Is this diet plan ok?

[Hapuka]

Hi, I want to change my diet. At the moment I tend to eat to many carbs. Please comment and give advice. My goal is to lose weight and to have more energy. Note; I am 16.

This is my plan so far. (I also take vitamin pills)

Breakfast; 3/4 cup of muesli with trim milk, half a can of fruit, a mandarin and some yogurt = 1 serving of carbs, 2 servings of fruit and about 1 and a half servings of dairy.

Snack; A carrot = 1 serving of vegetables

Lunch; A cup of raw veges with some low fat humus and a whole grain sandwhich with 95% chicken slices and pickle = 2 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of dairy, 2 servings of carbs and 2 servings of meat.

Snack; 2 mandarins and a bit of muesli with trim milk = 2 servings of fruit, 1 serving of carbs and a serving of dairy

Around about this time I bike or do a mixture of running and walking off to martial art classes (TKD about 10km from my house and Muay Thai about 6km from my house)

Dinner; I have what the rest of the family is having which is mostly healthy. This covers up the rest of my carb intake for the day.

Snack; A apple and a carrot = 3 and a half servings of fruit and veges.

I drink water with every meal and in between meals. The problem is I seem to get major cravings for carbs. What can I do about that?

Thanks.

[Reakt]

Your cravings for carbs may pass as you get more used to the diet. If you used to have lots of Carbs then it's understandable.

To be honest some carbs are fine and wont do you any harm providing they are good carbs and that you don't have any a few hours before bed (because the energy wont be used during sleep).

If you get a craving then you could easily have a small amount of Carbs with your Snacks. This would keep the cravings at bay and shouldn't have any detrimental affect on your fat loss.

[NewLearner]

I might would substitute some different fruit. 3 mandarin oranges is a fair amount of natural sugar (carrots are also one of the sweeter vegetables) and little fiber. Ideally, each vegetable and fruit throught the day would be different to balance the nutrients.

What type of raw vegetables are you having?

Could your cravings be because you still have a relatively high sugar intake from the selections that you are making?

[Suhosthe]

Something I have observed in myself is that when I switch from a high fat diet to a low fat one, I crave sugary food. Probably because high sugar foods are also typically high fat.

The feeling passes within a few days.

[harhar]

Have something sweet after your workout.

[spirez]

You have nowhere near enough protein in that diet. You need to be aiming for the very minimum of 1g per pound of body weight and anywhere up to 1.5g. After all, muscles are made up of around 23% protein.

These should also be good sources of protein so ditch the 95% chicken slices and get real, whole meat inside you.

My diet's not perfect by any means but is getting a lot better.

7pm Breakfast:

50g porridge, 30g protein shake (only because i didn't have time to cook my eggs this morning!)

9pm

Banana, yogurt, green tea

11pm

small pork steak, small beef steak (both around the size of my palm), handful of new potatoes

1pm

Tuna and kidney bean salad salad, sweetcorn, blueberries, chicken leg, some smoked mackerel that my mate didn't finish. Banana

3pm

More blueberries, small tin of pilchards in tomato sauce

6pm

King Prawn stir fry with broccoli, baby corn, cabbage, pak choi. Green tea

9pm

Yogurt, couple of boiled eggs.

Around 3-4 litres of water per day.

Comparing this to my diet a while back, i feel so much better. My energy levels are up and i don't feel sp drained after meals due to cutting down on starchy carbs. If i'm training intensively i'll chuck some brown basmati or quinoa into the mix

[Hapuka]

Thats a lot of meat. I don't think I could stomach that much. :(

[Garrett]

You have nowhere near enough protein in that diet. You need to be aiming for the very minimum of 1g per pound of body weight and anywhere up to 1.5g. After all, muscles are made up of around 23% protein.


Seriously, you don't need that much protein. Recommended for endurance athletes is 1.2 - 1.4 grams per kilogram per day. Body builders is 1.4-1.8 g/kg/day.

There is a great article at medscape here (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/414351) with nice references to back up its claims.

Too much protein can be a bad thing. The last paragraph of that article explains why, but essentially you excrete more calcium with high protein intakes which is not so good for bones.

EDIT: my link to the reference isnt working, apparently you need a medscape account, so here's some excerpts:

A sedentary person, a marathoner, and a body builder of the same weight most certainly have different protein needs. Protein requirements depend upon factors including body weight, body composition, rate of growth, physical activity level, type of physical activity, adequacy of energy and carbohydrate intake, and illness or injury. Research clearly indicates that protein needs for athletes are greater than the recommended 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight recommended for sedentary people.

Individuals such as body builders, who are using resistance training to increase muscle mass, require a protein intake greater than that recommended for sedentary people. The protein needs for athletes trying to increase their muscle mass range from 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This increased need for protein, however, is much less than what most of these athletes assume it to be. In addition, these increased needs are easily met through traditional food sources.

Research does not support protein intake in excess of 2.0 grams per kilogram body weight. Excess protein intake is associated with dehydration, and may be related to excessive urinary calcium losses and inadequate carbohydrate intake. Theoretically, an impairment of kidney function has been associated with excessive protein intake. However, this has not been empirically demonstrated in the literature. Dehydrated athletes are more likely to be affected.

And some references:
1. Carroll C. Protein and exercise. In: Rosenbloom C, ed. Sports Nutrition: A Guide for the Professional Working with Active People. 3rd ed. Chicago: The American Dietetic Association; 2000.
2. Lemon P. Is increased dietary protein necessary or beneficial for individuals with a physically active lifestyle? Nutrition Reviews. 1996;54:S169-S175.
3. Kleiner S. Bodybuilding. In: Rosenbloom C, ed. Sports Nutrition: A Guide for the Professional Working with Active People. 3rd ed. Chicago: The American Dietetic Association; 2000.
4. Chandler R, Byrne H, Patterson J, Ivy J. Dietary supplements affect the anabolic hormones after weight training exercise. J Appl Physiol. 1994;76:839-845.
5. Beals K, Manore M. Nutritional status of female athletes with subclinical eating disorders. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;98:419-425.

[TheCount]

The protein debate again...for goodness sake.

Medically speaking you need 0.4g per kilogram of bodyweight to remain healthy according to the FDA.

Bodybuilders tend to eat 1g - 1.5g per POUND of bodyweight at least to make sure they recover fully before their next workout. Bodybuilding is about muscle sized gained through volume training and overfeeding.

Joe public wise 1g per Kilogram is enough to ensure recovery for normal daily activities. With the amount of exercise you are doing you may want to eat a bit more.

Currently in your diet depending on how much milk you take in all the time I'm guessing yu get about 40g of casein and 30g or so of other proteins. This is a bit low for the amount of walking and cycling you are doing. See how your recovery goes though.

Lowering carbs is a bit dodgey imo. Ideally you want to lower caloric intake while maintaining carbs. You need the energy to maintain the exercise you are doing... if you want higher energy levels you need more carbs (complex and simple).

It in general seems reasonable... just see how it goes with your body. If you are getting too tired and aren't recovering then you have to eat more. You can't skimp.

[spirez]

Garrett, i did actually mean per kg, typo on my part.

Can't access that site you posted without a login but the data i referenced was taken from American College of Sports Medicine, American Diet Association and a couple of other sources.

Technicalities aside, the fact is the diet posted up was too low in protein.

My diet is the way it is as it works for me and i train hard in MMA, BJJ and weights/cardio so i need more protein than the average joe.

As for the carbs, that's just trial and error based on the individual. I've cut down on a lot of complex carbs in the form of rice/bread/pasta and increased fruit/veg intake and as stated it works for me.

Also, protein is a lot more satiating than carbs and fats so you get that 'full-up' feeling quicker and so could feel less cravings for the carbs.

Everyone is an individual so you need to work out an individual plan.

[Suhosthe]

Thats a lot of meat. I don't think I could stomach that much. :(
There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein, too! ;)

Beans, lentils, oats, nuts, seeds and countless other non-meat foods contain plenty of protein that require no slaughter in their preparation. :Angel:

If you want to increase your protein, but not your meat, intake, try some of them instead. :D

[spirez]

Many of which are also incomplete proteins that don't contain the required levels of the 9 essential amino acids. You can mix and match them to get the required amino's ie fruit and nut, but it seems like a lot of effort to me.

[Suhosthe]

Many of which are also incomplete proteins that don't contain the required levels of the 9 essential amino acids. You can mix and match them to get the required amino's ie fruit and nut, but it seems like a lot of effort to me.
Variety in your diet is actually a good thing. ;)

I'm not suggesting Hapuka become totally vegetarian. I'm suggesting that if she doesn't want to eat a lot of meat for protein, she has plenty of other options.

A vegetarian diet is not unhealthy, nor does it require a great deal of effort to attain an appropriate nutritional balance. I've maintained for years that with ongoing advances in our understanding of nutrition it should be possible for anyone to give up meat without any difficulty.

[harhar]

There are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein, too! ;)

Beans, lentils, oats, nuts, seeds and countless other non-meat foods contain plenty of protein that require no slaughter in their preparation. :Angel:

If you want to increase your protein, but not your meat, intake, try some of them instead. :D

Thats what makes meat taste so good. I want to go hunting sometime.

Generally, the rule is to keep the protein intake the same whether you are trying to lose fat or trying to gain muscle (I don't think there are many people in this world that won't respond well to a high protein diet).

The amount of carbs and fat should vary according to your goals.