Hi,

I'd really appreciate some advice on my diet for cardio days (4x per week) and workout days (3x per week). Is there too much of anything, too little?

Thanks, I really appreciate your input!

Cardio Days: 50 min fasted-state cardio upon waking
Meal 1: 1 whole egg + 3 egg white omlette + veggies + cheese string
Meal 2: Whey Protein + 1 tbs nat peanut butter + water
Meal 3: Protein source (i.e. meat, fish, etc.) + salad + dressing
Meal 4: Whey Protein + 1 tbs nat peanut butter + water
Meal 5: Protein source + veggies (i.e. broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber)

That's about a 40-20-40 split of P-C-F, which is about 1200-1300 calories

Weight Training Days: 1 hour workout alternating upper and lower body every other day
Meal 1: 1 apple before workout
Meal 2: Whey Protein + 45g dextrose + water
Meal 3: Oatmeal (1/2 cup dry) with water + protein powder
Meal 4: Protein source (i.e. meat, fish, etc.) + salad + dressing
Meal 5: Whey Protein + 1 tbs nat peanut butter + water
Meal 6: Protein source + veggies (i.e. broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber)

That's about a 40-40-20 split of P-C-F, which is about 1300-1400 calories

You've obviously tallied up the calories & macronutrients if you know you're getting a 40/40/20 and 40/20/40 split, even if you didn't post the number of calories here. I can only assume the number of calories you're consuming is appropriate for what you've determined your requirements are, plus or minus some amount for bulking/cutting.

As far as what you've posted goes, the types of food look good. You've got lean meats & lots of veggies, some complex carbs too, all good.

For suggestions, I'd recommend cutting back on the shakes. One a day should be sufficient. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but real food is probably better for you and more filling (important if you're cutting). Unless convenience is a major factor, try to get some more real food in there. Convenience is always an issue; it takes time to prepare meals in advance & keep them with you if you're out & about, bit I think a little effort will pay off by giving you the variety you'll crave after some time on your plan.

Also, I'd say keep an eye on that salad dressing. There are a lot of varieties, most are very calorie-dense. The non-fat ones can be full of chemicals, better to stick with Italian. Try to avoid creamy types, more saturated fats. Best of all would be plain old olive oil & vinegar.

*bump!*

It looks pretty good. For your cardio day it looks like not a lot of carbs, if you don't feel drowsy and slow from the pretty low carbs I guess it's no problem. Maybe you could think about changing one whey shake daily to a real protein source, but if you find it covenient that's fine, it's good protein anyway.

For your weight day maybe change the apple and oatmeal, if reckon a good breakfast is more important than an early snack. Also I think a good bowl of oatmeal will better fuel your body for weightlifting than a apple.

The rest it looks good, I don't really like low carbs in any way anymore, but if it doesn't drive you mad and it works then keep it. Hope this helps, good luck with your progress!

You are 1 meal short on weight training days.

IMO the Whey+dex is not a meal - it digests super fast, so you absolutely must eat something within an hour, preferably after 30 mins. Otherwise I would go the low GI route and just have the oats afterwards.

Also I agree you need more pre-WO.

I tend to have 400-700kcal more on lifting days (I'm 155lb) because of the pre and post WO requirements. I see you have 100 kcal more, but even if you are 90lb, I personally don't think that is enough.

So my opinion would be not to eat frucose pre-WO, but maybe a small amount of pasta, or moderate GI carbs.

Then the PWO shake, followed 30-40 mins later by the oats, then resume 3 hourly meals. You could possibly cut the PWO shake to 30-35g dex, 15-20g whey if you are worried about the exta 60kcal or so.

I also agree with the shakes, but overall the breakdown looks really good, especially is some of the protein is fatty fish.

You are 1 meal short on weight training days. IMO the Whey+dex is not a meal - it digests super fast, so you absolutely must eat something within an hour, preferably after 30 mins. Otherwise I would go the low GI route and just have the oats afterwards.

I agree, I will probably eat the oatmeal much sooner than the 1.5 hours that I've indicated.

Also I agree you need more pre-WO. So my opinion would be not to eat frucose pre-WO, but maybe a small amount of pasta, or moderate GI carbs.

Well, the thing is that the weight training is pretty much within 40 min of waking up, so I don't think I can stomach pasta or anything too heavy. That's why I chose the apple...it's relatively light, but it also gives me the strength I need to carry out my 1 hour workout.

That's why I chose the apple...it's relatively light, but it also gives me the strength I need to carry out my 1 hour workout.

How about a protein bar (or 1/2). These usually digest fairly quickly and you'll get the carbs quicker than an apple. Something more carby, like a 'Cliff bar' might be better even - I do 1/2 a cliff bar if I am just about to lift.