The Official Nutrition Thread - Tips, Recommendations, Current Diets

Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
Moral and health, but I don't deny that one can be healthy with eggs in their diet (depending upon *what else* is in their diet). I only posted the above in response to the the "I think you should eat 4-5 eggs/day" comment.
Yeah that was a bizarre comment. I can't think of a single food that I could eat in abundance of every single day and not get sick of.
 

CanadianPensFan1

Registered User
Jun 13, 2014
7,051
2,049
Canada
My biggest thing with working out and seeing tangible results is eating. I just dont/cant eat enough. No matter how much i lift, no matter how much I run/cycle, I just cant eat enough in a day.

Using all those calculators, and inputting my goals and baseline stats, I should be:

- ~3000 calories a day
- ~210g of protein
- ~365g of carbs
- ~75g of fat

No. Fn. Way. I have never really been a "big" eater. Even as a teenager. But I cant seem to kick my metabolism into another gear. Eating 3000 calories is almost impossible for me. Unless I use that crappy mass gainer stuff which is just a ton of dextrose and maltocrappydose. Seems to be silly to eat that stuff and try to be healthy.

I just dont know how guys do it. I was talking to a trainer at the gym awhile back. He was saying "yeah, my 2nd meal of the day at 9am is an 8 ounce steak, baked potato, cup of steamed veggies." I love me some steak but at 9am? No. No thank you. lol

I"m done now. Just venting :P
 
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UnrealMachine

Registered User
Jul 9, 2012
4,580
2,075
Pittsburgh, USA
Don't "eat it", drink it! Don't limit yourself to protein-only shakes or the over-priced, over-processed mass gainers. Here's an inexpensive, nutritious and calorie dense "meal replacement" shake recipe I use 2x/day (currently averaging 3,800 calories/day):

1. Soy protein isolate from Honeyville ($.26/serving of 35 grams)
2. Milled flax seed from Honeyville ($.14/serving for 14 grams)
3. 1 cup of dry oats ($.18/serving)
4. 1/8 cup of Trader Joe's flake coconut ($0.15/serving)
5. 2 TBSP Peanut Butter ($.12/serving)
6. 1 banana ($.19/banana at Trader Joe's)
7. ~16oz water (essentially free)

Totals = $0.94/serving, 965 calories, 61 grams protein (25%), 40.5 grams fat (38%), 91 grams carbohydrates (38%). 1/2 cup of oats should be all that you need for each shake, depending on your activity level. I buy the protein, flax and oats in bulk. Could probably make it even cheaper if I got the peanut butter and coconut in bulk as well.
 

CanadianPensFan1

Registered User
Jun 13, 2014
7,051
2,049
Canada
Don't "eat it", drink it! Don't limit yourself to protein-only shakes or the over-priced, over-processed mass gainers. Here's an inexpensive, nutritious and calorie dense "meal replacement" shake recipe I use 2x/day (currently averaging 3,800 calories/day):

1. Soy protein isolate from Honeyville ($.26/serving of 35 grams)
2. Milled flax seed from Honeyville ($.14/serving for 14 grams)
3. 1 cup of dry oats ($.18/serving)
4. 1/8 cup of Trader Joe's flake coconut ($0.15/serving)
5. 2 TBSP Peanut Butter ($.12/serving)
6. 1 banana ($.19/banana at Trader Joe's)
7. ~16oz water (essentially free)

Totals = $0.94/serving, 965 calories, 61 grams protein (25%), 40.5 grams fat (38%), 91 grams carbohydrates (38%). 1/2 cup of oats should be all that you need for each shake, depending on your activity level. I buy the protein, flax and oats in bulk. Could probably make it even cheaper if I got the peanut butter and coconut in bulk as well.

Hey dude,

So I have been testing this out and jeez .. its awesome.

My morning breakfast smoothie is now:

1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of OJ
1/4 cup egg whites
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen fruit mix (strawberries, mango, pineapple, peaches)
1/2 cup of dry oats
1/2 cup of milled flax seed

1090 calories, 137g of carbs, 43g of protein.

If I know I'm going to have a busy morning and I wont get a snack in, I'll throw in a scoop of protein powder for another 23g of protein and 100 calories.

The flax seed and oatmeal made a huge difference and its cheap as hell. Thank you SO much dude. GREAT GREAT GREAT suggestions.
 
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Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
You guys ever use protein powder in things other than just shakes? Never done it myself, but the thought has crossed my mind while preparing food. Wonder what kinds of things it would be decent in, and to mix up the protein supplementation.
 

UnrealMachine

Registered User
Jul 9, 2012
4,580
2,075
Pittsburgh, USA
Hey dude,

So I have been testing this out and jeez .. its awesome.

My morning breakfast smoothie is now:

1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of OJ
1/4 cup egg whites
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen fruit mix (strawberries, mango, pineapple, peaches)
1/2 cup of dry oats
1/2 cup of milled flax seed

1090 calories, 137g of carbs, 43g of protein.

If I know I'm going to have a busy morning and I wont get a snack in, I'll throw in a scoop of protein powder for another 23g of protein and 100 calories.

The flax seed and oatmeal made a huge difference and its cheap as hell. Thank you SO much dude. GREAT GREAT GREAT suggestions.

Glad this worked out for you. Seems like an excessive amount of flax? That like 4x more flax that I use in a shake. You may want to cut that in half and sub in another healthy fat like coconut? Or not, up to you.

Here's a great snack that I got into recently - chia seed pudding! Best success so far has been to blend the chia seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor first. My favorite recipe is just the plain vanilla/cinnamon one. I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk & stevia, fyi. The Best Chia Seed Pudding Recipe (+ 5 Delicious Variations)
 

UnrealMachine

Registered User
Jul 9, 2012
4,580
2,075
Pittsburgh, USA
You guys ever use protein powder in things other than just shakes? Never done it myself, but the thought has crossed my mind while preparing food. Wonder what kinds of things it would be decent in, and to mix up the protein supplementation.

People have success with protein balls, maybe try those. In the chia seed pudding recipe I posted above, there is a version with adding protein powder.
 

Suiteness

Registered User
Mar 14, 2003
8,782
705
Time to Rebuild
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You guys ever use protein powder in things other than just shakes? Never done it myself, but the thought has crossed my mind while preparing food. Wonder what kinds of things it would be decent in, and to mix up the protein supplementation.

I always do some overnight oats for a quick morning snack. I basically mix

- 1 scoop of protein powder
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 1/3 cup of Greek Yogurt and
- 1/3 cup of steel cut oats

in a mason jar and leave it in the fridge overnight.
 

Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
Never make oatmeal or anything like that, but just mixing in half a scoop with my greek yogurt that I usually eat as a snack works really well, especially the vanilla flavour.
 

Crease

Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
Jul 12, 2004
23,976
25,014
I throw a scoop of protein powder in my yogurt and beat it until it's nice and fluffy. It becomes almost an airy soft serve ice cream.
 

Danko

You have no marbles
Jul 28, 2004
10,909
10,813
Getting a little discouraged, Ive mentioned before that i've torn my acl/meniscus. I've been going to the gym anyway and have been doing the elliptical at a good level, i burn between 600-1000 calories. Then i will move on to do 3 or 4 seated machines and have been avoiding legs as i dont want to injure my knee more. I'm currently at 250lbs. I want to get down to 200. I've been focusing on my diet and have tried to stop drinking. I've had beer twice since the end of January.

I've been getting up and going to the gym at around 6am at least 4 days a week

My typical diet during the week is:

- Scrambled Eggs for breakfast
- 1/2 cup of lightly salted almonds
- 1 cup of greek yogurt
- salad with chicken/ground turkey or chicken noodle soup
- 22oz diet dr pepper
- muscle milk
-chicken/salmon or ground turkey for dinner with broccoli, veggie pasta or greenbeans.

I've cut out any sort of late night eating and stopped eating chips.

I know it will take time, but at one point in my life i lost over 100 pounds in 5 months, so im used to seeing better results. I have lost maybe 1 pound in 3 weeks.

Not sure what else i should be doing.
 

UnrealMachine

Registered User
Jul 9, 2012
4,580
2,075
Pittsburgh, USA
Getting a little discouraged, Ive mentioned before that i've torn my acl/meniscus. I've been going to the gym anyway and have been doing the elliptical at a good level, i burn between 600-1000 calories. Then i will move on to do 3 or 4 seated machines and have been avoiding legs as i dont want to injure my knee more. I'm currently at 250lbs. I want to get down to 200. I've been focusing on my diet and have tried to stop drinking. I've had beer twice since the end of January.

I've been getting up and going to the gym at around 6am at least 4 days a week

My typical diet during the week is:

- Scrambled Eggs for breakfast
- 1/2 cup of lightly salted almonds
- 1 cup of greek yogurt
- salad with chicken/ground turkey or chicken noodle soup
- 22oz diet dr pepper
- muscle milk
-chicken/salmon or ground turkey for dinner with broccoli, veggie pasta or greenbeans.

I've cut out any sort of late night eating and stopped eating chips.

I know it will take time, but at one point in my life i lost over 100 pounds in 5 months, so im used to seeing better results. I have lost maybe 1 pound in 3 weeks.

Not sure what else i should be doing.

