Help for my girl

[T Bone]

I'm finding out that my weakness is giving diet and trainging advice to a woman. I have never had a problem losing weight myself. All i have really only focused on is bulking. With that said, we need some critique on her rutien.

Stats:
23yrs old
5'6"
196lbs
BF??

2 weeks into this...

Diet: (roughly)
1200 to 1500 cals
150 to 175 grs protien
90 to 120 grs carbs
40 to 60 grs fat

Five meals a day. 2 myoplex lites and 3 small meals. Taking Hydroxycut.

55 minutes of Tea Bo (5 days/wk) mon, tues, wed, fri and sat mornings on an empty stomach. 7am. Folowed by her first MRP.

Weights five days. Monday thru friday in the evenings. One body part per day. Cardio is skiped on thursday mornings because wednessday is leg day. Sunday is off day for everthing.

She grew up very athletic, playing every sport. Since high school, she has not done much and has put on the extra weight. Judging by her muscle mass, strength and frame, i feel 150lbs would be a good weight for her. She is not as big as 196lbs @ 5'6" sounds. Shes about a size 16. Alot of muscle underneath.

Goals are to loose fat and build muscle. Not going for the skinny wimpy girl look. She's not looking at the scale. She looking in the mirror and taking measurements.

Thanks for your help and it's good to be back at Elite again. She will be checking with my log in and possibly replying.


T Bone

 

[2Shy]

Hi, T Bone. IMO she won't be getting enough calories. Yes, she'll achieve an initial weight loss, but it won't all be fat. Also, going too low in calories might shock her body into starvation mode. I know that I stall out if I go too low on calories myself.

You might check out Dr. Squat's article here: http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=12

Elite's Mr. X recommends 12 X Body Weight for BMR. For a slow and steady weight loss (the best kind) 500 calories under that should work. That's roughly a pound a week. You might occasionally drop to 1000 calories below that number. I generally use the 500-1000 calories under BMR as my goal range.

I think a 50/25/25 diet is a good nutrient split. I've had success on higher protein diets, but some people find them difficult to follow.

That seems like a lot of cardio to me. Since you mention leg day, I take it she will be lifting as well?

 

[wateengedoe2]

I agree with 2Shy: not enough cals and too much cardio .. Also 5x/week lifting is quite much, isn't it? Now I'm on a cutting diet of about 500 kcal less than my body needs and I lift 4x a week, cardio about 2 to 3x on empty stomac in the mornings. Got good results with that, but then .. my metabolism must have been very fast from the beginning because I came from a bulking diet.

 

[muscle_geek]

I have to disagree with everyone here. If she was really serious about losing weight then I would drop the cals below 1000 and pretty much lose the carbs completely (atkins style). I would keep the metabolism up by taking flax seed oil. Lifting five times a week is good and every day that she lifts she should also be doing cardio. I would try to work up to 45 minutes of cardio. This might sound tough, but if she's really motivated the body would have no choice but to shed fat quickly with this routine.

 

[scruples]

I have to disagree with everyone here. If she was really serious about losing weight then I would drop the cals below 1000 and pretty much lose the carbs completely (atkins style). I would keep the metabolism up by taking flax seed oil. Lifting five times a week is good and every day that she lifts she should also be doing cardio. I would try to work up to 45 minutes of cardio. This might sound tough, but if she's really motivated the body would have no choice but to shed fat quickly with this routine.

horrible advice

please do not listen to this

 

[BrickGirl]

I have to disagree with everyone here. If she was really serious about losing weight then I would drop the cals below 1000 and pretty much lose the carbs completely (atkins style). I would keep the metabolism up by taking flax seed oil. Lifting five times a week is good and every day that she lifts she should also be doing cardio. I would try to work up to 45 minutes of cardio. This might sound tough, but if she's really motivated the body would have no choice but to shed fat quickly with this routine.

That is really bad advice.

 

[muscle_geek]

I don't think its terrible advice. I'm reporting from the results I have seen from a couple of women that have done something like this. It might be completly anecdotal and not scientific, but it was true. I'm not trying to give bad advice, but you have to create a caloric deficit while maintaining a good metabolism. The bigger the deficit the better as long as you can maintain your metabolism. My idea might not be to your liking. Its very aggressive and involves pain and sacrifice. I was basically cruising the women's board to find powerlifting info for a girl I know. I thought I would give my two cents. I guess we're not allowed to do that here.

 

[slinky]

geek: what you're looking for here is a typical "workout designed for a girl" - right?

Well, for one, there is no such thing. Training/nutrition is based on individual needs.

You will be advising for her to eat too few calories and training so much that she will certainly lose LBM. And that's not good. First of all, she'll need added LBM to maintain a healthy metabolism. Which will enable her to lose BF.

Let me clarify: This gal will be performing 5-days a week of Tae Bo, 5-days a week of weights, up to 45-minutes of cardio a day. And this ain't "overkill"? But it is: no matter the gender. And to top it off, you want her to go on a below maintenance diet? Again, she will certainly go into a catabolising mode - in other words: she'll lose LBM.

While you suggest her goal is to gain LBM. Also, let me say something else: you seem to be combining two goals into one: gaining LBM and losing BF. Ya can't do one and the other at the same time. Ya gotta pick one goal, strive for it first and THEN achieve the other.

To gain LBM, she'll need recovery. We ALL require recovery. And a healthy caloric intake. To lose BF, she can go into a caloric deficit, but also she needs to maintain the LBM she's got. If she insists on the Tae Bo, then keep doin' it, but don't add anymore cardio. And weight train 3-days a week or even just two.

Just my two cents - or three.

 

[manny78]

5'6" , 196 lbs. You might want to consider some qualified nutritionist. Dropping 60 lbs wont happen in a week, not even in a month. It's a question of will over everything. Do you have any insurance ? I know someone who got his wife a gym membership, PT and nutritionist all paid.

Geek: I dont think T-Bone requested for an AUschwitz type diet.

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

I agree w/Manny & just wondering if this is your girlfriend or SO??? cuase your giving her ALOT-- prob too much-- five days weight training/ five days cardio/ hydroxycut/ MRPs...

if you want her to succeed... pick just 2 things & see how she does-- your throwing too much at someone new to training & dieting... imo.