NFT: BBI Nutritionists

like a high quantity of sugar to have in the morning, especially relative to the lack of protein.. Is it at least right before or right after a hard workout to utilize the benefits of the fast-acting carbs?

What are you having the rest of the day?

I would need to see more detail on your overall intake and how much activity (lifting and cardio). At the end of the day the most important thing is calories in/out but sometimes there are other factors... i.e. taking in just enough calories to slow your metabolism and store fat.

and tracking it religiously for a week. I'd also look at breaking out added sugar from sugar in something with fibre - like fruit. I try to keep it below 35 grams a day, and even that can be incredibly hard when eating at restaurants often.

I doubt its that shake. Theres a lot of good stuff in there despite the sugar in there.

Its all the other stuff you're eating during the day. As someone mentioned, your activity levels are a big part of the equation, too.

a severe hammy strain in November shelved me from a lot of my regular workouts for a couple months (rowing has been a godsend), and adding the holiday eating binge I found myself about 12 lbs over my ideal weight, so decided to make a renewed focus on my diet.

I start almost every day with a similar morning shake: coconut water, almond milk, a couple kinds of fruit (blueberries, bananas, watermelon, or mango typically), plus protein powder, spinach, carrots, scoop of peanut butter.

I trimmed the first 6 lbs pretty quickly, but that was mostly bc I knocked off desserts and junk food after the holidays.

Using my fitness pal app, I started logging my meals and looking at the nutritional breakdown. I realized my morning shake was still very high in sugar (no wonder it tastes so good).

For the past couple weeks, I've switched to unsweetened almond milk, halved the amount of added fruit, and switched to raw peanut butter, not the tasty but high in sugar brand names.

Still at a plateau with 6-8 lbs to go to get back to fighting weight, but to your point, I think there is a lot of sneaky sugar in foods we regularly eat.

Some days I look at my log and say WTF, how did I have 200 grams of sugar today, I didn't add sugar to anything?

I found out a single McNugget is just 50 calories. By far the highlight of my day.

measured as close to accurately as I could, and my log shows 37 grams of sugar.

Which on its own is a reasonable amount for the day, much depends on what else I have - regular work lunches and dinners make it hard to moderate what I eat sometimes...trying to keep the sugar below 90 grams per day for now

There was a thread a few weeks back about intermittent fasting that's worth a read.

I had recently begun trying to shed weight around New Years -- eating more healthy, working out, etc. first 5-7 lbs dropped fast, but then I plateaued.

About 2-3 weeks ago I started intermittent fasting during the weekdays and I have been having really good results. Probably down another 5-7 lbs already, though I'm trying not to weigh in too frequently.

I do all of my eating between noon and 8pm. 2 healthy but significant meals, and 2 snacks. Between 8pm and noon, no calories. Water, seltzer, black coffee. And black coffee, and black coffee.

Sounds hard but after first few days it's not bad at all.

In comment 13367969 PaulBlakeTSU said:

Quote:

like a high quantity of sugar to have in the morning, especially relative to the lack of protein.. Is it at least right before or right after a hard workout to utilize the benefits of the fast-acting carbs? What are you having the rest of the day?

That's what I was thinking. I work out after work, a good 9 to 10 hours after drinking this shake. I am a slave to my coffee in the AM as well w/creamer. That is about 5G of sugar per serving, and I admit I probably knock out 4 servings, so about 20g.

For lunch I will do a whole grain pita, maybe some hummus, tomatoes and some feta cheese...fruit afterwards, some nuts here and there

Other days for lunch, I will mix up my own guacamole...avocado....salsa, hot sauce, and tortilla chips, an apple, mid afternoon, some nuts here and there to curb hunger -

still other days, I will do 2 hard boiled eggs and mash it some Extra virgin Olive oil, some pita chips to scoop it up, an apple after lunch and nuts to curb hunger...

I will then go do HIIT workout, for less than a half an hour and take a nice sauna.

Dinner...last night I had 3 turkey meatballs, marinara sauce and about 1 cup of pasta.

I can't remember what I ate the night before, but basically I try to NOT eat many carbs (need some) or sugar.

I mostly drink water, but I do love V-8's Carrot/Mango with about 15 g sugar per serving, but rarely have more than 1/2 a serving

It's worth noting that there are a million ways to skin a cat. You can use intermittent fasting, you can use a completely low-carb diet, you can use a high-protein high-carb diet, etc. Different things work for different people.

I personally follow a nutrition plan based on my "macros." I use IIFYM.com and after trial and error, and settled upon a set amount of protein, fat, and carbs that I target to hit each day. Effectively, it's calorie counting and ensuring I get the right amount of protein.

It seems to like you have a very high carb, high-fat, low protein diet and you are ingesting your carbs at all the wrong times.

Do you feel lethargic or do you crash often during the day? While I enjoy all of the foods that you mention, it would seem to me that you are perhaps consuming a lot of calories that aren't very dense and you are using coffee to curb your appetite.

I would replace at least half of those carbs/sugars with lean proteins, especially at lunch.

I do Intermittent fasting 16/8 but I still eat the same amount of calories/carbs/fats/proteins as I always did, so it's not a diet but just an eating "window". In order for me to cut body fat I have to be very strict with the amount of carbs and fats I take in, especially relative to the amount of cardio I am doing at the time.

Figure out how many you're consuming now. Then consume less.

In comment 13368102 PaulBlakeTSU said:

Quote:

I use IIFYM.com

I signed up.....

I generally always feel tired, but the lowest point is post lunch, about 2:30 or so...my whole life I've never had much energy...I am just not built that way

At first glance it doesn't sound like you're eating enough. If I was working out every day, I'd be hungry all the time on that diet!

which brings me to my next question - How often are you doing that HIIT workout per week? I would supplement at least 1-2 days of 45-60 min of cardio to supplement the HIIT.

I get that its not nearly the same, but try and supplement the tortilla/pita chips with celery or cucumber slices. That'll cut out some salt and carbs out of your diet.

with IIFYM is to run a number of simulations while answering the questions (varying your activity level, amount of activity, intensity, etc.)

I put a bunch of them into a spreadhseet to see where it came out for my daily expected expenditure and played around with the protein/carb/fat ratio to get a good average or ballpark.

The way most calculators work, is they first figure out your caloric needs for the day (and whether you are in a deficit). It then tallies your protein. It then tallies your fat. And the remainder is carbs (based on calories, obviously)

Here are also some good primers
https://rippedbody.com/how-to-calculate-leangains-macros/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/macro-math-3-keys-to-dialing-in-your-macro-ratios.html

I target about 1.2 g of protein per day per pound of lean mass.

From there, I've played around with the carb/fat balance based upon what I feel my body responds to, and what my energy levels are.

Since starting macros, I've upped my carb intake significantly to give me more energy for my workouts.

But just as some people see great results in ketosis (completely low carb) and others see great results with high carbs and low fat, it's all about what works for you.

Find your calorie target, find the protein you need for the day, and the remaining calories (4g per carb, 9g per fat) can go to those types of foods based on your preferences.

and half a banana. it's not the shake. I would try adding some ginger, carrot and turmeric in it as well.
Exercise is your friend

In comment 13368075 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

Between 8pm and noon, no calories. Water, seltzer, black coffee. And black coffee, and black coffee.

Can the coffee have Steevia in it or must it be "black" (I drink only 1 cup on most days)? I really don't like my coffee just black. Could I drink tea instead in the morning?

also almond milk is not that good for you.

Just eat real food.

at 205 or thereabouts now, goal weight roughly 195. I work out first thing in the morning for 50-60 minutes, usually at 530. I lift free weights four days a week, and on those days I typically eat a Greek yogurt, drink 8-10 ounces of chocolate skim milk, eat a serving size of granola with skim milk, and eat a banana. Is that too much?

On mornings where I do predominately cardio (3-5 miles of running and another 1-2 of eliptical) I omit the chocolate milk and sub a reasonably healthy cereal for the granola.

Open to suggestions. Lunch and dinner are not easily controlled (lunch is a semi-social event at work, dinner we eat as a family) but breakfast I can do as I want as long as it doesn't require prep.

I wonder if you're eating way too much sugar after working out and not enough protein.

8 oz chocolate milk: 26 g carbs, 8 fat, 8 protein
1 medium banana: 27 g carbs, 1 g protein
1 serving GM granola: 44 g carbs, 2.5 fat, 4.5 g protein
1 serving skim milk: 12 g carbs, 0 fat, 8 g protein
1 greek yogurt (ff?): 6 g carbs, 0 fat, 15 g protein.

All told, that adds up to 700 calories, broken down as:
36.5 g protein, 115g carbs, 10.5 g fat

Again, I don't know what you're eating the rest of the day, so by itself, it's not necessarily bad. But yousaid that lunch is semi-social at work and often unpredictable, and so I imagine it's not exactly the healthiest meal of the day and I'm guessing it's a lot of ordering out. Dinner is what you eat with your family and largely out of your control, though I have no idea if that means healthy or not.

Are you a snacker, too?

Since breakfast is the one thing you CAN control, I replace some of those carbs with protein, especially on the lifting days. Your breakfast sounds DELICIOUS and all of the components are things that some people suggest to have after a workout. But i Think you might be overdoing it.

Now, I know some people who on their training days have 250 carbs per day at around your size, and rest days they have 50-100. So YMMV. But it's worth considering.

Perhaps take a week to write down everytyhing you eat and do your best to try and figure out what the nutrient breakdowns are and figure out what your typical calorie consumption is.

you said chocolate skim milk, so nix those 8 grams, which takes you to about 628 calories for the meal and largely NOT from protein.

In comment 13368086 I Love Clams Casino said:

Quote:

In comment 13367969 PaulBlakeTSU said: Quote: like a high quantity of sugar to have in the morning, especially relative to the lack of protein.. Is it at least right before or right after a hard workout to utilize the benefits of the fast-acting carbs? What are you having the rest of the day? That's what I was thinking. I work out after work, a good 9 to 10 hours after drinking this shake. I am a slave to my coffee in the AM as well w/creamer. That is about 5G of sugar per serving, and I admit I probably knock out 4 servings, so about 20g. For lunch I will do a whole grain pita, maybe some hummus, tomatoes and some feta cheese...fruit afterwards, some nuts here and there Other days for lunch, I will mix up my own guacamole...avocado....salsa, hot sauce, and tortilla chips, an apple, mid afternoon, some nuts here and there to curb hunger - still other days, I will do 2 hard boiled eggs and mash it some Extra virgin Olive oil, some pita chips to scoop it up, an apple after lunch and nuts to curb hunger... I will then go do HIIT workout, for less than a half an hour and take a nice sauna. Dinner...last night I had 3 turkey meatballs, marinara sauce and about 1 cup of pasta. I can't remember what I ate the night before, but basically I try to NOT eat many carbs (need some) or sugar. I mostly drink water, but I do love V-8's Carrot/Mango with about 15 g sugar per serving, but rarely have more than 1/2 a serving

Clams do you snore? The slave to your coffee makes it sound like you need to get a sleep study for possible sleep apnea? Anytime someone is a slave to sugar or caffeine sleep apnea is a high probability.


Sleep Apnea Quiz - ( New Window )

water and black coffee. Lunch is usually a sandwich or a burger, sans fries, so calories are probably 4-800, give or take. Dinner is usually reasonably healthy, though sometimes starchier and fattier than perhaps optimal. My wife is a gourmet, so the big issue is portion size more than content. But in terms of the composition of the meal I don't have a ton of control over that. I'll usually have a single Greek yogurt in the evening (my only snack).

Any suggestions for adding protein at breakfast that don't involve cooking? I just don't have the time in the morning. But something like cottage cheese would be doable.

calories in vs calories burned is the benchmark.

timing of calories and type of calories are factors, but the overwhelming biggest thing is c in/c out. if you're really good at keeping track of everything and being realistic, timing/etc could be a way to optimize the process. my opinion is that too many people get sidetracked by all that and ignore the basic benchmark, or even worse, ignore the benchmark because they fool themselves into thinking they can gimmick the process.

is if you think the shake is to blame, cut it out, or reduce it. see what happens.

I like to eat hard-boiled eggs (though with my new regimen I typically have one egg and several egg whites to cut down on the fat).

In the morning, you can put it on the stove while you're eating your breakfast, and once it's boiling, take it off heat, keep it covered for 20 minutes while you shower and it should peel easily if they aren't super fresh eggs.

Or, I'll also make them at night in large quantities so that all I have to do is peel them. I find eggs to be a great source of protein.

Instead of granola, perhaps look into Ezekial bread.

Or you could simply add a scoop of whey protein powder to the chocolate skim milk.

thoughts on cottage cheese?

haven't had it in a long time. Good source to curb hunger and has a lot of protein. I believe it can be high in sodium if that's a thing for you.

Other things i'll have-- pre-packaged grilled chicken strips (though it would be more prudent if I just grilled up a whole bunch of chicken breasts at night or on the weekend and cut them up myself). I'll also have some low-sodium, low-fat sliced turkey cold cuts in the morning for protein as well. I'll also get lower carb (but high fiber) wraps that I'll put the turkey/chicken in and scarf down. The wraps pack some protein as well. It's not a typical breakfast, but when I'm on the run, it's quick and easy.

Those are staples for me. And that IIFYM calculator is a great way to set your base calories and macros and work from there. I use Fitness Pal to track my calories, pretty easy and works pretty well. Fitness Pal really allows you to see where your calories are coming from.

In comment 13368245 tony stg said:

Quote:

In comment 13368075 bigbluehoya said: Quote: Between 8pm and noon, no calories. Water, seltzer, black coffee. And black coffee, and black coffee. Can the coffee have Steevia in it or must it be "black" (I drink only 1 cup on most days)? I really don't like my coffee just black. Could I drink tea instead in the morning?

Yeah you are supposed to have no calories, but Stevia is fine. And I have 2 cups, and 3 Tbps of milk in each cup. I can't do black coffee. Still works for me. I really enjoy eating this way actually. It's a bit harder if you like to (or have to) lift/work out in the AM, but as long as you pound some BCAAs before/during your workout you are good to go.

in the egg or the deli aisle in the supermarket. I sometimes make my own 'Egg McMuffin' with the Ezekiel English Muffin, a sliced HB Egg and a slice of canadian bacon.

In comment 13368431 buford said:

Quote:

in the egg or the deli aisle in the supermarket. I sometimes make my own 'Egg McMuffin' with the Ezekiel English Muffin, a sliced HB Egg and a slice of canadian bacon.

That's true but oddly enough, I have something about cold already boiled eggs. I have to boil them myself and eat them warm for some reason... lol

In comment 13368339 Johnny5 said:

Quote:

In comment 13368245 tony stg said: Quote: In comment 13368075 bigbluehoya said: Quote: Between 8pm and noon, no calories. Water, seltzer, black coffee. And black coffee, and black coffee. Can the coffee have Steevia in it or must it be "black" (I drink only 1 cup on most days)? I really don't like my coffee just black. Could I drink tea instead in the morning? Yeah you are supposed to have no calories, but Stevia is fine. And I have 2 cups, and 3 Tbps of milk in each cup. I can't do black coffee. Still works for me. I really enjoy eating this way actually. It's a bit harder if you like to (or have to) lift/work out in the AM, but as long as you pound some BCAAs before/during your workout you are good to go.

I've been working out in the morning for the most part. The period between the workout and end of fast (about 4 hours) can be difficult, but the coffee has helped and I think that period is where I'm deriving the most benefit. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Even what you would consider a boringly healthy lunch feels really rewarding at the end of it.

For reliably easy to peel eggs, don't boil them: steam them.

Steamed Eggs - ( New Window )

There are 34 calories in 1 Clams Casino.

In comment 13368437 Johnny5 said:

Quote:

In comment 13368431 buford said: Quote: in the egg or the deli aisle in the supermarket. I sometimes make my own 'Egg McMuffin' with the Ezekiel English Muffin, a sliced HB Egg and a slice of canadian bacon. That's true but oddly enough, I have something about cold already boiled eggs. I have to boil them myself and eat them warm for some reason... lol

I toast the EM and then put the egg and bacon on and then microwave it.

In comment 13368303 BigBlueDownTheShore said:

Quote:

In comment 13368086 I Love Clams Casino said: Quote: In comment 13367969 PaulBlakeTSU said: Quote: like a high quantity of sugar to have in the morning, especially relative to the lack of protein.. Is it at least right before or right after a hard workout to utilize the benefits of the fast-acting carbs? What are you having the rest of the day? That's what I was thinking. I work out after work, a good 9 to 10 hours after drinking this shake. I am a slave to my coffee in the AM as well w/creamer. That is about 5G of sugar per serving, and I admit I probably knock out 4 servings, so about 20g. For lunch I will do a whole grain pita, maybe some hummus, tomatoes and some feta cheese...fruit afterwards, some nuts here and there Other days for lunch, I will mix up my own guacamole...avocado....salsa, hot sauce, and tortilla chips, an apple, mid afternoon, some nuts here and there to curb hunger - still other days, I will do 2 hard boiled eggs and mash it some Extra virgin Olive oil, some pita chips to scoop it up, an apple after lunch and nuts to curb hunger... I will then go do HIIT workout, for less than a half an hour and take a nice sauna. Dinner...last night I had 3 turkey meatballs, marinara sauce and about 1 cup of pasta. I can't remember what I ate the night before, but basically I try to NOT eat many carbs (need some) or sugar. I mostly drink water, but I do love V-8's Carrot/Mango with about 15 g sugar per serving, but rarely have more than 1/2 a serving Clams do you snore? The slave to your coffee makes it sound like you need to get a sleep study for possible sleep apnea? Anytime someone is a slave to sugar or caffeine sleep apnea is a high probability. Sleep Apnea Quiz - ( New Window )

Yes I do, and I've had a sleep study done recently. I had one about 12 years ago, and they said I had mild sleep apnea, but I couldn't get used to the bulky mask...FF 12 years to the recent study, where I am about 10 pounds lighter, and the study showed "no sleep apnea", but I still snore like a buzz saw....or so my wife says

In comment 13368492 Jim in Fairfax said:

Quote:

For reliably easy to peel eggs, don't boil them: steam them. Steamed Eggs - ( New Window )

Good method. Another method that's never let me down - bring water to boil w/o eggs. Once boiling, drop eggs in...set timer...13 to 14 minutes max, then right to a cold water bath.

Perfectly yellow yolks, no gray, and peeling is a breeze.

but how lazy does one have to be to find it onerous to boil and peel one's own egg?