Female Beginner's Training Diet - Help

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I previously posted this in the “Powerful Women” sub-forum, but was encouraged to try posting elsewhere…

I have recently started lifting with my boyfriend who previously competed in Olympic Weightlifting. We have started with a 4 day workout schedule as follows:
Monday - Strength
Tuesday - Time Under Tension
Wednesday - (active rest)/ ab routine
Thursday - Volume
Friday - Density

My main issue is figuring out my diet. I know I want to get as many grams of protein as I weigh, but do I need any more? Do I need less on rest days? What if I am not that hungry? Can I eat fruit as snacks or is it PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN? I have attached a copy of the plan we use. It was originally made for a male body builder so I have reduced the eggs, meat, and apples by half and cut out the potato from the dinner portion. Any feedback on this would be great! I just don’t know where to start.

Also, I have always been active and had a healthy diet. This is my first time lifting heavy weights and trying to gain more muscle. I am accustomed to eating salads with meat and not counting macros so this is tough for me. My boyfriend says STICK TO THE DIET and wants to be exact. What happens if I trade rice for a salad, broccoli, or have a banana with my shake? I miss eating grapes, apricots, and other fruits and veggies. Any feedback would be great.

2

Rice is as boring as Zumba, I avoid it.

I like this article to help dial my macro’s in.
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/7_steps_to_a_flexible_diet

3

[quote]hanby_bambi wrote:
I know I want to get as many grams of protein as I weigh, but do I need any more? [/quote]

No, not right now.

No

Eat anyway if you want to gain strength/muscle. Most of us are rarely hungry.

If you have trouble eating enough, I’d stay w/ protein. Otherwise, fruit is fine.

You will have less carbs and calories for energy. If you need it for building, you will have to add fat and/or protein.

Do you plan on competing or have very ambitious goals? You can eat all the vegetables you want, as long as they aren’t replacing macros. A couple pieces of fruit should be fine as well. Overall consistency matters more than the details. Plan, execute, monitor, evaluate, repeat.

4

[quote]hanby_bambi wrote:
I have attached a copy of the plan we use. It was originally made for a male body builder so I have reduced the eggs, meat, and apples by half and cut out the potato from the dinner portion. Any feedback on this would be great! I just don’t know where to start.

Also, I have always been active and had a healthy diet. This is my first time lifting heavy weights and trying to gain more muscle…[/quote]

Sorry, I don’t see the diet plan attached.

You listed your goal as gaining muscle. Do you also want to loose fat, or are you already on the lean side?

5

[quote]1 Man Island wrote:

[quote]hanby_bambi wrote:
I know I want to get as many grams of protein as I weigh, but do I need any more? [/quote]

No, not right now.

No

Eat anyway if you want to gain strength/muscle. Most of us are rarely hungry.

If you have trouble eating enough, I’d stay w/ protein. Otherwise, fruit is fine.

You will have less carbs and calories for energy. If you need it for building, you will have to add fat and/or protein.

Do you plan on competing or have very ambitious goals? You can eat all the vegetables you want, as long as they aren’t replacing macros. A couple pieces of fruit should be fine as well. Overall consistency matters more than the details. Plan, execute, monitor, evaluate, repeat.[/quote]

This is probably all good advice, but without seeing the meal plan, it’s kinda hard to tell.

6

[quote]1 Man Island wrote:

[quote]hanby_bambi wrote:
I know I want to get as many grams of protein as I weigh, but do I need any more? [/quote]

No, not right now.

No

Eat anyway if you want to gain strength/muscle. Most of us are rarely hungry.

If you have trouble eating enough, I’d stay w/ protein. Otherwise, fruit is fine.

You will have less carbs and calories for energy. If you need it for building, you will have to add fat and/or protein.

Do you plan on competing or have very ambitious goals? You can eat all the vegetables you want, as long as they aren’t replacing macros. A couple pieces of fruit should be fine as well. Overall consistency matters more than the details. Plan, execute, monitor, evaluate, repeat.[/quote]

I strongly disagree with every single answer.

[quote]hanby_bambi wrote:
I know I want to get as many grams of protein as I weigh, but do I need any more? [/quote]

I don’t get my bodyweight in proteins everyday. However, I get high quality protein. (grassfed, free range meat) Mind you, I train twice a day.

You need only as much as you want. Trust your hunger.

Don’t eat.
Unless you think you think your hypothalamus is malfunctioning and/or have a known disruption in your endocrine system. Eating is quite unnecessary if you’re not hungry. Don’t fret about ‘increasing’ your metabolism by having frequent meals and shit.
As long as the meals that you ARE eating are densely nutritious, that is. Don’t get meathead syndrome mixed with your goals.

Yes, as long as it isn’t used to curb your hunger for meals.

Fuck salad. Unless you enjoy it. And by salad, I mean lettuce. Stick with broccoli or other cruciferous plants that are PACKED with phytonutrients and yes, even some protein. With that said, don’t fear rice. Some insulin action will help you slap on some muscle.

Eat as much vegetables as you like. Anyone that tells you to limit veggies (except starchy veggies, and veggies cooked in a lot of oil that isn’t based in coconut or real butter) is a fuckin tool. A straight up toolbag. And just based off your picture, you shouldn’t have to limit your fruit intake too much either. The only problem with fruit is that it can curb your hunger for more ‘valuable’ nutrients.

And for an added bonus…

your workout program sucks a bag of dicks.

Looks like you’ve got the case of OVERWHELMING YOURSELF.

Start with health and strength as your base. The program you presented would be appropriate for someone who has lifted for a dedicated 5+ years. There’s guys who, with twice the caloric intake you’ll be having, that have a hard time building muscle.

Brace yourself of months of dedication and learning.

P.S.

you are not a bodybuilder
you are not in a ‘bulking’ phase

7

Really Simple Nutrition Stuff Here -

Shoot for .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of BW per day as a minimum.

If you are already in the skinny to healthy weight category, then you probably don’t need to severely limit fruit or carbs. I eat some fruit everyday, even when I’m dieting. I figure the micronutrients are good for my long-term health.

A lot of people can do pretty well with moderate fats and carbs, unless they have problems with insulin, or tend to gain fat easily.

Programs like Fitday have free online calculators where you can approximate your caloric needs. They will also break down the food you eat into macros.

My experience. I was a runner with no experience lifting weights. I’m not quite 5’2". I went from 106 lbs. to 116 lbs. my first year lifting. I focused on hitting protein targets, and ate a very gradual calorie surplus that year. I made progress like crazy and most of my clothes actually got looser. Women who are already in the skinny category, without much muscle on their frame, won’t make much progress lifting if they aren’t willing to see their scale weight go up a bit. Your bones become more dense/ heavier. You may weigh more on the scale but actually have smaller but firmer hips, thighs, waist…

I hope this is helpful. I keep a log called Ballet and Barbells in the Training Logs section of this site. You are welcome to stop by anytime.