Need some guidance on cutting

[ace3891]

I'm new to cutting, at least properly, so I just want to see if what I usually eat in a day seems ok, and welcome to any suggestions

Because of my schedule my first meal isn't until noon time, 12PM usually.

Meal 1: Protein shake, usually mix with peanut butter and flaxseed 12PM
Meal 2: Snack, usually eat protein bar, fruit or another shake depending on what I have on had 2PM-3PM
Meal 3: Chicken breast, greens that you usually find in a decent salad, some form of carb from wheat bread or rice. 5PM-7PM
Meal 4: Snack, one or two boiled eggs, protein shake or sometime I might skip this because I don't have time or just forgot 8PM-9:30PM
Workout usually an hour and half to 2 hours
Meal 5: I always have this since it's right after workout, usually protein shake, if I feel extremely hungry I will eat something like chicken, tuna, slice of bread with peanut butter

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

BTW, I'm trying to get to 170, started around 198, dropped to 178 then started lifting more and now around 184.

[madhattermike]

Look at this: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

Figure out what you need calorie wise and calculate your macro nutrient requirements. What worked for me was taking in 0.7-1.0 gram of protein per lb of body weight. For you that would be 124-198g of protein per day. Probably stay on the higher side of that. I get in 30-45g of fat per day and fill the remaining calories in with carbs.

To do it properly you're going to need to count your calories and your macros (grams of protein, carbs and fats) to make sure you're getting what you need. Weigh your food when possible. It will be the only way to be sure you're not over or under portioning.

Also, try to have 6 meals a day instead of 5 and be sure to drink plenty of water - like 1.5 gallons a day.

[igglesphan]

Also, try to have 6 meals a day instead of 5 and be sure to drink plenty of water - like 1.5 gallons a day.

What? Why?

[madhattermike]

What? Why?

Not sure which point you're asking about so I'll address both. 5 meals is fine but I like 6. Just seems to keep my appetite controlled better. Less time between meals means you won't be as starving for the next meal and possibly overeat.

Drinking water is just good for you, promotes weight loss and again - a good constant drinking of water helps satiate ones appetite. Depending on your size 1-1.5 gallons is a good range.

[copiusGains]

If i were u i would cut out the peanut butter.

[astigos]

That piece of fruit in meal 2 is what's making you fat. Fructose is the devil.


















(not srs)

[igglesphan]

Not sure which point you're asking about so I'll address both. 5 meals is fine but I like 6. Just seems to keep my appetite controlled better. Less time between meals means you won't be as starving for the next meal and possibly overeat.

Drinking water is just good for you, promotes weight loss and again - a good constant drinking of water helps satiate ones appetite. Depending on your size 1-1.5 gallons is a good range.

There's no advantage to eating more meals per day... it's a personal preference. If I ate 6 meals per day, I would be starving all day... I eat once per day.

Water does NOT promote weight loss. If you're thirsty, drink... it's that simple.

[HealthResearch]

There's no advantage to eating more meals per day... it's a personal preference. If I ate 6 meals per day, I would be starving all day... I eat once per day.

Water does NOT promote weight loss. If you're thirsty, drink... it's that simple.

This is so true. I eat 2 meals a day. One is 1500 calories...massive. I feel full and satisfied and I still lose fat.

6 tiny meals a day? I tried that fad in the nineties..... It blows. But that is simply my personal opinion. Bottom line: eat as often as your preference dictates.

[Chad31275]

If i were u i would cut out the peanut butter.

????

[madhattermike]

There's no advantage to eating more meals per day... it's a personal preference. If I ate 6 meals per day, I would be starving all day... I eat once per day.

Water does NOT promote weight loss. If you're thirsty, drink... it's that simple.

