Im real stuck as to what to do at the moment, I feel im not eating enough (even though i eat 6+ times a day, decent clean protein/veg meals) as i sometimes get hungry during the day, im sure i cant be hittin 3000. But then i still feel i have some fat on stomach, not much, but mainly on the lower abs, but i am losing weight with current diet (which i dont really want to)
Ive been advised to only eat carbs at breakfast and post weight training meals, So what else could i do to add more cal's to diet? i could add more protein but 100g of chicken is like 100cals, same as other protein sources, too low cals.
Tommorow im gonna try and count up Cals, then Protein/carbs/fats to see what i come up with, and ill post it here
With regard to countin Carbs, do i only need to count the amount 'of which sugars', and Fats do i only need to count the amount 'of which saturates'?
I eat alot of fruit and veg, should i try and work out the content from this?
coz i get carbs from apples and bananas, but im unsure how much carbs and cals u get,as for veg i kno alot of it is pretty small amounts so not sure if worth tryin to count
What was the 'calculate your maintenance allowance equation' again?
Calories
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
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cassiegose
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Hi there,
I believe your maintenance calories should be right around 3000 so i would shoot for atleast that amount if youre trying to lose fat but retain muscle. Shapefit.com has some basic calculators, find the BMR (basal metobolic rate) and plug your stats into that. Remember these aren't totally accurate as there are SO many more factors that can come into the equation but this can give you a general idea
For your diet, if you're only eating lean protein, fruits and veggies and carbs in the morning I would imagine you probably aren't getting 3000 calories.... as you would need to eat ALOT of protein and veggies to hit that number.
If you're finding that you're hungry throughout the day try simply adding more food! What does a typical day look like for you? You can always add more veggies as those are quite filling. You could also add some whole grains to some other meals of the day to get in some more calories. For instance, a great meal for lunch is a sandwhich on whole grain bread with lots of lean meat and a side salad (I would hold the fattening mayo and salad dressing though). You could also add in some whole wheat pasta/couscous, quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown/wild rice, oatmeal, high fiber cereal, and barley into some of your other meals to add in a few more calories. These foods will add some extra calories and fiber to your diet.
Also, are you eating any healthy fat? Nuts, seeds, avacados, flax, nut butter, fish, and olive oil are all great sources of healthy fats. Healthy fats are a very important aspect to a healthy diet and will help to add in a few more calories.
As for you counting the carbs... honestly i think you're over thinking this. When counting carbs simply count the total number of carbs listed for each serving, and when counting fat look at the total grams of fat (remember to stick to mostly unsaturated). If you're unsure you can always just plug the foods into a search engine and it will give you a figure... A medium sized apple has about 20 grams and a medium banana has about 25-30. Most green veggies (spinach, brocolli, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts) have so few carbs and calories that i usually don't even bother counting those.
Try not to overcomplicate the whole calorie counting thing as that could definitely drive a person bonkers!
I hope this helps!
Cassie
I believe your maintenance calories should be right around 3000 so i would shoot for atleast that amount if youre trying to lose fat but retain muscle. Shapefit.com has some basic calculators, find the BMR (basal metobolic rate) and plug your stats into that. Remember these aren't totally accurate as there are SO many more factors that can come into the equation but this can give you a general idea
For your diet, if you're only eating lean protein, fruits and veggies and carbs in the morning I would imagine you probably aren't getting 3000 calories.... as you would need to eat ALOT of protein and veggies to hit that number.
If you're finding that you're hungry throughout the day try simply adding more food! What does a typical day look like for you? You can always add more veggies as those are quite filling. You could also add some whole grains to some other meals of the day to get in some more calories. For instance, a great meal for lunch is a sandwhich on whole grain bread with lots of lean meat and a side salad (I would hold the fattening mayo and salad dressing though). You could also add in some whole wheat pasta/couscous, quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown/wild rice, oatmeal, high fiber cereal, and barley into some of your other meals to add in a few more calories. These foods will add some extra calories and fiber to your diet.
Also, are you eating any healthy fat? Nuts, seeds, avacados, flax, nut butter, fish, and olive oil are all great sources of healthy fats. Healthy fats are a very important aspect to a healthy diet and will help to add in a few more calories.
As for you counting the carbs... honestly i think you're over thinking this. When counting carbs simply count the total number of carbs listed for each serving, and when counting fat look at the total grams of fat (remember to stick to mostly unsaturated). If you're unsure you can always just plug the foods into a search engine and it will give you a figure... A medium sized apple has about 20 grams and a medium banana has about 25-30. Most green veggies (spinach, brocolli, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts) have so few carbs and calories that i usually don't even bother counting those.
