2+ years out from weight loss surgery, weight/body fat goal achieved, now onto strength training and nutrition! Is this food plan acceptable?

[wifeneedsanswers]

My stomach size is sill somewhat restricted. Two pieces of pizza fill me up, and that's overall a good thing. However, it can pose challenges for eating to gain muscle while exercising. Another sub recommended to split my food intake evenly into several small meals throughout the day, and my food plan reflects that. It's based on my TDEE calculation.

Is it reasonable?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...KI0LAh6NsxhHZXPDOj7sZCn6hsEWcSqNI6GdJ/pubhtml

If there's a more appropriate sub for this, I welcome suggestions.

 

[theclanofharris]

@wifeneedsanswers Two pieces of pizza is actually quite a few calories..

 

[theclanofharris]

Why are you eating a thousand calories of beans? Is this a troll post

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@theclanofharris

Why are you eating a thousand calories of beans? Is this a troll post

They're a very cheap yet healthy source of protein, carbs, calories, fat and fiber, and they meet my requirements for vegetables, all in one, along with keeping my cholesterol intake under the 300mg per day mark.

Why would you say this is a troll post? Hell of a thing to accuse a guy of with no evidence, especially after you obviously saw the work I put into hitting the targets in the spreadsheet.

 

[theclanofharris]

@wifeneedsanswers Yeah I guess it was a little aggressive of me, I’ll admit that. 1000 calories of beans.. just seems gross. But if it hits your macros, and you like it, that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about dumbasses like me! Lmao

Several smaller meals is a good strategy. When I was trying to hit a surplus, that’s what I would do. I can’t consume giant meals either.

That’s a good protein goal. I try to hit 180g on my cut, and even then, I haven’t lost muscle strength or size while losing 1.5 lbs or so a week (pretty aggressive cut). I think most people will do fine around 180-200. If you don’t see results, up your calories but try to most increase it via protein.

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@theclanofharris

Yeah I guess it was a little aggressive of me, I’ll admit that.

I wonder what the macros are for crow? I kid, but thanks for owning up to that.

1000 calories of beans.. just seems gross. But if it hits your macros, and you like it, that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about dumbasses like me! Lmao

I'm no huge fan of beans either, just indifferent to them. I'll eat whatever I need to reach my goals, with an eye on the nutrition and total price per month. Personally, I'm very happy with the food bill coming in under $200 per month, considering the total amount of nutrition and calories that pays for. And you're not a dumbass, lol.

Several smaller meals is a good strategy. When I was trying to hit a surplus, that’s what I would do. I can’t consume giant meals either.

Good to know that the strategy of several smaller meals is valid, I was a bit concerned, as that isn't the "typical" way to eat. Then again, the typical diet is also not the healthiest, speaking in general terms.

While I was able to hit most of the targets, I'm way over on the fiber. I hope that the daily liquid consumption goal will help keep things moving along, even with that overage.

 

[theclanofharris]

@wifeneedsanswers Yeah all the fiber from the beans haha .

You’re putting in the effort, so you’ll get your goals. Effort, dedication, and consistency are the hardest parts to it. I think the reason the beans turned me off so much, is that I wouldn’t be able to sustain that for a long time, even if I did get the results.

Don’t be afraid to mix things up a little here and there. I’ve had a lot of luck for rice as my carb source. Granted, less nutrients overall, but might not be bad for a change if you start to get burnt out.

 

[theclanofharris]

Also not sure if your stomach can handle it, but I’d alternate between chicken and red meats. (Sorry if i missed that somewhere).

I do 93% lean ground beef. So it has pretty little fat, but lots of protein. Beef has lots of nutrients within it and is very versatile. In fact, ground beef and beans almost equals chili haha. (That actually sounds good)

EDIT: I buy my meats from an online company called Wild fork (in the Us). It’s a small yearly fee and they deliver local to my house for free with a minimum $35 order. Their meats are pretty good priced. I get double the amount of chicken thighs/ground beef/some steaks compared to my local store for same price

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@theclanofharris

Also not sure if your stomach can handle it, but I’d alternate between chicken and red meats. (Sorry if i missed that somewhere).

I do 93% lean ground beef. So it has pretty little fat, but lots of protein. Beef has lots of nutrients within it and is very versatile. In fact, ground beef and beans almost equals chili haha. (That actually sounds good)

EDIT: I buy my meats from an online company called Wild fork (in the Us). It’s a small yearly fee and they deliver local to my house for free with a minimum $35 order. Their meats are pretty good priced. I get double the amount of chicken thighs/ground beef/some steaks compared to my local store for same price

As we get settled in this house and our family expands (moving in the in-laws), we may eventually look into taking advantage of our rural life and buying portions of cows, since there are many many cows visible from the main road, and there will be 5 of us here.

 

[theclanofharris]

@wifeneedsanswers Awesome!! It’ll taste way better fresh. I have a friend whose family has some cows.. some of the best meat I’ve had. Jealous. Trying to convince the wife to move out of crazy FL (it’ll never happen)

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@theclanofharris

Awesome!! It’ll taste way better fresh. I have a friend whose family has some cows.. some of the best meat I’ve had. Jealous.

We'll see what life has in store, although I'm not sure if they can come in cheaper and/or more nutritious than the $5 loss leader rotisserie chickens from Costco.

Trying to convince the wife to move out of crazy FL (it’ll never happen)

I lived in FL for 20 years, and am beyond glad that I moved out to California. For quite a few years I lived in a big city, but as of last year, a friend and I moved to rural northern California and bought a house. So far, it's worked out, even with the challenges, such as insane insurance costs (yes, worse than FL), wildfire risks, and extremely high electric costs.

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@theclanofharris

Two pieces of pizza is actually quite a few calories..

I was using a metric that people could understand for fullness, as a way to convey why I need to split my food into so many small meals. I haven't eaten pizza in months.

 

[theclanofharris]

@wifeneedsanswers Gotcha! Just wanted to make sure. I never realized how bad calorie-consuming they were until I started tracking!

 

[anonymous18]

@wifeneedsanswers Is this something you plan on eating all month long, or just an example? Sounds super boring if it’s nothing but this

Are you required to eat 8 meals per day? I find 5 meals per day or one every 3-4 hours works the best for me. You figured out all the macros, well done. I would reconsider adding while sugar to every cup of tea, if I read it correctly. The amount of protein is excessive. 0.8 g / lbs or 1.6 g / kg is enough

 

[wifeneedsanswers]

@anonymous18

Is this something you plan on eating all month long, or just an example? Sounds super boring if it’s nothing but this

Right now, this is nothing more than a test to hit all of my macros in the cheapest form possible that I think I can deal with. I'm not really into food/cooking, I view it as not much more than means to an end.

However, I do have all of the food listed in some quantity, and will be testing it out for some period of time, and will keep notes for myself on the fullness, monotony, prep/cooking and eating times required, etc, along with my weight, body fat, and exercise logs.

Are you required to eat 8 meals per day? I find 5 meals per day or one every 3-4 hours works the best for me. You figured out all the macros, well done. I would reconsider adding while sugar to every cup of tea, if I read it correctly. The amount of protein is excessive. 0.8 g / lbs or 1.6 g / kg is enough

Required? Not technically, but my stomach capacity is reduced by the weight loss surgery, and since I don't know its true size, only that it's smaller than typical, I know I'll need to eat more frequent but smaller meals. Part of the notes I'll be keeping may show that eating 4x a day instead of 8x a day is doable, and if so, that's what I'll move to.

The sugar was added to reach the calorie and carb targets, without it, I'm short in those categories.

I've seen protein numbers all over the place as recommended targets, but will be keeping an eye out for signs of taking in too much protein.

 

[mommajulesberry]

@wifeneedsanswers its pretty interesting how you have regimented and budgeted out your entire macros. i fuck with it.

• agree with the other guy, genuinely dont think you would see any tangible difference in results if you dropped to 150 protein or even like 130 (pretty much 0.8g/lb). if it helps with appetite to be able to eat a bit more carby foods and less protein, so be it, or if you are concerned about mercury this might be a good reason to just have a can a day or so.
• on paper greek yogurt is literally the textbook diet food for me because of its protein to calories to how full it makes me ratio. not like a bad thing but not situationally my first choice for someone with a medically fucked appetite trying to eat more.
• would probably just look at the scale and logbook to see if your lifts/bodyweight are increasing at a reasonable rate and adjust overall cals as needed