Diet Critique

[Lizzy78]

Hello everyone,
I am 28 yrs old, 145 lbs, 5'7". I am trying to lose some of my body fat and have been using the following diet example each day. I do 30 min cardio 3X week, and also weight training (parts split) 3 X week. Do you think i am eating too little, too much, or what? I drink water or unsweetened tea with my meals.

Breakfast- english muffin with low fat cream cheese, or 1 1/2 cup oats
snack- apple or banana
lunch- 1 cup low fat soup and sandwich, or lean cuisine meal
snack- another piece of fruit, or 1 cup cereal with skim milk
dinner- lean cuisine meal or 1 skinless grilled chic breast with 1 cup veggies
snack- protein shake or cottage cheese.

[ozigal]

Hello everyone,
I am 28 yrs old, 145 lbs, 5'7". I am trying to lose some of my body fat and have been using the following diet example each day. I do 30 min cardio 3X week, and also weight training (parts split) 3 X week. Do you think i am eating too little, too much, or what? I drink water or unsweetened tea with my meals.

Breakfast- english muffin with low fat cream cheese, or 1 1/2 cup oats
snack- apple or banana
lunch- 1 cup low fat soup and sandwich, or lean cuisine meal
snack- another piece of fruit, or 1 cup cereal with skim milk
dinner- lean cuisine meal or 1 skinless grilled chic breast with 1 cup veggies
snack- protein shake or cottage cheese.

how many cals are you taking in (at a glance it doesn't look like very much)? Find out your maintenance (remember to factor exercise into it) and subtract 300 for cutting. Here are some guidelines to tidy up your diet:

eat a complete protein+ complex carb+ fat with EVERY meal except pre and post workout (whey+ oats for pre, whey+ oats+ dextrose for post). You need pre and post workout shakes after weight training so i suggest reading the pre and post workout nutrition sticky. Aim for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Total cals should be made up of NO LESS than 20% fats and at the moment you have pretty much negligible fat in your diet. Get rid of the lean cuisine, it's pretty nutrition-less packaged food.

[mandat28]

I am also 28yo, 5'7" and 145lbs. I am eating a lot more than that and doing less cardio. Here's a sample of my daily food intake:

Meal 1 - 1/3c oats, 3 egg whites, 1tsp natty pb & splenda
Meal 2 - tuna, 4oz sweet potato, 1/2c spinach, 1tsp evoo, 1tbsp flax seed
Meal 3 - (pre w/o) 1/2c oats, 1/2 scoop ON Whey
Meal 4 - (post w/o) 1 scoop ON Whey w/ water, 2 rolls smarties candy
Meal 5 - 4oz chicken, 1/2c brown rice, 1c broccoli
Meal 6 - 4oz ground turkey, 1/4c avocado, 1c broccoli, 1tsp evoo
Meal 7 - 1/2c fat free cottage cheese, 1tbsp natty pb

I'm averaging about 1675 cals/day, 177g protein, 125g carbs, 47g fat. I am currently trying to build muscle and have been uping my cals every 2 weeks. I have not gained an ounce and I'm up from 1500 cals per day! I also cut out my spin classes twice a week and only walk on treadmill for 20 minutes 3 days/week after weights. I have 1 cheat meal per week. Even if you're trying to lose fat you have to eat enough calories to feed your body, otherwise it just holds on to them for dear life.

I also ate a Cyclical Ketogenic Diet for a few weeks prior to my current bulking phase. You may want to read the info on this site in the nutrition section and see if its something that may work for you. Everyone is different and their bodies will respond differently; best thing to do is try different things. Make sure you give them enough time to work and see what things you need to tweak. Good Luck!

[Lizzy78]

Thanks alot for the input. i'm going to incorporate more protein definitely. I had a feeling i was being too conservative with the calories, especially since i am doing weight training as well. Good luck to you also, and let me know how it is coming along. )

[smkenne2]

I definitely wouldn't be eating a lean cuisine. They are way too high in sodium and pretty much worthless. If you don't have time to cook buy those prepackaged chicken strips and throw them in the microwave. Also switch the english muffin with something WW if its isn't.

[Lizzy78]

I like the healthy choice and lean cuisines because they keep the portion size in check and usually have low fat/calories. I'm trying to cook more of my own stuff now though, like fresh veggies, grilled chicken, ect.

[smkenne2]

IMO if you are serious about losing weight, the lean cuisines and healthy choices are bad for. Look at what they put into them and that sodium is really killer. You are really better off making your own. Plus they taste nasty, IMO, everything is soggy. Fresh food is so much better and healthier!

[ozigal]

I like the healthy choice and lean cuisines because they keep the portion size in check and usually have low fat/calories. I'm trying to cook more of my own stuff now though, like fresh veggies, grilled chicken, ect.

control your own portion sizes by counting calories. Low fat doesn't really mean anything. Like i've already said you need at LEAST 20% of total cals to come from fats and making uo your own food and incorporating efas is 10 times better than eating those packaged meals.

[mandat28]

I like the healthy choice and lean cuisines because they keep the portion size in check and usually have low fat/calories. I'm trying to cook more of my own stuff now though, like fresh veggies, grilled chicken, ect.

Convenience is a killer. I try to make all my lunches and snacks on Sunday and bring it all to work with me on Monday. I grill several chicken breasts and bake a bunch of sweet potatoes. I put them in gallon size ziploc bags and just pull them out as needed. I also bring a couple bags of frozen veggies with me. They're easy to pop in the microwave. Fruit, fat-free yogurt and nuts also make good portable food. It takes time to prepare, but its worth it in the end.

A food scale is a great tool for portion control. I think I picked one up at Wal-Mart for $8. I measure my chicken raw an grill it in 4oz portions. I keep a set of measuring cups and spoons at work for all the other stuff. I know its easy to rely on those microwave meals, but losing that sodium will go a long way towards reaching your fat loss goals!

[smkenne2]

Try the first one that is for cutting. Those are delicious when made with choc protein powder and pudding.

[ozigal]

if you need something on the go then make some home-made protein bars. There is a WHOLE thread dedicated to recipes for them.