Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
What should I be eating/doing to attain goal of fat loss and muscle gain (great definition wanted) FAST?
About me:
I am 20 years old, 140 lbs, 5’8.
My problem areas:
1. Abs (lower and side) due to some fat
2. Thighs (especially inner thighs): Some fat
3. Butt (could/should be flatter)
I have much muscle mass as I used to train regularly and have just started to train again. But the few fat areas on me (such as my lower belly) make the muscles difficult to see.
I am not the perfect eater. I consume about 60-100g of carbs a day (rough estimate) and have protein only in powder form. I know I should be eating meats (only like chicken/turkey), but barely ever have time to prepare hot meals. I don’t really like vegetables (apart from broccoli, lettuce, radishes, cauliflower and carrots). I am into salads (but think that the dressing such as Caesar is too fattening); so I avoid salads usually in general (have salads once or twice a week). I seem to eat a lot of sandwiches (bread!) and love sugar (!), even at night when it’s the worst to have. I seem to get hyped up about fitness for a month or two (or maybe less) then suddenly lose interest/patience, etc. for it likely because of a lack of superb results and go back to HIGH carbs, fat foods and sweets. I love cottage cheese, eggs and oatmeal with honey in the morning or for a snack (with milk). Not too much into cereal…
To attain fat loss FAST so I can see my muscles, what % milk should I drink? What % fat in cottage cheese? Should I eat yogurt? Which one? Yogurt has fat and high carbs. Should I be drinking much milk? How about protein? I have been having 42g of Lean Body low carb (2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 12g carbs, 1 g sugar, 1 g dietary fiber, 42 g protein) per night right after my workouts (which I will describe below). Should I use a different brand? Please be specific and tell me why if you advise as fitness still is a bit of a foreign world to me).
I need advise on a total diet and workout routine which will help me loose the fat on me (which perhaps I am exaggerating per some people’s opinions) and gain muscle tone and mass (though I am a female, I want to look like a body builder pro; if I start gaining too much muscles, I’ll tone it down)…
My current workouts:
Monday: Chest: Bench press, incline bench press, flyes (though not sure if I should be doing them on an incline or on flat bench; please advise). At the present moment I am not doing any inclines here as I have no incline bench (will buy within a few weeks).
Tuesday: Arms: Bicep curls with dumbbells standing, bicep curls sitting down supporting elbow on inner thigh and curling, triceps with free weights downward motion over my head towards back (like the overhead triceps extensions but with dumbbells), forearms (curls both ways with fists up and down).
Wednesday: Legs: Squats, lunges, standing calf raises, will do leg curls when I buy a machine for home (where I work out) in a few weeks.
Thursday: Shoulders: Upright row, lateral raises, shoulder press (anyone have a photo of what this looks like; not sure if I am doing this right; is this where you pull down the bar? If yes, I am not doing this right now; must buy equipment).
Friday: Front lat pulldowns or pull ups, low pulley row: BOTH of these I am trying to do now but with free weight bar until I buy equipment. Please advise.
For each exercise above, I do 3 sets of 15 reps per set. When I can do 20 reps with whatever weight I am using, I will increase the weight by likely 5 lbs (or whatever feels right). Any advice on this? For instance, for bicep curls I do 15 lbs per arms now. Will do 20 lbs per arm next week. For squats, about 30-35 lbs. on bar total. For lunges, same. For triceps, only about 15 lbs total per both arms. For chest about 15-20 lbs on the bar. Again 3 sets of 15 with same weight.
As I work out at home (or just started): I have 100 lbs of weights, bar, dumbbells, flat + decline bench. I will buy equipment as needed/possible…
Daily I try to do abs too (about 350 a night) on a decline bench: Situps I like most as on a decline crunches feel wrong. So about 100 regular situps on decline, 50 per side situps on decline turning left/right and then about 50 leg raises on flat bench. Sometimes another 50 per side on flat bench on my side crunching up. Should I do this set daily? Any general recommendations here?
Could someone give me a breakdown of what I should eat each day? If you write for me eat X at time X, etc. etc., I WILL follow it word by word if I am convinced it will bring results. Should my weight routine be different?
