diet

current weight 213lb with 16% BF
goal 210lb with 9% BF by the end of march

here is my day to day.
basically i have 2 kinds of days, 1 that start off with activity and 1's that dont

activity days
6: 30 light breakfast of cereal, fruit juice, followed by 1 hour of endurance activity at 50% intensity
afterwards ( 9: 30) a small meat sandwich on wholewheat bread and cream cheese

from 10 - 3 i will consume 1 large meat sandwich, split into 2 meals, and also 2-3 fruits, either apples, bananas, or oranges. followed by a 1 hour weight workout, at the end of which i eat 1/2 of aforementioned meat sandwich and 1 fruit (until i get whey protein to replace it with)

around 7 i eat whatever is prepared, usually a meat dish with potatoes, rice, or vegetables, with salad.

throughout the day i drink only water and a little bit of natural fruit juice


days which don't start with activity, i eat a big omlette in the morning, and from that poitn on everything is the same as the other day.

my main questions are, 1 - what should i be eating before bed (i get quite hungry between 7 and midnight) and 2 - can you suggest any improvements to this, any other foods i should be eating, etc. i am trying to maintain most of my muscle mass so more cardio is not an option.

thanks in advance

How many days a week are activity days

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For as long as one hundred of us shall remain alive we shall never in any wise consent to submit to the rule of the English, for it is not for glory we fight, for riches, or for honours, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life.

First, set another goal. There is no way you will lose 34 lbs of bodyfat and gain 31 lbs of muscle by the end of march. Your goal should be to lose fat first, then think about gaining muscle. Also, 210lbs at 9% bodyfat is about the stature of an amateur bodybuilder. Do you want that? If so, look into bodybuilding, find a fitnesscoach, this will get you the information you need.
Now, to your diet.
1.Drop the sandwiches. Sandwiches, especially with creamcheese, are about the best way to gain weight without seeing what you do wrong.
2.Drop the meat. For protein, go for eggs or whey. Meat contains way too much fat if you want to lose a lot of bodyfat fast.
3.Drop the cereal. Nutritionsts recommend cold cereal with milk as a way to gain weight if you are underweight.
4.Try to exercise before breakfast, then eat fruit for breakfast. You can have a slice of bread with some cottage cheese, but no cereal/jam/marshmallow fluff/peanutbutter/whatever. I would also recommend against butter.
5. Try to eat five or six small meals a day. Eat the breakfast I recommended, 2 pieces of fruit midmorning, some vegetables (rice/potatoes are good, also something like brocoli/carrots/etc) cottage cheese, (not too much, contains a lot of fat but also protein), an omlette, whatever. Be creative, try to eat a little more at lunch, this will help you get through the rest of the day. Then, some fruit in the afternoon and a protein shake before bed.
6. Some diets include a cheat day. Not an option in your case. Once you have reached your desired bodyfat level, you can loosen that a bit, eat some meat, maybe a cheat day once in a while.

This may sound harsh, but what you are trying probably won't work. This will. But, if you are really serious about this goal, try a fatloss diet from http://www.t-nation.com/articleCateg...=diet&pageNo=1 and/or consult a nutritionist.

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I agree with most of what Philip has said particularly about stopping eating before workouts, but would add that meat can be a great, low fat source of protein. If your meat is chicken breast, or trimmed pork, or even good steak (as oposed to the awful marbled stuff so many people actively seek out). If you're eating sandwhich meat then you are poisoning yourself in too many ways to count Switch to tuna (not too often, polutants) or non processed chicken breast.

If you up your protein then make sure you balance it with plenty of water.

Bread is a good think to drop if you want to lose fat, most of the non specialist stuff is terrible nutrition. If you like bread get a breadmaker or find a specialist source of healthy stuff.

For an evening snack look at a handful of nuts... not ideal for weight loss (good fats are still fat) but healthy enough and protein or some quality bread.

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in place of meat, try chicken breast or some fish...
You need to add loads of veggies in your diet too... and rest what John and philip added..

