Sport Struggling to come up with a good diet

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natalia1

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Thanks to the many great posts I've read about nutrition on this forum I've managed to lose about 15 pounds so far. Woo! But lately I've found it hard to sustain a diet that works well for me because I can't seem to eat more than 4 meals a day (I run out of time to fit 5 or six meals in but I do seem to be eating a lot of fruit and fudgcicles throughout the day for my sugar cravings) and since I try to keep my calorie intake under 1300, I tend to go about 1 or 2 weeks with perfect eating habits and then I have a weekend where I carb-overload, which takes a while for me to recover from!

I think I especially need to change my breakfast routine because I have very low energy in the morning even though I eat 3/4 cup of oatmeal and a 4 egg white omelette. An hour and a half later I am ravenous and still need some coffee or chai tea to wake up.

Please, please help me come up with a good daily diet. Does anyone have any ideas for a daily menu for a small framed 23 year old female, 5'6, who weighs 140 pounds (but would like to go down to 125) and who weight trains twice a week and runs about 4 days a week? I've stayed at around 140 for so long that I feel I need to do something different.

Thanks so much.
 
Congratulations on your weight loss!

Maybe put a full egg (with yolk) in the omelet. You're not really get any fats in your breakfast at all...or eat a few almonds.

I don't think keeping your calorie intake under 1300 is good. That's a little low I think with all the exercise you do. I would try to up the caloric intake to about 1500 at least.

Every time you have a snack (meal) you should have both protein and carbs. I eat a LOT from the cookbook "Eating for Life" by Bill Phillips. I get the majority of my ideas from there. Maybe you can take a look at that book? I could give you millions of ideas but I don't know what you like and what you're currently eating.

teresa
 
Thanks for the congrats! It's been a slow but rewarding journey.

The egg yolk sounds like a good idea. I'll try that. How much fat should I have a day? Is one 4 ounce piece of salmon and one egg yolk good enough?

I really like salmon and chicken, and things with tomatoes. But I think I need to branch out, or maybe eat bigger portions of things because I feel hungry all the time. How many ounces of meat, cups of vegetables and or whole grains should comprise one meal?

Also, what are some examples of a 5 or 6 meal diet?

Sorry about all the questions!
 
At least 20% of your calories should be from fat (in my opinion). So I doubt that one piece of salmon and an egg yolk is enough fat. Almost everything has a little bit of fat in it though so hopefully you're eating more fat than just that.

You could be hungry if you're not eating enough fat because you'll

My portion sizes are usually around the size of my fist. I usually eat about a 1/2 cup of rice at a time, 3-4 oz of meat, and 1/2 cup of vegetables.

White fishes are also good like halibut, cod, etc, lean steaks, ground turkey, turkey breast, there are tons of things.

example:
breakfast: 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of oatmeal
snack 1: 1 c of cottage cheese, apple
lunch: chicken breast, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup of broccoli
snack 2: protein shake with 1 scoop of protein, strawberries, and milk
dinner: 4 oz of halibut, small sweet potato, green salad

That's something I would eat anyway :)
Hope it helps!
 
You are eating too little. That's why you are having cravings. I would give your menu a complete overhaul. Eating 5-6 times per day is simple once you have a program that works for you.

If you are really hungry after your breakfast then you need to eat more. There is an old saying "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner." While I recommend eating snacks as well... the general rule of thumb is a good one. Big breakfast and smaller lunch and dinner.

You summed up your experience perfectly... "I try to keep my calorie intake under 1300, I tend to go about 1 or 2 weeks with perfect eating habits and then I have a weekend where I carb-overload, which takes a while for me to recover from!"

So eating 1300 or less calories is not really working for you. You may have lost weight, but did you lose fat or muscle? I don't know. But I do know 1300 calories is way too low for someone your height/weight. If you are doing any exercise... then it's doubly bad.
 
Thanks a lot. Both comments were really helpful. I'm going to up my fat intake and expand my early meals. Does this sound like a good daily plan?

1: 3/4 c. oatmeal, 3 egg whites, one whole egg, one apple
2: 2 slices of whole wheat, 4 ounce chicken, tomato, orange (or 3/4 c. oatmeal, 5 egg whites, maybe another egg yolk?)
3: 4 ounce chicken, 2 c. green beans unfrozen
4: 4 ounce salmon, 2 c. spinach unfrozen
5: 5 egg whites (or 4 ounce chicken), 2 c. green beans unfrozen.

I think it comes to around 1400-1450 calories, probably more since I like to add low calore condiments, like mustard and salsa to my meals.
 
It's good but I would add a starchy carb to at least your meals 3 and 4.
 
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