I would give it about 2 or 3 more weeks before you reassess. Measuring tape around your waist line would give a better indicator of progress, as it's possible you may have gained a *slight* bit of muscle, or are just retaining water for some reason. Make sure that you weigh yourself at the same time and under the same conditions each time.

10-15 minutes of core work 3-5 days a week would be good for you and also burn an extra 100-150 calories. Balance out the ab work with lower back exercises like Superman or back hyper or both. Just keep at it. Hard work pays off and good things take time.
 
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Danko

You have no marbles
Jul 28, 2004
10,909
10,813
I would give it about 2 or 3 more weeks before you reassess. Measuring tape around your waist line would give a better indicator of progress, as it's possible you may have gained a *slight* bit of muscle, or are just retaining water for some reason. Make sure that you weigh yourself at the same time and under the same conditions each time.

10-15 minutes of core work 3-5 days a week would be good for you and also burn an extra 100-150 calories. Balance out the ab work with lower back exercises like Superman or back hyper or both. Just keep at it. Hard work pays off and good things take time.

I appreciate the advice. Ive definitely been drinking more water then i used to. Probably around 5 16oz bottles a day. When i finish the elliptical i typically hop on the Seated Ab Crunch machine and do 75lbs 4x15. I'll then do a back extension after that. I'm gonna try and keep it going and continue to try and improve my diet.
 

Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
Getting a little discouraged, Ive mentioned before that i've torn my acl/meniscus. I've been going to the gym anyway and have been doing the elliptical at a good level, i burn between 600-1000 calories. Then i will move on to do 3 or 4 seated machines and have been avoiding legs as i dont want to injure my knee more. I'm currently at 250lbs. I want to get down to 200. I've been focusing on my diet and have tried to stop drinking. I've had beer twice since the end of January.

I've been getting up and going to the gym at around 6am at least 4 days a week

My typical diet during the week is:

- Scrambled Eggs for breakfast
- 1/2 cup of lightly salted almonds
- 1 cup of greek yogurt
- salad with chicken/ground turkey or chicken noodle soup
- 22oz diet dr pepper
- muscle milk
-chicken/salmon or ground turkey for dinner with broccoli, veggie pasta or greenbeans.

I've cut out any sort of late night eating and stopped eating chips.

I know it will take time, but at one point in my life i lost over 100 pounds in 5 months, so im used to seeing better results. I have lost maybe 1 pound in 3 weeks.

Not sure what else i should be doing.
Though you seem to be eating quite wholesome (except for the diet Dr. P), have you calculated how many calroies you are actually putting into your body each day? If not you may be surprised by some of the items you are eating:

- 1/2 cup almonds is 320 calories.
- 1 cup of greek yogurt can be as much as 200 calories
- Muscle Milk products seem to be 150-300 calories per serving

That's possibly 700-800 calories outside of your 3 actual meals. This stuff can add up fast if you don't track it.
 

Danko

You have no marbles
Jul 28, 2004
10,909
10,813
Though you seem to be eating quite wholesome (except for the diet Dr. P), have you calculated how many calroies you are actually putting into your body each day? If not you may be surprised by some of the items you are eating:

- 1/2 cup almonds is 320 calories.
- 1 cup of greek yogurt can be as much as 200 calories
- Muscle Milk products seem to be 150-300 calories per serving

That's possibly 700-800 calories outside of your 3 actual meals. This stuff can add up fast if you don't track it.

Yeah, I have definitely considered that, Im trying to further reduce some of the calories that im taking in. The Almonds that I get are Blue Diamond Lightly Salted/Low Sodium and a package is 43g and is 260 calories per pack. I don't always eat the whole pack. I guess i overestimated.

I need to get a food scale and start properly measuring and tracking my food intake.

The Greek Yogurt is 120 and The muscle milk is about 150. I can easily cut out the muscle milk and greek yogurt however thought i may need the protein to build lean muscle. Building muscle while losing weight is something i'd like to accomplish. When i lost over a hundred pounds 7 years ago i was doing all cardio and ended up with excess skin which i had surgery to remove. I'd like to tighten up and reduce chest and thigh fat as well

My Macros as i could best calculate should be ( based off the calculator i used):
  • Protein Grams: 180
  • Fat Grams: 89
  • Carb Grams: 167
  • Fiber Grams: 38-51
The Calculator says i should be consuming 2189 calories

here's yesterdays food log:

