So how does my diet plan look?

I'm trying real hard to make a healthy diet plan. I hope this looks good. I can always improve it. Please let me know what you think. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Keep in mind that I will do cardio about 3 days a week (30 mins on treadmill each session) and will lift weights 3 times a week. I am not sure if my diet is suitable for muscle gaining either. But I want to lose weight first.  :)

So here it is:


Meal 1 (8:00 am) - 2 Scrambled Eggs, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, and 1 glass of 2% Milk.

Meal 2 (11:00 am) - 1 Apple and 1 bottle of water

Meal 3 (2:00 pm) - 1 unit of skinless chicken breast, 1 cup of long grain brown rice and 2 cups of iceburg/romaine salad (with lemon juice as dressing) and 1 bottle of water.

Meal 4 (5:00 pm) - Protein Bar (will workout at 6 pm)

Meal 5 (8:00 pm) - Same as Meal 3.

Total Calories Consumed: 1646


I am not sure how many calories the chicken breast will have. I just used the calculator here for an estimate. My guess is that it will change when it is cooked differently. If you know a healthy recipe for chicken breast, let me know.  :)  I also estimated on brown rice. But I think that's going to be very close.

I guess that's about it. My info is listed below.

My current info:

Age: 19
Height: 5 feet 4 in
Weight: 195 lbs.
Goal Weight: 160 lbs.
Goal Date: July 30
Allowance: 1650
Expenditure: 2440

Here's the Nutrition Report for my diet (for one day):

Fat - 20.1% (38 grams)
Protein - 37.7% (159 grams)
Carbohydrates - 42.1% (178 grams)

Nutrition Grade: B+

I think I did a good job balancing protein and carbs. And yes, I will eat this everyday. I don't get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. But I will definately change my diet as I learn more and more.

How about this 

Meal 1 (8:00 am) - Vitamin, 1/2 bottle of Water, 2 Scrambled Eggs, 1 slice of 40 cal whole wheat bread, and 4oz of skim Milk.

Meal 2 (11:00 am) - 1 Apple(or Orange), 1/2 bottle of water, and Protein Bar or drink

Meal 3 (2:00 pm) - 8oz skinless chicken breast, 1/4 cup of long grain brown rice (or 1 40 cal lite bread) and 2 cups of iceburg/romaine salad (with lemon juice as dressing) and 1/2 bottle of water.

Meal 4 (3:30 pm) - Fruit(1 apple or orange) and 1/2 bottle of water

Meal 4 (5:00 pm) - Dinner(at least 4 hours before bed time)

6:00 pm - 1 last whole bottle of water while exercise

Meal 5 (8:00 pm) - Herbal drink only with artificial sweetener

I'm sure someone else will actually answer your question properly but I'll just say 2 things; I think you should eat more at meal 2 otherwise you're only eating an apple during a whole 6 hours. And also, I'm not sure about the calories in brown rice but I don't think that food will be as many calories as 1646, because on days when I eat 1550 cals I still have way more food than that. When I get chicken, it says 150 cals for 100g - that's breast meat (cooked without extra oil or anything).

I can't eat alot at meal 2 because I'm at school and only have about 10 minutes to eat. lol

and srlhome I didn't write down that I was drinking water because I don't think it is necessary. Don't worry, I'm going to drink plenty of water.  :)

Your plan is better then some that I have seen on this site.

You may want to add something to your 11 am snack.  A protein bar or some cut up veggies or yogurt.

You also need to add some more veggies and fruits.

How about a banana after your work out.

You may get tired of chicken everyday, twice a day.  Do you like fish?  Chicken gets old very fast if you eat it every day.

Maybe I can replace milk with more fruit.

What if I eat 2 apples at 11:00 am? And a banana (with my protein bar) at 5:00 pm?

I know I'm not eating enough veggies but I don't think I can add any unless I replace  1 portion of brown rice with some veggies.

Well first off let me start off by saying this....if I had that kind of a diet plan everyday, I would probably starve to death. Which you plainly stated that you dont get tired of eating the same thing everyday. So that might work with you. I am not a nutrionist with a degree nor do I even try to act like it. My eating habits are just like everyone elses'. I am not extremely fat or very much overweight but I Should eat healthier. I am a diet failure!!! If a diet last more than 3 days then I can not achieve anything. If I have to have something written out for me on what I am going to eat then that just makes me want the cheeseburger, french fries, candy bars, cake and everything else that I dont need, even more.  A friend of mine about a year ago had given me the idea of the 3 day cardiac diet. You are only on the diet for 3 days and are able to loose 10 pounds within those days. I can honestly say that I have done this diet and it does work. I have attached a link incase you might be interested. If you are looking for weight loss fast for a few days and then eat regular foods for 4 days then this would be my suggestion. But just as a little hint....The first time I did this diet was about a year ago. I lost 8 pounds the first three days then was able to eat my regular food for 4 days. I then went on the diet again for 3 more days. I lost another 7 pounds. Unfortunately I celebrated after those 3 days. I gained back 6 pounds. So of the 15 pounds lost and then with the 6 pounds gained back, I still done pretty good. The trick is to not overeat those 4 days off. Thats the hard part. I am currently doing the diet now and I am on my second day. I still have tomorrow to go through but I can make it again. You really have to follow this diet and pay close attention because it is not the least bit easy. The first day is horrible and feel like you are going to starve! But it is worth it!

Just a few words and comments that you probably already know...

Do not eat more calories than you can burn in a day. (Since you are working out most days you can probably add more food to your meal plan)

The older you are, the harder it is to loose weight.

A person that weighs 250 pounds is going to see the weight loss faster  than someone that weighs 150 pounds because they have more to loose and it will come off faster for them. (not sure if I worded that so that it makes sense)

Why dont you just ask a health care professional about a diet plan.

 Heres the link to the cardiac diet.

http://www.cartercountymarket.com/html/cardia c.html

Being only 19, I'm sure you aren't worried about cholesterol. But eggs have got 215 milligrams EACH! As a woman, I'm limited to 300 mg per day. You might want to look up that information on how much cholesterol you can have daily. It never hurts to watch that - you don't want to encourage heart disease while  you are trying to be healthy :)  You can make an egg white breakfast (add yellow food coloring if the color bothers you) and it has all the protein without the fat and cholesterol.

Kim

I think you're underestimating your expenditure.  Even at your height, you probably expend at least 2700-3000 calories a day at a light to moderate activity level. 

When I ran your numbers I got your expenditure at 2356 as the number you needed to maintain your weight if you were sedentary.  Which you are not.  You need to add your exercise numbers onto this number, THEN subtract what you want as your deficit.  So let's say you're running 3 miles in 30 minutes, that's about 300 cals?

2356 + 300 = 2656 (lets round to 2700 for ease)

2700 - 800 = 1900 (800 is the deficit you seem to want from your  numbers above)

1900 is the minimum calories you should be eating.  This is still probably an underestimation, but lacking any additional information about your lifestyle, it's at least closer.  I think an 800 calorie deficit is a bit much as well, but that's what you seem to want.  I'd rather see you eating closer to 2100-2200 at least. 

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the eggs, personally.  Unless you have cholesterol problems, or unless there's a family history, there's not as much to worry about as people used to think.  In fact, there are greater health benefits from the yolk that offset the negatives of fat and cholesterol.

everything looks good, the diet is a bit bland so i suggest sticking with that plan for 2 weeks and then trying to change the meals because you will go nuts eating that every day. a tip for dropping weight would be to eat the most of your carbs in the AM so their all burned off during the day.  i suggest finding a high fiber oatmeal or cereal for the morning because it will keep you full. 

an apple is good for a snack but you might want to change the fruit every couple days, just so you dont get bored of it.

lunch looks good, check out the fiber and sugars in the brown rice, make sure its organic too, that will help you out. & just to let you know they make good low calorie salad dressings that are 30-40 calories a serving, no carbs and very low sugar (incase you get sick of lemon every day) 

when you get the protein bar before working out make sure its a good one, look for one thats organic with high fiber, low sugar. cliff bars are excellent. also, eating a protein bar with too much protein could cause you to bulk up and your looking to slim down, so try to stay away from the body building type of protein bars.

lastly, i suggest for the first few weeks to jump start the weight loss, is to cut out the brown rice at dinner,  no one on a diet should be eating carbs at 8pm. replace it with veggies, make your life easier and buy the frozen ones, they take 7 minutes in the microwave, your body will thank you!

if your body is screaming for food after dinner, grab a sugar free jello, it wouldn't kill you

good luck!!!! 

 

 

There is not nearly enough fibre in there if it were for me.  I believe a healthy goal is 35 grams per day.  Veggies have hardly ANY calories.  Try for fruits and veggies of some sort with every meal.  They give your body important enzymes to break down the other foods you digest.  I would forgoe some bread in favour of more carbs from fruits and veggies.

For the eggs, look at trying egg beaters, there are various kinds, the calories are lower.

Okay, I'm no expert, but I do want to give you some advice. I would recommend mixing up the vegetables in your day. I think one salad is fine, but I would switch up the veggies at the other meal. Like the person above me said, about the fibre, some of these other veggies will help with that.

broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, green beans, cabbage (minimum 2 servings/day)

squash, carrots, turnip, beets (1 serving/day)

salad can be your other serving of veggies, and rather than iceburg (I know you said romaine, so that's good) but also spinach, spring mix, etc....with a mixture of salad veggies (cucumber, onion, radish, celery, tomato, sprouts).

And yes, adding another fruit before/after your workout would be a good idea.

 Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I really appreciate it.  :)

I am going to follow your advice and add more veggies. I think I am going to replace the brown rice from meal 5 with brocolli and 1 fruit (banana). The rest will remain the same from that meal.  :)

And I'll keep it to 1 salad a day (meal 3).  :)

Do you think this is better?

Meal 1 (8:00 am) - 2 Scrambled Eggs, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, and 1 glass of 2% Milk.

