Diet Advice Please

I’ve recently modified my diet (since June 20th) and I used the website fitday to make an estimate of the calories and macro-nutrients I’ve been consuming.

I just wanted to ask board members to review it and post your thoughts on it.

Background:
a. Weigh 233.2 and did around 30% on my last Biosignature in August, I tested 35% in July.
b. I am 6’0 tall and train 4 days a week, resistance training only.
c. Type 2 Diabetic, after nearly 3 months on this program my sugar tests around 5.5 mmol/L on average (after the 8 hour fast). It used to be 9 and above before the diet.
d. I want to get down to 10% body fat with 220lbs weight. By December 2010.

Food Specifics:
Below is a general guide of what I eat in a typical day (at least 6 days a week). I rotate the meats but prefer beef and chicken, same with nuts. Usually green vegetable wise it’s usually broccoli, spinach, green beans etc. On cheat days I usually eat full fat ice cream and that’s about it, 1 bowl, 2 scoops.

I’ve made estimates on the food amounts, especially the meats/fish - I need to check the measurements next time. Please tell me if they look wrong. I can post pictures of actual amounts if any of the foods look questionable.

On Carbs:
Being Diabetic and seeing my sugar level drop I’m almost afraid (?) to eat carbs outside of this, not sure how it will affect my diet, I’ve got results going this way so I am always cautious (and curious too I guess) about modifying the carb intake.

Supplements:
I keep the supplements simple and stick to Zinc, Fish Oil (20 to 30g a day) and Multi-Vitamins.

Areas I was interested in:
a. Calorie level and macro-nutrient levels - are they sufficient?
b. Any foods here that you’d delete/add?
c. I want to improve my food timing but after work I rush to the gym first, train, drink my PWO shake and then eat dinner. Eat more in the afternoon?

Ca : Calories, F : Fat, C : Carb, P : Pro

730am
Cod, Cooked : 20grams : 42Ca 2.2F 1.6C 3.8P

930am
Almonds : 0.45oz : 74Ca 6.5F 2.5C 2.7P

11am
Egg, whole, boiled : 3eggs : 232Ca 15.9F 1.7C 18.8P

1230pm (sometimes I order an extra breast of chicken for lunch, sometimes it’s steak)
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 1med breast : 383Ca 15.1F 0C 57.9P
Carrots, cooked : 1cup : 82Ca 3.7F 12.1C 1.1P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P

4pm
Cheese, Cheddar/American : 4in^3 : 247Ca 19.5F 3.5C 14.4P
Cashews, roasted : 0.56oz : 91Ca 7.4F 5.2C 2.4P

6-8pm : Workout

8pm
PWO Shake - Whey Protein : 2scoops 240Ca 2.0F 6.0C 48.0P

9pm
Beef, cooked, grilled : 100grams : 143Ca 4.8F 0.0C 23.3P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 2 small breast : 656Ca 25.9F 0.0C 99.3P
Egg omelet : 4eggs : 331Ca 24.3F 4.7C 23.5P
Egg, whole, fried : 3eggs : 262Ca 20.3F 1.3C 18.7P

11pm
Blueberries : 1cup : 93Ca 0.5F 23.7C 1.2P
Cream : 0.25cup : 78Ca 6.9F 2.6C 1.8P

SUM
3160 Calories
165.2 Fat
91.3 Carbs
325.7 Protein

Supplements
Zinc 4 caps
Fish Oil 20 grams
Multi Vitamin 2

I’m looking to incorporate BCAA and Beta-Alanine at a later stage (maybe in the next two weeks.

Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice.

Sorry to give this a bump. If parts of it are not clear let me know. I certainly need some guidance to review this so that I stay on the right track. Thanks all.

I know many in the bodybuilding forum would advocate many small meals a day, but I have had quite a bit success with less meal frequency in regards to losing fat; especially when the diet overall had little to no insulin-spiking carbohydrates in it.

