High-ish Protein Diet

[Yojimbo1717]

It's been a while since I've updated on my weight loss (other thread, but here are a few details that will probably come up later anyway):

I am down to 162 lbs from 207. Not bad. I've still got a bit of stomach fat, but I have a few abs sticking out and look better overall (feel way better). I'm doing BJJ about three hours a day (six days a week), free-weights training for about an hour a day (six days a week - a good chunk of the exercises are olympic lifts) and HIIT (four times a week - I'm at fourteen minutes now, 20 seconds on 10 seconds off).

I lost a great deal of weight on a ketosis diet, where I was eating about 2400 Calories a day (200-400 every two hours, granted, I'd eat the most when I got home from training), mostly fats and proteins with a limit of 24 g of Carbs a day (so 10% of my daily value in terms of Calories. Then I hit a huge plateau and, to be honest, am sick of virtually-no-carbs. So, after three months on that hell-diet I'm bulking to about 185 and then I'm going to try some more fat loss (and then bulk again and one final fat-cut) - I want to walk around at 185 lbs. My goal is about 8% body fat, though I'm guessing it'll be more like 9.

ANNNNYWAY, for the past two weeks I've been eating like **** and it sucks (so that would make this a very sloppy bulk). I can't stand it. So many carbs that are just so thoroughly unnecessary. On my ketosis diet I was eating a lot of hard-boiled eggs (since I spend most of my time at work/school and don't really get home until 8:30 PM - they're 1 g of carb each and very portable).

Moving on, and getting to the question at hand:

Does anyone here have any valid suggestions on things I can make for lunch for during the day that I can carry with me easily that won't get so god-damned frustrating (see: eating 8 hard-boiled eggs per day)? Protein bars are RARELY below 10 g of carbs and tend to be expensive. Eggs were pretty easy - and when I get home I try to drink lots of milk and eat a lot of cheese, meat and peanut butter when possible.

I'm trying to eat 'well' - so not a ton of carbs, granted, not too few. Lots of fats, lots of protein.

Just a few factors I'm looking for:

1. Inexpensive - I try not to spend more than $50 a week at the grocery store (ideally it'd be $25)
2. Not horribly difficult to prepare the night before (I can do it in bulk like I did with the hard-boiled eggs)
3. High in protein and fat
4. Low in carbs (between 0 and 7g, maybe more depending on the Calories per serving)
5. Easy to carry with me; I take the train to work/school, to BJJ and my weight-lifting facility [and home], so it has to be able to fit in tupperware that will fit in my backpack along with school supplies and my work-out gear.
6. Isnt' really difficult to choke down. Hell, a variety would help.

Thanks for reading and any assistance I get is appreciated.

[honesty]

Easy. Get meat and cheese (boiled egg even sliced up) and to lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers. Flavour with a nice dressing (check the label on these though). Voila, a salad.

[honesty]

Other options I do sometimes.

Tin of tuna, hard boiled eggs sliced up, sweetcorn, mayo. Stick it all together and mix it up eat with cucumber.

[Yojimbo1717]

I'm trying to avoid carbs - so MOST salads are out (I know, lettuce has no carbs, tomatoes do though);

I am trying to 'carry around' about 2000 calories with me, (most of which being proteins and fats).

Thank you though - I liked the Tuna idea.

Any other ideas? I'm trying to consume 200-400 Calories per hour (I'm at school/work from about 7 AM until 4:30 PM, gym from 4:45 till 8:30 PM - I don't eat at the gym).

[Kaoz]

I was under the impression that you need similar portions of carbs and protein to gain muscle and that it is when you are really carb heavy that you gain excess weight. this is assuming you're physically active which it sounds like you are.

That being said wouldnt the little bit of carbs in a salad that is protein heavy be okay?

Or, as is very possible, am I totally wrong about this? I think there is a diet called the zone that advises this kind of eating but that doesnt necessarily make it sound science.

[Teh El Macho]

Whole milk plain yogurt and splenda.

Nuts.

Whole milk plain yogurt mixed with nuts (or a teaspoon of peanut butter) and splenda == freaking awesome.


ps. I hate avoiding carbs, gives me headaches.

[Teh El Macho]

Also, lean chicken breast. Cook it anyway you want and put it on ziploc bags. Then freeze them. Take the ones you are going to eat out of the freezer and into the meat section of your fridge a couple of days before eating.

Put some chicken and frozen brocolli in plastic containers in the morning (the frozen brocolli acts as coolant.)

Voila.

ps. And read the sticky thread!!!!!

[snowman]

Personally I think you could have some complex carbs/Veg up to lunch time 12/1, but anyway,

I'm a fan of the tuna/boiled egg and mayo mash up combo, usually with wholemeal/grain toast, but you can eat it just out of a container etc.

Can also chop in ham/polony (High in salt but cheap and reasonable protein) or chicken breast cooked the night before if it's in your budget.

Carry around peanuts with you and obviously have a protein shaker with powder ready to go, and just buy 500ml or OJ or milk from a deli / supermarket

[honesty]

I generally ignore carbs from veg, as the benefits of eating veg far outways the carbs that they include, plus if your cutting out carb rich foods like rice pasta bread potatoes etc the bit you get from salad is not a huge amount.

[Teh El Macho]

Why cutting out carbs? Specially if you work out hard? If you are a sedentary person, I could understand that, to a point, but for an active person, I don't see that as a sustainable approach at all.

You are going to hit a carb deficit at some point and it ain't gonna be pretty. Potatoes and whole wheat pasta or bread, rye bread, oatmeal, brown rice and legumes are excellent sources of complex carbs and fibers (as opposed to starch/simple carb rich products like white bread, white rice or your typical sugar-coated cereal.)

I cut my carbs in the afternoon by replacing them with brocolli, okra and couliflower, but I make damn sure I get most of my carbs in the morning (either oatmeal, yams, potatoes or protein-rich kashi go-lean cereal.)