GI Diet Method

[Seattleite]

Hi group. I just joined this site and this is my first post. I'll get right to it…

I've been a casual lifter since middle school (18 years). I got out of the loop for several years after getting married and having 3 kids, but I'm ready to get back into living a physically fit lifestyle. Currently I am 6 ft, 245 lbs, and I hover around 20-22% BF. I just got back in the gym last week and these are my current numbers on the major lifts:

Front Squat 185 x 5 (I don't do back squats)
Deadlift 385 x 5
Bench Press 225 x 5
Standing Press 185 x 3
Barbell Row 225 x 5

I have no plans to compete as a bodybuilder or a powerlifter. I have 3 goals, which I assume are pretty much the same as most people who lift: losing fat, building muscle, and getting stronger.

I think I'm okay with my lifting routine, but I may need some help on the diet. I recently started eating every 2-3 hours at 400-500 calories per meal, and I'm trying to keep the protein high. I've heard a lot recently about GI carbs, but I'm not sure how to utilize that plan into my diet. I'm currently eating stuff like oatmeal, cottage cheese, white fish, eggs, and of course my fruits and vegetables. Am I on the right track?

I appreciate any helpful advice.

 

[mwm5]

Am I on the right track?

I appreciate any helpful advice.

you should try to log a couple days with all the break downs of food you eat. that way you can see where you are sitting at the end of the day. Once you do that you can add or subtract from your diet.

 

[Omegasox]

It looks like you've at least put some time into doing your research, and you're definitely on the right track. As far as carbs go, you want to stick with foods such as oatmeal, sweet/white potatoes, brown rice, barley, lentils, et al. You want breakfast to be your biggest meal, especially carb-wise, this is where your oats come in. My favorite breakfast item is mixing a cup of oats with 3/4 cup of natural applesauce. Looks like mush, probably tastes like mush, but I've grown so accustomed to it that I actually like it. A lot of people will go with whole wheat bread; I try to stay away from bread altogether.

You need healthy fats to burn the sludge. EFA's such as fish (Salmon is the king), nuts and oils need to be a staple every day. Walnuts, almonds, even peanuts, are a great snack prior to bedtime, especially if you can handle cottage cheese (I just can't do it). The combination of the two will keep your metabolic rate up throughout the night, due to the slow-acting protein and digestion.

Vegetables are a great filler, i.e. satiation. Once you cut out carbs (After dinner is a good time to consider eliminating carbs altogether), vegetables will become your accompaniment for any further protein consumption.

What I consider most important in all of this, is do not starve yourself! Your metabolism will slowly crash and your body will feed on itself. Sure you'll lose weight, but it is not beneficial in the grand scheme of things. You want to hover around your maintenance, ~300-600 cals under. You'll see the word 'maintenance' used a lot in this forum. Basically it's what your body needs to sustain itself at it's current weight, with your activity level factored in. Once you figure that out, you can get a pretty close estimate of how much to consume each day.

One more thing. It's not a race. So have small goals set up leading to your ultimate goal. You will get there if you really want to; perseverance is the key. Good luck, and welcome to the boards! There is a wealth of information here.

 

[Seattleite]

It looks like you've at least put some time into doing your research, and you're definitely on the right track. As far as carbs go, you want to stick with foods such as oatmeal, sweet/white potatoes, brown rice, barley, lentils, et al. You want breakfast to be your biggest meal, especially carb-wise, this is where your oats come in. My favorite breakfast item is mixing a cup of oats with 3/4 cup of natural applesauce. Looks like mush, probably tastes like mush, but I've grown so accustomed to it that I actually like it. A lot of people will go with whole wheat bread; I try to stay away from bread altogether.

You need healthy fats to burn the sludge. EFA's such as fish (Salmon is the king), nuts and oils need to be a staple every day. Walnuts, almonds, even peanuts, are a great snack prior to bedtime, especially if you can handle cottage cheese (I just can't do it). The combination of the two will keep your metabolic rate up throughout the night, due to the slow-acting protein and digestion.

Vegetables are a great filler, i.e. satiation. Once you cut out carbs (After dinner is a good time to consider eliminating carbs altogether), vegetables will become your accompaniment for any further protein consumption.

What I consider most important in all of this, is do not starve yourself! Your metabolism will slowly crash and your body will feed on itself. Sure you'll lose weight, but it is not beneficial in the grand scheme of things. You want to hover around your maintenance, ~300-600 cals under. You'll see the word 'maintenance' used a lot in this forum. Basically it's what your body needs to sustain itself at it's current weight, with your activity level factored in. Once you figure that out, you can get a pretty close estimate of how much to consume each day.

One more thing. It's not a race. So have small goals set up leading to your ultimate goal. You will get there if you really want to; perseverance is the key. Good luck, and welcome to the boards! There is a wealth of information here.

Thanks Omega. I really appreciate your feedback.

 

[mwm5]

seriously man, check out my diet in thread below. it would put you midly cal def. but that would be great at making you shed some bf.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/diet-bodybuilding/my-diet-thoughts-opinions-please-602114.html