New to this: could use some help with diet please.

[Chilbessa]

I was at the gym yesterday. A friend said I should cut out all sugar, bread and fried foods. I certainly understand the sugar and fried foods, but why bread? Also, they said no starches at all. They also told me not to eat fruit (fructose) at all. I would like a second opinion. Could someone help with this?

[Iron-T]

Well, i assume your goal is to loose fat !?
They were right to advise you to stay away from excess sugars, processed and fried foods. All things that are low in nutrients and won't do your health ( or waist ) any good in the long run.
Starches ( such as bread, pasta...) are mostly calorie dense foods and most are stripped of the nutrients...white braed, white pasta, enriched flours..etc. This means their GI ( glycemic index = rate of which your body converts sugars) goes up. In other words : these foods contain little or no fiber and will raise your bloodsugar ( insulin ) fast, which can promote fat storage .
A better approach is to limit yourself to whole grains ( at least 4 grams of fiber per serving ) earlier in the day and then switch to vegeables. Fruit such as grapefruit, orange or an apple are fine as they are low glycemic . Eat plenty of lean protein such as skinless chickenbreast, egg whites and fish. Avoid saturated fats. If you need to 'add' fats to your diet use ( in moderate amounts !!) olive oil, raw unsalted nuts, flax seeds or all natural peanut butter.

[LIL-ONE]

whats your workout routine??..this is a big factor in making up a diet that will fit you

[Chilbessa]

Iron - T:
Your suggestions are very appreciated.


Also below I listed my workout and my size, could you give a few suggestions regarding that as well.

Thanks a lot!!!

Chilbessa

[Chilbessa]

LIL-ONE

My workout program:

Mon: 30 min slow cardio on incline of about 10
Arms, back, chest, bi-ceps, tri-ceps

Tues: 30 minutes cardio
Legs

Wed: Rest muscles
30 - minutes cardio

Thurs: 30 min cardio
Arms

Fri: 30 min cardio
Legs
Sat and Sun off for work

Anyway, I don't know what this will get me, it's been about a year since I've done anything for my health. I weigh around 140 lbs, I'm 5'5" but seem to hold my weight well. If you could make suggestions regarding a workout plan that may be better, please do.

Thanks a lot,
Chilbessa

[LIL-ONE]

your on the right track and you have the right motivation and dedication however i think your routine may be a little off...
on monday your are doing too many body parts... you might as well spread your routine thin throughout the 5 days that you use to workout...and by thin i dont mean workout litely...i mean workout hard but less muscle in one day..
i also didnt see shoulder mentioned? is there a reason you left it out..if not you are missing an important muscle group!
do you do cardio before weight lifting? if so what are your reasons?
all of this factors into your diet greatly...first get a good workout routine down...then fit your diet for whats needed for you.
try this routine(its a very simple, basic but beneficial routine):

monday:chest/tris then cardio
tuesday:shoulders/abs then cardio
wednesday: cardio
thursday:back/bis then cardio
friday: legs(hams,quadsand calves) then cardio

this routine is spaced out so each muscle has time to rest and recover before it is worked out again...it also spreads it out a little better so you have more time on each body part and can get a better workout..which leads to better quicker results

as for your diet let me know what times of the day you workout...let me know which routine your going to follow and in which order you do weight lifting and cardio. your weight and hieght is also an important factor..so if you need help just give me the info and i'll help you out my best!

[freaker]

Originally posted by Chilbessa
I was at the gym yesterday. A friend said I should cut out all sugar, bread and fried foods. I certainly understand the sugar and fried foods, but why bread? Also, they said no starches at all. They also told me not to eat fruit (fructose) at all. I would like a second opinion. Could someone help with this?

I disagree with the cutting all starches idea out. You do want to cut out high glycemic carbs, but good foods like sweet potatos and oatmeal actually have starches. Starchy carbs in moderation, especially earlier in the day can help you lose fat. As far as the fruit thing, if you're on a hardcore fat-loss diet, you might want to avoid fruit, but I think a little bit of fruit or fruit juice can be good either before or after a workout.

[Chilbessa]

LIL-ONE:

I will try your work-out ideas. I have been a little tired working all those parts in a day.

Can you give me some ideas about chest and shoulders - free weights preferably?

I do shoulders, but only 3 sets of 15, 12 lb - lateral raises.

I am 5'5". I weight 140 lb. T-shape.

I usually work out around lunch time; except thursdays, I work out in the afternoon.

I usually get plenty of water throughout the day. I take a Primrose and Flax seed oil supplement most days for EFA oils and A multivitamin daily.

7:00 am - I drink protien in the mornings with a little fiber added in my coffee.
I usually eat a little oatmeal or bran w/milk
10:00 - I will usually have an apple or orange a couple hours later; or instead I will eat celery w/peanut butter or cucumbers or green peppers with vinegar and oil.
In the afternoon - exercise.
Then an after workout Protien shake
3:00 - Then tuna salad or chicken salad with wheat bread at lunch., w/tomatoes, onions. Some lunches I will have green beans or pinto beans or lima beans; with grilled chicken. Cucumber salad.
5:30 - 6:30 - I will have a can of tuna or a protien bar.
I usually don't eat anything else that day - unless I am famished, then I will eat some pinapple or another protien bar.

Too much food? I'm getting hungry now. Since I started working out again, I am very hungry; but don't feel comfortable eating junk food anymore though.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

[Hibiscus09]

Chilbessa,

I superset lateral raises, front raises, & rear delts. Shrugs are another dumbell exercise for shoulders as is the military press. I also use either cables or a bar (but you can also use dumbells) to do upright rows.

Additionally, oatmeal, sweet potatoes & whole grains are very good for you. Just switch over to fibrous veggie carbs for later in the day.

[LIL-ONE]

for shoulders i would suggest starting w/seated dumbell presses as your first exercise because thats the hardest...for me these have worked the best so far... for chest i do incline flys and incline dumbell presses as a chic i tend to work the upper chest out more but i also switch off w/regular chest exercises such as bench press etc. your not eating too much but what do you eat before bed? ...if you want to start taking things a little more seriously since diet is very important you should be counting your calories and keeping the right protein/carb/fat ratio. if you need help doing this let me know...

[Jean]

You definately need carbs. You will have absolutely no energy if you don't and then you can't successfully lift. Just make sure that you make smart choices - potatos, brown rice, oatm
eal. Watch out for pastas. I eat oatmeal and potatos or rice earlier in the day and then switch to green veggies after 3pm.
Try having a shake or egg whites before going to bed. That is a long period of time for your body to go without food.

I also agree that you need to work less muscle in a day. That is way too much. The most I have ever done is a 3 day on, 1 day off split that included a split of chest/shoudlers/tris, back and bis and legs. I usually switch up my splits every 6 weeks to 2 months so that my muscles get confused.

[LIL-ONE]

TRY A HIGH CARB POWER BAR PRE WORKOUT...HIGH CARB/PROTEIN..AND SOME SUGAR..POST WORKOUT...THE REST OF THE DAY YOU SHOULD BE UPPING YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE AS WELL AS CARBS IN ORDER TO GAIN MUSCLE MASS... BEFORE BED..EITHER TAKE A SLOW RELEASE PROTEIN SUCH AS GLYCERLEAN,NIGHT CHARGER ETC...OR TAKE REGULAR PROTEIN WITH SOME FIBER TO SLOW DOWN DIGESTION...YOU DONT WANT TO FALL INTO A CATABOLIC STATE WHILE SLEEPING SINCE YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR LIFE SLEEPING, DONT WASTE IT!

[LadyTrex]

I do my cardio before lifting also....seems to warm me up and get me loose .... is the way I was taught.....I also do about 10-15 minutes on the bike or the treadmill at a pretty lazy pace as kinda a cool down after lifting....

[Chilbessa]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have changed up my diet some and added a little more brown rice, oatmeal and sweet potatoes earlier in the day. I have cut out all sugar and fried foods. I only eat whole wheat bread now as well. I enjoy these foods more, and on top of that I have energy now. I had no idea you could feel this good. I used to eat fattening and nutrition void meals often, so i can definitely tell the difference. My grades in tech school have improved as well, making an A on my last test.

Is there any recipes out there for highly nutritious,low fat, moderate carb meals? Anyone interested in juicers or know something about it?

What about Protein and Fiber mixed, and how?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I am learning so much!!! Thanks!