I am 18 years old, I am 5'11" and 191lbs (ranges between 190-195). I do NOT have a consistent eating habit. I am tired of it being that way, I do love vegetables, fruits, salads, all sorts of healthy foods. But, I can eat a lot. I am in search of ideas, tips or even a set menu to go by. I need to know a good/healthy grocery list, what or how much to eat throughout the day and what times. I do drink plenty of water; although I often crave something with more of a flavor. I do not drink sodas, I drink juices, orange juice, and some of the minute maid fruit juices rather often(not as much as I drink water). When it comes to me eating, I seem to pound down food quickly, then soon after I am hungry again. So, that leads me to snacking if I don't eat a whole meal again. I need to know what foods, recipes, and snacks would be good to set myself on a better eating schedule. I am good at adapting, I got self-control, I just need help putting it to use. I have a goal of lowering weight about 10 pounds, and I'd like to remove stomach fat(the rest of body is pretty skinny). I am not that big, I just want to tone up quite a bit and hopefully lower running times. I try to run about 2 - 2 1/2 miles per day. I want to lower the time of runs, I hear that losing body weight helps a lot. I do lift and am going to start on a work-out schedule I just created soon. I'd like to build some muscle in arms & chest also. So, maybe foods that would help display that but still good for dropping fat would be ideal for me. I'd appreciate some realistic ideas/help.
p.s. I apologize for the long post and carrying on. I just figured it be better to lay out the details to make the answers more accurate for what I need.
Thanks,
Jared.
In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
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cassiegose
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Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Hi Jared,
First-Please don't apologize for "carrying on" and posting a longer post. We're here to help and the more info you give the better. Welcome to our lovely site.
What does a typical day look like for you as far as diet goes? If you feel like you're constantly hungry you probably need to increase protein and healthy fats... this will also help with building muscle.
This workout you just created... what does it look like?
Its going to be hard for you to build muscle and lose weight at the same time. Instead if i were you I would focus on building muscle first, then use that muscle to help you burn the fat. Bodybuilders use this technique and it works extremely well. I'm currently training for shows in March and April where I'm hoping to come in with around 11%. In order to achieve those goals I've actually spent the last 2 months eating as much as possible (mostly healthy foods... lots of protein) and lifting as heavy as possible. By giving body enough calories I was able to put on muscle and build strength (while jumpstarting metabolism). Every pound of muscle you have burns an extra 35-75 calories per day (fat burns about 3) so the plan here is to use the increased muscle to help you shed the fat after you have your muscle built up. Make sense?
Post an example of a typical day as far as your diet goes and also show the workout you designed and we'll get you on the right track.
Cassie
First-Please don't apologize for "carrying on" and posting a longer post. We're here to help and the more info you give the better. Welcome to our lovely site.
What does a typical day look like for you as far as diet goes? If you feel like you're constantly hungry you probably need to increase protein and healthy fats... this will also help with building muscle.
This workout you just created... what does it look like?
Its going to be hard for you to build muscle and lose weight at the same time. Instead if i were you I would focus on building muscle first, then use that muscle to help you burn the fat. Bodybuilders use this technique and it works extremely well. I'm currently training for shows in March and April where I'm hoping to come in with around 11%. In order to achieve those goals I've actually spent the last 2 months eating as much as possible (mostly healthy foods... lots of protein) and lifting as heavy as possible. By giving body enough calories I was able to put on muscle and build strength (while jumpstarting metabolism). Every pound of muscle you have burns an extra 35-75 calories per day (fat burns about 3) so the plan here is to use the increased muscle to help you shed the fat after you have your muscle built up. Make sense?
Post an example of a typical day as far as your diet goes and also show the workout you designed and we'll get you on the right track.