BTW How many days are you planning to drop 6% BF?
-TkdWarrior-

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phillip: this is not about starving myself... i am by no means obese or in need of losing weight. i simply need to optimize my diet to help me lose a bit of fat.
if i was to eat the breakfast you suggested i would need my next meal 10 minutes later... my BMR alone is around 2500 and in a given day i burn around 4000 calories.

anyways, can you reccomend some replacements for my sandwiches and cereal that are to be eliminated?

and it is only around 10-14 pounds less, not 34

How many days a week are activity days

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For as long as one hundred of us shall remain alive we shall never in any wise consent to submit to the rule of the English, for it is not for glory we fight, for riches, or for honours, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life.

You're right, I calculated all your bodyfat instead of what you have to lose. It's still 19 pounds that you have to lose, though. If you want to do that by the end of march, yes you will have to starve yourself. There is no other way. And unless you are at least 1.95 meters (figure the feet out yourself, it's around 6'5'', and this was calculated using a bmi of 25, which is usually considered on the high end of the scale), yes you are obese and in need of losing weight. And if you want to do that, there is no way you can eat what you suggested and reach those goals, which are also highly unrealistic in the period of time you gave yourself.
Also, what I suggested is not starving yourself. It is refered to by most people as "eating healthy". You should try it sometime.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb

I agree with most of what has been said also. Especially working out early before eating breakfast.

I jump rope, run, and do calisthenics every morning before breakfast. Breakfast is usually fruit, oatmeal, coffee, and usually a shake right before I go to work with protein powder, peanut butter, and ice cubes + various ingredients. I have had great success doing this routine for a while now.

Lamb is a great source of meat. I believe a lot of game meat is low in fat also...deer and rabbit both have very little fat...squirrel, fowl, rattlesnake are low in fat also if I am not mistaken. This stuff is harder to come by and may sound a little primitive, but round here it isn't that uncommon. I guess you could say I grew up around "hillbillies" and "rednecks"...(I hope I dont appear that way when I meet people from out of town...lol)...and these folk always have extra meat because they hunt so damn much...and everyone in this area is pretty generous with that kind of thing.

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I really like salmon as well. Fish is very good for you. Fish oil is has been found to be very healthy.

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wingchun warrior
my activity is like this
MWF: 8-9am (that's the ones that start with activity)
T, TR, F: 6:30 - 8:30
T, TR 2:30 - 3:30
Sat: 1 - 2
basically im doing activity in any break i get (this is only cardiovascular schedule, not weightlifting)

phillip - i am 1.94 meters.

bulmer191
I love salmon also. The shake you mentioned is the same thing I drink. I like to use choc. protein powder with the ice and peanut butter. Sometimes I add creatine.

Jeff(fuzzy30)

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“	Originally Posted By: yugoexpress wingchun warrior my activity is like this MWF: 8-9am (that's the ones that start with activity) T, TR, F: 6:30 - 8:30 T, TR 2:30 - 3:30 Sat: 1 - 2 basically im doing activity in any break i get (this is only cardiovascular schedule, not weightlifting)	”

If you want to lose your fat here is a good program

Monday:Cardio (all cardio 30-60 mins), Weight training (Whole body 3 sets of 10 reps)
Tuesday:Cardio, Interval training (Run 1 min at 90-100% rest 3 min)
Wednesday:Cardio, Weight training
Thursday:Cardio, Interval training
Friday:Cardio, Weight training
Saturday:Cardio, Interval training

This program should give you good results in about 2 months. Dont worry about muscle mass either you wont lose any.

__________________
For as long as one hundred of us shall remain alive we shall never in any wise consent to submit to the rule of the English, for it is not for glory we fight, for riches, or for honours, but for freedom alone, which no good man loses but with his life.

Okay, if you're 1.94, it's not too bad. You could still stand to lose some weight and especially fat, though. What I said still goes, but you can add in some meat like chicken, turkey, or beef and have a cheat day now and then.

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You only die once. But it lasts such a long time.-French proverb