Need some critiquing with cutting diet...

[seizer]

My bodyweight is 209 lbs. 6'1-6'2. Dont know bf%

Meal 1:
2/3 cup of oats + 1 tbsp of jam + 1 cup of CC = 450 cal

Meal 2:
Protein shake, 2 scoops = 260 cal

Meal 3:
12 grain toast, 2 slices + 1 tbsp of jam + Can and half of tuna + 1 tbsp of light caesar = 500 cal

Meal 4:
Protein Shake, 2 scoops = 260 cal

Meal 5:
Can and a half of tuna + 1 tbsp of light caesar + 2 tbsp of olive oil = 470

Meal 6:
Cup of CC + 1 tbsp of olive = 320 cal



Total calories = 2200 cal
Approx. 500 cal below my maintenance cals.

I cant really afford to buy things like steaks, I eat chicken breast occasionally, but not enough to really include them here. Tuna is cheap an easy. I figure I'm probably lacking with my fats and probably all the jam and dressing doesnt look to good.

 

[seizer]

oh, and am I loosing alot of muscle not having dextrose or carbs postworkout?

 

[pintoca]

well Bro, the diet could be better... but it could be much more worse too...I understand that eating healthy while on a budget can be tricky, since protein is not cheap.

main comments:

1. Too many shakes: with shakes you get the proteins and the cals, but not the added "thermic effect of food" benefit. In other words, shake digest easily, you don't burn too many cals working them, whereas with chichen breast, i.e., 30% of the cals of the chicken are gone just by digesting it... so thing about replacing some of the shakes with a real protein source.

2. Ditch the cesar dressing and the Jam... empty cals if you can call them something.

3. Add flax oil to the diet

4. Add the Post workout shake... the simple carbs after the workout are used to refill muscle glycogen (though in cutting quantities they barely suffice to stop glucagon by releasing some insulin, thus stopping your catabolic state), and to shuttle the protein in the shake into your cells (this protein should be easy to digest, isolate whey or something like that).

My diet is very simple, it goes around chicken breast, tuna cans, pre-packaged veggies, quality grain bread and whey (once a day)... I don't even eat CC or anything like that.

How is your cardio?

 

[seizer]

Thanks for that Pintoca.

I'll do my best to ditch the shakes. Pretty much the only the reason why I eat them as requently as I do is because a lot of the time during the day, I am not home and dont hae time to prepare a meal. Now, yes, I could prepare ahead of time, but thats not even the problem either. Where I am at the time of day doesnt really allow me to just open up a container of food and just start munching...like while I'm in class and soon to be work. The shake is fast and discrete. But yes, I will do my best to ditch it. Cut down to one a day.

I have a pwo already, I just didnt include it in the description. However, since I started cutting, I cut out the dextrose that I had in it while I was bulking. I could try and put that back, or I can throw in some oats if thats a good idea too.

I'll definitely ditch the caesar dressing and the jam. Pretty much the only reason why I have them is just so the food isnt so boring.

I'll pick up some flax today or soon.

As for cardio. Well, you may think this is foolish but I figure since I'm already low with my cals, I dont find cardio to be that necessary. But, If you think it will do me wonders in addition to the dieting then I will for sure do it. I would probably start up by doing some short HIIT. Does it matter if I start out with like 5 minutes of HIIT and condition myself up to 20?

But yeah, again, I appreciate the help. Dieting on a student budget is not the easiest thing in the world and neither is trying to find the time of day while going to classes and eat them.