Try not to overcomplicate the whole calorie counting thing as that could definitely drive a person bonkers!
I hope this helps!
Cassie
thanks for the feedback cassie,
Ill jus quickly write up what i have eaten today, today is a cardio day
07:00 am - 3 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of wholemeal bread, green apple,
Tea (no sugar)
10:00 am - 125g of natural cottage cheese, handfull of non-salted cashews, banana, small coffee (no sugar)
12:00 pm - 125g of natural cottage cheese
01:00 pm - 100g of chicken breast with a tub of veg/salad (consisting of tomato, carrott, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, green/red peppers, brocoli, cauliflower, mushrooms). 200g fruit pack (pinnapple/kiwi and grapes)
04:00 pm - Turkey slices with a tub of veg/salad (consisting of tomato, carrott, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, green/red peppers, brocoli, cauliflower, mushrooms). 1 medium wholemeal pitta
05:00 pm - workout (stretch, 5 min bike warmup, 20 mins skip rope, boxing bag work, ab work - planks etc.) 1/2 a protein shake between skip rope and heavy bag
07:00 pm - 1 salmon fillet, 1 smoked haddock with carrots, broc, caul, brussels, spinach, sweetcorn.
09:00 pm - turkey slices
This is a general day for me, I only drink water and at least 2ltrs of the stuff, the only thing that really changes from the above is the protein sources, and the breakfast (could be weetabix/porridge/veg omelette). And a post weight meal of protein shake and small amount of carbs.
I sometimes take an avacado with me to work for the 1 oclock meal.
I tried to count Cals, carbs, fat, protein today
Meal 1 (07:00am) - P-28G C-39G F-26G Cal-523
Meal 2 (10:00am) - P-14.3G C-31G F-7.5G Cal-246
Meal 3 (12:00 & 01:00pm) - P-39.3G C-26.3G F-9.7G Cal-365
Meal 4 (04:00pm) - P-25G C-29G F-4G Cal-266
Meal 5 (1/2 a Protein shake) - P-15G C-10G F-2G Cal-115
Meal 6 (07:00pm) - P-40G Cal-252
Meal 7 (09:00pm) - P-10G C-7.5G Cal-80
The totals i get from this is
P - 171G C-142G F-49G Cal-1847
The only values ive taken P/C/F/cals from is the core parts of each meal, the protein, the fruit and the breads. not sure if the carbs value is right, shouldnt i count the 'as sugars' amount?, and is carbs different when u get them from fruit compared to bread (starchy carbs)?
The above values are confusin and worrying, i thought i was eating enough, but from what it seems i aint. Im feel i dont want to increase carbs as i have body fat on stomach i want to drop, and upping these i feel will jus add on fat, BUT if it means the difference between having more carbs is a healthier diet, i will add them. Maybe body is holding onto this fat at the moment as i aint eating enough?
Ill jus quickly write up what i have eaten today, today is a cardio day
07:00 am - 3 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of wholemeal bread, green apple,
Tea (no sugar)
10:00 am - 125g of natural cottage cheese, handfull of non-salted cashews, banana, small coffee (no sugar)
12:00 pm - 125g of natural cottage cheese
01:00 pm - 100g of chicken breast with a tub of veg/salad (consisting of tomato, carrott, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, green/red peppers, brocoli, cauliflower, mushrooms). 200g fruit pack (pinnapple/kiwi and grapes)
04:00 pm - Turkey slices with a tub of veg/salad (consisting of tomato, carrott, cucumber, lettuce, spinach leaves, green/red peppers, brocoli, cauliflower, mushrooms). 1 medium wholemeal pitta
05:00 pm - workout (stretch, 5 min bike warmup, 20 mins skip rope, boxing bag work, ab work - planks etc.) 1/2 a protein shake between skip rope and heavy bag
07:00 pm - 1 salmon fillet, 1 smoked haddock with carrots, broc, caul, brussels, spinach, sweetcorn.
09:00 pm - turkey slices
This is a general day for me, I only drink water and at least 2ltrs of the stuff, the only thing that really changes from the above is the protein sources, and the breakfast (could be weetabix/porridge/veg omelette). And a post weight meal of protein shake and small amount of carbs.
I sometimes take an avacado with me to work for the 1 oclock meal.
I tried to count Cals, carbs, fat, protein today
Meal 1 (07:00am) - P-28G C-39G F-26G Cal-523
Meal 2 (10:00am) - P-14.3G C-31G F-7.5G Cal-246
Meal 3 (12:00 & 01:00pm) - P-39.3G C-26.3G F-9.7G Cal-365
Meal 4 (04:00pm) - P-25G C-29G F-4G Cal-266
Meal 5 (1/2 a Protein shake) - P-15G C-10G F-2G Cal-115
Meal 6 (07:00pm) - P-40G Cal-252
Meal 7 (09:00pm) - P-10G C-7.5G Cal-80
The totals i get from this is
P - 171G C-142G F-49G Cal-1847
The only values ive taken P/C/F/cals from is the core parts of each meal, the protein, the fruit and the breads. not sure if the carbs value is right, shouldnt i count the 'as sugars' amount?, and is carbs different when u get them from fruit compared to bread (starchy carbs)?
