Diet plan.

[VulgarDisplay]

So my honeymoon is coming up at the end of June and I'd like to actually add a diet plan into my weight training to try and cut some of the crisco off of my body.

The weight loss sticky has a great list of foods in it to choose from, but I was wondering if anyone had a weekly plan laid out that can scale based on their caloric needs. I guess I could come up with one myself, but if someone has one pre-made it would be a great base for me to modify for myself.

Any help?

 

[Kaido]

What are your goals, specifically?

 

[VulgarDisplay]

My goal is basically to build a diet plan that anyone can use and tailor to their own purposes. Initially I want to cut until I'm down to around 200 from 230lbs. 30lbs is 5 months doesn't seem too unrealistic if I really stay consistent.

 

[HNNstyle]

I lost 20 in a month but that was real hard work.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

30 pounds in 5 months is doable but you can not cheat.

Lift weights, put self into calorie deficit (500 per day) and keep carbs low (less than 70 grams ... less than 50 better).

 

[Kaido]

My goal is basically to build a diet plan that anyone can use and tailor to their own purposes.

Too generic. For example, a bodybuilding diet plan is different from an endurance cyclist diet plan. Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer) ate 12,000 calories a day due to the caloric intake his workout and metabolism required. This is why you need a specific goal - to tailer the diet plan to your own purpose.

The max recommended healthy weight loss I've read is 2 pounds a week (although the first 10+ pounds usually go off quickly due to water weight or whatever, and the last 20 are usually harder to lose). Otherwise you risk loose skin (this happened to a buddy of mine after losing 150 pounds in less than a year - not this pic though, that's just a random google one). So if you want to lose 30 pounds, 30 pounds divided by 2 pounds a week equals 15 weeks, which is only about 4 months.

The key is diet. The fat loss sticky pretty much explains it all. Just be warned of emotional marketing (ooh, chocolate protein bars! lol) vs. eating whole foods. A cookies & cream protein shake may look like a pretty good way to bulk up and lose weight, but check out the ingredients and sugar content inside.

The best fat-loss diet I've had is eating 5-6 small meals a day, made up of lean protein, good carbs, and good fats. I like this method because it keeps you full during the day, which helps you to not eat junk food - you still get cravings, but it's a lot easier to deal with because you are full all the time. I lost 50 pounds doing this - along with 10 or 15 minutes of cardio a day. Really easy - eat food and do just a bit of cardio every day. My old 14-day meal plan is available if you want a copy. My current meal plan is a little different (9 meals a day, and no wheat - I found out I'm gluten-intolerant and also I have a high metabolism).

The real key to making this happen is to have a plan that has been proven to work and to follow that plan. My current plan is basically eating the same 9 meals every day (there's enough rotation in there that I don't get bored of the foods), cooking all of the meals in the morning, and carrying my giant lunchbox with me so that my food is always available within arm's reach. This makes it so convenient that I actually do it, lol. If I don't have a meal plan, then I have nothing to follow to cook. If I don't go shopping, then I have nothing available to cook. If I don't cook in the morning, I get busy and forget and don't follow my diet.

And there are a lot of ways to do it. The Michael Phelps diet might work for you. I have a friend has follows the "Eat whatever I want and workout for 2 hours a day diet" and she is skinny because she eats junk food all day, but burns it all off on a daily basis (maybe not the healthiest method, lol). Look at the runners you know - they typically eat a ton of food, but burn it all off through their long cardio routines. Some people eat one big meal a day and are successful bodybuilders. There are lots of paths to get to where you want to go...the trick is to identify what your goals are, specifically, and then to tailor a diet & exercise plan around that.

 

[HNNstyle]

Otherwise you risk loose skin (this happened to a buddy of mine after losing 150 pounds in less than a year -

I think there's a little misconception here. Skin sag depends on the age of the person and not how much weight they lose. The younger you are, the faster your skin will adhere back to your body. The older you are the, less elastic your skin becomes. For pregnant women, it takes 9 to 18 months for their skin to adhere back to your body depending on how much weight they lost, age, and exercise. Exercises helps your skin adhere faster. If you are under 30, your skin will adhere back to your body at the fastest rate. For every year over 30, your skin begins to lose elasticity.

 

[Kaido]

I think there's a little misconception here. Skin sag depends on the age of the person and not how much weight they lose. The younger you are, the faster your skin will adhere back to your body. The older you are the, less elastic your skin becomes. For pregnant women, it takes 9 to 18 months for their skin to adhere back to your body depending on how much weight they lose lost, age, and exercise. Exercises helps your skin adhere faster. If you are under 30, your skin will adhere back to your body at the fastest rate. For every year over 30, your skin begins to lose elasticity.

My buddy was 17 at the time. It was worse than that pic. My other buddy was 21, same situation - lost about 100 pounds in less than 6 months iirc, pretty bad skin sag on his gut D: I don't know how true that is in all cases - those are the only 2 I've seen IRL, both as a result of massive fat loss in a short period of time, so those may be the exception.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

30 pounds in 5 months is doable but you can not cheat.

Lift weights, put self into calorie deficit (500 per day) and keep carbs low (less than 70 grams ... less than 50 better).

I don't recommend low-carbing it, if you're just trying to lose a bit of weight. People who go onto low carb diets either love it or hate it. Most people I've met can't sustain going ketogenic or nearly ketogenic. Don't cut your carbs that much. Just change your carb sources. Go by what the fat loss sticky says.

In reference to your question, find a few dishes that work for you. There are a lot of healthy eating recipe websites online nowadays. You can take a look at those for inspiration and go from there. Once you get a few sure-thing recipes that you know and like, go with those for most days of the week. Mix it up with a new recipe or two every week, but it's easy to lose weight if you get a consistent meal plan down. I don't give one in the fat loss sticky because everybody's tastes are different. I say find what you like and make it work.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Too generic. For example, a bodybuilding diet plan is different from an endurance cyclist diet plan. Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer) ate 12,000 calories a day due to the caloric intake his workout and metabolism required. This is why you need a specific goal - to tailer the diet plan to your own purpose.

I don't really see it as too generic. I stated that it would be a diet that someone could tailor to their own purposes. Simply taking the food that I lay out for that specific day and increasing the amount to add calories or decreasing the amount to subtract. It could easily work for anyone that way.

 

[Theb]

I really like fitday.com (there are lots of similar sites). Instead of changing your entire diet it might be easier and more maintainable to track what you're current diet is then look for ways to modify it so you can lose weight.

When I started tracking my food I found that I usually ate very well, but there would be one or two foods that would totally sabotage me.

 

[Kaido]

I don't really see it as too generic. I stated that it would be a diet that someone could tailor to their own purposes. Simply taking the food that I lay out for that specific day and increasing the amount to add calories or decreasing the amount to subtract. It could easily work for anyone that way.

Oh gotcha. I thought "a diet plan that anyone can use and tailor to their own purposes" mean any diet for any purpose. That makes more sense :biggrin: