Critique my Diet!

[yureeka]

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read through this and comment, I realize its work in itself.

So I'm trying to add some muscle to my 5'10, 165lbs frame, and cut a bit of the extra fat...

I workout 4x a week (M, TU, THU, FRI). I used to train a lot when I was younger, but I stopped several years ago. I've been slowly building my workouts up to a comfortable level, and increasing my diet slowly for about a month now? so this isn?t a drastic change.

FYI, I work 8:30am-4:30pm at a desk job.

FYI2, I will be taking creatine, and will be drinking about 5 litres of pure water a day, or about a gallon of liquid a day, if you include juices and (black) coffees etc.

FYI3, the following diet applies to my workout days. I generally consume less on my off days, and the diet is a bit more relaxed (i.e., no protein shake, maybe a different lunch, but no over-the-top junk food).


Breakfast (7:40am) 1 egg, 4-5ish egg whites, 2 pieces of whole grain toast (no butter or anything), orange juice, 2 yogurts.)

Lunch (Around 1pm) 2 large sweet potatoes, chicken breast, V8

Pre-workout snack (4:40pm) bowl of vector cereal (skim milk) not ideal, but it?s easy and gives me some energy (carbs + sugar).

Post-workout (7pm) whey protein shake (45g of protein), banana

Dinner (10pm) 2 pork steaks (40g of protein, 12g of fat), 1 - 2 servings of vegetable (tomato or cucumber etc.), fruit juice.

*All of the chicken/meat/eggs are fried using a bit of olive oil.

I realize I could use something between my breakfast and lunch.. but quite frankly, I'm not hungry at all. I would consider a simple snack though if it's extremely important.

Overall thoughts? I realize it's not nearly perfect -- but I want it to be reasonable and not counter-productive.

Thanks again!

P.S.

Here is a link to my 4-day split, if you're interested:

forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122150211

[yureeka]

bump.

Any advice will be much appreciated

[determined4000]

Fat--> you have none
as for not being hungry, you cant epect to put on muscel eating without feeling full sometimes
stick with whole fruit and veg not juices
Breakfast (7:40am) 1 egg, 4-5ish egg whites, 2 pieces of whole grain toast w/ PB and whole fruit, yogurt

snack- nuts and dried fuit/granola (east, not filling, will get you some healthy fats)

Lunch (Around 1pm) 2 large sweet potatoes, chicken breast, salad w/ dressing

Pre-workout snack (4:40pm) PB sandwich with milk

Post-workout (7pm) whey protein shake (45g of protein), banana

Dinner (10pm) 2 pork steaks (40g of protein, 12g of fat), 2-3 servings of vegetable (tomato or cucumber etc.), milk.

[yureeka]

Fat--> you have none
as for not being hungry, you cant epect to put on muscel eating without feeling full sometimes
stick with whole fruit and veg not juices
Breakfast (7:40am) 1 egg, 4-5ish egg whites, 2 pieces of whole grain toast w/ PB and whole fruit, yogurt

snack- nuts and dried fuit/granola (east, not filling, will get you some healthy fats)

Lunch (Around 1pm) 2 large sweet potatoes, chicken breast, salad w/ dressing

Pre-workout snack (4:40pm) PB sandwich with milk

Post-workout (7pm) whey protein shake (45g of protein), banana

Dinner (10pm) 2 pork steaks (40g of protein, 12g of fat), 2-3 servings of vegetable (tomato or cucumber etc.), milk.

Thanks for the response.

Question: How necessary is fat? I was assuming that by eating mainly carbs + protein, I would shred the extra fat... but maintaining enough intake to provide energy/repair the muscles.

Why is peanut butter etc. so important?

[yureeka]

I should also note that although I am not overweight, I do have a bit of a beer belly, and love handles. They're small enough that it's un-noticable with clothing. I would guess maybe 20% body fat; hence my hesistance with intaking a lot of fat.

[LOL.AWESOME.KETCHUP]

I should also note that although I am not overweight, I do have a bit of a beer belly, and love handles. They're small enough that it's un-noticable with clothing. I would guess maybe 20% body fat; hence my hesistance with intaking a lot of fat.

CUT CARBS. STOP DRINKING JUICE. Also, 10PM is way too late for that big of a dinner. Try no carbs after 5PM. Works wonders. Ask the Undertaker.

[determined4000]

Thanks for the response.

Question: How necessary is fat? I was assuming that by eating mainly carbs + protein, I would shred the extra fat... but maintaining enough intake to provide energy/repair the muscles.

Why is peanut butter etc. so important?

Fat intake should be based on bodyweight (.4-.5g/lb is a safe MINIMUM)
Diets too low in fat
-Can Causes large fluctuations in blood sugar
Fat slows down the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. When large
amounts of simple and refined carbohydrates are eaten alone, they shoot rapidly into the
bloodstream, creating a large spike in blood sugar.
-Can Causes greater insulin release
When your blood sugar spikes, your pancreas releases a lot of insulin to bring
blood sugar back down to normal. Moderate amounts of insulin are necessary (and
anabolic). Large amounts or insulin are lipogenic (cause fat storage) and anti-lipolyic
(prevent fat releasemore difficult to lose it).
-Can Causes hormonally related hunger and cravings
- Reduces testosterone
Low dietary fat levels are correlated with low testosterone levels. For someone
trying to become leaner and more muscular, this spells disaster.

** Can be deficient in EFA’s

- EFA’s improve insulin sensitivity
- EFA’s are required for absorption of fat soluble vitamins
- EFA’s are essential for joint health
- EFA’s are required for energy production
- EFA’s are required for Oxygen transfer
- EFA’s maintain cell membrane integrity
- EFA’s suppress cortisol production
- EFA’s improve skin texture (dry skin is a classic symptom of EFA deficiency)
- EFA’s are growth promoting
- EFA’s increase metabolic rate
- EFA’s help burn fat
- EFA’s improve delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and other tissues because of reduced blood viscosity
-EFA’s improve aerobic metabolism because of enhanced delivery of oxygen to the cells
-EFA’s improve release of growth hormone in response to normal stimuli, such as exercise, sleep, and hunger, which may have an anabolic effect to improve the post exercise recovery time
-EFAs reduce inflammation caused by muscular fatigue and overexertion, which may improve post exercise recovery time
-EFAs prevent tissue inflammation

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats tend to lower levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation in arteries, reduce risk of heart disease

Omega-3 fatty acids also reduce blood thickness and lowers blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lessening the risk heart disease. EPA and DHA are used to help treat the following symptoms:
• Bronchial asthma
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Diabetes
• Gastric ulcers
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Inflammatory bowel diseases (colitis and Crohn’s disease)
• Migraine headaches
• Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis
• Skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis

[yureeka]

Thanks determined. I will definitely add some fat to my diet.

Ketchup -- why is 10pm too late?