More newbie dieting questions

[London2ATL]

I've always been put off by dieting because it seems like so much calculation is needed, I've managed to have some ground rules over the years like no fried food and just eating sensibly but now I wanna be really strict so here are my questions.

1. what are good fruits to eat? and ones to avoid?


2. I'm 175lbs, how much calorie am I supposed to be having each day?


3. I'm taking it peanut butter is the best spread for bread? Right?


4. Semi skimmed or skimmed milk?


4. A cup of this, a cup of that, what exactly is the size of this cup?


5. Where can I get my source of fat from?


6. How many grams of fat am I supposed to eat?


7. Supplments as in multi viatmins, cod liver oil etc is centrium good enough so I know I'm not missing anything.

8. I just bought my protein shake today (whey), to be taken twice a day, what the latest time that I can drink it, I don't go to bed before 3am most days.

Thanks in advance.

 

[calitrainman]

Will need a little more information on your "stats" and what it is that you're trying to accomplish (weight gain, loss, etc) before most of these questions can be fully answered. From what you've said so far tho......

1:fruits tend to be moderate-high on the glycemic index, meaning the carbs get converted to glucose and are absorbed to the bloodstream faster than say a more complex carb like whole wheat products or fiberous vegetables. They would produce a greater insulin response which is not exactly favored when on a "cutting diet"

2: Would need to know your height as well as your weight (loss or gain) goals over a particular time period. Then will be able to estimate what daily calories should be and the ratio of carbs/protein/fats needed.

3: Natural style peanut butter is very good to use as a source of good fats. Many on this board promote it as a dietary staple.......just make sure not to overdo. Higher fat means higher calories.........again, it depends on your goals.

4: Not sure what your asking here. Do you mean "what's the correct serving size?" or "should I be paying attention to serving size?"........more info needed here

5: peanuts, almonds ANPB,flax (or flaxseed oil), fatty fish such as Salmon......

6: Depends on your stats and weight goals as stated earlier

7: I take a daily-multi to supplement my "routine" and what I might be missing in terms of nutrients from food while cutting. If looking to "bulk"......then it should be possible to get the nutrients you need from every-day foods.....assuming that you're keeping it relatively clean eating.

8: You could have your protein shakes any time of day........whey is a fast-absorbing protein, so it wouldn't be the most beneficial right before bed......a casein protein such as low-fat cottage cheese or a casein shake would work better here.

Hope this helps. Like I said, tell us a little more and more concrete answers can be given

 

[London2ATL]

First of all, thanks for your time in replying me.
My pics taken tonite after reading your post.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/realness/ef.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/realness/ef2.jpg


I'm 5'8, 173lbs, my goal is to be ripped, I don't know how much lbs I can drop but I don't wanna be skinny.

My background is boxing, so my workout centers around that, 3 x 3mins shadow boxing, 5 x 3mins bag work, 10mins jump rope, a lot of circuits, "chin ups" "push ups", "sit ups" "dips" etc, I flirt with weights (nothing to heavy) sometimes to just look a lil bit more muscular. I work out 3 times a week doing this but plan to incorporate another 2 days to just cardio.

4: Not sure what your asking here. Do you mean "what's the correct serving size?" or "should I be paying attention to serving size?"........more info needed here

When I see one cup, sometimes I think, which cup size do they mean, I got so many different cups in my kitchen and I don't know exactly which size they mean, is that a better explanation?

...........

Sorry to take your time but tomorrow, I'm gonna wake up around 7:00am.

I plan to do a HIIT exercise on empty stomach, after that am I better off eating oatmeal with just water or having my whey shake.(around 8am)

I'm at uni from 9-1, my next meal time would be 11 right? What can I have while there? I might mix a shake in a bottle to drink during this time, since it's hard to find something healty.


When I get home, at 3, what would be the best thing to eat, carbohydrate based or protein?


Thanks, I know I've asked a lot but like I said before, I don't know anything about dieting.

 

[calitrainman]

It looks like you're already at a pretty low bodyfat percentage. If you're looking for more definition, then decreasing bodyfat more will give you that. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to both "burn fat" and "gain muscle" at the same time. At best, you can lose bodyfat and try to "maintain" the muscle you have. You will look more "ripped"....but with a further decrease in bodyfat.....you will be smaller.

If time isn't really an issue for you, you might want to consider a bulking routine to gain muscle size first. Your current routine has a great deal of cardio style exercises in it.......exercises that seriously increase heartrate and burn lots of calories. Sticking with this routine will work just fine for getting more defined. But, if you want more muscle.......cutting down on the cardio and lifting heavy weights regularly along with increasing your total daily caloric intake, will promote muscle gain....and yes, some fat gain 2.

for the "cup" question......i'm pretty sure they are referring to 1 cup as in 8ounces. This is typically 1 serving for many foods. Is easier getting a better idea for the total calories and macronutrient breakdown in a specific measurement of food/beverage.

In the time period that you're away from home (9am-1pm), having a small meal around 11am would work good. Should consist of a low-moderate GI (vegetable/whole wheat) carb and a somewhat slow-digesting protein (whey would be a little bit 2 fast of a protein for this meal - having a shake with a blend of whey/casein would be ok, but having a solid source of protein such as meat/eggs/low-fat milk might work better - having to digest this would take longer to absorb vs. whey alone)

When you get back home, it depends.......is this when you'd workout? Whenever it is you plan to workout, the meal that is pre-workout and post-workout should consist of a fast-digesting carb (malotdextrin/dextrose) mixed with a fast digesting protein( whey)......otherwise, keep with a meal similar to the one you had at 11am.

I've seen the best results with this approach on meal timing and macronutrient breakdown.......keeping with 6-8meals/day spaced over 3-4 hours apart. You should experiment with this some to get a better feel for what works best for you in terms of the results you're looking for.

 

[London2ATL]

Thanks once again, I sincerely appreciate your time,

What are fast-digesting carb (malotdextrin/dextrose) foods, examples please!

macronutrient breakdown: What is this pls?


Ok, I'll just cut down now, so how much calories do you reckon, and yes my workout is cardio based already when I'm in the gym and now about to add a HITT on my other 2 days outta the gym.


Thank you, the dieting has always been my weakness not cause I eat a lot, but I don't eat like I should do.

 

[calitrainman]

Examples of fast digesting carbs - basically these are the "bad" carbs you hear about. They are usually simple sugars that can get converted to glucose and absorbed by the bloodstream very quickly.....dextrose can be bought as a "carb supplement" and is in many sweet foods/drinks. fructose (which is even more abundant) this is a fruit simple sugar that is also fast to digest. lactose is a sugar found in dairy products (as for the major differences in these types of carbs and where they can be found, hopefully someone else can answer this......as I haven't researched this subject in great detail.

What I mean by macronutrient breakdown is the percentage of carbs/proteins/fats that make up your daily calories. For example, I'm trying to follow a ratio of 40/40/20. This means im trying to make my total daily calories be 40% carbohydrates, 40% protein, and 20% fat. My current daily cals are about 3000/day........so I'd want to have about 300g carbs, 300g protein, and 67g fat per day. There are 4cals/g of carbs, 4cals/gram of protein, and 9cals/gram of fat.....that is how i can calculate the number of grams i would want from this diet ratio. Divide the total grams needed by 6meals/day and each meal would have about 50g carbs, 50g protein, and 11g fat. This ratio doesn't have to be the same for what you're doing.....but keeping track of where your calories are coming from may help you out in reaching your goals sooner