Need some advise - Is my diet so bad?

[ghostrider]

Hi everybody, I'd like to receive some advise on my diet.
Right now I want to lose some BF (I think I'm around 13-15%, 5' 9" ~165lbs). I'm aiming to an athletic body with low BF.
These are my stats right now (all unflexed):
chest: 106cm (41,73") / waist: 82cm (32,28") - target: 79cm
hips: 92cm (36,22") / leg: 56cm (22,05")
calf: 37cm (14.96") / neck: 42cm (16,54")
arm: 32cm (12,6") /36,5 flexed (14,37")

I'm doing cardio 4/5 time a week, 40min each time, I also train 4 times a week using HST (http://hsnhst.com).
Because I work with shift, I change my training time each week.
When I work in the evening, I wake up at 7am, do my cardio, rest a little and then I start my workout.
Is it okay to take a 20g protein shake after cardio, and to eat my breakfast (with some more protein) after workout?

This is what I ate this week.

Monday

Breakfast: 500cc milk (partially skimmed), 80g mixed cereal, 250cc home made pear juice.
Snack 1: 2 tuna sandwich (120g tuna, 100g ww bread)
Lunch: 100g pasta with pecorino cheese and pepper, 100g parmesan and a slice of smoked cheese (caciotta)
Snack 2: 1 muesli bar (25g), 20g protein shake
Dinner: 180g mackerel, mixed vegetables - as much as I can (eggplant, red pepper, green pepper, onions)
Snack 3: 500cc milk or 500g skimmed milk yogurt

Tuesday

After cardio: 20g protein with water and a muesli bar (25g).
Breakfast: 50g rye bread with honey, 350g skimmed yogurt with 20g protein, 300cc fruit juice
Snack 1: cheese 80g
Lunch: 90g rice, 4 eggs, 1 slice bread
Snack 2: 300cc ps milk, peanuts
Snack 3: 3 Kiwi, 1 apple, 1 sandwich made with rye bread (50g) and mackerel (50g)
Dinner: 2 sandwich made with ww bread (100g) and turkey roast
Snack 4: 500cc ps milk

Wednesday

Breakfast:
500cc milk, 90g mixed cereals, 300cc fruit juice
Lunch: 2 hamburgers, each one made with 75g sesame bread, 175g red meat, tomatoes, salad, robiola cheese, ketchup
Snack 1: 100g parmesan cheese
Snack 2: sandwich made with ww bread, pepper omelette, 80g turkey roast
Dinner: 150g turkey roast, 120g string beans, 200g cottage cheese
Snack 3: 500g skimmed yogurt

Thursday

Breakfast: 100g mackerel, a slice of rye bread (40g)
Snack 1: 1l ps milk
Lunch: vegetable soup with 50g rice, 4 eggs and maybe a slice of parmesan or caciotta cheese
Snack 2: 500g skimmed yogurt
Snack 3: 120g of tuna
Dinner: 250g chicken breast, 150g string beans
Snack 4: 500cc ps milk

Friday

20g protein shake (after cardio)
Breakfast: 500g skimmed yogurt, 1 slice of rye bread
Snack 1: 20g protein shake with 250cc ps milk
Lunch: 300g codfish, 100g broccoli, 50g potatoes
Snack 2: 100g parmesan cheese
Snack 3: 120g tuna
Dinner: 200g cottage cheese, 100g broccoli, 120g tuna
Snack 4: 500cc milk

Saturday

Breakfast: 300g skimmed yogurt
Snack 1: 500cc ps milk
Lunch: cannelloni made with ricotta cheese and spinach, 80g parmesan cheese
Snack 2: 200g cottage cheese
Snack 3: 30g protein shake
Dinner: 300g chiken breast with red and yellow pepper
Snack 4: 500cc ps milk

Please give me your opinion :help:

[HobbesAB]

Originally posted by ghostrider
Is it okay to take a 20g protein shake after cardio, and to eat my breakfast (with some more protein) after workout?

This is what I ate this week.

Please give me your opinion :help:

Its fine to drink/eat some protein after your cardio as well as your workout. Also, I would recommend that before you workout, you should consume a pre-WO shake with some carbs in it. Do this after your workout as well. Consider 25 g protein with 50 g of carbs for your PWO drink.

Regarding your diet, I'll leave it to others to critique. However, since I can't resist, I will say that overall, it looks fine to me but I'm still learning :)

Would you mind posting the macronutrient breakdown for each day? By that, I am referring to Total Calories, Protein, Carbs, and Fat. By tracking these things, one can get a better idea on how they're actually eating.

[ghostrider]

Thanks for the answer :)
Should I take carbs before cardio? I thought that if one wants to burn fat is better doing cardio on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up.

I didn't mention it, but I drink 4/5l of water every day (is about 1.05/1.3 gallon)

Monday
Protein : 210 / Carbs: 229 / Fat: 80 / Cal: 2500

Tuesday
Protein: 190 / Carbs: 150 / Fat: 90 / Cal: 2300

Wednesday
Protein: 256 / Carbs: 243 / Fat: 76.3 / Cal: 2683

Thursday
Protein: 239 / Carbs: 113 / Fat: 97.1 / Cal: 2284

Friday
Protein: 262 / Carbs: 112 / Fat: 59.6 / Cal: 2038

Saturday
Protein: 202 / Carbs: 141 / Fat: 50.1 / Cal: 1830

[Shao-LiN]

Originally posted by ghostrider
Thanks for the answer :)
Should I take carbs before cardio? I thought that if one wants to burn fat is better doing cardio on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up.

Some people say empty stomache, other say at least a protein drink before. I personally don't know...I just down some protein before and be happy.

[HobbesAB]

Hi. Just some thoughts:

Your caloric intake looks to be too high for someone who is cutting. The "accepted" caloric total while cutting is usually 10-12X your body weight which should put you at 1700-2000 calories. Protein is usually at 1 g/per lb accounting for 40-50% of your overall calories. Fat is usually at 20% or so with the difference made up of carbs.

There are many factors that affect fat loss such as metabolism, activity level, and calories. Reduce your calories by 500 or so per week (or more depending on how patient you are) and monitor the results.

See what works best for you and adjust accordingly.

Regarding carbs before cardio, I've read arguments for and against it. If you're doing HIIT or some other form of high intensity cardio, then I would recommend it just so you don't crash halfway through. For moderate intensity cardio, I doubt you would need to take any carbs but if you find your energy levels to be low, then you may want to consider it.

Check the sticky thread on HIIT in the Bodybuilding/Fitness section for more information on HIIT.

[ghostrider]

Your caloric intake looks to be too high for someone who is cutting.

Im' doing some adjustments to my diet, that why I'm asking some advise ;)
Protein intake is a little bit too high, in this week I will try to stay around 160g, with a 2300/2400 Cal/day.
In my previous HST cycle, I've eaten ~3200 Cal/day and I've gained 4Kg.
I've got a pretty fast metabolism, and if I eat only 1700/2000 calories, probably I will faint during the day. Remember that I'm doing HST 4 times a week (in a sort of circuit training style) and cardio 5 times a week (HIIT style).
After cardio I take 15min off, drink my shake and rest; then I start my workout.

In this week I've lost almost 1Kg and my stats are unchanged.
I'm trying to lose fat without losing muscles.