I need some diet help/guidance

[JMD]

Long story short,as of late im not happy with my current weight.In 2001 I weighed around 287 and I lost about 45lbs over a 3 month period bringing me down to 242,it was all good until a few months later when I got off track and I've gained the weight back which really makes me angry.I think alot of it had to with my family and friends always saying "You wont look good at 200lbs with your big frame" ,it really pissed me off when they said this because I got the feeling they were jealous of my weight loss and didnt want me to succeed.Truth of the matter is that I want to be in the 200-225 region but really muscular.

Now,I stared losing weight again basically the same way I did before....stopped eating all the garbage food(,stopped drinking pepsi,late night snacking...etc.).The only thing im doing differently is taking a good green tea supplement 2x a day.The problem is,i think my diet is sort of unhealthy and i've been feeling sleepy/drowsy.I stared my so called diet last saturday and the good thing is I've already lost 6lbs.Here,is what i've been eating...

Breakfast : Egg Beaters and a slice of fat free cheese with a 32oz glass of water.(didnt have any breakfast the last 2 days woke up too late lol)

Lunch : Salad with fat free dressing from subway (no junk on it just ham,turkey,veggies)

Dinner : Meat of some sort,no sides of anything including bread.Today I had 5 lean meatballs.

Now that I look at it,it seems really crappy.I have no clue these days of what's good to eat for dieting.I've also been doing cardio for the last few days for 45 minutes.I think I need carbs or something to give me energy,I feel very tired.

Please give me some advice.

-Jon

[TDF97]

Ill just give you my diet, since its been working for me.

Meal 1:
-1/2 cup of oats
-1/2 cup of egg beaters
-1 tbsp flax

Meal 2:
-1 can of tuna

Meal 3 (pre workout)
-1 scoop of whey in water

Meal 4 (PWO):
-2 scoops of whey + 1 banana + 1/2 cup of oats in water

Meal 5:
-1 chicken breast
-3/4 cup of spinach mixed with salsa

Meal 6:
-3/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese + splenda
-1 tbsp of flax

[Hudock]

Yeah man, I know exactly what your talking about. I have been yo-yoing for like 3 years now.. 310 to 240, then 280 to 235, now back to 270...

I keep doing the wrong thing, I basically just cut my calories like your doing, excercised, and as SOON as you eat normal food it regains. (When I say normal, Im still talking less then 2,500 calories a day, just not as restrictive as say chicken with salad everynight for dinner, or maybe a few nights at the gf's parents house!)

Im 6'1 270 pounds (I walk ALOT at work) so my bmr even at like 270 x 12 should be 3200,. even 270 x 10 would be 2700!!!

NO WAY do I eat near that much and I put on weight...

So your question is the same as mine, what is the best way to maintain steady and permanent weight loss? The simple answer is always (Eat healthy and excercise) but once you lose, then gain then try to lose again, it seems even eating healthy (normal amount like 2,000 - 2200 calories a day) still packs it back on!!

What next??

- josh

[tengals123]

yeah, you really need to eat 4-6 smaller meals per day. Your not eating enough. you cannot survive on that diet!

[THX 138]

who could this jmd guy be hmm....

[JMD]

Ya,my diet needs some tweaking but it seems the side effects are worth it.Since sunday i've lost 8lbs (298-290.2).Im going to get some fat free cottage cheese,oats and maybe some whole wheat pita's or wraps.

-Jon

[tengals123]

but on that diet, of those 8lb how much do you recon is really fat!

[BodyBuild03]

I posted this in another thread but it fits for u as well...

first of all get an estimate of your maintenance calories and personally I shoot around 500calories under and judge if I am starving then I may add a bit and also judge if you are losing weight too fast or too slow... and simply adjust the amount of protein/carbs/fat you intake or adjust calories or increase or decrease cardio.

First of all to get an idea of what your maintenance calories are try these few things...

Take your bodyweight and multiply by one of the following:

12-14 - if you believe you have a slower metabolism
15 - if you believe you have an average metabolism
16-18 - if you believe you have a fast to extremely fast metabolism...

This is just a ball park... or you can try this...