So you could try that, and at least for me an intermittent fasting approach has worked well (no food for 8 waking hours), if you work out in the evening and fast in the morning then you would be default have much more nutrients around your workout.

Also, I know you didn’t state anything about more supplementation, but how are you on magnesium? The food sources are usually grains and dark veggies, you don’t have much grains and your dark veggies are consumed aside high-iron foods (divalent minerals, magnesium isn’t best absorbed in those meals).

Have you considered supplementation with that? Might avoid a deficiency. (No clue if magnesium aids diabetes, but I know a deficiency thereof does not help diabetes at all…)

Linky:

[quote]silverhydra wrote:
I know many in the bodybuilding forum would advocate many small meals a day, but I have had quite a bit success with less meal frequency in regards to losing fat; especially when the diet overall had little to no insulin-spiking carbohydrates in it.

So you could try that, and at least for me an intermittent fasting approach has worked well (no food for 8 waking hours), if you work out in the evening and fast in the morning then you would be default have much more nutrients around your workout.

Also, I know you didn’t state anything about more supplementation, but how are you on magnesium? The food sources are usually grains and dark veggies, you don’t have much grains and your dark veggies are consumed aside high-iron foods (divalent minerals, magnesium isn’t best absorbed in those meals).

Have you considered supplementation with that? Might avoid a deficiency. (No clue if magnesium aids diabetes, but I know a deficiency thereof does not help diabetes at all…)

Linky:

http://www.mgwater.com/diabetes.shtml[/quote]

Thanks a million SilverHydra. I haven’t been taking magnesium separately as a supplement except what’s available in a multi-vitamin and what I thought was it was very good for giving people better sleep and since I slept 7 hours most days that I didn’t need it. But it looks like it’s one of those minerals that’s a “must have”. I’ll go research your link. I’m taking Zinc, Fish Oil and Multi-Vitamin now and will start BCAA and Beta Alanine this week (I’ve bought those already). I’ve been told fenugreek is good for blood sugar control, I’m looking into that as well.

It’s funny you mentioned about the timing of meals, because I feel a little less hungry on this current diet program. The protein I’ve been eating is keeping me full. I’d like to incorporate a little more fruit during the day for snacks (apple with almond butter for example, something simple). Thanks again!

[quote]XanderBuilt wrote:
I’ve recently modified my diet (since June 20th) and I used the website fitday to make an estimate of the calories and macro-nutrients I’ve been consuming.

I just wanted to ask board members to review it and post your thoughts on it.

Background:
a. Weigh 233.2 and did around 30% on my last Biosignature in August, I tested 35% in July.
b. I am 6’0 tall and train 4 days a week, resistance training only.
c. Type 2 Diabetic, after nearly 3 months on this program my sugar tests around 5.5 mmol/L on average (after the 8 hour fast). It used to be 9 and above before the diet.
d. I want to get down to 10% body fat with 220lbs weight. By December 2010.

Food Specifics:
Below is a general guide of what I eat in a typical day (at least 6 days a week). I rotate the meats but prefer beef and chicken, same with nuts. Usually green vegetable wise it’s usually broccoli, spinach, green beans etc. On cheat days I usually eat full fat ice cream and that’s about it, 1 bowl, 2 scoops.

I’ve made estimates on the food amounts, especially the meats/fish - I need to check the measurements next time. Please tell me if they look wrong. I can post pictures of actual amounts if any of the foods look questionable.

On Carbs:
Being Diabetic and seeing my sugar level drop I’m almost afraid (?) to eat carbs outside of this, not sure how it will affect my diet, I’ve got results going this way so I am always cautious (and curious too I guess) about modifying the carb intake.

Supplements:
I keep the supplements simple and stick to Zinc, Fish Oil (20 to 30g a day) and Multi-Vitamins.

Areas I was interested in:
a. Calorie level and macro-nutrient levels - are they sufficient?
b. Any foods here that you’d delete/add?
c. I want to improve my food timing but after work I rush to the gym first, train, drink my PWO shake and then eat dinner. Eat more in the afternoon?

