Diet help for cutting cycle

Beefcake · Jan 27, 2015

Hello everyone. I just started my cutting cycle of test e/mast e both 600 and var. Var is for 3 cycles 1ml twice a day. I'm currently at 242, 5'9 bf%--not sure but I would like to lose 20lbs in my stomach area. 40 yrs old. I have been lifting for over 10 years, was an active athlete in HS and College. I'm always busy and on the go. I work out 5 days a week, lifting and 20 minutes cardio. Cardio is walking fast then slow 1 minute alternating. My diet has been the following:

Breakfast--3 egg whites, 1 whole, 2 slice cheese.

10am meal--1 cup oatmeal, 1 protein shake whey

lunch--2cups tuna salad/ham salad/chicken salad, whole grain wrap, 2 slice cheese.

workout

post protein shake

dinner choices--homemade beef or chicken tacos, skinless chicken, frozen chicken patty, steak and brown beans, occasional baked potato, 2 slice cheese.

I've been using myfitnesspal to track all of my daily meals. It says with this rate in 5 weeks I will weigh 226lbs.??? This includes my cardio but does not calculate lifting for 40 minutes, high intensity, no breaks.

Supps include--3 creatine pills pre workout, concentrated protein pills--4 a day after lunch, vitamin C pill, multi vit, NO2 post workout.

What improvements could I make to my diet plan to cut 20 lbs???

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

Totals

1,959 Calories

124 Carbs

82 Fat

143 Protein

5,961 Sodium

57 Sugar

Your Daily Goal

2,372 Calories

297 Carbs

79 Fat

119 Protein

2,300 Sodium

89 Sugar

Remaining

413 Calories

173 Carbs

-3 Fat

-24 Protein

-3,661 Sodium

32 Sugar

Cobra Strike · Jan 27, 2015

Obviously I think your cardio is good for burning fat without burning muscle. This is the same cardio that my procard trainer has me do and also the same cardio that 3J had me do when I was using him. If you had time you could bump it to 30 minutes.

Do you measure your portions out? How much protien do you put in a shake?

I think you should cut out all the cheese. Also stay away from wraps and taco shells...just eat the meat plain with veggies...like sauteed green beans or steamed whatever. Condiments are your friends lol.

Stop eating the tuna salads as well...you dont need the fat from the mayo and cream those are made with. Keep it as clean and simple as possible.

Are you taking in any carbs pre workout or immediately post work out?

Beefcake · Jan 27, 2015

Thanks Cobra. I put 1 scoop in the protein shakes, sometimes two. As for the tuna and wraps, what could I use, canned or fresh tuna? Then mix it with what? I'm a cheeseaholic, so I have to find other condiments to mix with it. I'm also not big on veggies, but will occasionally have a salad. I'm a very picky eater which is why I have trouble with dieting. However I do want to stick to one for this cycle, and hopefully afterwards. The ketchup with eggs was a good idea. I'm also not taking any other carbs (besides fruit) pre or post workout besides what's listed. I guess whole wheat or grain bread may be a good source??

Cobra Strike · Jan 27, 2015

Im a pizza, deep fried, twinkie and all the worst food you can think of lover..but i dont eat it except on my one cheat meal...thats usually pizza and a massive dessert lol mind over matter..remeber...its not like its forever and you have plenty of life left to eat all the shit you want

Keep your fruit down to like an apple a day and in the am. Fruit is sugar so you dont want to much of it in a cut. You can also use salsa on eggs..hot sauces as well. For your meat what I do is just make taco meat from ground turkey/chicken/beef then weigh it up for as much as i need to hit my macros...right now that is 5 ounces lol. The taco meat you can mix with shredded lettuce and salsa, peppers, onions to make a taco salad or its just good to eat plain. Stay away from breads. Ezeikel bread is best and limit that to 2 slices a day. Bbq sauce is good to put on stuff as well as asian sauces...i use asian sauces on my veggies.

The hardest part is putting all this together to form hit your macros..portion size is important. You gotta get creative with food flavoring to eat clean. If you need a snack then go with pickles or celery..low low cal things to keep the hunger pangs down.

If your really eating 2000 cals a day yoour def going to drop the lbs...thats eating like a bird.

JAXNY · Jan 27, 2015

Cobra pretty much said what I was going to. Cut that cheese out 100 percent. Same with the tuna and chicken salads. Eat your tuna plain. Bump your cardio to 30-40 min. I prefer the stationary bike at 90-100 rpms over walking fast. I think your protien may be too low. But I can't tell from your post exactly how much your intake is.

Beefcake · Jan 27, 2015

Thanks guys for the input. I did cardio for 30 minutes today then my weights. I'll have to try the bike too. Based on the food web site my protein is a little low. I want to lose fat and gain muscle--just like everyone else. On this cycle I hope to cut and lose weight but still increase muscle mass. I'll increase the egg whites for protein and try to add some clean carbs for pre-workout or post. What if I up the oatmeal or low fat yogurt? Are triscuits and wheat things okay or not?

