Ratios, fats, foods, and total calories... Confused!

1lloyd1980 · April 2014

Hi all. I am new to the forum, but have gone through several periods in my life of "getting in shape". For the record, through my early twenties, I was, for all practical purposes, a professional athlete and in really amazing shape, but now a male in my mid thirties... Well... Yeah :-)

So my question is this... I am male, 5'10", 77kg (sorry, I am an American abroad so I use metric for my weekly weigh ins), and would guess my body fat percent at about 12-13%. My typical daily food / exercise is as follows:

Morning: 75 push ups / 75 sit ups, apple with yogurt and maybe 10-15 almonds or pecans. Apple is sometime substituted with grapefruit. Also 2 egg whites for protein.

Morning snack: Apple and maybe 5-10 almonds

Lunch: +/- 100g salmon fillet, chopped veggies (greens, peppers, mushroom, tomatoes, etc) with some soy vinegar and some shredded Parmesan or goat cheese. Salmon can also be shrimp.

After lunch snack: Apple , 5-10 almonds, egg whites, or a dark chocolate mini bar.

Dinner: MWF are lift days. Chest, arms, back and traps respectively. Nothing too intense, usually about 3-5 exercises per workout at 3 sets and 15reps. Also add additional sit ups and push ups about 100 of each. TThSSn are cardio days which involve martial arts training, about 30m-1hr.--- food is usually chicken breast with veggies and some type of bean (green, black, or soy) and a bit of olive oil and light cheese.

After dinner snack: Apple, broth soup, or 10-15 nuts.

Water us at least 10 cups per day. (I love drinking it)

So the problem is that the diet above is only about 1500-1800 calories depending on the size of the fillets / breasts and the number of nuts eaten. The protein count is WAY low for my weight (about 125g) and the fat count is almost 50% of total calories mostly because of those pesky nuts. I can cut out the nuts, but they add calories to an already relatively deficient schedule.

I feel good. I am losing weight and seeing more definition and building more in my chest and arms. I am trying to reach about 70-75kg and 8-10% body fat, but I am concerned that A) I am not eating enough and am spinning my wheels by losing muscle with fat and

am eating too much fat. My cholesterol and saturated are fine, just a very high amount of fat in relation to my total caloric intake.

If anyone bothered to read that whole thing and wants to give any feedback I would be super thankful.

Thanks in advance!

Cortelli · April 2014

You're working out pretty intensely to be eating only 1500 - 1800 cals. And you're eating very few carbs from the looks of it -- all from fruits and veggies. Is it not possible to add some rice / bread / starches like potatoes? You may find that the additional carbs better fuel your workouts and add to your calorie total.

I would think you could lose comfortably (meaning better than a half pound per week) with 2000+ calories given your size and your activity profile -- and losing at a slower rate would hopefully minimize the amount of muscle mass you're losing as part of the overall weight.

I'm not sure you're correct in saying that you are not getting enough protein. I personally shoot for 1.1g - 1.4g per lb of LBM when I am in a deficit and that's probably higher than most around here believe is necessary. In any event, I am going to guess given your past experience as a pro athlete and your own size and LBM estimates, that you've somewhere around +/- 140 lbs of LBM -- in which case, 125g of protein per day is not bad (I would be shooting for about 175 when in a deficit, but not sweating it too much).

I wouldn't be overly worried about the fat intake myself, but I would try and replace some of the fat with additional carbs (and use additional carbs to add to the total calorie intake). Again, my biggest issue would be wanting to up the cals a bit and making sure I was adequately fueling my workouts.

YMMV, but that's what I've got for you.

enchantedgardener · April 2014

So, basically what you're saying is that you need to increase your overall caloric intake without increasing your fat intake.

You're already following a really healthy diet full of nutrition foods, so that's great!

Is there any particular reason you're not eating complex carbohydrates? While fruits and veggies are great sources of carbs, there's no need to avoid starches to add healthy carbs to your diet. There are plenty of choices beyond breads and pasta. Brown rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal, kasha, corn, potatoes, and millet are all whole foods containing healthy carbs, fiber, some protein, vitamins, and minerals. There's no reason to omit them from your diet, particularly if you need to increase your overall calorie intake. Add a half cup of cooked grains to your lunch and/or dinner.

You mention specifically you'd like to increase your protein intake. Would you consider adding a protein powder to your diet? There are many brands that contain no artificial flavours, colours, or sweeteners. I use a hemp protein powder that is made purely from hemp seed and nothing else. I also use whey protein powder. It contains cane sugar, about 3 tsp per scoop. I try to avoid added sugars in my diet, and this is one of the only foods I regularly consume that has sugar.
Another idea would be to add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to your breakfast and/or snacks. Both are very high in protein and low in fat.
Edamame beans. You can find these in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores. They are higher in protein than all other types of beans.

DPruneda17 · April 2014

So, basically what you're saying is that you need to increase your overall caloric intake without increasing your fat intake.

You're already following a really healthy diet full of nutrition foods, so that's great!

Is there any particular reason you're not eating complex carbohydrates? While fruits and veggies are great sources of carbs, there's no need to avoid starches to add healthy carbs to your diet. There are plenty of choices beyond breads and pasta. Brown rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal, kasha, corn, potatoes, and millet are all whole foods containing healthy carbs, fiber, some protein, vitamins, and minerals. There's no reason to omit them from your diet, particularly if you need to increase your overall calorie intake. Add a half cup of cooked grains to your lunch and/or dinner.

You mention specifically you'd like to increase your protein intake. Would you consider adding a protein powder to your diet? There are many brands that contain no artificial flavours, colours, or sweeteners. I use a hemp protein powder that is made purely from hemp seed and nothing else. I also use whey protein powder. It contains cane sugar, about 3 tsp per scoop. I try to avoid added sugars in my diet, and this is one of the only foods I regularly consume that has sugar.
Another idea would be to add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to your breakfast and/or snacks. Both are very high in protein and low in fat.
Edamame beans. You can find these in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores. They are higher in protein than all other types of beans.

Agree! I would've suggested the same thing.

1lloyd1980 · April 2014

Thanks all!

I know my carbs are low / non existent. I realized about 6m ago that complex carbs (rice, wheat, bread, pasta, etc.) just make me feel like s**t. I cut them out for a few weeks and felt like I was not so bloated, had more energy, and felt that my hunger was much more regulated throughout the day.

That said, you are all right that adding back in a few more carbs is probably the best way to go. I used to do millet every now and again, and that is probably a good way to go again.

Thanks for all the suggestions and best of luck (is it luck or just hard frickin' work?!) in your fitness goals!

I will let all know how it works out.

sunfastrose · April 2014

Do you really eat 4 apples a day? That seems like a lot.

How about swapping in oatmeal made with milk, banana, and peanut butter in the morning? Add a side of quinoa to your salad at lunch?

1lloyd1980 · April 2014

... I absolutely love apples.

I too thought it was a lot, but did a lot of research and most people just said, if you like them, go for it. And you are right, I should add a side of quinoa, but it is hard to find here (i live in china). oatmeal, banana, and milk make me feel a bit full for the morning, but yeah... maybe some more grapefruits or non-apples would work :-) Thx!

1lloyd1980 · April 2014

Hi all!

I have added two foods into the mix and things are working out great.

More soy beans and canned tuna.

Both work as excellent snacks and as ingredients during meal time.

If anyone is looking for some miracle snacks, try them both. And if you add a bit of vinegar, hot peppers, cilantro, and some other veggies to the beans, it makes a really tasty dish.

Enjoy!

Ratios, fats, foods, and total calories... Confused!

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