Okay, new year, new plan of attack. I've taken this last week off from training and I am ready to gnaw my arm off (I've never taken off more than 3 days in a row from training in two years). Even though I am feeling a little blue (perhaps my body is missing the endorphins), my body is getting the rest it needs and my mind is getting organized and clear.

So, here is the deal: I'm a 5'4" female weighing approximately 118 lbs with 20% body fat. I'd like to get down to 15-17% body fat.

I had my BMR tested via a BodyGem appoximately 2 months ago, which gave me a figure of 1600, higher than the 1300-ish calories Katch Mcardle gives me. So, my initial calorie plan goes with that figure.

My training and diet are anticipated to go as follows:
__________________________________________________ __________
Morning Fasted State Cardio: Monday – Friday AM (5 x per week)

MON Day 1 – Back/Chest
TUE Day 2 – Abs
WED Day 3 – Lower Body (HIGH CALORIE DAY)
THU Day 4 – Off (LOW CARB)
FRI Day 5 - Shoulders
SAT Day 6 - Biceps, triceps (HIGH CALORIE DAY)
SUN Day 7 – Rest (LOW CARB)

Calorie Zig Zag

1700 calories - Mon, Tue, Fri

Meal 1 – 310 (+ 40 for half & half in AM coffee :p )
Meal 2 – 250
Meal 3 – 350
Meal 4 – 250
Meal 5 (PRE WO) 250
Meal 6 (POST WO) 250

2100 calories - Wed, Sat

Meal 1 – 360 (+ 40 for half & half in AM coffee :p )
Meal 2 – 250
Meal 3 – 400
Meal 4 – 250
Meal 5 (PRE WO) 300
Meal 6 (POST WO) 500

1400 calories – Low Carb - Thur, Sun

Meal 1 – 260 (+ 40 for half & half in AM coffee :p )
Meal 2 – 250
Meal 3 – 300
Meal 4 – 250
Meal 5 – 300

*****SAMPLE MEAL LAYOUTS*****
(Meal ideas--So for Breakfast it won't be X and Y AND Z. Maybe X and Y or Just Y, etc.)

Breakfasts (7 AM)
Eggs – scrambled, omelet, sandwich
Protein Pancakes
Oatmeal with whey

+ A fat source (oil, nut butter, serving of nuts)

AM Snacks (10 AM)
Cottage Cheese with mix-in:
Fruit (fresh, dried, canned)
Muffin
Wheetabix/Bran Cereal/Grape Nuts
Sweet Potato
“Whey” Milk with
Wheetabix/Bran Cereal/Grapenuts
Shake/Smoothie
Yogurt-based “custard”/”pudding”/”parfait”

Lunches (12:30 PM)
Meat protein source with a complex carb
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Pita
Veggies
Soup
Grains

+a fat source (oil or nut butter)

PM Snack (3 PM)
Quesadilla
Oatmeal with whey
Whole Wheat Pita with Peanut Butter
Apple with Peanut butter
Cheese and Pita/Fruit/Muffin
Nuts and Cheese
Protein Pudding

Pre-Workout (5 PM)
Granola Bars
Baker’s Breakfast Cookies
Dried Fruit and Nuts

Post-Workout (7 PM)
Protein Shake + Carb
Banana
Rice cakes
Potato
Dried fruit

****Low Carb Days****

Breakfast (7 AM)
Eggs and Veggies
Fat or Nut butter



Morning Snack (10 AM)
Cottage Cheese
Sugar Free Syrup
Nuts


Lunch (1 PM)
Meat and Veggies
Fat or nut butter


Afternoon Snack (4 PM)
Nuts and Cheese

Dinner (7 PM)
Eggs or Meat
Veggies
Fat or Nut butter

__________________________________________________ __________

Phew! Well, if you've started reading this in 2004, no doubt you've finished reading this exhaustive posting sometime around March 2005. :eek:

I haven't concentrated as much on macronutrients just yet, as I want to see how far a sound diet and training plan will take me. Tracking calories and planning meals is enough upkeep!

What do you guys think? I would love any advice or critiques.

I'm off to bring in the New Year with a lovely steak dinner :claphigh:

:jumping: HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR :jumping:
Sally

It looks very similar to the plan I have been following and continue to follow (obviously new years eve food doesn't count :) )
Even to the half and half AM coffee... which is something I can almost not live without.

Like me you've seperated the calories into snack size portions and meal times, instead of splitting it into 6 equal meals. Mine is split slightly differently to yours: 300 (including coffee), 250, 400, 250, 500, 170.
The lunch and dinner meals (400 and 500) fluctuate depending on whether I did early morning cardio or not. I generally try and eat my carbs between 1:30pm, and 7pm.

In addition, I have 1000mg vit c, glutamine, and a multivitamin tablet in the morning with my breakfast. With my protein shake before bed I have another glutamine.

I can't really comment on your weight training because in that aspect I train very differently. Trying to build stability, endurance, control and speed for martial arts and sport (and not currently having access to a gym) I'm doing calisthetics daily, with dynamic isometrics.

the half and half AM coffee... which is something I can almost not live without.

:lol: Yeah, I have tried to drink it with milk, skim milk, and even black, but it is just most enjoyable with half and half. Right now, I just feel like it is such a small cost for something that feels like a really nice and luxurious way to start the day. If I find I need to cut back more on the calories, I may start taking it out. But it would have to be a big crunch!


Acliff, is this the type of plan with which you started or did you arrive at it after tweaks and adjustments?

The plan came to me in a dream.... :D
It took a fair bit of tweaking, but less from a nutritional point of view, more due to time constraints. Its quite difficult to have 3 equal sized meals while at work for example, so I split it into 2 smaller snacks and a lunch. And dinner is slightly larger to appease my mother while I'm at home from uni.

The vitamin C, multivitamin tablets and the glutamine were added after I recovered from my annual before christmas cold. Thought my immune system could do with a little help, especially if I was to run at 7am narrowing cracking my head open each morning due to black ice. You would think a helmet would be a more important thing to consider...

Average day:
Fasted cardio: 30-40 minute run round my area, enjoyable partially because its a gorgeous view.
Breakfast: 1 egg yolk 3 egg white omelette with cheese, salt, basil and pepper to taste. My coffee or tea!
Snack: Peanut butter sandwich on brown or wholemeal bread, or fruit
Lunch: Meat and carbs
Snack: Fruit and nut bar, or fruit
Dinner: What my mother makes. Korean food is generally quite healthy and I make sure I don't gorge myself. Only negative is that we eat white rice, but its generally before 7.
Workout: Yesterday it was 4 x 10 handstand pushups, 3x60 hindu squats, 6 x 50 variety crunches, 2 x 50 pushups, 2 x 10 chinups and 1 x 20 monkey jumps.
PWO late night: Usually protein drink with 100ml milk, 300ml water.

My job can be incredibly boring, or quite strenuous, so cardio activity fluctuates during each day in the week.

Currently, I am not taking any supplements or vitamins, but I do see that a lot of people do, particularly glutamine. Judging from my diet I have posted, would anyone recommend it?

Thanks!