Intake questions
Replies
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Alright. What are the implications of eating more? I have been feeling really ravenous the past 2 days. I am also wondering if this impacts my lifting.
If you eat more you will lose weight slower (or gain if it takes you over your maintenance). Your lifting will most likely improve however.0 -
oh sigh
at 175.4 today...... 0 -
Our original advice was:
Calories: 1700
Protein: 140
Fat: 60
Carbs: 150
Since you updated us on 25th, you have had. per your diary:
Calories: 1,676
Protein: 101
Fat: 55
Carbs: 204
There are also a couple of days where you have generic adds. For example, 9/13 you had a Generic Shawarma Plate and on 9/1 for Ichiumi - Sushi Buffet (which had messed up macros for it). However, you appear to have been much better at not using the generic adds which should help accuracy a lot.
Due to your appetite issues, I would really like to see how you do on lower carbs before dropping your intake. Try to keep to the 150g carbs, and the other macros that we suggested.
I would also recommend seeing your doctor to test for thyroid issues or possible PCOS. Theoretically, you should be losing on those calories, even if the macros are off. The high'ish carbs could be causing an issue is you are insulin resistant.0 -
haha yeah the sushi day...I tried my best to find the most appropriate one. So then am I on the IIFYM method? If so, is there a place for me to read more about it?
I have bumped up my calories by a little bit because I find it hard to lift with the 1700...maybe it's a mind game sort of thing. I also really enjoy fruits but I know fruits are driving up my carbs intake...is there a substitution?0 -
bump. Also sara, I was looking through your journal and it seems to me that you only really drink your food. Are you on a liquid diet?0
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bump. Also sara, I was looking through your journal and it seems to me that you only really drink your food. Are you on a liquid diet?
???? I am not sure whose diary you are looking at. I like my lattes so I have a lot of milk but I also consume the majority of my calories by way of food.0 -
haha yeah the sushi day...I tried my best to find the most appropriate one. So then am I on the IIFYM method? If so, is there a place for me to read more about it?
I have bumped up my calories by a little bit because I find it hard to lift with the 1700...maybe it's a mind game sort of thing. I also really enjoy fruits but I know fruits are driving up my carbs intake...is there a substitution?
1) Choose lower calorie fruits such as berries.
2) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym0 -
Thanks so much for the website! I find it hard to keep within the carbs due to the rice I eat...is there a way for a substitute? What are some good carbs to have? I really enjoy fruit (i.e. apples) but they are so high in carbs! for example, the mcintosh apple has 22g of carbs 0
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What would my intake look like if I want to just change my body composition (gain muscle lose body fat?) Also, at what point do I start this?0
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What would my intake look like if I want to just change my body composition (gain muscle lose body fat?) Also, at what point do I start this?
If you wanted to recomp you would slowly bring your calories up to maintenance and stay there while maintaining your exercise program. It's generally going to be a slow process and somewhat inefficient but there are scenarios where I think it's a reasonable decision.
If your weight is reasonable for your height and you don't mind staying at that weight AND you have the patience to choose a method that isn't going to reward you with visible changes rather rapidly, then it can be a reasonable choice. I generally wouldn't recommend it for people who are overweight or clearly underweight, although I'm open to the idea that there could be individual situations/contexts that might make it justifiable.
It's also fine in some cases (especially with prolonged dieting) to ramp cals up to maintenance and sit there for a few weeks as sort of a "diet break" to basically press the pause button and recharge, followed by bringing calories back down. It can theoretically help with hormonal issues that happen with prolonged dieting as well and it can help some people mentally.0 -
What would you think is best in my situation? I have been sitting at this weight level ever since I started this and I dont see any changes to my weight. I am still currently fluctuating around the same 175lbs0
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What would you think is best in my situation? I have been sitting at this weight level ever since I started this and I dont see any changes to my weight. I am still currently fluctuating around the same 175lbs
It's up to you, however, if you want to lose weight and think you have more than a few lbs of fat to lose, then eat at a deficit and lose more BF rather than trying to recomp. It depends if you can stick to the calorie and macro targets we suggested - and that is really something we cannot answer.0 -
I def admit that it is hard to stick to the 1700 as I am feeling pretty hungry. I am uncertain if this "plateau" means that my body has had enough of dieting. I am hoping you have more insight due to the other people you have talked to.
