Need Diet Ideas!

[Moxie-Girl]

Hello girls, I am new here. I have been active all my life, and was pretty fit from 18-23 til I met my now husband and slacked off in the gym and started eating out a lot . I have lost about 15 of the fat lbs that I want to lose over the course of the last year, but am now getting serious about lifting again and need some help with my diet.
I still have about ten lbs to lose before I will be totally comfortable in a bikini, but at this point I am about two months into my heavy lifting and am planning on using the next 4-6 weeks to bulk a little muscle-wise, then worry about cutting the body fat. I have been told repeatedly that you will not get the gains that you want in the weight room if you are trying to lose the bf at the same time.
Now comes where I need the help. I will tell you that I am 26 yrs old, 5'7", and about 150 lbs. My body fat is around 27%. I can't stand cardio (other than walking outdoors, etc) and I have yet to find a protien shake that I actually like and can stick with eating every day.
Here is a sample of my diet:
8AM: 5 egg whites, 1 whole egg, either scrambled or boiled. if I scramble them, I add 1 can of tuna, if I eat them boiled, I eat them with 1-2 rice cakes.
10AM: Protien Bar
12:30: chicken breast, either plain or with black beans
3:30: Protien Bar
4:00 WORKOUT
5:-5:30 Tuna salad, or chicken breast with steamed veggies
7:30 Protien Bar
I usually give myself one day a week that I can splurge a little bit. That is usually Saturday as its the day that my husband and I have off together.
I need some critisism and some new ideas. I have been trying to cut very low on carbs in the past few months, so just recently started adding some more to my diet. I am trying to stay away from a lot of sugar however.
What else can I do?

[atherjen]

Hi Moxie-Girl! Welcome to DF!

first off some suggestions that I will make right away on diet..
-TOO many protein bars!! they are all junk!! once in a while is fine but every day, at 3 at that, is asking for trouble. this can hinder your goals. I would highly suggest cutting those out and opting for a lean protein source.
- I dont see enough complex carbs or fiberous veggies either. ditch the rice cakes and get in some old fashioned oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown/wild rice, beans/legumes, fruit (apples, berries, pears, grapefruit,etc)
- I am also not seeing ANY healthy fats. this is a must in any diet, no matter what your goals are. olive oil, hempseed oil, Udo's oil, fatty fish and/or fish oil caps, flaxseed oil, natural peanut butter, nuts/seeds(in moderation).

[clarebear]

hi moxie,

jen always gives good advice, i am still working on taking it

ok so i think your goal is to burn some more fat??? if so then here is my post:

i have a couple of suggestions for protein. i take Champion pure whey protein stack twice a day. i think it tastes great! (strawberry is what i get).
here is a link:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cn/whey.html

with milk, u can get 31 g protein. i like 1% milk, but skim tastes good too, like a milkshake. water, its ok... but i think this is definately a better choice than the protein bars!

for some more food ideas-- try a fresh salad! there are some great low fat dressings that are ok in small amounts. or even no dressing is good too! spinach and romaine with bell peppers, a few tomatoes, and some chicken on top makes a great meal, i think. mrs dash is good. have you tried canned chicken? great for sprinkle in salads for a kick of protein. cottage cheese is also a great choice because its got a good amount of protein. oh yah, flaxseed, like jen said u need those healthy fats too! ground flaxseed goes great in salad, or mixed in morning oatmeal or cereal! quick and eazy for me.

i have to have a cheat meal once a week too. hey im not perfect! i need some chinese food once in awhile. you know, i actually heard somewhere that a cheat meal is good for you once in awhile, because it keeps your body from getting to adapted to what your doing! i dont know if its true but im sticking by it! :

i hate cardio too. i dont know many people who like it weight training is very important, but for burning fat, cardio is too. you gotta get some in. high intensity intervals are a great way to get the heart up. on the eliptical trainer, u can easily control your intensity. i like it cuz its low impact too. the trick to this stuff is to not burn to much muscle while you are burning fat. thats why the diet and weights are so important. i can see that you already realize how important proteins are. well im starting to babble on so i guess thats all i have to say (yah right!) you got a good base diet, im sure you will reach your goals in no time,

clare

sorry, you probably know most of this stuff, but i was just going by what i learned about you in your first post there...

[Moxie-Girl]

Thanks a ton to both of you. I have taken in what you both said and have put together a sample diet/schedule.....does this look any better? Also, thank you for the link that the protien shake advice Clare, I am checking in to that right away

8:AM Wake and do 15-20 minutes HIIT running
8:30 AM 6 egg whites, 1 whole egg
10:30 AM 1 cup Fruit chunks (apples, nectarines, blueberries, etc) mixed with granola and T. flax seeds w/whey protien shake
12:30 AM Chicken breast either plain or with beans or brown rice (or avacado slices?)
3:30 Whey Protien Shake
4:00 Lifting Workout
5:30 PWO Chicken breast w/steamed veggies or salad
7:30 sliced apple with Natty PB

Hows that? Anything need changed/added/dropped? Thanks girls, you guys are awesome!

[Lady C]

Welcome Moxie

I would skip the granola it is really high in the wrong kind of fat.
Avacado is a great fat and it has good fiber too.

I would have the shake PWO and then the chicken breast, veggies or salad at 7:30 Then eat that snack of apple and PB before the workout.

You need some starchy complex carbs with that chicken breast meal. Try adding some brown rice or a sweet potato. You are going to be not eating for 8 hours so the body needs something to work on. If you go to bed later than 10:30 you might want to squeeze in some cottage chese or a protein shake.

[sillyme]

jen always gives good advice, i am still working on taking it

So true. If you want to learn moxie, just look at jen's workout diary and other posts.