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Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted

Hello,

 

I just wanted some extra advice in terms of learning what I need to eat each day to fill in my macros effectively.

 

First off, let me describe me:

  • Male
  • 6'0"
  • 182lbs
  • Moderate to very active lifestyle; my job requires me to be on my feet almost the entirety of my 8 to 10 hour shifts, also required to go up and down ladders and occasionally lift heavy objects. On the weekends, I am either working on my car, doing some form of manual labor, or camping or something of the sort.
  • Do not consistently workout, and how often I workout over the course of X amount of days is hard to say for certain, however, the days that I do workout include a short run, and a couple sets of push ups, flutter kicks, etc. So, no, I do not perform 'real intense' workouts.
  • I have been un-satisfied with my body for years, and recently took a liking to nutrition and paying attention to what I eat. My end goal is to gain muscle, while losing fat at the same time (due to increase muscle mass in general + watching what I eat). Just as long as I gain SOME muscle, and lost enough fat to be able to see my muscle, then I will be happy.
  • I am vegan, so I do not have access to the high protein, satiating benefits of meat
  • In addition to being vegan, cost is my main driving factor to what I eat. For example, as much as I want to add hemp hearts to my diet for their protein and low carb content, they are just too expensive.

For reference, today I kept track of EVERYTHING that I ate, and added up all of the numbers (this is a rather bland day of eating for me, normally though I eat tofu or tempeh to up my protein intake):

 

Breakfast:
2 cups rolled oats - 600 cal, 10 fat, 108 carbs, 20 prot
2 cups flax milk - 140 cal, 7 fat, 4 carbs, 16 prot
2 scoops protein powder - 150 cal, 4.5 fat, 3 carbs, 24 prot
1 tbsp chia seed - 60 cal, 4g fat, 5 carbs, 2 prot
= 950 calories, 25.5 fat, 120 carbs, 62 prot

Lunch:
2 medium bananas - 210 cal, 1 fat, 54 carbs, 2 prot
1 large apple - 150 cal, .5 fat, 37 carbs, .5 prot
= 360 cal, 1.5 fat, 91 carbs. 2.5 prot

Dinner:
1 can of beans - 350 cal, 57 carbs, 25 prot
1.5 cups spinach - 30 cal
3 servings multigrain chips - 420 cal, 21 fat, 51 carb, 6 prot

4 tbsps hummus - 120 cal, 9 fat, 8 carbs, 2 prot
= 920 cal, 30 fat, 116 carbs, 33 prot

Dessert:
1 cup blueberries - 85 cal, .5 fat, 21 carbs, 1 prot 
1/2 bar dark chocolate -260 cal, 22 fat, 14 carbs, 4 prot
= 345 cal, 22.5 fat, 35 carbs, 5 prot

Total: 2,575 calories, 79.5 fat, 362 carbs, 102.5 prot

 

I have tried multiple online macro calculators, and they all give me between 2,600 to 3,200 needed calories. That just seems a little high, considering that I do not workout often - however, I am new to nutrition so I would very much like to learn what the nutrition and workout experts have to say; what would you change about my diet? I am wary that consuming too little calories forces your body into starvation mode, I just truly don't know what a good range of calories would be for me to consume. 

 

As a rule, I avoid simple carbohydrate foods, I do not drink soda, consume candy bars, or highly processed foods such as boxed 'anything'. Less processed chips (multigrain or the likes), the occasional clif bar or bobo bar, or the occasional cookie or brownie are what I consider the "worst" things that I eat. I drink at least half a gallon of water a day - which is the only thing that I drink, besides flax milk or almond milk.

 

Please let me know what you think. Thanks! 

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

Hello,

 

I just wanted some extra advice in terms of learning what I need to eat each day to fill in my macros effectively.

 

First off, let me describe me:

  • Male
  • 6'0"
  • 182lbs
  • Moderate to very active lifestyle; my job requires me to be on my feet almost the entirety of my 8 to 10 hour shifts, also required to go up and down ladders and occasionally lift heavy objects. On the weekends, I am either working on my car, doing some form of manual labor, or camping or something of the sort.
  • Do not consistently workout, and how often I workout over the course of X amount of days is hard to say for certain, however, the days that I do workout include a short run, and a couple sets of push ups, flutter kicks, etc. So, no, I do not perform 'real intense' workouts.
  • I have been un-satisfied with my body for years, and recently took a liking to nutrition and paying attention to what I eat. My end goal is to gain muscle, while losing fat at the same time (due to increase muscle mass in general + watching what I eat). Just as long as I gain SOME muscle, and lost enough fat to be able to see my muscle, then I will be happy.
  • I am vegan, so I do not have access to the high protein, satiating benefits of meat
  • In addition to being vegan, cost is my main driving factor to what I eat. For example, as much as I want to add hemp hearts to my diet for their protein and low carb content, they are just too expensive.