Cassie
Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Well, today I went for a 3 mile run, sprinted about .5 mile to the finish. I have eaten a some what large salad, and I haven't had anything for lunch yet. Probably will have chicken breast for dinner (The usual). As for lunch or throughout the day, I literally eat whatever I find. Sometimes pasta or noodles, chips, sandwich, hot-dogs, just whatever. I am aware hot-dogs are absolutely not good for me, lol. I am not much of a whiner and am serious about getting the proper habits. I just need to know what path to take. But, when it comes to me eating. I am more of a snacker, but I snack big. lol. Any ideas for healthy and filling snacks? OR as you say maybe I just need more protein and healthier fats, any examples? And yes, what you said about building muscle then working on losing body fat makes sense to me. As for workout routine I just began, I am currently not in a gym, mainly because I am not at a steady location at the moment. And before too long here I am going to be enlisting in the Army. The main part of exercise is jogging / running, it always makes me feel good and energized. I have a list setup for the basics like different types of ab work-outs that I can do without machines, like types of crunches, sit-ups, etc. I have a set of dumb bells that I use in multiple chest and arm strengthening work-outs. I throw in push-ups also. A lot of the work-outs I have on list are some of the work-outs I found within this website actually. I have had some experience with some high intensity work-outs and so on. brother in-law is in the Army and he is one of those super high speed guys. He is all about some exercising. Unfortunately, we're not often around each other. But, I have learned a good bit about exercising from him. Not so much the eating part. I guess I haven't gotten to that yet. I do know he is a protein buff and marathon runner. I want to build some muscle/strength in upper body, but I don't want to get so big that I struggle running.
Thanks for welcoming me.
and I appreciate the help.
----
Jared
Thanks for welcoming me.
and I appreciate the help.
----
Jared
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cassiegose
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- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Hi Jared,
I think thats very cool that youre thinking about joining the army. Very very cool.
Ok for foods stick to clean, healthy, unprocessed foods. Here are some suggestions:
Lean proteins: eggs/eggwhites, chicken breast, turkey breast, deer, elk, buffalo, lean beef, lean pork, fish (tuna, cod, salmon, orange roughy, trout, tilapia), soy/edemame/tofu, low fat dairy (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, milk, cheese, quark)
Healthy fats: avacados, flax, nuts, nut butter, olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, farm fresh eggs
Carbs: oatmeal (old fashioned rolled, steel cut, scotish), sweet potatoes, whole grain bread/pasta/couscous, quinoa, millet, spelt, kamute, brown/wild rice, bulgur, legumes (these are also a decent source of protein, especially lentils), fruit, and veggies.
While veggies are a carb I usually put them in a section of their own because I believe you can eat as much of these as you want, while the carbs listed above really should be consumed in moderation. However these are still a complex carb so keep that in mind. For veggies go for: asparagus, green beans, spinach, lettuce, brocolli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, brussel sprouts. You can also eat things like peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes, as you would a veggie however these are technically fruits. Corn is not a veggie, it is a grain and should be eaten in moderation as you would the above listed carbs.
If your goal is to build muscle you should shoot for your body weight x 1-1.5 in grams of protein... so 191-286 grams per day. I do 200 easily so you shouldn't have any problem hitting atleast 250 with as much as you like to eat. So i would try to get 40 grams of protein per meal and do 7 meals per day (280 grams of protein). The rest of your calories should come from complex carbs and healthy fats. So you could do something like this:
Meal 1: 1 glass ff milk milk, 3 eggs + 3 eggwhites, bowl of whole grain cereal, toast OR oatmeal, fruit
Meal 2: lean protein from list above, fruit, healthy fat, carb from list above
Meal 3: lunch meat sandwich on whole grain bread, large side salad with olive oil dressing
Meal 4: lean protein from list above, veggies, healthy fat, carb from list above
Meal 5: lean protein from list above, veggies, healthy fat from list
Meal 6: lean protein, veggies, healthy fat
Meal 7: lean protein, veggies
For your workout, you really don't need a gym to get in a great workout. You could simply pick up some dumbells/barbell and weights and do things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, step ups, rows, pull ups, pushups, bench press (if you have a bench), dips, and military press. These exercises are really all you need to build mass. Heavy weights/lower reps (5x5-6, 4x6-8, 3x10). Don't just stick to arm and chest exercises or you will create muscle imbalances in your body and set yourself up for injury. You wouldn't only do lifts on the left side of your body so why would you only do lifts on the upper part of your body? I would keep the running to 2-3 days a week and lift 3-4 days per week. If youre goal is to build muscle doing large amounts of cardio (running) is only going to set you back. Although I do realize that you need to be in good cardiovascular shape to join the army so you'll just have to find a way to do both if possible.
