I don't really know where I am about 18, 140 lbs, 5'6". I take weight training and am decently strong. I really just want to get a direction for where I should take my eating habits. I want to lose weight and gain muscle like everyone.. however I am aware that both aren't always as possible or efficient when going after both. So please post away your thoughts and questions to help me out! Thank you everyone.
Weight-Loss Confused about what my nutrition should be.
- Thread starter Tim1992
- Start date
Weight-Loss
Hi Rimsntim,
I personally have been inclined to raw foods. i have read your post and you have are confused about your diet. I think you can try this kind of diet regimen. this requires you to eat only raw foods. it can be raw veggies or fruits. keep away from those cooked and processed food as they have full of fat content and sugar that could make you gain weight and be vulnerable to illness or diseases.
your main target is to adapt to the raw food diet. you can search in the net for testimonials or videos on youtube how people have indulge their selves in eating raw foods. you are not deprive from anything when you start on a raw foods diet. there are millions of recipes that you can learn and do.
their are raw food pasta, salads, smoothies and a lot more. make up your mind. you will not regret once you have started doing this kind of diet.
I personally have been inclined to raw foods. i have read your post and you have are confused about your diet. I think you can try this kind of diet regimen. this requires you to eat only raw foods. it can be raw veggies or fruits. keep away from those cooked and processed food as they have full of fat content and sugar that could make you gain weight and be vulnerable to illness or diseases.
your main target is to adapt to the raw food diet. you can search in the net for testimonials or videos on youtube how people have indulge their selves in eating raw foods. you are not deprive from anything when you start on a raw foods diet. there are millions of recipes that you can learn and do.
their are raw food pasta, salads, smoothies and a lot more. make up your mind. you will not regret once you have started doing this kind of diet.
Jeanette401
New member
Here are my general daily guidelines - some of them are based on my weight & body fat 
Calories - less than 1800 (That's normally maintenance for me)
Protein - at least 100g (1g per pound of lean body mass - i.e. weight minus fat)
Fiber - at least 20g
Other - try to eat less processed foods. Veggies over crackers, a steak or chicken breast over lunch meats, although I don't cut them out entirely.
The protein & calorie goals may be different for you, but this gives you an idea in general of some goals to aim for!
Calories - less than 1800 (That's normally maintenance for me)
Protein - at least 100g (1g per pound of lean body mass - i.e. weight minus fat)
Fiber - at least 20g
Other - try to eat less processed foods. Veggies over crackers, a steak or chicken breast over lunch meats, although I don't cut them out entirely.
The protein & calorie goals may be different for you, but this gives you an idea in general of some goals to aim for!
I am not sure I quite want to dabble in raw foods at this point in my life, thanks for the idea though!
@Jeanette401 How exactly do you get that much protein in your system in a day. So how do I hit that regiment. I am also looking for vitamins that I probably can't get all in one day I am not sure as to what I need to be vitamin efficient.
@Jeanette401 How exactly do you get that much protein in your system in a day. So how do I hit that regiment. I am also looking for vitamins that I probably can't get all in one day I am not sure as to what I need to be vitamin efficient.
Jeanette401
New member
Well, I track on fitday and things add up - let me show what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast - went out to eat:
2 eggs scrambled with cheese & chives
3 oz green chile turkey sausage
~2 tsp of red chile
~1 cup of mixed fruit (strawberry, grapes, melons & pineapple)
1/8 of a whole wheat english muffin
Lunch:
Leftovers of lean ground beef, acorn sqaush, wild rice and onions.
Was probably about 1.5 oz of meat (the 93% lean)
Dinner:
Flank steak pinwheels - stuffed with olive & feta tapenade, fontina cheese and almond meal
About 6 oz of flank steak (or 1/4 of the whole "roulade") cooked in some olive oil.
Oven roasted asparagus with olive oil & salt & pepper
Snacks:
Some raw okra (I like it!)
Handful of Kashi Go-Lean cereal (about 16g - I have a food scale)
Great Western Bagel, sweet wheat (high fiber, low cal) with 17g of fat free cream cheese.
Totals (more fat and less carbs than an 'average' day for me!)
Calories: 1624
Fat: 88.1g (29.2 saturated - again, higher than normal for me!)
Carbs: 89.1 (22.8 Fiber)
Protein: 129.5
I generally go for the lower fat meats just because of the calories, and I try to make my snacks high fiber, low calories. The raw okra is the only one of the 3 snacks that didn't have any protein in it and I had the bagel w/cream cheese right after.
There's protein in things you don't expect though, even the okra had some, and it does add up!
Breakfast - went out to eat:
2 eggs scrambled with cheese & chives
3 oz green chile turkey sausage
~2 tsp of red chile
~1 cup of mixed fruit (strawberry, grapes, melons & pineapple)
1/8 of a whole wheat english muffin
Lunch:
Leftovers of lean ground beef, acorn sqaush, wild rice and onions.
Was probably about 1.5 oz of meat (the 93% lean)
Dinner:
Flank steak pinwheels - stuffed with olive & feta tapenade, fontina cheese and almond meal
About 6 oz of flank steak (or 1/4 of the whole "roulade") cooked in some olive oil.
Oven roasted asparagus with olive oil & salt & pepper
Snacks:
Some raw okra (I like it!)
Handful of Kashi Go-Lean cereal (about 16g - I have a food scale)
Great Western Bagel, sweet wheat (high fiber, low cal) with 17g of fat free cream cheese.
Totals (more fat and less carbs than an 'average' day for me!)
Calories: 1624
Fat: 88.1g (29.2 saturated - again, higher than normal for me!)
Carbs: 89.1 (22.8 Fiber)
Protein: 129.5
I generally go for the lower fat meats just because of the calories, and I try to make my snacks high fiber, low calories. The raw okra is the only one of the 3 snacks that didn't have any protein in it and I had the bagel w/cream cheese right after.
There's protein in things you don't expect though, even the okra had some, and it does add up!
Jeanette401
New member
Also thought I'd add - I generally take a daily multivitamin, a triple strength fish oil, calcium, and vitamin D. I'm in doors all day and I've actually been tested as low Vitamin D before, but the rest I take because they could help and they can't hurt.
As for how to get this... I generally plan around my proteins as being 'musts' and then throw in the rest. Although admittedly if I go out for breakfast I just eat what I want and trust that I'll be able to work it out.
I keep some lean proteins on hand for when I may otherwise go over. So I have some freezer packs of tilapia that I can just cook in a hurry. Sometimes I'll also cook and freeze chicken breast but I'm still not that great at cooking a really flavorful chicken breast. I also try to keep high fiber, lower calorie foods on hand for when I'm close to my calorie limit, but under my fiber goal.
If I'd had fewer calories during the day, I may have gone with a high fiber thin bread with almond butter & strawberry preserves instead of the bagel. Or I might have had reduced fat cream cheese instead of non-fat... but I had plenty of fat yesterday I'm going to try to shoot for a little less today!
I kind of think of it as a food puzzle, where I'm trying to find foods that fit my goals. I use fitday a lot for figuring things out. Some people actually plan things out in advance (which I think is actually a good idea) but I never actually seem to have it work that way for me
I do find that I'm much better at staying on track if I really do record the food I eat.
As for how to get this... I generally plan around my proteins as being 'musts' and then throw in the rest. Although admittedly if I go out for breakfast I just eat what I want and trust that I'll be able to work it out.
I keep some lean proteins on hand for when I may otherwise go over. So I have some freezer packs of tilapia that I can just cook in a hurry. Sometimes I'll also cook and freeze chicken breast but I'm still not that great at cooking a really flavorful chicken breast. I also try to keep high fiber, lower calorie foods on hand for when I'm close to my calorie limit, but under my fiber goal.
If I'd had fewer calories during the day, I may have gone with a high fiber thin bread with almond butter & strawberry preserves instead of the bagel. Or I might have had reduced fat cream cheese instead of non-fat... but I had plenty of fat yesterday
I'm going to try to shoot for a little less today!I kind of think of it as a food puzzle, where I'm trying to find foods that fit my goals. I use fitday a lot for figuring things out. Some people actually plan things out in advance (which I think is actually a good idea) but I never actually seem to have it work that way for me
I do find that I'm much better at staying on track if I really do record the food I eat.
Looking at Jeanette's nutrition log is inspiring, and yet it gives me a headache. If counting calories works for you, then by all means go ahead. The problem is that people never know how many calories they're burning! Your body quickly adapts to the amount of calories you're eating, which is why simply eating less never works.
But starting with your workouts... usually the best idea is to gain the muscle before you lose the fat. Muscle helps burn fat, and you'll have to gain fat to gain muscle (that's just the way of it), so start there. Get as big as you'd like (in terms of muscle mass), then change your workouts to cross-training and high intensity cardio.
The dieting is never easy to explain, but I'd be curious to know your dieting habits as they are, before I suggest anything.
But starting with your workouts... usually the best idea is to gain the muscle before you lose the fat. Muscle helps burn fat, and you'll have to gain fat to gain muscle (that's just the way of it), so start there. Get as big as you'd like (in terms of muscle mass), then change your workouts to cross-training and high intensity cardio.
The dieting is never easy to explain, but I'd be curious to know your dieting habits as they are, before I suggest anything.
Jeanette401
New member
So first, I do agree with Toddless on 2 points. First that exercise is good to add, and second that calorie counting is not for everyone. However... past that, I'm afraid I have to disagree with quite a bit of the rest
First, there have been some recent studies that have shown that diet alone works better for most people than exercise alone. If you can do it with just exercise, great! However, chances are, it's not going to work. You may be able to vary how many calories you burn by around 1000 a day... and that's assuming a lot of work. Unless you were already getting moderate exercise and then slept all day... it's going to be awfully hard to burn 1000 less calories, no matter how little you eat.
On the other hand, I can eat an extra 1000 calories in the blink of an eye.
Second, I agree that calorie counting can be a pain - although I think it would be good for everyone to try it for a week just to have a better idea of how badly they underestimate their calories. However, the fact that it's something of a pain is something I've turned into a positive. Is it going to be a pain to record whatever I want to eat? Maybe I'll just skip it! (I did this yesterday with some brie and pear hazelnut spread...) Which means I ate less.
Finally, it sounds as though Rimsntim is already doing weight training - so at the least he shouldn't be losing muscle. Sure, it's nice to gain muscle - but it's almost impossible to gain muscle without gaining fat. So it's going to be his personal preference as to whether he wants to bulk or cut - or even do something like the "Every Other Day Diet" where he tries to do both in the same week.
Simply eating less often works - I lost 60 lbs that way, with no working out - although again, I advocate working out and wish I had. But it is in no way impossible.
It sounds like whether he wants to bulk or cut though, Rimnstim should focus on his protein intake to make sure he gets enough to support his muscles. Since protein is generally the most satiating macro it may be that this will be enough for his calories to drop off without counting. If not, counting is always a backup!
First, there have been some recent studies that have shown that diet alone works better for most people than exercise alone. If you can do it with just exercise, great! However, chances are, it's not going to work. You may be able to vary how many calories you burn by around 1000 a day... and that's assuming a lot of work. Unless you were already getting moderate exercise and then slept all day... it's going to be awfully hard to burn 1000 less calories, no matter how little you eat.
On the other hand, I can eat an extra 1000 calories in the blink of an eye.
Second, I agree that calorie counting can be a pain - although I think it would be good for everyone to try it for a week just to have a better idea of how badly they underestimate their calories. However, the fact that it's something of a pain is something I've turned into a positive. Is it going to be a pain to record whatever I want to eat? Maybe I'll just skip it! (I did this yesterday with some brie and pear hazelnut spread...) Which means I ate less.
Finally, it sounds as though Rimsntim is already doing weight training - so at the least he shouldn't be losing muscle. Sure, it's nice to gain muscle - but it's almost impossible to gain muscle without gaining fat. So it's going to be his personal preference as to whether he wants to bulk or cut - or even do something like the "Every Other Day Diet" where he tries to do both in the same week.
Simply eating less often works - I lost 60 lbs that way, with no working out - although again, I advocate working out and wish I had. But it is in no way impossible.
It sounds like whether he wants to bulk or cut though, Rimnstim should focus on his protein intake to make sure he gets enough to support his muscles. Since protein is generally the most satiating macro it may be that this will be enough for his calories to drop off without counting. If not, counting is always a backup!
I think that while people might not know how many calories they overeat, they understand that it's possible. However, I don't think that people understand how easy it is for your body to adapt to a 1200 calorie diet, or even less. This is only my opinion, of course.
Back to rimsntim, the fact that you're 18 means that you've got plenty of time to figure out what works best for you. I'd recommend trying a bunch of different approaches for a few months at a time and try to keep track of what makes you feel good, and what just doesn't seem to be working. We've all got different opinions on how to reach your goal, but it's up to you to experiment and develop your own style. Good luck.
Back to rimsntim, the fact that you're 18 means that you've got plenty of time to figure out what works best for you. I'd recommend trying a bunch of different approaches for a few months at a time and try to keep track of what makes you feel good, and what just doesn't seem to be working. We've all got different opinions on how to reach your goal, but it's up to you to experiment and develop your own style. Good luck.
get raw
Well, Jeanette, I think one of the reasons that you might not welcome raw foods is because it's new. Then again, this might be the new regimen that could work for you. Because totally, it worked for a lot of people.
If you want, you can search for some raw foods websites and even watch videos about raw foods on youtube. It can definitely change your life. It won't do any harm if you try anyway.
Jean
Well, Jeanette, I think one of the reasons that you might not welcome raw foods is because it's new. Then again, this might be the new regimen that could work for you. Because totally, it worked for a lot of people.
If you want, you can search for some raw foods websites and even watch videos about raw foods on youtube. It can definitely change your life. It won't do any harm if you try anyway.
Jean
Jericho
New member
Well, Jeanette, I think one of the reasons that you might not welcome raw foods is because it's new. Then again, this might be the new regimen that could work for you. Because totally, it worked for a lot of people.
If you want, you can search for some raw foods websites and even watch videos about raw foods on youtube. It can definitely change your life. It won't do any harm if you try anyway.
Jean
Well, no harm isn't exactly true.
webmd
You know why it worked for weight loss? Cause you are basicly on a modified veggie diet, thus most of your diet is very low calorie. Instead of trying to push an extreme diet plan like Raw Food, let's talk about what you really need to look at for the OP.
Rims, look for posts by Steve or PM him yourself. I bet he could answer some information for you about diet while working on your strength.
Last edited:
Jeanette401
New member
Do raw foods help you keep track of who says things in threads? I didn't say anything about not welcoming raw food - although I admit the chances of me going on a pure raw food diet are extremely unlikely. My #1 diet focus is protein, and getting raw protein is a pain in the butt. Also, at one point in time I tried a 2 week raw food only 'detox' and I was miserable. All I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't even want to do as much as drink juice. I scared myself and my friends.
I do eat raw fruits and veggies from time to time, but I don't particularly worry about Maillard compounds in the cooked food. Looking at Jericho's link it reaffirms my feelings that it's great to eat some raw foods as part of your diet, but they don't need to be the entirety of your diet. Especially if you're already on a diet that's meeting your needs - like mine is
I didn't say anything about not welcoming raw food - although I admit the chances of me going on a pure raw food diet are extremely unlikely. My #1 diet focus is protein, and getting raw protein is a pain in the butt. Also, at one point in time I tried a 2 week raw food only 'detox' and I was miserable. All I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't even want to do as much as drink juice. I scared myself and my friends.I do eat raw fruits and veggies from time to time, but I don't particularly worry about Maillard compounds in the cooked food. Looking at Jericho's link it reaffirms my feelings that it's great to eat some raw foods as part of your diet, but they don't need to be the entirety of your diet. Especially if you're already on a diet that's meeting your needs - like mine is
Response to Everyone's posts
Thank you everyone for your support.
Toddless-
Well my eating habits are becoming more conservative. Lately I have been making sure to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Generally during breakfast I have started making a whole wheat turkey cheese sandwich with hotsauce or two oatmeal packets plain with a banana mixed in always drinking a glass of water before and then after. Lunch is either a can of progresso chicken noodle soup, or another turkey sandwich along with a natural valleys sweet and salty peanut bar. Having a 4 cup water bottle with me throughout school. Then if I am hungry when I get home I eat another sweet and salty peanut bar. Dinner generally entails a fist and a half of meat (chicken, hamburger, sometimes catfish) along with some vegetables like corn or peas and then a salad which generally has tomatoes sometimes I eat it with ranch but usually I don't.
I generally try and work out every other day. The reason for this is because I work out really hard, and am not as strong as the following day when I go to lift. If you think it would be helpful for me to post my general work out schedule let me know.
Secondly I am pretty sure as far as muscle goes you are supposed to get at least 1g of protein per lb of lean muscle that is on your body or something like that right? So I have been looking into whey protein. I am thinking I want to go organic or something as safe as possible, but I want to know more about that. And perhaps fish oil supplements.
I am not really sure I want to go and record all the foods I eat or step on the scale everyday, I want to be kind of almost full at least after I eat a meal. I will drink as much water as it takes, but most importantly I want to make sure that I am safe and healthy in my habits.
Oh and as to cooking my own stuff, if you could point me in a direction of where I could learn those skills and what are some easy affordable foods would be I would greatly appreciate that.
Thank you everyone for your support.
Toddless-
Well my eating habits are becoming more conservative. Lately I have been making sure to drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Generally during breakfast I have started making a whole wheat turkey cheese sandwich with hotsauce or two oatmeal packets plain with a banana mixed in always drinking a glass of water before and then after. Lunch is either a can of progresso chicken noodle soup, or another turkey sandwich along with a natural valleys sweet and salty peanut bar. Having a 4 cup water bottle with me throughout school. Then if I am hungry when I get home I eat another sweet and salty peanut bar. Dinner generally entails a fist and a half of meat (chicken, hamburger, sometimes catfish) along with some vegetables like corn or peas and then a salad which generally has tomatoes sometimes I eat it with ranch but usually I don't.
I generally try and work out every other day. The reason for this is because I work out really hard, and am not as strong as the following day when I go to lift. If you think it would be helpful for me to post my general work out schedule let me know.
Secondly I am pretty sure as far as muscle goes you are supposed to get at least 1g of protein per lb of lean muscle that is on your body or something like that right? So I have been looking into whey protein. I am thinking I want to go organic or something as safe as possible, but I want to know more about that. And perhaps fish oil supplements.
I am not really sure I want to go and record all the foods I eat or step on the scale everyday, I want to be kind of almost full at least after I eat a meal. I will drink as much water as it takes, but most importantly I want to make sure that I am safe and healthy in my habits.
Oh and as to cooking my own stuff, if you could point me in a direction of where I could learn those skills and what are some easy affordable foods would be I would greatly appreciate that.
Hey,
If you're trying to lose weight, I'd say you're on the right track. If you're trying to put on muscle, I'd venture to guess that you're not eating enough. Your body needs a lot of calories to be able to build muscle.
As for the cooking! The best thing you can do is find some simple recipes and start making them. Here's my trick though: Pick a culture and start making their staples. Most cultures use the same ingredients in different ways across all of their dishes. If you wanted to learn Mexican food, for example, salsa and guacamole are simple to make, and a marinade for chicken or steak is simple too. Buy some sour cream, cheese, corn tortillas, eggs, corn, hot sauce... You could make a ton of different meals with just that stuff. Once you get tired of it, move on to Italian.
If you're trying to lose weight, I'd say you're on the right track. If you're trying to put on muscle, I'd venture to guess that you're not eating enough. Your body needs a lot of calories to be able to build muscle.
As for the cooking! The best thing you can do is find some simple recipes and start making them. Here's my trick though: Pick a culture and start making their staples. Most cultures use the same ingredients in different ways across all of their dishes. If you wanted to learn Mexican food, for example, salsa and guacamole are simple to make, and a marinade for chicken or steak is simple too. Buy some sour cream, cheese, corn tortillas, eggs, corn, hot sauce... You could make a ton of different meals with just that stuff. Once you get tired of it, move on to Italian.
Jeanette401
New member
The 1g / pound of lean body mass is what I go by myself Also like you I don't workout 2 days in a row - unless it's lifting one day and then some cardio the next, but I don't have high expectations for day #2.
You can do without whey protein and still meet your goal, protein powder is for when you're feeling lazy, unimaginative, or pressed for time I go with True Protein (they have a website) for mine, but that's in part because you can get unflavored protein there, and apparently my tastes are different from whoever the pre-flavored stuff is geared toward. ON (Optimum Nutrition) is also known for making high quality protein, as is Syntrax.
Here are some tips - you can cook almost any vegetable using the following:
Preheat oven to 425 (F)
Spread veggie over shallow pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, and rub the veggies in the salted oil until they're all covered.
Cook until they start to get brown and crispy (often about 20 minutes)
I've also been experimenting with the 'throw stuff in a big pan together and see how it tastes' cooking method
My current favorite (highly approved of by both spouse and friends) is White Chili:
~1 tbs olive oil
1 to 1.5 cups diced onion (I get frozen and pre diced)
4 tomatillos diced (I hear you can get these in a can though - dicing them is the most work out of all of it)
1 lb lean ground turkey (93/7)
2 tbs green chile (I get Bueno chile from the freezer section)
1 can Great White Northern beans
2 oz reduced fat mexican cheese
lime juice
Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, chile powder or cayenne - probably about 1/4 tsp each, except more salt (maybe 1 tsp?) and less cayenne. I pretty much just shake it in. You can also add paprika for color because otherwise it can come out pasty white.
Drizzle the olive oil in the pan, turn to high heat. When the pan starts to smoke, throw in the onions. Start tossing the spices on. When onions look brownish, toss in the tomatillos, After a minute or two, toss in the ground turkey and brown it. When the turkey is browned, throw in the beans. Stir for a few minutes - if it gets too dry, add some water or broth. Mix in the cheese, then squeeze on some lime juice (I just use reconstituted)
I'm not saying to eat the whole thing in one go, but it's over 100g of protein in the whole dish, and over 20g of fiber.
Also like you I don't workout 2 days in a row - unless it's lifting one day and then some cardio the next, but I don't have high expectations for day #2.You can do without whey protein and still meet your goal, protein powder is for when you're feeling lazy, unimaginative, or pressed for time
I go with True Protein (they have a website) for mine, but that's in part because you can get unflavored protein there, and apparently my tastes are different from whoever the pre-flavored stuff is geared toward. ON (Optimum Nutrition) is also known for making high quality protein, as is Syntrax.Here are some tips - you can cook almost any vegetable using the following:
Preheat oven to 425 (F)
Spread veggie over shallow pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, and rub the veggies in the salted oil until they're all covered.
Cook until they start to get brown and crispy (often about 20 minutes)
I've also been experimenting with the 'throw stuff in a big pan together and see how it tastes' cooking method
My current favorite (highly approved of by both spouse and friends) is White Chili:
~1 tbs olive oil
1 to 1.5 cups diced onion (I get frozen and pre diced)
4 tomatillos diced (I hear you can get these in a can though - dicing them is the most work out of all of it)
1 lb lean ground turkey (93/7)
2 tbs green chile (I get Bueno chile from the freezer section)
1 can Great White Northern beans
2 oz reduced fat mexican cheese
lime juice
Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, chile powder or cayenne - probably about 1/4 tsp each, except more salt (maybe 1 tsp?) and less cayenne. I pretty much just shake it in. You can also add paprika for color because otherwise it can come out pasty white.
Drizzle the olive oil in the pan, turn to high heat. When the pan starts to smoke, throw in the onions. Start tossing the spices on. When onions look brownish, toss in the tomatillos, After a minute or two, toss in the ground turkey and brown it. When the turkey is browned, throw in the beans. Stir for a few minutes - if it gets too dry, add some water or broth. Mix in the cheese, then squeeze on some lime juice (I just use reconstituted)
I'm not saying to eat the whole thing in one go, but it's over 100g of protein in the whole dish, and over 20g of fiber.