Hi Everyone,

I am gaining so much knowledge by going through this forum and collecting as much data that I can. Last month I knew I needed to start to lose weight since on July 22nd I hit 252lbs. I have changed the way that I eat and currently doing 4 days/week of strength training (following a program over at global-fitness.com) and 5 days/week of 30-min cardio using an elliptical trainer.

Now today is one month since I started and I weighed in at 235lbs which is a 17lb weight loss for a month which I know from reading on this forum is bad due to possible muscle loss, but I do feel much stronger and my muscles are definitely showing more.

Now I was hoping someone could look at my food intake and let me know if I’m eating too little for my size and height which is 6’3” and I’m 28yrs old.

Typical day:

Meal #1: Protein Fruit Shake – Consists of 1 banana, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of soy milk, 1 scoop of whey protein
Meal #2: 2 Rice cakes w/ 1 tbsp Natural Peanut butter or switch somedays to sugar free jams
Meal #3: Turkey w/ provolone cheese on whole wheat bread and a 100-calories pack of wheat thins snack
Meal #4: Protein bar – Zone Perfect
Meal #5: Non-fat fruit flavored yogurt
Meal #6: Grilled chicken 8oz or salmon with either broccoli or stir-fried veggies

That’s it. I am trying my best to eat clean and have not had any cheat meals at all. No junk food, no fast-food, nothing. I am drinking a little over a gallon of water a day and drink 1 can of diet soda a day.

So sticking to this diet will this hurt my body? I appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks in advance!

Are you going to eat that same thing day after day?

How many calories is that? Are you paying attention to your macronutrients or just overall calories?

Overall what you are eating looks alright. Looks low fat to me from a glance with no saturated fats at all. I dont believe that is ideal.

I wouldnt go crazy about that much lost in a month as long as you feel good and have noticed an increase in your muscle mass. Things will probably slow down considerably from here.

Are you going to eat that same thing day after day?

How many calories is that? Are you paying attention to your macronutrients or just overall calories?


No, I change it up every other day with stuff like oatmeal in the morning with whey, then some carrots w/ PB, then a grilled chicken salad for lunch, almonds or walnuts before dinner, and then a salmon burger w/ veggies for dinner.

I did a rough calc and came up around 2000-2100 cal/day with about 40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat.

I take a multivitamin and 2 capsules/day of fish oil for omega-3.

Those numbers sounds pretty good. Those alternatives sound good too. I think your diet sounds like a great starting point. Dont be afraid to make changes and experiment to figure out what works well for you. Over time what I eat and how much I eat has drastically changed from how I started out.

Looks good to me :tu:

I'd have to say that w/that dietary approach, you are losing a great deal of lean muscle tissue, yes.

You are lacking protein in a very serious manner, especially for that bodyweight and at the rate in which you are trying to achieve fat loss.

Just my opinion. :cool:

~SC~

ok ive done some calculations here for you, all assuming you are taking in regular serving sizes.

you are taking in : 3 servings of dairy, 4 servings of meat(protein supplements are considered a very lean meat), 3 servings of fruit and veg and 2 servings of bread.

you need to take in more fruit and more breads/cereal/rice/pasta if you are going to be on this diet for a long time. consult the food pyramid for exact servings and a good food book can give you suggestions on serving sizes.

apart from that i think your diet is great and i hope you can reach your goals, i know how hard it can be to change your diet as i have been overweight also. but i found if i slowly took things out of my diet and still rewarded myself for good dicipline it gets easier over time.

good luck.

First of all, if fat loss is your goal, stay away from bread, pasta and rice. They're horrible for fat loss except in extremely limited quantities, and even then... I'd nix them.

More protein. More lean meat. Lean beef, chicken, turkey, even pork in moderation is alright.

Center carbs around your workout, pre-workout, have a lower GI carb source, post workout, of course, have a high-GI carb. Minimize carbs during less active times of the day. Minimize dairy products; one cup of yogurt a day is great. The most I'll have dairy-wise in a day is a cup of yogurt, and sometimes a piece of low fat cheese on top of a lean burger patty at night as a last meal before bed.

I don't have time to tally calories up based on what you posted, but that may not be nearly enough. My personal rule of thumb is 12~13 times body weight in calories. Using an approach that minimizes carbs unless I'm active with clean whole foods, and plenty of cardio and lifting intensity, and I can lose fat to the tune of about 1.5-lbs. per week.

You need to do some more research in these forums and rethink your plan. That diet seems inadequate to me...

