Diet Help!

[Brie]

Hi! I need some help with my diet, I think it's pretty clean but I seem to be losing fat very slowly...I'm 28 female 5'2 between 118 and 120lbs. (fluctuates) I'm trying to lower my body fat, although I've never had it tested. I train between meals 1 and 2.

Meal 1:
1/2 cup oatmeal w/ 1 scoop whey protein or 4 egg whites instead of the whey. Or I make a cereal that consists of 2 tbs. Flax meal, 1 tbs. oat bran, 1 scoop whey and 1 tbs. of natty pb. add water and microwave. So it's always one of those 2

Train

Meal 2:
Whey Protein shake in unsweetened soy milk

Meal 3:
Grilled Chicken Breast w/ steamed asparagus and broccoli -or-
Grilled Chicken breast and w/ greens on whole wheat wrap

Meal 4:
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese w/ 1 tbs. sugar free jelly

Meal 5:
Steak and steamed veggies

Also, I drink a skim latte every day

Any suggestions? Thanx!

[cursor]

What do you do for your training sessions, and on what weekly schedule?
At what rate have you been losing fat in the past (and were you using this meal plan)?

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Brie

I'm 28 female 5'2 between 118 and 120lbs. !

Keep in mind, the closer one gets to an ideal weight, for your body type ,(whatever that is, is different for everyone) the harder it is to lose bodyfat. I doubt that you have much to loose. [Note: I'm 5'-4" and weigh around 125 ~16% Bodyfat].

How many calories are you intaking? Your diet looks fine but maybe you are eating too little.

What does your training look like?

[Brie]

Well, I do cardio 3 days a week, 40 min. usually elliptical, or a class, kickboxing etc. I train with weights 3 days a week, an example would be this:

Monday:
Back & Tris 3x10 for everything and heavy
Wide grip pull downs
Bent over rows
Dead lifts
Cable rows

Overhead tricep extension
Tricep pressdown with short straight bar
Dips

Tuesday:
40 min. cardio

Wednesday:
Shoulders & Bi's
Dumbbell shoulder press
Front raises
Lateral raises
Rear raises

Dumbbell curl
Concentration curl
4x10

Thursday:
Cardio

Friday:
Legs and Chest
Leg press
Leg extensions
Squats
Deadlifts

Incline dumbbell flys
Cable cross overs
4x10

Saturday:
Cardio

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[cursor]

28 year old female
height: 5'-2"
weight: 119-lbs
weightlifting 3 days a week, heavy (3-day split)
cardio 3 days a week, 40 min
I'm trying to lower my body fat

Try shooting for an average of 1600 calories per day. Each of the three activity days will require unique different caloric intake (ideally):

mon  1,778  workout
tue  1,422  cardio
wed  1,778  workout
thu  1,422  cardio
fri  1,778  workout
sat  1,422  cardio
sun  1,600  rest

meal 1 – 5-meal plan – Brie
meal 1 – w o r k o u t . d a y . n u t r i t i o n

meal 1 – 29p - 63c - 7f = 444 calories
meal 1 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 1 – |[__w o r k o u t__]|
meal 2 – 29p - 63c - 7f = 444 calories
meal 2 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 3 – 29p - 35c - 10f = 355 calories
meal 3 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 4 – 29p - 13c - 10f = 266 calories
meal 4 – nnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 5 – 29p - 7c - 12f = 266 calories
meal 5 – nnnnnnnnnnnn
_____________________________________
Total :: 148p - 185c - 49f = 1778 calories
33% protein + 42% carbohydrate + 25% fat
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
values are rounded to integers at the 'meal' level
p=protein :: c=carbohydrate :: f=fat


meal 1 – 5-meal plan – Brie
meal 1 – c a r d i o . d a y . n u t r i t i o n

meal 1 – |[__w o r k o u t__]|
meal 1 – 23p - 58c - 7f = 395 calories
meal 1 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 2 – 23p - 39c - 7f = 316 calories
meal 2 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 3 – 23p - 19c - 7f = 237 calories
meal 3 – nnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 4 – 23p - 15c - 8f = 237 calories
meal 4 – nnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 5 – 23p - 15c - 8f = 237 calories
meal 5 – nnnnnnnnnnnn
_____________________________________
Total :: 118p - 148c - 39f = 1422 calories
33% protein + 42% carbohydrate + 25% fat
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
values are rounded to integers at the 'meal' level
p=protein :: c=carbohydrate :: f=fat


meal 1 – 5-meal plan – Brie
meal 1 – r e s t . d a y . n u t r i t i o n

meal 1 – 26p - 66c - 8f = 444 calories
meal 1 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 2 – 26p - 44c - 8f = 355 calories
meal 2 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 3 – 26p - 21c - 8f = 266 calories
meal 3 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 4 – 26p - 17c - 10f = 266 calories
meal 4 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
meal 5 – 26p - 17c - 10f = 266 calories
meal 5 – nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
_____________________________________
Total :: 133p - 166c - 44f = 1600 calories
33% protein + 42% carbohydrate + 25% fat
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
values are rounded to integers at the 'meal' level
p=protein :: c=carbohydrate :: f=fat

[Brie]

Thanx for taking the time to do that Cursor! I have 2 more questions, regarding fruit, I love apples but are afraid to eat them because they are high in fructose, are they infact ok? Also, today I missed my morning workout so I'll be going to the gym tonight, before dinner, pretty late though, at around 7:00 what should I eat before that, keeping in mind I'll be having a shake plus dinner afterward, I was gonna have a Zone Bar, but I try to stay clear of those glorified candy bars, so I'd rather not, but I'll need some carbs for energy...

Thanx!

[Lady C]

There is NOTHING wrong with eating whole fruit. I eat apples all the time. In fact one should eat 2-3 servings of fruit and 5-7 servings of veggies per day.

Pre-workout eat a low-fat yogurt and an egg or something with lean protein.

[cursor]

First of all, note that an apple is about 86% water.

One medium apple (about 2¾" dia) only carries about 72 calories. It's a fabulous "diet" or "weight-loss" food. It's nutrient rich ... and calorie poor (just what you're looking for). NutrionData.com rates the apple as 4 stars out of 5 for "weight-loss".

Originally Posted by Brie

I love apples but are afraid to eat them because they are high in fructose.

Of those measly 72 calories found in the apple referenced above, only 33 calories are from natural fructose (vs. the concentrated high fructose syrup found in many processed foods). That's nothing. Eat away! :

[SNPiccolo5]

Cursor- I was wondering what your thinking is in having less calories on a cardio day than on a rest day. For my calorie-cycling, I usually have more on weight days, less on cardio days, and the minimum on rest days. Does placing the cardio before breakfast have anything to do with this?

-Tim

[cursor]

The cardio is positioned before the breakfast because of the [apparent] steady-state (40-minute) cardio that she's doing (her pick, not mine).

As far as the increased caloric intake on the rest day goes, it give little more meaning to "rest" (in terms of freedom from restriction). What you've elected to do, Tim, will work just fine too. In fact, as I recall, that's what I recommended here: Workout day vs nonWorkout day.

edit: Nope ... in that thread (this post) I suggested the same amount for both cardio-day and rest-day. Oh well ... bad memory.