Hello everybody! :D

A few of you might recognize me from around the forums. I typically spend a good amount of my time in the journals section, but if I post my request in there, I fear that it won't get any attention... So I figured I'd pay a visit over here. :nod:

Anyways, I wanted to present my current stats and plans in order to get some constructive criticism so that I can get over my plateau. I have been cutting since May, when I graduated college, and I still would like to lose 10-15 lbs more before I even consider bulking. Below is my current information, so please let me know if something in my current plan might be hindering me, or if adding something else could give me a bit of a boost.

Project: Andy

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 178 lbs
Body Fat %: Approx. 15% (This is just a guess, and my picture will be posted below, if anybody disagrees)

Typical Day of Food

7:30 AM Oatmeal + Whey Protein
11:00 AM 3 oz tuna, low carb tortilla, fat-free mayo/hotsauce/other low-calorie condiment, split pea or black bean soup
2:00 PM 1 oz almonds, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
4:00 PM Grilled chicken breast (4-6 oz), Odwalla "Super Protein" bar
7:00 PM (Varies due to this being a family meal... Typically involves a lean protein [chicken, turkey, lean beef, pork], a "starch" , and a vegetable )

I always practice portion control on this last meal, and my calories typically come out between 2200-2400. Based on the random meal, my macros can change on a daily basis, so I don't have a typical ratio that I abide by.

[U][B]Workouts

Monday: Chest/Tris
- BB Bench
- DB Incline Bench
- Cable Flies
- "Skullcrushers"
- Dips
- Rope Pulldowns

Tuesday: Cardio
- Approx. 25 mins HIIT w/ 5 min cooldown

Wednesday: Back/Bis
- Weight-assisted Pull-ups (:o ... Aspiring to do them unassisted, but I currently can only do 2-3 without the assistance right now)
- Lat Pull-down
- Seated Row
- BB Curl
- Incline DB Curl
- Double Cable Curl

Thursday: Cardio
- Approx. 25 mins HIIT w/ 5 min cooldown

Friday: Legs/Shoulders
- Squats
- BB Lunges
- Quad Extensions
- Arnold Press
- Cable raises (lateral and front)
- BB Press

Note: I know that deadlifts can be very helpful in burning fat (and overall fitness), but I have a very weak grip, and so I intend to invest in some wrists straps this weekend and begin including them in my workout. I can squat 3x8 of 250 lbs, but I can't deadlift more than 160 lbs without losing my grip after about 3-4 reps. :o

Below is my picture, and otherwise I think I've provided most of the other necessary information for an evaluation of my plan. I would really, truly appreciate any feedback that you guys can offer! I've been around these boards for a while now, it feels like... But I hardly know anything! :lol:

Thanks guys!

Hey Wonder Boy:)

I have been cutting since May, when I graduated college, and I still would like to lose 10-15 lbs more before I even consider bulking.

What's your progress been like since May if you don't mind me asking.

Typical Day of Food

7:30 AM Oatmeal + Whey Protein
11:00 AM 3 oz tuna, low carb tortilla, fat-free mayo/hotsauce/other low-calorie condiment, split pea or black bean soup
2:00 PM 1 oz almonds, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
4:00 PM Grilled chicken breast (4-6 oz), Odwalla "Super Protein" bar
7:00 PM (Varies due to this being a family meal... Typically involves a lean protein [chicken, turkey, lean beef, pork], a "starch" [baked potato, sweet potato, pasta, etc.], and a vegetable [usually a salad or steamed veggies])

I always practice portion control on this last meal, and my calories typically come out between 2200-2400. Based on the random meal, my macros can change on a daily basis, so I don't have a typical ratio that I abide by.

Hmmm at first glance it doesn't look like 2200-2400. A few questions/suggestions:

7:30 - How much oatmeal and protein are you taking here? How about adding some fruit?
11:00 - I'd add 1-2 more ounces of tuna, and load on veggies in this meal too. Maybe even some healthy fats:nod: Do you know what's in the soup?
2:00 - I'd boost that to 1 full cup of cottage cheese, and you've got a decent meal:)
4:00 - Can you put up the stats of the protein bar? I'm thinking that you'll get enough protein from the 6 ounces of chicken breast. I would personally lose the bar and replace it with some brocolli and brown rice.
7:00 - This is where it gets a little tricky. Since the only control you have here is portion control, this one meal every single day could hurt progress.
bedtime - I'd add in a bedtime meal here. You could actually move that cottage cheese meal here and have something else at 2:00pm, or you can duplicate it here again with peanut butter instead of the almonds - that's a popular bedtime snack.

Overall, your diet seems to be lacking in healthy fats, and could also use more fiber. Again it's hard to say with certainty without some measurement info, and that random meal every night with your family.

Note: I know that deadlifts can be very helpful in burning fat (and overall fitness), but I have a very weak grip, and so I intend to invest in some wrists straps this weekend and begin including them in my workout. I can squat 3x8 of 250 lbs, but I can't deadlift more than 160 lbs without losing my grip after about 3-4 reps. :o

That's a pretty impressive squat:tu: I also use straps for deadlifting and they're great. Some people are against them, but when I go to the gym to work my back, I don't want my back training to be limited to my grip strength. That's not to say grip strength should be ignored. Try static barbell holds to work your grip.

