A FaceBook friend of mine asked me to give him some advice on his diet. I asked him to write down everything he ate or drank for two days and send it to me. After he sent ity to me, this was my advice, which was a fun project to analyze. Keep in mind this guy is not a weightlifter some of the comments are deisgned for the average desk worker.
Hi __
Attached is an excel spreadsheet I developed which tracks calories, protein, carbs, fiber, net carbs (i.e., carbs minus fiber), fat and water intake. At the bottom of the sheet, I use a formula to determine the percentage of your calories attributed to protein, carbs and fat.
I used your first day as the input day. I realize it was your anniversary so it may be somewhat atypical, but the next day wasn’t too much different. Also, I had to estimate certain things based on the internet as there is wide variation in things like mozzarella sticks. I tried to take data which was in the middle, rather than the high or low ends.
Here is what I found. As an initial matter, your caloric intake was about the same as mine on the same day- in the 2,500 calorie range. The difference to be found was in where the calories came from. As you can see from the chart, I estimate the following breakdown for you (I put my percentages next to yours in brackets so that you can compare).
Protein 8.3% [29.7%]
Carbs 43.9% [41.6%]
Fat 47.8% [28.7%]
Protein
What was disconcerting to me was the low protein versus high fat percentages. Ideally, you probably want to get your protein up around 33%. A good rule of thumb is between 0.75 to 1 gram of protein per lean pound body weight (the weight if you were in perfect shape). If you’re lean body weight is 180, you want somewhere in the 135-180 grams of protein range for the day. As we get older, the body begins to lose muscle. That results in a reduction in RBM (resting metabolic rate)- that is how many calories your body burns just to maintain muscle mass when you are inactive. As a man over 40, this is where the weight loss battle is won or lost, keeping that muscle mass up even as testosterone diminishes is the key. The other thing which is nice about protein is that it stabilizes blood sugar- you will not feel as hungry with high protein diets and it will help you to avoid overindulging in foods with simple carbs or high fats.
Fats
120 grams of fat is just way, way too high. You need to be around half that- shoot for 25% of your calories. You will see above that I missed the 25% target myself but here is the thing which you may know already- not all fats are created equal and not all fats are bad. I had 76 grams of fat on the sample day, but 27 grams were from what are considered healthy fat sources (20g fat from walnuts, 6g fat from fish oil supplement and 1 gram fat from fish oil). These fats are actually heart healthy and support testosterone formation and other benefits. Much of your fat intake came from dairy and animal fats which is not optimal.
Carbs
Our carb intake was pretty much the same. But again, not all carbs are created equal. Simple carbs are those carbs which are quickly absorbed by the bloodstream and raise blood sugar (e.g., white bread). What happens is that the body senses a glut of blood sugar which is more than is needed for immediate energy needs and the liver converts it into fat. Think of pouring water into a funnel and when you pour it too quick it spills over the sides of the funnel- the spillage is what becomes fat. Now think of a small drip into the funnel, those are slow dissolving (complex) carbs. These are from fruits and vegetables, whole grain sources, etc. I highly recommend switching to high fiber wraps from white bread and sweet potatoes are great sources of fiber. We will discuss solutions later, for now we are concentrating on the problem. In sum, your carbohydrate level is not too bad but we need to switch the types of carbs.
Fiber
This is a glaring dietary deficiency! Your fiber content (3.5) is probably 10-15% of what you really need (shoot for at least 30g). Combined with inadequate hydration and too much fat, this is a definite health hazard. The last thing you want are animal and dairy fats sitting around in your colon for too long, that can lead to cancer and many other bad things. If you are not taking at least one decent size crap every day, this is one sign of trouble. Fiber also has the benefit of regulating blood sugar and preventing the "spillage/funnel" dynamic I described earlier. We will address solutions for your fiber intake below, but this is a big deal and must be addressed.
Antioxidents/Vitamins
There were relatively few sources of antioxidents in your diet (coffee was one, but it is not enough by itself). These prevent DNA/cell damage and have a host of other positive dietary benefits especially anti-carcinogenic properties which I think is very important. I didn’t analyze vitamin intake in this diet but I suspect you have some low levels of certain vitamins and minerals given what I’m seeing.
Hydration
You are dangerously low in the amount of fluids necessary for optimal functioning. I would like to see you double your fluid intake from 35 ounces to at least 70 and work up to 100 ounces. Get a 34 ounce water bottle and sip from it, one in the morning one in the afternoon and it will get you there (squirt some lemon in there if you must).
Solutions
It all depends how far you want to take it. My diet is quite extreme in terms of trying to achieve optimal health (my big sin is probably a couple glasses of wine per night which adds about 320 valueless calories). At a minimum, you need to buy a multiple vitamin, fish oil tablets (take 6g per day), green tea capsules (2 capsules per day) and a fiber supplement (get to that 30g total somehow-fiber one cereal is also very effective if you can deal with the taste). In addition, buy a whey protein supplement and drink at least two shakes per day- this will add 50g of protein to your diet immediately and stabilize your hunger/blood sugar- if you blend with frozen blueberries this will get some needed vitamins, fiber and antioxidents in your diet). Try to have only one big fat item per day in your diet (if mozarella sticks then no dumplings/pork fried rice)
The above steps will at least "right the nutritional" ship and based on my reading of the latest science in nutrition add years to your life. I would go further than that but that is up to you. If you want to take it to the next level, let me know and we will design a sane nutritional regimen that will give you more energy, better health and reduced bodyfat (don’t worry there is still room for the occasional bad meal or night out at a restaurant).
Very truly yours,
