Help with diet please

[dreamer144]

Hello all!

I am wanting to lose some body fat, so please check out my diet please and feel free to give me ANY suggestions. It's much appreciated!

First off, here are my stats:
Female
5'9 3/4"
140lbs
bf% - not sure, but if I HAD to guess, I'd say 17-18% - definately not any higher than that. I'll be getting it tested soon.
I lift heavy in the gym, usually 5days/week (1 bodypart per day) & cardio 3-5day/week 20-40mins depending on intensity. Right at the moment though, I am doing a total body workout (med-high reps) 2-3x/week, 20mins HITT 3xweek, & maybe 1 steady state cardio 40mins. I'm only doing this for a few weeks just to change up my routine a little because I've hit a plateau & haven't been seeing any results.

Diet is as follows: Please critique

meal 1: 1 1/2 cup (cooked) oats; 6-7 egg whites
meal 2: 1 small apple, 1 tbsp natty PB, pro shake
meal 3: 5 oz chicken, 1/2 cup brown rice, raw veggies
meal 4: (Preworkout meal) can of tuna, 2/3 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup green beans
WORKOUT
meal 5: PWO - immediately after training, usually still at the gym- pro shake
meal 6: as soon as I get home - 1/2 cup brown rice, and some source of protien...5oz chicken OR 7 egg whites OR cup of shrimp OR 4oz salmon, & a large salad

How does that look? Good enough for cutting?

Thanks for all your help!
Andrea

 

[dreamer144]

Emma, Jodi...anyone! ? thank you!!

 

[tucker01]

Looks like some good food choices.

What is the Macro Break down .... and Total Cals

 

[CowPimp]

It seems to me like your diet is lacking EFAs. Give us a macro breakdown and the total calories per day.

 

[dreamer144]

Hi! First of all thanks for replying.

Okay, well since my last meal of the day can vary from day to day (protein source only), I'll calculate each one separately so there's no estimating and averaging cals. So the breakdown looks like this:

If I have chicken in meal 6:
1656cals
F: 28g 16%
C:135g 31%
P: 207g 53%

If I have egg whites:
1513cals
F: 21g 14%
C: 138g 34%
P: 185g 52%

If I have salmon:
1572cals
F: 27g 15%
C: 135g 32%
P: 190g 51%

If I have shrimp:
1598 cals
F: 25g 15%
C: 137g 32%
P: 199g 53%

So there it is. They are all fairly close. Cals & macs may change slightly from day to day because sometimes I will have some condiments etc (like ketchup or ff salad dressing), but nothing too major.

I know I'm low on fats...I've always had a problem with this because I was never sure exactly how to fit them in the calorie range. I do however, take Omega 3-6-9 supplements everyday. I know I should be taking fish oils, as everyone seems to recommend on this site, but I am happy with my omega supps for now and will probably keep them that way...unless they are no good? Also, I take a multi vit & calcium supps everyday too.

Let me know what you think! Thanks again!
Andrea

 

[CowPimp]

You should really only be supplementing with omega-3s. The other types of fat are in better supply in most foods. Honestly, I would consider increasing your fat intake a little bit. I don't believe diets containing less than about 20% fat are a good idea. Your body is less apt to give up its fat stores if it doesn't get a sufficient amount through dietary means.

Drink more water. I don't know how much you drink, but taking in lots of water should definitely be a high priority.

I don't really know what else to suggest. Some of the more knowledgeable people in this department should be able to help you. You may have to cut calories another 5% or so. As well, it is conceivable that you might have to implement a refeed. Sometimes this is necessary even on a moderate carb diet.

 

[FranktheTank]

What is a refeed exactly?

 

[dreamer144]

Thanks for your help cowpimp!

Reguarding water intake...I drink a lot. Usually no less than 4L/day.

Think I should drop cals? hmm, guess I could try that, but I'm sometimes feeling pretty hungry already with what I'm eating. I'll try to up my fats a bit though!

Thanks again for your help...and if anyone else out there has any advice, it would also be appreciated!

Andrea

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks for your help cowpimp!

Reguarding water intake...I drink a lot. Usually no less than 4L/day.

Think I should drop cals? hmm, guess I could try that, but I'm sometimes feeling pretty hungry already with what I'm eating. I'll try to up my fats a bit though!

Thanks again for your help...and if anyone else out there has any advice, it would also be appreciated!

Andrea

I'm not really suggesting you drop calories just yet. I'm just saying it is quite possible you may have to resort to that.

Your calories and macros look pretty good for the most part. I'm kind of leaning toward the idea that a slight increase in omega-3 fatty acid relative to your other fat sources, and the possibility of refeeding, isn't going to break you past this plateau. However, it is still worth trying avenues before you drop calories again.

You may also consider doing some light jogging first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, or with a scoop of whey in you to help prevent loss of muscle mass.

You may also want to look into carb cycling. I know there are some good links about carb cycling in the sticky about diet:

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/showthread.php?t=21113

I hope one of these ideas works for you. All you can really do is try different things until you find something that works.

 

[dreamer144]

hello again!

I used to supplement with flax seeds...used to have 1-2 tbsp/day, but then I was told that I may be getting too much omega 3's and that there should be a balance between all omega fats. I'm still not sure what kinds of foods have omega 6 & 9's in them and wasn't sure if I was getting enough of those, so that's why I started using supplements. Cowpimp, maybe you can expand my knowledge on that?

I have been reading a lot about carb cycling and have been interested in trying it, I'm just not sure where to start...I'll have to do some more reading! Thanks for the link.
Does carb cycling help with plateaus? Does anyone out there find that carb cycling is better than having the same amount of carbs everyday?

Thanks again!!
Andrea

 

[CowPimp]

hello again!

I used to supplement with flax seeds...used to have 1-2 tbsp/day, but then I was told that I may be getting too much omega 3's and that there should be a balance between all omega fats. I'm still not sure what kinds of foods have omega 6 & 9's in them and wasn't sure if I was getting enough of those, so that's why I started using supplements. Cowpimp, maybe you can expand my knowledge on that?

You're right. It's something like a 2:1 or 3:2 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. I honestly can't remember. However, I don't see any good sources omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, unless you eat salmon in that last meal.

I have been reading a lot about carb cycling and have been interested in trying it, I'm just not sure where to start...I'll have to do some more reading! Thanks for the link.
Does carb cycling help with plateaus? Does anyone out there find that carb cycling is better than having the same amount of carbs everyday?

Thanks again!!
Andrea

I know some people respond very well to ketogenic diets. I have no experience with them, as I simply don't need to use them to get to my desired body fat level. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in. If it comes to that, you may consider starting a new thread so those who know more about carb cycling will add their knowledge.

 

[Emma-Leigh]

Well - you need those omega-3's It is the omega-6 fats in the flax that are not going to be helping you because these are often in excess in many peoples diets and taking in flax is not going to help the situation... Additionally, the flax is a poor source of the better omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA - and these you only get from fish oils... So I would certainly recommend you supplement with fish oil capsules (6 caps/day), especially because your fat intake is so low at the moment - you NEED those fats to get and stay lean!

I would not drop cals at the moment either (well, not below ~1500 anyway)... It sounds like you may have 'hit a wall' and just dropping cals is not going to help you in the long term...

Have you considered taking 2 weeks off dieting altogether (go back up to maintainence, INCREASE YOUR CARBS!!! and decrease cardio)? Then you can start to slowly work back into it, gradually dropping cals and increasing cardio (you could then impliment some carb rotation later too if needed)...

Lastly - If you are getting hungry all the time you might want to look at increasing the fibre in your diet - add more vegetables, brans (eg: use oatbran instead of oats), legumes (eg: use some chick-peas instead of rice) or even add some psyllium to some of your meals... Increasing your fats will also help in your long term hungery control (that is, it will keep you less hungry over the day but it will not help with immediate 'satiety' following a meal)...

 

[CowPimp]

Well - you need those omega-3's It is the omega-6 fats in the flax that are not going to be helping you because these are often in excess in many peoples diets and taking in flax is not going to help the situation... Additionally, the flax is a poor source of the better omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA - and these you only get from fish oils... So I would certainly recommend you supplement with fish oil capsules (6 caps/day), especially because your fat intake is so low at the moment - you NEED those fats to get and stay lean!

That's what I was saying. I also think upping fat intake wouldn't be the worst idea. I don't like the idea of diets that contain under 20% fat. People are too scared of fat, but fat is a great source of energy. It's basically dense energy without an insulin response. Not to mention, your body is more apt to give up some fat if there is sufficient fat coming in via dietary means.

I would not drop cals at the moment either (well, not below ~1500 anyway)... It sounds like you may have 'hit a wall' and just dropping cals is not going to help you in the long term...

Indeed. Always a last resort in my opinion.

Have you considered taking 2 weeks off dieting altogether (go back up to maintainence, INCREASE YOUR CARBS!!! and decrease cardio)? Then you can start to slowly work back into it, gradually dropping cals and increasing cardio (you could then impliment some carb rotation later too if needed)...

I never even considered such a thing. Rev up your metabolism a little, then cut out the calories. Brilliant! The great Emma has spoken.