Insanity nutrition for dummies. (help)

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Basic info: 5'4 178 lbs. Goal is to lose 30 to 40 lbs. Preferably by my Bday May 30th. I am in week 2 of Insanity and so far I can handle it but where I have problems is the nutrition. I am a single male who is no chef to say the least. According to the calculations I should be eating 2400 calories a day, however the guide provided is daunting to say the least. I am not great in the kitchen and lets face it eating right costs more as well. I am not looking for any special easy way out of the nutrition I am just hoping someone can dumb it down for me. I understand the 40/20/40 concept but my issue is with what to eat. My diet through the first week has been something like this:

Breakfast: Homemade ham egg and cheese muffin. Whole grain muffin, one egg over hard, 1 slice of cheese and 1-2 slices of ham.

Lunch: Basic sandwich, turkey and or roast beef with cheese, mustard, lettuce and a dash of oil and vinegar.

Dinner: Chicken or pork or fish with the occasional red meat.

Now I am aware I should be eating 5 meals spread out throughout the day but I am struggling in what to get for those meals. Am I eating too many carbs by having sandwiches morning and afternoon? Should I be buying a box of protein bars to get those extra couple meals in during the day? Right now the pocket book is light which is another of my concerns, any healthy, relatively inexpensive and easy meal ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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  • Maynard02
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    bump
  • R_Calvillo
    R_Calvillo Posts: 177 Member
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    I eat a handful of almonds for my "snack" meals.
  • Apinget
    Apinget Posts: 41 Member
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    Almonds and nuts, especially if you have a bulk foods section can be a relatively cost effective way to get in calories when you're under. Since you're doing an intense workout most days a week it's important that you're getting enough protein and calories, so it's good that you're aware that you should be eating more than your are.

    That being said, I've found amazing results through lifting and a lower carb diet (no more than 40 net carbs a day which is carbs minus the fiber) so I would recommend removing the breakfast sandwich and replacing it with good ol' eggs and bacon or eggs and ham (basically what you're eating only subtracting the bread.) I find this breakfast to be satisfying and hearty or I'll make a crustless quiche during the weekend and portion it out for breakfast for my boyfriend and I for the week, which makes the morning easy and stress free, simply heat and eat. Quiche is nice because it's essentially mixing eggs, cream, cheese, meats and veggies (really whatever you like) and baking it in the oven. You could even make a quiche simply to have for your "snack" meals since it'll provide a plethora of nutrition along with the calories you need. If you're interested in going the keto (low carb) route or even just interested in learning some relatively easy recipes a great source is...

    http://cavemanketo.com/

    his recipes are easy and make large portions for reheating throughout the week, not to mention most of them can be made for fairly cheap with the meat being the most expensive item (which is usually is).

    I'd say if you aren't down with going the low carb route your meals still seem much too small to stand alone and you should plump them up with a protein powder or other snacks. I find great prices for powders online on websites such as amazon. My personal favorite powder in terms of macros is "Sun Warrior" but it's a bit pricey, I'm sure you could find some other powders at your grocery store if it has a "healthy living" section. I'd recommend looking closely at the nutrition labels since a lot of powders have soy and unnecessary sweeteners which end up adding more than I need (but being a woman and having different calorie requirements may have something to do with it for me).
    Be sure to check your grocery store circulars too, it's a great way to find meat and veggies on sale :)

    As far as snack go, I stick to the high fat, high protein, and low carb route such as
    pork rinds with French onion dip
    pumpkin seeds
    almonds
    cheese (full fat, more protein, less sugar, win/win really)
    celery with almond butter
    sliced deli meats
    cucumber with goat cheese
    hardboiled eggs
    deviled eggs (hard boiled eggs + mayo and mustard)
    guacamole and vegetable

    If you can manage to afford/ fit a few of these foods into your diet I don't doubt that you'll not only be satisfied (I mean, who doesn't love pork rinds?) but also closer to meeting your goals! Feel free to message me if you're interested in the keto way of life and good luck!
  • desirez131
    desirez131 Posts: 72 Member
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    My snacks include Almonds, hard boiled eggs, fruits, jack links snack packs are great too, they're packed with protein and peanut butter is the best.

    I would say try to only eat 3 foods or less together (sandwiches), your body takes longer to break combine foods down from what I understand.