Ca : Calories, F : Fat, C : Carb, P : Pro

730am
Cod, Cooked : 20grams : 42Ca 2.2F 1.6C 3.8P

930am
Almonds : 0.45oz : 74Ca 6.5F 2.5C 2.7P

11am
Egg, whole, boiled : 3eggs : 232Ca 15.9F 1.7C 18.8P

1230pm (sometimes I order an extra breast of chicken for lunch, sometimes it’s steak)
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 1med breast : 383Ca 15.1F 0C 57.9P
Carrots, cooked : 1cup : 82Ca 3.7F 12.1C 1.1P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P

4pm
Cheese, Cheddar/American : 4in^3 : 247Ca 19.5F 3.5C 14.4P
Cashews, roasted : 0.56oz : 91Ca 7.4F 5.2C 2.4P

6-8pm : Workout

8pm
PWO Shake - Whey Protein : 2scoops 240Ca 2.0F 6.0C 48.0P

9pm
Beef, cooked, grilled : 100grams : 143Ca 4.8F 0.0C 23.3P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 2 small breast : 656Ca 25.9F 0.0C 99.3P
Egg omelet : 4eggs : 331Ca 24.3F 4.7C 23.5P
Egg, whole, fried : 3eggs : 262Ca 20.3F 1.3C 18.7P

11pm
Blueberries : 1cup : 93Ca 0.5F 23.7C 1.2P
Cream : 0.25cup : 78Ca 6.9F 2.6C 1.8P

SUM
3160 Calories
165.2 Fat
91.3 Carbs
325.7 Protein

Supplements
Zinc 4 caps
Fish Oil 20 grams
Multi Vitamin 2

I’m looking to incorporate BCAA and Beta-Alanine at a later stage (maybe in the next two weeks.

Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice.[/quote]

Your goals are insanely unrealistic. If you are 233lbs at 30% bodyfat, that means you have 163 lbs lean body mass. Your goal is 220 at 10%bf, which is 198 lbs lean body mass. You are not going to gain 35 lbs of lean body mass in 3 months OR cut bf by 20%, let alone both at the same time. Pick a goal to cut fat or gain mass, and adjust your calories accordingly (more carbs for weight gain, less carbs and fat for weight loss).

Each 5% of bodyfat you drop will get much harder. It’s WAY easier to go from 35%-30% than from 15%-10%.

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]XanderBuilt wrote:
I’ve recently modified my diet (since June 20th) and I used the website fitday to make an estimate of the calories and macro-nutrients I’ve been consuming.

I just wanted to ask board members to review it and post your thoughts on it.

Background:
a. Weigh 233.2 and did around 30% on my last Biosignature in August, I tested 35% in July.
b. I am 6’0 tall and train 4 days a week, resistance training only.
c. Type 2 Diabetic, after nearly 3 months on this program my sugar tests around 5.5 mmol/L on average (after the 8 hour fast). It used to be 9 and above before the diet.
d. I want to get down to 10% body fat with 220lbs weight. By December 2010.

Food Specifics:
Below is a general guide of what I eat in a typical day (at least 6 days a week). I rotate the meats but prefer beef and chicken, same with nuts. Usually green vegetable wise it’s usually broccoli, spinach, green beans etc. On cheat days I usually eat full fat ice cream and that’s about it, 1 bowl, 2 scoops.

I’ve made estimates on the food amounts, especially the meats/fish - I need to check the measurements next time. Please tell me if they look wrong. I can post pictures of actual amounts if any of the foods look questionable.

On Carbs:
Being Diabetic and seeing my sugar level drop I’m almost afraid (?) to eat carbs outside of this, not sure how it will affect my diet, I’ve got results going this way so I am always cautious (and curious too I guess) about modifying the carb intake.

Supplements:
I keep the supplements simple and stick to Zinc, Fish Oil (20 to 30g a day) and Multi-Vitamins.

