idiot needs help!!!

[emmab]

long story short (check other posts for more detail!)

35 yo 164cm 37kg bf 6% or 17% dep on BIA or callipers

history of EDs currently manifested in chew/spit of food

stopped purging 4 weeks ago and ran over scales with car on wed!

started going gym 8 weeks ago progress as below:

THEN died after 4mins on bike
NOW can do 60mins HR about 70%max

THEN max was 12reps 14kg leg extension
NOW max 8 reps @42kg

THEN max 12 reps@7kg tri pushdown
NOW max 12 reps @18kg

THEN max 12 reps @14kg seated chest press
NOW max 12 reps @ 28kg

(max all on 3rd set to failure)

taking no supplements

BUT

i think my schedule and esp diet is undermining me due to stuck in ED mentality

my goals are to gain strength and definition with minimal fat gain (some needed i know) and esp to build bone density as have osteoporosis already

currently i go gym 6 days do weights 3 times, cardio 3 times (not HIIT) and on the cardio days i sometimes do biceps/tri/calves at home. ergo i am doing chest/lat/leg/should/abs x3 per week

my real downer is diet which to my shame looks like this:

breakfast: coffee
post workout: either sculpt rtd (136cal/17P/14C/1F) or oatmeal with protein powder added
lunch tuna/cottage cheese salad (150cals worth)
pm snack: ricecakes and lite cheese
dinner: shitloads veg, minimal pasta/potato and few bites meat
evening: one serving nutrafibre(100cal/9P/18C/0.3F)
then chew 300 cal worth junk..i am trying to kill this habit of 15years!)

ok, bring on the attacks! please be gentle with me!!! my dietitian wants me to aim for 1300cals so what are some nutrition and training tips???

 

[Daisy_Girl]

COngrats on trying to change - I know it is hard.

Check out the thread/sticky at the top - titled "Links to top threads". There are a couple links in there with sample diets (clean diets!) and some links to lists of clean/healthy foods. Those should help quite a bit.

 

[scorpiogirl]

WONDERFUL!!!! Looks like you're headed in the right direction. What does your dietician have to say about protein intake? I think you need more, but again - I'm NOT a dietician.

Your lifts have greatly improved! FANTASTIC!!!! The 300 cal worth of junk is minimal so don't be too hard on yourself for that. You will get it stomped out one of these days!

Congrats, girl!!!!

 

[nikkita]

Hi girl!

For your height, your weight is too low... even if you were competitor,
and although this can mean to you that you have lots of definition, you may be bordersome to malnutrition. (You may see this because you have osteoporosis already!)

This is an important factor to consider because, if you want to gain bone density not having an adequate diet will only cause you damage to bones and joints given the large amounts of exercise you are doing.

Exercise and diet must be hand in hand. Eating less and doing lots of exercise will not mean that you will achieve a muscular look fast. You are lucky because in this board there are many knowledgeable ladies who I'm sure will be more than happy to help you.

So in order to help you achieve the bone density and recover from the malnutrition, you will need to raise your calories gradually. You will feel like you are gaining weight, but feel assured that it is your muscles that are responding. Remember, muscle weights more than fat, and sure! looks better on you.

To begin, I will recommend that you cut your training split from 6 to 4 days for at least two weeks... and we can see from there how your body responds. Remember, your body will need the rest so that muscles can absorb nutrients.

About your diet, some recommendations will be:

1/ To include protein with every meal. This should be aimed at 1g of protein per pound for the overall daily intake. Which in your case is around 82g. Divide this in 5 meals, so that you have at least 16g per meal.
The protein intake will be very important in your case because you want to preserve muscle.
Examples of protein can be fish, chicken, lean red meat, egg whites.
For your case I won't recommend to take more than one protein shake a day. Why? because your body needs the general nutrients that whole food provides.

2/ Breakfast. This is the most important meal, specially if you are training in the morning. Carbs and fat consumed at this time won't make you fat because the body will absorb them fast.

3/ Vegetables. You can include green vegetables at each meal because they include fiber which will help you digest what you will eating.

