Daily Diet Regime - Need Advice

[ooitzoo]

Firstly, I've been reading this forum quite a bit but haven't posted much (mostly since I lack the expertise or experience to do so.) I'm a big fan of the sticky threads that you guys have up here. All of the data seems very well compiled and thought through.

On to my post, I've been undergoing some "life changes" whereby I want to get leaner (keep muscle mass but lose fat), get faster, and become healthier overall. Some background: I've been grappling for about 2 years (BJJ) and I enjoy it immensely. I am 6'1" and a little north of 235lbs.

I'd like to drop about 20lbs of fat while maintaining (and hopefully build) lean muscle mass. I've changed my diet up a bit (used to eat alot of fatty foods/sweets and used to gorge quite a lot as well.) I am also 24 years old (will be 25 shortly.)

Current daily regime (followed pretty closely though I have cheated in the past):

Breakfast: Whole wheat cheerios w/diet coke (I know its weird but I HATE milk.)

Lunch: Usually chose-your-own-salad place where I get greens, tomato's, cucumbers, grilled chicken, one "cheat" ingredient (usually tortilla chips or feta cheese), and light ranch dressing. Once a week I go to the create-your-own burrito place where I get grilled chicken, jalapenos, avocado, lettuce, and pinto beans.

Possible snack: banana's or apples.

Dinner: alternate between grilled chicken and grilled fish (usually sea bass but can be haddock/plaice), in a whole wheat pita, and either mustard or natural avocado guacamole.

i drink a lot of water throughout the day (or diet coke) and I take no supplements (except a multivitamin.)

My question is is there anything I need to add/remove/alter? Also, is there anything I need to do differently on day's I train?

Thanks in Advance.

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

I would say that if you drop 20lbs it will be very unlikely that you will be able to keep the same strength as before. You are always going to forfeit some strength. But Im talking the sort of strength you can measure by stereotypical body building, how much you can press, lift, curl etc.

However, what you should gain is speed of movement, dexteroty, agility and balance. So the small loss in strength should be outweighed 10-fold by your leaps in athleticism when it comes to grappling.

It will take a good while for you to adjust, for the first few weeks or possibly months you will probably find yourself struggling against guys you would normally dominate in sparring (maybe you would normally out-muscle them??), but just stick with it, before too long you should be flying and binning that 20lbs will have been so worth while.

Theres nothing harder than grappling a big guy who moves well, it can be an absolute nightmare, compared with a big guy who is just strong (not saying thats you by any means, just pointing out the benefits of what youre doing).

Good luck dude.

 

[ooitzoo]

I dont lift much anymore; I used to do it quite often (in college and shortly thereafter). At my peak I could bench a little north of 245 (think I put up 265 once), curl about 145, and could always do a ton of weight in squats (or the "rail" machine.)

I think (modestly) I could probably put up 180lbs bench without much of a problem; optimistically I think 210 is likely. I can still squat quite alot (i've always had extremely strong legs.).

In terms of the diet, anything I should add/take out?

 

[Oblivian]

Firstly, I've been reading this forum quite a bit but haven't posted much (mostly since I lack the expertise or experience to do so.) I'm a big fan of the sticky threads that you guys have up here. All of the data seems very well compiled and thought through.

On to my post, I've been undergoing some "life changes" whereby I want to get leaner (keep muscle mass but lose fat), get faster, and become healthier overall. Some background: I've been grappling for about 2 years (BJJ) and I enjoy it immensely. I am 6'1" and a little north of 235lbs.

I'd like to drop about 20lbs of fat while maintaining (and hopefully build) lean muscle mass. I've changed my diet up a bit (used to eat alot of fatty foods/sweets and used to gorge quite a lot as well.) I am also 24 years old (will be 25 shortly.)

Current daily regime (followed pretty closely though I have cheated in the past):

Breakfast: Whole wheat cheerios w/diet coke (I know its weird but I HATE milk.)

Lunch: Usually chose-your-own-salad place where I get greens, tomato's, cucumbers, grilled chicken, one "cheat" ingredient (usually tortilla chips or feta cheese), and light ranch dressing. Once a week I go to the create-your-own burrito place where I get grilled chicken, jalapenos, avocado, lettuce, and pinto beans.

Possible snack: banana's or apples.

Dinner: alternate between grilled chicken and grilled fish (usually sea bass but can be haddock/plaice), in a whole wheat pita, and either mustard or natural avocado guacamole.

i drink a lot of water throughout the day (or diet coke) and I take no supplements (except a multivitamin.)

My question is is there anything I need to add/remove/alter? Also, is there anything I need to do differently on day's I train?

Thanks in Advance.

If you like the sticky threads such as the FAQ, why don't you listen to them? Where are your veggies? Why aren't you taking fish oil? A "possible" snack between lunch and dinner?

 

[ooitzoo]

If you like the sticky threads such as the FAQ, why don't you listen to them? Where are your veggies? Why aren't you taking fish oil? A "possible" snack between lunch and dinner?

I get a lot of veggies during lunch. At dinner, I usually grab some brocolli, grilled onions, and carrots.

The fish oil debate confuses me, should I try and get more fatty fish or opt to take a supplement? What is the optimal amount (I've seen the ratios), what is the absolute number i should strive to take in?

 

[noobloser]

I get a lot of veggies during lunch. At dinner, I usually grab some brocolli, grilled onions, and carrots.

The fish oil debate confuses me, should I try and get more fatty fish or opt to take a supplement? What is the optimal amount (I've seen the ratios), what is the absolute number i should strive to take in?

Looks pretty good. Definitely mix in veggies during dinner too.

Fish oil is awesome in that you don't get the mercury associated with eating a ton of fish. I eat fish maybe twice a week and take 2 fish oil capsules on those days in the morning. The rest of the week I take 6 300mg DHA/EPA capsules over the course of the day.

 

[ooitzoo]

Looks pretty good. Definitely mix in veggies during dinner too.

Fish oil is awesome in that you don't get the mercury associated with eating a ton of fish. I eat fish maybe twice a week and take 2 fish oil capsules on those days in the morning. The rest of the week I take 6 300mg DHA/EPA capsules over the course of the day.

6 tablets seems like a lot, are there any adverse side effects? What are the benefits?

 

[noobloser]

6 tablets seems like a lot, are there any adverse side effects? What are the benefits?

Its only 1800mg a day. Many people here take between 3-6g, so I'm on the low end of things, actually.

As far as benefits...

Men's Health: The Government's Big Fish Story

FishOilBlog.com

The Sherdogger's Guide to Fish Oil

Those should explain everything quite nicely.

 

[ooitzoo]

Ok. Point taken. I will pick up some fish oil on way home tonight or tomorrow. Think I'll start with 1G a day to see how it effects me.

 

[theNuge]

Ok. Point taken. I will pick up some fish oil on way home tonight or tomorrow. Think I'll start with 1G a day to see how it effects me.

1g won't do that much for you. I take roughly 16g of fish oil pills per day and that equals about 4.8g of the EPA and DHA fats. That's about middle of the road. I've read some guys on here who take A LOT more than that.

As far as what your diet was like in the past, I used to be in the same boat and I weighed roughly the same as you. I'm now 15 pounds lighter than I was when I started my current diet and I have A LOT more lean muscle mass. My current diet consists of trying my best to live by Berardi's Seven Habits. It was a serious adjustment at first. I have to eat a lot more and it can be challenging scrounging up protein sources while maintaining a variety. However, it would take me a lot longer than you would be willing to read in order to adequately explain to you how much my life has changed for the better. It's amazing.

Give the Seven Habits a try for at least a month and a half. I guarantee you'll feel so good that going back will seem like a fool's errand.

 

[ooitzoo]

1g won't do that much for you. I take roughly 16g of fish oil pills per day and that equals about 4.8g of the EPA and DHA fats. That's about middle of the road. I've read some guys on here who take A LOT more than that.

As far as what your diet was like in the past, I used to be in the same boat and I weighed roughly the same as you. I'm now 15 pounds lighter than I was when I started my current diet and I have A LOT more lean muscle mass. My current diet consists of trying my best to live by Berardi's Seven Habits. It was a serious adjustment at first. I have to eat a lot more and it can be challenging scrounging up protein sources while maintaining a variety. However, it would take me a lot longer than you would be willing to read in order to adequately explain to you how much my life has changed for the better. It's amazing.

Give the Seven Habits a try for at least a month and a half. I guarantee you'll feel so good that going back will seem like a fool's errand.

I got the 1G from the Guide in the FAQ. The reason I am hesitant is because I want to check how it'll affect me. Maybe I am just overly cautious...

There's a lot of variation in opinion on this; some recommend low doses in the range of 900mg EPA/DHA, others opt for extremely high doses of over 10g; Tolson recommends between 1-4g, and Berardi between 3-6g.

I am fine with eating chicken or fish everyday (I am a creature of habit so it doesnt bother me.) What's a good amount of for me to eat? Is it a good idea to stray from chicken/fish? Also, I like to marinade my chicken. Maybe this is a dumb question (and if it is, i do apologize) but does that have a big impact on the nutritional value of it?

 

[ooitzoo]

Also, one more thing, how bad is diet soda? I've heard/read contradictory things.

Didn't want to start a new thread for this.

 

[FIGHTING TALK]

I eat fish pretty much every day.
Tuna, sardines, salmon mainly.
Normally with salad or brown rice and perhaps a slice of wholemeal bread...

Thought it was a safe bet... am I wrong??

 

[noobloser]

Also, one more thing, how bad is diet soda? I've heard/read contradictory things.

Didn't want to start a new thread for this.

Everything in moderation. If you're chugging back a case a day, you might want to wean yourself off of it.

Myself, I was downing 4-5 of those Double Big Gulps (64oz) of diet soda when I used to be a fat slob. That's ~300oz a day. My doctor told me I had hypertension and my heart was beating too fast so he tried putting me on all these pills. He told me that caffeine only raises your blood pressure/heart rate SO much and after that it doesn't matter, so he told me it was genetic. But in my case nothing helped until I stopped drinking soda. After that, surprise surprise, my blood pressure and heart rate have been normal for almost 5 years.

A coke or two a day? Not going to hurt you. Aspartame isn't going to give you cancer. The biggest threat from soda is probably the caffeine but only if you take it in severe excess (like me).

 

[noobloser]

I eat fish pretty much every day.
Tuna, sardines, salmon mainly.
Normally with salad or brown rice and perhaps a slice of wholemeal bread...

Thought it was a safe bet... am I wrong??

You're probably getting a lot of omega-3s, but you're probably getting a lot of other crap (such as mercury) that's in the water. Mercury and the like concentrate higher up in the food chain so shark, swordfish, tuna, etc. are going to have a lot of it. Whereas smaller, feeder fish won't be nearly as bad.

Taking fish oil that's been purified will ensure you're just getting what's healthy for you.

Of course, if you just like the taste of fish like me, you'll still want to eat fish pretty regularly.

 

[immovablestone]

I am fine with eating chicken or fish everyday (I am a creature of habit so it doesnt bother me.) What's a good amount of for me to eat? Is it a good idea to stray from chicken/fish? Also, I like to marinade my chicken. Maybe this is a dumb question (and if it is, i do apologize) but does that have a big impact on the nutritional value of it?

Yes, don't marinate your chicken unless what you're marinating it in has no salt, fat, or sugar... Which means basically don't.

Read the FAQ's "again" and your questions will get answered.

 

[ooitzoo]

Yes, don't marinate your chicken unless what you're marinating it in has no salt, fat, or sugar... Which means basically don't.

Read the FAQ's "again" and your questions will get answered.

I did read it and I dont see anything on marinades. I also did a search and a few guys are fine with it. The recipe thread has a recipe that calls for lemon (i believe its lemon) marinade.

 

[noobloser]

I did read it and I dont see anything on marinades. I also did a search and a few guys are fine with it. The recipe thread has a recipe that calls for lemon (i believe its lemon) marinade.

I don't see any problem marinating with lemon or spices. I marinated some swordfish in lemon, olive oil, oregano and garlic yesterday.

A lot of marinades call for a ton of sugar/salt, though, which is what I think he was referring to. One of the recipes I have for ribs calls for 2 full cups of sugar.

 

[ooitzoo]

This is a store bought marinade so perhaps there is a high sugar content. What should i be looking out for?

Also, i add guac or mustard to my sandwiches. Anything i should know there?

 

[doomburrito]

mustard is wicked. get the stone ground kind and put on too much. its delicious.

guacs good too, but its pretty much just fat. nothing to be afraid of, but dont go apeshit.