Please critique my diet

[BigCypriate]

Hi guys, any input/suggestions welcome

My goal is to add another 10-15 pounds, and then to begin cutting about 10 pounds of bodyfat.

I have made some changes to my diet recently, by using only skimmed milk now (I consume around 3-4 pints of this including my 2 shakes)

1. Wake up and have 1 Mass shake (50g of whey, carbs etc) this shake has hardly any sugar.

2. Get to work and after around an hour I eat a big box of wholeweat pasta mixed with ground beef (rinsed to death!) and frozen veggies (a lot of these) with a pint of skimmed milk.

3. Will have 1 can of tuna steak in spring water around an hour and half later, drained thoroughly with 1 whole lemon squeezed on top. (around 45-50g protein)

4. Will then eat exactly the same as meal 2 including the milk.

5. I train around 7pm for on hour.

6. I have post workout Creatine immediately after training, followed by scoopf of dextrose around 20 mins after.

7. Will have another shake (protein only) 10 mins later.

8. Have a good meal (either pasta/potato/rice based with meat and veggies)

9. Have a small bowl of ice cream and then sleep.


(EDIT: This is around 4200 -4500 kcals, plus I drink around 4 liters of water.)

[DK II]

Sounds good, but why the ice cream before bed?

IMO, 4000 cal is way too much though, i can gain with 2500 easily, but you might have a fast metabolism.

Be careful not to gain too much fat though, it's not worth it.

[Tapeworm]

I find I make progress when I'm precise, and stall when I'm not.  A spreadsheet with your cals and macros will let you see exactly what's in each meal. 

My first impression is that your meals are generally too lean.  One big serving of fat in a single meal (ice cream) probably isn't ideal, but who knows.

I've never gone below 20% cals from fats and am now eating a Zone 40-30-30 more or less each meal and don't separate macros (like a predominantly protein meal of tuna only).

You're not a REAL bodybuilder without egg farts that'll clear the room. 

[BigCypriate]

I find I make progress when I'm precise, and stall when I'm not.  A spreadsheet with your cals and macros will let you see exactly what's in each meal. 

My first impression is that your meals are generally too lean.  One big serving of fat in a single meal (ice cream) probably isn't ideal, but who knows.

I've never gone below 20% cals from fats and am now eating a Zone 40-30-30 more or less each meal and don't separate macros (like a predominantly protein meal of tuna only).

You're not a REAL bodybuilder without egg farts that'll clear the room. 

hahahaha, dont worry the tuna/milk/creatine farts always ensure nobody interupts my workouts!

Tapeworm, how do you suggest I include more healthy fats in each of my meals?

I already have around 10-12% bf and want to slowly reduce that over the next few months.

[Tapeworm]

Nothing fancy, I'd just add some olive oil to the meal2 and throw in some walnuts somewhere.  You could add fish oil pills if your tuna doesn't get you the EFAs you want (I think Princess L recommended 1000 mg each EPA and DHA per day).  Avocados are yummy. 

Anyway, my big thing is KNOWING what I'm eating each meal and each day rather than the "it seems like about" approach.  Maybe I'll mellow out one day and quit tracking diet, but I like seeing the cause and effect of "this diet" + "did this in the gym" = "this progress" even though there are so many other variables it's not that simple and direct.

[BigCypriate]

Nothing fancy, I'd just add some olive oil to the meal2 and throw in some walnuts somewhere.  You could add fish oil pills if your tuna doesn't get you the EFAs you want (I think Princess L recommended 1000 mg each EPA and DHA per day).  Avocados are yummy. 

Anyway, my big thing is KNOWING what I'm eating each meal and each day rather than the "it seems like about" approach.  Maybe I'll mellow out one day and quit tracking diet, but I like seeing the cause and effect of "this diet" + "did this in the gym" = "this progress" even though there are so many other variables it's not that simple and direct.

Thanks for the advices man,

I will try the Olive Oil with each pasta/veg/beef meal (as I cook it with no fat at all)

and take the fish oil morning and nightime maybe?

How many mgs of fish oil to take, and which kind

thanks for the help

[Tapeworm]

Just head to the chemist and check the label on the fish oil, it should say how many mg of EPA and DHA it contains since it will vary from brand to brand.  I usually pop the pills at noon and again with my last meal.

There was a good thread on olive oil not too long ago.  Extra virgin is the stuff to get, and someone (Dr D maybe?) said it's important not to overheat it when cooking (it's probably fine unless you're burning shit to the pan ).  I sometimes just pour some over boiled and drained pasta - keeps it from sticking.

