The Official Nutrition Thread - Tips, Recommendations, Current Diets

[Caeldan]

Where are some good places to get info on health and nutrition tips and everything like that? My buddy always talks about reading articles but he pays for them, was wondering if there was anything like that but for free around. I would like to increase my knowledge when it comes to this stuff, any ideas/suggestions? Thanks!

Honestly depends on what school of nutritional thought you subscribe to.
For example - as it might be apparent in the thread for myself -- Primal/Paleo is what I prefer. Some good sites for information include:
www.whole9life.com
www.balancedbites.com
www.marksdailyapple.com

You can also find various articles on the various fitness/lifting sites like T-Nation, Breaking Muscle, Juggernaut Training (jtsstrength), Elite FTS.

****** also has a few decent subreddits too.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I'm about ready to find a diet that's gonna work for me well, I just realized my weight has crept up to 215, mainly because I eat too much fast food. Any ideas for someone who doesn't really like veggies and stuff? I mainly eat meat, potatoes, pastas (the closest I get to "healthy" food is salad and my salads are not very healthy, drowned in blue cheese)

 

[Caeldan]

I'm about ready to find a diet that's gonna work for me well, I just realized my weight has crept up to 215, mainly because I eat too much fast food. Any ideas for someone who doesn't really like veggies and stuff? I mainly eat meat, potatoes, pastas (the closest I get to "healthy" food is salad and my salads are not very healthy, drowned in blue cheese)

Put your big boy pants on, eat your veggies and drop processed foods.
Learn to cook from scratch, experiment with seasonings and don't cook out of a box.

 

[IslesRock4]

I'm about ready to find a diet that's gonna work for me well, I just realized my weight has crept up to 215, mainly because I eat too much fast food. Any ideas for someone who doesn't really like veggies and stuff? I mainly eat meat, potatoes, pastas (the closest I get to "healthy" food is salad and my salads are not very healthy, drowned in blue cheese)

You're more than aware of the issues in your diet. If you're actually serious about losing weight, you'll have to lose the stubbornness and eat better. There aren't any "ideas" or tricks; it's not rocket science. Start slowly cutting out things here and there and incorporating more natural foods. You'll have to cut down on carbs to lose significant weight, but they are not the devil as some may make them out to be.

I would advise getting myfitnesspal on your phone and start by tracking everything you eat. I didn't start counting macros until I began lean bulking, but you can find a good cutting plan by spending some time on iifym.com. Flexible dieting will allow you to still have fast foods and other things once in a while.

Try not drinking your calories, unless it's from milk, protein shakes, etc. That will allow you to have more food, and will cut down on your sugar intake.

Get some exercise. Cardio is obvious, and lifting helps a lot more than most people think. Bigger muscles burn more calories.

 

[RayP]

It'll be the fourth time I do it I think, last time was end of august/beginning of september... I just like to reset habits basically... usually go super strict for about 3 weeks of it (ie I don't even bother attempting to eat out), then ease up a little bit by the end and find my equilibrium.

That is more or less what I do as well. The only issue I have is cutting out alcohol. I could live daily without everything else according to their rules and not have a problem with it. The only thing that I wish was allowed under their program, would be beans.

 

[Crease]

Question for those familiar with lean bulking:

These are my stats:
Age: 27
Height: 5'8
Weight: 163lbs
BF%: 11

This is my goal:
Weight: 170lbs
BF%: 8

I've been lifting for years but never committed myself to a bulk. I anticipate slow gains. I crunched some numbers based on my BMR and activity level and this is what I've come up with:

Daily Caloric Needs: 3546
Carbs: 489g (55%)
Protein: 163g (18%)
Fats: 104g (27%)

Do my macros look good for what I'm trying to accomplish?

 

[RSeen]

I'm about ready to find a diet that's gonna work for me well, I just realized my weight has crept up to 215, mainly because I eat too much fast food. Any ideas for someone who doesn't really like veggies and stuff? I mainly eat meat, potatoes, pastas (the closest I get to "healthy" food is salad and my salads are not very healthy, drowned in blue cheese)

Juice your veggies. Makes it much easier to consume. Just have to suck it up.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

Question for those familiar with lean bulking:

These are my stats:
Age: 27
Height: 5'8
Weight: 163lbs
BF%: 11

This is my goal:
Weight: 170lbs
BF%: 8

I've been lifting for years but never committed myself to a bulk. I anticipate slow gains. I crunched some numbers based on my BMR and activity level and this is what I've come up with:

Daily Caloric Needs: 3546
Carbs: 489g (55%)
Protein: 163g (18%)
Fats: 104g (27%)

Do my macros look good for what I'm trying to accomplish?

You have an insane activity level. How many of those 3500 are surplus?

 

[Crease]

You have an insane activity level. How many of those 3500 are surplus?

I rigged it so that I'm eating 20% above maintenance.

Maintenance for me is 2950, taking into account the fact that I work out 6+ days a week, I live in an urban city and thus walk a ton, and the calories burned through the eating/digestion process.

If I work out less frequently I get stressed. To compensate (since I'm trying to grow) I hit only one muscle group a day for 45 minutes or less and give that muscle 4-5 days off.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

600 calorie surplus is not really a slow bulk (but it depends on the person's standards). You'd be gaining a little over 5 pounds a month. By October, you'll be close to 200 pounds. Slow bulk by my standards is ~250 cal surplus.

 

[Crease]

600 calorie surplus is not really a slow bulk (but it depends on the person's standards). You'd be gaining a little over 5 pounds a month. By October, you'll be close to 200 pounds. Slow bulk by my standards is ~250 cal surplus.

No way I can continue to eat like this until October.

You're right though, I guess I can't expect lean gains if I continue with 600+ above maintenance. I don't mind cutting (I'm good at it) but I should probably decide soon whether I want to do this fast or slow and get to it.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

You are attempting to grow 11 pounds of muscle. Unless you're malnourished and have never trained before (which doesn't apply to you), it won't happen in 3 months. Probably will take the whole year, so might as well go with 200 calories surprlus.

 

[GinoLucia2217]

How much do you eat in a day? I was about 6'2, 125 out of high school. Ate big for a year and got to 160 pretty easily. Now up to 6'3, 170 (just started to get serious about putting on weight again after a bit of a hiatus).

Usually big bowl of healthy cereal in the morning, 3-4 scrambled eggs with bread around noon, some form of pasta at 3ish, whatever I can find at about 6, and then dinner at 8ish. I try to have chicken with potatoes, or/and rice + veggies on the side as much as possible, but being brown, I get roti a lot. This plus some fruits and vegetables throughout the day has worked well for me.

I eat whatever is in sight and is still healthy. For Breakfast I usually have a bowl of honey bunches of oats cereal, limits sugar and processed crap. With a peanut butter bagel witha glass of milk, and an apple. If I'm still hungry I will have a yogurt. Lunch consists of apple juice, a beef stick and a protein bar along with whatever else is served at lunch that day. Consists to about 600-700 calories for the lunch

When I get home from school I will make myself a ham or turkey sandwich and then do a little working out. After that I will grab a protein shake. Dinner around 7 eat whatever the family is having. Usually around 800 calories. Before I go to bed I might make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a grilled ham and cheese along with another protein bar with a good glass of milk to help me sleep.

 

[jmart21]

You are attempting to grow 11 pounds of muscle. Unless you're malnourished and have never trained before (which doesn't apply to you), it won't happen in 3 months. Probably will take the whole year, so might as well go with 200 calories surprlus.

Agreed.

Otherwise, you'll just get fat and then say "I need to cut" and start cutting.
Bye bye gains.


find what your maintenance actually is. Calculate what you think it is. Eat at that level for 2-3 weeks. Track your weight daily in excel. After 2-3 weeks you should have enough data points to put a trendline through it and get an idea if that's actually your maintenance.

If it is; add a few hundred cals; eat it for a few weeks, track in excel.

Repeat as needed.

 

[SixthSens]

I've been making a wicked smoothie lately. Taste almost exactly like a DQ PB Cup blizzard, minus the guilt.


1-1.25 cups 1% chocolate milk (depending on consistency)
little splash of honey
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 scoop ON Gold Standard Milk Chocolate Whey
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (0% MF)
a few kale leaves for a vitamin boost

 

[RayP]

I've been making a wicked smoothie lately. Taste almost exactly like a DQ PB Cup blizzard, minus the guilt.


1-1.25 cups 1% chocolate milk (depending on consistency)
little splash of honey
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 scoop ON Gold Standard Milk Chocolate Whey
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (0% MF)
a few kale leaves for a vitamin boost

Jesus man, that's gotta be pushing 1000 calories.

 

[SixthSens]

Jesus man, that's gotta be pushing 1000 calories.

Ball parked 800-850.

Homemade gainer

 

[The Dayvan Cowboy]

So, I'm about to embark on my first cut. I'm currently sitting at 182lbs at 6'0. I don't really have a goal weight just looking to cut a little bit of fat and maybe focus a smidge more energy on cardio.

Right now this is what I'm planning for the week ahead:

Breakfast:
Steel Cut Oats
Liquid Egg Whites
Italian Sausage (some homemade kind from a local butcher. It's pretty lean, just high in sodium.)

Lunch:
Plain pork chop
Protein Shake

(Gym)
Protein Shake

Dinner:
One plain chicken breast
One cup of brown rice
4-5 stalks of asparagus or some broccoli.

Bedtime snack:
One cup fat free cottage cheese
Half a cup of assorted fresh fruit
Decaffeinated green tea.

It works out to just under 1800 calories and 180g of protein.

As for exercise, I'm still lifting six days a week and swimming on my off day. I might add some cardio in on some days depending on how I'm feeling at the end of the day since my apartment has a whole range of cardio machines in the fitness area.

Hows it look? Anything I should change up?

 

[Caeldan]

I'm not a fan of cutting for cutting sake (also known as how to lose gains fast), but not sure how 1800 calories would sustain that activity level. I'm 165 and I think I worked out that I should be around 2800 calories.

 

[RayP]

Just nitpicking here Davyan, but if you really want to cut out the most fat and calories possible... I'd ditch the pork italian sausage. I don't think it's even possible to make a lean version. I get some chicken or turkey italian sausage on a regular basis, and it's not too bad.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

I mean, if he's at 1800 calories and gets 180g of protein, it doesn't matter what he eats, he'll lose weight. Fat makes you full.

 

[RayP]

There are plenty of other options out there to make you feel full other than fats...

 

[jmart21]

So, I'm about to embark on my first cut. I'm currently sitting at 182lbs at 6'0. I don't really have a goal weight just looking to cut a little bit of fat and maybe focus a smidge more energy on cardio.

Right now this is what I'm planning for the week ahead:

Breakfast:
Steel Cut Oats
Liquid Egg Whites
Italian Sausage (some homemade kind from a local butcher. It's pretty lean, just high in sodium.)

Lunch:
Plain pork chop
Protein Shake

(Gym)
Protein Shake

Dinner:
One plain chicken breast
One cup of brown rice
4-5 stalks of asparagus or some broccoli.

Bedtime snack:
One cup fat free cottage cheese
Half a cup of assorted fresh fruit
Decaffeinated green tea.

It works out to just under 1800 calories and 180g of protein.

As for exercise, I'm still lifting six days a week and swimming on my off day. I might add some cardio in on some days depending on how I'm feeling at the end of the day since my apartment has a whole range of cardio machines in the fitness area.

Hows it look? Anything I should change up?

Your diet is terribly low in fats.

 

[The Dayvan Cowboy]

Just nitpicking here Davyan, but if you really want to cut out the most fat and calories possible... I'd ditch the pork italian sausage. I don't think it's even possible to make a lean version. I get some chicken or turkey italian sausage on a regular basis, and it's not too bad.

I did end up picking up some chicken sausage from the farmers market.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

There are plenty of other options out there to make you feel full other than fats...

Fats are good for you.