Critique My Diet

[Mrs.Fitness]

Meal#1- 2/3 cup oatmeal
Meal#2- Salad with low fat or fat free dressing
Meal#3- Brown rice/Chicken breast/diced tomatoes/black beans
Meal#4- Protein Bar (Good mix of carbs and protien)
Meal#5- Chicken Breast/Salad/green beans

Does this look good? I am trying to lower my bodyfat and loose about 5 pounds. How does this look for gaining muscle?

[LIL-ONE]

your diet looks ok for losing fat however..when in between these meals are you working out(when is cardio/weight training)?...and what is the time of you last meal? these are 2 very big factors in your diet..please specify and i'll be happy to help!

[Mrs.Fitness]

I am doing all of my cardio and weight training in the morning before my first meal on an empty stomach. My last meal is at 7:00Pm. Sometimes I will have a snack before bed at about 9:30- 10:00..yogurt, or air popped pop corn. Thanks for all your help!

[freaker]

You might want to add some EFA sources like flax seeds or olive oil. You also want to eat something light right before bed. A protein shake is good. You might also want to take some kind of pre-workout drink especially before weight training sessions. Maybe just some glutamine and creatine with 3 oz. of orange juice.

[LIL-ONE]

you definatly need to be eating at least a little something before you workout...food is your supply of energy with no energy you wont get as full of a workout as you could if you worked out with a little something in your stomach, something with carbs..i suggest you do your weight lifting then your cardio..i will post an article on why -->once i find it in my mail..read it when i post it this article explains the reasons very good. before bed you should be eating a light meal..low on carbs because this will promote fat burning during sleep...and either a slow release protein or a protein with some fiber in it so your body digests it slower...this will prevent your body from entering a v=catabolic state while you sleep. flax seed oil is also a very good thing to add to your protein shake..

[Mrs.Fitness]

I always do my weight lifting before my cardio so that I do not deplete my energy stores and I can lift heavier. I wish I could eat something before I work out but I do not have time in the morning and everytime that I do eat something I get stomach cramps when working out. I have tried something as light as a protein shake and it killed my stomach. I have 1/2 cupof coffee before I work out and that keeps me sustained and keeps my energy levels up for the workout.

I have heard of Flax seed? What are the benefits?

Also, do you siggest that I take glutamine before bed? Will that help with the v=catabolic state and not letting it happen?

Also, what before bed is good? I always have a snack before bed but probably not the right kind. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[LIL-ONE]

what about a quick and light power bar before workouts?

flax seed oil-Flax seeds are a great source of fiber, lignans, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. which leads to fat burning, quicker recovery etc. etc...which leads to better results

glutamine is good, it cant hurt but its easier to find a protein shake that has glutamine in it...glutamine comes in pills or powder and you have to take so many pills its crazy..procomplex protein shake has glutamine in it...it helps with recovery...it is the most important amino acid.
slow release or preotein with fiber will help prevent catabolic effects at night...i suggest a protein shake with some fiber and flax seed oil before bed.

[Hibiscus09]

How many calories does that total? It doesn't look like enough food to me.

[LIL-ONE]

i agree...if you want to be more serious about your health(diet/exercise)...since diet is a very important part you should keep better track of your calorie intake...make a protein/carb/fat ratio that fits to your goal and stick to it...

[Jean]

How much protein are you taking in? You mentioned adding muscle. If you want to add muscle, you need protein at every meal. One gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Doesn't look like you are getting any at meal 1 and 2. What about the other ones?

[LIL-ONE]

PROTEIN IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR GAINING MUSCLE, KEEPING IT AND KEEPING PAST GAINED MUSCLE...POST WORKOUT AND PRE BEDTIME PROTEIN IS VERY IMPORTANT...AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE DAY..IF YOU DONT HAVE TIME TO TAKE ALL THIS PROTEIN ADD FIBER TO YOUR DIET TO SLOW DOWN DIGESTION...OR TAKE SLOW RELEASE PROTEIN. DONT NEGLECT YOUR POST WORKOUT MEALS! THIS IS THE TIME YOUR BODY HAS TO REPLENISH ITS DEPLEASION FROM THE WORKOUT..IT WILL SUCK UP CARBS AND PROTEIN TO YOUR MUSCLE QUICKER THAN ANY OTHER TIME YOU HAVE PROTEIN & CARBS

[Mrs.Fitness]

I have added 3 egg whites to my morning meal and a before bed protein snack. I am not going to eliminate my protein bars because even though they are a "Glorified" candy bar, they are my "treat" rather then chocolate and junk. For my first competition I ate them until the last minute and still dropped bodyfat really well. I would rather eat one of them then a snickers.

I have done several experiments with protein and all though 1 gram per pound of bodyweight works for some people it does not for me. I saw a nutritionist who is also a bodybuilder and for some reason I can not handle that much without gaining weight or having bad digestion problems. I take it about 1/2 gram per pound of bodyweight and I have maintained the muscle that I have as well as added 9 pounds since trying this.

Thanks for all the help! I will try the extra protein with my two meals and see how that goes.