T Nation

Nutritional Help

#1

Hi There - looking for some guidance - let me know what I can do to lean out -
I'm Female, age 47, 5'4 inches tall, 140 lbs. 26.2% body fat
Eating whole foods, 1800 calories, gluten free, dairy free - I was doing shakeology, but I did not want to sell it so I stopped, also it was bloating me up. I eat, meat, all veggies, sweet potatoes, brown rice, salmon, fish oil caps, low GI fruit, chick peas, etc. Black coffee am. No shakes at the moment....not sure if I have a whey sensitivity.....or maybe it was just low quality.

I lift weights with a trainer 2x a week - total body
I do a group circuit training class with weights 2x a week total body (Burpees, box push ups, etc.) I work out am only 6:30 and eat a piece of fruit and coffee heading out the door pre workout (not sure what to do it's so early to eat much?)

I have maintained 140 for the entire 3 months since starting in late May - I only weight myself once a month as I know the scale is not a good indicator, I do feel tighter but I am not sure if I am eating enough? too much? not the right combo/macros? I am on myfitnesspal at 50%carb 25% protein and 25% fat Increase protein? Add a cardio day?
my goal is to lean out and have visible definition as best as I can for a 47 year old!!
Any advice/diet plan/training plan you can give me will be amazing, you are such an inspiration!

#2

Hi and welcome!

I noticed your post yesterday but wanted to give the veteran members a chance to chime in first. I may be a newbie to these forums but not new to the lifestyle. I have a few ideas in mind for you to try with your diet. I think two things that might be holding you back are meal timing and calorie distribution. Would you mind posting a typical day for you? I’m just looking for approximate amounts of foods and the time you eat them.

#3

Hi! & Thanks so much for answering!
Here was yesterday:
5:30 wake, lemon water, coffee
6:15 apple pre workout
6:30-7:30 workout (lift 2x a week group circuit 2x a week)
8am - breakfast 2 eggs, 3 egg whites, broccoli, Coconut oil
12 noon - 6 oz canned wild salmon, 3 hb eggwhites, large veggie salad, 1tbs EVOO
3:30 - snack 2 HB eggs, medium sweet potato
5:30 - Turkey burger, broccoli, spinach, coconut oil
Trying to stay grain free, gluten free and dairy free…migraines…Ive been recommended Keto/Paleo hybrid…having a touch time at night :frowning:

#4

I like your food sources and that you’re fairly evenly distributing your protein throughout the day. What I’d suggest is a little tweaking of your protein amounts and when you have your carbs.

First thought: I think you need some protein and some fat pre-workout. I’ll venture a guess you’re doing just the apple because you don’t like a big meal right before you train. So I’m thinking just a couple of HB eggs maybe? Adding a handful of nuts here wouldn’t be a bad choice either. The added fat will help the carbs release more slowly while you train.

Next: Your post-workout meal ought to have some carbs. Your muscles will just soak them up right after training. I did a little searching and found several recipes for “banana nut paleo pancakes” that sounded deelish. Basically mashed banana, almond flour, eggs, chopped nuts. They are similar to the oat/egg/almond pancake that I make myself: you could do like me and make batches of them stored in the freezer for convenience.

Your noon meal: you can afford to drop the protein amount here (since you’re addidg some of it pre-workout) and add in some carbs: remove the carbs from your 3:30 meal and put them here.

3:30 - since your goal is fat loss I’d suggest you try to make this meal and your last car-free or very low carb and more protein-fat. I’m 47 and when I started this lifestyle at 42 it worked like a charm for me (and I also train in the morning). My fave meal at this time is fish or poultry, a cup of steamed green beans or cauliflower, and a tablespoon of flax oil. If I do salmon at this meal I’ll skip the added oil.

5:30. Protein/veg. like you have it.

Thoughts?

#5

Thank you so much - I think those suggestions make perfect sense! when you first started out at age 43, did you count calories &/or macros?..I want to just focus on the whole foods, timing and the workouts as constantly checking macros/cals feels a bit crazy… but i guess as you progress and seeing results you need to at some point…??
Also, for rest day(s) assume you remove that post workout snack?
I so appreciate your posts helping out a fellow 47 year old!!! Its never too late…and you look amazing!!!

#6

Because I have a science/math background, yes I do count macros and measure. I get off on that sort of thing. In your case, I agree with you that right now you ought to just focus on getting the timing and types of foods down and see how you look/feel. Just framing your carbs around your training ought to make enough of a difference to get the scale moving again. If you stall, then it’s time to start measuring. I’m in favor of seeing you make progress without adding any unnecessary stress.

Regarding calories on training/non-training days, it’s your choice whether you want to drop some food on the non-training days. There are people in both camps. And I’ve tried it both ways. Personally my life outside the gym is so crazy and unpredictable that it doesn’t work for me. I’m more likely to nail my diet perfectly and maintain ripped abs year round if I do the same thing every day of the week. If you decide to reduce your calories then yes, drop some carbs from what would be your post-train meal. But still keep some protein in there.

Oh, and definitely get out the tape measure so you have another set of numbers besides the scale. It can be very deceiving on its own. I periodically measure one or all of these to see where I’m at:
Neck
Chest
Waist
Hip
Arm
Leg
Calf

Hope that helps. :slight_smile: