New to website, please review my diet

[lanachka22]

Female
age: 25
height: 5'8
weight: 134
bf%: 15-18
goal: trim belly fat, tone full body to look like a fitness model, not a body builder

Daily diet:

morning:
half bagel spread with light whipped cream cheese
tea and/or water

lunch:
salad made of greens, vegetables, boiled egg, croutons with balsamic vinegrette dressing
piece of fruit
water and/or tea

Snack:
luna bar
1 fruit

Dinner:
salad made of greens, vegetables, tuna with balsamic vinegar and drizzle of chinese dressing, croutons

[Windex]

Female
age: 25
height: 5'8
weight: 134
bf%: 15-18
goal: trim belly fat, tone full body to look like a fitness model, not a body builder

Daily diet:

morning:
half bagel spread with light whipped cream cheese
tea and/or water

lunch:
salad made of greens, vegetables, boiled egg, croutons with balsamic vinegrette dressing
piece of fruit
water and/or tea

Snack:
luna bar
1 fruit

Dinner:
salad made of greens, vegetables, tuna with balsamic vinegar and drizzle of chinese dressing, croutons

First and foremost, welcome to the board. It's always good to have another avid female looking to take care of her body. Do you happen to know your TDEE ? If not, you can calculate it here:

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...=#.TlGXJF0a-wk

Also, we need a bit more information to help you.

- Are you doing any weight training, and if so what is your schedule like ?

- Are you including cardio ? How much and how often ?

- How far apart are you eating these meals, and at what time do you train ?

Your goal is great ! However, I would try to make a few smaller goals to help keep you motivated and track your progress. Personally, my end goal is 200 lbs with 8% Bodyfat, but to keep my sanity I've made weekly/monthly goals that when achieved slowly put me closed to the end goal I have.

Also, I would say to start from scratch with your diet. You have some good food choices, but a lot could be improved upon. I would also consider adding an additional meal. Finally, you want to try and incorporate a source of protein in each of your meals.


I would try to only eat these food choices:


Protein Sources:

- Chicken Breast
- Fish
- Lean Beef
- Ground Turkey
- Lean Steak
- Seafood (If you can afford it)
- Egg Whites
- Cottage Cheese

Carbohydrate Sources:

- Sweet Potatos aka "Yams"
- Brown Rice
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Oats
- Quinoa

Fat Sources:

(You also get fats from your eggs, meats, and fish)
- Olive Oil
- Nuts
- Nut Butter
- Flax Seed

Vegetables

Any leafy greens are great. The only specific vegetable that I would stay away from is carrots. There may be others but none come to mind at the moment.


Basically, if it's not in the above list I would try to stay away from the foods. Fruit is debatable but personally I'm not a fan. Milk is also a good option but because your a female I would try to avoid liquid calories since your caloric need will be lower and you may not feel full if half a meal is a glass of milk.

Depending on your cooking skills, we have a recipes section.

Finally, you may be interested in supplementing your postworkout nutrition with Whey Protein Powder.

[gbrice75]

Welcome lana! It looks like Windex has you well on your way to being sorted out. We have quite a few female members around here who you'll soon meet and will be able to give you some help from a female point of view. Are you in the process of going pink?

Your current diet is protein deficient and calorie light. We can definitely help you in that arena.

Windex - you and I share a goal. =P

[lanachka22]

I work out 3 times a week, I do work full time and am a student so it’s all the time I can spare right now. I start my workout with cardio, usually about 20-30 min while alternating intensities. I then do weight training for 40-60 min, alternating different body areas each day, I finish up by relaxing my muscles in the sauna.
I eat my meals when I get breaks at work, so 9:30 am, 11am and 2 pm. I also eat a luna bar around 4:30, about an hour before I work out which is always after work in the evening and the I’ll eat my dinner as soon as I get home from the gym around 8 or 8:30 pm. I know it’s late but I also know it’s important to eat after a workout.
I went to the website posted and calculated my TDEE and came up with 2170 and as of this morning I’ve added an extra meal in the morning since usually I go for hours before eating my first meal. So I guess what I’d like to know is, is my meal timing appropriate?
Yea I suppose my diet is calorie light, being a female, we always feel we need to cut down the calories and then we will magically loose our unwanted fat. and I know it’s protein deficient, I just need to figure out a way to conveniently and quickly add more protein. Time is very limited for me as I keep a very busy schedule, and it seems my diet is suffering from it. What would be the recommended amount of protein for someone like myself?
And to answer your question, yes I am in the process of going pink, just waiting on the response right now. I hope I gave enough information for some more detailed advice, such as what would be a recommended diet plan for me.
Appreciate all the advice I can get.

[RaginCajun]

first of all, welcome to the site! its good that you do cardio and lift weights, but you are doing them in the wrong order. quickest convenient protein is in powder form. get you some protein powder, preferably a blended one, and that can help put in a lil more protein. next, go check out slimmerME's log and see what she eats on a daily basis. she has made some awesome progress and is more than happy to help out. i suppose that you would only want about 130-140 grams of protein through your day and try to divide it up between your meals. you may and should switch that luna bar with oats and protein shake. the pros will help you out, you came to the right place!

[GirlyGymRat]

HI Lana...welcome girl. I have been on this forum for about 8 months and you are at the right place. These guys are awesome and will help you achieve your goals! and you are so right....it is alot to do about diet and exercise. Have fun with it

[SlimmerMe]

Welcome Lana!

Glad you are here. What is your specific goal as far as BF? and are you thinking about competing in figure?

Enjoy the site~
You came to a great place!

[gbrice75]

^^^ told ya the AR chicks (no disrespect) would show up sooner or later!

[lanachka22]

Well, I'm wanting to get down to around 10% body fat, and have some muscle definition. No I do not plan to compete, but I do want a tone body for my own piece of mind. I also want to say thank you to everyone who's taking the time to respond.

[RaginCajun]

how is everything going with your diet? 10% is pretty low for a woman.

[gbrice75]

how is everything going with your diet? 10% is pretty low for a woman.

Pretty low? That's bodybuilding competition numbers for a woman.

[GirlyGymRat]

lana...how is it going...i know you said you were busy so maybe a weekly post is a good frequency to post and let us all know where you need help!!!