For a Male: 67 + (6.24 x bodyweight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.9 x age) = your BMR

Then we need to factor in your activity level by multiplying the calculated BMR by one of the following numbers:

1.2-1.3 = Very Lightly Active

1.5 for Moderately Active

1.6-1.7 for Heavily Active

1.8-2.1 for Constantly Strenous Activity


Could also look here... http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

I would do all three then average them out to get a general ballpark figure...
Then to cut we generally say to go sub-500 calories under maintenance to lose 1lb = 3500calories a week simply from this alone. This is the general diet I would consider a cut... you may also look into carb cycling... I kept a log here and you can see my results... http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...844#post3825844

Finally here are some foods/rules...
Eat 5-6small meals throughout the day...
Get proper pre/post workout nutrition... http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=272067
Perform some cardio.. http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/shane2.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fitchett1.htm
Eat healthy food...
Here is basically the staple of my diet...

*Sources of Protein*
Chicken (boneless skinless breasts)
Canned Tuna
Whey Protein
Egg Whites

*Sources of Fats*
Sesathin by Avant Labs
Fish Oils (standard 1g 30% EPA/DHA) - this I supplement with anywhere from 10-20grams per day... I am highly endomorphic and I have to say this has been the best addition of EFA's I've tried yet along with Sesathin...
Egg Yolks (2 per day ~ 10g of fat)

*Sources of Carbs*
Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - I use these alone as a meal and as my postworkout carb... I do not go the High GI route because I feel that the chance that excess cals will convert to fat and spill into adipose tissue is less likely with Low GI carbs than High...
All Bran Cereal - mmmmmmm... with a lil Fat Free Milk, packet of splenda and dash of cinnamon... great... fiber is awesome in it...
Beans - usually I go with canned and what has the most protein and least sugar per serving... so lately that has been fat free black beans...
Strawberries - I eat 10 berries after eating my protein source with any meal that has carbs...
Lettuce - plain romaine with 0 cal walden farms dressing

*Dairy*
Atkins approved Nonfat Milk - I like this better than regular Fat Free milk..,. its a bit more expensive... but it has only 70cal per serving with 12g protein and 3g of carbs!


Try eating a complete meal each of your earlier meals... by this i mean protein, carbs and EFA's... I eat them in this order...

First... Protein Source... Then the rest...

The reasoning behind this is because when you eat protein... your stomach PH is lowered due to HCL secretion and thus the alpha amylase enzyme is shutdown and thus slowing the digestion of any carbs...
Eating a good amount of fat/fiber at meals also I have notice and is proven to give the satisfaction of feeling full after each meal...

any questions post em up...hope this helps! rep me if its informative

Here should be your priorities...
1. Get a clean diet in check
2. Hit the gym
3. Do some cardio

Good Luck

[JMD]

but on that diet, of those 8lb how much do you recon is really fat!

Hey,whatever it is its making the numbers on the scale go lower and lower.I have the ability to lose weight rapidly and on my first diet I was losing between 3-5lbs a week,the only reason I've lost so much is because i hit the cardio and resistance really hard and I curb my appetite.

I feel much better today,had oatmeal for breakfast this morning and now I feel just like I did a week ago.

[BodyBuild03]

Hey,whatever it is its making the numbers on the scale go lower and lower.I have the ability to lose weight rapidly and on my first diet I was losing between 3-5lbs a week,the only reason I've lost so much is because i hit the cardio and resistance really hard and I curb my appetite.

I feel much better today,had oatmeal for breakfast this morning and now I feel just like I did a week ago.

just remember mostly anyone can lose more than 3lbs per week starving themselve and doing cardio... but that = gluconeogenesis ~ conversion of protein to glucose for your brain and or activity... i.e. losing muscle to exercise... you may lose weight but u r losing something most wouldnt want to lose... u work to hard to gain muscle dont throw it away... keep it under 2lbs/week and make sure u eat a minimum of 1g/lb of bw in protein and proper pre-post workout nutrition to prevent catabolism... besides that i guess just keep it clean and eat smaller meals throughout the day

[tengals123]

yes, i'd agree with bodybuild. it's important to get emough food. why don't people understand that???

[Hudock]

Sometimes its hard to understand that cause drastic changes (Strict Diet) add up to quick numbers off the scale, so its a motivator, its not hard to see the relatoinship between it.

[tengals123]

fair call, but surely people who have done some research know that most of it initally is water and muscle and also it's 5 times harder to keep it off that way. so why would you deprive yourself for 3 months to know that the real battle is that when you start to eat healthy again, your body is going to pile the weight on again, weather you like it our not! cheers, just my opinion

[JMD]

Its all good now. I expect to lose a little bit of muscle but not much because I lift also.

I feel great,a pair of pants I had trouble fitting in fit now so I must be doing something right.

[tengals123]

good effort man, keep up the good work!

[skelooth]

i didn't read the rest of the thread, but in response to your original post:
That's not enough food amigo! You're drowsy cos you're starving!