Hey guys - thanks for reading this.

I'm ~160lbs and trying to maintain my weight but get slimmer. I know...cutting and bulking are two different things. My approach is to maintain 2000 calories or less per day, with a lot of protein in there. Here's a typical day's diet, spread throughout the day:

2x Fat Free Yogurts
1 pack instant oatmeal
1/2 cup cottage cheese
about 5-6 cups of herbal green tea
Lots of water
Little bowl of wheat pasta/sauce OR two egg whites on wheat bread
glass of Low-sodium V8
Fruit Smoothie before the day's workout (strawberries, bananas, kiwis)
Handful of Nuts

I'm also doing between 100 and 500 situps every night, on top of the 6/7 days of targeted muscle building workouts.

Thanks for your thoughts .

This isn't anywhere near 2000 calories

Thanks for the quick reply .

I forgot to throw in munching on Cheerios at night...maybe 1-2 cups. What would you change?

...AND a protein shake. Jeez...memory fails.

I see a lot of sugar but not a lot of protein. As Diane said.. still doesn't look like it comes anywhere near 2000 calories.

Take your time and write down everything that you eat in a day - list the calories and list the protein. Let us know what you come up with.

Alright - thanks.

2 Yogurts: 180 calories
Cottage Cheese: 150 calories
Oatmeal: 120 Calories
Protein shake: 200 Calories
Fruit Smoothie: ~150 calories?
V8: 100 calories
Cheerios: 250 calories
Eggs and bread OR pasta and sauce: ~200 calories

Total: ~1400 calories

Oof. I know a caloric deficit will aid in my goal to get slim and work on the 6-pack, but do you think it will hinder muscular development? The fruit smoothie is usually before a workout to provide some immediate energy, with the protein shake taken while working out. I figured between the cottage cheese, eggs, shake, and bread/pasta my protein intake would be plentiful...no? Thank you again for the advice .

Add up your protein from those items.

I'm getting ~150 grams. I should be getting at LEAST 160 grams, if not more (considering I weigh around 160), correct? Do you think adding 2 eggs' whites to my morning routine would be sufficient?

I'm sorry, I'm still not understanding how your list could equal 150 grams of protein. How many grams does your protein shake have?

2 Yogurts: 8g
Cottage Cheese: 35g
Oatmeal: 6g
Protein shake: 50g (I usually have ~2x 1 serving)
Fruit Smoothie: ~1 g (HULK)
V8: 100 calories
Cheerios: ~6g
Eggs and bread OR pasta and sauce: ~30g OR 10g

Thanks again :P

That adds up to 136g but I'm weary about what cottage cheese has 35g of protein in a half of cup. Also are you eating 5 eggs or egg whites?

I neglected the cottage cheese and egg serving adjustments...apparently one egg's whites has about 6 grams of protein, which would give me ~12 grams from eggs and ~15-20 from 2% small curd cottage cheese after corrections. Right now I see a pretty steep caloric deficit and a moderate lack of protein intake. I'd opt for a few eggs in the morning...what would you change?

Whole eggs are 6g of protein. Egg whites are 3g.

In any case.. check out LV's grocery list:
http://training.fitness.com/nutritio...ist-19098.html

I would (at every meal) eat a protein, carb and good fat. So for breakfast I'd go for an egg, some egg whites, whole wheat toast, skim milk and fruit.

Snacks- 2% cottage cheese and a fruit or something similar.

If you can't make up the protein in whole foods ... drink a protein shake or two. (one in the morning or pre-workout and one post workout).

2,000 calories is good for your BMR. Just try to pile on the protein.

Now that we went through the diet...

Let's see your workout schedule.

Hopefully this doesn't take as long...lol

Monday: Chest/Triceps (straight/incline dumbbell press, wide-grip pushups, skull crushers, close-grip pushups)


Tuesday: Extra abs (including obliques)

Wednesday: Back/Biceps (rows, curls, wide-grip pullups...haven't really done much lower back)

Thursday: Legs (compound, then targeted)

Friday: Shoulders, Extra abs again

Saturday/Sunday: relax/maybe extra abs

Typically I'll do some secondary routines in between sets, like obliques, traps, or forearms. I start light, then work up to where I can do 4-6 reps, then back down to nothing, keeping it between 5-10 reps. So I would stay at weight x until I couldn't do more than ~6, then bump it down.

With Biceps I do a pyramid routine, but with no breaks. I start light, go higher until I can't keep good form, then back down. Take a breather, then do it again.

With Obliques, I've been grabbing a 60lb dumbbell and doing side crunches because that's the only thing that makes them "tired". I could sit there all day with a 15lb and not feel a thing. I feel like this isn't good...the 60lb for obliques. :-\.

Lots of water and sipping on protein throughout.