4/ Water. Don't forget to consume at least 2 liters a day.

on another post I will send you a suggested diet.

 

[Sassy69]

Hey girl - solid lift gains! Now the diet -- I guess its really easy to get stuck in the ED mind set - its interesting how its easy to measure progress in the gym, but not at the table. I'm all w/ nikkita's suggestions - the lifting is great but if your diet isn't supporting, you may be catabolizing your body further so even if you consider the diet less of "what you eat" and more "supporting / fueling the lifting you want to do" -- I would set that at the top of the priority list w/ exactly the suggestions above. Take it a little at a time but get that protein in, get the carbs in to fuel the activity you are doing and the fats.

 

[nikkita]

Hi again!

I'm posting you a suggested diet, it is not 1300 already because it is necessary that you first adapt to eating more and more each time. Not only for yourself, but for your stomach. You are free to follow it or not. It is your choice.

What will you feel with this diet? expected is more level of energy and strenght.

meal 1/
cooked oatmeal
4 egg whites
shake made with 6 strawberries and 1 slice of watermelon

meal 2
1 protein shake
1 hotcake with 1 tbs honey

meal 3
80 g salmon
grilled pumpkins (the little green ones)
1/2 cup rice

meal 4
tuna
melon salad (at least 100g)

meal 5
80 g lean red meat
salad of boiled chayote (at least 80-100g) and red tomato
cumber water

The diet is 1080 cals. If you decide to follow it, at first you may feel that it is more food, but with your training you will allow nutrients to feed muscles... and feel free to ask anything!

 

[nikkita]

by the way add a calcium supplement in the morning together with a multivit/multimineral.

 

[emmab]

thank you so much you wonderful ladies, esp nikkita for your time in your suggestions

i should add i already take 800mg calcium (divided doses) 300mg magnesium, and 2000mg fish oil

couple qs for Nikkita
where do i time my breakfast/meal 2 etc if i lift in the mornings? will either do as post-workout or do i do a diff meal that day as substitution?
can i swap hotcake for somthing else as i dont like them?
can i alternate salmon and tuna..i ADORE tuna, salmon i tolerate (cant handle eating spinal columns ;-) )
how much tuna at meal 4
and what is chayote i never heard of it (I live in New Zealand!)
also, what is the quantity of oatmeal in am?
and finally, is the shake with water or milk??

 

[nikkita]

>>where do i time my breakfast/meal 2 etc if i lift in the mornings? will either do as post-workout or do i do a diff meal that day as substitution?
Depending on the time that you lift and how long, you can train around one hour after your breakfast. Try that your workouts are short but intense, meaning... not lasting more than one hour.
The second meal can come as post-workout.

>>can i swap hotcake for somthing else as i dont like them?
Can you find green bananas in New Zeland? If you do, switch the hotcake for the green banana. You can eat it steamed.
If not, do you have anything similar to sweet potatoes?

>>can i alternate salmon and tuna..i ADORE tuna, salmon i tolerate (cant handle eating spinal columns ;-) )
Ideally it would be great that you eat the salmon, don't eat the spinal columns if you don't like them. The reason for having salmon in this meal, is that you can take advantage of the nutritional benefits of this food.
The objective of this diet is to set basis for recovery (bone and muscle), therefore, considering this is a diet for two weeks, wait to see how your body responds.

>>how much tuna at meal 4
I don't know if you buy it fresh or in a can. If it's fresh it can be 80-100g.
If it's in a can, 1 can.

>>and what is chayote i never heard of it (I live in New Zealand!)
It is a vegetable found in Mexico and America. But if you cannot find it substitute for other green vegetable that can be boiled and you can find in your country. The idea is that it is a fibrous veggie.

>>also, what is the quantity of oatmeal in am?
It can be 2/3 cup or the quantity that you tolerate eating.

>>and finally, is the shake with water or milk??
Shakes can be with water.

By the way... if possible, try to spend at least 20-30 mins per day (or more) sunbathing or exposing to sun. Sunlight helps fixate calcium in your bones.

 

[emmab]

thanks again..will leave sunbathing till summer its winter here right now! could go on sunbed i guess??