 egg whites, Apple
Lunch -- 10 oz can Chicken, Turnip Greens Can
Mid Afternoon-- 3 egg whites, Apple
Early Evening -- Myoplex MRP
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast
1300 calories, 63% protein, 29% carbs, 8% fat

Day 7
Breakfast -- 6 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal
Mid Morning -- 3 egg whites, pear
Lunch -- 1 Chicken Can 5 oz., Turnip Greens Can, apple
Mid Afternoon-- Myoplex MRP
Early Evening -- 1 5oz can chicken, 1/2 bag Brown rice
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast, 2 cups cabbage
1729 calories, 51% protein, 41% carbs, 9% fat

7 day average 2170 calories, 48% protein, 44% carbs, 8% fat


Thanks for all of your help...SonofBone
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I guess I should add that the only thing I've been taking is Therma Dynamx by EAS.

I'm not opposed to eating any foods.

According to the Basal Metabolic Formula that you provided, my # was 3157.74. The calculation that I was using was a little simpler and gave me 2716 for basal from which I was multiplying it by .8 and zigzag that number to average 2170/day over a week.

[YellowJacket]

[quote]Originally posted by SonofBone

My goal is too basically drop my fat %. In 12 weeks I'd like to go from 26% to 11.5%. Also, I'd like to preserve and gain if possible any lean muscle.

Unforuntately thermodynamics works against us. To cut your bodyfat in half and gain lean muscle at the same time is very difficult, if not impossible. I would set your goals a little more immediate. For example: Try losing 2-3lbs a week, while maintaining strength. This is a challenge, but attainable. It forces you to eat properly AND makes your gym time invaluable.


4 weeks ago my BF% was 26, and I weighed 194. Now, I weigh 192 and my BF% is 23.15%. Unfortunately, last week my BF% was 22.9%, so it went up this past week. This could be because of upping my calories and cardio was same as week before.

On my diet, I'm using a zigzag method on calories. I was constantly hungry on weeks 1 - 3. I wasn't progressing as fast as I thought I should be, so I thought I'd increase my caloric intake. I bumped it from an avg. of 2045 calories (weeks 1-30) to 2170 calories (week 4).

You may want to consider a carb cycling approach as well, much like the Ultimate Diet 2.0.

On my training, I'm doing 8 cardio sessions for 240 minutes, and I've been doing weights 3x/week

Cut the cardio down and spend more time in the gym. If your diet is advanced enough, 4 maybe 5 cardio sessions should be enough. Given your ACL injury (which I see ACL rehabs probably 40 times a day), your cardio variety is limited, whether you like it or not. Normally I suggest wind sprints, but your ACL surgery may not allow such explosive movement and dynamic cuts just yet. So perform cardio to your feeling. Try to get to the gym 4 days a week as well. Maintaining stength is directly related to maintaining muscle mass, which is one of your main goals. DO NOT drop the weight and up your reps to make it more of a cardiovascular workout. This is great if you havent lifted in awhile or if you want to make the mitochondria more dense, but its crucial you keep lifting heavy.

One week I'm doing legs 2x and upper body 1x...the following week I'll do upper body 1x and legs 2x. On days I do weights, I only do 1 cardio session & on the off days I'm doing 2 cardio sessions.

Dont like this at all. Legs should be done once a week, no cardio. Then you should split upper body: arms, chest/tri's, back. And do cardio on two of those days. Youre risking atrophy by cutting back this much on your weight training.

Is it normal for body parts to initially increase and then decrease in size...

This could be due to water loss, fatl oss or muscle loss, without being there and doing a BMI analysis, it is hard for me to guage.

Day 1, 3, & 4
Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1 apple, 1 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Lean Body MRP
Lunch -- 5 oz. can chicken, Myoplex MRP, can of turnip greens
Midafternoon -- Lean Body MRP
Early Evening -- 1.5 cups of pintos
Dinner -- 1 Chicken Breast, 4 cups of cabbage
2030 calories, 48% protein, 44% carbs, 8% fat

Not enough whole foods. Avoid relying on MRP shakes as whole foods. These are great for on-the-run meals, but nothing comparable to a cooked meal. You need much more fat as well. Healtyh, essential fatty acids, either something like salmon or supplement with a fish oil supplement.

Day 2
Breakfast -- 7 egg whites, 1 apple, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Myoplex MRP
Lunch -- 5 oz. can chicken, Myoplex MRP, can of turnip greens
Midafternoon -- Myoplex MRP
Early Evening -- 2 cups of pintos, apple
Dinner -- 2 Chicken Breasts, 1/2 bag Brown rice
2870 calories, 40% protein, 51% carbs, 9% fat

Same as above. Add more fats and green vegetables.

[b

Day 5
Breakfast -- 6 egg whites, 1.5 cup oatmeal
midmorning -- Leanbody MRP
Lunch -- 10 oz. can chicken, 1 bag Brown rice
Midafternoon -- LeanBody MRP
Early Evening -- 2 cups of pintos,
Dinner -- 2 Chicken Breasts, 2 cups cabbage
2435 calories, 46% protein, 45% carbs, 9% fat
[/b]

Same as above. Cut way down on the carbs if youre wanting to lose that much bodyfat.

