Critique my diet please, is it working are there any errors?

[CobraUTAH]

I've been dieting and doing HIIT cardio since June 2nd. I spent three months bulking and got to 13% at 230 pounds. My goal is to cut to 5% but I might be happy at 6-8% but not sure yet. I'm trying to stay above 210 body weight also. I've been dieting for 23 days and have gone from 230 to 220.2 pounds. I haven't had the body fat checked recently, I'm waiting until July 2nd for that I plan to check it every month. I'm a bit scared that my lean mass has gone down, but I'm eating over 300grams of protein a day to make sure I keep as much lean mass as humanly possible. Anyway here is my typical daily meal plan.

8 am
1 packet oatmeal
2 scoops protein with milk
1/2 cup cottage cheese

10:30 am
1 granola bar
2 scoops protein with water
4 egg whites 1 egg yolk

1:00 pm
turkey sandwich
with turkey, pita bread, mayo, mustard, green leaf lettuce, tomatos, carrots, 1/2 cup cottage cheese

3:00 pm
1 can tuna

5:30 pm
Workout or HIIT session, After a workout I have a 2 scoop protein shake with milk immediately following, but after a HIIT session I've been waiting at least an hour before having the shake, I don't know if that's good or not.

7:00 pm
1 piece of chicken
1 tbsp olive oil

9:00 pm
Fish or pork chops
1 tbsp olive oil

11:00 pm
2 scoops protein with water

bedtime between midnight and 1 am.

I've been following a 45P/35F/20C macro nutrient ratio I've been minimizing the amount of carb fat mixing in meals and doing the taper method where I reduce my carb intake throughout the day having the bulk of carbs in the first three meals and very few after that. Some of the foods very from day to day but the basics are there. I eat between 2800-3000 calories a day and no more than 150grams of carbs a day. I plan to reduce my carbs to 100 grams for the next couple weeks and then down to 50 grams. I'd appreciate a review and please let me know what you really think. Should I re-adjust my calories since I've now dropped weight from 230 to 220 or leave it alone. My big concerns are my meals around workout times if I'm getting proper nutrition before and after the lifting and running. I have lost 2 inches around my waist where I keep 95% of my fat, but it still doesn't look much better. I can see a good four pack now, but the main fat stores are right to the sides of my belly button and on my love handles. I don't store fat anywhere else so I'm assuming that I just need to keep after it and keep up the diet for several more weeks to burn off those storage areas.

 

[Senior Woonaki]

looks pretty sound - might want to drop the milk post workout
- it bloats some people who cannot tolerate lactose... instead i would throw in some dextrose...

i have been fooling around with protein shakes while i train - i will have 2 sccops of whey, 1 scoop of maltodexrin and ice in a shake that i drink DURING the workout.... keeps me alert and strong

 

[CobraUTAH]

Don't I need some sort of carb to help get the insulin going for proper absorption of the protein? I didn't want to have carbs with the protein post workout but I kept seeing people doing it on this site and recommending it but it messed with my tapering of carbs in the later meals. Can you explain dextrose to me what is it, what does it do and where do I get it.

 

[gymtime]

Protein and carbs post-workout are fine, even in the evenings. Dextrose is a good low GI carb that won't create the insulin spike that other carbs do. You can also get maltodextrin on line or at most supp shops. It's pretty cheap.

Also, is your morning oatmeal plain or sweetened? And I'd check the sugar content of that granola bar as well. And for your bread, look for a multi grain/whole wheat bread with NO enriched flour. Pita bread is not a great carb source.

 

[CobraUTAH]

I use the maple & brown sugar oatmeal packet only 5 more carbs than plain oatmeal and tastes a hell of alot better. I like the Pita because one pocket half is 15 grams and makes a great sandwich. I can't get the same sort of sandwich using a single slice of bread and it would still be 20 or more grams of carbs.
I'll check the sugar content of that bar but what is the big problem with the sugars. I'm trying to limit the carbs already but I should always be concerned about the amount of sugar carbs right?

 

[gymtime]

You should always be concerned about sugar. When you are cutting, sugar carbs are always bad, I don't care what time of day it is.

I eat plain oatmeal in the mornings with MRP mixed in for flavor. Of course it doesn't taste as good as real m&bs, but it's much better for you.

You need to focus on carb quality as well as quantity. So do a little research on the glycemic index. That's pretty much the bible for good vs bad carbs.

 

[CobraUTAH]

Where is a good site for food G.I.'s?