My current diet- help!

[Firecracker]

Hi guys:


Ok here's where I am: (went way off track over the years)

5'5''
148lbs
23% bf

Diet:
morning
1 whole wheat english muffin
2 egg whites
1 1/4 scoop protein shake

lunch[/B]
1/2 whole wheat english muffin
1 can organic chicken

midday
1/3c walnuts

dinner
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 can organic chicken

eve snack
28 almonds

comes out to

1235 cal
59 carbs
132.75 protein
53.5 fat


Any advice? TIA!

 

[Bikini Mod]

WHERE ARE THE VEGGIES?!?!?

Is there any reason you are opposed to yams/oatmeal/brown rice?

Take a look at this

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...g/simple-guide-devising-meal-plan-569406.html

Now I want you to tell me how you can shift things around by using the basic guide I gave in the above thread. The amount of protein per serving is debated. Some say you should take in as low as 1G of protein per pound of bodyweight, others say it should be 1.5 while still others say it should be 2G. I don't have a real preference other than to say that unless you have health issues, there is really no reason why you can't take in up to 2G of protein per pound of bodyweight but I suggest you take in not too much more than about 30G in any one sitting as your body can only metabolize and utilize about this much when ingested in one sitting.

I'll start you off.

Meal 1.

One cup of oatmeal
3 whole eggs
handfull of fresh strawberries

I am a proponent of whole eggs as half the protein is in the yellow, not to mention vitamins and minerals. Your body needs fat. As for cholesterol, most of the cholesterol you ingest is actually passed through your system without it being absorped. The most harmfull cholesterol is actually manufactured in your body. Just think on all the really skinny people you know who have MAJOR cholesterol issues. The largest factor is hereditary and not necessarily directly linked to diet.

The strawberries are very low in natural sugar (which your body needs for a boost in the AM) and rich in vitamin C and fiber (which you body also needs for proper function - something that your current diet is clearly lacking).

As you progress losing bf we can always cut back on fruits and dairy as needed.

Losing bf is a continuing process. It is always good to eat a clean diet in the beginning while still including as large a variety of food as possible. This helps you stick to your diet and allows for a better end result as the weeks progress.

I chose one with foods that I personally like best but I want you to come up with a sample menu for the day using foods that YOU like given the information that I gave in the above thread. Also if you need help calculating macro nutrient/calorie breakdown of specific foods go to fitday.com. It is free and easy.

OK... let me know what YOU would do!

 

[Gymgurl]

I was just thinking that too...add more complex carbs instead of refined

 

[LadyRaptor]

BUCKETS OF VEGGIES=NO WEIGHT GAIN! And they fill you up, loaded with Macro-nutrients.... Get rid of the simple / processed foods!! EAT MORE PROTIEN TOO!! Gods...looks like you are on the Butan-death march diet!!

B-mom wrote a great reply! DO IT!!!

Oh, and I'm still lovin' your ass....gymgurl... ;0

 

[Bikini Mod]

Update please Firecracker!

And Lady Raptor = EXCELLENT POST!!

 

[claire]

I would like to add that the calories seem low.

I would get rid of the Eng muffin and add at least one whole egg with the egg whites. You can even make a omellette and throw in some veggies. I love spinach and tomato omellettes. It gives me some veggies and taste great.

For lunch maybe chicken and a salad (or veggies) instead of the Eng muffin.


Bikinimom had some great suggestions. I would put the strawberries (or blueberries) right in the oatmeal.

 

[Tatyana]

I would like to add that the calories seem low.

I would get rid of the Eng muffin and add at least one whole egg with the egg whites. You can even make a omellette and throw in some veggies. I love spinach and tomato omellettes. It gives me some veggies and taste great.

For lunch maybe chicken and a salad (or veggies) instead of the Eng muffin.


Bikinimom had some great suggestions. I would put the strawberries (or blueberries) right in the oatmeal.

I was thinking the same thing, so I took the liberty of doing some calculations based on the two great sports physiologists

To calculate your BMR based on lean body weight (Katch-McArdle Formula)

BMR (both sexes) = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

THis will give you what your body requires for all of your basic biological processes, such as digestion, nerve transmission, respiration etc, or your basal metabolic rate.

