I need help with my diet!!!!

[stynfocusd08]

Well basically I am not sure what to do about my diet. I need advise from women!!! All the bodybuilders I know are men! And the advise they gave me didn't workout so well and I am still a little bit confused.
Here are some questions I have....

1. How many calories should I be eating? Prot/fat and carbs~ should it be 40/20/20( I think thats the ratio)?
I am 5'3" and 207lbs...ugh! I want to lose and average of 3lbs per week. I want to get down to somewhere between 120-140lbs....once I get down there I will then decide how much I want to weigh. I was 130lbs in high school and was kinda flabby and thought I was fat. So we will see...I might want to get down more...but first things first, I want to achieve my short-term goals!

2. How many times a day should I be eating?
I like to eat about 4-5 times during the day.

3. Is it better (for max. weight loss) to eat breakfast before a cardio session in the morning or wait till after?
Personally, I like to get up @ 6am and do cardio

4. (A non-diet related question) How much cardio should I do everyday? I would like to do about 45-60 mins a day, 5-6 days a week. Is this good for weight loss? Should I do more?

Any help would be great! I feel sooo lost when it comes to the diet. I am going to get some suppliments too. I think I know what I am going to get but any advise on that would be helpful too! Thank You!

[needforchange]

I'm new as well so I don't have a whole lot of advice. All I know is I promise you shouldn't have a 40/20/20 ratio being that adds up to 80%! ;-) I something like 40/40/20 (pro, carbs, fat) is often recommended, although that can very a bit too depending on what works best for you.

[Lckymii]

1) go to www.hotnfit.com use the calculators to get a general idea of where you need to be. Try to eat at that amount for 3 weeks. If you see no changes re-evaluate. (for help you can post here again or pm me)
Weight is very subjective and not a good gauge to go by. If I were you I would focus more on appearance. As you said you were at a certain weight and still thought you were flabby, the proof is in the pudding, if you weighed150 and look like a rock solid hot mamma then who cares what the scale says?

2) 4-5 times a day is fine. Some people eat 3 times, others 6 or more. Really this depends on your schedule and what works best for you.

3) There is no magic way to do cardio. Eating will not hurt before hand. If you like to eat and then do cardio then do it. Also time of day does not matter. The focus should be get the exercise in when you can and kick ass doing it. Also please say you plan to do weights too! I would really recommend that you do this for your weight loss maximizing potential!!
(again the www.hotnfit.com site has great routines and guidelines, also the book the new rules of lifting for women is a great resource and has many programs that will grow with you. I have used it and have really enjoyed it.)

4) If I were you I would not start out with that much cardio. First get that diet in check. Without a good sound diet for your goals you may as well quit now.
Second design a weight program or snag a weight program for newbies and do it as directed (nothing complicated or focused you can start with basic exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, ect.).
Third do a moderate amount of cardio if any at all to start out with. Right now you are new, you can take advantage of the flux you are going to put your body through to take things easy for a couple of months. You will drop the weight especially if your diet is on cue.

Most importantly: do not get so jacked up that you cut calories so drastically that you can't function or exercise like a mad woman and burn yourself out. Sure it is good to be that motivated but you want long term results, and you want good results. So be smart about your program, have patience and treat your body with respect. It will work with you if you treat it right.

And if you have any questions there are tons of ladies here, me included that would be more than happy to help you out. We have all started somewhere just like you. (also for motivation you could start a journal. We would love to have you!!)

[Delphene]

1. How many calories should I be eating? Prot/fat and carbs~ should it be 40/20/20( I think thats the ratio)?
I am 5'3" and 207lbs...ugh! I want to lose and average of 3lbs per week. I want to get down to somewhere between 120-140lbs....once I get down there I will then decide how much I want to weigh. I was 130lbs in high school and was kinda flabby and thought I was fat. So we will see...I might want to get down more...but first things first, I want to achieve my short-term goals!

