This is pretty long and I apologize for that!

Hey guys! I’ve been lurking for a while and finally have both the time and enough frustration to post! I am a full time college student with a job so that equates to both limited resources and time. I am 21, F, roughly 125 lbs, bodybuilding.com says I’m a mesomorph although I really believe I am more of a meso/ecto blend. I believe I could stand to drop about 5 pounds of fat but I do not think I would see a weight change due to muscle gain. If anything I would see a weight gain over the long run because I think I could use some bigger legs. ;) I think 125 is a good weight for me, I just need to slightly alter the composition of the weight.

I’d like to go on a cut first. I do a lot of walking to and from buses and classes plus the 3-4 days/week of cardio that I plan on doing (have regularly done in the past but this semester just started and is absolutely crazy!) so I consider myself moderately active. I’ve calculated my BMR to be 2173 and to lose 1 lb/week I need 1673/day. What I am not sure about is what ratio of macros to use, 50:30:20 or 40:40:20. What would you guys recommend for my goals?

My school has a wonderful gym facility that I have utilized since the first day of my freshman year. This semester I have run into some major roadblocks for getting to the gym not because of a lack of will power or dedication, but because of time and financial restraints. I am also truly getting down and dirty with my diet for the first time.

I cannot afford a campus parking permit (where the gym is located) so I take the bus to and from campus everyday. The bus rides alone are quite time consuming, I spend about 2.5 hours/day waiting for or on a bus just to get to and from class and work (I work on campus)! Further compounding the problem is the fact that the buses only run 7am-6pm. My schedule Monday-Thursday is:

6:30 rise and shine: breakfast-skim milk and cereal comes out to 230cal 51gC (21g are sugar, too much???):11gP:2gF or oatmeal comes out to 170cal, 35gC (16g sugar): 4gP: 2gF. I know I need more protein here, egg whites or whey shake, what else that doesn’t have a million mg of sodium that is breakfast appropriate???

7:15 head to the bus stop

8-11 class: I have a ten minute break at 8:50, I figure this is where I’m going to need to have one of my meals because it’s really the only place I can have a meal, my only problem is I will be on campus and I do not have a fridge to put things in, it will have to be able to stay good in my backpack and not require much time or difficulty to put together, I NEED SUGGESTIONS!!!

11-11:35/40ish bus ride home for lunch and walking the dog, lunch will be something like mixed veggies, toasted wheat bread (no butter, I love bread!) and eggs/egg whites (migas, yum!), not sure of the exact macro breakdown on that right now, if I have eggs for breakfast I’ll have the whey here and vice versa

12:20/25ish head to bus stop to head back to campus

1-4 work, I figure between here and my next event I’ll need another meal because again it’s the only place it fits, it will have to be something similar to my second meal in ease of preparation and space constraints, suggestions please!!!

4-5 class

5-5:35/40ish bus ride home, after getting home I’ll go jogging, do sprints, jumprope etc, I need some cardio suggestions that can be done from home, dinner will consist of baked/grilled chicken or some other ‘good’ meat, more veggies, fruit

Will I need another meal sometime before bed, possibly whey shake???

It would be no problem to follow the same schedule Friday-Sunday.

Now, the gym opens at 5am but as I said I cannot park on campus and the buses don’t start until 7am. The gym is also open until midnight but again I can’t park and the buses stop at 6! It’s very frustrating. I cannot go after class at 5pm because it is a good 15-20 minute walk from where my class is to the gym and a good 15 minute walk from the gym to where the bus to take me home stops.

A membership to a non campus gym is just not feasible because as I said, I’m a poor student. Realistically the only days that I can truly dedicate myself to be at the gym no if’s, and’s or but’s about it is Friday and Sunday so these days MUST be my weight days. I figure I can split upper and lower body between those two days.

Assuming I have a good lifting routine, combined with my cardio and diet would this be enough to see the gains I am seeking?

Critique away, I know you guys won’t hold back!!!

Thanks!!!

How far away is the campus? Is it possible to bike or walk to the campus? Is there anywhere nearby that you can park your car? I'm sure there is some way around this rule. Do they sell a parking pass for the school lot?

Thanks for your response!

I would guess campus is 3.5-4 miles away so due to time constraints walking is not an option. I have been considering biking to campus because the buses are horrible this year. However, the pretty steep hills, LOTS of traffic to go through, and the fact that it's Texas and I would be biking to work in 105+ heat (meaning I'd be kinda nasty by the time I got to work) are what is keeping me from going with the idea.

There is nowhere around campus to park for free until Saturday and Sunday. I could buy the parking permit but it's just too expensive for me. I'm pretty strapped for cash this year and had to cut back on many luxuries such as a parking permit. :(

I have a ten minute break at 8:50, I figure this is where I’m going to need to have one of my meals because it’s really the only place I can have a meal, my only problem is I will be on campus and I do not have a fridge to put things in, it will have to be able to stay good in my backpack and not require much time or difficulty to put together, I NEED SUGGESTIONS!!!

Get yourself a lunch bag. One of those cloth insulated ones with room for a "blue ice" ice pack. You can carry it in your backpack if you don't want to carry another thing. That should keep your food nice and fresh for a morning snack.

Thanks for your response!

I would guess campus is 3.5-4 miles away so due to time constraints walking is not an option. I have been considering biking to campus because the buses are horrible this year. However, the pretty steep hills, LOTS of traffic to go through, and the fact that it's Texas and I would be biking to work in 105+ heat (meaning I'd be kinda nasty by the time I got to work) are what is keeping me from going with the idea.

There is nowhere around campus to park for free until Saturday and Sunday. I could buy the parking permit but it's just too expensive for me. I'm pretty strapped for cash this year and had to cut back on many luxuries such as a parking permit. :(

I like leftyx's idea of the ice-pack lined lunch bag. Bringing your own lunch will probably save you money on lunches.

If you can bike there early enough, you can shower at the gym, go to class & work, then use the gym for as long as you need... if the gym is the answer to your problems. If that's not a viable option, how about carpooling with someone back home? Maybe a friend that drives that has later classes or maybe even someone you can workout with?

Just a suggestion.