Okay, I want to get lean and toned by June (don't we all). I am currently 177 lbs (height 5 6"). In the past my 'happy' weight was around the 155-160 lb mark, so I have about 20 lbs still to lose (however I appreciate if I added a lot of lean muscle I guess I would be heavier).

I have already lost about 15 lbs since Jan 7th (Cambridge liquid diet for 2 weeks, Atkins for the past 2 weeks), I'm currently doing Atkins, but I'm prepared to come off Atkins, to do a plan which will better assit my training. As a believer in Atkins and the evilness of most carbs :lol: I would prefer a plan where my carb ratio wasn't too high. Training wise, I'll be training (hopefully) Mon-Fri, after work (approx 6pm) and get home around 7:30-8pm (depending on how long I train I guess). I don't really have time at home in the morning for breakfast (could managed a shake), I normally get to work and would normally eat breakfast around 08:30-09:00, take lunch around 1pm.

Based on the above info and can someone recommend a eating plan to get lean quick and that would aid my training.

The thing about carbs is that you kind of need them in order to be active, and in order to lose fat without losing much muscle, you have to get active. There's plenty of stuff on this board about eating, but the highlight are, eat 5-6 times a day, stick to lean meats and complex carbohydrates for the bulk of your calories, and make sure you get a lot of protein. I belive at least 30% of your calories should be from carbohydrates as well.

The thing about carbs is that you kind of need them in order to be active, and in order to lose fat without losing much muscle, you have to get active. There's plenty of stuff on this board about eating, but the highlight are, eat 5-6 times a day, stick to lean meats and complex carbohydrates for the bulk of your calories, and make sure you get a lot of protein. I belive at least 30% of your calories should be from carbohydrates as well.


I agree with fnottr :tucool:

carbs are NOT evil... carbs are essential.. how much is up to you... in addition to eating 5-6 times a day, spaced about 2.5 - 3 hours appart try to make sure you get a good clean protien (egg whites, chicken, lean beef, tuna, any white fish, etc) and a good CLEAN carb in most if not all of your meals... clean carbs would be, green veggies, potatos (white and sweet), oatmeal, whole wheat bread, veggies, etc... oh and yea.. I know I said veggies twice :p and try to get a good amount (around 15-20% of your daily intake) of good fats... not just any fat... but good sources, like natural peanut butter, peanuts, almonds, flax seed, flax seed oil, olive oil, etc.

a lot of the people on this board follow a 40/40/20 ratio... that's 40% protien / 40% carbs / 20% fats... I do very well when on this ratio... on the flip side... I also did very well and put on a good deal of muscle at 30/50/20... and yes that's 50% carbs... I had my doubts at the begining... because I thought I was 'carb sensitive'... but I'm obviously not because I didn't pack on the fat or gain any appreciable amount of weight... I gained three pounds in two months and it was all muscle... lift heavy, eat clean and do cardio and you'll be at your goal faster than you can imagine... I would suggest going to the fat loss section and read the sticky posts at the top on diet, put together a plan and post it... and then we'll help you clean it up, if it needs it :tucool:

I agree with fnottr :tucool:

carbs are NOT evil... carbs are essential.. how much is up to you... in addition to eating 5-6 times a day, spaced about 2.5 - 3 hours appart
I was only kidding about the carbs, just some of them are evil :D

So how does this sound :-

7:30 am - Protein shake
9:00 am - Oatmeal with low carb milk (can't stomach it with water)
11:00 am - handful of Almonds
1:00 pm - Turkey or tuna salad in a low fat/low carb warp
3:00 pm - Protein shake
7:30 pm - Grilled chicken/fish with steamed vegetables and sugar free jello?

Also, if I'm working out in the evening about 6pm, should I have something just before or straight after the workout, or will the 3pm and 7:30 dinner be sufficient?

I was only kidding about the carbs, just some of them are evil :D

So how does this sound :-

7:30 am - Protein shake
9:00 am - Oatmeal with low carb milk (can't stomach it with water)
11:00 am - handful of Almonds
1:00 pm - Turkey or tuna salad in a low fat/low carb warp
3:00 pm - Protein shake
7:30 pm - Grilled chicken/fish with steamed vegetables and sugar free jello?

Also, if I'm working out in the evening about 6pm, should I have something just before or straight after the workout, or will the 3pm and 7:30 dinner be sufficient?

i dont think its that simple, its a numbers game(you have to count the calories).....

some protein shakes have more cards/fats/proteins then others so you have to see how they fit into your diet. It looks like you are taking a shake as a MR in which case it should be something with cards and protein even fats...i recoment muscle milk.

Also this doesnt looks like much calories....i am in the process of cutting and actually trying to loose fat, my BMR is 2800 calories ive cut that by 400 which still leaves me at 2400 while still loosing, your diet looks like it would add up to about 1300 calories. :) ok maybe slightly more

Also i got some advice on this board and its worked great for me, i eat after the gym which is about 10 pm for me, usually a small portion of a complex carb (HW pasta/bread) and tuna or eggwhites and that does wonders for me as far as how i feel the next morning.

also what i found from reading alot is that you want to avoid eating calories that dont do anything for you, like lets say that jello you are gunna eat lets say tahts 120 calories, you can have a little pack of cottage cheese that will give you much more.

i am still kind of learning all this stuff too, but this is my oppinion.

Since you'll be coming off Atkins, and probably their "induction phase" I assume (very low carb), I would like to see you start off very minimal on carb introduction.

Something LIKE this is what I would propose you begin with, based on your posts and what little I know right now. This will be a small introduction of carbs into your plan, and having them stacked mostly around workout times will be good anyway (IMHO).

7:30am - Protein shake with a small serving of ground oats blended in (rolled or steel-cut oats, not instant packets)

10:00am - A protein (chicken, lean beef, tuna, turkey, egg whites, eggs, turkey bacon) and fat (natural peanut butter, flax/fish oil, some nuts) meal.

12:30pm - Protein shake with added fat such as flax-seed oil, fish oil, or natural peanut butter

3:00pm - Pro/Fat meal again

5:30pm - (Preworkout) Small serving of carbs - possibly a piece of fruit, a preworkout drink of sorts (some carb drink containing maltodextrin or whatever, or possibly a NO-Xplode type drink), or even a small serving of oats if you'd like. I prefer fruit though I currently do NO-Xplode here.

7:00pm - (Postworkout) Protein and carb shake, I like a protein powder with dextrose and maltodextrin, you may want to try ground oats for now.

8:00pm - (Post-Postworkout) Grilled chicken or fish, small serving of brown rice, green veggies, small serving of the sugar-free jello if you want, but use it sparingly IMO.

I would also add green veggies to one or two of those pro/fat meals I think.

From here you can continue adding carbs if you feel necessary. I would make that breakfast oats serving quite minimal for now, and probably do the same with the two post-workout meals (minimal dex/oats/rice). Start off slowly and gradually add carbs in as you feel necessary.

I was only kidding about the carbs, just some of them are evil :D

So how does this sound :-

7:30 am - Protein shake
9:00 am - Oatmeal with low carb milk (can't stomach it with water)
11:00 am - handful of Almonds
1:00 pm - Turkey or tuna salad in a low fat/low carb warp
3:00 pm - Protein shake
7:30 pm - Grilled chicken/fish with steamed vegetables and sugar free jello?

Also, if I'm working out in the evening about 6pm, should I have something just before or straight after the workout, or will the 3pm and 7:30 dinner be sufficient?

Since you'll be coming off Atkins, and probably their "induction phase" I assume (very low carb), I would like to see you start off very minimal on carb introduction.

Something LIKE this is what I would propose you begin with, based on your posts and what little I know right now. This will be a small introduction of carbs into your plan, and having them stacked mostly around workout times will be good anyway (IMHO).

7:30am - Protein shake with a small serving of ground oats blended in (rolled or steel-cut oats, not instant packets)

10:00am - A protein (chicken, lean beef, tuna, turkey, egg whites, eggs, turkey bacon) and fat (natural peanut butter, flax/fish oil, some nuts) meal.

12:30pm - Protein shake with added fat such as flax-seed oil, fish oil, or natural peanut butter

3:00pm - Pro/Fat meal again

5:30pm - (Preworkout) Small serving of carbs - possibly a piece of fruit, a preworkout drink of sorts (some carb drink containing maltodextrin or whatever, or possibly a NO-Xplode type drink), or even a small serving of oats if you'd like. I prefer fruit though I currently do NO-Xplode here.

7:00pm - (Postworkout) Protein and carb shake, I like a protein powder with dextrose and maltodextrin, you may want to try ground oats for now.