----> 1700-ish calories would put you in a relative caloric deficit and be sustainable. The BIGGEST and most unnegotiable rule is to never eat a carb without a protein. you may have to experiment with your carb-set point. Meaning if you are eating too many starchy carbs, your body will let you know because you will be hungry even after you just ate, and you will crave certain types of foods. just keep reducing your carb counts per meal until you don't experience these symptoms. everyone is different. some people are very carb sensitive and thus their carbs are lower than someone else. I coach girls to stage and their diets are all different based on this feedback...namely hunger issues and/or cravings.

2. How many times a day should I be eating?
I like to eat about 4-5 times during the day.

----> 5 times a day is best. Every 3 hours consume a mini meal.

3. Is it better (for max. weight loss) to eat breakfast before a cardio session in the morning or wait till after?
Personally, I like to get up @ 6am and do cardio

----> the jury is out on this one. I love morning cardio on an empty stomach but some can't handle it. In the long run it doesn't seem to make a difference. I just find it sets my day.

4. (A non-diet related question) How much cardio should I do everyday? I would like to do about 45-60 mins a day, 5-6 days a week. Is this good for weight loss? Should I do more?

----> I suggest 1 hour steady-state everyday, non-negotiable. If using one peice of equipment, change how you use it. for instance...on the Treadmill: do incline power walk and then do flat walking lunges slow and deliberate then back to incline walk. "different" and "change" is best for cardio as well as weight training.

Any help would be great! I feel sooo lost when it comes to the diet. I am going to get some suppliments too. I think I know what I am going to get but any advise on that would be helpful too! Thank You!

[stynfocusd08]

I read everyones advise...Thank You! And yes...I screwed up on the 40/20/20 thing That is only 80! lol! I wrote down your suggestions! Also,
I checked out the hotnfit website...very cool.
Thanks so much!
Chris

[dvsness]

Originally Posted by stynfocusd08

Well basically I am not sure what to do about my diet. I need advise from women!!! All the bodybuilders I know are men! And the advise they gave me didn't workout so well and I am still a little bit confused.
Here are some questions I have....

1. How many calories should I be eating? Prot/fat and carbs~ should it be 40/20/20( I think thats the ratio)?
I am 5'3" and 207lbs...ugh! I want to lose and average of 3lbs per week. I want to get down to somewhere between 120-140lbs....once I get down there I will then decide how much I want to weigh. I was 130lbs in high school and was kinda flabby and thought I was fat. So we will see...I might want to get down more...but first things first, I want to achieve my short-term goals!

I do not recommend going lower than 10xbw in lbs.

Originally Posted by stynfocusd08

2. How many times a day should I be eating?
I like to eat about 4-5 times during the day.

I like 5-6x/day.

Originally Posted by stynfocusd08

3. Is it better (for max. weight loss) to eat breakfast before a cardio session in the morning or wait till after?
Personally, I like to get up @ 6am and do cardio

I prefer fasted AM cardio or PWO cardio. If you do fasted cardio, you may want to take some aminos first.

Originally Posted by stynfocusd08

4. (A non-diet related question) How much cardio should I do everyday? I would like to do about 45-60 mins a day, 5-6 days a week. Is this good for weight loss? Should I do more?

Ramp it up. Start with 30 minutes per session for a week and then add 5 minutes to your sessions each week.

Originally Posted by stynfocusd08

Any help would be great! I feel sooo lost when it comes to the diet. I am going to get some suppliments too. I think I know what I am going to get but any advise on that would be helpful too! Thank You!

Get the diet and training factors in order first - LIFTING is key - and then we'll talk supps.

[trainwithrae]

for a beginner, an hour a day 7 days a week is a bit much.

dvsness has some great advice. You want to start things gradually so that you can maintain your level of activity for the long term.

Once you find out your caloric range you can plan your meals accordingly. Keep a food journal as well!

[littlred67]

I think you really need to make sure you are lifting weights regularly. For me it has been way more productive then cardio.

I would take the carbs lower too and up the protein if you start to lift. Try one thing at a time for a few weeks and watch the results to see if it is working for you. Women's bodies are so different and so we need to see what works for us individually depending on where we are in life.
Good luck

[stynfocusd08]

Things are really starting to come together for me! Thank You! Its definatly a learning process but I am really enjoying it! Learning how to take care of my body so it will take care of me!