to give a bit of an update (not that anyone asked), i've been sticking (admittedly a little loosely) to this diet for the past month or so now, and have become quite lean. i'm still hoping to get striations in my quads, which it seems like im just on the cusp of, in the right light. sickening veins on the abs and calves at times, striations on triceps, even can see my pathetic brachialis in the right light (i swear i thought this muscle didn't exist on me until now), and the lowest part of my lats are starting to come in, such that the "christmas tree" extends all the way down.
i basically eat 2 scoops of whey and a handful of nuts after waking up. go to work, don't eat all day pretty much, have a coffee and tea or two, then come home and eat about 1/2 lb chicken in some sauce or spices + steamed vegetables. later that night i'll have maybe another 2 scoops of whey and some more nuts.
all in all, about 150g protein, a bag of vegetables, and a decent couple handfuls of nuts.
i'm not really hungry at most times, but the weight is coming off and i feel good. my workouts have been fine, though my strength is pretty sad (405 deadlift felt like 500+, for example). even if i've lost lean tissue (hard to tell), i like the way i look now more than the way i looked a month ago.