please critique my diet / am i eating enough?

[obsessis]

i've been using fitday to count my calories and i'm not eating enough! it seems like i am always putting food in my mouth. i weigh 200 lbs and am used to weighing 160 or 170 so the calories i need on a daily basis are a good deal more than i'm used to. I'm getting 1500 to 1900 calories a day. from 40 to 50 % protein, 30 to 40% carbs and 20 to 26 fat. I would like to lose weight down to 170 - 180.

I usually put something in my mouth every couple hours. i try to eat protein every three or four hours. i'll snack on like 5 carrots or a nectarine in between. I know you need to eat more often to keep your metabolism up, is it okay to kind of snack on things all day or do i need to have a space of time with nothing in my stomach? if so, how long?

i eat chicken breast (baked, 1/2 to 3/4 lb a day), a steak sometimes, fish steaks/fillets sometimes, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, apples, oranges, nectarines, peaches and milk. i also eat pb&j sandwiches on wheat bread.

What do you think? It sounds dumb but am I eating enough to lose weight? I'd always get my calories before by eating fast food or drinking soda to get all of the calories and i'd only eat twice a day. now I am constantly eating but am getting way fewer calories.

 

[jpt]

at 200lbs....cutting on 1500 cals will cause you to lose muscle mass as well as fat. in order to preserve muscle mass and lose fat i would cut on 2200 cals no less...maybe even more for a guy your size. i'm 170 lbs and i cut on 1800-2100 cals....

 

[obsessis]

1500 is the lowest, it is usually around 1700 - 1800 or so. I will try to bump it up to right around 2000. I don't have a ton of muscle to lose so I'd like to keep it.

What about eating something small every couple of hours? like 7 carrots/broccoli or 1 peach/nectarine to graze? does the stomach need it in like 5 or 6 meals or does 3 or 4 meals with snacking work? i'm wondering because sometimes a meal is just a vegetable or single piece of fruit.

 

[jpt]

if your cutting i would honestly try and get rid of the fruit...fruit has alot of sucrose in it which is not good for your goals...if you need to include fruit do it pwo when you need simple sugars to replenish your glycogen levels

eat every 2-3 hours....try to comsume about 30-40g of protein at each meal so there is a constant flow

drink about 1-2 gallons of water

carbs are used for energy so try and eat your carbs early on in the day...you'll be surprised how much timing your carb meals can help...i would say no carbs after 6pm unless you workout later then that....you need carbs posr wotkout.

other then that there are tons of posts on cutting diets of guys your size...read up and good luck

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

If you are cutting I would also throw out milk, and the carrots. Carrots have sugar, but thats just me I am very strict when cutting. Also I would throw in some sort of EFA supplement into your program. (flax, fish oil, ect.)

 

[poysyn]

2000 is still low if you are exercising..if your going to do 2,000 try to have refeed days where you hit 2400 or so to at least keep metabolism somewhat in check..

try to keep your carbs complex..an apple here or there certainly won't hurt you that much but if your carb sources are mainly fruits then you taking in way to many simple carbs imo

 

[nikkita]

1500!!?? IMO you're not eating enough. when you eat below your minimum your metabolism slows down and besides burning muscle it puts itself in sort of "survival mode" and store more fat.

Try to raise your cals at least to your total daily maintenance cals for your weight.