Diet Critique

[xenobears]

Alright, I started dieting little over a month ago. I weighed like 292 and I am down to around 280 now. I live in a dorm, so eating healthy for every meal, but I try my hardest. I currently do 40 min of cardio 6 days a week, and to lose weight I technically have to eat around 2.9k calories but it gets tough to fill 2.9k with healthy calories.

Here is what I have eaten for the past week, and my estimations for the calories. I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism.

Bagel + Shake = 235
2 Chicken Tenders + 3 Egg Whites + 12 Baby Carrots = 120 + 51 + 44
Apple Sauce = 90
Peanut Butter = 100
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Kaiser Roll + DBL Burger Patty + Cookie + Skim Milk = 170 + 600 + 500 + 80
2290

Bagel + Shake = 235
Turkey Swiss Wheat + Chips + Poweraid = 90 + 90 +90 + 390 + 150
Apple Sauce = 90
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Pizza + Chicken Patty = 600 + 280 + 120
2410

Bagel = 145
Turkey Burger + Wheat + 3 Egg Whites + Mixed Veggies = 220 + 90 +51 + 150
Apple = 60
Turkey on Wheat = 300
Protein Shake = 210
Salad = 400
Popcorn = 400
2026

Cheeseburger + Bun + Fries + Donut = 250 + 180 + 300 + 250
DOES IT REALLY MATTER??????
3000-4500

Bagel = 145
2 Chicken Tenders + 3 Egg Whites + Baby Carrots = 140 + 51 + 100
Special K Bar = 90
Protein Shake = 210
Soup = 290
2 Chicken Patty Sandwiches = 280 + 280 + 180 + 180
1946

Bagel = 145
Turkey on Wheat + Chips = 100 + 90 + 230
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Taco Salad = 700
Tuna Wrap = 450
Popcorn Chicken = 450
2475

 

[xenobears]

Alright, I started dieting little over a month ago. I weighed like 292 and I am down to around 280 now. I live in a dorm, so eating healthy for every meal, but I try my hardest. I currently do 40 min of cardio 6 days a week, and to lose weight I technically have to eat around 2.9k calories but it gets tough to fill 2.9k with healthy calories.

Here is what I have eaten for the past week, and my estimations for the calories. I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism.

Bagel + Shake = 235
2 Chicken Tenders + 3 Egg Whites + 12 Baby Carrots = 120 + 51 + 44
Apple Sauce = 90
Peanut Butter = 100
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Kaiser Roll + DBL Burger Patty + Cookie + Skim Milk = 170 + 600 + 500 + 80
2290

Bagel + Shake = 235
Turkey Swiss Wheat + Chips + Poweraid = 90 + 90 +90 + 390 + 150
Apple Sauce = 90
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Pizza + Chicken Patty = 600 + 280 + 120
2410

Bagel = 145
Turkey Burger + Wheat + 3 Egg Whites + Mixed Veggies = 220 + 90 +51 + 150
Apple = 60
Turkey on Wheat = 300
Protein Shake = 210
Salad = 400
Popcorn = 400
2026

Cheeseburger + Bun + Fries + Donut = 250 + 180 + 300 + 250
DOES IT REALLY MATTER??????
3000-4500

Bagel = 145
2 Chicken Tenders + 3 Egg Whites + Baby Carrots = 140 + 51 + 100
Special K Bar = 90
Protein Shake = 210
Soup = 290
2 Chicken Patty Sandwiches = 280 + 280 + 180 + 180
1946

Bagel = 145
Turkey on Wheat + Chips = 100 + 90 + 230
Protein Shake = 210
Special K Bar = 90
Taco Salad = 700
Tuna Wrap = 450
Popcorn Chicken = 450
2475

Oh, and that high calorie day 3k-4k...that was my cheat day, and I took it a lil too far and decided to not even try to estimate, but i surely did learn my lessson

 

[Sim882]

Your kidding aren't you? This can't be a cut diet.

A lot of these meals are - and I don't mean to offend - crap. Bagels? Special K bars? Patty Sandwiches? Popcorn chicken? And your meant to have a cheat day, not meal. Honestly, many (including me) people would have much cleaner bulk diets than this.

Also, it is hard to know your meal timing - you must have 5 meals with at least 30 grams protein.

 

[Smokescreen]

Your kidding aren't you? This can't be a cut diet.

A lot of these meals are - and I don't mean to offend - crap. Bagels? Special K bars? Patty Sandwiches? Popcorn chicken? And your meant to have a cheat day, not meal. Honestly, many (including me) people would have much cleaner bulk diets than this.

Also, it is hard to know your meal timing - you must have 5 meals with at least 30 grams protein.

LOL!!!

 

[xenobears]

Your kidding aren't you? This can't be a cut diet.

A lot of these meals are - and I don't mean to offend - crap. Bagels? Special K bars? Patty Sandwiches? Popcorn chicken? And your meant to have a cheat day, not meal. Honestly, many (including me) people would have much cleaner bulk diets than this.

Also, it is hard to know your meal timing - you must have 5 meals with at least 30 grams protein.

LOL...you say you don't mean to offend yet you open your post with such a jackass statement? I KNOW my diet is not ideal. I pay a lot of money to live in a dorm and eat their food, I don't walk into my kitchen and make a chicken breast or any any healthy alternative, instead I need to pick and choose what is healthiest out of a bunch of crap.

Bagel-I eat half a bagel in the morning because I don't really ever eat breakfast and this way i can just get my stomach going.

Special K Bar- I eat it usually between classes when I'm away and don't have time for a meal.

