Need Advice Nutrition

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  • macdiver
    macdiver Posts: 145 Member
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    If you want to gain muscle and lose fat, try upping your protien. A nice targer would be 1 gram per pound of body weight. While it is difficult for an experienced weight lifter to gain muscle and lose fat, you have the benefit of being a newbie. It is quite common for newbies to gain muscle while losing fat and eating at a caloric deficit. Mr. Rippetoe has (or used to) a nice article on his website regarding newbie gains.
  • kayduro
    kayduro Posts: 249 Member
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    If I were you I would eat more fruits & veggies and drink at least 8 glasses water each day. For me, the water really helps me to lose weight. HTH!
  • Killsocket
    Killsocket Posts: 11 Member
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    Would you guys and gals be so kind and glance at today's diary of mine? Other than Coke... is this more like it?

    Thanks in advance. I really appreciate all the help you all have offered.
  • Killsocket
    Killsocket Posts: 11 Member
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    Would you guys and gals be so kind and glance at today's diary of mine? Other than Coke... is this more like it?

    Thanks in advance. I really appreciate all the help you all have offered.

    Why are you stressing on coke? If someone said it's bad for you, they have no idea what they're talking about.

    Yous aid you're losing weight, that's your goal right? You're achieving your goal, so who cares about anything else. You're done fine stop stressing it.

    Just dont want 20 replies saying get rid of Coke. I want to get an idea how today stacks up to where I wasnt eating enough calories yesterday. Paranoid maybe :)
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
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    Would you guys and gals be so kind and glance at today's diary of mine? Other than Coke... is this more like it?

    Thanks in advance. I really appreciate all the help you all have offered.

    first, I am not an expert......I am female, way older than you and have different goals :) I only looked at a few days of your log and I think the macros and cals today don't look bad. I have found out that I do poorly on the MFP setting for carb/protein/fat. I am not looking to 'bulk' but I want to lose a few pounds and be leaner and fitter. I also want to eat well, not feel hungry or deprived. I think setting (and sticking as best as you can) to 40/30/30, keeping sodium as low as you can and drinking water should help you. I noticed you don't log water.....do you not drink it or just not log it???? Also, some of your meals seem a tad light so to speak. I would not be able to a lunch of just some ham and be satisfied. I don't think you need a lecture on fast food/processed food but if you watch your log and sodium intake you will figure out that you will get more 'bang for your buck' by eating a bit cleaner. But I also don't know what our circumstances are.....able/willing to cook, food preferences, etc. Make small changes and listen to your body. Low energy is a sign that you are possibly lacking some nutrients/fuel/vitamins etc. Up your protein, when filling your plate for lunch or dinner look at about 1/2 plate veggies, 1/4 meat/protein and 1/4 carb/starch to get a rough idea. I also feel a bit better with a bit of Vit D and B complex added. Good luck
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Hello from MN!

    In my opinion, today's intake, while still perhaps a bit low, is certainly nothing that I'd call "ridiculous". Looks better to me.

    Regarding coke: A philosophy that you mind find reasonable would be to allow yourself approximately 20% of your calories to fall under a "discretionary" intake. That is, if your calorie limit is 2000, you would allow 400 calories of that 2000 to come from whatever the F you want, while still hitting your calorie and macronutrient intake goals . If that means you have a small bag of chips and a coke, go for it. This is a rather simple method of ensuring that "most" of your food is nutrient dense and "some" of your food is allowed to be whatever you want, simply for adherence purposes.

    Eventually, at some point down the road in your dieting, you may wish to switch to diet soda simply to free up those calories for other foods, but provided you're not ingesting buttloads of it, I wouldn't stress over it. Focus primarily on hitting your numbers and don't neglect to eat a lot of nutrient dense foods. Beyond that, no need to complicate things or start bucketing foods into "good" and "bad".


    Now, regarding your quest to gain muscle and lose fat -- this has been hashed over repeatedly and unfortunately people don't go into enough detail and instead provide a blanket "yes or no" response.

    A more detailed answer that I believe to be correct (and I'll reinforce with a great article) is as follows:

    The conditions under which someone gains LBM in a hypocaloric diet are as follows:

    a) Overweight/overfat beginners
    b) People returning to training from a long layoff

    And in a), the duration and amount of LBM gained is typically not all that much and it's relatively limited in duration.

    Many people who are getting leaner while lifting will make the mistake (and often boast about it on the forums) that they have gained absurd amounts of muscle ("I lost 18lbs of fat and gained 17lbs of muscle in 5 months!") because their lifting and dieting has them both LOOKING more muscular, and getting much stronger but they don't understand that strength gains come largely (but not exclusively) from neurological adaptations (you can get much stronger without gaining muscle).

    At any rate, Lyle McDonald is the man here:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

    EDIT: However you DO still want to lift weights while dieting, at least most people probably should. There is still great benefit because it helps retain LBM as you diet down. Dieting down in the absence of resistance training will result in larger losses of muscle, and you probably don't want this.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
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    Listen to SideSteel.

    Eat less sodium.