Areas I was interested in:
a. Calorie level and macro-nutrient levels - are they sufficient?
b. Any foods here that you’d delete/add?
c. I want to improve my food timing but after work I rush to the gym first, train, drink my PWO shake and then eat dinner. Eat more in the afternoon?

Ca : Calories, F : Fat, C : Carb, P : Pro

730am
Cod, Cooked : 20grams : 42Ca 2.2F 1.6C 3.8P

930am
Almonds : 0.45oz : 74Ca 6.5F 2.5C 2.7P

11am
Egg, whole, boiled : 3eggs : 232Ca 15.9F 1.7C 18.8P

1230pm (sometimes I order an extra breast of chicken for lunch, sometimes it’s steak)
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 1med breast : 383Ca 15.1F 0C 57.9P
Carrots, cooked : 1cup : 82Ca 3.7F 12.1C 1.1P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P

4pm
Cheese, Cheddar/American : 4in^3 : 247Ca 19.5F 3.5C 14.4P
Cashews, roasted : 0.56oz : 91Ca 7.4F 5.2C 2.4P

6-8pm : Workout

8pm
PWO Shake - Whey Protein : 2scoops 240Ca 2.0F 6.0C 48.0P

9pm
Beef, cooked, grilled : 100grams : 143Ca 4.8F 0.0C 23.3P
Broccoli, cooked : 1cup : 103Ca 5.1F 13.2C 4.4P
Chicken Breast, Grilled : 2 small breast : 656Ca 25.9F 0.0C 99.3P
Egg omelet : 4eggs : 331Ca 24.3F 4.7C 23.5P
Egg, whole, fried : 3eggs : 262Ca 20.3F 1.3C 18.7P

11pm
Blueberries : 1cup : 93Ca 0.5F 23.7C 1.2P
Cream : 0.25cup : 78Ca 6.9F 2.6C 1.8P

SUM
3160 Calories
165.2 Fat
91.3 Carbs
325.7 Protein

Supplements
Zinc 4 caps
Fish Oil 20 grams
Multi Vitamin 2

I’m looking to incorporate BCAA and Beta-Alanine at a later stage (maybe in the next two weeks.

Thank you in advance for your feedback and advice.[/quote]

Your goals are insanely unrealistic. If you are 233lbs at 30% bodyfat, that means you have 163 lbs lean body mass. Your goal is 220 at 10%bf, which is 198 lbs lean body mass. You are not going to gain 35 lbs of lean body mass in 3 months OR cut bf by 20%, let alone both at the same time. Pick a goal to cut fat or gain mass, and adjust your calories accordingly (more carbs for weight gain, less carbs and fat for weight loss).

Each 5% of bodyfat you drop will get much harder. It’s WAY easier to go from 35%-30% than from 15%-10%.[/quote]

What he said.

To be honest i used to pretty much the same stats as you, did the v-diet and dropped 28lbs of fat in 28 days. almost 30lbs gone in 1 month is definitely worth it.

Edit: Cut the fat first and then worry about gaining the muscle. I thin your eating too many calories for someone who is 30+bf.

The great thing about fairly high bodyfat % is that any non-retarded setup should work for you. How has progress been?

As mentioned, mathematics would indicate gaining a huge amount of muscle to get to your target weight (220 at 10% at your height is damn big, you know).

You could eat less calories if you want to lose fat faster.

Maybe add a little cardio (like one day a week) just to make sure your lungs still work.

Uh, You currently have 162.5 of lean body mass, so you wish to increase it by 35.5 in 2.5 months. This is highly unrealistic for a drug-free person.

You’d be lucky if you can pull of 4lbs of lean mass per month, I mean, very very lucky. At such a high bodyfat%, you are probably very insulin resistant. Ideally, for an endomorph like you, you such get lean first, before you try to get bigger. I’m not saying you cant gain muscle while leaning down, but you should focus on fatloss as your first priority.

With a 162.5lb lean body mass, you should lower your daily calorie intake from 3000+. Protein should be kept high 1.5-2g per lb of lean body mass. Whats with the blueberries and cream pre bed?

