cleaning up diet... FINALLY.

[arely26]

I’m 5’5” and I weigh 143 pounds. I’m 24 years old and plan to make more drastic changes to diet. I have changed diet lightly over the past couple years. I’ve cut out soda, salad dressings,and adding sugar to teas or anything. I workout regularly and don’t think I need much improvement there. I do a variety of things but don’t follow a certain program. workouts include running, stationary biking, swimming, weights. I have recently stopped squatting with weights because left knee is in a lot of pain by the end of last set. I usually do 40 minutes of cardio and about 25 minutes of weights/abs. Everyone tells me that I workout like a maniac so I think the reason I have been stuck on fat loss is because I don't have a good diet.

I plan to start a diet sort of like this.

9am 1 banana, 1 whole egg, 4 egg whites, salsa

12 pm 2 quesadillas (two corn tortillas and cheese), salsa

3pm veggies, some kind of carb like rice/beans, and chicken/beef
(this meal needs to be a bit more filling because I workout at around 5:30-6pm and need enough energy to last through workout).

5pm low fat cottage cheese
(or something easy to digest so I don’t get sick when I workout.)

8pm veggies, chicken/beef

10pm snack

I know that eating at 10pm is not the best thing to do but because I workout so late in the day, body will absorb every thing I eat after workout and usually I’m hungry again an hour after I eat. What sort of snack could I have that late in the night? What other alternatives could I have for other meals? I also have a protein drink post workout, should I continue doing this even though I have solid protein in dinner after workout?

Thanks, in advance.

[cassiegose]

Hey girl!

Ok a couple of things before I go into your diet...

1) Just because you work out like a maniac doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing it "right". For years I worked out like a maniac... did tons of 20, 30, 50, 100 mile bike rides, ran a few half marathons and spent an average of 2-3 hours in the gym EVERY day. At this time I weighed 150-155lbs (I'm 5'4). With as much as I was working out you would think that I would have weighed 100lbs. I wasn't doing it right so body was holding on and storing every ounce of fat that it could.

2) Squats can be hard on knees, especially if you're not doing them properly. I would double check form to make sure you're doing them properly. If you find that you are and your knee still hurts then cut the squats. I'd hate to see you cut them out though if its just a matter of improper form.

3) It usually takes me about 45-60 minutes to get in a solid weight workout. This means completing EVERY set slowly and properly. If nothing else 40 minutes of weights then 25 minutes of INTENSE cardio would probably be better than 40 minutes of cardio and only 25 minutes of weights. I just don't see how somebody could get in a solid weight workout in only 25 minutes.

Meals:

9am-this looks decent but I would add in a few more carbs. Oatmeal and whole grain (low sugar) cereal work well here. I found that if I eat a large filling breakfast I am less likely to feel like i need to overeat later in the day.

Meal 2: I think I would go for whole grain tortillas, grilled chicken, and low fat cheese here instead. You also need veggies here and some healthy fats (nuts, nut butter, avacado, olive oil, fish, flax, fish oil, coconut oil). You could simply add a veggie salad here and top it with some avacado and olive oil vinegarette.

Meal 3: Looks good but you need healthy fat here.

Meal 4: looks fine.

Meal 5: need healthy fat here

Meal 6: make sure this is protein, veggies, and healthy fat and you'll be fine.

Eating late at night is fine as long as you're eating the right foods. If you're chowing down on twinkies and hohos late at night then you'd probably gain some weight. However having something like eggwhites with veggies and some avacado would be fine. Definitely keep up the protein shake after working out. You need to get protein into your system as SOON as you're done with your workouts and a protein shake is the quickest way to get protein to your muscles.

Hope this helps!

[arely26]

Thanks, again. I will go shopping for good-for-you foods. I will do the weights first and cardio after. The thing is I really enjoy a long workout, gives me a feeling of satisfaction. To know that I just ran 5 miles of I just swam 1200+meters makes me feel accomplished. But I don't think I can accomplish those things after a hard lifting day. So should I divide days, like 3 day wts. and 3 day cardio? or should I still do a short intense cardio after weights?

Anyway, I gotta go and buy goodies, I'm excited!!!

[cassiegose]

Thanks, again. I will go shopping for good-for-you foods. I will do the weights first and cardio after. The thing is I really enjoy a long workout, gives me a feeling of satisfaction. To know that I just ran 5 miles of I just swam 1200+meters makes me feel accomplished. But I don't think I can accomplish those things after a hard lifting day. So should I divide days, like 3 day wts. and 3 day cardio? or should I still do a short intense cardio after weights?

Anyway, I gotta go and buy goodies, I'm excited!!!

Hey! I just noticed that you're in Portland. I'm in Pendleton. 3 hours away. We're neighbors!

Yes, split your workouts... 3 days weights and 3 days cardio works great. I know what you mean about feeling more accomplished after cardio. However if you crank up your weight routine you'll see that you feel EVEN more accomplished after a heavy weight day. I woke up this morning and almost fell out of bed because calves and glutes were so sore then went to reach for something and realized that pecs were also screaming. A 5 mile run is good... but feeling the effects of an intense weight workout is even better!

You can do an intense cardio workout after weights if you feel its necessary. Or you could simply add plyometrics to your weight routine and kill two birds with one stone. I do things like jumping jacks, step running, mountain climbers, burpees, jumping lunges, box hop squats, and squat jumps between sets and it really gets the heart pumping and fat burning.

[arely26]

Thanks Cassie. Oh man, am I sore. I've been trying a piramyd workout and it's a killer. legs/glutes/chest are so sore. I've been doing one hour of lifting and 15 mins of cardio after. I'm really exited to see results but I know I won't see them until after a month at least

On the nutritional side, the hardest part of it so far is giving up juice. I used to have one to two glasses of juice everyday. Also since I don't add dressings to salads I have been adding a little bit (a tablespoon) of crumbled feta for flavoring, is that ok?

[cassiegose]

Feta is fine. Go for low fat if you can. Have you tried balsamic vinegar on your salad? Might give it a try... goes great with feta, tomatoes, olives, and onions.

For the juice... I would look for some that doesn't have added sugar and other stuff then maybe just cut back slowly. You can still have juice every day if its something that you really enjoy. Just find the healthiest kind you can and stick to a glass a day. OR replace the juice with a fresh fruit smoothy that includes fruit of choice, maybe a little greek yogurt and/or protein powder, ground flax or nut butter, and a few ice cubes if you like. This way youre getting the benefits of fresh fruit and protein... and it tastes like a treat.