Oh, I also daily between sets get onto the stepping machine (like stairs/climbing) for about 2 minutes btw. each set or a total of perhaps 10-15 minutes per night. I try to run on the weekends or hike the local mountains.
Please comment overall and in as much detail as possible to the above questions/concerns I posed. I will post full body photos this week (maybe tonight) so you can evaluate me and give me better recommendations. Some of my photos now: www.annakubit.com/Photos.htm (fast connection needed).
I have been reading the forums last night and today and am taking the bits and pieces as good advice yet am worried to follow this advice as it has been written for specific persons, perhaps with verrry different goals and looks than mine…
I will appreciate all the info. that you send!
Thank you in advance always!
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
Welcome Anna. Always a pleasure to see another person so enthusiastic about getting an college degree in business! [img]smile.gif[/img]
Thanks for all the information, which will make the experts' jobs at giving you specific recommendations that much easier. I do have two quick questions for you as points of clarification though:
1) Do you know what your current body fat percentage is? This would be important to know because if you are already low, trimming down the BF even more to eliminate your problem areas will take a different tact than if your BF is higher.
2) You have emphasized that you want to lose the fat 'FAST.' Do you have a time frame in mind? Reason? Again, your answer to this will determine the course you will need to take towards attaining your goal.
It is important to remember that gaining fat is a gradual process, and losing it must also be a gradual process. Patience and persistence are required if optimally results are to be achieved. it is unreasonable to expect to drastically change your body composition extremely fast, and it is unreasonable to expect perfection unless it's athletic skill. Something to think about.
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Doesn\'t cross training sound like something Jesus could have benefited from?
I will know my body fat tonight (will stop by the gym to find out). Yet, I have heard that depending on the person testing the body fat (I think the pinch test), results can have variance of up to about 10% (per my friend Mark; a professional body builder). Any comments on the validity of this??? The immersion in water test is supposed to be more precise, but regarding its cost/procedure/precision, I know little to none about.
Why do I want to trim the fat and gain muscle FAST as I put it above? Almost in full due to my nature. I am just generally speedy. I am finishing a bachelor's degree in 2 out of the regular 4 years. Took care of High School in 3/4 years. I am generally impatient (which I understand can be a negative quality, but a positive one as well). Having this understanding of myself I well know that if I start something and do not make rather quick progress, I will drop the task due to my nature. This in fact may be the reason why I have always been in the gym for a month, off for two, back to the gym a bit and so forth. If I start something, I do it extremely well; the best (at least the effort as "best" is an arguable term). So I AM READY to eat every 2 hours, cook (I HATE COOKING!), work out for hours a day, get up at night for some protein if necessary and just in sum, do everything (well, besides drugs) needed to get into the shape I desire within a reasonable amount of time. Once I post full body photos here and get the BF %, I guess an estimate will be easier for you, the experts, to speculate. I though want to see visible result and compliment on the changes from others (that is real proof of change in my eyes; when others notice) in 2 months max. In 6 months though, I want to look like I have been at it for years. Is this possible to achieve naturally?
The way I see it is like this: If you run faster, you'll get to your destination quicker or within a shorter amount of time. I am willing to "run faster," yet understand the theories of limits when it comes to trying to make one's body do something it does not want to do; shape up.
Watch for my posts tonight around 8/9 p.m. and thank you for the replies!
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
Originally posted by Anna Kubit: I will know my body fat tonight (will stop by the gym to find out). Yet, I have heard that depending on the person testing the body fat (I think the pinch test), results can have variance of up to about 10% (per my friend Mark; a professional body builder). Any comments on the validity of this??? The immersion in water test is supposed to be more precise, but regarding its cost/procedure/precision, I know little to none about.
In summary, yes the caliper method results can vary widely depending on operator and experience. Make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing and understands where and how to accurately get skinfolds. In many of the 'mass market' health clubs, many who perform this test have no idea what they are doing.
here are some tips for you. I follow these myself. if it helps great!
1. eat at least three times per day (4,5,6 is better). if you eat less often than this your body will interpret it as underfeeding (even if you eat one very large meal per day), and will adapt by more efficiently extracting calories from the infrequent meals.
2.Eat a variety of foods at each meal to assure optimal nutrtion.
3.prepare the entire meal before sitting down to eat, and eat only what you have prepared.
4.Eat slowly in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere and eat complex carbs first.
5.use chopsticks; this will slow you down until you become proficient at that skill. then chew your food at least ten times.
6.Include plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains,
7.establish regular and predictable eating patterns, and stick to them.
8. Don't go out to eat; you may have a tendency to splurge and there are hiden calories in almost all restaurant foods, especially fast foods.
9. The following foods should be eliminated from the diet
a. junk food, chips, candy, soda, ice cream, etc. should be the first to go
b.fats; fried foods,butter, whole milk (use skim), mayonaise etc.
c.simple carbohydrates; sugars and sweets
d.highly processed or prepared foods. these are usually high in sodium and fat with little nutritional value
e.alcohol (sorry)
f.Be careful with red meats, high in fat and chemicals.
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Doesn\'t cross training sound like something Jesus could have benefited from?
Welcome to the forums! Your drive detailed questions are much appreciated. And judging from your pictures, you don't have far to go [img]smile.gif[/img]
I think the most important thing to begin with is to start a food log. 60-100 g carbs/day isn't really that much, and you might actually be getting a lot more than you think from sources like bread and sugar. So go to Fitday.com and get an account (free). It really doesn't take much time to log your meals, and it's a real eye-opener.
It's real good news that you're not a newbie to lifting/exercise. Given your solid muscle base and lifting experience, you have a distinct advantage over most people.
Your lifting routine looks very good already. But you might post your workout in the Training Discussion part of this forum for some of the experts like JP, Lou, or Adam to peruse.
If you want to burn fat quickly, there's no better way than sprint/interval training. An example would be 30 sec maximum sprints on a stationary bike with 1:30 recovery (slower), totaling about 5-8 sprints (ca. 25 minutes). If you add this to your weight training 3Xweek, then you would be on the fast track to fat loss.
As far as your diet, I would suggest a basal daily calorie intake of around 1200 k/cal. Then you would add the calories burned during a workout using the fitday estimates, or similar estimates from calculators like caloriesperhour.com. Just don't go overboard with these calculators and start adding random stuff like office copying. Stick to the real workouts. So, for example, if you burned 400 calories during your workout, you would eat around 1700 calories for the day. This should put you in a sufficient caloric deficit to burn the fat, without starving the muscles, which will themselves help burn the fat.
You should also try to venture into ‘real’ food protein, in addition to your powdered protein. As a time saver, I’ll cook a few pounds of chicken breast in the oven (25 minutes at 400 degrees F) Sunday night, then put them individually in ziplocks to eat throughout the week. Just pop them in the microwave and you’re all set.
Also watch out for empty carbs. In general, you will want to minimize carbohydrate intake during most meals of the day and feed the body most of the carbs during the 6 hour recovery period. Reason being is that your body will use the carbs post workout to refill glycogen stores and recover from the workout, rather than storing them as fat.
The protein content of the post-workout period is critical. You’ll want to consume a liquid recovery drink with about a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. So about 20 grams of soy or whey protein, together with 40 grams of simple carbs, like a Gatorade.
It’s great that you already love things like cottage cheese, eggs, and oatmeal. These are some of the lean eater’s staples! Now the only thing to do is make sure your getting adequate protein, carbs from good sources, micronutrients from fresh veggies and fruit, a good fatty-acid profile high in omega-3’s, and a sufficient caloric deficit to burn the fat. You might want to go out and get some fish oil capsules and some flax oil – both good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. By replacing bad fats like certain saturated fats and hydrogenated oils with good fats like omega-3’s, you’ll see enormous benefits in terms of body composition.
Here’s a sample menu for you if you work out in the evening. You can see most of your carbohydrates are eaten post workout.
8am Breakfast – 6 egg white omelet with 1-cup veggies (like chopped onions and peppers) and 1 piece of fat free cheese.
10am Snack – Protein shake in water with 2 tsp flaxseed oil
12pm Lunch – 3oz Chicken breast and large salad topped with fat free cottage cheese, and 4 fish oil capsules
2pm Snack – 3 slices turkey breast and a small handful of walnuts
4pm-6pm during workout – Glucose-electrolyte beverage like Gatorade
6pm Post-workout – Liquid drink containing 20 g fast digesting protein (like whey) and 40g of simple carbohydrate (like Gatorade)
8pm Dinner – 4oz salmon fillet or lean ground beef, large salad, medium sized baked yam, fish oil capsules
10pm Snack before bed – Lowfat cottage cheese with chopped pineapple.
I hope this helps, and I’m sure there will be more things I’ll think of later.
I will start using/reading the sites you sent me this weekend. ver most people.
“Your lifting routine looks very good already. If you want to burn fat quickly, there's no better way than sprint/interval training. An example would be 30 sec maximum sprints on a stationary bike with 1:30 recovery (slower), totaling about 5-8 sprints (ca. 25 minutes). If you add this to your weight training 3Xweek, then you would be on the fast track to fat loss.” Do I do this at the end of the workout? At the beginning? Between weight sets?
“…sufficient caloric deficit to burn the fat, without starving the muscles, which will themselves help burn the fat.” What is a sufficient caloric deficit? Explain in more detail please.
“I’ll cook a few pounds of chicken breast in the oven (25 minutes at 400 degrees F) Sunday night, then put them individually in ziplocks to eat throughout the week. Just pop them in the microwave and you’re all set.” How exactly do you cook this? I am blind when it comes to cooking. Please give me more specific instructions… Isn’t chicken from the grill the best?
“Also watch out for empty carbs.” What are empty carbs?
“In general, you will want to minimize carbohydrate intake during most meals of the day and feed the body most of the carbs during the 6 hour recovery period. Reason being is that your body will use the carbs post workout to refill glycogen stores and recover from the workout, rather than storing them as fat.” Johnka, I sometimes workout very late: Example from 9-10 p.m.: if I do this, how should my diet look (please rewrite). I heard it is best not to eat 3 hrs. before sleep. I workout, shower and go to sleep…
“…or whey protein, together with 40 grams of simple carbs, like a Gatorade.” Not too much of carbs that late at night, especially if I am going to sleep right after?
“micronutrients” What are they?
“…from fresh veggies and fruit” Fruit is bad to eat at night, right? Because it turns to glucose if not worked off and into fat? Correct?
“…fatty-acid profile high in omega-3’s, and a sufficient caloric deficit to burn the fat. You might want to go out and get some fish oil capsules and some flax oil – both good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.” If trying to lose the fat, shouldn’t I try to eliminate it all? Meaning, why consume fat if trying to lose it? Please explain…
“8am Breakfast – 6 egg white omelet with 1-cup veggies (like chopped onions and peppers) and 1 piece of fat free cheese.” Too much food for me. Normally I have one egg in the morning and little cottage cheese… Please advise….
“10am Snack – Protein shake in water with 2 tsp flaxseed oil” Why this oil?
“6pm Post-workout – Liquid drink containing 20 g fast digesting protein (like whey) and 40g of simple carbohydrate (like Gatorade)” Not too much carbs if going to sleep right after? Advise, please.
“8pm Dinner – 4oz salmon fillet or lean ground beef, large salad, medium sized baked yam, fish oil capsules” Because I work out late, this would mean dinner at midnight or later…. Please advise/change this diet for me.
“10pm Snack before bed – Lowfat cottage cheese with chopped pineapple.” Necessary if I work out late?
Johnka, thank you so much! Very useful! I just do not know anything much about foods/vitamins/cooking so please be verrry specific in the future.
Thank you again!
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
I'm going to disagree with my friend Johnka and suggest a pretty serious overhaul of your workout.
You're doing a bodybuilding program, but you aren't a bodybuilder. I think those programs are a waste of time for just about everybody except bodybuilders who are already lean and trying to refine and reshape what's already been built.
You need to create more of a metabolic effect from your training. Curls and flies don't do that. I know this doesn't work as dramatically in women as in men, but muscle is muscle. The bigger the muscles you work, the better the effect you get.
So here's what I'd suggest:
Monday/Thursday:
Squat/stepup supersets
Start with a light set of barbell squats, maybe 15 reps. (You could do it without any weight, since you're just warming up.) Follow with the same # of stepups with each leg, without any weight.
The key to the stepups is to use a fairly high step. Let's say your left foot's on the step. You want the top of your left thigh parallel to the floor, and you want to be up on the toe of your right foot.
Push down with your left heel to lift yourself up on the step. You can do all the reps with one leg, then an equal # with the other, or alternate. (Alternating is more metabolically taxing, but it's also much, much harder on your knees, so you have to use your own judgment there.)
Now, do 3 sets of 5-6 squats, with fairly challenging weights, and follow each immediately with 10-12 stepups with each leg.
Rest about 60 seconds between supersets.
After those 3 supersets, I want you to reduce the weight on the squats, and do a set of 6-8 jump squats. Just a regular squat, except you jump as you come up out of the squat. (Don't descend as low; stop short of parallel.)
Then do a set of 6-8 reps (each leg) of explosive stepups. You probably want to use a lower step. In other words, push down so hard with that left heel that it comes up off the step, and both feet then land on the step.
(Normally, if performance were the goal, I'd have you do these explosive sets at the beginning of the program, when you're fresh. But what I want here is for your body to do the hardest thing when the muscles are exhausted; I'm looking for some extraordinary protein breakdown within your body's biggest muscles, which should give you a more dramatic post-workout metabolic effect.)
Dumbbell swing/pullover supersets
Next I want you to do an old-time exercise called dumbbell swings, but in a different way. Rather than doing it fast, I want you to do it slowly.
Hold a dumbbell with both hands between your legs, knees bent, butt back, tight core. Now, slowly rise and pull that dumbbell up to about chest level, keeping your arms straight and core tight.
Here's the key to the exercise: As you come up out of the squat, rotate your pelvis backward. It's almost like you're a Chippendales dancer, doing a pelvic thrust. We're working your lower abs here, so that part's important.
At the end of the set, put down the DB, stand up as tall as you can, rotate your pelvis backward again, pull your lower abs in as tight as you can, and walk backwards 10 steps, without releasing your lower abs.
Superset that with pullovers. You can do them however you want (barbell, 1 DB, 2 DBs, cable--just don't do them on that damned pullover machine), but here's what I want you to focus on: As you pull the weight up over your chest, crunch your abs a little. This is probably the most underrated ab exercise on earth, and as a bonus you get to work your upper body and arms a bit.
I suggest 3-4 supersets, maybe 6-8 reps each set of each exercise. (And the backwards steps, of course.)
Next, I want you to do 5 minutes of planks and other static-hold core exercises (pushup holds, side planks, that Pilates exercise--forget what it's called--where you form a V with your torso and legs and hold it).
Then do the intervals that Johnka described.
Tuesday/Friday:
I want you to do chest presses and 1-arm dumbbell rows the exact same way I described the squat/stepup supersets.
I'd prefer you do the chest presses with DBs, but you can do them with a barbell.
Here's how to do the rows (I just got this one from Alwyn Cosgrove, for our new book): Stand holding a DB in your left hand. Bend forward at the hips, with your right hand behind your back. Now do the rows with your left arm, then repeat the set with your right arm.
Now, for the final superset, the explosive component, do plyometric pushups from your knees. That is, push up so hard your hands come off the floor.
Here's how to do the row equivalent:
Hold a light DB at arm's length, between your legs, and instead of rowing, do a lateral raise, but come up so hard that the weight comes out of your hand at the end. Catch it, then go immediately into the next rep.
It's the opposite of catch-and-release fishing; it's release-and-catch. It's a whole-body, 1-arm lateral raise.
Next, I want you to do standing dumbbell shoulder presses, but slowly, with a tight core.
At the end of your set, hold the weights overhead, and walk forward, backward, in figure-8s, whatever you can do, for 20-30 steps. You can make it harder by doing it up on your toes. I just want you to keep your core tight, tight, tight as you do this.
Now go to lat pulldowns, and do equal sets and reps, but I want you to do them slowly, and I want you to squat over the seat, rather than sit with the pad over your knees. I want you to feel every rep go right through your lats to your hips.
After that, for ab work, I want you to do rotational exercises, my favorite being windshield wipers, or tick-tocks, or lateral leg lowering, or whatever you want to call them. Lie on your back, arms straight out perpendicular to your torso, and lower your legs to the left and then the right.
At the end of the workout, I'd recommend some steady-pace cardio, not strenuous. Just burn some calories.
Try this workout for 2-3 weeks.
Here's my rationale:
If bodybuilding were going to work for you, it would've already. You seem to have a lot of muscle, but perhaps it's not working hard enough for you.
My guess, from looking at your workout, is that you're doing way too much stuff, but it's just not difficult enough to get the effect you want.
The fact that you are taking this apart piece-by-piece tells me that you're very serious about this. So let's get started on your questions:
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Interval Training: Do I do this at the end of the workout? At the beginning? Between weight sets?
You'll find people who suggest doing interval training (otherwise known as HIIT - "High Intensity Interval Training") at the beginning of a workout, and those who suggest doing it at the end of a workout. I would definitely follow Lou Schuler's advice on the workout plan, and incorporate HIIT as he directed.
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What is a sufficient caloric deficit? Explain in more detail please.
Basically you want to burn more calories than you're eating. At the same time, you don't want to reduce calories so much that you're starving yourself. A good goal to shoot for is to stay in a deficit of around 500 calories per day, which translates to losing 1 lb of fat per week. In reality, you may or may not lose more than 1 lb the first week of going on a diet, depending on how much water your body loses. This is another important thing - drink plenty of water. Shoot for a gallon a day of fresh, cold water.
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How exactly do you cook this? I am blind when it comes to cooking. Please give me more specific instructions… Isn’t chicken from the grill the best?
If you have a grill, it definitely makes the chicken taste better. But it's pretty simple: put the raw chicken breasts on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic if you have it, pop in the oven at 400 degrees, and 25 minutes later they are ready to go.
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What are empty carbs?
Stuff like sugar or sugar alcohol, which don't serve many purposes, don't fill you up so you're more likely to over-eat, and they are more likely to be transformed to fat.
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Johnka, I sometimes workout very late: Example from 9-10 p.m.: if I do this, how should my diet look (please rewrite).
I'll work on this one and get back to you later.
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I heard it is best not to eat 3 hrs. before sleep. I workout, shower and go to sleep…
If you workout at night, the best scenario would be to partition your calories appropriately throughout the day so that you are still allowed to eat later at night. In other words, if you're shooting for 1600 calories for the day, leave 600 of those for your post-workout shake and a small meal before bed. It is a myth that eating late at night will turn to fat - this will only happen if you've already eaten your maintenance calories earlier, and the night food is just surplus calories. It is much better to nourish your body after a workout, as it aids recovery, and this is exactly the time when your body is least likely to store fat.
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“micronutrients” What are they?
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals found in fruits and veggies that provide an enormous amount of benefits - they decrease the risk of cancer, and enhance your body composition. Shoot for four hundred grams of fresh fruits and veggies a day - this is just over 14 ounces, which equates to one bell pepper, two handfuls of mushrooms, an apple, one salad of mixed greens, a handful of chopped broccoli, and a small bowl of steamed spinach.
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Fruit is bad to eat at night, right? Because it turns to glucose if not worked off and into fat? Correct?
Again, eating at night is only bad if you're eating surplus calories. If you've worked-out late, and you're in a large caloric deficit, fruit at night is a good thing.
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If trying to lose the fat, shouldn’t I try to eliminate it all? Meaning, why consume fat if trying to lose it? Please explain…
Dietary fat does not translate to body fat. Dietary fat is necessary for optimal hormonal balance, cellular health, immune system functioning, insulin sensitivity in the muscles, and actually aids in reducing bodyfat if you're smart about your diet. The goal is to get sufficient fat in your diet, and get a balance of good fats like fish oil and olive oil.
Here is a link describing good and bad fats: http://www.ctradvmed.com/html/articles-didyouhave.htm
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Too much food for me. Normally I have one egg in the morning and little cottage cheese… Please advise….
The yolk of the egg is full of saturated fat and cholesterol. The white of the egg is all protein. So 6 egg whites only has 10 more calories than a single whole egg, and the whites provide 21 grams of protein, rather than 7 grams of protein in the whole egg. 6 egg whites really isn't much, and the veggies are very healthy.
Don't get hung up on numbers Anna. Ideal for you is wherever you happen to be when you get the look you want.