Cobra Strike · Jan 27, 2015

No crackers or chips bro lol look at your nutrition labels. Sugar = bad. oatmeal is good for carbs...so is rice. You want your carbs to be 40%/protien 40%/fat 20%. Right now if your eating 2k cals a day your approx. 1200 cals less then maintenance. You should only be about 500 Less for awhile.

Try to keep your protien to about 40g i take when you do get your protien in. The largest protien shake I drink has 30g protien in it max. You want to get your protien from food not a shake if possible because food will fill you up.

Light and fit dannon greek yogurt is good...one cup a day is plenty. Just have to figure out what you can stand to eat everyday and figure out how much of each meal to eat. Each meal does not need to be equal to the other. Shoot for about 6 meals a day with your last meal being right before bed. For example mine is 30g casien protien shake with 15 almonds.

Beefcake · Jan 27, 2015

Thanks for the input cobra. I really haven't been too hungry lately, but I have to get my protein and carbs in. 6 meals a day will keep me pretty satisfied.

JAXNY · Jan 27, 2015

Beefcake said:
Thanks guys for the input. I did cardio for 30 minutes today then my weights. I'll have to try the bike too. Based on the food web site my protein is a little low. I want to lose fat and gain muscle--just like everyone else. On this cycle I hope to cut and lose weight but still increase muscle mass. I'll increase the egg whites for protein and try to add some clean carbs for pre-workout or post. What if I up the oatmeal or low fat yogurt? Are triscuits and wheat things okay or not?

I would do your weight training first, then your cardio. You'll have more stregnth and energy to lift and build. You don't need so much to do cardio. Save cardio for last. Increase your protien or you're on your way to stripping down musle mass as most guys do when they diet down. Eat food for protien but don't hesitate to drink a few protien shakes through out the day inbetween meals to keep your protien intake high.
I'll drink a protien shake imediately after my work out then eat a meal about an hour later. You'll utilize that shake before your body can break down and digest a solid meal an hour or so later.

Beefcake · Jan 28, 2015

Thanks Jax. I usually do cardio first to break a sweat and get warmed up but I'll try doing it afterwards instead. I workout at work during my shift and if someone calls me then I often have to leave asap and then come back to it later. The gym is 40 feet from my office so I've been sneaking over there to workout for an hour. Can't beat getting paid to workout!!! I'll increase my protein intake and drink shakes inbetween meals. I'm also buying more high protein sources like steak, chicken, etc.

Thanks everyone for the input. It's greatly appreciated and I hope to hit my goal of losing at least 20 lbs during my cycle.

Beefcake

Paolos · Jan 28, 2015

Beef the bros gave you some good information to get you started. All of the nutritional stuff is kinda custom and everybody will react a little different.
You should be documenting what changes you make and give it time to work. SOOO many people make tweaks to their diet and don't give it time
to work. For me it takes 2-3 weeks to really see how my body is responding.

Processed foods will be your downfall if your not careful. Like the bros said any protein the word "SALAD" on the end is big trouble (fat, sodium & sugar).
If you must have fat eat nuts (raw almonds or walnuts) or a minimal amount of good oils (non hydrogenated only). If you can afford quality meats
(chicken, fish and beef) you are better off. I try to avoid canned meats unless it's a 911.

Just my observation I don't think your eating enough but I'm not qualified to say for sure. Huge swings in my macros tend to shut me down. Like cobra said
ease your macros up or down to meet your goals. One time I cut my macros by 1000 calories/ day doing a test cut and actually shut down my metabolism
BC my body thought I was starting.

Sorry to ramble good luck bud!

Beefcake · Jan 28, 2015

Thanks for the advice Paolos. I'm just going off of what the web site has as far as what my goal is and trying to meet my daily intake. If I'm over then the weight goal readjusts. So yesterday it said in 5 weeks I will be at 226. Today it said 229, so I had to adjust some of my intake a little. I know it will vary from day to day depending on what I consume but it's a good guideline for me. Plus I have the time at work to do it. Also the food counter varies on similar homemade foods and doesn't have them all listed. Ie--chicken sausage for dinner. Thanks for the input and being on week 3 of my cycle and on var I hope to see some good results.

jennerrator · Jan 28, 2015

Cobra Strike said:
Obviously I think your cardio is good for burning fat without burning muscle. This is the same cardio that my procard trainer has me do and also the same cardio that 3J had me do when I was using him. If you had time you could bump it to 30 minutes.

Do you measure your portions out? How much protien do you put in a shake?

I think you should cut out all the cheese. Also stay away from wraps and taco shells...just eat the meat plain with veggies...like sauteed green beans or steamed whatever. Condiments are your friends lol.

Stop eating the tuna salads as well...you dont need the fat from the mayo and cream those are made with. Keep it as clean and simple as possible.

Are you taking in any carbs pre workout or immediately post work out?

and yes...bump up the cardio if he is going at a truly slow pace as 20 min isn't going to cut it...or do 20 min of HIIT

Beefcake · Jan 28, 2015

I thought HIIT wasn't recommended for weight loss because it will burn muscle? That's why Cobra suggesting doing 20, now 30 minutes fast walk, slow, fast walk, 1 minute fast 1 minute slow, etc.

jennerrator · Jan 28, 2015

Beefcake said:
I thought HIIT wasn't recommended for weight loss because it will burn muscle? That's why Cobra suggesting doing 20, now 30 minutes fast walk, slow, fast walk, 1 minute fast 1 minute slow, etc.

