I feel like im eating too much...

[Tim_14]

Hey,

I've changed my diet abit so im getting more, but i feel as though im gaining fat. I mainly want to have a nice six-pack while still slowly gaining upper body mass.

Here is my diet plan at the moment, i just feel bad having what im having.

- 120g Oatmeal with 250ml skim milk

- Muesli bar

- 200ml not fat 70% less sugar yogurt

- w/m bread with tuna

- Banana

- 1/2 whey protien shake (pre-workout)

- Other 1/2 whey protien shake (post-workout)

- Dinner - 1 whole skinless chicken breast (with BBQ sauce) , lots of pumpkin, lots of broccoli, 1 large carrot, 3 tea spoons 100% natural peanut butter or 4 teaspoons of low-fat cottage cheese.

I think roughly this is about 1800 calories a day ( I could be VERY wrong, i mean it could be more or less)

Yeh, so anyway, i am just worried that im going to put on to much fat from this diet and i feel as though i am, and wont be able to achieve good definition in my six pack

[threenorns]

if anything, i think you're under-eating. use a program like www.fitday.com to get a more accurate idea of what you're eating.

try adding an extra 15 minutes of cardio per day - i find that helps me get rid of that bloated feeling.

[maverick]

I'm hungry just looking at your diet! I wouldn't even consider any of those a meal til you get to the tuna sandwich. Whats your gender, age, dimensions? Unless your metabolism is crawling, I don't think you'll be adding any fat with your current diet.

[Lady C]

Your meals are not balanced either. Your dinner is too large in comparison to a yogurt. You need at least 4 meals with veggies, where are the veggies. During cutting veggies are the most important food element.

[Tim_14]

Wow, under-eating, i wasnt expecting that.

I have worked out though i am having 43% protien (154g) 51% carbs (51%) and 6% fat (20g) which seems to be pretty good to me.

I am male, 14 years old and weigh 103 lbs and am 5' 3" tall. I do a 40 minute fast walk in the morning before i eat as my cardio (because i cant run).

[threenorns]

fat level is WAY too low. you need at least 30% fat when you're a kid because a lot of nutrients are fat-soluble, such as vitamins A, E, D, and K. 40/40/20 is fine for a normal adult wanting to cut - but at your age, you shouldn't be restricting your intake since you're already pretty scant as it is. you also don't have the option to "slowly" increase your upper body mass - you're growing and growth is determined by your genes at this stage. don't bother trying to control the rate: eat lots, sleep more, and exercise intelligently and let your body do its job without interference.

adjust your nutrients so you're taking in 2000 per day with a 40/30/30 ratio.

and eat your veggies.

[Tim_14]

I guess ill have to dig into the peanut butter?

[threenorns]

and olive oil - extra virgin olive oil (1 or 2 tbsp a day) is amazingly good for you.

and fish like sardines and salmon.

and whole eggs.

and whole-fat dairy.

and good ol' red meat.

and other nuts and seeds.

[Tim_14]

Ok thanx! just had 2 teaspoons of peanut butter. It says 10g has 4.7g of fat, now i feel like im eating to much.

[threenorns]

what, aiming for the anorexic of the year award?

stop obsessing - you'll be fine. you don't gain social credit by complaining about how you've eaten too much. my sister does that and it drives me mental because she DOES eat too much (she's gained weight since the baby was born) and yet, she complains.

you're still growing - eat food, sleep lots, exercise, and you'll be FINE!

and eat your veggies.

[Tim_14]

Ok lol thanx!

But what im confused about now is coz ive changed my diet recently (eating more) and drinking more water ive noticed that my body fat is staying the same but kinda getting lower but my abs are fading (its not water because they are still faded in the monring) and when i sit down i gather more fat than i used to, this is just in the last week!

[threenorns]

it's water. if you've not been eating enough, your body goes into a carb-depleted state. when you start eating more, your body replenishes your glycogen stores. eat gram of stored carbs attaches to 2 to 3 grams of water. this is why competition bodybuilders can gain 10 to 15lbs within *hours* after a competition.

just do the math: each pound of stored fat is 3500 calories over and above what your body needs for maintenance. you've not been eating that much.

[Tim_14]

Thanx so much again, thats really interesting and makes perfect snese, i just hope ur right lol.

And if you are right, how long do you think it wil be until i have good abs again?

[threenorns]

that's impossible to tell - but if you keep up the cardio and weights and keep eating clean, your body should be back in balance in about three weeks.

don't forget, too, that paper-thin skin such as maverick's when he was at 6% is NOT HEALTHY for a developing teen. it'll mess with your growth and endocrine systems, so don't worry if your abs get a wee bit less defined - you can fix it once you reach full maturity.