T Nation

First 'Diet'

Beginners
#1

The first month and a half of college hasn’t been to good to me diet-wise. When I got here I thought, “Wow, this is a lot of free food…” and I got the most out of it as I could. At one point I was eating upwards of 2,000 calories of sugars and fats at 1 o clock at night after studying. Now I don’t really look like I work out.

I’ve made the decision earlier this week to follow CT’s maximizing fat program, and I’ve also started tracking my diet without overlooking a single detail. But I can’t expect myself to know that I’m doing everything perfectly with my lack of overall experience, since the only kind of “diet” that I’ve been on has been starving myself for wrestling. So I’d like someone to tell me whether or not my diet is good for optimizing fat loss.

Here’s my diet:

DIET

Example of Day A (Mon. Wed. Fri.):

Meal 1: 2 fish oil caps, 5 Hardboiled egg whites w/ 1 yolk

Meal 2: 1 scoop protein in water or can of tuna, 3 fish oil caps

Meal 3: 5 slices of deli turkey meat with salad, red wine vinaigrette as dressing

Meal 4: 1/2 scoop protein in water or 2 slices of deli meat

Meal 5: 2 pieces of roasted carved meat served in dining hall, large portion of dark green veggies or salad

Meal 6: 1/2 scoop protein in water

Example of DAY B (Tues, Thurs):

Meal 1: 3/4 cup oats cooked w/ milk

Pre-WO: 1/2 scoop protein in water

Post-WO: 1 scoop protein in milk

Meal 3: 2 slices deli meat, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 fish oil caps

Meal 4: 2 slices deli meat, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 fish oil caps

Meal 5: 2 carves of roasted meat from dining hall, salad or dark green veggies

Meal 6: 1/2 scoop protein in water, 2 fish oil caps

Example of Day C (weekends, no breakfast in dining halls):

Pre-workout: 1 scoop protein w/oats and flax mixed w/ water

Post-Workout: 1 scoop protein in milk

Meal 3: 3 strips of bacon on salad

Meal 4: 3 fish oil caps, 2 slices deli meat, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Meal 5: 2 carves of roasted meat from dining hall, salad or dark green veggies

Meal 6: 3 fish oil caps, 2 slices of deli meat

Day A is my rest day and days B and C are my training days; I’ve centered my diet around my workout and class schedule. Right now I’m around 161 pounds at 5’7", and I’m guessing that I’m at 20% bodyfat. I’ve calculated that I can lose 2 pounds per week eating 2,000 calories a day on my workout days and on the days I do not workout I eat around 1,800. What do you guys think? I’m open to any kind of advice.

#2

Um, no. There are a lot of articles on this board that you should read. I think you are really setting yourself up for failure with this diet.

#3

Can you provide a link to CT’s ‘maximizing fat’ program? I’m intrigued.

The diet doesn’t look TOO bad. Although really, cutting at 160 lbs isn’t going to find a whole lot of support on this board. If you really wanna do that, and you’re eating around 2k calories and getting at least 160g of protein, you’re on the right track.

I’d let your ‘calculations’ fall by the wayside and track your results. If you’re losing a pound a week, you’ll be getting pretty average results. Be happy with that. 2 lbs/week at your weight I think will be more difficult to arrange. But if possible, go for it.

But seriously, you probably need to eat more and lift heavier, rather than cutting. I mean, the holidays are right around the corner, and cutting through the holidays is… difficult or stupid, depending on who you ask.

#4

[quote]Otep wrote:
Can you provide a link to CT’s ‘maximizing fat’ program? I’m intrigued.

The diet doesn’t look TOO bad. Although really, cutting at 160 lbs isn’t going to find a whole lot of support on this board. If you really wanna do that, and you’re eating around 2k calories and getting at least 160g of protein, you’re on the right track.

I’d let your ‘calculations’ fall by the wayside and track your results. If you’re losing a pound a week, you’ll be getting pretty average results. Be happy with that. 2 lbs/week at your weight I think will be more difficult to arrange. But if possible, go for it.

But seriously, you probably need to eat more and lift heavier, rather than cutting. I mean, the holidays are right around the corner, and cutting through the holidays is… difficult or stupid, depending on who you ask.[/quote]

Sorry, the article is “Destroying Fat,” here’s the link,

the subtitle included ‘maximize fat loss’ in it.

In all honesty, I’m “cutting” now only because I like to see progress. I know it’s vain, but I get completely unmotivated to gain muscle if I don’t see any kind of definition whatsoever. Don’t get me wrong, I love lifting some heavy ass weights as much as the next guy on this forum and I fucking love to eat. But I want to feel in some kind of good condition; in other words I prefer getting lean FIRST and then getting big the right way. I’m a small guy right now, but for a guy who’s 5’7" and had to cut weight constantly for the past four years, I think I’m in a different situation than most. On top of that, I was very, very obese as a kid all the way up to the age of 14, which also adds to my messed up metabolism.

My decision to do this now may be crazy to others, but the deal is my family doesn’t really feast that much during the winter season, and neither do I. Mostly because I only eat turkey at thanksgiving and the food at christmas always sucks. Personally I eat a shit load come late Febuary and early spring because that’s when Vietnamese new year is and that is also when wrestling ended.

I’ve been reading lots of shit for a while now, and have looked at what I should do from various perspectives. I’m deciding to do this now and unless someone gives me a REALLY good reason otherwise I will continue to do it. Don’t mistake my being firm on this position as ignorance, as I’ve said before I’m open to suggestions.

#5

Well, if you think this is going to work, try it. You asked for an opinion, I gave one, but, I’m not against trying things out to see how they work.

My only concern with this diet is that there are very little fruits and vegetables. For me, I can’t lose weight without eating a ton of veggies. They help keep me feeling full even though I’m eating less. I don’t know too many people that can go around feeling starved all the time and succeed.

Also, deli meat, for me, is not a quality source of food. I know some people like it and have done well with it, but, it has a lot of sodium and isn’t always the best quality. Unless you are seeing them slice them right off the turkey breast or the ham, I don’t want to have them as a staple.

#6

Thanks for the pointers, I’ll definitely add veggies to my 3rd and 4th meals. I’ll try to substitute the deli meats for roasted meats, but those are really hard to put in a plastic bag without getting the dining service people pissed off. Should I just go with protein in water instead of the deli meat?

#7

If my choice is deli meat or a protein shake, when I already have a couple protein shakes during the day, I would go with the deli meat. There is something about solid food that keeps me sane and happy.

Also, see if there are other nut choices you can get. Sunflower seeds are great, but, variety is a nice thing. And, on your salads, try and add some legumes if you aren’t already. Nice fiber/protein/carb sources and are low in fat. Don’t worry about the amount of carbs from them.

#8

Ya that’s what I figured. I am going to look for a better source of meat, but that may be the only choice I have. Same goes with the sunflower seeds, although I will invest in some roasted no salt almonds every now and again. Already doing the beans on the salad. I love beans.