Need Help to Fine Tune Diet

[Angela]

I have been trying to finalize my diet after reading as much as I possibly could before posting. As I am going to be in school starting in January I won't be able to make it to the gym every night so I've tried to rearrange my diet for training in the morning. My stats are 23y/o, 5'3, 140lbs, hoping to loose around 10lbs. Here's my diet:

5:30 Training & Cardio

7:30 Meal 1 - Protein Shake
- 1 scoop Whey Protein - 30g protein
- 1/3 c. oatmeal - 25g carbs
- 1c. frozen strawberries - 5g fibrous carbs

10:30 Meal 2 - 1c. Egg Whites - 25g protein
- 1/3 c. oatmeal - 25g carbs

1:00 Meal 3 - 4oz chicken breast - 30g protein
- 1c. spinach - 10g fibrous carbs
- 1 1/2 tsp. Udo's Oil - 5-10g fat

4:00 Meal 4 - Pro 30g/Fat 5-10g (I haven't decided what to have here yet,
are egg whites again ok?)

5:45-7:00 More Cardio when possible

7:30 Meal 5 - 4oz chicken breast - 30g protein
- 1c. spinach - 10g fibrous carbs
- 1 1/2 tsp. Udo's Oil - 5-10g fat
Total: Protein - 145g; Carbs - 50g; Fibrous Carbs - 25g; Fat - 20-30g

Please tell me that I'm on the right track

[dr.shred]

Looks pretty good. I would have oatmeal only once. Can always subsitute that with egg whites because you burn more calories eating egg whites than are actual in them. You should try to stay around 1300-1500 calories a day. Also make sure you do not train too late at night because it will increase your coritsol levels affecting your sleep and body fat. I would do the cardio in the morning and your lift at night.

[Angela]

Looks pretty good. I would have oatmeal only once. Can always subsitute that with egg whites because you burn more calories eating egg whites than are actual in them. You should try to stay around 1300-1500 calories a day.
I would love to only have to eat carbs once a day, but would I not benefit the most from having them in both PWO & PPWO meals? Is it ok for me to double on egg whites each day? They are my FAVORITE source of protein and I was really hoping to add them for my 4th meal.

Also make sure you do not train too late at night because it will increase your coritsol levels affecting your sleep and body fat. I would do the cardio in the morning and your lift at night.

This is why I decided to get my training done in the morning, if I'm lucky I will be able to make it to the gym by 8pm.

[dr.shred]

Egg whites would be fine for your fourth meal although i would reccommend one can of tuna strained with water w/1 tbsp. of mayo and romaine lettuce. It would be good I think to add this to have some variety in your diet so you don't get sick of egg whites.

8pm is way too late to be training IMO. It would be counterproductive to your fat loss interfering with your sleep. You would be better advised to get an early start on your sleep. Is there any separation in your morning training or does your cardio follow your lift?

[kman]

Egg whites would be fine for your fourth meal although i would reccommend one can of tuna strained with water w/1 tbsp. of mayo and romaine lettuce. It would be good I think to add this to have some variety in your diet so you don't get sick of egg whites.

8pm is way too late to be training IMO. It would be counterproductive to your fat loss interfering with your sleep. You would be better advised to get an early start on your sleep. Is there any separation in your morning training or does your cardio follow your lift?

Some people have different routines my man, some don't get out of work until 6:30, 7,,,,so are you saying to bag the workout. just cause you workout late does not mean it would be counterproductive to fat loss..sorry to jack this thread..

[Angela]

Can you tell I am trying to avoid tuna at all costs? When I have tuna I usually put it in with my spinach and use a balsamic vinegar mixed with my Udo's oil for dressing. I'm not a fan of mayo at all. I'll switch between egg whites & tuna to add variety
I planned on doing 45mins of cardio after weights in the morning as it would be prime for fat loss since my HR will already be at 65%-75% from training. I am hoping to get more done on the nights that I won't have class, more intense/conditioing cardio training though.

[dr.shred]

Some people have different routines my man, some don't get out of work until 6:30, 7,,,,so are you saying to bag the workout. just cause you workout late does not mean it would be counterproductive to fat loss..sorry to jack this thread..

of course doing training late at night versus no training at all would be productive, but if she has a choice between morning or late at night definitely go with the morning. Training at night (after 6pm) is proven to increase your coritsol levels which as a result, effects your sleep pattern which will have an effect on ones body fat. It makes sense when you think about if one was to do any type of activity later in the night it would take longer for that individual to get to sleep. Sleep and body fat reduction (weight loss) go hand in hand.

[6_pak]

Due to my schedule, 3 days out of the week i work out at 11:30 pm. It would take me 2 hours to fall asleep. Now i take melatonin, and im out in 25 minutes. To whoever, i would definitely recommend this,as well as, gnc brand zma for sleep and recovery.

[kman]

of course doing training late at night versus no training at all would be productive, but if she has a choice between morning or late at night definitely go with the morning. Training at night (after 6pm) is proven to increase your coritsol levels which as a result, effects your sleep pattern which will have an effect on ones body fat. It makes sense when you think about if one was to do any type of activity later in the night it would take longer for that individual to get to sleep. Sleep and body fat reduction (weight loss) go hand in hand.

Agree, def, go with a morning workout as oppose to a late night workout, but a late night workout is better than none, so you gotta do what you gotta do..peace

[Boost n Juice]

Are you simply just looking to lose 10lbs or did you want to be firm/tone as well?

[Angela]

Are you simply just looking to lose 10lbs or did you want to be firm/tone as well?

Over time I would really like to get the scale down but my main goal over the next couple of months is to get my BF% down and firm/tone all over.

[OSTIE]

By training, do you mean weight lifting??

[Angela]

By training, do you mean weight lifting??

Hehe,by training I did mean weight lifting. For some reason I have always referred to it as 'training'

[OSTIE]

Hehe,by training I did mean weight lifting. For some reason I have always referred to it as 'training'

Alright, thats what I figured, but I wanted to make sure first.

My question then is, how are you able to lift and do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach??? I have a hard enough time getting in a full cardio session on some days.

I know you have to do what you have to do when a person has a busy schedule, so if you HAVE to combine your lifting with your cardio first thing in the morning, IMO, I would suggest you drink a whey protein shake with water right when you wake up along with maybe a sugar free redbull.

Since it is just whey and water, it digests faster and should it should be around the time you lift. Your lifting should burn the calories of the shake so by the time you do cardio, you still may enter lypolysis after 20 or so minutes, which is what you want to burn pure fat.

You still face one problem, and that is replenishing your glycogen levels after lifting. You wouldnt want to consume your whey/dex here, because it will just be burned during cardio instead of burning fat. In the long run, a tad bit of muscle may be sacrificed, but if your schedule is that busy, you gotta do what you gotta do.

With some of the other suggestions made, I say your on a great start.

Good luck,

-ost

[Angela]

I actually have a very hard time eating in the mornings, only on rare occasions do I get hungry during/after my morning cardio sessions and when I do it's at least 45mins later. I am going to try it out for a couple of weeks and see how things go, if it ends up being too much and my weight training starts to suffer then I am going to have figure something else out (most likely get it done at night). I had started training in the AM awhile ago for a couple of weeks and I actually liked it better on an empty stomach. It's all about trial and error right?