FOODSCaloriesCarbsFatProteinCholestSodiumSugarsFiber
Breakfast
Dannon - Oikos Triple Zero Strawberry, 5.3 oz (150g) container12014g0g15g5mg65mg6g6g
Jimmy Dean Delights - Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl, 1 bowl24019g8g22g25mg720mg1g2g
monster - ultra sunrise zero, 2 container (16.00 fl oz)08g0g0g0mg280mg0g0g
Lunch
Blue Diamond Almonds - Lightly Salted Low Sodium, 1 oz (28g/about 28 nuts)1705g16g6g0mg40mg1g3g
deer park - water, 32 oz00g0g0g0mg0mg0g0g
Chicken - 6 oz Chicken Breast, 1 breast1500g3g32g75mg128mg0g0g
Fresh Express - American Salad, 2 cups - 85g153g0g1g0mg15mg2g1g
Dinner
Perdue - Cooked Chicken Breast, 9 oz.3600g3g78g195mg225mg0g0g
Kraft - Mexican Taco Shredded Cheese, 1 Cup4004g32g24g100mg840mg0g0g
Ortega - Whole Wheat Tortilla, 2 tortilla24048g4g8g0mg280mg6g6g
Snacks
Popcorn - Smartpop, 1 cup3025g0g4g0mg240mg0g4g
Herrs - Ripple Potatoe Chips, 1 oz14016g8g2g0mg180mg0g1g
Nature Valley - Crunchy Granola Bars-peanut Butter, 2 bars/1 pkg (42g)19027g8g4g0mg180mg11g2g
Honey, 1 tbsp(s)6417g0g0g0mg1mg17g0g
Whipped Cream - Reddi Whip, 6 Tbsp453g3g0g15mg0mg3g0g
TOTAL:2,164189g85g196g415mg3,194mg47g25g
[THEAD] [/THEAD]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TFOOT] [/TFOOT]
 
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Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
Good, I'm glad to see you tracking everything. That is very important.

I know this is not for everyone, but it was worked for me and two things I found very useful was cutting down carbs, sugar in particular, and skipping breakfast. Now for me, I was never a person that woke up in the morning hungry, and just forced myself to eat something in the morning because I was told it's the most important meal of the day. If you feel you need something in your system by all means keep eating breakfast, but just something that might be worth thinking about if you are trying to cut calories.

Another comment I'd make is that you are adding a lot of calories, and carbs in particular, in your snacking. Is this throughout the day, between meals? Or like a "dessert" after a meal?
 

Mrb1p

PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Dec 10, 2011
87,764
53,495
Citizen of the world
Just barging in, havent posted here in ages.

Point one, Holy shit all that packaged food has me shaking my head.

Point two, thats a load of crap youre eating. Basically eating enough sugar to stay at a good level to track straight to diabetus.

Either hire a dietician or read up on sugar intake because that will lead you nowhere.

Sorry if i come out harsh but theres no way around this.
 

Mrb1p

PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Dec 10, 2011
87,764
53,495
Citizen of the world
You guys ever use protein powder in things other than just shakes? Never done it myself, but the thought has crossed my mind while preparing food. Wonder what kinds of things it would be decent in, and to mix up the protein supplementation.

Protein balls are nice.

Shredded coconut with coco milk and vanilla or chocolate whey.

Just dont eat the whole thing in a sitting. Id send you the proportions but they depend on the whey you use a lot, so it requires experimentation. I swear if you like coconut its the best thing ever.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
Starting Whole30 again tomorrow. Diet has been absolute shit lately, need this as a way to get things back to where they need to be.

It also ends on the day I leave for a cycling trip where we'll do about 300 miles of cycling between Saturday and Sunday, and run 4-5 miles after each bike ride.... so yeah, kinda want to go into that with some confidence. :laugh:
 

Captain Bowie

Registered User
Jan 18, 2012
27,139
4,414
Starting Whole30 again tomorrow. Diet has been absolute **** lately, need this as a way to get things back to where they need to be.

It also ends on the day I leave for a cycling trip where we'll do about 300 miles of cycling between Saturday and Sunday, and run 4-5 miles after each bike ride.... so yeah, kinda want to go into that with some confidence. :laugh:
On a quick search, the Whole30 programs sounds interesting. The one rule that would keep me from it is the no Dairy. Cheese and Greek Yogurt are two things I don't think I could survive eating well without for very long.
 

RayP

Tf
Jan 12, 2011
94,110
17,878
On a quick search, the Whole30 programs sounds interesting. The one rule that would keep me from it is the no Dairy. Cheese and Greek Yogurt are two things I don't think I could survive eating well without for very long.

That's exactly what I thought about the same 2 food groups before I did it for the first time, and now I never buy either. I'll still have cheese from time to time if we're out at dinner and whatever I order comes with it, but it's been years since I've bought cheese at this point.
 

VanillaCoke

Registered User
Oct 30, 2013
24,976
11,313
Cut out dairy for 3 months and I promise you wont go back. Its unreal how much better you feel without it.

(Not counting pizza)
 

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