-R

First of all, if fat loss is your goal, stay away from bread, pasta and rice. They're horrible for fat loss. I'd nix them.


I couldn't agree more! :tucool:

Those should NOT be added as was suggested, not sure why that was suggested??

I do agree w/what you (Bluestreak) suggested he do in your suggestions, those were very good! :nod:

~SC~

Thanks Swolecat & Bluestreak!

I am going to sit down and re-work my diet to include more protein. But I do have a question concerning dairy. The only dairy that I eat or drink is yogurt and soy milk. I am going to give up cheese, but I was wondering should I discontinue using soy milk altogether as well. I use the soy milk for my protein shakes and a protein oatmeal mix that I make. I didn't realize that it would affect my weight loss since the soy has protein already in it. But I do know that it does have fat as well but I wanted to get some fat in my diet and I was using the soy milk and peanut butter.

Does anyone have any food recipes for the in between meals that wouldn't include yogurt and a protein bar that I used to take?

ok guys in reply to this carbohydrate issue. the popular belief that carbohydrates is fattening is a myth. the current belief by some books is that people are insulin resistant. basically put this means that your pancreas oversecretes insulin to maintain normal blood levels of glucose after a high carbohydrate meal. oversecreation apparently leads to this carbohydrates to be stored as excess fat. this is a lie. there is no eveidence to back this theory up. if you are active then your insulin is in check. carbohydrates are not bad when it comes to fat loss, OVERALL calorie intake and expenditure is. you gain more weight when you eat more calories than you expend. beware of a high protein diet. high protein diets are fundamentally high in fat. the protein from animal foods are often caked with large amounts of saturated fats abd cholesterol. high protein diets are low in fibre too. high protein diets can flush calcium from the body too. excess dietary protein is hard on the kidneys. the weight you lose in a high protein diet si from dehydration. protein should make up 15 - 20 % of your total daily calories.

ok you need 30 - 33 calories per kg of body weight. (divide pounds by 2.2) for rapid fat loss and maintainence of lean body mass. 106 kg. 3180 calories per day is your requirement to be well nourished and still lose weight.

protein 2 grams per kg
carbohydrate 5 grams per kg
70 grams total fat.

remember protein 20 - 25%, carbs 60 - 65 % fat 15 - 20%.

just incase you are still considering a unhealthy high protein diet here are some more facts, carbs are required in cellular reactions involved in burning fat. they spare protein being used as a fuel, which it is bad at, and preserves it for the good stuff, repairing muscles and rebuilding tissues. carbohydarates restocks your body with glycogen which geives you more energy to exercise, ie give it maximum intensity thus burning more calories thus losing weight. when your body digests carbs your resting meatabolic rate, like you bodys idle speed, goes up thus burning more calories. carbohydrates are also packed with fibre which helps burn fat too. more energy is used to digest fibre rich foods than most foods. fibre also keeps your appetite down. fibre also accelerates food through your body which means less food to be stored.

the key to fat loss is intense workouts, aerobic and anaerobic(weight training). gains in muscle increase your metabolism. increases in your cardiovascular fitness will increase the amount of fat that becomes available for fuel at lower intensity exercise.

all of this was sourced from power eating by susan m kleiner, google power eating.

if your aim is to be healthy then follow these suggestions, or better research some of it yourself and look for advise that has been proven scientifically or recommended by your governing bodies in health and nutrition, is is your body you have to live with it when you are 80 and using a colostomy bag.

good luck.

Oh, I can see this topic getting very hot, I can see so many misleading claims in the above post. Grabbing a bag of popcorn and waiting SwoleCat and other professionals arrive to the scene.

edit: not literally grabbing any nasty greasy popcorn, going to gym for a leg workout instead. :p

First of all, if fat loss is your goal, stay away from bread, pasta and rice. They're horrible for fat loss except in extremely limited quantities, and even then... I'd nix them.


-R

Bread and rice is bad? how come? O.O

I can see so many misleading claims in the above post.


i am always up for a educated debate. i am always hungry for more information and different angles in research. can you please tell me which claims are incorrect and give me the source of your claims, ie book, author and qualifications.

mine was the second edition of power eating, by Susan M Kleiner, PhD, RD. 2001. And before you say this information is 4 years old, this is her lastest book on this subject, ie good nutrition. i think you will not find a nutritionalist who will give you basically the same advice i have given here because it is all based on valid findings from research.

the workout idea is good. and i will partake in leg training also because it hurts me.

looking forward to your replys.