NEVER DROP YOUR CALORIES BELOW THIS LEVEL!!!!!

To figure out how many calories you need for the day multiply your BMR by your activity levels

Sedentary BMR x 1.2 no exercise/desk job
Lightly active BMR x 1.375 light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately active BMR x 1.55 moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very active BMR x 1.725 hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week
Extremely active BMR x 1.9 hard daily training/physical job or training 2x/day

To lose weight, obviously, you do need to burn more calories than you need!!
So, take about 10-20 % off of your total calorie requirements



Your weight = 148 lbs or 67.3 kg

67.3 kg x 23 % (0.230) = 15.4 kg of fat

Lean tissue = 67.3 kg - 15.4 kg of fat = 51.9 kg

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x 51.9)
BMR = 370 + (1121)
BMR = 1491 kcals

This is what your body needs just to functions without adding in any activity.

I am not sure how often you are training, you would need to multiply this BMR by your activity level listed above to figure out how many calories you need each day.

There is no harm in dropping your calories really low every now and then, however, keep them really low and your body thinks that it is starving.

When it thinks it is starving, it slows down all the metabolic processes.

Also, there is this horrible tendency to try to preserve fat (fat = survival) and it will canabalise lean body tissue, your muscle, and in extreme situations, internal organs.

Muscle and brain are the most metabolically demanding tissues in the body, so losing muscle is never a good idea, and we also lose muscle as we age, which is one of the reason women often gain weight as they get older, even if their diet or activity doesn't change much.

I would recommend you increase your daily calories, slowly though, cause if you start eating a lot more straight away, you will also gain weight.

I know it seems odd, and it does my head in when I am dieting, you want to think fewer calories is a good thing, but it is often counterproductive.

I even really UP my calories at least once a week so my body does not adapt to the calories that I am taking in every day (my required calories everyday is about 1800), and I have dropped about 7 -8 kg in 3 months.

 

[Bikini Mod]

I was thinking the same thing, so I took the liberty of doing some calculations based on the two great sports physiologists

To calculate your BMR based on lean body weight (Katch-McArdle Formula)

BMR (both sexes) = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

THis will give you what your body requires for all of your basic biological processes, such as digestion, nerve transmission, respiration etc, or your basal metabolic rate.

NEVER DROP YOUR CALORIES BELOW THIS LEVEL!!!!!

To figure out how many calories you need for the day multiply your BMR by your activity levels

Sedentary BMR x 1.2 no exercise/desk job
Lightly active BMR x 1.375 light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately active BMR x 1.55 moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very active BMR x 1.725 hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week
Extremely active BMR x 1.9 hard daily training/physical job or training 2x/day

To lose weight, obviously, you do need to burn more calories than you need!!
So, take about 10-20 % off of your total calorie requirements



Your weight = 148 lbs or 67.3 kg

67.3 kg x 23 % (0.230) = 15.4 kg of fat

Lean tissue = 67.3 kg - 15.4 kg of fat = 51.9 kg

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x 51.9)
BMR = 370 + (1121)
BMR = 1491 kcals

This is what your body needs just to functions without adding in any activity.

I am not sure how often you are training, you would need to multiply this BMR by your activity level listed above to figure out how many calories you need each day.

There is no harm in dropping your calories really low every now and then, however, keep them really low and your body thinks that it is starving.

When it thinks it is starving, it slows down all the metabolic processes.

Also, there is this horrible tendency to try to preserve fat (fat = survival) and it will canabalise lean body tissue, your muscle, and in extreme situations, internal organs.

Muscle and brain are the most metabolically demanding tissues in the body, so losing muscle is never a good idea, and we also lose muscle as we age, which is one of the reason women often gain weight as they get older, even if their diet or activity doesn't change much.

I would recommend you increase your daily calories, slowly though, cause if you start eating a lot more straight away, you will also gain weight.

I know it seems odd, and it does my head in when I am dieting, you want to think fewer calories is a good thing, but it is often counterproductive.

I even really UP my calories at least once a week so my body does not adapt to the calories that I am taking in every day (my required calories everyday is about 1800), and I have dropped about 7 -8 kg in 3 months.

EXCELLENT POST!

LADIES... ARE WE READING AND ABSORBING AND ASKING QUESTIONS?!?!