Fat Loss Nutrition - 2000 calories is hard.

[ballersonly]

I am 6'0 and 198 lbs. and I currently have a low level of activity because I recently had meniscus surgery. Since my surgery I've been trying to cut calories to account, but it has been too difficult and I'm afraid of gaining weight. I still have a lot of body fat to lose, but I am in good shape and I'm returning to the gym to do upper body work soon, but I'm wondering if people can critique my diet and help me keep my calories low and keep losing fat.

Here's a sample of my diet:

Breakfast: 4 Egg whites, Oatmeal w/ blueberries and strawberries, whole wheat english muffin

Snack: About 32oz+ Whey Shake w/ lots of berries and pineapples + 25g of protein from whey

Lunch: Quesadilla(whole wheat tortilla, onions, cheese, chicken, olive oil), and Baby Spinach

Snack: 28ish almonds and triscuits

Dinner: Tuna Sandwich

Snack: Yogurt

Snack: Cottage Cheese

It varies day to day, but that's an example of what I would eat during a day. I eat things with high fiber, yet I find myself getting hungry if I try to cut my foods too much. What else can I eat/do to keep calories low and stay full, etc.?

[Lost Dog]

Sometimes, you can eat the same calories and be more satisfied with different food choices.

Try dropping some breads, yogurt, crackers, tortillas and replacing them with fibrous veggies and fruits such as apples, berries, cantaloupe. Nuts can be good, but only if the fill you up and leave you satisfied.

Try to eat a good amount of protein with each meal or snack. Protein satisfies faster than other types of food. Also, some fat with every feeding is good, too. Fat takes longer to empty from the gut, so you tend to stay satisfied longer, once you get satisfied. The fiber in the fruits and veggies slow digestion and adds bulk. Apples are a good fruit choice, as the fiber and pectin act to supress appetite a bit more than other fruits.

[galya]

LD has given you some great advice. A very simple way to organize your food so as not to gain fat and be full on less calories:
1. Eat protein at every meal
2. Eat veggies at every meal
3. If you eat carbs limit them to mornings or PWO and always combine them with protein. Minimize fats with meals that contain carbs. Choose lwo GI carbs.
4. Do not eat just one thing as a meal (e.g. mix yogurt with some fruit and protein powder, or mix cottage cheese with peanut butter). Nuts are not a meal. Yogurt is not a meal. An apple is not a meal. I think you get it
5. Take fish oils with every meal if possible
6. Drink plenty of water and green tea and do your exercise (what you can do with your surgery, do it and progress at it)
If you're on these forums you are destined for success

Read about Adam's Diet on this forum and go to johnberardi.com for great nutrition information. Don't forget your body needs plenty of nutrients and protein to recover from surgey, do not deprive it of quality food!

[BFG]

Here's a sample of what you could probably do for the better:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ blueberries and strawberries, whole wheat slice of bread

Snack: berries and pineapples + milk made into a smoothie

Lunch: Quesadilla(whole wheat tortilla, onions, chicken, 1 spray olive oil), and Baby Spinach

Snack: fruit

Dinner: Tuna, potatos and salad or steamed veg
Snack: Yogurt

Snack: glass of milk

Havent number crunched but that depending on portion size will be sub 2000 cals.

Aim for 4 litres of ice cold water a day, start from 2 litres and build by 500mls per week. That will aid your fat loss and abate som eof the hunger pangs that are actualy probably thirst

[BFG]

3. If you eat carbs limit them to mornings or PWO and always combine them with protein. Minimize fats with meals that contain carbs. Choose lwo GI carbs.