Just curious, what are your fitness credentials other than reading a book?

Okay, since the resident forum professionals haven't found this post yet, I think I'd chime in and clarify what I find objectionable. Admittedly I'm a also relative newbie who just started weightloss 2 months ago, so I'll also make an attempt of referencing people who are smarter than me.

It needs to be kept in mind that I don't think your sources are completely wrong or lying. The reason why there are so many diametrically opposed viewpoints seems to be misunderstanding, "blanket" statements and quotes that are out of proper context.

ok guys in reply to this carbohydrate issue. the popular belief that carbohydrates is fattening is a myth.

At the face value, that sentence is hugely wrong. It's similar to saying that speeding being the cause of traffic accidents is a myth (because, hey, Michael Schumacher can do 200 mph on F1 track and doesn't crash, so that means so can you). Excess carbohydrates from sugars and starches is the #1 reason why people in the first world get fat in the first place.

the current belief by some books is that people are insulin resistant. basically put this means that your pancreas oversecretes insulin to maintain normal blood levels of glucose after a high carbohydrate meal. oversecreation apparently leads to this carbohydrates to be stored as excess fat. this is a lie. there is no eveidence to back this theory up. if you are active then your insulin is in check.
Insulin is not at fault for fat gain because of excessive carb intake. The carbs that cause high blood sugar is. Insulin is just doing its job, storing those excess nutrients in appopriate places - muscle or more commonly fat. If muscle has no need for the glycose, such as times other than after a glycogen-depleting workout, it gets stored as fat.

Insulin resistance is also very real, as 15 million americans with type 2 adult onset diabetes can tell you.


beware of a high protein diet. high protein diets are fundamentally high in fat. the protein from animal foods are often caked with large amounts of saturated fats abd cholesterol. high protein diets are low in fibre too. high protein diets can flush calcium from the body too. excess dietary protein is hard on the kidneys. the weight you lose in a high protein diet si from dehydration. protein should make up 15 - 20 % of your total daily calories.
No. Read the following articles, it debunks those claims with a number of scientific studies:
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/proprejudice.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/kidney.htm
That one can do fine with less protein, doesn't mean that more protein wouldn't be useful, let alone harmful. It's worth pointing out that nobody here, or fitness community as a whole, eats protein that was high on saturated fats or cholesterol. Chicken or turkey breast, egg whites, light cottage cheese and other staple fitness foods have none of that, not to mention whey protein isolate supplements and so on. No idea where you took that calcium claim from, and weight loss from high protein diet most definitely isn't from dehydration as anyone around here can tell and show you.

ok you need 30 - 33 calories per kg of body weight. (divide pounds by 2.2) for rapid fat loss and maintainence of lean body mass. 106 kg. 3180 calories per day is your requirement to be well nourished and still lose weight.
That is quite debatable, and again, requires proper context. One can lost weight at 3180 calories a day -- at the army boot camp, when I was 160 pounds and was losing weight while eating 4000 calories -- but for most people, not dedicated athletes or maggots in the army, that would be a good daily maintenance level.

just incase you are still considering a unhealthy high protein diet here are some more facts, carbs are required in cellular reactions involved in burning fat.
AFAIK carbs play a minor effect in that, if any.

they spare protein being used as a fuel, which it is bad at, and preserves it for the good stuff, repairing muscles and rebuilding tissues. carbohydarates restocks your body with glycogen which geives you more energy to exercise, ie give it maximum intensity thus burning more calories thus losing weight.
Yes and no. Carbs fuel your body and give more energy to exercise, so you can lift harder, but then again your body will use those readily available calories for energy instead of fat.

when your body digests carbs your resting meatabolic rate, like you bodys idle speed, goes up thus burning more calories.
I don't think I've seen any evidence of that.

carbohydrates are also packed with fibre which helps burn fat too. more energy is used to digest fibre rich foods than most foods. fibre also keeps your appetite down. fibre also accelerates food through your body which means less food to be stored.
Fibre means simply carbohydrates that are indigestible and give no energy to a human body. High fibre helps keep appetite down and slows digestion of carbs and diminishes the insulin response, but doesn't do anything by itself to burn fat.

the key to fat loss is intense workouts, aerobic and anaerobic(weight training). gains in muscle increase your metabolism. increases in your cardiovascular fitness will increase the amount of fat that becomes available for fuel at lower intensity exercise.
That I can agree with. :bb: