Would varying macros and food choices every day lead to more efficient fat loss?

[SteelWeaver]

I'm not handling here. Somehow, there is something wrong with my state of mind, and the pre-comp. diet isn't panning out the way it should. (Obviously I should look at my head space first, but please look at my diet question anyway).

I've been carb cycling, one day mod, 2 days low, one day high, repeat. But all that's happened is by the second low carb day I have zero energy, and on the mod and high carb days I'm HUNGRY, thanks to all the carbs (they go above 40% on those days). So this diet is going out the window. I ended up having an impromptu carb-up 2 days ago when I just decided to keep carbing on the high carb day. Then the next day I was starving because of all the carbs I pumped into my system the day before, so I did it again. This is a big no-no. PLANNED refeeds are one thing, impromptu is altogether another. And worse than that, I just couldn't put a lid on it. I've gone very low carb, low cal today to try and do some damage control, but somewhere along the line I feel like I've lost control. I can't figure out why I'm struggling so hard this time around. It's pissing me off.

Anyway, what do you ladies think about a constant rotation of macros - different every day, but with carbs never going above 40% (except on scheduled refeed days)?? And almost never below 20%.

So some days 50/30/20, P/C/F, some days 40/40/20, next day 50/20/30, another day 60/20/20, etc. That sort of idea. Anyone ever done anything like this? It makes sense, doesn't it, wrt the way our bodies work?

Also, to constantly change up the carb and fat sources - oatmeal and legumes and flax one day, sweet potatoes and brown rice and walnuts the next, etc. I'm doing this on the current plan, but I dunno, maybe that's what's making me lose control - too much variety.

On my last contest diet I just ate the exact same thing every single day for 12 weeks, slowly paring down the number of allowable items. And fat loss was SLOOOOOWWWW.

And what exactly IS the difference between a pre-contest diet and just a normal diet diet?

Please help, I'm not sure what to do. I know I have to pick something then just stick to it, but what to pick??? I'm running out of time

 

[MS]

"On my last contest diet I just ate the exact same thing every single day for 12 weeks, slowly paring down the number of
allowable items. And fat loss was SLOOOOOWWWW."


I beg to differ with you. You were above 20%bf and dropped down to 12% or below on your last diet. It seems to me you gained msucle and lost a good amount of fat doing this.

Presumably you are less fat now, so doing the same thing for another 12 weeks should get ya looking pretty sharp. Fiddling around with all those diff foods and macro ratios may or may not work. It may alleviate the boredom of dieting, but it may not be the best method.

The only time I've ever used this, as you know, is with a woman who had kidney probs. The carbs were cycled to keep calories the same on the low protein days as the high protein days. And YES it was very hard to stick to because of hunger on the low protein days. I would not advise dropping your protein at all while dieting if you don't have kidney probs. As for dropping/cycling carbs while protein stays constant, don't do it if it isn't working.

 

[BrickGirl]

"On my last contest diet I just ate the exact same thing every single day for 12 weeks, slowly paring down the number of
allowable items. And fat loss was SLOOOOOWWWW."

Thats what I do, best way to do it imo, works great

 

[SteelWeaver]

Points taken, ladies. Thank you.

MS, of course you're right - I just have superhuman expectations for myself. And having thought about this properly, it's clear to me that there was nothing wrong with my previous diet at all - in fact, I was very comfortable on that diet, energy and satiety-wise ... well, until the end, but that has little to do with the diet per se, does it - it has to do with the leanness, depletion, intense training, lack of sleep, etc that goes along with prepping for bodybuilding contests.

The REAL problem here is that ANY diet is painful, and I'm doing my damndest to avoid that pain at all costs. Haa ha ha ha haa. Being human and all .... Time to suck it up, he heh.

And since my last diet is my only reference point, that's what I'm tinkering with.

And also feeling experimental ... it's always interesting to try different stuff, but I suppose contest prep isn't a good time to be experimenting - I'll leave that for next year.

So I've given myself a shot of reality, and will just hit what I know as hard as I can, starting now.



BUT, I'd still like to know, considering all the talk here about protein cycling and carb cycling and the rapid adaptations of the body to almost anything, if changing up macros and food choices every day wouldn't, at any rate, be more natural and healthier?? And thus allow one to shed fat faster? Even though it might be harder to stick to. Let's at least entertain the thought, even if it's purely theoretical for now (I'll do it next year and get back to you on the practical side).

 

[Hannibal]

"On my last contest diet I just ate the exact same thing every single day for 12 weeks, slowly paring down the number of
allowable items. And fat loss was SLOOOOOWWWW."

Thats what I do, best way to do it imo, works great

Whenever you find the foods that give you the numbers that you want, and eliminate the "thought process" of "what am I going to eat today"...it always makes it easier IMO.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Steel, how long have you been dieting? Seriously?

3 weeks. Seriously, meaning, am I sticking to my diet, seriously? Or am I in the headspace to do this without being a wimp, seriously?

If the former, yes, I'm sticking to my diet, except for the 2 days mentioned.

If the latter, no. Well, not until now, anyway. Somehow the 12-week mark and MS talking sense have whipped my head on straight.

Ha ha - fear somehow makes pain seem insignificant

Hannibal, you're right - easier, but also more boring. Oh well, I have other far more important things to occupy my mind with.

 

[Hannibal]

Hannibal, you're right - easier, but also more boring. Oh well, I have other far more important things to occupy my mind with.

Boring, yes. However, if you have any will power issues as far as diets are concerned then "choice" can be your undoing. For example, if I know exactly what I am going to eat for the day then I don't even look at other food. If my diet allowed for choices and substitutions, and my will power is suspect, then I can easily talk myself into things I shoudn't eat.

 

[MS]

Aaaah very wise Hannibal. Research on humans has clearly shown that the more food choices they have access to, the more likely they are to overeat. I suspect, judging from cats and dogs I have known, that this may be a general trait of mammals!

Almost all of my experience with cycling macronutrients (other than planned carb refeeds) has been 'bulking' research and I admit I have no practical knowledge as to how it might apply to a contest diet. The things I'm sure of when it comes to dieting are the need for high protein and carb refeeds. IMHO this applies whether doing a traditional low fat approach, a CKD, a TKD or an Iso type diet. But day to day changing everything around...I dunno. I'll leave it to others to do the experiment.

 

[Hannibal]

Aaaah very wise Hannibal.

Don't worry I won't let it go to my head. Take "diet" advice from me at your own risk.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Steel, I'm only in the first of the first 2 weeks of my precontest diet and all I've accomplished is getting my diet cleaner and its already been tough! I love protein bars and its been a struggle to ditch them. (Trainer says too much sugar/sat fat/chemicals in most). By the way, I saw your thread about not losing any weight the first week of your diet. I'm in that club too!

This week (the 2nd of the 2 week "intro to precontest dieting") I have to follow the diet to the letter. I am quite sure I will never be able to stand eating the same thing every day. What I am going to do, and what I suggest you could try doing, is come up with a list of meals that fits your protein/carb/fat needs and then choosing from that list. Since we're both veggies I'll share the stuff I've thought of so far (or that my trainer has thought of so far). I do realize that later on in the diet, once its become more restrictive, some of this stuff won't be okay.

omlette with 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, 2 slices of soy cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions. Eaten with salsa. with oatmeal/brown rice/potatoes (you could add tofu to this too)

tofu stirfry made with olive oil and lite soy sauce and a lot of veggies

beans and rice

veggie chili (this is packaged, Yves brand, I buy it at the supermarket: 230 kcal, 37g carbs including 14g fiber, 21g protein, 1 g fat)

oatmeal w/ a scoop of whey protein + natural peanut butter

scoop of whey protein blended with frozen strawberries

pasta in olive oil and garlic with sundried tomatoes

salad with Udo's and viniagrette dressing

nonfat cottage cheese

protein pancakes (scoop of protein powder, oats, soy milk, possibly also cottage cheese and egg whites?? not sure on how to prepare these actually...) with sugar free syrup and molly mcbutter

2 veggie burgers without the bun and soy cheese

Numerous other soy "meats" like fake sausage links that have more protein than carbs, few calories, and very little fats...

And for when you are craving desserts:


http://boards.elitefitness.com/foru...readid=115429&highlight=protein+powder+recipe

*Hope this helps*