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I'm 25, in good shape(maybe a few kilos over weight), doing a desk job. Recently I started working out hard, and changed what I eat to healthy options. My goal is to lose weight and build muscles. I have listed my workout routines and daily food intake below. Can you guys please give me advice on my food intake, whether its good, where I can improve? Thanks heaps fitness people :)

Workout

-5 Days a week (Monday - Friday)

-10 mins boxing & then jump on to weight training. (Medium to heavy weights, Strength & Speed training)

Food

7am - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates

10.30am - Yoghurt with muesli (about 150g)

1pm - Grilled chicken breast with veges

3.30pm - Small vegetable bag (about 200g)

5.00pm - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates

7pm to 8.30pm - WORKOUT

9pm - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates + 6 Egg whites with Spinnach

I also have about 2 litres of water everyday coz I bought this big bottle from bodybuilding.com and Its worth it. I'm kind of addicted to water now :)

Uds
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    Personally, I'd eat more actual food. You don't provide any actual information about how many calories you're consuming, an estimation of how many you're expending, etc. so it's completely impossible to tell you anything useful. – Dave Newton Oct 17 '12 at 01:59
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    Also there are limited vegetable and fruit intakes. A much more varied diet will help. A bit more detail on the workouts other than "fast movements with weight" would also bring the question more in line with the question guidelines for the site. – JohnP Oct 17 '12 at 14:24
  • Thanks guys. I'll update the question with more info in detail – Uds Oct 17 '12 at 23:06

7 Answers7

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Swap the shakes for actual food. They are a supplement, not a meal replacement. If you're concerned about protein intake, drink lots of n(real, whole) milk if it agrees with your stomach, or eat lots of (farm) eggs. You should be able to get your ~150 grams of protein from real sources: a half dozen eggs for breakfast, chicken for lunch, steak for dinner, maybe with a post-workout shake with whole milk and whey if necessary. But three protein shakes a day is more expensive than necessary and creates a lack of dietary variety.

As for whether your diet is "enough" or "too much", that's a question for you. Are you losing fat mass? Are you tired all the time, and if so, is it affecting your workouts? If your diet is showing results, it's working. If not, it isn't.

At the moment I'm confused as to where your dinner is, and why all the oats. Even if losing weight, we must eat. Fasting works for a short time, but for most people, it eventually gets too hard.

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Dave Liepmann
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  • Why was this question downvoted? His comment about the shakes is accurate, as they are more for post-workout supplements than meal replacements. And the following statements were equally true as well. – Moses Oct 18 '12 at 19:00
  • @Moses I suppose it could be due to Mike S' opinion that protein is food, ergo protein supplements are food, ergo calling for food instead of shakes is bad advice. See his comment on Informaficker's answer. – Dave Liepmann Oct 18 '12 at 19:03
  • @DaveLiepmann why are you recommending gulping down milk as a good food for protein intake? It contains 3.5% protein. Chicken & beef are far better for you and aren't loaded with lactose and naturally occurring hormones designed to put fat on a calf quickly. – Mike S Oct 18 '12 at 23:03
  • @MikeS My first source for protein is food--chicken, fish, eggs, and beef in the normal course of meals. Second is supplementing with more milk and eggs than one already has in the diet. Third is protein shakes. As for the downsides of milk--I don't drink factory hormone-ey milk, I noted the lactose/digestion issue in my answer, and it's hard to miss one's daily protein requirements with three solid meals plus a half gallon of milk. – Dave Liepmann Oct 19 '12 at 02:01
  • @DaveLiepmann I guess it all depends on your macronutrient targets. Half gallon of milk is 1200 calories which is a lot! Its also a lot physically to consume. I'd rather have a few low carb shakes myself but each to their own. – Mike S Oct 19 '12 at 02:16
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    @MikeS True. I'm usually not concerned with carb intake, particularly post workout when I drink most of my milk. You have a point about real protein sources, so I clarified my answer. – Dave Liepmann Oct 19 '12 at 02:26
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You seem to rely a lot of protein shakes. Here is my advice for what you eat:

7am - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates

What is your protein shake made of? Is there a lot of added sugar? You need to find a sugar free protein shake made from hemp, pea protein, egg whites or rice bran. Whey protein may get a "health halo" but it really isn't healthy. Also, the only milk you should be drinking is grass-fed and grass-finished. A better meal would be eggs with sweet potatoes or roasted butternut squash.

10.30am - Yoghurt with muesli (about 150g)

Again, grass-fed/finished dairy is best. That Muesli may be full of sugar, please double check before eating more.

1pm - Grilled chicken breast with veges

GOOD!

3.30pm - Small vegetable bag (about 200g)

GOOD!

5.00pm - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates

Same thoughts as above.

7pm to 8.30pm - WORKOUT

9pm - Protein shake (with milk) with quick Oates + 6 Egg whites with Spinnach

Ditch the protein shake and have an actual meal with fish, spinach, lentils... Things like that. Your diet is lacking in healthy fats - fish, nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, you need to add healthy fat for your diet. Eating HEALTHY fat doesn't make you fat.

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GiGi Eats Celebrities
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  • I edited the text and removed the link as the answer indeed might be useful. The link adds no value to the posting and it is in the user-profile often enough. Anyway, if you are unhappy with the changes, feel free to revert or edit again. – Baarn Dec 16 '12 at 08:26
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    Linking to your personal website tends to be frowned upon here, but you may use it as a reference source (and disclose your affiliation). Please see the [faq#promotion] for more information. –  Dec 17 '12 at 01:52
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  • I'm not sure I'd call protein shakes a healthy option. They're a good option for building muscles of course, but building muscle and health are different goals.

  • Get rolled or steel cut oats instead of quick oats. Quick oats often have sugar and salt added and being more processed, are higher GI.

  • You don't say if the yogurt or milk is low-fat, but there's very little fat in your diet apart from that. Stick with the full-fat varieties.

  • It reminds me of the typical menu any fitness plan recommends--extremely boring and thus unsustainable, even if you alternate the chicken breast with grilled salmon or turkey. Any food starts to lose its taste when it's repeated too often and is one of the biggest reasons diet fail. If you go to a less optimal diet, one that isn't too far off how you'd like to eat for the rest of your life when you reach a maintenance stage, you'll find longer lasting results.

  • It's quite an expensive menu, with the egg whites and protein shakes.

jontyc
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If you work out a lot you mainly need carbohydrate and fats for energy and protein to repair and rebuild muscle tissue. You can cover the carbohydrates by eating oats, quinoa, rice and sweet potatoes. You can cover the fats by eating fish, eggs, nuts, avocado's, adding extra virgin olive oil to your food and bake your meat/fish/chicken/eggs in palm or coconut oil. You can meet your protein need by eating biological fish, meat, poultry, eggs and protein shakes. I personally would avoid diary, because studies show inconsistent results.

But this is just the basis. I think it's at least as important as the foods above that you eat a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. You can get them from vegetables, fruit and supplements. Try to eat as much colorful food as you can and take a basic multi vitamin (as a rule of thumb, the more expensive the supplement the better quality, but make sure you do your research before buying).

And last but not least, eat water rich foods, drink enough water (especially during the workout) and make sure you get enough sleep/rest.

Working out is supposed to make you stronger and more energized. If you feel tired during the day on a consistent basis, you might want to re-evaluate the balance you have between resting and challenging your body.

Couple of tips:
Don't take more than 32g of protein per meal.
Avoid eating carbohydrates and fats in the same meal.
Don't eat 2 hours before going to bed.
Eat mainly carbohydrates before workout.
Eat mainly proteins after workout.
Keep your workout under an hour.
Drink water as soon as you wake up.
Eat proteins for breakfast.
Make sure at least 60% of your food are vegetables.
Sleep 8 hours a night in a dark room.
Try some yoga breathing techniques (they supply you with a lot of extra energy).

Jasper A.
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  • IMO "post-workout" meals (with caveat) should have both protein and carbs; you need to replenish glycogen after you've used it. The caveat is that post-workout meals are generally too late anyway; IIRC peak availability happens after "the window" so I've switched to intra-workout sipping. – Dave Newton Oct 18 '12 at 11:49
  • Thanks for the comment Dave. You are right, I updated the answer. You should eat both protein and carbs after workout. – Jasper A. Oct 19 '12 at 07:41
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You're eating extremely healthily, but I think you need more carbohydrates. If you're doing this a lot, then you'll want more carbohydrates. Other than that, you're taking in a very good amount of protein :)

Although, just a recommendation, you shouldn't workout so close to when you go to bed, I find that it makes you're sleep not as good, but it's different with everyone.

Gavin Sapp
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    Oates for 3 meals, muesli (more carbs) with the yogurt (Which is dairy sugars, which are carbs) and the milk (more carbs). – JohnP Oct 17 '12 at 20:44
  • Thanks Gavin Sapp and thanks JohnP for pointing carbs out. I didnt even know some of them had carbs in it :) – Uds Oct 18 '12 at 02:47
  • @uds - I think you would be very well served by getting a basic nutrition book and reading through it. There are a LOT of misconceptions about working out and nutrition floating around. – JohnP Oct 18 '12 at 14:25
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The answer to your question is simple. Buy some callipers and pinch the area with the most fat on your body (probably stomach?). Measure with your fingers using belly buttons, nipples, or whatever as a point of reference to ensure you pinch the same point every time. I pinch 3 points, stomach, thigh, side of pectoral.

If the millimetres are shrinking over time then be happy :). If not, reduce food intake slightly until you get the right amount. It doesn't matter what body fat percentage you are - it just matters if your skin folds are reducing. I do this once per week.

P.S. If your skin folds are shrinking and you are maintaining or gaining weight on the scales - you are building muscle and losing fat at the same time (yes - its possible!)

Mike S
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  • Thanks Mike S. Yes, I weigh about 75 and been working out very hard about a month but the weight is still 75. But I can see my shoulders, back and biceps been bigger and muscular. – Uds Oct 18 '12 at 02:49
  • @Uds exactly! Some people make bad decisions with their diet because they don't see the scales go up (or down) even though they may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Pinching just gives you more information on whats happening to your body. Congratz on the progress! P.S. Its great to hear someone talking in kilograms!! :) – Mike S Oct 18 '12 at 05:35
  • The answer is NOT that simple. Even an atrociously poor diet can result in short term fat loss. You want a balanced and healthy diet first, THEN focus on fat loss. – Moses Oct 18 '12 at 19:02
  • @Moses whats so wrong with his diet? Its far better than the crap most people eat. I could have recommended some other foods but I didn't because it is good enough and we are trying to write succinct answers here. – Mike S Oct 18 '12 at 23:01
  • @MikeS : Thanks, yeah I should buy a calliper. At the moment, i have a fair bit of fat in my stomach, so cant really measure that. But it'll be a great tool for measuring my biceps and legs. Thanks ;) and in regards to weight go up and down thing, I think you have to keep faith in your self and keep moving coz if you rely on weight its very depressing to see no movement. – Uds Oct 19 '12 at 03:36
  • @Uds I think you're missing the point. They don't open wide enough to measure your biceps or legs (hopefully) haha. Use a tape measure for those.. – Mike S Oct 19 '12 at 03:39
  • @MikeS Yeah I know. But i can pinch my piceps and check right? – Uds Oct 19 '12 at 04:02
  • @Uds its not known as a popular pinch site because there is not a lot of fat there. Its better to pinch the fattest part (which you said is your stomach). You will also notice the biggest collective drop there as well. – Mike S Oct 19 '12 at 05:29
  • @MikeS The diet has a ton of carbs, zero fruit, and very little fats or vegetables. Regardless, my point was your advice was poor since it essentially boiled down to "if you are losing body fat then your diet is good" and that kind of black and white statement can be dangerous to those who take it to heart. – Moses Oct 19 '12 at 15:54
  • @Moses Sounds like he is eating enough vegetables actually. Fruit is not essential and in fact its probably a no-no for someone trying to cut fat. He definitely could be eating more fat. Try a desert spoon of coconut oil or an avocado. – Mike S Oct 22 '12 at 02:15
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You are on the right track and you will achieve the weight loss sooner, friend. I follow almost the same timing in my Fat Loss Diet and keeping a proper diet will help in burning our excess fat.

Jessica Thomas
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  • Welcome to Physcical Fitness! Your answer is a bit short, perhaps you can elaborate on your own experiences and write more about the diet you refer to. – FredrikD Oct 22 '12 at 16:10