Hi! Here's my workout plan and eating plan...how's it look?

[afitzgerald91]

Hi, NFR! I'm Amy, 22 years old, and 5'2". I weigh about 171 right now, and I'm hoping to get that number closer to 130! I've been trying to lose weight for a year and have only gotten down about ten pounds, but that was using MyFitnessPal's recommended 1200 calories/day. I obviously didn't keep up with it very well and rollercoastered my way through that year. 

 

I'm still using MFP to track calories, but I've bumped it up to anywhere between 1600-1700 calories. My BMR is 1595, and my TDEE - 20% is 1749. I don't log my workouts on MFP or eat back the calories.

 

I discovered NF about a month ago, which is also when I started weightlifting. I've doubled my barbell squat so far (from just the olympic bar to another 45 added on!) and learned how to do a proper deadlift. I've almost doubled my shoulder press from 25 to 45. We'll see if I can do 50 tonight at the gym!

 

I hate cardio, so discovering weightlifting and how awesome it is (and how NO, I will not bulk up!) is really keeping me going to the gym! I've gone three days a week for the past month and haven't skipped once!

 

Now I just need to work on my diet. My goal for March was to eat at least one fruit and veggie a day (I'm a carb-lover so I'm trying to wean myself off of them!)....which I already ruined Sunday the 3rd and Monday the 4th. The last two days really brought me down (I've been stressed and sick), so today I'm jumping back on the wagon and decided to post here for some extra accountability. 

 

I like MFP, but more than half the people there have no idea what they are talking about, so I'm making the switch to these forums. You guys appear to be much more well informed!

 

So, without further ado, here's my plan for the next twelve weeks or so. My first goal was to be 150 by June 1st, but if I only eat my BMR and work out three days a week, my calculations tell me I will lose about 14lbs. It's a little more than a pound a week, though, so I would be happy with that! I'll readjust it to 155 by June 1st, and we'll see how far I can get with that.

 

Monday: Workout Plan A

Barbell Squat: 3x5

Bench Press: 3x5

Barbell/Dumbbell Row: 3x5

Deadlifts: 2x5

Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10

 

Wednesday: Workout Plan B

Barbell Squat: 3x5

Shoulder Press: 3x5

Inverted Rows:3x10

Straight-Leg Deadlifts: 2x5

Planks: 3x30sec/death

 

Friday: Workout Plan A

 

And then the next week goes BAB. I also like assisted pull-ups and dips (Both of which I am currently pathetic at), so I'll occasionally do those if I'm not too exhausted. I always stretch afterwards and warm-up beforehand with 5 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill or a bunch of jumping jacks.

 

I live in Buffalo, so it's a cold, cold climate for six months out of the year. In the summer I get out more often and do a bit of hiking or volleyball or badminton or swimming, etc. Winter stinks

 

As for eating, I am sticking to 1600-1700 calories a day. While I won't be following Paleo, I'm going to try to get pretty close to it. On my last trip to the grocery store I didn't go into the center aisles at all and skipped right over the bakery - I only got fruits, veggies, meat, and yogurt (okay, and a half gallon of milk - mostly to make scrambled eggs! But usually I get a whole gallon, so I'm cutting back.) I am still going to try to do at least one fruit and veggie each day, and am even trying some new meats. I can occasionally stomach fish, but oftentimes meat grosses me out, so I'm starting with something I know I like: Porkchops! With...shake'n'bake....and some purdue chicken cutlets...But, considering meat makes me gag, I need to start somewhere! Less pasta and bread, more delicious, tasty animals. And veggies. And fruit! (Which I love and have no problem eating, ever.) I need to do some more research on my diet, for sure, but some things I definitely eat throughout the week include:

 

Breakfast:

Eggs (usually two, scrambled and cooked in the microwave for fluffy easiness), sometimes with parsley or mushrooms

Bacon (two strips with eggs)

Turkey Sausage

Grapefruit/Banana/Apple/Cantaloupe/Pineapple

 

Lunch/Dinner:

Baked Chicken/Porkchops/Fish (not very often)

A bag of Steamables or 1cup can of veggies

Campbell's Chunky Soups - try to stay away from creamy ones

Smoothies w/ whey protein powder

 

Snacks:

Peanuts/Pistachios/Cashews/Ilovenuts,anykindofnutreally

YoCrunch yogurt (I know the sugars are high, but I hate yogurt and these get me to eat it!)

Pretzels

Peanut Butter + Apple/Celery

 

I'd love some suggestions or feedback! I'm just getting started and this is what I've come up with as far as a game plan goes. I have trouble eating a lot of protein and am usually over on my sugars and carbs (for what MFP gives me, anyway....I'm not sure if macros are important or not!)

 

Thanks for reading and keeping me in like, Rebels! I look forward to hearing back from some of you!

[MariahSnow]

Hi afitzgerald91! Welcome to the rebellion.

 

I think your workout plan and diet plan look really reasonable and attainable. As for the diet, I think it's a great goal to add a fruit and a veggie in. That's key and apples are easy to add in as a snack (especially with peanut butter!)

 

I also work out on a MWF ABA BAB plan. Except mine is Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower, etc. I've been doing it for about 2 full months and I noticed some baby arm muscles popping out the other morning at the gym.

 

About MFP and your tracking... I use MFP and I was really frustrated with it at first because it kept saying I'd go over my protein amount or my fat amount, and I went looking for a way to change those goals. Turns out, if you click under the "My Home" tab and then "Goals", you can click the green button at the bottom and change your goals. The next page will ask you about how you want to do it, select "Custom" Then it will give you either a gram amount or a percentage of how much of carbs, fat, and protein you should eat per day. This is where I got overwhelmed, until I checked this out. the TLDNR version is: Carbs should be about 40-50% of your diet. Fats should be about 20-30% and protein is based on weight. Low protein intake for you would be (0.5 * 171) or 85.5 grams. Medium would be (0.75 * 171) or 128.25. High would be 171 grams or higher. Since you are trying to lose weight and gain muscle, I'd say go for the medium protein intake, and the low end of carbs (40-45%). Also, these ratios are automatically updating so you can tweak one and see how much the others decrease, etc. This might help with your macro problems.

[Laureleye]

Your plan looks solid to me.  I have had trouble eating meat in the past and have found that eating it more often, but in smaller amounts, works better.  Now I have 2-3 oz for both lunch and dinner.  I don't do much with it - just toss it on my little kitchen grill. 

As for your yogurts, you might want to try some of the Fage greek yogurts; much higher protein and a smoother less sour taste.  I also bag up raw "baby" carrots and sugar snap peas & eat them with my nuts for a snack.  That keeps me from going overboard on the nuts and gets in some veggies too. 

We're on week 2 of the current 6 week challenge, but you can join anyway.  Just click on the CHALLENGE tab and head for the FAQ for more info.