For reference, today I kept track of EVERYTHING that I ate, and added up all of the numbers (this is a rather bland day of eating for me, normally though I eat tofu or tempeh to up my protein intake):

 

Breakfast:
2 cups rolled oats - 600 cal, 10 fat, 108 carbs, 20 prot
2 cups flax milk - 140 cal, 7 fat, 4 carbs, 16 prot
2 scoops protein powder - 150 cal, 4.5 fat, 3 carbs, 24 prot
1 tbsp chia seed - 60 cal, 4g fat, 5 carbs, 2 prot
= 950 calories, 25.5 fat, 120 carbs, 62 prot

Lunch:
2 medium bananas - 210 cal, 1 fat, 54 carbs, 2 prot
1 large apple - 150 cal, .5 fat, 37 carbs, .5 prot
= 360 cal, 1.5 fat, 91 carbs. 2.5 prot

Dinner:
1 can of beans - 350 cal, 57 carbs, 25 prot
1.5 cups spinach - 30 cal
3 servings multigrain chips - 420 cal, 21 fat, 51 carb, 6 prot

4 tbsps hummus - 120 cal, 9 fat, 8 carbs, 2 prot
= 920 cal, 30 fat, 116 carbs, 33 prot

Dessert:
1 cup blueberries - 85 cal, .5 fat, 21 carbs, 1 prot 
1/2 bar dark chocolate -260 cal, 22 fat, 14 carbs, 4 prot
= 345 cal, 22.5 fat, 35 carbs, 5 prot

Total: 2,575 calories, 79.5 fat, 362 carbs, 102.5 prot

 

I have tried multiple online macro calculators, and they all give me between 2,600 to 3,200 needed calories. That just seems a little high, considering that I do not workout often - however, I am new to nutrition so I would very much like to learn what the nutrition and workout experts have to say; what would you change about my diet? I am wary that consuming too little calories forces your body into starvation mode, I just truly don't know what a good range of calories would be for me to consume. 

 

As a rule, I avoid simple carbohydrate foods, I do not drink soda, consume candy bars, or highly processed foods such as boxed 'anything'. Less processed chips (multigrain or the likes), the occasional clif bar or bobo bar, or the occasional cookie or brownie are what I consider the "worst" things that I eat. I drink at least half a gallon of water a day - which is the only thing that I drink, besides flax milk or almond milk.

 

Please let me know what you think. Thanks! 

Hey @Woodster.

 

The first way to find out how many calories you really need, is to try eating basically like this for a week or two. If you know you are getting about 2600 calories daily, and track your weight over 1-2 weeks, you'll whether you're at maintenance, in a deficit, or in a surplus.

 

Trial and error is the best way to really get thigns figured out - calculators are great for a starting point, but for someone like you, it might be tougher because of the less frequent 'training specific days' that you have. I'd say with your job, you'd at least be lightly active or moderately active for the calculator here on the @mealplan page.

 

Is that enough protein for you, do you think? If you were getting even just 0.8g protein per pound of bodyweight, you would need 152g protein. I'm not sure what the calculation would be for your lean weight (not sure what your bf% is?), but probably around 120g at least? I'd personally say aim higher if you can, at least 1g protein per pound of lean bodyweight, but I know it can be difficult finding protein foods.

 

Maybe you could add some tofu and/or frozen or fresh beans at some point to increase that protein a bit?

 

But the main piece of advice would be to hit that calorie goal for a week or two and see what your weight does so you know which direction you need to go in, or if you're on track.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

Hey @Woodster.

 

The first way to find out how many calories you really need, is to try eating basically like this for a week or two. If you know you are getting about 2600 calories daily, and track your weight over 1-2 weeks, you'll whether you're at maintenance, in a deficit, or in a surplus.

 

Trial and error is the best way to really get thigns figured out - calculators are great for a starting point, but for someone like you, it might be tougher because of the less frequent 'training specific days' that you have. I'd say with your job, you'd at least be lightly active or moderately active for the calculator here on the @mealplan page.