Hey dluc... Thanks for the response!

I really appreciate the input on my meal plan. I've been doing the same thing for months, and I completely understand your suggestions. For some reason, I see people on these forums with better diets than mine each and every day, but I can't seem to think for myself as to what I need to change. Maybe I'm just not sure if what works for them, will work for me... Which might be the case, or it might really be helpful. So I'll see what I can do with your suggestions. As to your questions:

My progress since May has been pretty significant. I'm very pleased with where I've come from, up to this point. When I graduated in May, I was weighing in right at 200 lbs. :o Just the general improved eating and addition of lifting hard and utilizing cardio have helped. Those were "minor" lifestyle changes that will bring about moderate improvement, but I think if I really want to reach my goals, I'll need to fine-tune my diet and workout plan to really challenge myself. :nod: As I said, now I'm weighing right around 178 lbs, and I think I've got a decent muscle foundation... Just need to strip away that fat. Although I imagine 160 lbs to be my "ideal" weight, I'm much more interested to be pleased with how I feel and look, rather than how much I weigh.

In terms of your food questions:

I've been eating .75 cups (dry) of the oatmeal (I believe somewhere around 215 calories) and a scoop of my EAS 100% Whey Protein is something like 120 calories.

The soup that I eat is the Safeway brand "Enlighten" soups. They're dried soup mixes, and I have the Split Pea version in front of me, reading 190 cals, 33 g carbs, 8 g fiber, and 13 g protein. I figure this isn't too shabby, and the ingredients are: dehydrated split pea, dehydrated vegetables (potato, onion, garlic, carrot, celery), natural flavors, salt, herbs and spices. I would say a couple of those are pretty ambiguous, and if the general consensus is to drop the ready-made soup, I'm willing to do so.

The Odwalla protein bar was just something my dad started picking up in the store for me, and I figured it couldn't hurt to toss in a bit of extra protein. The stats for it are: 230 calories, 4.5 g fat, 31 g carbs, 16 g sugars (:eek: Didn't see that before!), 16 g protein. This could be expendable, and I think I'll take up the suggestion of brown rice and veggies. What are your opinions on the microwavable options? I have had Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice (90 secs to microwave) before, and I was curious as to how people felt about that and microwave "steam bag" type veggies?

This is important because I am without a kitchen for a month or two due to renovations on the house. :( I do have access to a microwave, both at home and in my office. I'll have to see what I can do about my dinner... With the lack of kitchen, I might have a bit more independence over this meal, so hopefully I can fix that up.

Anyways, sorry for rambling! I hope you (or anybody else) can offer further advice, because I've been stalled in the mid-upper 170s for almost 2 months.

Hey dluc... Thanks for the response!

Don't mention it;)

My progress since May has been pretty significant. I'm very pleased with where I've come from, up to this point. When I graduated in May, I was weighing in right at 200 lbs. :o Just the general improved eating and addition of lifting hard and utilizing cardio have helped. Those were "minor" lifestyle changes that will bring about moderate improvement, but I think if I really want to reach my goals, I'll need to fine-tune my diet and workout plan to really challenge myself. :nod:

Great work WB:claplow: It's great to see what those small changes can do for a person:nod:

As I said, now I'm weighing right around 178 lbs, and I think I've got a decent muscle foundation... Just need to strip away that fat. Although I imagine 160 lbs to be my "ideal" weight, I'm much more interested to be pleased with how I feel and look, rather than how much I weigh.

That's a good mentality to have. The scale weight is just a number:nod:

I've been eating .75 cups (dry) of the oatmeal (I believe somewhere around 215 calories) and a scoop of my EAS 100% Whey Protein is something like 120 calories.

I might consider adding in another 1/2 scoop of protein and also some grapefruit.

The soup that I eat is the Safeway brand "Enlighten" soups. They're dried soup mixes, and I have the Split Pea version in front of me, reading 190 cals, 33 g carbs, 8 g fiber, and 13 g protein. I figure this isn't too shabby, and the ingredients are: dehydrated split pea, dehydrated vegetables (potato, onion, garlic, carrot, celery), natural flavors, salt, herbs and spices. I would say a couple of those are pretty ambiguous, and if the general consensus is to drop the ready-made soup, I'm willing to do so.

To be honest, I would phase this out and replace it with some sweet potato and possibly even some healthy fats.

The Odwalla protein bar was just something my dad started picking up in the store for me, and I figured it couldn't hurt to toss in a bit of extra protein. The stats for it are: 230 calories, 4.5 g fat, 31 g carbs, 16 g sugars (:eek: Didn't see that before!), 16 g protein. This could be expendable, and I think I'll take up the suggestion of brown rice and veggies. What are your opinions on the microwavable options? I have had Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Rice (90 secs to microwave) before, and I was curious as to how people felt about that and microwave "steam bag" type veggies?

I'm definitely not a fan of the sugar content on that bar:blank: I think your choices for brown rice and veggies will be fine as long as portion control is practiced.

With the lack of kitchen, I might have a bit more independence over this meal, so hopefully I can fix that up.
:gl: