ExRx.net

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Twenty-seven year old male, 5'6”, 186 lbs. with 30%BF (per at-home BIA) and sedentary lifestyle. "Healthy" except for previously high BP (roughly 145/80 but better for past six months due to sodium restriction) and chronically dislocating shoulders (one has staples in it now, restricted ROM include overhead, behind back, and external rotation but really for another forum). Anyway, I try to eat well but I currently eat too many carbs and not enough vegetables.

Plan:
Easing into bodyweight simplefit.com plan linked on another ExRx.net forum with running in place / jumping jacks in my apartment using Tabata-style HIIT for 10 minutes after workout and working up to 30 minutes for two of my three non-aerobic days. I also do some auxiliary shoulder workout but again, another forum.

However, my diet needs some serious work. This is what I have planned thus far:
Breakfast:
½ c. muesli
1 c. skim milk
1 orange
1 hard boiled egg.
487 cal.; 11g fat / 80g carb / 24g protein

Morning snack:
banana
1 oz. Dry roasted / unsalted nuts
275 cal; 14g fat / 32g carb / 9g protein

Late Lunch:
1 c. mixed frozen vegetables
grilled skinless chicken breast
238 cal; 1.5g fat / 24g carb / 30g protein

Pre-Workout:
1 can tuna / kipper snack 2x per week; else lean poultry
two whole wheat bread slices or equivalent whole wheat crackers
possibly a little light miracle whip to wet tuna
~ 170 cal; 4.5g fat / 26g carb / 34g protein

Post-Workout:
2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
one slice whole wheat bread
1 c. skim milk
340 cal; 17g fat / 39g carb / 19g protein

Problem:
1.Total calories are just over 1500.
2.If shooting for 25% fat / 50% carb / 25% protein ratio my carbs are low and my protein is a bit as well.
3.I am only getting half the recommended dose of iron and am quite deficient in B and D vitamins

How can I augment this diet effectively? My main goal is weight loss, 185 pounds scares me, I was 135 pounds when I started college and still only 165 three years ago. I know I will gain muscle but the main focus for me right now is losing fat. Perhaps I just need to scrap the entire thing and do it all over again. I do not really have much disposable income so cheap is good, but I am also keeping very busy so convenience is important too. I guess my thoughts for number three is an adult multi-vitamin, but those can get expensive (I can't swallow pills so I would have to get chewable) and I am reticent to get vitamin supplements due to a lack of research demonstrating efficacy from what I have seen and a personal preference to get nutrients from “real food” if possible.

Anyway, I will stop rambling and open this up to any suggestions people can provide. If I am way off the mark and I need to build from scratch please provide pointers.

TL;DR: I want to lose weight, need to keep sodium and costs down, and want to make sure I am keeping a good balance of all the vitamins and minerals I need. I want to do this right from the beginning.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

TL:DR - change the breakfast to more eggs with spinach. lots of spinach. proper milk. drop the grains. more tuna/fish.


i'm not too good at paying close attention to nutritional composition or portion sizes, so please take my suggestions with a personally suitable dose of sodium. also, i drink beer and have bellyfat, but i'm pretty happy about it.

many more knowledgable people will give better answers subsequently. but, it's time for me to try and help a poster.
you mentioned in your opening paragraph a good first step. reduce carbs. increase vegetables.

based on some personal reading here's what i think:

fix the nutritional deficit you identified by changing the breakfast with the replacement of grains with eggs and spinach (TimD mentioned this in a thread around here - it's gold).
don't eat less. eat better. you've mentioned lots of good foodstuffs in your list. keep it up.
squats. stepups. make the big muscles stronger. then they'll need more fuel. tabata apparently only was scientifically tested on cyclists who also were still doing long distance rides at other times...
for the exercise component if you want to burn energy and create change, get with current activities then increasingly go outside and run as fast as you can a bit. your legs are good to go, right? do this on soft surfaces like grass while you adjust. start slow. work up.
starving yourself will only make you hungry, then you'll want to eat more. then potentially you'll feel bad if you do eat more. you can't eat very little all the time. it sucks.
if you need calorie restriction, most studies have shown the weight comes back. eat better, not less.
based on the book i'm reading right now (Taubes, 2010 "Why we get fat..."), cut out as much refined carb as you can. carbs apparently spike insulin which (amongst many other things) puts fat into storage.
based on some stuff Michael Pollan's mentioned in his screeds, eat some responsibly farmed (as much as you can afford/access) animal protein (chicken, fish, beef), and follow it with some milk, as it's really good for mysterious reasons.
based on what Jason Nunn and Jungledoc have mentioned in various posts here and in Jason's blog, take a good fish oil supplement if you can't get fresh oily fish (salmon, sardines). and if you're vitamin deficient, get the vitamins in a pill.

good luck.

Hi there! :)

I think you are off the mark. Keep it simple.

Stop counting calories. Stop incorporating bread and or cereals into every meal. Drop the milk, too. Try to eat a pound of meat product a day and 2 pounds of non-starchy vegetables.

Start lifting heavy things and putting them down again. Maybe 20 minutes of light conditioning work twice a week.

Give it a couple months, and that'll get you mostly there.

You need to recognize that the following are oxymorons:

Heart Healthy Grains
Artery Clogging Saturated Fats.

You also need to recognize that restricting calories does not cause long term fat loss but, in fact, causes the opposite.

Obviously the above comments are completely counter to conventional wisdom but until you come to accept them, you will make no lasting progress.

Keep adequate protein in your diet. Also, minimize omega 6 (vegetable oils, peanuts) and sugars (natural included). Otherwise, don't worry about the details so much.

Once you rethink your diet with these points in mind, you will likely change every meal.