this is part whine, but also wondering if anyone has advice, tips, etc.
i have really tightened up and cleaned my diet 1500-1700 cals/day, ave 40g/fat, 70-100g/carbs and around 150g/protein. i am trying to lose 10-15 pounds while gaining a moderate amount of muscle mass. i am a woman who currently weighs about 145.
typical day is like today:
5am- half a zone bar (per-lifting feed)
7:30am-2 jumbo eggs over light (no fat added during cooking) on 2 slices light whole wheat toast
10:30am- 1 cup 2% fat cottage cheese
1:30- i can tuna, 2 tsp FF mayo, a bunch of asparagus steamed
4:30- half a metrx protein bar
7:30-8: 1.5 links of chicken sausage with peppers & onions (again, no fat added) with mustard
copious amounts of coffee (black with equal) and water throughout the day
i am just finishing up what i have left for bars, after doing some research that they aren’t the best. going to start on hard boiled eggs or maybe a scoop of whey protein for my 5 am/preworkout eating.
the issue that i’m having is that i am hungry all the time. i am willing to be hungry if that’s the way it is, but is there anything you good folks might recommend?
The thing I notice off the bat from your sample daily menu is the huge lack of fats.
By adding fats and fiber to your diet should help with the hunger between meals. They both have the effect of being digested slower, and slowing the digestion process of the foods consumed with them.
I kinda agree with Phill here…but your numbers seem to look like you’re running T-Dawg 2.0? If so, the fat is prolly about right…Just make sure that your servings are indeed accurate and you truly are getting the fat you think you are. Also, add those fish and flax oils in there.
In addition, I looked at your macronutrient totals, and looked at your sample diet, and from what I know to be in the foods you’re eating, including the bars, I really don’t see the 150 grams of protein you’re talking about. Maybe 100? That could be error on my part though.
I would suggest…
Ditching the half zone bar pre workout in favor of real food. Ditching the 1/2 Met-Rx bar too. I know you’re finishing them up, but you could get much better nutrition in addition to a larger VOLUME of food if you ate the real stuff.
Have more carbs post workout (while reducing carbs during other times of your diet so you stay within your 100 carb total) . More carbs, less fat post workout. Maybe 1 whole egg and 6 egg whites with the toast?
Those low carb meals later in the day, such as the tuna and the asparagus, definately need some fat in there. Like Phill said. Good time for some EFAs.
Add some big, high fiber salads to those meals. Do a search for the Testosterone Mess O’Greens , or hell just make any high quality high fiber salad you like, should help satiate you.
Also like I said, make sure your macronutrients are indeed what they are… I’m not quite sure how much protein and fat are in the chicken sausage links, but if you’re only having 1.5 links…I wouldnt think it to be very much…
Also, how long have you been doing this? If its relatively new, then give it a couple more days to see if the hunger subsides.
Another possible culprit could be too much of a caloric deficit…I dont think that would be a huge problem considering your caloric total, but that’s only if you truly are eating that much per day.
Also how tall are you? Age?
Hopefully TT and others will weigh in on this and work it out.
the protein totals are about correct, with today’s total being 145g.
i am 5’6" and 28 y/o.
i do typically have at least one big bowl o’ greens, be it mesculin mix or baby spinach. i do often eat a bag of spinach sauteed (no fat of course) with red onion and balsamic vinegar. the greens do assist with feeling satiated.
i was curious whether or not i should add flax or other oils, but, i am trying to keep my fat and calories down.
i think the hunger may be just what i have to deal with. i have been “back on track” for the last 5-6 weeks, after a 6 mo. gym/healthy way of life hiatus. these last pounds, they’re a real b*tch!
Hi again, carrieleigh! Great to hear about your progress. One word: FIBER. The salad greens and spinach are great. Anything with a lot of fiber is going to be much more filling and satisfying. Beans are a high priority for me. Avocado is very filling (has fat too, of course). You could add a bunch of celery to your tuna without hurting your fat loss at all. Try oatmeal instead of toast.
I agree about the bars. Don’t even try to use them up. Save them for emergencies such as travel. If I eat a chicken breast plus some homemade guacamole, the calories may equal those in a bar, but the real meal is incredibly more filling and satisfying. And nutritious. The carbs in bars are mainly sugars - not filling at all.
And, you could also try adding a fiber supplement, such as psyllium, before meals.
Been doing T-dawg 2.0 for 6 weeks now. Two suggestions to make:
Firstly try to reduce meal intervals to 2 hours. Yeah its a pain but it really helps in keeping the hunger pains at bay. More frequent, smaller meals seems to keep my stomach better occupied while hypocaloric. Lo carb protein shakes in a shaker bottle or thermos are convenient for this.
Another angle is on the formentioned fiber suggestions. It looks like your carb quota is being met with the two 1/2-bar meals and the toast. Maybe keep the toast for post WO and source the rest of carbs from whole fruit (grapes excepted). The added fiber will add to food volume, reducing hunger. Some people are anti-fructose but considering the actual quantities consumed, I think the pros outweigh the cons.
A couple of things I’ve noticed…without restating what others wrote.
Copious amounts of coffee? Probably not the best idea. While there is a thermogenic effect in caffeine, and coffee is an appetite supressant, I don’t know if I’d be having “copious amounts”. I think the insulin insensitivity after that much is counter-productive. I’d stick with one pre-workout and maybe one later in the day if absolutely required.
Eat a larger pre-lifting meal. That’ll help curb hunger pains.
Are you sure you’ve got your caloric requirements right? Perhaps for you this is too low. Many women say that rather than being in a caloric deficiet, they’re better able to lose fat by adhering to strict and clean maintenance calories. (ie. 2000 Cals for example, but as clean as humanly possible…rather than 1500 Cals of decent foods).
Get used to it! There’s always some element of hunger when your dieting. Hell I get hunger pains at 4600 Cals/day, and I’m bulking! By eating often you’ve stoked your metabolism which means you’re going to be hungrier…also there is some anticipatory effects inducing hunger.
Either one of those is a solid choice. One great option you might consider adding would be flax meal. A great source of fat and high fiber. Killing two birds with one stone in other words.
The other thing I notice that you may want to consider is the fact that you are limiting kcal, carbs, and fats all atthe same time. You really need either the fats or the carbs along with the protein to give your body a good fuel source.
Hmm. I would consider ditching the candy bars for some real food (I know they are convenient but if you prepare your food at one time during the day, it will take you an extra 5 minutes to make 2 more snacks). One easy way of doing this is to use some low-carb protein powder and have some fish-oil capsules with it.
Using flax and fish oil is really beneficial. Your body will always respond better to “real food” than protein bars. If you buy a high-grade low-carb protein powder and some quality fish oil caps, you will be assured you are getting solid protein and not whatever the candy bar manufacturers deem “good”.
One last thing; you might want to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, low to moderate intensity for 30-45 minutes a session and make them frequent. If you aren’t doing HIIT, you can wait a while after your cardio before eating which is a good test of willpower (it gets to be a game you play with yourself when you start seeing results) and will allow you to burn fat for a little longer. This doesn’t mean you wait 1/2 a day, it will be ok to push it out to an hour to 1.5 hours.
The suggestion to compress your mealtimes is good. If you are waiting for your first meal, that might make your first meal later than before and now it will be easier to eat every 2 hours. The way my diet is dialed in right now (I’m cutting, very similar to T-Dawg 2.0) I am getting hungry about every 2.5 to 3 hours and it isn’t unbearable. I believe a great deal of this is due to the flax and fish oils that I take with my first 4 meals; these meals happen to have as close to 0 carbs as possible. I also have PWO dialed in with “Surge” and a high-quality lean protein/carb meal afterward.
The coffee should keep you awake and energetic.
Congratualtions on your progress. If you are keeping tabs on your progress, what are your lbs per week of fat loss? If it is over 1.5-2 lbs you might have a caloric deficit that is too great and the addition of a small amount of food might help with your hunger.
In all reality, I believe a lot of the success I am having right now is in the low-carb portion of the diet which is most of the day. I believe the high-good-fat content of my diet to help with hunger. I am on ECA as well which doesn’t hurt ;).