Beginning again - diet help?

[jkmom]

Thank you in advance for any comments, advice. I am asking for a review of my nutrition plan but first some background:
I am 45 yrs old, 5'2" 145 lbs. Wanting to get back down to 110 I am a mom, wife, work full time, long commute, just getting back into weight training after a 5 year on and off rest(meaning - I still trained but haphazardly.) Waaaaassss in the greatest shape of my life about 5 years ago but life happens and here I am I know what to do in the gym - it is just a matter of doing it. My cardio is ok - I have a long way to go though. I plan on 5 days of cardio 30-45minutes and 5 days of weight training. Any less and I lose motivation. Dieting these past years has been a joke. I go from one ridiculous extreme to another - last week i drank fresh made green juices all week - no solids, other weeks I eat everything in site. I have never followed a good nutrition plan like the ones I see here. When I was in great physical looking shape I ate very little and ran 10 miles a day. that is just not an option any longer - and I really dont want to drink wheat grass any more - it really smells! So the following is what I have put together based on convenience and motivation. Please feel free to adjust - thanks!
meal one:
oatmeal - 1.4 oz cooked
5 egg whites

meal 2:
2 oz chicken breast cooked
3 oz broccoli
3 oz sweet potato

Meal 3:
4 oz chicken breast
6 oz romaine lettuce

Meal 4:
1 scoop jay Robb
2oz frozen raspberrries

Meal 5:
4 oz chicken breast
6 oz romaine

Meal 6:
1 scoop Jay Robb
2 tbs flax seed ground

This comes out to 1145 cal, 21 gms fat, 48 gms carb, 171 pro

I know it is repetive with the chicken but convenience is key and I really dont like tuna.
Thanks again!

 

[musclemom]

I'm going to address two specific points in your post then make a general comment about your outlined diet (which I don't think is terrible, BTW, just needs a bit of tweaking):

I am 45 yrs old, 5'2" 145 lbs. Wanting to get back down to 110 I am a mom, wife, work full time, long commute,

Okay, is there any particular reason 110 is the goal weight? From my perspective, currently your BMI is a pinch over 26, only just barely over normal range. If you really want to get yourself back into weights, why not focus on recompositioning and less on the scale numbers? (i.e., dropping fat and keeping your muscle).

Now speaking as a person who is about to turn 45 very soon, I know there is this temptation to think that there is a magical "best weight" out there but honestly, you'll drive yourself nuts trying to focus on a number. Especially when you're uh, erm uh, oh hell, I'll say it "our age." You really need to focus more on achievability, sustainability and health. Starving your body is not good, and our bodies are a lot less forgiving now than they were 25 years ago.

This comes out to 1145 cal, 21 gms fat, 48 gms carb, 171 pro

I know it is repetive with the chicken but convenience is key and I really dont like tuna.
Thanks again!

WAY too low on your calories. Your BMR is 1365. You're undereating by 200 calories if you were just lying in bed being tube fed, which will do nothing but put you into starvation mode. You NEVER want to eat below your BMR, that is the surest way to send you into starvation mode, which is when the body starts eating its own muscle and conserves fat (muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so if the body perceives a starvation situation, it doesn't eliminate fat, which is long term survival, it eliminates the stuff that raises the metabolism: Muscle).

The general rule of thumb is 10x to 12x your bodyweight in calories for cutting, which puts your low at 1450 and your high at 1740.

You really don't need to be so ruthless with yourself in terms of portions when it comes to something like broccoli. Sounds like you might be a bit of a "feast or famine" dieter. Really, really disciplined one week, to the gram, and then the next week your body is so hungry that you start feeling like a starving animal. Moderation is the key to sustainability.

The other thing is you need healthy fats, and 2 Tbl. of ground flax seed isn't going to do it. Try to work in at least 1 t. of hemp or flax oil or EVO and maybe 1/2 to an ounce of nuts or seeds throughout the day. Once in a while treat yourself to an avocado. You want some variety in there.

Getting the body you want isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, it's the work of a lifetime. You want to get away from the "diet" mentality and focus more on lifestyle. With that thought in mind, a piece of advise I heard ages ago makes a lot of sense: With starchy veggies (like corn, potatoes, carrot, sweet potato, etc.) keep an eye on their portions, but greens and leafies (spinach, chard, broccoli, peppers, etc.) eat to satisfaction, as long as you're not putting anything fattening on them (Butter Buds are your friend). Also, you don't have to eat tuna (I try to avoid over using it myself) but there is also white meat pork, turkey, tons of different fish that can all be precooked and carried with you as easily as chicken.

So think something like this (and I would appreciate it if the other mentors/mods would correct me, meal plans are not my forte, I'd live on broccoli and chicken 24/7 if left to my own devices myself).

oatmeal - 1.4 oz cooked (? is this a packet portion or the amount after cooking? If the amount after cooking, go to a full 1/2 cup before cooking, if packet, get the real deal)
5 egg whites

meal 2:
3 oz lean meat
3 oz sweet potato or brown rice

Meal 3:
4 oz lean meat
broccoli or salad or other veg

meal 4:
3 oz lean meat
3 oz sweet potato or brown rice

Meal 5:
4 oz lean meat
broccoli or salad or other veg

Meal 6:
1 scoop Jay Robb
2oz frozen raspberrries
2 tbs flax seed ground

 

[superqt4u2nv]

MM covered pretty much everything my only in put is lean beef or lean game meats also a great option.

Welcome back to Elite

 

[jkmom]

Thank you so much - both of you! MM - great response! You are so right - not sure why i focused on a number rather than just plain old getting back in shape! We are leaving on a family vaca in 5 weeks and I was wishing for short term results but in reality it is time to get serious. Thank you both for the menu suggestions - I will definatley add lean meats too. Well - today is my start and I am psyched!! Thanks again!

 

[musclemom]

MM covered pretty much everything my only in put is lean beef or lean game meats also a great option.

Welcome back to Elite

Oh I'm so glad you reminded me of game meats! A friend of mind is an avid hunter and gave us pounds of venison. I was completely shocked when I cooked up a small roast and put it into my calorie counter. Here it's a red meat that's lower in fat than the equivalent portion of chicken breast! The only problem is some people are a bit put off by the game flavor (I happen to really like venison) and since it is so lean it's very easy to overcook (and I think that's what a lot of people think of when they think venison, tough and funky flavored).