need advice on nutrition during weight loss

purplemoonpie

hey guys -

I've lost 15 lbs and still have quite a bit of body fat to lose. I don't necessarily need to get to a specific number on the scale b/c I want to get toned as well. I read so much conflicting and different information on diets online and I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing it all wrong.

I am trying to lose body fat but also build some muscle. In the meantime, I love to run and am trying to build endurance ( i do six miles right now) and also work on improving my speed.

I am sticking to a diet of roughly 1,200 calories. It's what I've done before in the past to lose weight but I found myself incredibly weak during my workouts to the point I'm not getting good, strong workouts in most days. Yesterday my gym session was mostly a flop, I had no energy to do my HIIT portion and left after 45 minutes from sheer exhaustion.

here is my daily diet:

overnight oats (1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 scoop protien, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, strawberries and blueberries)

snack - 100 cal pack almonds or 90 calorie cottage cheese cup

lunch - tuna salad (can of tuna, spinach, sliced almonds, green/red bell peppers, jalepenos, extra virgin olive oil dressing)

snack - apple

post workout - protien scoop w/1 cup of milk

dinner - 6 oz salmon or chicken w/broccoli or asparagus


Do i need to incorporate more carbs? Eat more calories to help fuel my workouts?

Also I'm wondering if I'm trying to do too much cardio and not mixing up my workouts enough. I try to get cardio in most days (4-5 days) and ST 3-4 times a week, also I do some power yoga a couple times a week too, I have one rest day.


Any advice is appreciated! Thanks ya'll.

MelaniaTrump

I'm 5-3 and I would eat my cats if I could only eat 1,200 cals a day. I can't imagine adding exercise.
Weight lost slowly is weight you can lose for life. Take things slower?

not_a_runner

If you want to build muscle and lose fat (recomp) you'll want to eat much closer to your maintenance calories. Since you're more concerned about performance and muscle tone and have already noticed your workouts suffering, I would definitely increase your calories. Give maintenance or a loss of .5 lbs per week a try. Eat back some of your exercise cals.

jgnatca

Listen to your body. Fuel those workouts. I'd find a snack that is balanced with carbs/fats/protein, perhaps half an hour before a workout, and then right after. Try cutting a protein bar in half, eating one half before the workout, and the second half right after. See if you feel any differently.

Also, work in rest days, as much as every other day. Surprisingly, I got stronger, faster, with more endurance, the more I paid as much attention to rest days as run days.

cee134

It sounds like you aren't eating enough. Especially while exercising hard. It never hurts to add more vegetables, and they are fat free.

sijomial

The cause:
I am sticking to a diet of roughly 1,200 calories.

The effect:
I found myself incredibly weak during my workouts to the point I'm not getting good, strong workouts in most days. Yesterday my gym session was mostly a flop, I had no energy to do my HIIT portion and left after 45 minutes from sheer exhaustion.

Slow down your rate of weight loss - eat more, fuel your exercise and your body properly. You are trying to exercise like an athlete but eating like a bird!

I don't like fixed percentage of the macros, prefer 1g of protein per approximate 1lb of lean mass, 0.4g fat per 1lb of bodyweight - rest of your calorie allowance falls wherever it falls but yes carbs are great fuel for exercise. But first focus on an appropriate level of calories.

Too much cardio?
For the amount you are eating yes, for your goals no.

not mixing up my workouts enough.
What do you mean by that? You are already doing a wide variety of exercise.

seekingdaintiness

Take vitamins. When you eat little enough to lose weight you cannot get enough nutrition to be healthy.