Make sense?
Cassie
PS: Thanks for the friend request.
Make sense?
I think thats very cool that youre thinking about joining the army. Very very cool.
Ok for foods stick to clean, healthy, unprocessed foods. Here are some suggestions:
Lean proteins: eggs/eggwhites, chicken breast, turkey breast, deer, elk, buffalo, lean beef, lean pork, fish (tuna, cod, salmon, orange roughy, trout, tilapia), soy/edemame/tofu, low fat dairy (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, milk, cheese, quark)
Healthy fats: avacados, flax, nuts, nut butter, olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, farm fresh eggs
Carbs: oatmeal (old fashioned rolled, steel cut, scotish), sweet potatoes, whole grain bread/pasta/couscous, quinoa, millet, spelt, kamute, brown/wild rice, bulgur, legumes (these are also a decent source of protein, especially lentils), fruit, and veggies.
While veggies are a carb I usually put them in a section of their own because I believe you can eat as much of these as you want, while the carbs listed above really should be consumed in moderation. However these are still a complex carb so keep that in mind. For veggies go for: asparagus, green beans, spinach, lettuce, brocolli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, brussel sprouts. You can also eat things like peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes, as you would a veggie however these are technically fruits. Corn is not a veggie, it is a grain and should be eaten in moderation as you would the above listed carbs.
If your goal is to build muscle you should shoot for your body weight x 1-1.5 in grams of protein... so 191-286 grams per day. I do 200 easily so you shouldn't have any problem hitting atleast 250 with as much as you like to eat. So i would try to get 40 grams of protein per meal and do 7 meals per day (280 grams of protein). The rest of your calories should come from complex carbs and healthy fats. So you could do something like this:
Meal 1: 1 glass ff milk milk, 3 eggs + 3 eggwhites, bowl of whole grain cereal, toast OR oatmeal, fruit
Meal 2: lean protein from list above, fruit, healthy fat, carb from list above
Meal 3: lunch meat sandwich on whole grain bread, large side salad with olive oil dressing
Meal 4: lean protein from list above, veggies, healthy fat, carb from list above
Meal 5: lean protein from list above, veggies, healthy fat from list
Meal 6: lean protein, veggies, healthy fat
Meal 7: lean protein, veggies
For your workout, you really don't need a gym to get in a great workout. You could simply pick up some dumbells/barbell and weights and do things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, step ups, rows, pull ups, pushups, bench press (if you have a bench), dips, and military press. These exercises are really all you need to build mass. Heavy weights/lower reps (5x5-6, 4x6-8, 3x10). Don't just stick to arm and chest exercises or you will create muscle imbalances in your body and set yourself up for injury. You wouldn't only do lifts on the left side of your body so why would you only do lifts on the upper part of your body? I would keep the running to 2-3 days a week and lift 3-4 days per week. If youre goal is to build muscle doing large amounts of cardio (running) is only going to set you back. Although I do realize that you need to be in good cardiovascular shape to join the army so you'll just have to find a way to do both if possible.
Make sense?
Cassie
PS: Thanks for the friend request.
Make sense?
Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Yes makes sense! I plan to hit the gym as much as I can once I am in the Army and stationed some where. I will have free and easy access to gyms every day. Would it be a good idea to even do upper body 1 day, next day lower body? Mix it up a bit while still allowing parts of body to get rest? Reason for running is honestly the Army, I want to have good pt scores. I have gotten body used to running so it's not that big of an issue running distances required for pt. At the moment I had the idea do it to lose some of body fat. I don't want to completely abandoned running, because I'll definitely need it in future occupation. I would go nuts if I let running skills go back to the way they used to be. lol, I used to suck at running. But I will try what you say 2-3 days of running and 3-4 days of lifting per week. It sounds pretty fair and not difficult to keep up with.
About food, I usually bake chicken breast, is that bad? I sometimes (not very often) use shake n bake, I most all the time use a marinade. Are these bad ideas? I usually have some green beans or peas to go with. I most all the time eat a salad before hand. The dressing I have been using of late is Kraft Fat-Free Italian, is that a bad dressing? I can pound down salad all day honestly.
Thanks for all the food ideas, I am hungry now. about time to hit the grocery store.
As for the meal list, what would be a good amount of time to place inbetween meals? AS far as spreading the meals out to a set time. I'd like to get body used to eating a set amount or at set times per day as much as possible. I hope it'll get me over "want" to snack habits, and I won't stay hungry as often as I do. I know once I go train in the Army, food will not come around near as much as being at home. So, that will definitely change somethings during that period. But, I really need to get crap together and get on a healthier more balanced eating plan.
P.S.
I like to run when I wake up, is this bad? Around what meals would be the better time to get exercising in?
Thanks,
Jared
About food, I usually bake chicken breast, is that bad? I sometimes (not very often) use shake n bake, I most all the time use a marinade. Are these bad ideas? I usually have some green beans or peas to go with. I most all the time eat a salad before hand. The dressing I have been using of late is Kraft Fat-Free Italian, is that a bad dressing? I can pound down salad all day honestly.
Thanks for all the food ideas, I am hungry now.
about time to hit the grocery store.As for the meal list, what would be a good amount of time to place inbetween meals? AS far as spreading the meals out to a set time. I'd like to get body used to eating a set amount or at set times per day as much as possible. I hope it'll get me over "want" to snack habits, and I won't stay hungry as often as I do. I know once I go train in the Army, food will not come around near as much as being at home. So, that will definitely change somethings during that period. But, I really need to get crap together and get on a healthier more balanced eating plan.
P.S.
I like to run when I wake up, is this bad? Around what meals would be the better time to get exercising in?
Thanks,
Jared
-
cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
You could do one day upper body and one day lower. That is what I'm currently doing. splits are M and F upper and W and Sat Lower. This seems to be working well for me right now.
Baking chicken is fine. Shake n bake isn't the best. Marinades are fine. Fat free italian is fine. You could probably also fine an olive oil vinegarette and go use that to get in some healthy fats.
For meal spacing... Never go more than 3 hours between meals. I eat every 2-3 hours. This should take care of your need for snacking. I'm thinking you were snacking on simple carbs which digest quickly and don't do much for helping you feel full. By eating more protein and eating it with every meal you shouldn't feel like you need to snack.
Run or lift whenever works for you. I do main workout first thing in the morning when i have the most energy. Whatever works for your schedule is the best time to workout. If possible invest in some protein powder for post weight workouts... this is great for getting a quick shot of protein to muscles to help with recovery and growth. Protein powder is also great because it is easy to pack with you so you never have to worry about going more than 3 hours without a meal. Try to eat solid foods whenever possible, but keep protein powder handy in case there is ever a time where you don't have access to solid food.
Cassie
Baking chicken is fine. Shake n bake isn't the best. Marinades are fine. Fat free italian is fine. You could probably also fine an olive oil vinegarette and go use that to get in some healthy fats.
For meal spacing... Never go more than 3 hours between meals. I eat every 2-3 hours. This should take care of your need for snacking. I'm thinking you were snacking on simple carbs which digest quickly and don't do much for helping you feel full. By eating more protein and eating it with every meal you shouldn't feel like you need to snack.
Run or lift whenever works for you. I do main workout first thing in the morning when i have the most energy. Whatever works for your schedule is the best time to workout. If possible invest in some protein powder for post weight workouts... this is great for getting a quick shot of protein to muscles to help with recovery and growth. Protein powder is also great because it is easy to pack with you so you never have to worry about going more than 3 hours without a meal. Try to eat solid foods whenever possible, but keep protein powder handy in case there is ever a time where you don't have access to solid food.
Cassie
Re: In need of diet plan/healthy meal plan
Sounds good. I really appreciate the help and ideas. I'll try to update progress. 