Day 6
Breakfast -- 3 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal
Mid Morning -- 2 egg whites, Apple
Lunch -- 1 Chicken Can 5 oz., Turnip Greens Can
Mid Afternoon-- 2 egg whites, Apple
Early Evening -- Lean Body MRP
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast, 1 can green beans, 1 small salad
1210 calories, 45% protein, 42% carbs, 13% fat

Cut down on the carbs.

Day 7
Breakfast -- 5 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, orange
Mid Morning -- 2 egg whites, pear
Lunch -- 1 Chicken Can 5 oz., Turnip Greens Can, apple
Mid Afternoon-- Lean Body MRP
Early Evening -- 1 5oz can chicken, 1/2 bag Brown rice
Dinner -- 1 chicken breast, 2 cups cabbage
1630 calories, 45% protein, 46% carbs, 9% fat

When youre cutting, your carb ratio should NEVER exceed that of your protein ratio, only exception is a cheat day.

Basically the same for the second week. You need more healthy fats, green vegetables and limited carb intake.
*************************************************

I guess I should add that the only thing I've been taking is Therma Dynamx by EAS.

For supplements, add a fish oil supplement, vitamin C supplement and either caffeine or green tea to boost your metabolism.

I'm not opposed to eating any foods.

According to the Basal Metabolic Formula that you provided, my # was 3157.74. The calculation that I was using was a little simpler and gave me 2716 for basal from which I was multiplying it by .8 and zigzag that number to average 2170/day over a week.

Thats around 400 calories off, thats very significant.

[SonofBone]

YJ...you mentioned

Then you should split upper body: arms, chest/tri's, back.

Did you mean splitting shoulders, bi's, tri's, & back into 3 workouts? With arms representing bi's & shoulders.

If so can I split it into the following...back/tri's, shoulders, & chest/bi's for the 3 workouts along w/legs for the 4th?

I like doing an opposing smaller muscle w/a larger muscle as I feel you can handle more weight. Are more people starting to recommend the push/pull routines...chest/tri's & back/bi's?

Thanks again...With everything you, Jackal & Pump have provided me, I definitely have some adjustments to make. Luckily, this week I've only done the HIIT that both you and Pump have recommended although on an Elliptical.

[YellowJacket]

Originally posted by SonofBone




Did you mean splitting shoulders, bi's, tri's, & back into 3 workouts? With arms representing bi's & shoulders.

If so can I split it into the following...back/tri's, shoulders, & chest/bi's for the 3 workouts along w/legs for the 4th?

ITs up to you really, however, I prefer a larger muscle group with an auxillary muscle groud, for example, I have done very well with:

Chest/tris, back/bi's, shoulders/traps

Thanks again...With everything you, Jackal & Pump have provided me, I definitely have some adjustments to make. Luckily, this week I've only done the HIIT that both you and Pump have recommended although on an Elliptical.

Thats what we and this board is here for.

[BBAddict]

YJ, you mentioned drinking coffee or green tea to up your metabolism. What is your opinion during cutting of drinking coffee immediately in the morning on an empty stomach followed by cardio? Is this going to succeed in burning fat more effectively or am I going to burn too much muscle with that plan?

[YellowJacket]

I mentioned caffeine, not so much coffee, but a good friend of mine on these boards cannot live without morning coffee and says he's positive it helps increase his metabolism (which makes sense for obvious reasons). Just watch what youre adding to your coffee, ie. sugar.

[bonebreaker]

[quote]Originally posted by YellowJacket
[b]ITs up to you really, however, I prefer a larger muscle group with an auxillary muscle groud, for example, I have done very well with:

Chest/tris, back/bi's, shoulders/traps


This basically is a push pull routine which I whole-heartedly agree with, and use myself, as you know. I don't think you'll get any better results with any other method. Plus, this is a tried and true method used forever. Besides, that's how you started and trained for many years, and it worked well for you then and will now too. BB

[Pumpdogg]

Sonofbone I hope we have helped you in your quest. Recovery is a long process just keep that n mind. It may take you a little longer due to your injury but persistence is the key to bodybuilding in general. Dont let small set backs destroy your determination. You can do it

PD

[SonofBone]

Pump...all of you people are great. It is very kind of all of you to take the time to answer people's questions and get them on the right track.

Yes, my situation has been a little frustrating. Going from a good 190 lbs. and running mile repeats at under 6 min./mile at 31 yrs. old to not even being able to walk for awhile.

Now that I'm starting back...I just don't seem like I'm bouncing back as fast, but it is probably due to trying to do things that my body isn't ready to do quite yet.

I probably need to just exercise and eat right for a few months to gain as much muscle and lose fat until that process stops and I'm in my mid teens on BF% before I try to get too specific on the diet.

I've never looked like a marathoner and I don't want to. If I try cutting right now, 1) it may not be possible due to not having a high enough metabolism & 2) if I did get there, I'd be a skinny-little-no-muscle-having-twerp.

To garner more knowledge, I went out and purchased UD2 a little while ago to try and get a better understanding of the body's chemistry. This will also help prepare me for the next steps when I'm ready to go there.

Perhaps I'll touch base in a couple of months and give you guys an update on my progress.

Thanks again for taking the time to help myself and others out.

SOB

[Pumpdogg]

Keep us posted on your progress

PD