    Don't drastically change what you are doing if what you are doing is working, but the tiredness may well be from too few calories. Add them back slowly.

    Good luck!
  • xo_Sarah_xo
    xo_Sarah_xo Posts: 308 Member
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    I'm the type of person who gains weight just LOOKING at the pie that I am finishing...any advice? ;):wink:
  • CarrieStL
    CarrieStL Posts: 162 Member
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    Your intake seems a little low to me. My husband is 6" 1 and weighs 228 currently. He has dropped 30 lbs since June 1. He works out (running or bootcamp) 5 days a week typically. He was at 1600 and our trainer told him he HAS to eat more to lose fat and gain muscle. You (lucky as hell) guys need more calories, plain and simple. If your net is too low, and your body hits starvation, evolution kicks in and it locks your system down. He eats up to 2500 calories many days and is still seeing steady fat loss and major changes in his physicality. It is true when they say you have to eat more to lose. We have both experienced that. Adding more calories got both of us over plateaus over the past month or so. If you don't put your body under stress, it will do what you want it to do. Just a sloooooooooow process, unfortunately.
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    Not criticizing the soda, just providing support!: I completely understand the soda craving. I cut out soda a year ago and it was hard. If you want to eventually get rid of the soda, try replacing it it with sparkling water. That really helped me when I got the craving for the bubbly. I will add flavored stevia to sweeten and give it flavor.

    If you are looking to add a nice protein to your diet, research Jay Robb Whey protein powder. This is the only protein I have found that has no carbs, 23g of protein for 110 calories. It makes a good shake as well and blended with fruit is great. It also goes well mixed with the Chobani.

    I agree that you should increase you overall caloric intake. Eating fresh fruits and veggies is vital.
  • Nickiii_123
    Nickiii_123 Posts: 134 Member
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    Hi,

    I looked at your food diary for the last week and I agree with what most people said here: eating more fruits and veggies would be a good idea. Eat more calories! :) You have them, you might as well use them. Also, eating 40/30/30 is probably a good place to start.
    After looking on line and on the mfp threads I switched my macros to that as well. I find that I feel really great when I can hit those goals but I do have a hard time getting all my protein in some days. The days that I do get it all I have more energy and I'm less hungry so I hope it works for you too. If not, keep playing with it. Everyone is different so what works for some might not work for others.

    One think that occurred to me when going through your diary- What if you changed your brand of bread? Its probably made with high fructose corn syrup and that can make you feel sluggish. Try looking for a brand of bread that doesn't use high f.c.s. and has lots of whole grains, not just whole wheat. I can't eat gluten so I don't know much about bread brands anymore so I can't recommend any.

    Also, when you feel like cutting back on the Coke you might notice a change in your energy levels. Don't worry though. No judgement here. I totally understand about having that one vice food that you just aren't ready to get rid of :)

    Good luck to you! I hope you are able to figure it out.
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
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    just eat the whole can of tuna over a big salad and leave the bread and the mayo out...

    give up the soda

    powerbars are nothing but glorified candy bars and should only be used as a last resort

    try buying nuts without the salt

    what is your exercise routine looking like
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
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    I see a lack of fresh veggies and fruits. Just adding some raw spinach leaves to your sandwiches and some strawberries or grapes as a side or snack would increase the nutrition level of your meals for minimal additional calories. I know when I eat too much bread or processed meat I feel tired and have lower energy levels. I feel much better eating more fruits and veggies, love those anti-oxidants, my skin looks better and I look younger. Not saying anything about the coke...for me, it's coffee with the flavored creamers. I've tried other creamers, but they just don't taste as good. I'm all about moderation and eating in a way that is sustainable, if its too hard or expensive, I would get frustrated and quit. I also think that what is the perfect diet for one person may not be the best for someone else. Eat what works inside your calorie allowance and change it up to see what gives you the most energy and leaves you feeling satisfied. It's all a learning curve about listening to our bodies, not following learned behaviors or emotional eating, just letting our energy levels and bodies tell us what gives it the fuel it needs.
  • macdiver
    macdiver Posts: 145 Member
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    I'm the type of person who gains weight just LOOKING at the pie that I am finishing...any advice? ;):wink:

    Either don't look at it or don't finish it. One of those is the problem. I'll let you figure out which it is. :bigsmile:
  • xo_Sarah_xo
    xo_Sarah_xo Posts: 308 Member
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    I'm the type of person who gains weight just LOOKING at the pie that I am finishing...any advice? ;):wink:

    Either don't look at it or don't finish it. One of those is the problem. I'll let you figure out which it is. :bigsmile:

    Alright! My new dieting strategy is to eat with my eyes closed from now on! Thanks! :wink:
  • annehart00
    annehart00 Posts: 42
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    Hey, I looked at your food diary. Can I recommend that you might want to look at your micronutrients (vitamin a & c, as well as Iron, calcium, and potassium). It seems to me that you might not be getting enough vitamins that come from vegetable sources. Also, carbs like beans, legumes, brown and wild rice provide important nutrients (magnesium, thiamine, niacin, etc) not listed on fitnesspal. Not getting enough of those could make you tired even if you eat enough calories.

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