Ladies diet

[Canttellmeno]

First question AI, what are you doing for cardio, what's your intensity and how long are your sessions?

I have trained hardgainers with great success. The trick however is getting them to eat the right amount of calories

I would follow the diet I've outlined, but increase the calorie intake by using a GOOD QUALITY gainer shake.
Muscle Milk, Big Max (max muscle), EAS, etc.

Start slow. Have one shake at first, and put it early in your day. Maybe meal 1 or meal 2. See how your body uses it. IE, are you gaining weight but now you're noticing it's fat weight or are you becoming harder and more muscular while keeping your fat weight under control.

I also suggest using creatine and glutamine. Creatine will help you get stronger so you will be able to increase your intensity while weight training and glutamine will help you to hang onto your new muscle a little longer before you go catabolic. That's what's happening in your body. Your metabolism is like a fine tuned race car and your only defense against being catabloic is to increase your calories.

But remember.... you still have to keep your calories clean.

You're welcome liftingchic and thanks for the pat on the back Ski!

[Canttellmeno]

Ski has a lot of excellent advice on gaining muscle right here in his post.

I agree with it, but must remind the ladies that men are built to hold on to much less bodyfat naturally because they have much larger skeletons, up to 5 times more muscle mass, and their ability to lose fat weight out shines the women. It's not fair, but it's true.

Women menstrate and give birth to babies. There are true physiological differences in our gender. Women are cursed with the fat gene because the miracle of childbirth requires that you are able to nourish your fetus while in the womb. This requires a woman to hold on to higher amounts of bodyfat.

Follow Ski's advice, but keep a sharp eye on how much bodyfat you will allow yourself to gain through the process.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day. Relax and take it slow. You'll know what to do once you start changing your habits.

[Tim Wescott]

Thanks Lisa,I was going to say that AI might want to modify that a bit being a female, but the premise should remain the same.... basically.

Keep your eye on the mirror also, just to prevent too much excess fat from accumalating...a small amount is permissable, and is to be expected, but don`t let it get out of control.

Bottom line:
Taking in more calories above maintenance levels, and conserving energy,= weight gain !!

[AI]

Wow! what a response! Great article Ski.

C - to answer your question about cardio. Right now when I can get into the gym I'm doing the eliptical for 30 min. On off days, I'm on it for 15 min as a warm up. I always have a protien shake right after.

As far as my diet goes, I'm not one to be strict just because I've always eaten healthy. I rarely eat sweets unless it's really close to my menstrual cycle then I'm crazy on the chocolate.

A typical day for me:

breakfast:
A pot of coffee (not getting rid of the coffee)1 bowl of oats, or grits, or a green apple. If I don't have time for breakfast, I chug down a protien shake usually a store bought one, like a high protien Boost (I love those). Every once in a while my hubby will get up and make some eggs for the whole family.

I don't typically eat anything between breakfast & lunch

Lunch:
I eat pretty good here. Usually I'll eat some kind of mexican dish or a roast beef sandwich from subway. If it's mexican, I almost always have beef fajitas & a bowl of the beans. If available, I'll opt for the corn tortillas instead of the flour.

Afternoon:
I'll have one of those Boost shakes again

Dinner:
My dinner varies, but I usually eat pretty good here.
lean beef, or baked chicken with rice, pasta or potatoes & some kind of steamed or frozen veggie. Last night & tonight though, it's homemade veggie soup with out any meat.

If I have the urge to snack, I'll usually go for raisins, a green apple (sometimes with peanut butter, or a banana.

I drink a little less than a gallon of water a day. 1/2 of that in the form of green tea.

You know, after typing all this out, I can really see the benefit of logging my diet. I have finally started keeping a log of my workouts. Guess it wouldn't hurt to add diet to the daily journal.

[AI]

Oh yeah, I've often wondered if I would benefit from creatine & glutamine. Of course, wondering & doing something about it are two completely different things. So.... I'll do something about it.

[Canttellmeno]

I like what you said about the benefit in journaling! You are a lucky girl to have such a high metabolism, but if the goal is to gain muscle weight and slow down the weight loss then I would encourage you to go back and review what Ski and I wrote. You're certainly on the right track, but you should never miss a meal. Maybe that AM snack that you are skipping right now would be a good place for a gainer shake.

AI, how old are you, if I may ask? If you're under 30 you'll be blessed with a high metabolism for a while, but keep in mind that something happens after you hit 30. Your tapeworm is going to die and you'll start to notice that your fat loss endevours will become harder and harder with each passing year. Not to bum you out, but it's true.

Keep doing your cardio, but please please please consider having a mid morning snack.

I too love my coffee, but I cut it off after 2 cups in the morning. Caffine in excess will spike your metabolism also. If you really want to put on some size, you might want to consider cutting back on the amount of coffee you are drinking in the morning.

Ski, I hope I didn't step on your toes by pointing out the differences in our gender thing. I know you thanked me for adding that in, I just hope I didn't steal your thunder

[Canttellmeno]

HEY!! I've been upgraded to an Elite Member!

Verrrrry cool

[Tim Wescott]

Lisa,no not at all hun,your advice is spot-on!!

IA,eat more food,more often,for sure!!

[AI]

C - I'll be 34 in January. I've had 2 kids & I gained a bit when I had them. Since I lost the baby fat, I've kept my weight between 110 & 118. Right now, I'm at 110. About 3 or 4 yrs ago, I came to the realization that I won't have a high metabolism forever & I won't be forever skinny. I also had a bone density test a few years ago & was shocked to find out I was a high candidate for osteoporosis. Not only that, I watched my mother go through her diagnosis of diabetes. Seeing what she was going through trying to lose weight & changing her lifestyle helped me realize I needed to live the healthy lifestyle if I wanted to avoid the whole diabetic thing when I get older. I see how she regrets her eating & excercise habits when she was my age too. So, taking the bull by the horns so to speak, so I don't go through what she has. Needless to say, she's extremely healthy now & keeps her diabetes under control with diet & excercise.

I've maintained my weight at 110# - 118# for about 3 years. I've been a size 7/8 since I had kids. Right now, my clothes are too big & I had to buy size 3/4 pants. I'm guessing the size lost in my legs is being compensated somwhere else, not sure where... or since I started getting more serious about working out, my body is taking on different shape, firmed up in spots, etc... does that make sense?

I'll try to cut back on the coffee. I usually cut myself off at 10am, but I do drink alot up until that point, probably 4 -5 cups. I've got a stash of soup in my drawer at work that's perfect for that morning snack. I'll just fill up my drawer at work with other goodies too.

Thanks for the advice C & ski. I'll work on it. I am a work in progress, just ask TLM!

[Tim Wescott]

You`re quite welcome AI,and as far as coffee goes,I know I should cut back but I make you look like a lightweight...I drink it day and night and will never give it up !!

I`m not saying it`s great but if anyone messeswith me in the AM befoe I have my obligatory 3 cups to start my engine they could lose an eye !! ;D

[AI]

lol, ski. I know! My whole family knows better than to speak to me until i've had my first cup. It is my daily attitude adjustment.

I would drink more throughout the day, but like I said, I make myself stop drinking coffee by 10am. I had to give myself that cutoff point because like you, ski, I was drinking it all day.

I used to fill my afternoon coffee void with dr. pepper, but I've stopped that and now have water or green tea. I'm lucky to have more than one dr. pepper a week. That is my treat.

[Canttellmeno]

AI said:

C - I'll be 34 in January. I've had 2 kids & I gained a bit when I had them. Since I lost the baby fat, I've kept my weight between 110 & 118. Right now, I'm at 110. About 3 or 4 yrs ago, I came to the realization that I won't have a high metabolism forever & I won't be forever skinny. I also had a bone density test a few years ago & was shocked to find out I was a high candidate for osteoporosis. Not only that, I watched my mother go through her diagnosis of diabetes. Seeing what she was going through trying to lose weight & changing her lifestyle helped me realize I needed to live the healthy lifestyle if I wanted to avoid the whole diabetic thing when I get older. I see how she regrets her eating & excercise habits when she was my age too. So, taking the bull by the horns so to speak, so I don't go through what she has. Needless to say, she's extremely healthy now & keeps her diabetes under control with diet & excercise.

I've maintained my weight at 110# - 118# for about 3 years. I've been a size 7/8 since I had kids. Right now, my clothes are too big & I had to buy size 3/4 pants. I'm guessing the size lost in my legs is being compensated somwhere else, not sure where... or since I started getting more serious about working out, my body is taking on different shape, firmed up in spots, etc... does that make sense?

I'll try to cut back on the coffee. I usually cut myself off at 10am, but I do drink alot up until that point, probably 4 -5 cups. I've got a stash of soup in my drawer at work that's perfect for that morning snack. I'll just fill up my drawer at work with other goodies too.

Thanks for the advice C & ski. I'll work on it. I am a work in progress, just ask TLM!

I'm sorry to hear that there is a diabetes and osteoperosis risk in your future. I'm glad to know that you are taking this stuff serious in terms of clean eating and consistant exercise. I watched my grandma wither away from osteoperosis so I know it's a risk to me as well. I'll never stop weight training.

You mentioned that your body is taking on a different shape and you asked if that made sense to me. Yes it does. I tell all my gals to expect to feel an overall 'dense' feeling under the surface bodyfat. I refer to this as a metamorphus phase.... much like the catipillar that turns into a beautiful butterfly. That's exactly what's going on.

The frustrating part in the journey for many women is they tend to focus on their trouble spots. Those areas that their eyeballs are drawn to when they get out of the shower and they're looking into the mirror.

It's a game of time. Time, consistancy and patients. Most women who take the journey have never witnessed what their muscles look like when they are toned and defined. They only know what the soft, untoned apearence of the bodyfat looks like, so they don't understand when their bodies begin to take on a different shape through their programs. And... they ALL want to see the fat melt off of their trouble spots first. The reality of it is, it's usually the last place to go.

You mentioned you had a stash of soup in your drawer. Please keep in mind that if you are really serious about wanting to put on some quality muscle, a 600 - 800 calorie gainer shake is a much better choice vs a 200 calorie soup. Something to consider, especially where your particular genetic make up is the problem.

Make sense?

Have a GREAT DAY!

[CalienteF]

Thanks everyone for your great ideas. I am new to this board and am happy that I was shown the link(thanks YB). Looks as though there is a great deal of info here. Glad to be aboard!

Awesome Lisa, thanks a bunch!

I am one of those people that just don't eat often enough! Often, I find myself thinking around 9p or later, crap, did I even eat today? No wonder I haven't seen substantial gains!

I will take your suggestions to heart and keep you posted if your interested. I will plan on starting the two week trial (they say that it only takes two weeks to make or brake a habit) and will hope with any luck that the eatting habits change.

Again, thanks for the help. If you have any more suggestions please let me know.