Some diet/nutrition help for my girl

[JoBu]

My girlfriend is just getting back into working out. She started at a local gym last week and they set her up with a cardio/strength program. She doesn't eat bad, but I think she could benifit from some help. I offered to outline some basics if she was interested.

A standard day for her might consist of:

-bowl of cereal and 1/2 cup skim milk for breakfast
-apple for snack
-bowl of cereal and 1/2 cup skim milk for lunch
-some other fruit for snack
-a Zone bar later in the afternoon if she's really hungry (which in her opinion has "a lot of protein"
-spinach salad for dinner...although she's a sushi fiend so that is a common dinner choice too

In my opinion she isn't eating enough and needs more protein...especially now that she's strength training. She's 5'5" and probably about 130lbs...lots of nice curves...not fat or over weight by any means...but she wants to trim down and tone up.

I'd like to give her some basic guidelines to help in her quest. Off the top of my head I'm thinking

-add a small protein shake or other protein source (one whole egg, yogurt, or Zone bar) with breakfast
-some lowfat cheese with morning snack
-lean meat sandwich on wheat bread for lunch
-add 6-8 ounces of chicken/fish/beef along with the salad for dinner

Am I on the right track or is this too much? She's active and working out regularly. She's also cycling ECA and NYC in two-week intervals.

She's very busy and often skips dinner claiming she didn't have time to eat. She's also concerned about spending money on "all that food" And finally, I can imagine her reaction when I tell her she needs to eat more calories in order to get the most out of her training.

Very much appreciate any suggestions you ladies have for my sweetie...I just want to help and encourage her without pushing anything on her.

JoBu

 

[spatts]

Do you know her BF%? What is her training split like?

 

[FitFossil]

You're opinion is right, and I like your suggestions about getting more protein throughout the day, except I'd nix the Zone (or any type) bar. Bars are ok in a pinch or as the occasional treat, but they're much more expensive than real food. Plus they can contain hidden sugars and weird additives that she'd do better without. I consider them to be "candy w/ protein".

Just because she's not eating fast food or lots of sweets doesn't mean her diet isn't "bad". Not eating enough to support her training IS bad, and is probably the most common mistake women make. (I too used to think skipping dinner was a great way to control my weight, but the body figures out that trick soon enough before it's payback time...)

Two meals a day of cereal isn't doing her any good either, if it's the ready-made boxed variety. That's too many highly processed carbs, which'll just send her blood sugar on a roller-coaster ride, predispose her body to store more fat, kill her energy, and cause extreme carb cravings. Oatmeal is a far better choice, because it's a complex carb, so it'll digest more slowly and blood sugar will be more stable. Even a meal replacement shake like Myoplex Lite would be better than cereal.

Here's my "Magic Breakfast" that I swear by on most mornings:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (complex carb)
1 teaspoon wheat bran (fiber)
1 tablespoon dry roasted peanuts (Omega 6 healthy fat)
Add water (enough to more than cover all the dry ingredients)
Microwave for 2 minutes

Add scoop of protein powder (I like ProLab Pure Whey)
Stir and eat

I also take a fish oil pill to get my Omega 3 healthy fats - also an important part of any diet. Among other things, it helps the body burn bodyfat.

Along with getting her signed up on these boards herself, have her check out this site too: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

 

[JoBu]

Thanks FitFossil!

When I said her diet wasn't bad I just meant she does well in avoiding the bad stuff...not that she has ehough good stuff I'm not big on bars either but she mentioned that she eats them sometimes and I want to start her off disrupting her standard routine as little as possible. I'll grab a Balance bar if I'm really craving candy and haven't been going overboard on carbs that day.

I definitey want to get her off the cereal for lunch thing and skipping dinner. Forgot to mention she got some Flax oil...although I'm not sure if she's been taking it consistently or not. I typically make fish once a week and we'll usually do sushi at least once a week.

One twist I found out today...she's currently on a prescription and has to minimize dairy products for the next couple months...so much for the cheese, milk, and yogurt.