Nutrition Question

Training
1

Hey everyone,

Have a question around nutrition if there is anyone here that can help me please.

I am 114kg as of today, 195cm 41 year old male.

I’m training 6 days a week across, the three tri disciplines with double sessions on some days.

My question is around nutrition.

I have started a meal plan this week which is

KCAL 2500
CARB 250
PROTEIN 220
FAT 70

Is this the right amount for me if I am looking to try and lose 1KG a week?

When I use the BMR calculator I get the below caloric needs

Sedentary - 2591
Exercise 1-3 times - 2968
Exercise 4-5 times - 3162
Daily exercise or intense 3-4 times - 3346
Intense exercise 6-7 times a week 3724
Very intense exercise daily or physical job - 4102

I feel I am fitting into one of these 2 Exercise 4-5 times - 3162/Daily exercise or intense 3-4 times - 3346 so I should have a deficit of 600 - 800 a day?

However, I started this week but I have actually put 1KG but I feel very bloated so I don’t know if switching to a healthier diet would cause me to hold water/bloat/ constipation initially?

Many thanks, any advice welcome.

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Woah there :bug::worm::canned_food:

:fire::bomb:

Asking sensible things like this will get you lynched by the CICO hate mob round here :wink::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

@joex and @Hammerer know more than I do but …

I’m 185cm 92kg now. Used to be 70kg a decade ago. I achieved that through;

Alcohol abstinence
Pescatarian diet
Ten fruit and veg per day
Calorie counting

Basically, alcohol is laden with calories.
Four 330ml runs is 600-700 calories, ABV% dependent.
Stay well clear.

Red meat is bad. Oily fish twice per week, white fish twice per week, vegetarian/vegan on the other days. Think beans, pulses, stuff that’s high in fibre. Lots of lovely roughage to get things moving.

Eating a tonne of veg, plus some fruit, fills you up. Get loads of nutrients, plus you’ll never be anywhere near your calorie goal as you’ll be full!!!

And finally, counting those calories will be the icing on the cake, just as a gateway. Although don’t be a slave to the religion, just use it as a guide.

Calorie counting is hard, as everything needs measuring and it’s not 100% accurate, unless you check the food labelling and verify it against the database entry. Stuff can also vary a few % here and there.

Plus, some fats are good. You want them.
But they’re high in calories, but it doesn’t matter so much as they help in the grand scheme of things.

Use your eyes first; “ooh. I look slimmer”
Then notice your jeans becoming looser and the belt being an extra notch down.
Then you can start on the scales :white_check_mark:

What’s your previous diet like?
What is the meal plan saying?
How hard/long is your training?

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I feel sad just reading that.

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So to loose 1Ib of fat you would need to be in a calorie deficit of 3500. Taking your figures, and lets use your lower estimate of 600 calories per day that gives a weekly deficit of 4200. So this is less than 1 kg but to me a weight loss in this ball park is a sensible approach.

As already indicated counting calories that you take in and expend is very difficult to be exact on. For me the simplest test of whether it is working is whether my belt feels looser.

It would be interesting to know exactly what you are eating for those 2500KCAL. Your weight can vary so a 1kg increase might be ‘normal’. So I would suggest that you weigh yourself throughout the week and at the same time of day. I float around the 67-69kg range and in the course of the week my weight fluctuates by almost two kgs! So Monday morning after a weekend of some beers I am at my heaviest and by Friday morning I am at my lightest. So I will typically compare my Friday morning weight to the previous Fridays weight to see whether I am loosing weight

Anyway good luck :slight_smile:

5

meal plans rarely work as they are limiting and you will struggle to adhere to them, then lose motivation.

CICO is king, unfortunately measuring both is next to impossible but worth keeping a log to start, be accurate, you will be surprised at the “secret” calories you may eat, 3 cookies instead of 2, that lump of cheese is actually 200kcals not the 100kcals for the size you thought it was.

The hand portion method is better in many ways, as its based on your size!

Here how it works:

  • Your palm determines your protein portions.
  • Your fist determines your veggie portions.
  • Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
  • Your thumb determines your fat portions.

Per meal as a base starting point.

Men = 2 of each above
Women = 1 of each above

Nuts are fat! Grains starches and fruits are carbs. 2 eggs = 1 palm of protein.

This is a start, if you are stable at that fine, if its bloatiing you too much or then want to lose wait cut the carb or fat at 1 meal or vice versa and go from there

I would say each plate, get as many colours as possible on it also, green, red, yellow, orange, side of blueberries etc. And protein is king.
Bottom line, Keep it simple otherwise you will get tired of it very quickly. Its about small habit changes over a period of time. You cant change everything overnight.

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Just one to remember on the eggs. There is almost as much fat as their is protein, which I think people seem to forget.

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Thank you for the replies everyone, super helpful as always.

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Chicken aside, its similar to most animal proteins per 100g

Chicken is about 2:1 protein/fat

But with a balanced (easy to follow) guide it all works out in the end as the average person should be eating similar %'s of fat / protein

9

Just a side FYI. Those pics have your name on them, if that’s something you’re concerned about.
:+1:

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That looks EXPENSIVE :money_mouth_face::moneybag::money_with_wings:

Cooking and prepping negates some “dead time” at home and stops you snacking :white_check_mark:

Well, it does for me.

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Thanks - didn’t see that so just deleted it now

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