I would love feedback :-)

Hi everyone! I am new here but I have already learned a lot from the forums. I would love if anyone could give me some feedback on my fitness plan.

Goal
I am 5'3 and in the past month and a half I lost 11lbs, now I weight 124lbs. By the end of the summer I would like to loose about 7-10 lbs which are mainly concentrated around my belly area. Simultaneously, but this might take longer, I would like to get more muscular legs and arms and just be "fit."

Nutrition Plan
I cut all of the "bad" foods out of my diet including cookies, fried foods, ice cream, etc. In the past I had problems with binge eating when I am nervous, especially during finals time. For example, exactly about a year ago I ate a whole box of Oreo's cookies in under 2 hrs. before my summer semester finals. This year during my spring semester finals I fought this urge and instead binged on carrot sticks or went to the gym to release the stress. I continue to fight this urge to binge eat and so far I have been successful for a little over 2 months!

My current eating pattern looks like this (I try to aim to 1500-1600 calories/day):

Breakfast (8:30am): Special K cereal with %1 or %2 fat free milk.
Snack 1(10:30am): Banana or apple & 8oz water or Light Yogurt
Lunch (12:30pm): Tuna salad sandwhich with whole wheat bread, light mayo, and lettuce. Banana & 8 oz water
Snack 2 (1:30pm): Kellogs Nutri-Grain cereal bar & 8oz. water
Snack 3 (3:00pm): 8oz. Light Yogurt + water
Dinner (7:30pm): lean meat, small salad, 2 different servings of veggies (asparagus, brocolli, cauliflower), 1 tortilla
I don't go to bed til 11:30 so if I get hungry in between dinner and my bedtime I eat a fruit.

Workout plan
I don't have access to a gym for the summer so I went ahead and bought running shoes and I also bought some free weights for me to work out at home.There is a lake by my house which is 3 miles long, I began running it a little over 1 week ago but I have yet to be able to run the whole 3 miles. I am just adding short distances little by little. I started by running 1 mile of it, and now I am up to running 2 miles. I walk the rest of the way. But I am confident that I will be able to run the 3 miles in less than a week.

Running 2 miles 6 x a week

Walking 1 mile 6 x a week

Free weights
Workout my upper body (biceps, shoulders, triceps, back) 3x a week.

Workout my legs (squats with free weights, work out calves) 3x a week.

Another question, there is also a beach that I could easily drive to to run on sand. I've heard that running on sand burns more calories because it is more difficult. Is this true? Would it be more beneficial for me to run on sand?

So that is my plan. Suggestions are welcome! Have a wonderful day!
 
real quick and then I gotta get some sleep... it's been a looong day for me!

You could use some more protein. I like to eat a protein at each meal. I'd also focus on strength training and have cardio secondary. Running in sand is great for you, but I say do whatever is most appealing to you.

Focusing on weights will help build lean muscle and that will help burn fat. Also, you could add in cardio intervals because that really helps rev the metabolism as well.

So on that three mile path around the lake, try running for 2 minutes then walking for 45 seconds, then running for 2 minutes then walking for 45 seconds, etc.
 
thank you so much Trainer Lynn, I hope that you got good rest!
I am definitely going to add more eggs, cottage cheese, maybe even more tuna in there (I am starting to really like it!) and other foods with protein.
 
a combination I enjoy is almonds with cottage cheese, or a slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter. and don't forget, oatmeal is great too
 
Hi,
you're doing a great job! Cutting those bad foods and using the gym to release stress instead of junk food....awesome!

Your workouts look good. Running in the sand is harder, but I really don't think you're going to see more fat loss. I would run where you enjoy running more.

Fpr your diet I think you would benefit from a little more balance of carbs/protein and less processed foods. Nutrigrain bars aren't the best. Eating foods as close to their natural state is best. Smalller servings of carbs with small servings of protein at each meal will give you a balance that will keep your blood sugar levels stable and your metabolism up throughout the day. :)

Sarah
 
thanks everyone

so yesterday I substituted the nutri grain bar for 2 boiled eggs and added a little more veggies for snacks. I could definitely tell the difference since I felt more full and my stomach was satisfied for longer.
BTW, I looked at the bread I was using and it's a multi-grain bread not just wheat so I am also getting some proteins there. I am going grocery shopping today so I am getting cottage cheese, more eggs & other protein stuff! *excited*

lynn, thanks for your suggestion about running 2 min walking 1 min. I read around the board and found out about HIIT so I looked at other suggested routines. I ran 1 min, walked 1 min around the lake and I really enjoyed that workout. It was def. much harder but I felt great when I finished. So I'll keep on trying this 3-4x a week.
 
So I tried adding more protein to my diet and having a protein and carb at every meal would like to see if you guys think I improved or if you have any suggestions. I am still aiming for 1500-1600 calories a day.

Tuesday

Breakfast
Special K with 1 cup of %1 low fat milk

Snack 1
Light Dannon yogurt, 3 celery stalks, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter

Lunch
Tuna sandwhich, 1 tablespoon light mayo, lettuce, sprouted whole wheat bread

snack 2
1/2 a cup of low fat cottage cheese with half a cup of grapes

dinner
skinless chicken breast (4oz), 1/2 a cup of nopales (a type of cactus) and a slice of sprouted whole wheat bread

snack 3
watermelon

Today

Breakfast
Special K cereal with 1 cup 1% milk

Snack 1
1 beet, 2 hard boiled eggs (I took out 1 yolk), 1 piece of sprouted whole wheat bread with less than a teaspoon of peanut butter

Lunch
Tuna sandwhich (1/2 a can of 6.5 oz canned tuna on water), 1 tablespoon light mayo, lettuce, sprouted whole wheat bread

Snack 2
1/2 a cup of low fat cottage cheese with a banana

Dinner
skinless chicken breast (4oz), some rice and asparagus

Snack 3
a light yogurt and a fruit


Another question is that I go work out after work, around 5:30pm, and this is exactly 2.5 hours after my snack number 2. By the time I go work out I am no longer full but nor am I hungry. I read in a post somewhere that we should wait a few hours after eating before working out. Do you think that 2.5 hrs is enough? Thanks a lot for your help!
 
I think it is very important to sleep well and be happy. This will be positive to your hormone levels which can directly affect the outcome of your diet and exercise.

Losing weight is a lot more than consuming more calories than you take in. Looks like you are on the right track! Congratulations on your progress!

Terry
 
What matters most is how you feel with your new food plan. If you feel better/more energized, I'd say it's thumbs up. Oh, and give oatmeal a go for breakfast as it's one of the best foods you can have in my opinion.

A note on the bread: if the first word in the ingredients list says enriched, put it back on the shelf, and look for whole wheat/grain bread. And of course, keep up the good work.
 
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mlabbie, wow thats funny, we eat like the same stuff at each meal, except i eat a different type of cereal and no cactus...LOL worked wonders for me and i feel great! congrats on cutting out junk food and working out!! keep up the great work!
 
stingo, I definitely feel more energized now that I eat smaller meals throughout the day. I'm going to give oatmeal a try. Do you have any favorite brands?

steppN2itgal, that's funny that we eat almost the same food! What type of cereal do you eat? Do you work? I ask because its kind of weird eating 5-6 meals a day if you are at work. At work I am always pulling out my snacks every 3 hrs or so and people must think I just like to eat a lot lol.
 
pickles are a good snack
 
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