Need help forming a diet

markisonfire

Hey everyone, I'm starting to get back into shape after a long period of laziness. I need help creating a diet that works well for me though, and I am interested in hearing your opinions.

I guess I will start off giving a bit about myself. I was healthy throughout high school but was never exactly fit. I am now 22 years old, 5'9" and currently weigh 188 pounds. I hovered around 170 for a long time and was fine with my weight, but recently, vacations, having a girlfriend (and eating out a lot with her), and having a broken hand have lead me to gain about 20 pounds in the past year. I've never weighed this much before, and it is time to do something about it before it gets even harder. So here I am, asking for help.

I suppose my ultimate goal is to get leaner and shed this body fat. At 5'9, I feel my ideal weight for me would be about 160 pounds. That is a goal of 28 pounds, which I feel I can accomplish by the end of summer (September 1st is my goal!) At two pounds a week, that would be fourteen weeks, although I'm anticipating a few pounds to melt away the first week (water weight or something... it comes off real quick in the beginning).

My current activity level isn't goutstanding, although I am now going to the gym four to five days a week and doing 30 minutes of cardio and approximately 30 minutes of lifting, although that will be increasing soon (I am starting a fitness and training program with a friend of mine, but for now I am easing my way into working out). However much of my day is spent sitting (I am a student and software engineer). I also play tennis and hockey on occasion.

According to fitness.com's "Calories Per Day" calculator, I need to take in 2044 calories per day in order to lose two pounds per week. I also use myfitnesspal.com to track the foods I eat (I really like how it tracks food), but their caloric intake calculator is a bit different. Their's says that my net calories consumed should be 1510 calories - is that saying that I need to burn 500 calories a day? Which one is correct? I've been shooting for 1500 calories a day, which is a 1000 calorie deficit.

So, first and foremost, will combining certain foods have an unwanted effect? I don't mean in terms of calories, but rather how they are digested. As an example, this morning's breakfast for me was a bowl of Trader Joe's Instant Oatmeal (click for nutritional information) in a cup of non fat milk, and then I also drank a cup of orange juice. The totals for this came out to 346 calories, 69g carbs, 2g fat, and 13g protein. First of all, am I eating too much or too little for breakfast? Secondly, this upset my stomach a bit. Was this from combining these foods (orange juice and milk, or is that a myth?) or could it have been from going to bed on a somewhat empty stomach?

My diet is generally the same foods each day. Is this bad? I know that doing the same exercises over and over again will cause my muscles to just go through the motions after a while, is this true with foods as well? Otherwise my diet looks like this:

(not sure how to get pictures working here, so just copy/paste the links to the images to see my breakfast and lunch)

http://i.imgur.com/xkqwd.png

http://i.imgur.com/mFWVk.png


I will usually fill up the remaining 500 or so calories with little snacks, like nuts, apples, or another glass of orange juice.

Is there anything you would add or take away? Am I not getting enough nutrients? I'm not taking any vitamins or supplements, recommendations are welcome there as well. If I've missed anything, please let me know. All tips, words of encouragement, and success stories are welcome. I need all the help I can get!

therobinator

First of all, as far as fitness.com and MFP giving you different calorie limits, here's why: MFP builds in your calorie deficit for you, meaning that MFP is telling you to eat a NET of 1,500 calories per day. As in, if you exercise, you eat back the exercise calories that you "earn.". I am betting that fitness.com is telling you to eat 2,000 per day and NOT eat back your exercise calories.....thus netting you the same amount of calories per day that MFP does. Check the link in my signature block for more info on how MFP builds in your deficit and how you don't *have* to exercise, although it *is* beneficial for many reasons.

As for your diet, I personally dont' see any problem with eating the same foods/meals every day. I've been known to do that sometimes for a week at a time just because it makes meal prep easier. But won't you get bored? I do. As long as you are eating good foods (whole, clean, etc), and sticking to your daily caloric and micronutrient ratios (there's a link about micronutrients in my signature block, too) -- there's no reason to restrict yourself to certain foods or set meals. Feel free to stalk my diary for food ideas. I eat well, clean and whole most of time time....but you will see that there are days when I splurge or just simply mess up.

kimmerroze

Robin is pretty much on key...

as far as the too much or too little for breakfast... I tend to eat about a 400 calorie breakfast.. keeps me full longer. I eat about a 250 calorie lunch and about a 400 calorie dinner. i then fill in my snacks with the remaining 400 calories...

I eat 1450 calories a day.

if I work out I eat about 3/4 of my calories back, because I don't have a HRM I am not sure if the numbers MFP or the machines are telling me are 100% correct. I dont' want to over eat.

As for foods, its okay to eat the same thing, but try to experiment BEFORE you get bored, that way you don't fall off the wagon, If you don't get bored, then that is awesome for you and please continue on with your routine.

If you are weight lifting a LOT make sure to eat lots of protein. It will help repair your muscles and give your body important nutrients and energy that it needs.

Eat clean as much as possible.. People will preach 100% clean but just do your best. I am at about 80% clean and 20% not so clean. lol

Make sure to take measurements as well as weight so that you can track both.

and remember to make this "diet" something you can do forever, that way you wont ever quit once you hit your goal weight... this is a lifestyle change, not a temporary thing. :happy: good luck to you!