 

Is that enough protein for you, do you think? If you were getting even just 0.8g protein per pound of bodyweight, you would need 152g protein. I'm not sure what the calculation would be for your lean weight (not sure what your bf% is?), but probably around 120g at least? I'd personally say aim higher if you can, at least 1g protein per pound of lean bodyweight, but I know it can be difficult finding protein foods.

 

Maybe you could add some tofu and/or frozen or fresh beans at some point to increase that protein a bit?

 

But the main piece of advice would be to hit that calorie goal for a week or two and see what your weight does so you know which direction you need to go in, or if you're on track.

Fully understood. Thank you!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

Fully understood. Thank you!

You are welcome @Woodster!

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

You are welcome @Woodster!

I do have another question. I am not sure which is more accurate: listening to your stomach and eating until you are full? Or relying on counting up your macros and abstaining from overeating once you've reached Nth calories?

 

I feel like because my body is so used to constantly eating, especially eating quick burning carbohydrates, that it's not used to this sudden drop in food consumption.

 

For example, even though nuts are full of fats, they still never fill me up. I'll eat a literal cup of nuts and I'll end up feeling hungry an hour later.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

I do have another question. I am not sure which is more accurate: listening to your stomach and eating until you are full? Or relying on counting up your macros and abstaining from overeating once you've reached Nth calories?

 

I feel like because my body is so used to constantly eating, especially eating quick burning carbohydrates, that it's not used to this sudden drop in food consumption.

 

For example, even though nuts are full of fats, they still never fill me up. I'll eat a literal cup of nuts and I'll end up feeling hungry an hour later.

You want to count your macros, and if you end up still having hunger after that, it's something you have to get used to, and maybe the next day you can try spreading your food out a bit more evenly to try and eliminate getting too hungry.

 

Another thing you can do is sip on water to make you feel full, or chew some gum to almost trick your body into thinking you're eating something. Personally, if I get hungry at night and I have basically hit my macros for the day, I will just snack on leafy greens like spinach and sip some calorie free BCAAs or something. Minimal calories but you satisfy whatever cravings you had.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

You want to count your macros, and if you end up still having hunger after that, it's something you have to get used to, and maybe the next day you can try spreading your food out a bit more evenly to try and eliminate getting too hungry.

 

Another thing you can do is sip on water to make you feel full, or chew some gum to almost trick your body into thinking you're eating something. Personally, if I get hungry at night and I have basically hit my macros for the day, I will just snack on leafy greens like spinach and sip some calorie free BCAAs or something. Minimal calories but you satisfy whatever cravings you had.

So, how "hungry" you feel is really just based on emotion; how your body is not used to eating X or Y foods that you just intriduced into your diet, or how it's not used to a reduction in simple carbohydrates? Things like that?

 

In the first place I used to eat pretty much all day long, and almost exclusively ate eggs, chicken, steak, lean hamburgers, etc. for my big meals, which I imagine kept me feeling "filled up" throughout the day.

 

Now, my current diet has replaced those meats with oats, beans, tofu / tempeh, vegetables, and nuts. They fill me up for about an hour or two but then I'm just hungry again.

 

Like you said, drinking water does help keep my appetite contained, but what greens do you snack on? Just raw spinach and the likes?

 

Also - I am rather frustrated that I have not shed more fat over the last couple of months since I became a Vegan. I have drastically reduced my overall sugar intake. I do not buy candy at the grocery store, besides dark chocolate, nor do I drink sodas anymore. I drastically reduced snacking. I don't eat things like nachos anymore, gorge myself on tortilla chips, and I hardly consume bread or flour based products.

 

Maybe I end up eating too many nuts or too many calorie dense items like peanut butter?

 

Thanks!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

So, how "hungry" you feel is really just based on emotion; how your body is not used to eating X or Y foods that you just intriduced into your diet, or how it's not used to a reduction in simple carbohydrates? Things like that?

 

In the first place I used to eat pretty much all day long, and almost exclusively ate eggs, chicken, steak, lean hamburgers, etc. for my big meals, which I imagine kept me feeling "filled up" throughout the day.

 

Now, my current diet has replaced those meats with oats, beans, tofu / tempeh, vegetables, and nuts. They fill me up for about an hour or two but then I'm just hungry again.

 

Like you said, drinking water does help keep my appetite contained, but what greens do you snack on? Just raw spinach and the likes?

 

Also - I am rather frustrated that I have not shed more fat over the last couple of months since I became a Vegan. I have drastically reduced my overall sugar intake. I do not buy candy at the grocery store, besides dark chocolate, nor do I drink sodas anymore. I drastically reduced snacking. I don't eat things like nachos anymore, gorge myself on tortilla chips, and I hardly consume bread or flour based products.

 

Maybe I end up eating too many nuts or too many calorie dense items like peanut butter?

 

Thanks!

Well you will feel hungry when you reduce calories, because you're body is used to getting more. It can be more of a mind-over-matter thing for sure. It just takes a bit of time to get used to the changes to stop feeling hunger.

 

I would normally suggest other fat foods to help keep you full, like avocados, peanut butter, nuts/seeds.. but if you feel like they don't work either I guess it's kind of pointless haha. Yes I like to mostly snack on spinach. You can get a decent amount of volume with very minimal calories.

 

Cutting out all of those kinds of food is great - but if your deficit still isn't big enough, then you still won't notice fat loss. Maybe you are still sitting at maintenance most of the time? That would be hindering fat loss. Also potentially the overall carb intake - for cutting fat I'd usually suggest less than 300g carbs, and more protein and fat. Protein would obviously be a bit more difficult being vegan, but you might be able to bump up your fat intake to cut down on carbs a little bit.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

Well you will feel hungry when you reduce calories, because you're body is used to getting more. It can be more of a mind-over-matter thing for sure. It just takes a bit of time to get used to the changes to stop feeling hunger.

 

I would normally suggest other fat foods to help keep you full, like avocados, peanut butter, nuts/seeds.. but if you feel like they don't work either I guess it's kind of pointless haha. Yes I like to mostly snack on spinach. You can get a decent amount of volume with very minimal calories.

 

Cutting out all of those kinds of food is great - but if your deficit still isn't big enough, then you still won't notice fat loss. Maybe you are still sitting at maintenance most of the time? That would be hindering fat loss. Also potentially the overall carb intake - for cutting fat I'd usually suggest less than 300g carbs, and more protein and fat. Protein would obviously be a bit more difficult being vegan, but you might be able to bump up your fat intake to cut down on carbs a little bit.

Yea, when I used to eat PB like it was oxygen, I still never could hold that "full" feeling. I'll just have to suck it up and wait until my body gets used to the drop in calories!

 

Do you put anything with the spinach? I am not opposed to eating them raw, but if there's something that could go with them that you'd recommend, i'd like to know!

 

And that must be it. I used to be at 190 lbs, but now I am down to 180 lbs and have stayed here for months; I must be sitting at maintenence.

 

I have thought about reducing my carbohydrate intake (the oats, the grains and rice, and the beans I consume greatly contribute to my carbohydrate intake) - the problem is finding suitable foods to replace them. I could eat nuts all day long, however, I am wary about their saturated fat content. The nutrition of meat sucks to be missing out on, due to it's low carbohyrates and very high protein levels.

 

I imagine that altering my diet to include:

  • Much more greens (low carbohydrates, high fiber high micro nutrients)
  • Drinking even more water (help keep me feeling satiated)
  • Lowering my oat, grain, bean consumption (the foods with the highest carbohydrates in my diet)
  • Continue eating about a cup of nuts a day (which gives me 800 calories, only 12g of saturated fat, and 27g of protein)
  • Supplement my protein intake with more protein powder
  • Of course, avoid breads (tons of flour and carbohydrates) and sweets (avoid sugar)
  • If I want anything sweet, I have come to the conclusion that I should eat fruit, and to eat as much of it as I want, versus the alternative of eating ACTUAL sugary crap

 

Would you agree?

 

Thank you for your advice - I certainly appreciate it, being a noob to the nutrition world.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

Yea, when I used to eat PB like it was oxygen, I still never could hold that "full" feeling. I'll just have to suck it up and wait until my body gets used to the drop in calories!

 

Do you put anything with the spinach? I am not opposed to eating them raw, but if there's something that could go with them that you'd recommend, i'd like to know!

 

And that must be it. I used to be at 190 lbs, but now I am down to 180 lbs and have stayed here for months; I must be sitting at maintenence.

 

I have thought about reducing my carbohydrate intake (the oats, the grains and rice, and the beans I consume greatly contribute to my carbohydrate intake) - the problem is finding suitable foods to replace them. I could eat nuts all day long, however, I am wary about their saturated fat content. The nutrition of meat sucks to be missing out on, due to it's low carbohyrates and very high protein levels.