8:00pm - (Post-Postworkout) Grilled chicken or fish, small serving of brown rice, green veggies, small serving of the sugar-free jello if you want, but use it sparingly IMO.

I would also add green veggies to one or two of those pro/fat meals I think.

From here you can continue adding carbs if you feel necessary. I would make that breakfast oats serving quite minimal for now, and probably do the same with the two post-workout meals (minimal dex/oats/rice). Start off slowly and gradually add carbs in as you feel necessary.

Thanks for the info 1FastGTX, I've tweaked your advice a little to fit with what I think I can live with (I know I'm asking for advice, but to some extent its got to be something that I can stick with and fits in with my schedule/day). I'm think of getting http://store.maximuscle.com/epages/maximuscle.storefront/43e60fa000255382273fac1001b1063e/Product/View/EXTS orange flavoured protein shake, it sounds like a good product and is low in carbs (for times when I just want protein), but as its orange flavoured, I thought a good way to add some carbs (i.e for a post workout drink) would be to mix in a small glass of OJ to it. Also, you recommened a protein/fat meal at 10am, but I've switched that too oats simply because I know from past experience (on other eating plans) that I strugle sticking with any plan where I have to eat something savoury that early in the day. I love oats, so a bowl of oats (small portion while I'm reintroducing carbs) would make me a much happier person. Anyway, how does this sound ..

07:00 Protein Skake

10:00 Oats with semi-skimmed low carb mik (small portion to start)

1:00pm Chicken or Tuna, with mixed salad, 1 tbsp olive oil dressing

3:30pm Protein shake with handful of almonds

5:30pm 1 piece of fruit, maybe banana (pre workout)

7:00pm Protein shake and small glass of OJ (post workout)

8:00pm Grilled chicken or fish, with green vegtables and whole grain rice, plus sugar free jello ocassionally.

BTW, my current weight is 177lbs, im 5' 6.5" and have a BMI of approx 26.2

I'm think of getting http://store.maximuscle.com/epages/maximuscle.storefront/43e60fa000255382273fac1001b1063e/Product/View/EXTS orange flavoured protein shake, it sounds like a good product and is low in carbs (for times when I just want protein), but as its orange flavoured, I thought a good way to add some carbs (i.e for a post workout drink) would be to mix in a small glass of OJ to it.
You shouldn't add OJ for your carb bump, I would add oats instead. I'm not a big fan of fruit juice though.

Also, you recommened a protein/fat meal at 10am, but I've switched that too oats simply because I know from past experience (on other eating plans) that I strugle sticking with any plan where I have to eat something savoury that early in the day. I love oats, so a bowl of oats (small portion while I'm reintroducing carbs) would make me a much happier person.
Um.....I recommended protein/oats in your first meal. :confused:

Your new meal plan is okay. 7am needs a carb or fat choice IMHO. 10am meal is not that good, need more protein bro. 7pm PWO meal could be much better (I don't think OJ is the best PWO choice). 8pm is a decent meal.

I'd just like to add that its not best to begin your day with a liquid meal. It takes me about 35 seconds to boil water and add them to my oatmeal, and about 5-7 min. to eat it...why not flip your 7 and 10am meal? If you don't have time, wake up 10 min. earlier and do it up...or make it the night before and nuke it in the morning.

7:00pm Protein shake and small glass of OJ (post workout)


Why not substitute powdered Gatoraid for OJ? It includes a lot of dextrose I read. I haven't gotten around to buying maltodextin or dextrose individually, but I've read Gatoraid is a decent substitution.

Maybe some others can tell you if it is a great idea or not, but from what I've read it is at least a passable substitute.

I'd just like to add that its not best to begin your day with a liquid meal. It takes me about 35 seconds to boil water and add them to my oatmeal, and about 5-7 min. to eat it...why not flip your 7 and 10am meal? If you don't have time, wake up 10 min. earlier and do it up...or make it the night before and nuke it in the morning.


Or just nuke it all that morning. I generally just take rolled oats, cinammon, maybe some spenda, a splash of vanilla, raisins, and occasionally some walnuts or almond chunks in a bowl with water, and microwave them for about 3 minues. I occasionally will throw a half scoop of protein in them, too, if I'm not eating some other protein like eggs. Really quick.

slow burn carbs are bad after/during a work out. need to replace that energy before your body turns to producing cortisol. I like the orange juice idea. I think bodybuilding.com had a thing about adding a pinch of salt to replace electrolites lost in sweat, depends how sweaty you get tho.