Don't forget that fats are dense at 9 cals/g BigC, so you might want to scale back elsewhere or you could start pushing over 4500/day. 

[Dr. D]

Here is a list I wrote of the good fats and the bad fats:

Fats to Consume:
   1. Organic, free-range animal meats and fats such as lard, tallow etc. Good for cooking at high heat.
   2. Fish (Or due to the high levels of heavy metals and other toxins in fish today, high quality fish-oil supplements may be a good option. These should come from wild fish that have been filtered for heavy metal toxicity and other metal toxicity.) I like Carlson's and Krill Oil.
   3. Organic, free-range eggs – the whole complete egg including the yolk, which should be kept intact during cooking to prevent oxidizing the cholesterol in the yolk. Best methods are boiling or low-temperature poaching and frying.
   4. Raw nuts, soaked before eating to break down the phyto-nutrients and makes all the nutrients more bio-available.
   5. Avocados – a good source of monounsaturated oleic acid.
   6. Cold-pressed, unfiltered organic olive oil – a good source of monounsaturated oleic acid and may be used for cooking at moderate temps.
   7. Butter, raw if possible – Butter has many benefits including fat-soluble vitamins, short and medium chain FA, small, but equal amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 FA, conjugated linoleic acid (if the butter is from pasture-fed cows only - this has strong anti-cancer properties), lecithin, cholesterol, trace minerals and more.
   8. Ghee (clarified butter)
   9. Coconut oil or butter – high in medium-chain FA that is good for using at high heat.
  10. Pumpkin seed oil
  11. Flax seed oil – very high Omega-3 content. Always keep refrigerated and never heat.
  12. Castor oil
  13. Cod liver oil
  14. Palm oil - Good for cooking at high heat.

Fats to avoid or limit:
   1. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils - These contain trans-fatty acids that look more like plastic that fats under a microscope. Your body is not designed to eat plastics!
   2. Canola oil – Has a high sulphur content, goes rancid easily, contains trans-fatty acids (created during deodorizing of oil), can cause deficiency of Vitamin E and may cause fibrotic heart lesions.
   3. Soy oil – highly processes and high in Omega-6 FA
   4. Corn, safflower, cottonseed and sunflower oils – high in Omega-6 FA, very low in Omega-3
   5. Peanut and sesame oils - OK for cooking at moderate temps, but limit the use because of Omega-6 FA content.

[DK II]

thanks, very interesting read.

[BigCypriate]

Here is a list I wrote of the good fats and the bad fats:

Fats to Consume:
   1. Organic, free-range animal meats and fats such as lard, tallow etc. Good for cooking at high heat.
   2. Fish (Or due to the high levels of heavy metals and other toxins in fish today, high quality fish-oil supplements may be a good option. These should come from wild fish that have been filtered for heavy metal toxicity and other metal toxicity.) I like Carlson's and Krill Oil.
   3. Organic, free-range eggs – the whole complete egg including the yolk, which should be kept intact during cooking to prevent oxidizing the cholesterol in the yolk. Best methods are boiling or low-temperature poaching and frying.
   4. Raw nuts, soaked before eating to break down the phyto-nutrients and makes all the nutrients more bio-available.
   5. Avocados – a good source of monounsaturated oleic acid.
   6. Cold-pressed, unfiltered organic olive oil – a good source of monounsaturated oleic acid and may be used for cooking at moderate temps.
   7. Butter, raw if possible – Butter has many benefits including fat-soluble vitamins, short and medium chain FA, small, but equal amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 FA, conjugated linoleic acid (if the butter is from pasture-fed cows only - this has strong anti-cancer properties), lecithin, cholesterol, trace minerals and more.
   8. Ghee (clarified butter)
   9. Coconut oil or butter – high in medium-chain FA that is good for using at high heat.
  10. Pumpkin seed oil
  11. Flax seed oil – very high Omega-3 content. Always keep refrigerated and never heat.
  12. Castor oil
  13. Cod liver oil
  14. Palm oil - Good for cooking at high heat.

Fats to avoid or limit:
   1. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils - These contain trans-fatty acids that look more like plastic that fats under a microscope. Your body is not designed to eat plastics!
   2. Canola oil – Has a high sulphur content, goes rancid easily, contains trans-fatty acids (created during deodorizing of oil), can cause deficiency of Vitamin E and may cause fibrotic heart lesions.
   3. Soy oil – highly processes and high in Omega-6 FA
   4. Corn, safflower, cottonseed and sunflower oils – high in Omega-6 FA, very low in Omega-3
   5. Peanut and sesame oils - OK for cooking at moderate temps, but limit the use because of Omega-6 FA content.

Very helpful Doc thanks.