The above values are confusin and worrying, i thought i was eating enough, but from what it seems i aint. Im feel i dont want to increase carbs as i have body fat on stomach i want to drop, and upping these i feel will jus add on fat, BUT if it means the difference between having more carbs is a healthier diet, i will add them. Maybe body is holding onto this fat at the moment as i aint eating enough?
Broccoli would be the exception there, as 1 large stalk has about 10g Carbs. So if you're Carb watching to any extent, then be aware of that.
Though don't calorie count to the extreme, even in you do, or you'll go insane. One extra grain of Rice or another Cornflake, isn't worth the stress and increased Heart disease risk
.
Though don't calorie count to the extreme, even in you do, or you'll go insane. One extra grain of Rice or another Cornflake, isn't worth the stress and increased Heart disease risk
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cassiegose
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- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Hi there,
Yes, as Bossman said and I previously mentioned, calorie counting can definitely drive a person bonkers! I think its a good idea to figure out about how much food you need to be consuming each day, then once you have that general idea pick foods that should get you close to your caloric needs. For instance, I know I need about 1800-1900 calories a day. Knowing this, I usually shoot for about 500 in meal one, 300 in meal 2, 300 in meal 3, 300 in meal 4, 300 in meal 5, and 200 in meal six.
What about something like this:
Meal 1: 1 egg and 6 egg whites, 2 slices wholemeal bread with peanut butter spread, green apple
Meal 2: cottage cheese (or other lean protein source), nuts, banana
Meal 3: Chicken breast sandwhich on wholewheat bread with salad and 1/2 avacado
Meal 4: Turkey slices with salad/veggies and 1 medium pita and 1/2 avacado
Meal 5: 1 whole protein shake with water (one shake should be about one scoop or 130 calories)
Meal 6: looks good as you have it
Meal 7: looks good
I agree, I think your body could definitely be holding on to the fat as youre not eating enough. Simply add in a few carbs here and there and there as well as some healthy fats and you should be fine. You shouldn't feel hungry throughout the day. If this is the case, you definitely need to be eating more!! What do you think to the changes I've made above?
Yes, as Bossman said and I previously mentioned, calorie counting can definitely drive a person bonkers! I think its a good idea to figure out about how much food you need to be consuming each day, then once you have that general idea pick foods that should get you close to your caloric needs. For instance, I know I need about 1800-1900 calories a day. Knowing this, I usually shoot for about 500 in meal one, 300 in meal 2, 300 in meal 3, 300 in meal 4, 300 in meal 5, and 200 in meal six.
What about something like this:
Meal 1: 1 egg and 6 egg whites, 2 slices wholemeal bread with peanut butter spread, green apple
Meal 2: cottage cheese (or other lean protein source), nuts, banana
Meal 3: Chicken breast sandwhich on wholewheat bread with salad and 1/2 avacado
Meal 4: Turkey slices with salad/veggies and 1 medium pita and 1/2 avacado
Meal 5: 1 whole protein shake with water (one shake should be about one scoop or 130 calories)
Meal 6: looks good as you have it
Meal 7: looks good
I agree, I think your body could definitely be holding on to the fat as youre not eating enough. Simply add in a few carbs here and there and there as well as some healthy fats and you should be fine. You shouldn't feel hungry throughout the day. If this is the case, you definitely need to be eating more!! What do you think to the changes I've made above?
Just a quick question, but how many grams of carbs would I need per day?
To be honest I know I have carbs in the morning, those are the carbs that I know i'm having for sure.
But after lunch or like 12 pm, it's straight protein and vegetables, but those wouldn't be considered good sources of carbs, right?
I mean I'm losing the weight, but I just want to start focusing attention on what types of nutrients I'm getting per day so maybe I can tweak it and it might even benefit me more
To be honest I know I have carbs in the morning, those are the carbs that I know i'm having for sure.
But after lunch or like 12 pm, it's straight protein and vegetables, but those wouldn't be considered good sources of carbs, right?