Not really a fad - Meal frequency is believed to have a positive impact on muscle growth as recommended by the ADA: http://www.eatright.org/Public/conte...3#.UFNkblLpdWU
And the recommendation is 4-5 meals through the day for weight management (6 is just a preference for me): http://www.eatright.org/About/Conten...AND+management (see recommendations on page 6 of the PDF at the end of the meal frequency section)

And yes, water has been shown to aid weight loss - http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/23...ght/index.html

We can agree to disagree and hey it obviously works for you. I'm totally jealous of your stats bro. But I firmly believe that most people are probably dehydrated and not drinking enough water if they're only drinking when they think about it (I know I was). And you can ask a registered dietitian if people in general will be more or less successful with weight loss with either 1-2 big meals or 5-6 small meals throughout the day and the answer will be the latter.

[igglesphan]

Not really a fad - Meal frequency is believed to have a positive impact on muscle growth as recommended by the ADA: http://www.eatright.org/Public/conte...3#.UFNkblLpdWU
And the recommendation is 4-5 meals through the day for weight management (6 is just a preference for me): http://www.eatright.org/About/Conten...AND+management (see recommendations on page 6 of the PDF at the end of the meal frequency section)

And yes, water has been shown to aid weight loss - http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/23...ght/index.html

We can agree to disagree and hey it obviously works for you. I'm totally jealous of your stats bro. But I firmly believe that most people are probably dehydrated and not drinking enough water if they're only drinking when they think about it (I know I was). And you can ask a registered dietitian if people in general will be more or less successful with weight loss with either 1-2 big meals or 5-6 small meals throughout the day and the answer will be the latter.

Did you even read the articles you linked? Show me where the first article has a study (or even states) where frequent meals are more advantageous?

In the second link you posted, read the top of page 335 regarding meal frequency... the sentence that starts with "Unfortunately, the evidence is inconsistent..."

The third article that states "Drinking two 8 oz glasses of water along with portion control..." has as much relevance as the chart below:



Correlation is NOT causation

Sit back and learn something before you keep posting this garbage.

[madhattermike]

Did you even read the articles you linked? Show me where the first article has a study (or even states) where frequent meals are more advantageous?

In the second link you posted, read the top of page 335 regarding meal frequency... the sentence that starts with "Unfortunately, the evidence is inconsistent..."

The third article that states "Drinking two 8 oz glasses of water along with portion control..." has as much relevance as the chart below:



Correlation is NOT causation

Sit back and learn something before you keep posting this garbage.

Saying it's garbage is a little harsh. Actually it makes it sound like something negative could come out eating more meals through the day and taking steps to ensure you're properly hydrated. So no, not garbage, there is no downside to a) eating 5-6 small meals a day and b) making sure you're properly hydrated. There's simply zero negative consequences to doing those things. There's not only no harm, but only a possible upside and benefit. Whereas there is possible negative consequences to not drinking enough water and eating fewer meals like 2 a day. Yes - although inconsistent it doesn't mean it's wrong it just means more studies may need to be done to provide conclusive evidence. And I may not be a registered dietitian but I am married to one. And with almost 20 years of weight loss counseling under her belt and an education to back it, and continued education over the years I would take her professional opinion and observations that increased meal frequency and proper hydration are standard practices that provide consistently positive results.

I do like the pirate graph!

[adgattoni]

Looks like you've made some great progress so far. My advice would be to focus less on generalities and more on specifics. Get a food scale and weigh every single thing you put in your mouth.

It looks like you eat a lot of peanut butter. That stuff is very calorie dense. If you're having 4 shakes each day each with peanut butter, you might be eating upwards of 800 calories just from peanut butter.

[canadiancoops]

Listing foods you eat is pretty useless unless you know your maintenance calories and the total calories of the food youa re eating, then you'll know if you are in a defecit/surplus.

Eat what you want when you want really just if you want to lose weight i'd personally work out what you need to maintain and drop 500 calories a day from it for a 1lb weight loss, give or take. And dont expect the weight loss to be linear, it never is....whoosh's and all that lol