 

I imagine that altering my diet to include:

  • Much more greens (low carbohydrates, high fiber high micro nutrients)
  • Drinking even more water (help keep me feeling satiated)
  • Lowering my oat, grain, bean consumption (the foods with the highest carbohydrates in my diet)
  • Continue eating about a cup of nuts a day (which gives me 800 calories, only 12g of saturated fat, and 27g of protein)
  • Supplement my protein intake with more protein powder
  • Of course, avoid breads (tons of flour and carbohydrates) and sweets (avoid sugar)
  • If I want anything sweet, I have come to the conclusion that I should eat fruit, and to eat as much of it as I want, versus the alternative of eating ACTUAL sugary crap

 

Would you agree?

 

Thank you for your advice - I certainly appreciate it, being a noob to the nutrition world.

Yeah like I say, you will eventually adapt and you won't get as hungry. I honestly just eat it raw, by itself haha. If you wanted something extra, you could kind of make a salad with it and get a bit more variety, but still go low calorie. Or maybe even some low calorie hot sauce or something just to spice it up - whatever you feel like as long as you are keeping it low carb, low calorie because that's your goal for fat loss.

 

If you have stayed there for months, I would say so. So if your maintenance is 2575, you should try aiming for about 2300-2350 for a while and see how that changes things. That would mean for now, you can just cut some carbs and don't have to worry about replacing them yet necessarily.. unless of course you want to cut them down to more like 250g, in which case you would need to increase fats to still make it to your total calorie goal.

 

Most nuts have very little saturated fat (almonds, cashews and walnuts are good options), and the saturated fat they do have isn't bad for you - you need a bit of saturated fat in your diet for healthy testosterone levels.

 

I think all of those changes would be great for your fat loss goals! That and dropping the calories a little bit to make sure you are in a deficit.. OR keeping your current calorie intake, but adding more cardio to burn MORE calories 😊 

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Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

Yeah like I say, you will eventually adapt and you won't get as hungry. I honestly just eat it raw, by itself haha. If you wanted something extra, you could kind of make a salad with it and get a bit more variety, but still go low calorie. Or maybe even some low calorie hot sauce or something just to spice it up - whatever you feel like as long as you are keeping it low carb, low calorie because that's your goal for fat loss.

 

If you have stayed there for months, I would say so. So if your maintenance is 2575, you should try aiming for about 2300-2350 for a while and see how that changes things. That would mean for now, you can just cut some carbs and don't have to worry about replacing them yet necessarily.. unless of course you want to cut them down to more like 250g, in which case you would need to increase fats to still make it to your total calorie goal.

 

Most nuts have very little saturated fat (almonds, cashews and walnuts are good options), and the saturated fat they do have isn't bad for you - you need a bit of saturated fat in your diet for healthy testosterone levels.

 

I think all of those changes would be great for your fat loss goals! That and dropping the calories a little bit to make sure you are in a deficit.. OR keeping your current calorie intake, but adding more cardio to burn MORE calories 😊 

Fully understood. Thanks!

 

I just put together a sample low carb, lower calorie diet:

 

 

The numbers in parenthesis are my goal numbers for the day. The red numbers beneath the totals after each meal is how much I have left for the day after eating that meal. I left the dinner section almost all blank so that I can plug in whatever I eat for dinner that day.

 

150 carbs is rather low, however, I figure if I want to lose weight, I better really try.

 

Is there anything that you'd recommend adding to my spreadsheet?

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

Fully understood. Thanks!

 

I just put together a sample low carb, lower calorie diet:

 

 

The numbers in parenthesis are my goal numbers for the day. The red numbers beneath the totals after each meal is how much I have left for the day after eating that meal. I left the dinner section almost all blank so that I can plug in whatever I eat for dinner that day.

 

150 carbs is rather low, however, I figure if I want to lose weight, I better really try.

 

Is there anything that you'd recommend adding to my spreadsheet?

This is great! 150g carbs is pretty low, but it will help with fat loss. If you still want to get the remaining 36g and take it to more like 190g though, that would still be low and it would allow you to cut them down further as you progress.

 

Because carbs and protein are a little off, I think something like quinoa would be good as a mix of both, but even rice would have enough protein to take you over your protein goal. Something like beans as well as a vegetable source will, again, help you with carbs and protein. There are plenty of optinos for carbs really, and any of them will probably have enough protein associated to top you up.

