diet help for an endomorph body type

[Molly229]

I am an endomorph. 5' tall 128lbs stockier build. What I'm wondering is the % of fat I should be getting from my 1300-1600 /day calorie diet. I have gotten much better at eating cleaner foods, but still need to shed a few lbs around my middle which is where I carry my excess fat. I would like to lose body fat as my goal.

I do cardio 8x a week and weights 3x a week. A sample of my caloric intake for the past few days would be:
1581 cal, 58.9g fat, 202g carbs, 74.8g protein
1392 cal, 38.3g fat, 182g carbs, 96g protein
2032 cal, 86.3g fat, 243g carbs, 94.9g protein (this was a BAD day)
1412 cal, 29.3g fat. 214g carbs, 95g protein
suggestions? ideas? comments?

[stingylulu]

holy mother, you're doing wayyyyyyyyy too much cardio. check out the thread at the top of this section called Newbie with Questions:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=290201

[Molly229]

but I LIKE cardio. It makes me feel great. Tell me what adverse reaction is happening in my body with that much cardio. I don't understand that.
If I feel well and can do it..why not?

[stingylulu]

hi molly,

i'm really just trying to be helpful. i read some of your other posts on here, and it seems you've been stuck at 128 for about a month now with no change, am i right?

the adverse reaction your body is having to 8x a week of cardio without eating enough calories is it thinks it's starving. your body is holding on to fat.

remember, when it comes to cardio, it's quality not quantity...i would be shocked if you were able to really push yourself fully during all 8 sessions of cardio, particularly during HIIT.

from the sound of it, you're not really letting your body recover, either.

i'm quoting one of the guys from your other thread:

You're exactly right. That's why she SHOULD cut back on cardio, unless she wants to have to run that much every day for the rest of her life. If she keeps this up for too long, when she cuts back to a normal level, her body will have adapted to the excessive cardio and "normal" people cardio will do jack squat for her.

exactly. don't fall into that trap. i would focus more on lifting heavy to build muscle, while cutting back your cardio and increasing your calories gradually.

what's your lifting routine like?

[Molly229]

Today I ran 5miles in 44 min. in a 22 mile per hour head wind.

My lifting routine is Tues. triceps/shoulders, Wed. biceps/back, Thurs. legs chest with abs every other day.

I usually run 7x a week, sometimes a bit more. Usually run about 45 min. sometimes longer one time a week.

What you don't know about me is that I yo yoed between 132-135 for 3 years. It was not until 1 month ago when I upped my cardio and changed my weight routine that I got down to 128. That's what is working for me now.

All I really wanted to know was about my diet.

Thanks for all your input though.... much appreciated.

I do know that this is a bodybuilding board too and weight lifting is the priority...perhaps I'm on the wrong board for this much cardio....

[imperfectly_lou]

Please don't be offended by stingylulu's comments.

We are not anti-cardio on this board by any means. I LOVE cardio, and if you have a look in powells2's journal, you will see she does a lot of cardio too.

But the fact of the matter is, too much cardio will cause your body to hold onto fat, regardless of how good your diet is. Too much cardio also burns off muscle (see the thread in the general section), which will cause your BMR (your metabolism) to slow. Thus begins a vicious cycle where you have to keep eating less and working out more to maintain or lose weight.

You said you changed your routine a month ago - well that is why it is currently working. Our bodies like to be constantly challenged and that is why it is important to change type/duration/frequency of cardio on a regular basis.

Should you choose to continue doing so much cardio, you need to eat more calories to support your body. You are training like a runner or triathlete and most of them eat 2500-3000cals per day.

In answer to your original question, you should be aiming for roughly 0.3 to 0.4g of fat per lb of body weight so for you:

38.4 to 51.2g fat daily, the majority of it being from EFAs

[StlBarbie]

GOOD ANSWER LOU!!!!!!!!!

Molly, of course you are welcome here and fit in!!!!! "They" are actually very hospitable to us cardio junkies!!!!!!!!!

WELCOME!!!! There is safety in numbers!!! LOL

[aprilai]

well said lou!

molly - you'll need to post a sample diet of what you eat daily. we can't make suggestions with only your food intake amounts. however, so far i think you can improve by eating more protein.

-take care

[stingylulu]

hi again, molly.

i agree with lou,

You are training like a runner or triathlete and most of them eat 2500-3000cals per day.

i'm not anti-cardio, either. i, too, am a runner and love it. but when i first saw 8x a week, i was honestly taken aback.

i'm going to leave that alone, now, since you did originally ask about diet...i would suggest between 20-30% of your daily cals from fat

[redhead75]

Molly, I too am an endomorph 5'3 115-120 lbs(depending on overdosage of peanut butter). I was so sick of killing myself and not seeing any results. I took the women's advice in the site and cut back on cardio. I figured I would instantly gain weight, I was wrong. I can see much more muscle definition than ever. It is also nice to just come home and rest(of course it still feels weird). Just try it for a month and you will be surprised!!!