Right just to give you a background of my day... I'm up at 545am or so every day (bar weekends.)

I work in an office (I have my own ) - and have access to a microwave.

I get to work at around 645-700am.

I don't get a lunch break but can eat whenever I want.

I leave work at about 500-530pm usually.

I get to the gym around 530-600pm (depending on when I finish work)

I train for about 60-90mins.

I therefore get home around 7-730.

I eat dinner around 830ish.

I hit the sack around 1030.

This means I get 6-7hrs max sleep, but usually closer to 6hrs and less.

I seldom feel tired except when I get up in the morning, but within 10mins I'm bouncing around.

So here we go:

Breakfast:

Either 4-5 scrambled eggs, freshly squeeze orange juice or grapefruit juice.

or

Porridge with a couple of fruits (typically berries of some kind and cinnamon).

or

Smoothie (raspberries, blueberries, banana, apple, natrual set yoghurt (onken biopot lovely stuff), a bit of milk to make it liquid, a good few handful of oats, cinnamon and sometimes a scoop of protein.


During the day at work:

I bring soem nuts & raisins with me (selection of unsalted roasted nuts, but no peanuts) this is a good 2 big handfuls of them.

I have some oat cakes too to snack on.

I'll make some pitta bread with some pate, chicken, tuna, beef, ham (from the butcher), stuffed with lots of spinach, a tiny bit of mayo and mustard - it's quite a decent size. The pitta is wholemeal and organic. I have 2-3 of these and are suprisingly filling.

I'll have an apple and banana but I tend to have this around 430 pm before I get to the gym to give me abit of energy - along with the rest of the nuts.

I train, have a PWO shake with 2 big scoops (currently have regenerate from BSD).

For dinner this is typically

Fish (at least 2-3 x a week), chicken (once or twice a week), steak, home made burgers (lean mince and fresh spices etc...).

Avocado or carrots with hummous dips etc...

Broccoli, mange tout, baby sweet corn, kale, or a huge side rocket salad with olive oil and balsamic.

I always cook with a little butter and olive oil.

Sometimes I make some cous cous, but I seldom have full on carbs in the evening for dinner.

I sometimes make lean mince with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms etc... with some wild/long grain rice, wholemeal pasta. cous cous etc.. but only once a week and that lasts me a couple of days and take it in for work the next day - so the above is only if I haven't over cooked the night before. I often do over cook on purpose.

By this time I'm quite full and go to bed about 1hr or so after eating (not ideal I know).

I havent' incorporated the fish oils etc.. I take as I don't see the point as they are not part of my calorific intake really.

I dont' have time at weekends to always mass cook - I can do some weekends, but not EVERY single weekend. 1 sunday a month at best is all I have - I'm usually out, away from home on weekends.

I'm usually shafted by friday night - I train min 4x a week as well. Weekends I sleep maybe 7hrs but lie in bed and get up at about 830am.

So I'm quite tight on time in my life but anything you can suggest and help me make it a bit better.

I never feel bloated or "fat", my bodyfat is not bad (as you've commented on already), I feel starving in the mornings, and starving after I train (hence the PWO shake to stop me eating my car), during the day I drink lots of water (more now thanks to Scott) and just graze during the day.

I've started to do the water lemon trick before dinner and I have to admit it has made my digestion much better I've noticed it for certain.

The quantities of food don't look big, but they do provide a heck of a lot of cals.

I'm not after cutting/bulking per se, just see if you can help me improve it a little bearing in mind my life situation and my hours and lack of free time?

Cheers all.

You work almost as long hours as I do mate.

My view is that if you're happy and the current diet sort of works, bollocks to changing.

Needs more cider

Spit wrote:Needs more cider

LOL!

I don't really drink. I have maybe a 4-6 units a month max.

Will wrote:

Spit wrote:Needs more cider

LOL!

I don't really drink. I have maybe a 4-6 units a month max.

You're practically an alcoholic!

roadz wrote:

Will wrote:

Spit wrote:Needs more cider

LOL!

I don't really drink. I have maybe a 4-6 units a month max.

You're practically an alcoholic!

I know. I'm working on it.

roadz wrote:

Will wrote:

Spit wrote:Needs more cider

LOL!

I don't really drink. I have maybe a 4-6 units a month max.

You're practically an alcoholic!

Oh that reminds me happy hour is about to start.....

I'd bin the roasted nuts and any processed meats if possible. Make sure your dried fruit is naturally dried and not full of sulphur dioxide.

Ditto on the nuts. buy proper unroasted nuts.

More mayo and mustard in the pitta's you poof

Sounds good mate. Plenty of variation in there.

Doesn't look too bad and it appears as though you're hitting a sweet spot with cals and carbs for body composition.

As the other guys say i'd ditch the roasted nuts and raisins.

Walnut oil from tesco seems like a great/relatively cheap source of fat.

Other than that diet is pretty similar to mine...

I love the walnut oil from tesco/morrisons. use loads of it in food.

Tastes good don't it.

Ok so scratch the roasted nuts and buy unroasted - drop the raisins altogether? I kinda like the sweet/nut thing going on!

I get plenty of variation, hit more than my 5 a day - I often make vegetable soups etc...

The meat I buy from either the deli or the butchers, the mince is done for me rather than pre-packed stuff. Admittedly I do buy some at times for convenience and cost, but more than 60% come from the butcher's. Should I still give up on the meats from there?

I generally feel good, always have plenty of energy, but I do eat a lot of fruit - thought that might be an issue. I never have the same thing two days in a row.

I'm a boring fucker and don't really drink - so I suppose that helps save money towards food!

Ok cheers for the tips on walnut oil.

If you've never really included walnut oil in your diet before don't go crazy with it. It made me feel sick as a pig.

Ditto the Walnut Oil. I like it but find Avocado Oil a little easier to handle in larger amounts.

GymBunny wrote:If you've never really included walnut oil in your diet before don't go crazy with it. It made me feel sick as a pig.

i find the same with hemp oil as well - take it in two servings conseq and it can make you feel a little sick

Get the "good mayo" made with hemp oil.

Also you need rice and fishcake.

rice and fishcakes? lol

fish caakkeeeeeeeeeees ?

Fish?...Cake?!

Pussies! walnut oil is yummy. Olive oil tastes like crap in comparison.

Not much to rip apart in your diet Will... is much better than the typical diet presented in threads like this!

For oils I'd seriously suggest using hemp oil as your first choice/main oil and vary with a few others for taste/variety. The Good Oil available in Tescos is a great product.

For nuts, raw unprocessed ones are best but remember that you really should soak them... nuts have enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid which are fairly strong antinutrients (natural chemicals the nuts have to prevent them from sprouting prematurely) but soaking them gets rid of them nicely (tricks the nuts into thinking they've just been hit by the spring rains and so they release the chemicals) and also makes many of the nutrients within more available.

How long do you soak nuts for DT? Could you soak them all then stick them in tupperware,would they keep ok?

Karlos wrote:How long do you soak nuts for DT? Could you soak them all then stick them in tupperware,would they keep ok?

Different length of times for different nuts! Can't find the link I had before on this (is an excellently informative webpage & will post it when i do find it) but this one is okay - http://www.sixstepstobetterhealth.com/seeds.html

Cheers, since most are 8 i'd probably just soak em overnight.

Would they keep ok once soaked?

Karlos wrote:Cheers, since most are 8 i'd probably just soak em overnight.

Would they keep ok once soaked?

you can stick in the oven at 100f to dehydrate them again. AFAIK they will keep for a good while in this state.