Quick Question

[Exordus]

I'm trying to help my wife's diet out and I'd like to know which of the diets in Jodi's "***Guide to Cutting, Bulking & Maintenance***" I should have her follow.

She's 5'2" and about 130 lbs. She works out 4-5 times a week (cario/free weights) but her eating habits pretty much suck. She wants to lose weight around her mid-section (left over from having 2 kids) but doesn't want to gain any more muscle. She puts on muscle like it's nothing, but can't lose the fat. I keep trying to tell her that diet is 70% of her problem when it comes to her mid-section.

The only diets I'm familiar with are high in protein for muscle gain. Can someone point me in the right direction to help her out? Thank you in advance.

 

[JLB001]

What exactly is her diet now?

 

[Exordus]

She starts off her day with a cup of coffee or two, but rarely breakfast. If any it's a quick McMuffin or something. Lunch, when she eats it is usually a restaurant sandwich or something with the work crew if they go out to eat. Dinner is a free-for-all. After we feed the kids and get them to bed she'll snack on whatever....a bowl of cereal is usually the default b/c it's quick and easy. Her biggest vice is snacking at night on sugary snacks or fatty snacks, although lately she's been eating fat-free serbert at night to try and stay away from the candy.

 

[Emma-Leigh]

She starts off her day with a cup of coffee or two, but rarely breakfast. If any it's a quick McMuffin or something. Lunch, when she eats it is usually a restaurant sandwich or something with the work crew if they go out to eat. Dinner is a free-for-all. After we feed the kids and get them to bed she'll snack on whatever....a bowl of cereal is usually the default b/c it's quick and easy. Her biggest vice is snacking at night on sugary snacks or fatty snacks, although lately she's been eating fat-free serbert at night to try and stay away from the candy.

It sounds like she doesn't need a 'diet' at all - she just needs to start to eat sensibly! If she did this I am sure the weight would basically start to fall off...

'High protein diets' are also not just to gain muscle. Protein is important in every diet. So she needs to follow the same principles as everyone else:

1. She should aim for at least 4 or 5 meals a day - 4 as a minimum... 6 meals would be good, but this is impossible for some people. She REALLY needs to start eating breakfast - this is one of the reasons why she will be snacking on the high fat/high sugar treats at night...

2. Each meal should have a serve of lean protein as it's focus. For a female her size, if she is managing to eat 5 meals/day then a serve should be something with ~25-30g of protein. So this is ~3.5 oz of cooked lean meat, 5 egg whites + 1 whole egg, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup 1% cottage cheese... If she can only eat 4 times/day then servings will need to be a little bigger.

3. She needs a serve of healthy fats in eat meal (nuts/seeds, avocado, olive oil, fish oils... etc). For her ~5-10g of fats/meal would be a good target.

4. She needs lots of fibre in each meal (vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole-grains). The more fibre, the better. Aim for >30-35g per day.

5. Then she can add a serve of carbs to each meal. If she is active then she will need more carbs than if she is inactive... But I would start at the higher end (it sounds like she needs it) and then wean down if required.

6. She needs to drink lots of water. Green tea is also good.

7. She needs LOTS of vegetables (did I mention those already??!)

8. She needs to make sure she gets enough calories... So make sure she does not starve herself... So she could start with something like 1700-1800 and then slowly decrease if required.

There are no 'secrets' to weight loss - it is a matter of less junk food, more healthy food, eating at a calorie deficiency and combining with a good training program.