If I were to do the recomp, what would my food intake schedule look like?0 -
I def admit that it is hard to stick to the 1700 as I am feeling pretty hungry. I am uncertain if this "plateau" means that my body has had enough of dieting. I am hoping you have more insight due to the other people you have talked to.
What are your current meal times/meal frequencies and how large are your meals?
For example:
Do you eat 6 small meals per day or 2 really big ones or something in between?
How much whole foods vs junk food do you eat generally speaking?
I'm asking because I'm looking for ways to blunt hunger to try and help you stick to your calorie and macronutrient goals.
Alternatively, can you increase activity?0 -
Here is a breakdown of what I do:
I get up at 5:35am and I will have a bowl of oatmeal (see diary) and then I head to the gym.
During my workout, I usually have some form of workout drink (again see diary) and then after that, around 8:15am, I will have my protein shake with almond milk.
When I get to the office at 9am, I will get a protein bar (the quest ones) and I will snack on that until around 11ish. I tend to just grab bites here and there and I usually eat them pretty slowly. I will have an apple or some form of fruit around 11-12. Lunch tends to be between 1-2pm and it is usually a salad. Dinner is around 6:30pm to 7pm. Before that, in the afternoon, I will either have some more fruit and greek yogurt. Today, I brought a granola bar and greek yogurt. I tend to try and space each item out so I will have something to eat at 3pm and then at 5pm.
Dinner tends to be the bigger meal of the day. I will have some form of protein (i.e. chicken, beef, pork chops, or sausage), with veggies (boiled carrots, or broccoli, sometimes a pepper and onion stirfry). and the starch is usually potatoes or rice, with the occassional perogies.
I tend to have larger dinners with a medium sized lunch and snacks in between, and not really meals. I am aiming to eat in the 80-20 style, but sometimes sugar cravings get a little out of control. I also try to limit my sodium intake but that goes a little out of whack when I have curry.
I try to cook the majority of my food, but sometimes we will have pizza or takeout (i.e. subway). There are certain days when I feel like I just want to eat everything in sight or I want to stuff my face with sugar and unhealthy foods in general.
Currently, I work out 5 days a week (3 days of stronglifts, and 2 days of spinning for 1hr). I do my workouts in the morning as I get off work close to 6pm and I sleep at 9pm. I could increase activity by going to the gym on the weekends too.0 -
Here is a breakdown of what I do:
I get up at 5:35am and I will have a bowl of oatmeal (see diary) and then I head to the gym.
During my workout, I usually have some form of workout drink (again see diary) and then after that, around 8:15am, I will have my protein shake with almond milk.
When I get to the office at 9am, I will get a protein bar (the quest ones) and I will snack on that until around 11ish. I tend to just grab bites here and there and I usually eat them pretty slowly. I will have an apple or some form of fruit around 11-12. Lunch tends to be between 1-2pm and it is usually a salad. Dinner is around 6:30pm to 7pm. Before that, in the afternoon, I will either have some more fruit and greek yogurt. Today, I brought a granola bar and greek yogurt. I tend to try and space each item out so I will have something to eat at 3pm and then at 5pm.
Dinner tends to be the bigger meal of the day. I will have some form of protein (i.e. chicken, beef, pork chops, or sausage), with veggies (boiled carrots, or broccoli, sometimes a pepper and onion stirfry). and the starch is usually potatoes or rice, with the occassional perogies.
I tend to have larger dinners with a medium sized lunch and snacks in between, and not really meals. I am aiming to eat in the 80-20 style, but sometimes sugar cravings get a little out of control. I also try to limit my sodium intake but that goes a little out of whack when I have curry.
I try to cook the majority of my food, but sometimes we will have pizza or takeout (i.e. subway). There are certain days when I feel like I just want to eat everything in sight or I want to stuff my face with sugar and unhealthy foods in general.
Currently, I work out 5 days a week (3 days of stronglifts, and 2 days of spinning for 1hr). I do my workouts in the morning as I get off work close to 6pm and I sleep at 9pm. I could increase activity by going to the gym on the weekends too.
Regarding satiety, one thing you can attempt to do that may seem counter-intuitive would be to remove some of the snacking in your diet and group those calories up into larger meals.
So just for example suppose you have 300 calories worth of snacks, and you instead take those 300 calories and add them to lunch, making a much larger lunch. This can potentially increase satiety in some people.
Another thing you may want to consider would be to get closer to hitting your protein target. Protein can be a very satiating macronutrient for some people. One solution would be to add a scoop of protein powder to your morning oats. See if this does anything to increase satiety (I'd specifically suggest adding it to breakfast for starters, again for satiation).
These are things that will require some experimentation on your part, but those are some things I'd consider trying. Keep in mind, you are not "adding" calories with the above suggestions. You are moving them.0 -
Oh ok, I can try that...just remove some snacking and have them as part of my lunch. What would you suggest to add to my current salads to make them higher in calories? They're already at a 300-400 calories per salad.
I have also heard lots of talk re: whether it is better to have carbs or protein before/after a workout...what are your thoughts?0 -
Oh ok, I can try that...just remove some snacking and have them as part of my lunch. What would you suggest to add to my current salads to make them higher in calories? They're already at a 300-400 calories per salad.
Add some deli meat perhaps? It would help you get protein up.I have also heard lots of talk re: whether it is better to have carbs or protein before/after a workout...what are your thoughts?
I think that total protein intake over the course of time will trump any benefits of specific nutrient timing. Additionally, if you're already eating a mixed meal on either or both ends of training then you are probably getting some/most of the benefits of nutrient timing. (In other words, if you eat breakfast, go lift, then go eat lunch, and those meals are within a couple of hours of training, I'd be surprised if a post workout protein shake does anything useful beyond the contribution it makes to your total protein intake). This is one of those things that might matter in some contexts and in some amount, but there are very large gaps in the research and I don't think it's possible to quantify how much it matters.
At this point with most people I'd be confident recommending to just hit your daily intake totals and use performance and personal preference as your main determinants in how you time your protein. If you have no preferences or no aversion to consuming some protein near the training bout, then it's not a bad idea to cover any theoretical advantages.
For carbohydrates, assuming you're not training multiple glycogen depleting bouts in a short time frame (you aren't), then I'd absolutely rely on preference/performance as your main variables.
EDIT: In my opinion, dietary adherence still trumps any minor benefits to specific nutrient timing methods.0 -
That sounds good. I will give the fewer snacking and higher meals a try this week!0
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No changes yet again...had TOM and actually went up to 177.4.....0
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How are hunger levels overall?
Was the 1360 calorie day on 10/13 fully logged?0 -
No it was not as I was at family's for thanksgiving dinner and I had no idea how to log all that was made
Hunger levels aren't too bad. I'm just eating my quest bars in the morning a lot slower than normal. I do find that recently I am getting a little more hungry around 3-4 in the afternoon.0 -
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Are the following days accurate?
Oct 6th:
1342 calories
Oct 20th:
1409 calories
I'm asking because I'm looking at a monthly average in a spreadsheet.0 -
I have reviewed those days and they are accurate.0
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Moving back up to the top0
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bump again0
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Ultimately the issue is this:
If you aren't currently losing at your average intake, you either need to increase your activity, decrease your intake, or execute a combination of those variables to reintroduce a calorie deficit. At the current intake it sounds like you're having issues maintaining adherence, so if we suggest a caloric decrease, it's not likely that you're going to be able to stick to it. But that doesn't change the fact that the above variables are what you're working with to try and continue losing fat.
Where do you believe you are as far as your threshold for activity? One option would be to increase cardio intensity, or duration, or frequency, or some of each. Another option would be to attempt to reduce calories by another 100.
Regarding the adherence issues, I'd recommend attempting to increase consumption of fibrous vegetables as that's an easy way to add bulk to your diet and increase food volume without putting to big of a dent into your total daily intake.0
This discussion has been closed.