I need your expert opinions on nutrition!

[ellinghad]

Hey guys! I am trying hard to get an 8 pack (http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427776), and I already have a pretty low body fat%, but I hear it's all about the diet.

I have started eating mainly oatmeal, those fruit grain bar things for breakfast, peanut butter and wheat bread for lunch, and tuna and brown rice for dinner. (I live on campus without a meal plan, so if you have any tips on healthier eating that a GUY can cook, it would be much appreciated)

So I guess my question is what's the best way of approaching this? Is it a calorie counting game, (Eat around 1500 calories a day?) a fat counting game, a carbs game, or a sugars game? Or all four!? The only weakness I have is that I always eat many sugars. I have the flavored Quaker oatmeal and those fruit and grain bars have sugar in them also. Any advice on the best way to cut body fat % would be appreciated! Thanks for all of your help, and sorry for the noobie question!

P.S.: Please sadly note that I materialistically want this so I can achieve 8packdom, and a link to a picture of what I look like is in the link above. I think I have about 12% body fat and am mainly a mesomorph. I work out my abs a ton but I guess I can't get an 8pack unless I lose more body fat %.

-ell

 

[ellinghad]

bump. would just like to know what i should cut for lower boday fat %. Thanks! (Would also like to know what my body needs for muscle development... i want to lose body fat not too much muscle)

 

[pintoca]

Interesting wikipedia article on the original post...

Abot lowering your BF, you are quite lean already, you could do a cutting diet, nothing too aggresive (calorie-wise, given you are "polishing" the look), and increase your cardio activity.

Regardless of what you do, you will need to monitor weekly to make sure you are not losing LBM with it.

What is your current weight, BF% and training? (# days/week, cardio as well?)

 

[ellinghad]

I weight about 165 pounds, 10% body fat, and I don't do cardio because someone told me it would eat my muscles.

 

[pintoca]

I weight about 165 pounds, 10% body fat, and I don't do cardio because someone told me it would eat my muscles.

well...

Let me just put it this way. The secret to losing fat without burning muscle is a combination of 3 things:

1. Diet: Foremost, this is the most important single factor. What you are after is creating a caloric deficit. By carefully selecting what you eat and HOW much you eat of it you are well on your way.

2. Cardio: The "secret" in increasing your daily caloric deficit without sacrificing your food intake... you see, if you rely only on your diet to create the deficit, there would be a point of diminishing returns where you can simply not eat any less... with cardio you can greatly increase your daily deficit...

3. Weight lifting: Not used to build muscle while cutting but TO HELP PRESERVE the muscle you have already. You don't want to lift "light" either... whatever put the muscle there in the first place will help you keep it, so lift as heavy as your food intake will allow it.

What does a typical program look like for somebody OFF the sauce?

Weight lifting 4 to 5 days a week (most likely training body parts 1/week or twice if they are lacking).

Cardio 3 to 6 times a week, depending on how much you need to lose and how much you react to it... tipically, people will start at 30 mins and build it up to 45 mins - 1 hour/session...

Diet: Nothing too extreme (while some people will swear on CKD, it is not a MUST). Must will get the best results with a somewhat med-high protein, med-low carb, med fat approach... not too restrictive either.

165lbs @ 10%? You seem a perfect candidate for a 2000 cals/day diet. Ever done those before? How many cals do you eat today?

 

[nikkita]

Hey guys! I am trying hard to get an 8 pack (http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427776), and I already have a pretty low body fat%, but I hear it's all about the diet.

I have started eating mainly oatmeal, those fruit grain bar things for breakfast, peanut butter and wheat bread for lunch, and tuna and brown rice for dinner. (I live on campus without a meal plan, so if you have any tips on healthier eating that a GUY can cook, it would be much appreciated)

So I guess my question is what's the best way of approaching this? Is it a calorie counting game, (Eat around 1500 calories a day?) a fat counting game, a carbs game, or a sugars game? Or all four!? The only weakness I have is that I always eat many sugars. I have the flavored Quaker oatmeal and those fruit and grain bars have sugar in them also. Any advice on the best way to cut body fat % would be appreciated! Thanks for all of your help, and sorry for the noobie question!

P.S.: Please sadly note that I materialistically want this so I can achieve 8packdom, and a link to a picture of what I look like is in the link above. I think I have about 12% body fat and am mainly a mesomorph. I work out my abs a ton but I guess I can't get an 8pack unless I lose more body fat %.

-ell

You're blessed by being a mesomorph! you dont have to suffer as hard gainers or endomorphs.

IMO it is not about counting calories... (maybe just proteins)... but about eating clean diet... you have it easier than most of us... so besides pintocas comments, my contribution would be reduce your sugar consumption. Flavored quaker oatmeal has tons of sugar and sodium, when I eat those I see a difference in my belly. You can switch that for some fruits such as melon, strawberries or grapefruit, which have low levels of sugar but also help you with those cravings.

You mentioned you don't have a meal plan... so why don't you try to think about a 5 meal plan of things that are easy to obtain for you... and post it here so that you can have the feedback from all of us and suggestions of what to switch and why.

 

[ellinghad]

Alright! Well, I eat a fruit and grain bar, and a packet of oatmeal for breakfast. I know it has a good amount of sugar (almost 30 grams combined) but it has about 280 calories combined, and I don't have any alternatives until the end of the week.

For lunch I just ate a whole sweet potato, and I nearly got sick (after a while the flavor gets bad). I also eat yogurt every day for lunch. (Usually for lunch I eat peanut butter sandwiches with skim milk on whole wheat bread)

For dinner I eat long grain brown rice and tuna... which hopefully will change this weekend when I buy/learn how to make lean beef, fish, and chicken (my parents are visiting).

It's been this way for about a week I think, and I haven't really cheated. I love tuna and brown rice, (though it's a little plain... might add some miracle whip mayonnaise) so it's not a big deal for those things.

For snacks I munch on mixed nuts. I also take a whole food multivitamin to make sure my body has all that it needs after meals.

Any advice on dieting is welcome though, I came here to learn from you smart guys! =)

P.S.: Sometimes at night I get real hungry, but after I go to sleep and wake up I feel much better!

 

[nikkita]

I think that some modifications in your current diet will give you a leaner look... you're so lucky to be an ectomorph!! so initially your diet needs a consumption of 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight (chicken, meat, fish, tuna) divided around 5 meals. Your carb sources can be oatmeal, rice, potatoes or sweet potatoes. Include also veggies and fruits that are low in sugars. Carbs can be divided during the day so that you eat the ones that are more low g.i. in early hours of the day so that in the afternoon carbs are cereals and/or veggies.
Mainly, it is having a more balanced meal plan because with what you are eating seems you are getting good results.

 

[ellinghad]

Wait, you called me a mesomorph in the previous post, i'm confused

 

[nikkita]

uppss!!! sorry I meant... you're lucky you are a mesomorph!!