Need a meal plan!

[woodywoodford]

So every time I go home I notice I've gained another 5 pounds. I know I don't eat good, and I've got a pretty decent beer belly going on that I'd like to get rid of. Currently am 210 lbs, would like to be in the 180-190 range, though I suspect that's going to require cutting a lot, then bulking up to some extent (gym was covered in another thread)

So I'm looking for a mealplan to help me get down there (and hopefully feel healthier in the process). Currently I eat things like:
Breakfast: large bowl cereal & 1% milk (usually fruit loops, mini wheats or vector)
Snack: 1x sweet n salty peanut butter bar
Lunch: basic sandwich (2 pieces whole grain, pile of honey ham, cheese slice, mustard) and a babibell light
Dinner: fried ground beef w/ onions, frozen pizza, hot dogs, mixed veggies w/ italian sausage and cream (comes in a frozen bag), stuff like that - quick, easy, and filling
I'll throw a banana in there if I can ever find yellow ones at the store (don't like any green in them) but that's hard to do these days

Obviously there's a lot of room for improvement here. I'm not looking so much for tips or suggestions as an actual meal plan - things like this I need to be told "what", not "how" if that makes sense lol. Oh and I drink one glass of bourbon every night, but I really don't think that part will change.

Anybody know anything? The more specific the plan is the more likely I am to stick to it. And a possible problem is that I do eat out for lunch 1-2x a week.

[GQBalla]

Cut out cereal and Dairy.

Don't eat any of those microwave dinners.

Eat protein and veggies five times a day.

keep it simple, no need to make it confusing

[woodywoodford]

Damn, no dairy? I love my cereal for breakfast

So if I generally do veggies/some fruit only, and a protein shake w/ water (muscle milk probably, maybe 2 shakes/day?), should I have to worry much about my calorie/fat intake? Trying to make that stuff balance is a total bitch, if I'm going to make a 500 cal deficit and still feel fed.

How about 2-3 hardboiled eggs, or a can of tuna each day?

[elite]

First of figure out your macros. Check out the fat loss section at bodybuilding.com forums. Also figure out what your calorie intake should be for maintence. From there figure out your meal plan.

Do not worry too much about feeling hungry. Infact with a proper diet the fibre from the veggies and proteins from the meats should keep you full all day. Taking in lots of water helps alot too.

When I first started counting calories I made an excel sheet. One of my days was as follows:

Breakfast - Tuna Salad
Lunch - Salsa Chicken W/ Glass of Milk
PWO Drink + Post WO Protein Shake
Snack - Protein Brownie
Dinner - Basa Fillet

This amounted up to 211g of protein, 74g carbs, and 32g fat for a total of 1500 calories. I realized I was not eating enough so I threw in a protein shake with breakfast and snacked on unsalted almonds during the day. Not once did I feel hungry and it was easy to prepare and pack my meals for the next day the night before.

Also take a look into refeeding and don't forget that you can eat "junkfood" if youd like (don't splurge but once in a while is alright) as long as it fits your macros. If you drink pop cut it down and switch to diet (I know aspartame but at least its calorie free and sugar free).

NOt sure if you drink but alcohol can add up the calories quickly. Not so much from the alcohol itself but drunk people tend to stuff there faces with junk food (mcdicks, pizza, chips, etc.). If you can, drink straight or mix with water and try to adjust your calorie intake prior to drinking.

[woodywoodford]

How about a new strategy...

No dairy, no bread, no trans fat (unless theres some in stuff like soya sauce, veggie oil, etc) combined with a good exercise plan and then none of this calorie counting business? Should be successful? I'm trying to lose the belly but bulk up my upper body at the same time. Also throw in some muscle milk w/ water once or twice a day?

I'd still have bread/dairy once in a while, like during free lunches at work every 3-4 weeks, but never by my own prep

[Darkane]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
How about a new strategy...

No dairy, no bread, no trans fat (unless theres some in stuff like soya sauce, veggie oil, etc) combined with a good exercise plan and then none of this calorie counting business? Should be successful? I'm trying to lose the belly but bulk up my upper body at the same time. Also throw in some muscle milk w/ water once or twice a day?

I'd still have bread/dairy once in a while, like during free lunches at work every 3-4 weeks, but never by my own prep

I'm feeling generous today.

Give me your Age, Weight, height, Training experience (Months, years and seriousness).

I'll whip you something up.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by Darkane


I'm feeling generous today.

Give me your Age, Weight, height, Training experience (Months, years and seriousness).

I'll whip you something up.

Do me next, I want to start a bit of a cut in Feb!

[woodywoodford]

Originally posted by Darkane


I'm feeling generous today.

Give me your Age, Weight, height, Training experience (Months, years and seriousness).

I'll whip you something up.

I'll take that lol. 26, 210lbs, 6'0, moderate training experience. I went for most of my time at university (probably 6.5/8 months for each of 4 years) but have only been back at it now since christmas. Self taught on all of it of course, but stick to free weights mostly. 3x weekly. And I'm an office jockey which I'm pretty sure has something to do with having put on a bit more weight since graduating.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by woodywoodford


I'll take that lol. 26, 210lbs, 6'0, moderate training experience. I went for most of my time at university (probably 6.5/8 months for each of 4 years) but have only been back at it now since christmas. Self taught on all of it of course, but stick to free weights mostly. 3x weekly. And I'm an office jockey which I'm pretty sure has something to do with having put on a bit more weight since graduating.

Ok. 5 meals/day

The first 4 meals of the day on all days will be:

50 grams protein, 30 grams carbs, 15 grams fat

Last meal will be 5 eggs. Yes, 5.

So that gives us total of 230g protein, 120g carbs, 85 g fat.

Total cals = 2150-2200.

Foods:

Proteins - chicken, lean cuts of steak, fish, turkey, egg whites, whey, caseinate, any high quality protein powder

Veggies: basically anything green, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, salads, (you can add veggies to any meal)

Fats: all natural peanut butter, borage oil, olive oil, cold pressed canola and safflower oil, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, flax oil, fish oils. Use a mix of fats every day, not just Peanut butter or olive oil.

Carbs: oatmeal, rice, potatoes, yams, cream of rice, Ezekiel bread, fruit

Sample Menu:

1) 50g whey in water or unsweetened almond milk (read protein label for serving size), 3/4 cup oats, 1/2 Tbsp PB

2) 6oz chicken breast, 3/4 cup rice, 1 cup veg with 1 tbsp Olive oil

3) 50g whey, large banana, 22 almonds (1oz)

4) Dinner: 6oz lean steak, 4oz potato, 1 cup veg, 1 tbsp butter (yep butter).

5) 5 eggs with cooking spray for scrambled, or hardboiled.

Sauces: Sugar-free ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, most every spice too.

For Workout days: Keep all meals the same but add an additional Solid meal somewhere in the day. Usually Post workout for a total of 6 meals. That will put total cals around 2600.

Fairly simple, nothing ground breaking here.

You can use Fitday.com - Input any food from the list to find "how much" of it equals 50g protein, or carbs etc.

Get at it then.

EDIT: 1 cheat meal/week. Anything you want! If you drink booze with this cheat meal you have 1 hour to drink AND eat. So usually it's like 2 pints and a burger/fires or something.

I saw you like Lunches, you can use your cheat during the lunch.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by KRyn



Do me next, I want to start a bit of a cut in Feb!

You're not as simple. Lol.

Give me some updated stats:

Age/Weight/height/

Training split including days, length of session.

Current Bodyfat% if you have it.

[woodywoodford]

Nice, thank you! Looks like I'll be doing some grocery shopping tonight. When you say 5 eggs, are we talking yolk's and all? And where can we find natural peanut butter, I think I looked a while back but could only find the normal kraft stuff @ safeway.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
Nice, thank you! Looks like I'll be doing some grocery shopping tonight. When you say 5 eggs, are we talking yolk's and all? And where can we find natural peanut butter, I think I looked a while back but could only find the normal kraft stuff @ safeway.

5 eggs yolk and all yes.

Natural peanut butter is another name for "Just peanuts".

I know safeway, sobeys, superstore all have the natural peanut butter.

Ingredients: Peanuts. That is all.

You can tell because the natural oil floats to the top. Keep it upside down in the fridge and the oil will go to the bottom.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
Nice, thank you! Looks like I'll be doing some grocery shopping tonight. When you say 5 eggs, are we talking yolk's and all? And where can we find natural peanut butter, I think I looked a while back but could only find the normal kraft stuff @ safeway.

Always eat the yolks. They have the most micronutrients and it also gives you a complete amino acid.

Adams Peanut Butter is available almost anywhere. London Drugs has the best deal on a big 2 kg tub.

Bulk Barn (in the NE) has a really good natural PB as well.

[woodywoodford]

One more question, I have some massive (as in the biggest I could find) omega 3's that I take 3 in the morning, 3 at night of. No need to change that?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
One more question, I have some massive (as in the biggest I could find) omega 3's that I take 3 in the morning, 3 at night of. No need to change that?

Nope fish oil is good. Keep taking it.

[FixedGear]

for fat loss, wouldn't 700-1000 cal/day, (very) low-fat, and almost zero carbs be best?

[shakalaka]

The plan Darkane posted up there pretty much fits me right on as well. I am just a little taller than the OP otherwise all other factors are the same.

So I guess I will steal that plan for myself too as I would like to lose fat and regain some muscle as well.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by FixedGear
for fat loss, wouldn't 700-1000 cal/day, (very) low-fat, and almost zero carbs be best?

That is for a 60 year old obese woman who needs to lose weight in order to have a heart bypass operation.

Am I right?

Seriously, if that's what you think time to do more research.

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by Darkane


That is for a 60 year old obese woman who needs to lose weight in order to have a heart bypass operation.

Am I right?

Seriously, if that's what you think time to do more research.

I don't know, that's why I was asking and not telling. I did read one of Lyle McDonald's books though, and 700-1000 seems about right for this guys stats(assuming he isn't very active, which is why he has a gut in the first place).

[woodywoodford]

Wouldn't 700-1000 not even be enough to sustain a young adult? My gut is mostly from beer/mcdonalds btw lol. But also the sedentary lifestyle.