Diet question for you guys now.

[zachiphus]

Hey guys, i really appreciate all the help you have given me so far on workout routines and exercises. But i have another one for you now. I have nice abs, but i have a little layer of skin over it and the dreaded love handles. So i have doen some research and i need to change my diet a little bit, this is what i found that works best for those in my situation.

 

50% carbohydrates

30% protein

20% fat

 

This is great, but i'm not sure what the greatest foods are to eat when considering these groups of food. I've heard that veggies and fruits are good substitiutes for some of the grains(of course i can't cut these out completely) what do u guys think? I'm not too worried about the protein because i get plenty of that. I should probably drink more green tea as well, i hear this has many more benefits than boosting your metabolism and the taste. So just tell me what you think this type of diet should consist of.

[JimmerJammer]

Hey zachiphus,

 

First off I'd like to say I'm happy to hear you're taking steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle, something that is important at a young age and as you get older. Secondly I would ask you what your goals are, your intentions or why you're dieting at all. Without this prior knowledge I will give you some pointers on what I think is pretty safe all around. If you can be more specific with your goals or what you hope to achieve, I can give you a much better indication of what I think would help you. Otherwise these are guidelines.

 

Protein: Lean red meats, fish, chicken. Also substitute those 3 prior types for eggs, tofu or beans regularly. Although nuts contain protein and fibre, they usually contain a lot of fat and although there isn't much saturated fat, its still something to eat in moderation.

 

Carbohydrates: If weight management is your reason, substitute white grains for whole grains. So for cereals, breads and pastas try to eat multi-grain or whole-wheat varieties. Also when it comes to vegetables, without the addition of fats(in oils) or sauces, plain ones contain VERY little calories so I say you can generally go nuts with them. There are exceptions, but without being too specific, yet these are safe. (Pay attention though to serving sizes. Most banana's and large oranges or apples can sometimes be more than a single serving size.) So think spinach, broccoli, apples, banana's, lettuce, peppers(green+red), radishes, beets(if you can tolerate them), corn, carrots, cabbage.

 

Fat: Think healthier alternatives: olive oil (with extra virgin to be used on salads breads or on pasta... tastes great! plus extra virgin has a low smoking point so you have to be careful when cooking with it! So then you can use regular olive oil to cook with), also margarine instead of butter. Grapeseed oil is another good choice. Also if you don't eat fish regularly, try to find a good fish oil substitute as it contains Omega-3 fatty acids which are good for you! plus its not high in saturated fats either!

 

Dairy: Milk (skim or at most 1%. Watch your intake of chocolate variety!), soya milk, cheese (eat sparingly but include in diet.)

 

So this is a rough outline of some things, there's much more I can include if you provide me with a more specific idea of what your plans are for yourself (body composition, expected gains, health, etc).

 

Hope this helps! Don't be afraid to ask me more or for clarification!

[zachiphus]

Secondly I would ask you what your goals are, your intentions or why you're dieting at all. Without this prior knowledge I will give you some pointers on what I think is pretty safe all around. If you can be more specific with your goals or what you hope to achieve, I can give you a much better indication of what I think would help you.

 

thanks for the reply man, some of that was actually quite helpful.

 

I am by no means in bad shape, i am just under 6'0" and i weigh 170 lbs, mostly muscle. All i am doing is trying to lose the little excess skin around my sides, especially my love handles. I don't think i need a "hardcore" diet to achieve this, but the little things i can do would help me greatly. I eat 5 small meals a day as opposed to 3 regular sized meals to help maintain a steady metabolism. I will take you advice to heart and try to integrate it into my meals.

 

edit: also i do drink 2% milk.. I only drink it in the morning with my cereal though, and rarely drink a glass when i am home for dinner. I drink at least 10 glasses of water throughout the day.

[JimmerJammer]

Well once again its hard to know what your exact goals are. Like if you want to get pretty lean or cut then you're going to have to do some work still. Ideally you're at a good weight, but if you want to go lower or cut down some fat still then there are some things you should note.

 

Say you want to lose weight then this breakdown is what I follow:

 

Daily Caloric intake from protein, carbs and fats:

 

protein: 2g/lb of body weight (4cal/g)

carbs: 1.2g/lb of body weight (4cal/g)

fat: limit to 15ml(tablespoon) a day! (9cal/g)

 

so this means in your case that in order to lose weight from 170lbs you need to eat:

340g protein (1360cal)

204g carbs (816cal)

15mL ~15g fat (135cal)

==================

total: 2311 calories (which also means to maintain 170lbs you'd need to eat about 2800 calories.)

This means that you should be losing about 1lb of fat a week while ensuring optimum nutrition.

 

These are rough figures meant as a guideline once again so while it may not be exact, its what has worked for me! Also other things to keep in mind. Your body is a machine more or less and so it also doesn't need high caloric rich foods later in the day. This means that your best off eating things structured than all over the place, but its pretty simple to follow. Try to think in terms of giving your body what it needs. When it first wakes up it's going to need energy for the day and if you're doing something that requires much energy well then you're going to need to recharge by lunch for sure. If, like most people, you are done by 5pm well you won't need as much energy so you won't have to eat as much calorie dense foods to fuel your body.

 

Things I really recommend though is that if you get up at around 6am or 7am and are in bed before or around 11pm, then its best NOT to eat pasta, bread, cereal (grains) AFTER 8pm (or at 2-3 hours before you go to bed). This means if you're going to eat carbs, make sure its from something like a green vegetable. Protein is also a must to add too, but because protein is hard on the digestive system some forms are better to eat at night than others (why you'll hear people say to eat cottage cheese, but I hate the stuff now! lol so if you can stomach it then go for it!).

 

So ya outside of paying attention to what you eat and being mindful of the unhealthy things you may be tempted to indulge in, its good to think of healthy eating in terms of what you eat most of the time. If you eat 36/42 of your meals with healthy food choices well then you're most likely going to have a "diet" that maintains a healthy physique and lifestyle. ONLY its better to indulge in something you enjoy that's unhealthy during one day of the week as opposed to including it in one meal a day for the whole week.

 

Once again I hope this helps and I apologize if I've overwhelmed you or confused you.

[zachiphus]

nope, i understand completely. thanks for the input

[Bonzophuebes1]

Man, that is hard core. I just hope I have wine at home every night. I eat what I want, and I am 6ft 175. No six pack though. I have a 2 liter. HAHA. Man, you go, i applaud you.

[mitch17]

just eat everything in moderation.. im healthty as and i dont scale what i eat.. just get veggies and meat into u everyday.

[zachiphus]

well, i started my workout routine at the beginnning of june. and in 6 weeks, there is already a dramatic difference in my physique. I think my extra "flab" will go away in a little more time if i keep doing what i am doing, but i am always trying to get things faster when i should just be more patient. I have no doubt if i keep doing what i am doing i am going to get my desired build.