Sample days meals - eating enough?

[imported_dmbelina]

I recently have begun an HST cycle, but would like to know if I am eating enough (or too much&#33 to make some gains, and not put on too much fat, if any. Actually, trying to lose some fat, if possible.
Right now I am 5'8", 180 with ~19% bf (not sure how accurate the bf% is, was from a measurement at the gym)
Here's is a sample day's meals (used figures from fitday.com, and from labels):
Total: 1797 cals
46g fat (24% total cals) 137g carbs (28% total cals) 198g protein (47% total cals)
#1:
1 serving Multi-grain & flax hot cereal (160 cal, 3g fat, 25g carbs, 7g prot)
1 cup skim milk (85 cal, 12g carbs, 8g prot)
1 scoop protein powder (110 cal, 1.5g fat, 3g carbs, 22g prot)
3Tbsp mixed nuts (170 cal,16g fat, 6g carbs, 5g prot)
#2:
baked skinless chicken breast (245 cal, 5g fat, 46g prot)
3/4 cup green peas (68 cal, 12g carbs, 4g prot)
medium red potato (123 cal, 28 carbs, 3g prot)
#3:
1 can tuna fish (170 cal, 1g fat, 2g carbs, 32g prot)
1 apple (81 cal, 21g carbs)
#4:
1 cup skim milk (85 cal, 12g carbs, 8g prot)
1 scoop protein powder (110 cal, 1.5g fat, 3g carbs, 22g prot)
1 Tbsp flax oil (130 cal, 14g fat)
#5:
1 can tuna fish (170 cal, 1g fat, 2g carbs, 32g prot)
1 cup skim milk (85 cal, 12g carbs, 8g prot)
Thanks!

 

[Chupacabra]

At 180 lbs, you're almost certainly going to lose fat on 1800 kcal/day, unless you have the metabolism from the Planet of Slow.

 

[Techo]

Don't forget to look into HIIT training =)
A little of that (5-20 minutes) after every lifting session will likely help speed the process!

 

[jboy]

Unless you’re new to lift weights, don’t expect to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I’m not saying it’s completely impossible (that’s debatable), but it’s not likely to happen (it’s difficult even on AAS&#33. As a general rule, you can expect to gain some fat while bulking and lose some muscle while cutting. The trick is to shift the balance into your favor.

1700 calories at your weight and BF% is about right for cutting. This is a good thing though! You should really try to get lean (BF=10% range) before trying to add mass. 19%BF is too high to try to bulk in my opinion. You’re likely to get caught in the whipsaw effect of gaining too much fat while bulking, and then losing a lot (if not all) of your gains trying to drop your BF% after. Been there, done that!!! The leaner you are, the more priority your muscle cells will have to the calories/nutrients vs. your fat cells. In other words, it will be easier to stay leaner while you bulk!

Throw in 3-4 cardio workouts a week. Low-moderate intensity, 30-45 minutes each.

Here’s what I would change in your diet (this all applies to cutting, not bulking):

Your macronutrient ratios look fine for your lifting days. On your non-lifting days (cardio only days) change to the following ratios: Protein = 50%, Carbs = 20%, Fats = 30%

I would drop the milk from your diet. Milk may be low GI, but it’s one of the anomaly foods that also has a very high insulin response. Okay for bulking, but not so good for cutting, IMHO.

Try to keep the majority of your carbs centered around your workout. Take in a few carbs pre-workout to give you enough energy to train hard, but the majority of your carbs should come in two post-workout meals (keep fat low in these two meals). The first one within 30-45 minutes of finishing your workout. This meal should be liquid and contain high GI carbs and whey protein. About an hour after that, eat anther meal of protein and carbs. These can be slower digesting types of both nutrients. The rest of the time you should strive to keep your carb intake low or at the very least from low GI sources.

I think most people will agree with the above. Hope this helps!

 

[Techo]

I'll echo jboy on the topic of cutting before bulking. I started around 19% then ballooned up 22%... Doesn't sound like a huge jump, but your mirror will tell you otherwise (currently back to 19% now).

jboy, thanks for the tip on milk. I didn't know it was more of a bulking food rather then a cutting food. I was drinking 1+ liter at a time this past week, but I guess I'll have to save that for when my BF reaches an acceptable range.

 

[Aaron_F]

Quote[/b] (jboy @ Dec. 13 2003,7:47)]The leaner you are, the more priority your muscle cells will have to the calories/nutrients vs. your fat cells.

Except, the research that this is based on is predominantly naturally lean people, if you have starved (dieted) to get to a lean level, you are likely to gain fat becuase of the metabolic adaptations ot the low leptin levels.

Quote[/b] ]I would drop the milk from your diet. Milk may be low GI, but it’s one of the anomaly foods that also has a very high insulin response. Okay for bulking, but not so good for cutting, IMHO

Probably something he doesnt need to bother with, with his BF%, Milk is fine for the vast majority of people who are not lactose intolerant. The calcium in it also will help create a leaner bulk (taking that calcium from milk is better absorbed than calcium from supplementation)

Quote[/b] ]I'll echo jboy on the topic of cutting before bulking. I started around 19% then ballooned up 22%... Doesn't sound like a huge jump, but your mirror will tell you otherwise (currently back to 19% now).

At this bf you would highly likely get fat loss while gaining some muscle. Just make sure your calories are not too low 1700 maybe, it may be just right as well. Experiementation doesnt hurt.

Quote[/b] ]jboy, thanks for the tip on milk. I didn't know it was more of a bulking food rather then a cutting food. I was drinking 1+ liter at a time this past week, but I guess I'll have to save that for when my BF reaches an acceptable range.

AS long as the caloric content of the milk falls within your desired intake, dont worry about it.

 

[Techo]

Thanks for the tips Aaron. I'm hoping to cut back carbs since that has been the general agreement as far as I can see. However, I will try not be so paranoid... As my current weight is close to 163 lbs I'm trying to get close to 1600 calories/day - hopefully thats not to little or much, but as you said: Experiement!!!

 

[Aaron_F]

Calories should be fine, but it also depends on your daily activity levels anyway. I can diet down to around 1800kcals, and Im 250 at the moment (but almost as high a BF) becuase my life is extremely sedentary, and I do little cardio.

 

[jboy]

Age also comes into play here! Trust me! I'm 32 and I can't get away with anywhere near the calorie intake that I could at 22! Things started to change in my late 20's....hair line & waste line being most notable! It's taken a ton of hard work to bring the waste line back in shape...don't know what the hell to do about the hair!