No.....................

45 min of slow/low heart rate for fat burning

20 min of HIIT for fat burning

DocDePanda187123 · Jan 28, 2015

Beefcake said:
I thought HIIT wasn't recommended for weight loss because it will burn muscle? That's why Cobra suggesting doing 20, now 30 minutes fast walk, slow, fast walk, 1 minute fast 1 minute slow, etc.

You don't need any cardio to lose fat bc diet alone is enough. It's better to think of Cardio in terms of burning calories not fat. Yes there is a fat burning zone so to speak but it's misleading in the way it's applied. Any type of cardio will effect muscle building and retention to some degree but HIIT will effect it to a lesser degree than other types. Bottom line is cardio just increases your caloric expenditure which MAY help create a caloric deficit.

jennerrator · Jan 28, 2015

Docd187123 said:
You don't need any cardio to lose fat bc diet alone is enough. It's better to think of Cardio in terms of burning calories not fat. Yes there is a fat burning zone so to speak but it's misleading in the way it's applied. Any type of cardio will effect muscle building and retention to some degree but HIIT will effect it to a lesser degree than other types. Bottom line is cardio just increases your caloric expenditure which MAY help create a caloric deficit.

This can be true when/if....

1. You are not in a hurry to lose fat
2. You don't have a ton to lose
3. You are pretty damn strict and can stick with your diet

MrRippedZilla · Jan 28, 2015

Jenner said:
This can be true when/if....

3. You are pretty damn strict and can stick with your diet

That's the biggest point.

I've had people diet down to contest shape within 8-16 weeks with zero cardio activity - its simple more efficient to increase fat loss through diet than it is through cardio. Plus, IMO, the negatives of cardio during dieting far outweigh the positives.

As for the HIIT vs low intensity debate, it completely depends on how far along the dieting process you are.
If your 15%bf and only just starting a cut, then HIIT 2-3x week is a nice addition.
If your 10%bf and been dieting for 8 weeks straight, then HIIT is going to cause more problems (increased hunger, increased fatigue, decreased recovery, tendency to binge, etc) than it solves. Coincidently, this is also why competitors stick to low intensity cardio during contest prep.

I also have to go against most of the advice given to the OP regarding his diet.
He has already admitted to being a picky eater and not having a great record when it comes to losing fat, so telling him to get rid of everything (no cheese, no fruit, etc) is a setup for failure.
OP, make sure your protein intake is high and be flexible with your food choices. Try to incorporate the food sources you enjoy into your macros & remember that we all have setbacks along the way - a slice of cheese or an apple doesn't mean your diet is ruined

jennerrator · Jan 28, 2015

MrRippedZilla said:
As for the HIIT vs low intensity debate, it completely depends on how far along the dieting process you are.
If your 15%bf and only just starting a cut, then HIIT 2-3x week is a nice addition.
If your 10%bf and been dieting for 8 weeks straight, then HIIT is going to cause more problems (increased hunger, increased fatigue, decreased recovery, tendency to binge, etc) than it solves. Coincidently, this is also why competitors stick to low intensity cardio during contest prep.

The above comments are not for people who are competing it's for the norm...my experience only of course

JAXNY · Jan 28, 2015

MrRippedZilla said:
That's the biggest point.

I've had people diet down to contest shape within 8-16 weeks with zero cardio activity - its simple more efficient to increase fat loss through diet than it is through cardio. Plus, IMO, the negatives of cardio during dieting far outweigh the positives.

As for the HIIT vs low intensity debate, it completely depends on how far along the dieting process you are.
If your 15%bf and only just starting a cut, then HIIT 2-3x week is a nice addition.
If your 10%bf and been dieting for 8 weeks straight, then HIIT is going to cause more problems (increased hunger, increased fatigue, decreased recovery, tendency to binge, etc) than it solves. Coincidently, this is also why competitors stick to low intensity cardio during contest prep.

I also have to go against most of the advice given to the OP regarding his diet.
He has already admitted to being a picky eater and not having a great record when it comes to losing fat, so telling him to get rid of everything (no cheese, no fruit, etc) is a setup for failure.
OP, make sure your protein intake is high and be flexible with your food choices. Try to incorporate the food sources you enjoy into your macros & remember that we all have setbacks along the way - a slice of cheese or an apple doesn't mean your diet is ruined

Hes not some fat twinkie eater that can't stick to a diet because he has no will power, If you're going to do this beefcake do it the right way, set your mind to it, find the will power and discipline you need to acomplish your goal. Cut that cheese out 100 percent along with all of the other crap, a little is a little to much.
You'll get your results a lot quicker, that'll be motivating enough to keep you on the program, instead of dragging it out slowly with a little piece of cheese here a little icecream there ect ect ect. All of those little pieces adds up to a lot of set back.

Diet help for cutting cycle

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