Disagree with the above the only basis that has in a diet is invariably people that do this just ending up consuming less and that is it


4. Do not eat just one thing as a meal (e.g. mix yogurt with some fruit and protein powder, or mix cottage cheese with peanut butter). Nuts are not a meal. Yogurt is not a meal. An apple is not a meal. I think you get it

they are snacks not meals and do have a place to abate hunger. However on the nuts front think of density v calories. A very small snack that is loaded with calories you wont get many and they wont keep you full. Chug 1/2 a pint of milk and that will keep you fuller

5. Take fish oils with every meal if possible
Bearing in mind the reccomended amount to have any possible benefit os only 3g there is little point in adding additional fat for every meal. Not to mention the additional calories it contains

[galya]

BFG, all that sugar makes you high:p
I am not getting into a two-page discussion over the above ( berries+pineapple+milk,hm)

[BFG]

fare enough galya just have a different viewpoint to you as you know.

re carbs comment meant the carbs only earlier on and post workout not the rest of that poinrt.

just showing him what actualy works rather than what people continualy wish would work and still are striving to achieve because they have read a bunch of hype, biology is biology people can discuss food timings until the cows come home it still takes up to 3 1/2 hours to digest food to release the nutrients

[galya]

I respect your viewpoint. I help people acheive better body composition, that's what I do for a living. The above post reflects my experience and best knowledge of what goes on inside the body

[BFG]

likewise as you I may not be doing it for a living at the second but have helped numerous others achieve and am working with new people all the while now

I think sometimes things can be made either a) so unnatural or b) so complex they set only the extremely dedicated and committed up for failure

[galya]

Take Berardi's 10 rules. Simple. Things don't need to be complicated.

[BFG]

I totaly disagree I think he overcomplicates matters big time for the general populus that dont live, breath and sleeps training and nutrition.

I also think he overplays the minutia in so many of his articles that people get so bogged down they dont achieve blame it on that and move on to the next "latest" development. You only have to read on here in threads and every other forum I have been on "I was following x y or z and three weeks later oh I have changed this as it doesnt suit my lifestyle etc" and then they change the next bit etc etc. i dont doubt at all what he is saying works if followed to the letter but I dont think that alot of it fits in with the lifestlye/commitment so many are willing to make to sacrifice to achieve their goal.

[Ogedei]

Originally Posted by BFG

Here's a sample of what you could probably do for the better:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ blueberries and strawberries, whole wheat slice of bread

So outa blind curiosity,

why would you suggest he ditch his eggs at breakfast?

[gobbla]

didn't see top 10...found a top 7 though...didn't seem all that complicated.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).

[BFG]

Originally Posted by Ogedei

So outa blind curiosity,

why would you suggest he ditch his eggs at breakfast?

not exactly needed with the other breakfast items he was consuming when he is trying to conserve calories you want spread them out as evenly as possible, I personaly think that was too much at one point.

[BFG]

Gobbla its the overall steps rather than in isolation. The whole nutrient timing gamut is an area I dont agree with

If you want specifics of where I feel it will confuse and lose peoples commiment dedication then I would say:

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

Lost a fair percentage of your audience on that one

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

Lost another chunk here as well with latter part.

I personaly dont agree with this one and believe as its not akin to manys normal eating habits many will lose faith and wont stick to it as well

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

When losing weight thats too high IMO

[Ogedei]

Originally Posted by BFG

not exactly needed with the other breakfast items he was consuming when he is trying to conserve calories you want spread them out as evenly as possible, I personaly think that was too much at one point.

So why would you have him ditch protein when he has oatmeal and an english muffin?

Why not have the eggs and oatmeal? instead of the oatmeal and bread?

Personally that is what I would suggest. Drop the bread, eat the protein. You already have a great carb source in the oatmeal.

[Ogedei]

Originally Posted by BFG

Gobbla its the overall steps rather than in isolation. The whole nutrient timing gamut is an area I dont agree with

If you want specifics of where I feel it will confuse and lose peoples commiment dedication then I would say:

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

Lost a fair percentage of your audience on that one

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

Lost another chunk here as well with latter part.

I personaly dont agree with this one and believe as its not akin to manys normal eating habits many will lose faith and wont stick to it as well

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

When losing weight thats too high IMO

I lost 100lbs eating that level of fat. and I do not have loose skin, I lost it slow and steady.

Berardi isn't written for the average joe, the guy is high end. You can read it and recommend suggestions to people based on his theories though.

Berardi is an EXTREMLY smart man especially when it comes to nutrition.

Og.