I Need T-Nation's Help: Nutrition Plan

Diet and Nutrition
1


Fully aware i may be committing a social more’, ive given up on the search function and am asking for the wealth of knowledge ive seen some of you demonstrate in advice to others be directed at me for a few moments of your time:

i need to know how im supposed to eat.

The title of this post could have been, “what am i supposed to eat?” but i think a lot of people would skip over a thread like that because one might assume the author wasnt using his brain.

i realize how big of a topic this is and i would glady buy any reading material suggested if the general feeling was that this is a topic that’s size is beyond the scope of this forum. HOWEVER, the books ive seen dont give specific examples and i feel thats what im looking for.

at 32, im at risk for a myriad of health problems in the very near future due to my weight and high blood pressure, and i realize i need to lose the weight and cut down on fat.

i lift now, and pretty damn hard. i try to read as much as i can to train correctly.
a major problem is that i have two extremely damaged knees from multiple sprains.

bad knees run in my family and i had an orthopedic surgeon confirm that its very likely my problem is congenital. ive injured them so many time, that im no longer able to squat or deadlift, so sadly im unable to run.

most days it hurts to walk with my dog. i think losing weight will really help with this and thats why im asking for help. i think swimming is something ill be able to do without any knee complications, and im getting ready to start doing that early mornings before i eat.

the articles, “A Question Of Nutrition” made me realize that some stuff i eat now really isnt all that great and to maybe take a second look at some organic and/or non-hormone stuff.
the velocity diet program was the impetus for me to start eating better. i was told when i entered my stats in that the diet isnt recommended for me because of my weight. right now im 6’ and 282. i teeter between 283 and 276.

as i said, ive trained hard and some PRs are a 415 deadlift @ 276, a 225 bench @ 255, and a 245 military press @ 276. these are lifts i dont feel are impressive, but i relay them to give a respondent an idea of how im built. i currently dont have the ability to post any new pictures.

to some of us, maybe i eat horribly.
to me i think i try to watch and not eat the bad stuff.

my problem is probably in my portion control.
i certainly wasnt taught good eating habits by my parents, but im in no way conveying blame.
what im looking for are specific examples like: “for lunch, a turkey sandwich and salad” and not, “eat more fruits because theyre good for you”. i dont need tips and tricks, i need to know how and what to eat.

i appreciate your attention and thoughts on this

Sincerely,
Rad

2

I can tell you this. Any meal ideas people give you, you are going to have to tweak to fit you. Everyone is different, and will respond differently. I read an article about a book (something like “the anabolic diet”) on T-Nation, and I’ve heard a lot of good references to it.

Maybe look that way. Other than that, keep your carbs in the first half of the day, and make sure you’re getting enough. Those are two things I see a lot of people fail on. If you really want some meal ideas PM me.

3

Can you give us an example of what your daily intake looks like? Or even today’s intake?

4

While I’m certainly not going to custom tailor a diet plan for you, I will say that since I’ve been contest dieting, I’ve realized the importance of “padding” my diet.

I figured out how many calories I truly NEEDED, then spaced out protein meals every few hours. I then put some complex carb sources around my morning ones, and my pwo, and then filled in the rest (PADDED) with as many green veggies (read “free food”) as I could. Every couple of weeks, I reassess how many calories I need as my weight drops.

S

5

The last thing you need to do is cut down on fat. Cut your carbs and read a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. (I think you meant DIETARY fat and not body fat, let me know if that is what you are talking about.) As far as eating, start with Dr. John Berardis 7 Rules of Good Nutrition.

found here: http://johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/7habits.htm

For #3 and 4: Don’t eat TOO much fruit. Stick to the veggies.

As far as “what to eat” we can’t tell you that. I mean there are a million different things. My advice to you is to look at labels and get familiar with foods that you like that fit the RULES. Then make sure you have all the RULES down.

After this you will be familiar with the macronutrients that each food has. Spend some time in the store looking at labels. As far as how many calories?

Take your LBM and multiply it by 12. Go off that number and see how you feel. It might take awhile to figure out your sweet spot, but you’ll get there. Check out other Berardi articles too!! Stay Rad!

6

What Stu said.

I really suggest you take a look at the nutrition section and transformation sections. Berardi, Hyght (sp?), Thibs, Poliquin, Bowden, Lowry, and many others have a wealth of info. Brief rundown of it, though:

Decent Breakfast: 1/2cup of oats w/ blueberries, scoop of whey (or some other protein sources)

Decent lunch: no sandwiches (unless right after lifting). Have a salad with meat over it (chicken, steak, pork, salmon, turkey, etc) and a little EVOO.

Decent Dinner: More meat, some veggies like broccoli or a stirfry.

Keep the carbs at breakfast and lifting and then drop them at breakfast as you progress.

Don’t bring calories down too much when starting out, though. Possibly hit the elliptocal for any form of cardio since walking/running seems out along with squats/deadlifts.

Lots of fish oil, too. I believe most agree that about 5g is the minimum for some real fat loss benefits to kick in.

Might want to invest in a food scale to control portions since you have problems with them. I’m certainly happy I spent $12 on one.

Oh, and I know this isn’t going to really happen while cutting, but you should be stronger for your size.

Good Luck

7

Even though I’m on the opposite side of the spectrum, I feel you man.

I might get shit for this from the other guys, but since you’re looking into specific meals and stuff and want to lose fat(at least that’s how I’m getting this) I think you should look into the Anabolic Diet by Dr. Pasquale.

If you’re interested PM me so I can tell you something that I can’t tell you on the forums.
Btw, where are you originally from(heritage)?

8

I think I can help, I have experience with rehab issues. Don’t over think this, just a little at a time.

Nutrition/Diet-

3 Factors to consider: Quality, Quantity, and Timing.

Quality - You should be eating good food choices, with the rule of thumb being the more natural the better. Mother nature knows her shit, so listen to her, and forget what the so-called “experts” say. Stay as wholesome as you can.

Quantity will refer to your calories, and since you mention weight loss, you will want to go below maintenance, but not by too much. Work on eating better cleaner food first, and your calories will probably correct themselves in the mean time.

Timing - try to keep your carbs around workout time. Something like Surge Workout Fuel is great after your workout if you want a shake. The rest of the time, eat your veggies and fruit throughout the day and keep the crap to an absolute minimum.

Workouts-

Since you suffer from some injuries and issues, you might want to see what guys like Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson have to say. Or you can see a doc in your area and have him address whats going on with you. You can still workout while injured, but you need to be smart about what you do. A doc will tell you what you are limited to doing in a weight room.

What you want is doable, but you need to be smart about how you approach this. Best of luck guy.

Maximus

9

[quote]Trenchant wrote:
Decent Breakfast: 1/2cup of oats w/ blueberries, scoop of whey (or some other protein sources)

[/quote]

Unless you’re talking about one huge cup, I disagree. That is tiny.

10

If you look through my contest prep thread you will most likely find a dietary breakdown of one of my “high” intake days. Considering that my current “high” day is 3000 calories, this could probably serve as a decent template to rework for yourself as I would imagine that 3000 would be a defecit compared to your current intake…?

S