please critique my diet & workout over the past 5 weeks

[wantnana]

CURRENT
Weight: 170lbs, 14%bf, 5'11
GOAL
Weight: doesnt matter, 10%bf

Workout: 5 day Max OT Split with 3 days of abs. 3-4 days of HIIT, 15 and 23 minute intervals either after my weight lifting session or later the same day.

Diet: 1895 calories
45% protein
45% carbs
10% fat (3% sat)

Mostly chicken, tuna, a little bread, protein supplements, cottage cheese, lots of veggies etc

SUPPLEMENTS
- multivitamin
- creatine (5g)
- green tea extract 400mg (2x/day)
- Vasopro Ephedra HCL 25mg + Caffeine 400mg stack (1x/day) as i just started the stack on tuesday.

I've been doing this same program for about 5 weeks now and I've lost about 5lbs of fat because I can begin to see the outline of my abs but there is still abotu an inch or so of fat left. I've increased the weights in all my lifts during this span, I can actually do a good number of pullups and just my overall physique looks better. But...

How can maximize fat loss with my current setup?
Is there anything I should add/tweak?

Thanks in advance.

[Saint Patrick]

Increase your fat intake for one thing. 20% would be decent.

How much weight have you lost in the past 5 weeks?

I don't suggest HIIT after a weight session.

[wantnana]

Increase your fat intake for one thing. 20% would be decent.

How much weight have you lost in the past 5 weeks?

I don't suggest HIIT after a weight session.
about 5lbs of what i assume is fat. im guessing i also gained LBM at the same time so thats why i lost a net of 5lbs.

When should I do HIIT?

Should I supplement with a fish/flax oil?

Thanks.

[Saint Patrick]

about 5lbs of what i assume is fat. im guessing i also gained LBM at the same time so thats why i lost a net of 5lbs.

Guessing and assuming can be a bad thing. You should get yourself some calipers to track your bf%


When should I do HIIT?

Ideally on non-lifting days. If that's not an option I'd say do it like 8 hrs apart from your lifting.


Should I supplement with a fish/flax oil?

For sure. Nuts are also a good source of EFA's.

[geoffgarcia]

Should I supplement with a fish/flax oil?

go with fish oil...

also your calories look a little on the low side....I'd bump them up to around 2200, how many fats, carbs, pro are you getting? the %'s are nice but the numbers are too! you should be getting around 85-130g of fat in

[wantnana]

go with fish oil...

also your calories look a little on the low side....I'd bump them up to around 2200, how many fats, carbs, pro are you getting? the %'s are nice but the numbers are too! you should be getting around 85-130g of fat in

I'm getting on average 185g Protein, 180g Carbs and about 40g fats. I can bump up the fat numbers easily by adding in some olive oil to my meals. Also I'm worried that if I bump up my calories, I won't lose as much fat (am I wrong?)

[Paul Stagg]

Cals look about right to me. Given you are dropping about a pound a week, they seem on target.

Add more fat, take out equal carbs and protein

I think I'd back off all that cardio, but that's me. Some people need to do more (or like to do more, for some reason)

Find a way to measure your bodyfat, be it a waist/weight comparison (there are formulas out there, some for multiple measurements, IIRC), calipers, or the like, and apply it regularly to track your progress.

Sounds to me you are on the right track.

[AllUp]

I'm getting on average 185g Protein, 180g Carbs and about 40g fats. I can bump up the fat numbers easily by adding in some olive oil to my meals. Also I'm worried that if I bump up my calories, I won't lose as much fat (am I wrong?)

20%fat, 40%carbs, 40% protein is a GREAT breakdown. :)
Yes you are. :) If anything you should lose more weight. You'll usually lose more cutting carbs slightly than cutting fat(assuming the fat is from healthy sources(Taken as Essential Fatty Acids). EFA's also help out your joints, which is crucial on a cut. Like the above posts reccomend, up the fat to 20% :)

If it were me I would stick to the 20/40/40.
Or maybe like 80f, 140c, 180p? ends up being about 20%f/35%c/45%p.
Decent sources are Peanuts, Olive-oil, Fishoil-caps, Flax oil caps, etc.

I'd use the fishcaps over the flax caps however, as the fishoil is initially EPA/DHA which can be instantly used when needed, while with the flax your body has to convert the ALA contained to EPA/DHA.

You can also search the forums for EFA's as you can probably find dosages people had the most luck with.

Take care.

[wantnana]

Thanks for all the help guys.

Paul: What exactly happens when I've lifted for an hour and I do a 15 minute HIIT session. During my lifting session, I was drinking whey protein with my water. Would that help minimize muscle catabilization? Does the body even have the ability ability to draw energy from fat stores during HIIT or is it just using muscle instead?

Allup: I'm gonna pick up some EFA's this weekend.

[Paul Stagg]

Don't worry so much.

Your body will tell you if you shouldn't do the HIIT. HIIT will use fat and carbs as fuel, mostly carbs... but a typical weight session won't completley carb deplete you, so you should be fine.

[wantnana]

Big BUMP...

I wanted to update this thread to report back some of the results from what you guys have said. Since 18 days ago:

I'm now at 165lbs (from 170), ~12.5%bf (from 14%bf).
goal: 10%bf

Strength has increased on all exercises but lately I've been plateuing or I just don't have enough energy. I've noticed the top two of my abs, but i can still grab a good amount of fat from my stomach.

I do cardio/HIIT about 3-4 times a week. If I lift first, I'll do about 20 minutes of moderate intensity biking. or i'll do some HIIT if I'm not lifting.

I'm steadily losing the weight and getting stronger, but I want to know if I can make anything better. I think the one thing I can improve is diet so I wanted to give my meal for today:

9am: oatmeal + whey protein
post workout (1230pm): 1 scoop muscle milk + 1 scoop on whey (or just whey some days)
200pm: tuna + provolone cheese on wheat bread
500pm: cottage cheese with some jam
dinner: 6 bacons + 2 eggs (or chicken, vegetables & rice, pasta and chicken, etc)
before bed: milk +muscle milk

it works out to about:

2210 calories, 207g protein, 146g carbs, 81.5g fat.

that is the typical macronutrient break down, but some days its lower in cals and fat and a little higher on the carbs. this is basically what i've been doing the last 18 days and its worked. just wanted to know if i can make it work more efficiently. thanks guys.