brihead301
09-14-2011, 11:12 AM
Ok, so after many many years of hard, consistent training (read my journal to see how I train)...I have never really focused TOO MUCH on the diet aspect (I know, I know...diet is the most important part!!!).
I've always been one to consistently get to the gym 3 days/week, and give it my 100% every single session....in addition to that, I train BJJ 3 - 5 days a week, and also give it my 100%. My diet has always been, "Just try to eat mostly good stuff", and that's the problem. I have always been in OK shape, physique-wise...but for the amount I train, and how hard I train, you would think that I'd be chisled out of stone!!! My goal is not to get huge and jacked....My goal is to be the best BJJ fighter I can be, while keeping my squat, dead, and bench at 315, 405, and 225 respectively for reps....In addition to that, I would like to be flat-stomached and lean looking. I'm not talking abercrombie model looking....just single digit bodyfat, ya know?
Okay, so that said, here is an example of what I have been doing for the past 6 years or so:
Monday through Thursday, I have a protien shake w/milk in the mornings, sometimes with oatmeal, sometimes not.....Lunch...eh maybe pizza, maybe a turkey and cheese sandwich...depending on how I feel....Dinner...maybe some eggs, maybe a tuna sandwich, but most likely chicken fingers in ranch dressing.....always a protien shake after I lift....Sometimes I'd be a little bit "healthier" in my food choices, but more often then not, I'd let myself slip up and just eat whatever.
Weekends, anything goes....Taco bell for dinner...eat out at diners at 4 am in the morning after drinking my ass off all night....every single Friday and Saturday night, get hammered....Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwiches for breakfast....pizza, cheesesteaks, whatever!!!!
No clue on my caloric intake, macros, or any of that! I rarely ate vegetables, if ever. However, I never skip workouts ever.
This diet was apparent in my physique, even though I trained hard and consistently.
Now (starting last week):
- Still consistent with the training
- I'm using a calorie counter app on my phone, to consistently hit my target number of calories each day (training days I add more calories, but it's all stuff that's entered into and calculated by the app)
- I'm eating 3 - 5 meals per day, and each meal is high in protien
- Using my app, I know that I'm getting at least my bodyweight in grams of protien, usually more
- I don't focus too hard on exact macro breakdown, but in addition to getting AT LEAST bodyweight in grams of protien, all the rest are made up of carbs and fats. Due to my food choices, it tends to breakdown to be on the fairly low fat side (not that I have anything against fat, it's just that seems to be how it works out from the foods I'm choosing).
- I attempt to eat mostly "healthy stuff" (pretty much all I eat is milk, protien powder, fruit, veggies, chicken, any kind of meat, wheat toast, cheese, tuna, eggs, etc...)
- I'm not sticking to it 7 days a week, and cutting out the drinking as well
So basically I switched from a pretty shitty diet, to a pretty decent one where I actually have a target caloric goal that I meet each day, hit at least my bodyweight in grams of protien, and cut out the every weekend binging of "anything I want". In only a week it's already starting to show! I'm getting leaner, yet staying the same weight!
My question is...how strict should I actually get with all this, considering my goal (basically, not trying to get JACKED...just lean, and actually see some physique results)?
I've always been one to consistently get to the gym 3 days/week, and give it my 100% every single session....in addition to that, I train BJJ 3 - 5 days a week, and also give it my 100%. My diet has always been, "Just try to eat mostly good stuff", and that's the problem. I have always been in OK shape, physique-wise...but for the amount I train, and how hard I train, you would think that I'd be chisled out of stone!!! My goal is not to get huge and jacked....My goal is to be the best BJJ fighter I can be, while keeping my squat, dead, and bench at 315, 405, and 225 respectively for reps....In addition to that, I would like to be flat-stomached and lean looking. I'm not talking abercrombie model looking....just single digit bodyfat, ya know?
Okay, so that said, here is an example of what I have been doing for the past 6 years or so:
Monday through Thursday, I have a protien shake w/milk in the mornings, sometimes with oatmeal, sometimes not.....Lunch...eh maybe pizza, maybe a turkey and cheese sandwich...depending on how I feel....Dinner...maybe some eggs, maybe a tuna sandwich, but most likely chicken fingers in ranch dressing.....always a protien shake after I lift....Sometimes I'd be a little bit "healthier" in my food choices, but more often then not, I'd let myself slip up and just eat whatever.
Weekends, anything goes....Taco bell for dinner...eat out at diners at 4 am in the morning after drinking my ass off all night....every single Friday and Saturday night, get hammered....Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwiches for breakfast....pizza, cheesesteaks, whatever!!!!
No clue on my caloric intake, macros, or any of that! I rarely ate vegetables, if ever. However, I never skip workouts ever.
This diet was apparent in my physique, even though I trained hard and consistently.
Now (starting last week):
- Still consistent with the training
- I'm using a calorie counter app on my phone, to consistently hit my target number of calories each day (training days I add more calories, but it's all stuff that's entered into and calculated by the app)
- I'm eating 3 - 5 meals per day, and each meal is high in protien
- Using my app, I know that I'm getting at least my bodyweight in grams of protien, usually more
- I don't focus too hard on exact macro breakdown, but in addition to getting AT LEAST bodyweight in grams of protien, all the rest are made up of carbs and fats. Due to my food choices, it tends to breakdown to be on the fairly low fat side (not that I have anything against fat, it's just that seems to be how it works out from the foods I'm choosing).
- I attempt to eat mostly "healthy stuff" (pretty much all I eat is milk, protien powder, fruit, veggies, chicken, any kind of meat, wheat toast, cheese, tuna, eggs, etc...)
- I'm not sticking to it 7 days a week, and cutting out the drinking as well
So basically I switched from a pretty shitty diet, to a pretty decent one where I actually have a target caloric goal that I meet each day, hit at least my bodyweight in grams of protien, and cut out the every weekend binging of "anything I want". In only a week it's already starting to show! I'm getting leaner, yet staying the same weight!
My question is...how strict should I actually get with all this, considering my goal (basically, not trying to get JACKED...just lean, and actually see some physique results)?