Please critique...suggestions appreciated!!

[headturner]

Age: 25
Height: 5'4
Weight: 135
Goal: Lose fat (~10 lbs), very happy with current amount/size of muscle, really focused on leaning out

Cardio: 4-5x/week for 45 minutes (elliptical, arc trainer, bike)
2 days of fasted cardio (first thing in the morning) and 2-3 days right after workout

Weights: 4x/week
Day1: Chest/Bi
Day2: Back/Tri
Day3: Shoulders
Day4: Quads/calves/Hams
4 sets of most exercises for 12-15 reps. heavy, but focused on reps for lower body as it gains easily

Diet:
Meal 1: 7 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1/2 c. oats (dry)

Meal 2: Protein shake (200 cals, 2 g fat, 5 g carbs, 35 g protein)

Meal 3: 8 oz (raw) chicken breast, 1 medium sweet potato, 1 c. veggies

Meal 4: Protein shake (200 cals, 2 g fat, 5 g carbs, 35 g protein)

Meal 5: 8-10 oz (raw) turkey/fish/chicken, 1 1/2 c. veggies

Meal 6: Protein shake (200 cals, 2 g fat, 5 g carbs, 35 g protein) with 1 Tbls. flax oil

If I workout in the evening, meal 3 and 5 are switched so that the potato is eaten after the workout.

Thanks for checking this out and have a great day!

[Helene]

Your diet looks good. My suggestions:

1) Add something to your first two shakes. A shake alone is not a meal and it shouldn't be eaten alone. Add a good fat source like nuts, pb, etc...

2) I would remove the shake in last meal. Have cottage cheese instead or another protein source. 2 shakes a day is plenty. Remember that your body burns more calories digesting real food and real food is always better.

[headturner]

Thanks, Helene. Do you think it's possible to achieve a 1 lb. drop per week with this?

[Helene]

Thanks, Helene. Do you think it's possible to achieve a 1 lb. drop per week with this?

I'm not sure..I can't answer this..it depends on too many factors..

How much cardio are you doing now?
You might want to consider adding slowly..like doing 2 sessions the first week or two, then 3, then 4 etc...

Are you still lifting heavy even though your trying to lose fat?
Don't make the mistake of upping reps and lowering weight too much anyway.

You shouldn't be able to build much muscle even though your lifting heavy with a caloric deficit.

I'm losing fat constantly right now and still lifting in 6-8 rep range..it all has to do with diet. And I do 2 cardio sessions a week.

Just keep in mind not to go too fast and do too much at once or else your body will adapt and you won't have anywhere to go too soon.

[headturner]

I'm not sure..I can't answer this..it depends on too many factors..

How much cardio are you doing now?
You might want to consider adding slowly..like doing 2 sessions the first week or two, then 3, then 4 etc...

Are you still lifting heavy even though your trying to lose fat?
Don't make the mistake of upping reps and lowering weight too much anyway.

You shouldn't be able to build much muscle even though your lifting heavy with a caloric deficit.

I'm losing fat constantly right now and still lifting in 6-8 rep range..it all has to do with diet. And I do 2 cardio sessions a week.

Just keep in mind not to go too fast and do too much at once or else your body will adapt and you won't have anywhere to go too soon.

I'm doing 4-45 minute SS sessions. I have been going at this (current diet) for about 8 weeks and have lost about 7 lbs. I did start out with 3-20 sessions and then went to 3-30, 4-30 and now the 4-45. I am lifting heavy (increasing weight each week except for legs, I've been increasing reps....started 10-12, then 12-15, then 15-20) with the same weight. Thanks for all your advice.

[Helene]

I'm doing 4-45 minute SS sessions. I have been going at this (current diet) for about 8 weeks and have lost about 7 lbs. I did start out with 3-20 sessions and then went to 3-30, 4-30 and now the 4-45. I am lifting heavy (increasing weight each week except for legs, I've been increasing reps....started 10-12, then 12-15, then 15-20) with the same weight. Thanks for all your advice.

You might want to consider switching things up with your cardio. Somthing like 2 HIIT sessions and 2 SS cardio.
HIIT = High intensity interval training

You can't do more than 15-20 minutes of this if done correctly. What you do is pick a machine (I like the elliptical), do 30 sec as fast and hard as you can go, then 1min moderate and alternate for 15-20 minutes..you should be huffing and puffing and dead when you finish.
The difference between HIIT and steady state cardio is that with HIIT you continue burning calories after your done the exercice (all day) but with SS you only burn cals while performing the exercice. So in the end you burn more/as much calories then with SS, you elevate your metabolism and it's less boring to only do 15-20 min of cardio instead of 45.

[headturner]

Thanks for the advice, Helene. I appreciate that you took the time to respond.

[FitnessGal]

What are your macros and calories/day?? Your portions look large IMO for food and then they are not spaced out evenly enough as a shake is only 200cals. When I eat meat I eat only 4oz/meal with veggies, 8oz seems like alot at once, check the details out at www.fitday.com

[headturner]

What are your macros and calories/day?? Your portions look large IMO for food and then they are not spaced out evenly enough as a shake is only 200cals. When I eat meat I eat only 4oz/meal with veggies, 8oz seems like alot at once, check the details out at www.fitday.com

This is 8 oz raw so it cooks down considerably. The calories/day are somewhere around 1700. I don't like fitday....I believe it's helpful for some, but overanalyzing can lead to a lot of issues and I prefer to (right now) take a more laxed approach as I am not dieting for a competition or anything.