I never really eat at specific times, but for the most part I eat every 2-3 hours. I am a BIG guy, I have started to lose some weight, but I still need to eat 2900 calories to lose apprx 2lbs a week. I eat what I eat mostly because I don't really have much choice, and I can guarantee you that I'm not going to eat salads 5x a day because honestly that can sometimes be the only healthy food that we have.

 

[StuWard]

Sim882 may have been a bit harsh but there are still things you can do. Start thinking along the High GI/Low GI terms. Bagels and Special K bars are relatively high GI and will cause your insulin to spike, causing you to retain fat. They also create cravings later on for more crappy food like donuts and cookies.

Start your day with a good breakfast. Eggs, and Oatmeal are good choices. Get at least 1/4 of your calories at Breakfast. Watch out for added sugar in the prepackaged oatmeal. Use plain and sweeten with honey or fruit, not sugar.

Above all, get way more veg in your diet. You don't have to have 5 salads a day but you need at least 1, preferrably 2 plus other veg at every meal, even if it's only a tomato slice with your eggs.

Stu

 

[xenobears]

Sim882 may have been a bit harsh but there are still things you can do. Start thinking along the High GI/Low GI terms. Bagels and Special K bars are relatively high GI and will cause your insulin to spike, causing you to retain fat. They also create cravings later on for more crappy food like donuts and cookies.

Start your day with a good breakfast. Eggs, and Oatmeal are good choices. Get at least 1/4 of your calories at Breakfast. Watch out for added sugar in the prepackaged oatmeal. Use plain and sweeten with honey or fruit, not sugar.

Above all, get way more veg in your diet. You don't have to have 5 salads a day but you need at least 1, preferrably 2 plus other veg at every meal, even if it's only a tomato slice with your eggs.

Stu

Thanks for the help, this is exactly the kind of help I am looking for. If you all you are going to say is that I don't eat cleanly for a cut diet, then you are just stating things i already know and it doesn't help me to change. There are a lot of things I want to change with my diet because I want to lose more effectively. There are tricks and foods that people know about that I certainly don't and I want to be able to eat cleaner.

I also have a question because my friend couldn't answer this for me.

I have to eat 2900 calories to lose weight, that's a given. I can usually eat 1.2-1.8k of healthy calories in a day and I strive to do that. Is it healthier to stay at this low level of calories where it is borderline starvation, or should i fill up on not so healthy calories. This is the one thing that has been bugging me for a while and a big reason why i made this post in the first place.

 

[StuWard]

It is not healthy to be at borderline starvation and it is not healthy to load up on "not so healthy" calories.
I don't know why you can't get 2900 cal of clean foods. My breakfast is 7-800 calories and is all low GI, protein and good fats. You just have to redefine what a serving size is. For example, 6 eggs is 420 cal. You bagel is not so bad as part of a breakfast with 6 eggs. Just make sure it's whole wheat and put butter or cream cheese on it, not jam or margaine. Eating High GI foods with protein and fats will lower the GI of that food. 1 cup of oatmeal is 600 cal. Add flaxseed, raisins and milk, it's a good meal. It just happens to be 3 times what most people call a serving. The bottom line is that if you're getting 1200-1800 calories of clean food, double your portions and cut out the not so clean foods.

Check this site out for nutirtional info: www.whfoods.com Try to balance your micronutrients as well as your macronutrients. You will find that you need lots of veg, herbs, berries, etc to make it work. If you can come up with a balanced diet that works, the lbs will drop off and your health will take off.

Stu

 

[centy]

Good post man. Glad to see you asked as this is the way to learn. You're definitely headed in the right direction. A few years back, I lost about 40lbs of blubber. It is easy, once you know how to do it.

Eating right while living in a dorm is not easy. Do you have a microwave? I nuke Egg beaters while I'm at work for my second breakfast. It's really easy and quick. Throw in a frozen, precooked turkey sausage patty (or veggie sausage patty) for anothe 100 cals and some protein. Veggie burgers on a whole wheat bun are very easy too. (250 cals and some good protein) Some ready to drink protein shakes may also be helpful. Can be expensive, but a much better alternative between classes, etc.

I would also suggest trying fitday.com It's free and will allow you to track your nutrition down to every last calorie, if you want. I found it tremendously helpful.

Take a good multi-vitamin every day. Drink more water. Stuward is right - learn about the high G.I. vs low G.I. carbs.

Good luck bro. Keep us posted and keep asking questions.

 

[Sim882]

Sorry, perhaps it was written too harshly.

I guess I just take a strict view of what is acceptable nutrition.

where I differ though to most people is if you want an easy snack, I personally don't see what is wrong with about a 600 ml serving of artificially sweetned non-fat ice coffee/chocoloate meal. About 26 grams of protein and 300 calories, and contrary to what many people on the board think, ALL scientific studies suggests dairy assists losing weight (whether this is true if your approaching competition bf levels is a different matter). In any event, it is better than a special K bar.

LOL...you say you don't mean to offend yet you open your post with such a jackass statement? I KNOW my diet is not ideal. I pay a lot of money to live in a dorm and eat their food, I don't walk into my kitchen and make a chicken breast or any any healthy alternative, instead I need to pick and choose what is healthiest out of a bunch of crap.

Bagel-I eat half a bagel in the morning because I don't really ever eat breakfast and this way i can just get my stomach going.

Special K Bar- I eat it usually between classes when I'm away and don't have time for a meal.

I never really eat at specific times, but for the most part I eat every 2-3 hours. I am a BIG guy, I have started to lose some weight, but I still need to eat 2900 calories to lose apprx 2lbs a week. I eat what I eat mostly because I don't really have much choice, and I can guarantee you that I'm not going to eat salads 5x a day because honestly that can sometimes be the only healthy food that we have.