Meal 2 (11:00 am) - 1 Apple and 1 bottle of water

Meal 3 (2:00 pm) - 1 unit of skinless chicken breast, 1 cup of long grain brown rice and 2 cups of iceburg/romaine salad (with lemon juice as dressing) and 1 bottle of water.

Meal 4 (5:00 pm) - Protein Bar (will workout at 6 pm)

Meal 5 (8:00 pm) - 1 unit of skinless chicken breast, 2 cups brocolli and 1 fruit such as a bananna and 1 bottle of water.


Of course, I won't be on this diet forever. I am still learning and I will add more food when I have the knowledge. :) 

That does look better. I'd say perhaps you should eat a tad bit more at Meal 2, add some protein and fat. Maybe some peanut butter on your apple?

You might want to try alternating what you eat for breakfast with oatmeal a few days a week.  It's great when your dieting because it's low both calories and fat. Just be sure not to add tons of sugar, or it kind of defeats the purpose:) I know that If I have a bowl around 7 or 8 in the morning, with some blueberries and some cinnamon, I'm completely full until noon or a bit later.  I find that if I eat a breakfast that keeps me full through the morning, I tend to eat less for the rest of day. Just make sure it's the real oatmeal because it tends to be healthier then the instant stuff.

 I know from experience how dissapointing it can be when you eat something that you think is healthy, and then you find out that it's the worst part of your diet!  So make sure you read food labels and are aware of the amount of calories and sugar that are in the protein bars you eat.  Some bars are great and healthy, and others are so loaded with sugar they arn't much better then a candy bar

It's great that you eat consistantly to keep your metabolism up, and arn't trying to starve yourself for a quick fix.  It's also good that you are eating some carbs in your diet. Some people get way to obessed with cutting them all out from their diet. But without them, you wouldn't have any energy.  Healthy carbs like a banana or a slice of wheat toast always help me a great deal before working out. They help keep my energy up, which makes my workouts longer and more effective. 

I see that you don't mind eating the same meal each day.  You will most likely loose weight by doing what you are now, but know that down the line you may hit a plateau with your progress if you don't switch up what you eat each day. You don't need to be 2 worried, just try not to go way 2 long eating exactly the same.  Sometimes your body gets so use to the same foods, it begins to stop burning calories as efficiently as when the pounds first started to come off.  I think it's great that you are taking a realisic approach to your diet plan!  Just remember that it takes time to figure out what works for your body and your lifestyle.  Overall, I think you have a well balanced diet and exercise plan that seems very suitable for some muscle gain. Especially because you are using the tredmill in conjunction with weights.  Take advantage of the incline during your workout.  If you use around 10 of your 30 mins on a more chalenging incline you will feel the muscles in your thighs working harder, and will see the amount of calories being burned increase.  Providing that you stick with it, it's one of my favorite ways to see some lower body deffinition really fast.  Good luck!

You might want to try alternating what you eat for breakfast with oatmeal a few days a week.  It's great when your dieting because it's low both calories and fat. Just be sure not to add tons of sugar, or it kind of defeats the purpose:) I know that If I have a bowl around 7 or 8 in the morning, with some blueberries and some cinnamon, I'm completely full until noon or a bit later.  I find that if I eat a breakfast that keeps me full through the morning, I tend to eat less for the rest of day. Just make sure it's the real oatmeal because it tends to be healthier then the instant stuff.

 I know from experience how dissapointing it can be when you eat something that you think is healthy, and then you find out that it's the worst part of your diet!  So make sure you read food labels and are aware of the amount of calories and sugar that are in the protein bars you eat.  Some bars are great and healthy, and others are so loaded with sugar they arn't much better then a candy bar

It's great that you eat consistantly to keep your metabolism up, and arn't trying to starve yourself for a quick fix.  It's also good that you are eating some carbs in your diet. Some people get way to obessed with cutting them all out from their diet. But without them, you wouldn't have any energy.  Healthy carbs like a banana or a slice of wheat toast always help me a great deal before working out. They help keep my energy up, which makes my workouts longer and more effective. 

I see that you don't mind eating the same meal each day.  You will most likely loose weight by doing what you are now, but know that down the line you may hit a plateau with your progress if you don't switch up what you eat each day. You don't need to be 2 worried, just try not to go way 2 long eating exactly the same.  Sometimes your body gets so use to the same foods, it begins to stop burning calories as efficiently as when the pounds first started to come off.  I think it's great that you are taking a realisic approach to your diet plan!  Just remember that it takes time to figure out what works for your body and your lifestyle.  Overall, I think you have a well balanced diet and exercise plan that seems very suitable for some muscle gain. Especially because you are using the tredmill in conjunction with weights.  Take advantage of the incline during your workout.  If you use around 10 of your 30 mins on a more chalenging incline you will feel the muscles in your thighs working harder, and will see the amount of calories being burned increase.  Providing that you stick with it, it's one of my favorite ways to see some lower body deffinition really fast.  Good luck!