FYI, the average man has 15 to 17% body fat, while the average woman is between 18 and 22%. Typical scores for elite athletes are 6% to 12% for men and 12% to 20% for women. If, as a woman you get too low (I've heard around 12-13% or less), you'll wreak havok, with your hormones and your menstrual cycle.
And yes, HIIT combined with a good resistance program, along with careful monitoring of your diet will be the best and quickest way to drop the extra fat.
Originally posted by Anna Kubit: Johnka, I sometimes workout very late: Example from 9-10 p.m.: if I do this, how should my diet look (please rewrite).
Anna
Here's a revised plan for a late workout, which is nearly the same. And again, don't worry about the 'carbs at night' myth (see my statements above).
8am Breakfast – 6 egg white omelet with 1-cup veggies (like chopped onions and peppers) and 1 piece of fat free cheese.
10am Snack – Protein shake in water with 2 tsp flaxseed oil
12pm Lunch – 3oz Chicken breast and large salad topped with fat free cottage cheese, and 4 fish oil capsules
2pm Snack – 3 slices turkey breast and a small handful of walnuts
5pm – 4oz salmon fillet (or lean ground beef, large salad & fish oil capsules), steamed spinach with lemon juice.
8pm - pre-workout meal: oatmeal - boil 1/2 cup dry plain (unsweetened) old-fashioned oats, remove from heat, add cinnamon, Splenda, and 1 scoop (20g) vanilla or chocolate protein powder.
9-10pm workout - during the workout sip on a liquid drink containing 20 g fast digesting protein (like whey) and 40g of simple carbohydrate (like Gatorade)
11pm Snack before bed – Lowfat cottage cheese with chopped pineapple.
quote:Originally posted by Johnka:
8am Breakfast – 6 egg white omelet with 1-cup veggies (like chopped onions and peppers) and 1 piece of fat free cheese.
Hmm... Which kind of cheese? There are so many types! Did you mean Cottage cheese here? Should I eat yellow cheese here (which brand?)???
Please clarify!
Thank you!
ANNA [/quote]Here you go:
I also noticed your question about oatmeal in another thread. I listed a recipe above for oatmeal sweetened and flavored with Splenda, cinnamon, and protein powder.
although not an exact science, most nutritionists agree that an athlete/bodybuilder should follow the 3:2:1 rule when trying to lose bodyfat and or increase lean muscle mass. you should eat carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in a 3:2:1 ratio. That is three times more carbohydrats than fat, and twice as much protein as fat. using myself as an example
1,200 calories from carbs
800 from protein
400 from fat
To begin to understand how to determine how many calories per meal should be consumed, start by dividing your calories relatively throughout thd day over four to six meals.
activity also plays an important role in how many calories should be consumed at certain times of the day. it makes sense to eat more before times of activity and less before times of rest or low activity. with this in mind, you should try to eat your largest meal before exercise and your smallest meal before bed. you should eat more calories in the morning and your meals should become progressively lower in calories throughout the day. Also make sure you get enough water. water flushes out metabolic waste and is essential to achieve maximum recovery between workouts.
MEAL PLAN (using me as an example)
Start by dividing you calories into six meals. add thirty percent of your last meal's calories to the first meal. for example
220 pound bodybuilder
5000 kcal/six meals=833 kcal per meal
833 kcalx.30=250 kcal(833+250=1083)
The first meal should consist of 1083 kcal(breakfast should always be the largest). meals two through five should consists of 833 kcal. dinner should always be the smallest. the last meal should contain 583 kcal. your post workout meal should contain fifty grams of protein, 100 grams of carbohyrdates within one hour of your workout. The rest of the meals should be consumed every two to three hours.
if you are trying to increase lean muscle mass, increase your protein by 10 percent per month, and increase carbohydrate intake by 5 percent per month. if youare trying to lose fat, do plenty of aerobic exercise and consume less starchy carbs.
this is what works for me. if it can help you cool!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Anna Kubit: Awesome! I will try all these tips and advice! ;o)
I just don't know if I will be able to put up with counting calories... So many meals; tracking calories will require lots of time.
Well, I will give it my best shot ;o)
Thank you again!
Anna
fitday.com makes it easier, especially if you eat thessame basic foods every day. You can go into "recent foods" and track them that way...it also gets easier as you use it more.
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