 

Just go easy on that dark chocolate.. you can have too much of a good thing haha 😋 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

This is great! 150g carbs is pretty low, but it will help with fat loss. If you still want to get the remaining 36g and take it to more like 190g though, that would still be low and it would allow you to cut them down further as you progress.

 

Because carbs and protein are a little off, I think something like quinoa would be good as a mix of both, but even rice would have enough protein to take you over your protein goal. Something like beans as well as a vegetable source will, again, help you with carbs and protein. There are plenty of optinos for carbs really, and any of them will probably have enough protein associated to top you up.

 

Just go easy on that dark chocolate.. you can have too much of a good thing haha 😋 

I adjusted the sample meal a little bit. Increased both carbs and protein.

 

I added 1 clif bar per day, because I know that if I don't bring something from my old diet, i'm probably going to end up over eating in some way. I also added 1/2 c of blueberries for their nutrient content.

 

 

Also, why would you recommend against eating 1/4 bar to 1/2 bar of dark chocolate? Sugar content is very low. Other than that, there is nothing that I am aware of that I should avoid in dark chocolate.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

I adjusted the sample meal a little bit. Increased both carbs and protein.

 

I added 1 clif bar per day, because I know that if I don't bring something from my old diet, i'm probably going to end up over eating in some way. I also added 1/2 c of blueberries for their nutrient content.

 

 

Also, why would you recommend against eating 1/4 bar to 1/2 bar of dark chocolate? Sugar content is very low. Other than that, there is nothing that I am aware of that I should avoid in dark chocolate.

Good additions! Still a little low on fat though right? Those totals are only 67g? And you're about 500 calories short of your target.. or will all of those macros be filled in when you have your tempeh?

 

And for the dark chocolate, I wasn't saying you can't have it. I just meant I know it's easy to have a little bit.. then a little bit more.. then a little bit more.. and all of a sudden a whole block is gone lol.

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Woodster
Woodster g Kyle Wurzel
29 Post(s)
29 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

Good additions! Still a little low on fat though right? Those totals are only 67g? And you're about 500 calories short of your target.. or will all of those macros be filled in when you have your tempeh?

 

And for the dark chocolate, I wasn't saying you can't have it. I just meant I know it's easy to have a little bit.. then a little bit more.. then a little bit more.. and all of a sudden a whole block is gone lol.

Ahh ok. Yes, dark chocolate is easy inhalable!

 

And yes, those blanks will be filled in with a little bit of olive oil and whatever else I eat for dinner.

 

I am curious though, from your point of view, why would one want lots of fat in their diet? I know that fats are not the "demon which makes us all fat", fats provide slow burning energy, and help absorb certain vitamins, however, what other benefits are there to eating lots of fat, assuming that one gets their calories from other sources?

 

If I was bodybuilding, I could see a need for more fat for ease of calorie intake, however, for one who does not bodybuild, would you still recommend eating more fats / more calories? And therefore cutting down on calories from other macros?

 

Thanks!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Woodster

Ahh ok. Yes, dark chocolate is easy inhalable!

 

And yes, those blanks will be filled in with a little bit of olive oil and whatever else I eat for dinner.

 

I am curious though, from your point of view, why would one want lots of fat in their diet? I know that fats are not the "demon which makes us all fat", fats provide slow burning energy, and help absorb certain vitamins, however, what other benefits are there to eating lots of fat, assuming that one gets their calories from other sources?

 

If I was bodybuilding, I could see a need for more fat for ease of calorie intake, however, for one who does not bodybuild, would you still recommend eating more fats / more calories? And therefore cutting down on calories from other macros?

 

Thanks!

Well one reason is, like having more protein, if you have more fat in your diet, it means you don't need as many carbs, and we know carbs tend to be what cause fat gain/fat storage more easily. That's one positive.

 

Another positive, particularly for us males, is that fat plays an important role in testosterone production. Low amounts of fat in your diet can also mean low testosterone levels. Esepcially if you cut out saturated fat altogether - while loads of processed saturated fat isn't good, some saturated fats from things like coconut oil and red meat are great for making sure you optimize those testosterone levels.

 

If you're not bodybuilding, the plan would still stay the same for the most part - it does vary from person to person, but if you're not training, that's even more reason not to load up on carbs (for you, you probably still want them to function in your job if it's quite labor intensive, but fats can be used for energy too), and again makes it smart to go a bit higher on the fat intake.

 

Hope that all makes sense!

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