I mean I'm losing the weight, but I just want to start focusing attention on what types of nutrients I'm getting per day so maybe I can tweak it and it might even benefit me more
Just an update, today i ate as u suggested cassie, some foods i didnt have in so did the best with what i could
08:00 am - 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of wholemeal bread dry, 1 slice wholemeal with nat. peanut butter, green apple,
Tea (no sugar)
10:30 am - natural cottage cheese, handfull of non-salted cashews, banana
01:30 pm - 100g of chicken breast with a tub of veg/salad, with 2 wheat germ bread, 1/2 an avacado
04:00 pm - Turkey/beef slices with a tub of veg/salad, 1 medium wholemeal pitta, 1/2 an avacado
Weight workout (full body) 05:30pm ------------ 06:30pm
06:30 pm - Protein shake (with water), 1 weetabix with small amount of milk
07:00 pm - 2 wild red salmon, with carrots, broc, caul, brussels, spinach, sweetcorn.
I gotta say that i am feeling the difference, I havent felt hungry all day, only when i was about to eat next meal, weight training went alot better and i have energy left over in the evening when i would normally be k.o'd. I think im a try eating like this (with the healthy fats and more carbs) and see how it goes, I know previous diet wasnt working as i was droppin weight and loosing strength.
With egg whites, is the powdered form ok?
thanks for the help
08:00 am - 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of wholemeal bread dry, 1 slice wholemeal with nat. peanut butter, green apple,
Tea (no sugar)
10:30 am - natural cottage cheese, handfull of non-salted cashews, banana
01:30 pm - 100g of chicken breast with a tub of veg/salad, with 2 wheat germ bread, 1/2 an avacado
04:00 pm - Turkey/beef slices with a tub of veg/salad, 1 medium wholemeal pitta, 1/2 an avacado
Weight workout (full body) 05:30pm ------------ 06:30pm
06:30 pm - Protein shake (with water), 1 weetabix with small amount of milk
07:00 pm - 2 wild red salmon, with carrots, broc, caul, brussels, spinach, sweetcorn.
I gotta say that i am feeling the difference, I havent felt hungry all day, only when i was about to eat next meal, weight training went alot better and i have energy left over in the evening when i would normally be k.o'd. I think im a try eating like this (with the healthy fats and more carbs) and see how it goes, I know previous diet wasnt working as i was droppin weight and loosing strength.
With egg whites, is the powdered form ok?
thanks for the help
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cassiegose
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Yay! I'm glad that helped!!! Yeah, if you don't have the necessary energy to work out you're definitely going to have a hard time making gains in strength.
For the eggwhites... Have you trying simply buying whole eggs and draining off the whites and tossing the yolks? This is what I do. Or you could boil the whole eggs and eat the whites and toss the yolks. You could also try something like eggbeaters found in the egg section of the store.
Cassie :)
For the eggwhites... Have you trying simply buying whole eggs and draining off the whites and tossing the yolks? This is what I do. Or you could boil the whole eggs and eat the whites and toss the yolks. You could also try something like eggbeaters found in the egg section of the store.
Cassie :)
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cassiegose
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Madmaxx,
I believe your bmr is around 3000 at this point. If I were you I would eat about 2800-3000 calories sticking to lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies. If you're sticking to lean proteins and veggies it is going to be VERY hard to get in this many calories a day... you need healthy fat and whole grains! You could simply try to get 1/3 of your calories from carbs, 1/3 from protein, and 1/3 from healthy fats. This is a simple ratio. If you followed this you would be eating about 250 grams of carbs, 250 grams of protein, and 111 grams of fat each day. Remember though that everybody is different, with different goals and this ratio is quite debatable. If your goal is to train for a marathon, you are going to have different nutritional needs than somebody training for a bodybuilding contest. You can always start with this ratio and tweak it slightly depending on your goals.
Remember, after starting with this diet it is important to constantly assess it to continue seeing results. You could start at about 3000 calories a day and slowly decrease calories every 2 weeks or so to keep your body from adapting.
Hope this helps!
Cassie
I believe your bmr is around 3000 at this point. If I were you I would eat about 2800-3000 calories sticking to lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies. If you're sticking to lean proteins and veggies it is going to be VERY hard to get in this many calories a day... you need healthy fat and whole grains! You could simply try to get 1/3 of your calories from carbs, 1/3 from protein, and 1/3 from healthy fats. This is a simple ratio. If you followed this you would be eating about 250 grams of carbs, 250 grams of protein, and 111 grams of fat each day. Remember though that everybody is different, with different goals and this ratio is quite debatable. If your goal is to train for a marathon, you are going to have different nutritional needs than somebody training for a bodybuilding contest. You can always start with this ratio and tweak it slightly depending on your goals.
Remember, after starting with this diet it is important to constantly assess it to continue seeing results. You could start at about 3000 calories a day and slowly decrease calories every 2 weeks or so to keep your body from adapting.
Hope this helps!
Cassie
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cassiegose
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