Diet Review - Can't seem to get it right - help

[jdumbell]

Hi everyone,

I've been playing around with my diet and training regimen for quite some time now and I can't seem to figure it out.

This plan was created, edited and given by 2 personal bodybuilding trainers throughout the years.

I'm wondering, if maybe something doesn't look right to you guys and should be modified. My gym training routine is pretty good, heavy solid compound exercises. I can always change my training regimen, but I've changed it many times throughout the years with little to no change...so I'm thinking something is up with my diet. I hit the gym 4 days a week lifting weights and I do a bit of cardio at night (swim laps) 2-3 days a week (1/2 hr each session).

I weigh and measure everything I eat. In April/May I was around 170lbs and I was lean, no fat but at the same time no size or muscle...just thin/lean. My weight now fluctuates from 180-190lbs with the below diet (I'm 5'11"). The only changes I made since I was 170 was the increase of chicken/beef and rice (carbs and protein)...rest of the diet was the same. I put on some size since I was 170, but not actual muscle...I put a bit of mass and fat on my frame so even though I'm a bit bigger, I still don't look good and have good muscle definition or actual muscle mass....flat stomach is gone, love handles have appeared and I put a bit of size on my frame. Did I do something wrong with the diet?

This is what it looks now:

Meal 1 – 8:00am
1.5 cups Egg whites & 1 whole egg
1 cup oatmeal (measured dry)

Meal 2 – 12:00pm
200g Chicken
1 cup rice (measured dry)

Meal 3 – 4:00pm
No-Fat Cottage Cheese (1 cup)
1 plain large rice cake

Gym Workout – 5:15pm – 6:30pm

Meal 4 – 6:35pm
2 scoop protein

Meal 5 – 7:00pm
200g lean beef
1 cup rice

Meal 6 – 10:00pm
2 scoops protein
28g almonds

I eat fruits throughout the day. The beef and chicken is a stir fry recipe (pineapple sauce, low sodium soya, oyster sauce, sesame seed oil) with vegetables which I mix up with the rice for flavor. The stir fry is not soaking the rice, it's just enough to give it a bit of flavor which I eat as a whole for each meal.

Thanks everyone

[Andre Gregoire]

What are your goals?

There doesn't appear to be anything "wrong" with your diet but a diet needs to be adapted to the person and to their goals. The reason you hire a coach is so they can update the diet according to results.

That being said I usually have more fats in my diets, good fats like olive oil, almonds, avocado, etc...

[Praetorian]

A few red flags...

!. Not enough fats in the diet
2. If on a fat loss diet too many carbs and the wrong kinds...rice cake, fruits throughout the day...not good
3. Balance your meals...each meal should be 50g protein plus 15-20g fat and carbs spaced mostly around training.
4. increase the meats to 230g or 8 oz

P

PS. What Andre asked above...what is your goal..fat loss or muscle gain?

[Sean Summers]

Following one diet and expecting continual changes seems a little off to me. That diet you have is a good start BUT as you change it needs to be tweaked. A one time diet is going to do very little for you - as you have just found out. I see that you did make changes but this would be best left in the hands of a good trainer. Any trainer worth his/her weight will take your feedback and make changes to your diet/training program to keep you moving towards your goals. For example, when I diet a client it's not uncommon for me to make 10-20+ changes to their diet to get them stage ready. I would suggest that you hire one of the trainers on the board to work with you to hit your physique goals. Shoot me, Prae, etc a PM and we'll guide you down the path instead of just starting you out on the path.

[jdumbell]

Hey everyone,

I appreciate the responses, thanks.

I used to have olive oil in my diet, I would take 1 tbsp in the morning and another with my protein shake in the afternoon. I may add that back. As for fruits, I only have a bit every other day.

I've actually been working out for 8 years...probably can't even tell. The first 2-3 years, I did my own routines and followed online advice for dieting and training...mostly from the wannabebig forums. For the past 5 years, I've been following diet and training regiments from 5 different bodybuilders and trainers...none seem to have worked out for me so far. Now, I'm doing my own training in the gym and following the diet given to me this year. There's certain exercises which I cannot do, due to a couple of minor injuries (any flat chest excercises like bench, flies, db, kickbacks and any non pushdown tricep motion)..those are the main things which irritate my shoulder/elbow.

Basically, in early 2012 I wanted to get lean/ripped. I had a trainer back then build me a diet/gym routine. I followed it and I dropped to 170lbs but I definitely didn't have the look I wanted. I had absolutely no muscle and I wasn't ripped. I just looked thin and lean.

I hired a new trainer in the summer and he made some tweaks to my diet which is what I posted above. He basically raised the carbs a bit along with the protein (chicken and beef from 180-200g & doubled the carbs in the morning and added 50g on to the rice). He changed my workout in the gym as well. I followed this for quite some time and I slowly started gaining weight (My metabolism is really high - i'm considered a hard gainer). I was seeing him monthly and he never made any tweaks, even though I wasn't gaining much. He told me it takes time and I'll have to be patient to see any gains. He also advised that I have more than enough protein in my diet...apparently it's more than what he has and this guy is massive. I stopped seeing him...I changed the gym routine on my own and I kept the diet the same. I'm in the high 180s now. I put on weight but it's not all muscle mass, that's for sure. I put some fat on at the same time though.

My goal is to put on some real muscle mass and size. I'm not sure if I should do a quick cut to get rid of any fat or if I can follow a good and strict clean bulking diet and possibly eliminate any fat I have.

I uploaded a quick pic I just took - http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/ddzc/photo1_zps1f4ea399.png

Here is my gym routine:

Mon (Chest and Tris)

Incline DB (4x6-8)
Incline Barbell press (4x6-8)
Chest press (machine) (3x8)
Chest press - incline (machine) (3x8)
Pec deck flies or cable flies (3x8)

rope pushdowns (4x8)
mini barbell pushdowns (3x8)
one arm cable pushdowns (3x8)

Tues (Legs and Calves)

Leg Ext (4x8)
Leg Curls (4x8)
Deadlifts (3-4x6)
Squats (3-4x6)
Single Leg press (3x8)

Standing Calf Raise (4x15-20)
Seated Calf Raise (4x15-20)
Calf raise (leg press machine) (3x15)

Wed (off)

Thur (Back and Bis)

Wide grib chinups with weight assist (4x8)
Barbell press (4x6-8)
One arm DB press (4x6-8)
Cable rows (3x8)
Lat Pulldown (wide-grip) (3x8)
Pec deck (3x8)

Seated single arm DB curls (4x8)
Hammer curls DB (4x8)
Arm curls (machine) (3x8)

Fri (Shoulders and Abs)

Shouler press (machine) - 4x8
Seated barbell shoulder press - 4x(6-8)
Seated db press - 3x8
Seated db lateral raises - 3x8
cable raises - 3x8
barbell shrugs - 4x8

Abs - variety (3-4 excercises) 10-20 reps.

Thanks!

[scottlove]

Personally, (and I'm no expert), I have put on over 100 lbs, using the same breakdown for 10 years. Saturday chest,abs Sunday back, calves Monday shoulder, abs Tuesday off Wednesday bi's, tri's Thursday quads, hams, calves Friday off I'll mix some high rep sets in with some very heavy 4-7 rep sets to make sure I'm hitting as many fibers as I can. Each body part, 1 time/week, very intense. Works for me. I'm currently 290lbs, still with abs and fairly vascular.

[ironwill]

Personally, (and I'm no expert), I have put on over 100 lbs, using the same breakdown for 10 years. Saturday chest,abs Sunday back, calves Monday shoulder, abs Tuesday off Wednesday bi's, tri's Thursday quads, hams, calves Friday off I'll mix some high rep sets in with some very heavy 4-7 rep sets to make sure I'm hitting as many fibers as I can. Each body part, 1 time/week, very intense. Works for me. I'm currently 290lbs, still with abs and fairly vascular.

Good advice....consistent and steady, over a long timeframe...Definitely a recipe for success....
Throw in the nutrition advice by SS, and Prae, is a very good recipe..

BTW, scottlove, you are a bomified freak at those stats...good on ya man..