Question for the ladies

[JoBu]

My girlfriend is just getting back into working out. She started at a local gym last week and they set her up with a cardio/strength program. She doesn't eat bad, but I think she could benifit from some help. I offered to outline some basics if she was interested.

A standard day for her might consist of:

-bowl of cereal and 1/2 cup skim milk for breakfast
-apple for snack
-bowl of cereal and 1/2 cup skim milk for lunch
-some other fruit for snack
-a Zone bar later in the afternoon if she's really hungry (which in her opinion has "a lot of protein"
-spinach salad for dinner...although she's a sushi fiend

In my opinion she isn't eating enough and needs more protein...especially now that she's strength training. She's 5'5" and probably about 130lbs...lots of nice curves...not fat or over weight by any means...but she wants to trim down and tone up.

I'd like to give her some basic guidelines to help in her quest. Off the top of my head I'm thinking

-add a small protein shake or other protein source (one whole egg or a Zone bar) with breakfast
-some lowfat cheese with morning snack
-lean meat sandwich on wheat bread for lunch
-add 6-8 ounces of chicken/fish/beef along with the salad for dinner

Am I on the right track or is this too much? She's active and working out regularly. She's also cycling ECA and NYC in two-week intervals.

She's very busy and often skips dinner claiming she didn't have time to eat. She's also concerned about spending money on "all that food" And finally, I can imagine her reaction when I tell her she needs to eat more calories in order to get the most out of her training.

Very much appreciate any suggestions you ladies have for my sweetie...I just want to help and encourage her without pushing anything on her.

JoBu

 

[JJFigure]

First, you might want to post this one the women's board - you'll probably get more responses.

Second, most of us who lift eat at least 1 gram protein/1 lb. of bodyweight. I'm in a cutting cycle, and I'm getting in even more than that right now - for example, today I had 190 grams of protein (I'm 5'10, 139 lb.s).

Third, real food is much cheaper than supplements (i.e., zone bars). If she can afford zone bars, she can afford chicken breasts and eggs. When I'm cutting, I minimize the bars aka "fake food" as much as possible. I'd rather eat real food and get the added thermogenic effect. Do a search on Spatt's cutting diet - it's a great example of a liveable, effective fat loss diet.

Finally, it's great to see you're encouraging her down the right path. Keep it up!

 

[JoBu]

Thanks

I'll post it up over on the women's board and find Spatt's post.

She's not poor...the cost is more of an excuse than anything I think. Like i told her...a can of tuna is $1. I make her dinner most nights if we don't go out, but I'm away on a work assignment for the next 6 weeks so she has to fend for herself...she's not much of a cook Good thing I am!

JoBu