My Diet-Critique Please?

[ladymacbeth]

K, Quick background--when I first came here in December, I was getting way too little protein, sometimes less then 10g a day (meatless diet). So, I've been building it up. Here is what it was, taken from a diet log entry early in January:
cals fat carbs protein
Totals 1081 22 188 37

And one from the past week:


  Cals Fat Carb Prot
Yogurt-Veggie Tofu Yogurt 440 6 78 14
Protein Shake-Twinlab Ironman 160 3 4 32
Cereal-Health V. Soy Flakes w/ Raisins 190 1 39 10
Egg, whole, raw 149 10 1 12
Cheese, cottage, lowfat (1-2% fat) 164 2 6 28
Bologna-Smart Deli Soy Bologna 100 0 4 20
Bread-Wonder Light wheat 80 1 18 4
Cheese, natural, Cheddar 114 9 0 7

Totals 1457 39 153 128


I don't eat meat, which you may have noticed, and I'm still looking for alternative ways to get protein so I don't have to rely on shakes, as it seems to be the consensus that protein from food=better. Also, it's the first protein shake I've ever purchased, so if it's not a great one, please suggest away, the only reason I got it was because it was on sale.

More stats:
December 30--5'4" 119 lbs: more ribs then abs
Now--still 5'4" 127 lbs: more ass then anything

usual workout schedule:
MWF-hour of weights,30 minutes jogging, swimming, or other cardio
TR-hour of swimming, w/ resistence, still determining how much cardio this really counts for with my old swim coach.

getting bf% in the next week with a pt, pics soon too.

Thank you!


(btw, if this gets posted more then once, I apologize, my computer's kind of fucked up)

 

[ladymacbeth]

whoa, sorry, I should have previewed that post...kind of hard to read.

 

[diamonddiceclay]

what is your goal? if you want to cut, you should eliminate these:cereal,red meat,bread,dairy and add in :turkey,fish,chicken-eat 6-8 meals a day

 

[ladymacbeth]

what is your goal? if you want to cut, you should eliminate these:cereal,red meat,bread,dairy and add in :turkey,fish,chicken-eat 6-8 meals a day

I don't eat meat.

My goals are:
get up to and stay in the 130-135 lb range right now, w/ 16-18% bf (?...not used to thinking in terms of bf%, and I've not yet gotten it tested, so hope this is reasonable)
It seems the weight I've gained is more fat then muscle, unfortunately, but I'm waiting to get my bf before I decide if it really is time to cut or not.

Thanks Mr. Clay

 

[bunnymt]

what is your goal? if you want to cut, you should eliminate these:cereal,red meat,bread,dairy and add in :turkey,fish,chicken-eat 6-8 meals a day

Sounds like you are off to the right start. HOwever, I have to agree with DDC.
because you don't eat meat, you are going to have to make some special accomodations. If you want to get cut, watch your carbs. Watch your fruits and simple sugars, oh yeah, and white flour products. Perhaps go for nuts, tofu, soy products.
You may have to take in shakes and bars because you are a vegetarian and your body needs the protein (especially if you want to lose bodyfat).

take care.

bunny

 

[ladymacbeth]

I don't know how you stayed under 10g a day...even the carbs you're eating have more protein than that.
--It was only under 10g/ day a few times, but was never really over 45-50. I just never paid attention to it in the past.

How do you feel on this 1400 cal deal? Are you tired? Normal? Cravings?
--No cravings, I actually feel like I'm forcing food down sometimes. The protein shake fills me up like nothing else, and I can't eat more then two eggs at once or I'll explode. I've only been tracking my fat/carbs/protein for a few months, but I've been a veggie for a little over two years, so you can imagine how long it's been since I've gotten this much protein on a regular basis. It feels pretty heavy. I've also been much more tired then usual, but not too bad. A little headachy.


Really need to find that BF%.
--I know, the rec place is taking forever to get back to me. I'm scared tho. I imagine her yelling out "35%!" and a crowd gathering.

Glad you posted!

Thanks!! More please...

 

[ladymacbeth]

bump,

hook a sistah up.

 

[Temple]

Are you recovering okay on that????? Maybe it's just me but inadequate protein = severe DOMS

I am going to post the recipe for protein pancakes on a seperate thread - these are a major staple in my diet

 

[ladymacbeth]

Thanks Temple01. Mmmmm, protein pancakes. Anything to substitute cottage cheese...ugh.

As for the DOMS, I didn't know what this was, though it sometimes seemed that I was unusually sore. In fact, my calves still felt sore this past Friday from a leg day the Sunday before. However, I don't know if this is what you're talking about. Either way, it's never been so bad that I had to take a day off or anything.

Thanks for the reply!

K

 

[KEL]

bump for MS

 

[SteelWeaver]

Mmm, looks like MS missed this one - probably need to have veggie in the title somewhere. anyway, I'm veggie too, and can pass on some of the advice MS has given me, and some other stuff that has worked for me. Being a veggie bodybuilder is challenging, but not impossible.

I assume you don't eat fish or seafood either.

You should probably trash the processed soy bologna stuff and any other processed type foods - stick to whole foods, like egg whites and oatmeal, legumes and brown rice, cottage cheese and sweet potatoes. Tofu is good when gaining, I think. I was told it's not so great when cutting because it blocks absorption of other nutrients.

I've found the only way to keep my protein high is lots of egg whites and cottage cheese. I'm eating 200g of protein a day right now, and none of it is from shakes or bars, or milk or yoghurt, so it can be done ... lotta egg whites ... lotta protein pancakes ... yum for those protein pancakes! There are several different variations floating around the diet board.

I admit when I was up to 300g or so I needed shakes and bars to get there, but it's best to eat real food when you can - it keeps you fuller and is processed slower by the body.

If you're trying to add muscle mass, are you getting enough calories? Seems low.

www.proteinfactory.com sells all types of protein powders - and two different soy powders, I think - if you want to stay as plant-based as possible, check out their soy protein isolate. You can get a custom mix made, too, to your specs. (Delivery is slow, though - in my experience). You can up the protein content of your egg white oatmeal pancakes, or any other veggie legume-based dish, with soy isolate powder.

Don't buy the EAS Simply Soy - it has 17g fructose per serving - not good, as I found out AFTER ordering a few jars - although maybe OK when mass gaining.

Cheese is yummy and has protein, but has more fat - try and get the low-fat/no-fat kind, or stick to cottage cheese. This is just my opinion - I don't have any studies or whatever about it. I'm addicted to cheese, but had to cut it out ... just too much fat - can't buy non-fat here.

Hope this helps.

 

[MS]

You need to eat a lot more food. More protein, and carbs. Try for at least 2200 cals per day, aim for more weight training and less cardio. Otherwise, as Steelweaver said, try to get that processed c**p outta your diet and eat as much whole foods as you can. The only way to achieve your goals is by gaining muscle, and you've gotta have plenty of calories AND heavy resistance training to do that.