Dear M&F,

I’m 18 years old, 5’8″ and 175 pounds at about 14% bodyfat. I used to weigh 200 pounds at 16% bodyfat, but I felt too big and bulky so I’ve been on
a diet. I lost some weight but now I’m stuck. I’d like to stay at my current weight and reduce my bodyfat to 8%–10%. Can you help me out? Thanks.

– Devin

Dear Devin,

You currently eat 1,800 calories per day, just more than 10 calories per pound. That’s an extremely low calorie count and may mean your body has slowed its metabolism to conserve its resources. Your protein intake isn’t bad at 240 grams, or just more than1 gram per pound of body- weight. Your carb intake for fat loss is also solid at 150 grams, just less than 1 gram per pound. Your fat intake, however, is too low at 30 grams per day, which can slow fat loss, inhibit muscle gain and lower your testosterone levels.

To gain some muscle while dropping fat, start by increasing your fat and protein intakes to get your calories up, and make some minor modifications to your daily diet. Change your preworkout meal to just one scoop of Elite Gourmet protein. The fast- digesting whey will help with muscle growth, and dropping the carbs from the bread will maximize fat-burning during your workout. After you train, add some fast carbs to your protein to really boost hypertrophy. Also drop the potato at dinner; you want to avoid fast-digesting carbs later in the day. Replace it with fibrous vegetables such as broccoli or zucchini and a salad, which is lacking in your diet.

To prevent your metabolism from falling again and to keep fat-burning on track, add a high-carb day once a week by eating 2–3 times the amount of carbs you get in the sample diet at right. These changes will bring your daily calories up to about 2,400 (more than 13 per pound), protein to 285 grams (more than 1.5 grams per pound) and carbs to 160 (still less than 1 gram per pound). At 65 grams, your fat intake is now more than double.

Devin’s Old Diet

Meal 1
  • 3 eggs + 3 egg whites
  • 1 slice whole-grain toast
  • Coffee
  • Vitamins
Meal 2 – Snack
  • 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 apple
Meal 3 – Pre-Workout
  • 2 slices whole-grain bread
  • 1 can water-packed tuna
  • 1 Tbsp. fat-free mayo
Meal 4 – Post-Workout
  • 2 scoops Dymatize Elite
  • Gourmet Protein
Meal 5 – Lunch
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 slice whole-grain bread
Meal 6 – Dinner
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 baked potato
Meal 7 – NIghttime  Snack
  • 1 scoop Dymatize Elite
  • Gourmet Protein

Devin’s New Diet

Meal 1
  • 3 eggs + 3 whites
  • 1 slice whole-grain toast
  • Coffee
  • Vitamins
Meal 2 – Snack
  • 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 apple
  • 1 scoop Dymatize Elite
  • 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
Meal 3 – Pre-Workout
  • 1 scoop Dymatize Elite
  • Gourmet Protein
Meal 4 – Post-Workout
  • 2 scoops Dymatize Elite
  • Gourmet Protein
  • 2 slices white bread
  • 1 Tbsp. jelly
Meal 5 – Lunch
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 slice whole-grain bread
Meal 6 – Dinner
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 cup broccol
  • 2 cups mixed green salad
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil/vinegar dressing
Meal 7 – NIghttime  Snack
  • 2 scoops Dymatize Elite
  • Gourmet Protein
  • 1 Tbsp. peanut butter

TOTALS:
2,400 calories, 285 g protein, 160 g carbs, 65 g fat

NOTE: MIX ALL PROTEIN POWDERS ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS ON LABEL.
Topics: