My T-dawg 2.0?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I am trying to cut as much BF as possible in the next 2 months, so I am thinking of changing my diet basically by cutting out half of the carbs. I am 5’9" 185# and around 15% BF (according to accumeasure self testing)

My current diet is around 2500 cal./day. Here is a sample day:

Meal 1.) Oatmeal+Raisins, LC Grow

Meal 2.) 3 omega-3 eggs

Meal 3.) Can of Tuna and half-serving of nat. PB

Surge

Meal 4.) Yogurt, bowl of smart start, hamburger patty, can of tuna

Meal 5.) Hamburger patty, tblsp. Flax oil

That’s about 220g protein, 200g carbs, 75g fat

Cutting out the yogurt and cereal takes me right around 100g carbs and 2100 calories

I also just started taking Hot-Rox

My workouts are split with jump rope and agility type drills in the morning and weights in the afternoon

Is there anything I really need to change?

Any comments/suggestions will be very appreciated

2

Hey, there, Delgado!!!

First off, you need to be eating at least 6 meals per day. To keep the body from drawing upon muscle to meet energy requirements, you want to be eating small amounts of protein frequently. Every 3 hours during the day is good. Adding in a middle-of-the-night protein shake would be even better (i.e., more protective of LBM).

For protein, I like 1.5g of protein times LBM for daily protein requirements. You could drop that number a bit if you hit a plateau, but 1.5g is a good starting point.

So using your LBM (157 pounds), that works out to 236g of protein per day or 39g/meal (6 meals) or 34g/meal (6 meals + 1 middle-of-the-night shake).

For fat, you could go with either .4g x LBM or .5g x LBM, so the 75g/day number looks good.

For carbs, dropping the cereal and yogurt for some green veggie carbs would be an excellent move. Try T-Dawg’s numbers of 70g on non-workout days (you may have to ditch the oatmeal) and 100g on workout days. Be sure that Surge is part of that 100g carb allotment you’re allowed.

If you’re not already using Surge, read John Berardi’s article, “Solving the Post-Workout Puzzle,” I & II. Good PWO nutrition is critical to your success and recovery.

On the meal #2, try adding in a little lean ground beef or diced chicken breast to raise protein without raising fat for the meal. If you make an omelete out of the meal, some diced onions and red/yellow/orange peppers really make it an awesome tasting meal.

Hot Rox is an awesome choice.

It looks like a very good plan, Delgado. Give it a go. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. T-Dawg is my absolute-favorite-est diet here on the forum. It gets people great results without too much deprivation.

3

T-T,
always coming through with some GREAT advice.
'Preciate it!!!

4

Thanks, muslhed1171. I’m just giving back some of what’s been given to me. I’ve learned a lot, hanging out on the T&N forum. And it’s kept me out of trouble, too! (wink)

5

Muslehead,

As usual TT has given you some great advice, and coverd all the bases.

I just wanted to stress a point she only breifly touched upon. You really need to step up the veggies in your diet.

From your sample daily intake you arent getting any. You are missing out on some great nutrients, and fiber that will have a plethora of benefits to your daily diet, cutting or not.

By adding them in during thsi hypocaloric diet you will get the added benefit of less hunger also. A mess of green stuff can make a low carb/cal meal look and feel pretty damn large. Help to keep you regular also.

A good multi vit. is also a must if you arent using one now.

Good luck,

Keep us all informed on your progress.

Phill

6

awesome. thank you!

I’ll let you know how it turns out

7

Diet is going well so far but I notice that my energy is down a little

I am thinking about adding some creatine to my surge for post-workout so I can keep pushing myself (I’m still trying to gain as much strength as I can)

I don’t mind retaining some water weight now, but in 8 weeks it has to be gone

So if I start using creatine now, when should I stop so I can get rid of the water weight by the end date (8 weeks from yesterday)?

8

Delgado, your body is making a shift from being a sugar burner into being a fat burner. Allow a little time for that transition. What you’re feeling is normal.

Creatine will not hinder fat loss, though it’s going to make it difficult to gauge how much weight you’re losing per week. People often have to tweak the numbers after they’ve been on T-Dawg a couple of weeks, either to slow down weight loss or speed up weight loss. I, for one, would not be able to give you any guidance on those adjustments if you’ve started supplementing with creatine. It’s possible that even if the number were run correctly/optimally, that you will gain weight on T-Dawg + Creatine.

Once again, I have no objection to your using creatine, but it should have been started a few weeks before the diet or a few weeks after.

For energy, I’d suggest using PowerDrive + caffeine. Mental energy will return to normal before too much longer, and the combo above will tide you over. If after a week or so you’re still having problems with energy, specifically the energy you need to get in the gym and follow your program, I think we should probably take a look at the program you’re following. T-Dawg is an awesome (and effective diet), but it does not work well with some weight lifting programs.