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Your goals are insanely unrealistic. If you are 233lbs at 30% bodyfat, that means you have 163 lbs lean body mass. Your goal is 220 at 10%bf, which is 198 lbs lean body mass. You are not going to gain 35 lbs of lean body mass in 3 months OR cut bf by 20%, let alone both at the same time. Pick a goal to cut fat or gain mass, and adjust your calories accordingly (more carbs for weight gain, less carbs and fat for weight loss).

Each 5% of bodyfat you drop will get much harder. It’s WAY easier to go from 35%-30% than from 15%-10%.[/quote]

Thanks for patiently reading my post.

  1. The timing of 3 months definitely seems off and when you put it in the perspective of change in lean body mass from 163lbs to 198lbs in 3 months, it sounds impossible almost 3lbs gained a week.
  2. Perhaps a more conservative time frame, i.e. 1% a week till I reach 25% and 1% every 2 weeks after that (this is not from anywhere just trying to stagger the goal). So that’s 5 weeks to 25% and additional 30 weeks (7.5 months) till 10%.

In any case I can remain consistent and disciplined to see the weight off, so if it takes an extra 2 weeks or 4 weeks I’m okay with that. I’ll keep persevering. I feel good knowing that in the past 3 months I’ve staved off bread, pasta, potatoes and corn which are some of the foods I “used” to eat a lot of and contributed to my horrible weight gain.

  1. I need to pick losing fat first so that will mean my weight will drop from 30% @ 233 to 10% @ 182lbs first (assuming I retain the 163lb LBM) then focus on building muscle. I guess?

[quote]Marzouk wrote:
What he said.

To be honest i used to pretty much the same stats as you, did the v-diet and dropped 28lbs of fat in 28 days. almost 30lbs gone in 1 month is definitely worth it.

Edit: Cut the fat first and then worry about gaining the muscle. I thin your eating too many calories for someone who is 30+bf.
[/quote]

Thanks mate. I’ll look into the cost of shipping the V-Diet products and specifics.

Is it necessary to follow through on the training programs as suggested by the V diet? I was planning to look at 4 resistance training workouts a week (I’ve been using a three day split - chest/back, legs, arms). I should really incorporate cardio (either steady state or HIIT into my week).

There is a thread running on this forum called Rapid Fat Loss as well, I need to read up on that too. I am told it is strict like the V-Diet.

[quote]EasyRhino wrote:
The great thing about fairly high bodyfat % is that any non-retarded setup should work for you. How has progress been?

As mentioned, mathematics would indicate gaining a huge amount of muscle to get to your target weight (220 at 10% at your height is damn big, you know).

You could eat less calories if you want to lose fat faster.

Maybe add a little cardio (like one day a week) just to make sure your lungs still work.[/quote]

Thank you, I will look into the Cardio, I have a 10km run in December as well which requires preparation so the cardio will do me good and the point you bring about the lungs is a good one.

Is 220 @ 10% @ 6’0’ realistic? Meaning using natural means. I won’t clamp down on the date (like that it must be Dec 2010, but I will remain disciplined till it’s done).

[quote]XanderBuilt wrote:

[quote]Marzouk wrote:
What he said.

To be honest i used to pretty much the same stats as you, did the v-diet and dropped 28lbs of fat in 28 days. almost 30lbs gone in 1 month is definitely worth it.

Edit: Cut the fat first and then worry about gaining the muscle. I thin your eating too many calories for someone who is 30+bf.
[/quote]

Thanks mate. I’ll look into the cost of shipping the V-diet products and specifics.

Is it necessary to follow through on the training programs as suggested by the V diet? I was planning to look at 4 resistance training workouts a week (I’ve been using a three day split - chest/back, legs, arms). I should really incorporate cardio (either steady state or HIIT into my week).

There is a thread running on this forum called Rapid Fat Loss as well, I need to read up on that too. I am told it is strict like the V-diet.[/quote]

It is best to stick to the protocol to the ‘T’. The workouts are designed for the V-Diet by Chad Waterbury, you wont lose lbm doing the diet, it’s design so that doesn’t happen. If you wana lose fat fast then it’s defo the way to go. No worrting about macro’s or planning the next meal. Not worrying about eating and losing around 20-30lbs of fat in a month.

Going off ur bf i’m guessing your guna lose around 25lbs. Read through the articles and the protocols and some diet logs.

I’m doing the V-Diet now and i’ve dropped 9.5lbs in the first 4 days!

[quote]Mondy wrote:
Uh, You currently have 162.5 of lean body mass, so you wish to increase it by 35.5 in 2.5 months. This is highly unrealistic for a drug-free person.

You’d be lucky if you can pull of 4lbs of lean mass per month, I mean, very very lucky. At such a high bodyfat%, you are probably very insulin resistant. Ideally, for an endomorph like you, you such get lean first, before you try to get bigger. I’m not saying you cant gain muscle while leaning down, but you should focus on fatloss as your first priority.

With a 162.5lb lean body mass, you should lower your daily calorie intake from 3000+. Protein should be kept high 1.5-2g per lb of lean body mass. Whats with the blueberries and cream pre bed?[/quote]

Thank you for bringing up two very good points on insulin resistance and being an endomorph, you are right. Focusing on fat loss is the consensus of the posters so far. So I’ll do that and curb the calories, would 80% of what I’m doing now sound realistic, i.e. 2480? or thereabouts? Ok with regards to the Blueberries and Cream it was recommended by my trainer and I never really asked what it was for but I am guessing the blueberries was for antioxidants and cream is for boosting the calories from fat - I usually take a handful of one and fill it into a small/medium bowl. I can always stop it too.

With the 1.5 to 2g protein recommendation is that based on current Lean Body Mass or future/target Lean Body Mass? (sorry if that sounds like a silly question).

[quote]Marzouk wrote:

[quote]XanderBuilt wrote:

[quote]Marzouk wrote:
What he said.

To be honest i used to pretty much the same stats as you, did the v-diet and dropped 28lbs of fat in 28 days. almost 30lbs gone in 1 month is definitely worth it.

Edit: Cut the fat first and then worry about gaining the muscle. I thin your eating too many calories for someone who is 30+bf.
[/quote]

Thanks mate. I’ll look into the cost of shipping the V-Diet products and specifics.

Is it necessary to follow through on the training programs as suggested by the V-Diet? I was planning to look at 4 resistance training workouts a week (I’ve been using a three day split - chest/back, legs, arms). I should really incorporate cardio (either steady state or HIIT into my week).

There is a thread running on this forum called Rapid Fat Loss as well, I need to read up on that too. I am told it is strict like the V-Diet.[/quote]

It is best to stick to the protocol to the ‘T’. The workouts are designed for the V-Diet by Chad Waterbury, you wont lose lbm doing the diet, it’s design so that doesn’t happen. If you wana lose fat fast then it’s defo the way to go. No worrting about macro’s or planning the next meal. Not worrying about eating and losing around 20-30lbs of fat in a month.

Going off ur bf i’m guessing your guna lose around 25lbs. Read through the articles and the protocols and some diet logs.

I’m doing the V-Diet now and i’ve dropped 9.5lbs in the first 4 days! [/quote]

Ok sounds like it will make an immediate impact, let me go read more into it. Thanks for the recommendation :slight_smile: I’ve been disciplining my diet the past 3 months I can certainly go up a cog or two.

Is the V-Diet suitable for someone with diabetes?

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Is the V-Diet suitable for someone with diabetes?[/quote]

Shugart or someone qualified from Biotest would really need to answer that. The calorific restriction is not really an issue for Diabetics but ensuring blood sugar or insulin does not spike is their main concern. I’m still looking into it to make sure it’s safe for me.

Ye defo, ask chris and hel be able to tell you. Am guessing seen as your getting calories every 3-4 hours ur blood sugar mite remain stable. Obviously im no Dr so don’t listen to me directly.