Food Advice

[Zekmuscle]

Hey there
Just wanted some feedback on my nutrition, been doing this style of eating for about 3-4 months now and I?ve lost 7lbs, and reduced my bodyfat by 1%, in the last 2 months. I?m trying to reduce my bodyfat overall at the moment.

6.45am Banana
7am Training (Circuit interval training for 45 minutes, Box fit/Spin Class/Circuit training/Weight Training/etc)
8am Porridge with Whey Protein Powder with full fat milk
10.30am Meat (Chicken/Pork/Tuna) with salad/wholemeal pasta/vegetables
12noon 2 pieces of fruit
2.30pm Meat (Chicken/Pork/Tuna) with salad/wholemeal pasta/vegetables
5.30pm General meal (anything from a Tikka Masala curry (sauce from a jar) to a roast tea)
7.30pm Fruit
9-9.30pm Porridge with full fat milk
10.30-11pm sleep
I usually drink about 8 pints of water (including a glass of pure orange juice) over the whole day.

There are slight variations at the weekend, and I don?t workout at the weekend, but I try to keep meals to this as much as possible. If I have sauces/vinegarettes with my morning and afternoon meals then I make them from scratch so I know hopefully what goes into them.

Is there anything I can do that could improve my bodyfat reduction with my diet. I am also increasing what I?m doing exercise wise, doing a Spartan style class and swimming once a week.

Looking forward to constructive criticism.
thanks

[Zekmuscle]

Can I assume that this diet plan is good as no one has responded but there has been over 300 views?

[Aielyn]

I think the reason you're not getting any responses at all is that you haven't actually given the sort of information that is really required to give a proper critique.

Right now, the best that anyone can say is that it looks somewhat balanced, as I see fruit, vegetables, grains, milk, and meat. Without having a strong sense of the details, that's probably the best anyone can do, other than to note that you've lost 7lb in 2 months, which is somewhat slow, but healthy (the maximum healthy fat loss rate is 2-3 lb per week - you've lost a little less than a pound a week).

The main thing I'd notice is that you include the orange juice in your 8 pints of water. That said, 8 pints of water (even 6 pints of water) is a fair amount - the typical suggestion is 2 L, which is a little over 4 pints. The usual recommendation is 8 glasses, which is usually referring to the standard cup size (which is 250 mL in Australia, about 237 mL in America).

With a diet like that, you shouldn't have too much trouble with your fat loss goals, although it is very dependent on your portion sizes, etc. Without knowing your current fat levels (and muscle levels, for that matter), it's hard to say what you should do to improve your results. Knowing that much might help to suggest where your weakness is, or if indeed there's a weakness at all (losing 7 lb in 2 months might be good speed, if you're already around 12% body fat).

[Zekmuscle]

Here's more information:
[COLOR=white]DATE / KG /[/COLOR][COLOR=white]BODYFAT %/FAT KG/[/COLOR][COLOR=white]MUSCLE KG[/COLOR]
[COLOR=white]10 DEC / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]114.5 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]30.70% / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]35.15 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]79.35[/COLOR]
[COLOR=white]09 FEB / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]112.8 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]29.80% / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]33.61 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]79.19[/COLOR]
[COLOR=white]30 MAR / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]109.6 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]29.10% / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]31.89 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]77.71[/COLOR]
[COLOR=white]25 MAY / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]108.2 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]26.60% / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]28.78 / [/COLOR][COLOR=white]79.42[/COLOR]

Workout routine involves:
Monday: Swissball/Circuit Training (morning), Spartan style training (Evening)
Tuesay: Spin Class
Wednesday: Weights Class (morning), Swimming (evening)
Thursday: Circuit Training
Friday: Boxfit

Hope this gives you more information to help with advice
Thanks
Zek

[Aielyn]

I'm confused - I didn't mention anything about workout routine or previous weight loss/gain, I said that people would need more information on your diet, and that knowledge of your current fat/muscle numbers might help.

First thing to note - your total mass is not made up only of fat and muscle. There's also fluids, organs, bone, cartilage, etc. What isn't your fat mass is your lean mass.

OK, looking at the numbers, you're fairly heavy. You haven't provided a height to clarify exactly, but if you're over 25% body fat, you've got a fair bit on you. In that case, being too exact about your diet isn't really the important thing, you just need to eat healthier, in moderately appropriate portions. You probably don't strictly need to eat so many times a day, at that weight, although it doesn't do any harm so long as you're not eating too much.

If you're trying to lose fat at that size, adding protein powder won't be all that beneficial. Again, it won't do harm, but it's not going to be particularly advantageous. The best it will do is help you slightly in maintaining your muscle.

According to your 10th of December and 25th of May information, you have lost about 6.3 kg in a little under 6 months. That's not too bad, when you consider that the numbers say that you've reduced your fat by almost 20% of the original amount, while keeping all of the muscle.

Losing 6.3 kg in just under 6 months, you should be moderately happy with that. But what does your weight look like now, since it's been two months since the last information?

[Zekmuscle]

My height is 6ft4 (193cm). I'm having my stats redone tomorrow so can update them (bodyfat, weight) then.

[THE BODYBUILDING GIANT]

looks very complicated but if it works for u i would get rid of full fat milk and have the fruit with my meal

get rid of porridge before bed time ur not using the energy so will store as fat

have all your carbs beofre 3pm if u wanna lose weight

just a few ideas

[Keshawn]

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[monstermusclebe]

It seems like your initial focus is on fat loss.

What are your goals in the long run? You seem interested in bodybuilders, but do YOU want to be one? And if so, how serious are you about getting huge muscles?

Someone in an earlier post recommended avoiding the full fat milk. I would agree, UNLESS you use raw milk, which I consider to be a bodybuilder's magic food.

Here's where you can find it in the UK:
http://www.realmilk.com/where-other.html#uk

Here's something of my diet (actually, most of it):

I basically live on raw milk. It's about 80% of my diet... and it works! It's the only live protein source that hasn't been processed in any way. And the immune and other factors in the fat of the milk help the body in many remarkable ways. I have been sick only once in *nine years*, since I began drinking raw milk... and that one time (last year) I had stopped drinking it for about a month, slept 4-6 hours a night for three weeks straight including a few all nighters with no sleep, and also traveled on several airplanes. No wonder I got sick. But I got better in 48 hours. Contrary to what they say when you get sick, I began drinking colostrom (the first milk of the morning, which mother cows give to their calves, and which has concentrated immune factors in it) as soon as I got home from the trip, sick as a dog. Doctors would say to avoid dairy right then because it would increase the phlem, etc. But I strongly disagree with what most doctors say about raw milk. I'm a living testament to how healthy raw milk can be for you. I used to get sick at least twice a year, sometimes for weeks at a time.

I also think you should drink one very large glass of water prior to your aerobics in the morning, and NOT have the banana (or any other food) until at least 30 minutes AFTER aerobics. Studies indicate that the best way to lose fat is to do aerobics first thing when you get up in the morning (which you seem to be doing) and PRIOR to eating anything, and then, if you can help it, waiting at least another 30 minutes after your aerobics session, prior to eating.

Those vegetables you eat, what are they? You should have plenty of dark leafy green veggies in your diet, such as kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, beet leaves, romaine, etc. I also give myself two large servings of veggies each day, once in the morning and once at night. I emulsify my veggies (using a professional blender), add some "whole fruit powder" called Fruits of the Earth, plus 1/2 a lemon, and some stevia to sweeten the stuff. Tastes like I'm drinking acai, blueberries and rasberries. But it is so very, very good for you. I recently had my antioxidant levels tested. Apparently "50,000" is considered excellent. Dr. Oz, here in the states, has scored around 70,000.

I scored 93,000.

I also include several tablespoons of raw cacao powder in my workout shakes. Raw cacao (chocolate) has twice the levels of antioxidants in it than any other fruit, including the superfruits. I of course take an omega-3, this one a "wholemega" made from the whole fish rather than more processed or refined.

And my evening meal is generally the veggie drink plus fish, steak (grass fed), or turkey, and brown rice or brown rice noodles with some sauce. Otherwise, I'm pretty much drinking raw milk. If I'm on a cutting phase, I will replace the brown rice/noodles with a whole head of romaine lettuce in a low-fat, low-carb all-natural dressing I make myself.

For my pre- and post-workout shakes, I do use raw skim milk, rather than whole... along with the cacao powder and a raw protein powder. Because I already drink so much dairy, my protein powders are formulated from brown rice and hemp protein sources instead of whey. The amino acid profile on them is comparable, or better, than the best whey proteins out there ("Warrior Food" by HealthForce Nutritionals).

I also add several tablespoons of raw honey, or (sometimes) eat some fruit. I have a strong, anecdotal opinion that while fructose powder may or may not be the best for you (as studies have shown), fructose from fruits or raw honey is something the body DOES know how to eat and process. I mean, what were we doing back when we as a species were hunting and gathering? Also, raw honey again has some very important nutrients and micronutrients in it that can assist the body in functioning better. So I guess you could say that my body is literally in "the land of (raw) milk and honey." I would not recommend the honey if you are trying to lose weight, though. Keep the carbs lower than you would normally.

Your last meal of the day should be high in protein and low in carbs.
Highest carb meals should be pre and post workouts, and by workouts I mean LIFTING WEIGHTS, not aerobics.

Good luck... and get big! I want to see another bodybuilder on the planet... you!

[kyle]

If you want to lose fat from your body then you have to quit banana from your meal. For a fat free body my trainer has suggested me to do so. But if you want muscular body then banana are the best diet you can ever have.