College Softball Player needs help!

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Okay so i play softball for my school which started this week... i need to lose about 50 pounds but as u know its hard to eat right in college...
with all my excersizing which equals about 3 hours 3 times a week what do i eat to keep my energy up and also not be hungry...
this is what i have so far...
and be aware there is no microwave or anywhere that i can keep anything cold... so what do i bring to school...


Calories Carbs Fat Protein
Breakfast
Yoplait - Original Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt, 1 CONTAINER 170 33 2 5 remove
Bananas - Raw, 1 cup, mashed 200 51 1 2 remove
Orange juice - Raw, 1 cup 112 26 0 2 remove

this is a shake just to let u know

Lunch
McDonald's - Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, 1 serving 160 31 2 4 remove
McDonald's - Side Salad, 1 serving 20 4 0 1 remove
V-8 - Low Sodium Juice, 8 OZ. 50 10 0 2 remove

Dinner
?


Snacks
Powerade - Orange 20oz Sports Drink, 2 container (20 fl ozs ea.) 300 75 0 0 remove
this isnt really a snack its what i drink during practice...

and i drink a lot of water...

and also the food planner is giving me like an extra 1000 calories to eat because of my excersizing... do i have to use them?

Replies

  • hurleycutie142
    hurleycutie142 Posts: 480 Member
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    Okay so i play softball for my school which started this week... i need to lose about 50 pounds but as u know its hard to eat right in college...
    with all my excersizing which equals about 3 hours 3 times a week what do i eat to keep my energy up and also not be hungry...
    this is what i have so far...
    and be aware there is no microwave or anywhere that i can keep anything cold... so what do i bring to school...


    Calories Carbs Fat Protein
    Breakfast
    Yoplait - Original Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt, 1 CONTAINER 170 33 2 5 remove
    Bananas - Raw, 1 cup, mashed 200 51 1 2 remove
    Orange juice - Raw, 1 cup 112 26 0 2 remove

    this is a shake just to let u know

    Lunch
    McDonald's - Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, 1 serving 160 31 2 4 remove
    McDonald's - Side Salad, 1 serving 20 4 0 1 remove
    V-8 - Low Sodium Juice, 8 OZ. 50 10 0 2 remove

    Dinner
    ?


    Snacks
    Powerade - Orange 20oz Sports Drink, 2 container (20 fl ozs ea.) 300 75 0 0 remove
    this isnt really a snack its what i drink during practice...

    and i drink a lot of water...

    and also the food planner is giving me like an extra 1000 calories to eat because of my excersizing... do i have to use them?
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    Whether you eat to the bonus calorie level really depends on how you entered your details in the website when you first joined. The general consensus is that you should eat all of the calories allocated but that general rule of thumb doesn't work for everyone with some having gained weight instead of losing it.

    You should follow your own body's demands for food. If you eat just to the base calorie level provided by MFP and find yourself hungry during the day then increase the amount of food through healthy snacks between meals (baby carrots, etc.). If you find yourself losing weight and not feeling hungry by not eating to the higher calorie level then you'll do fine.

    It's a delicate balance between what your body needs and being healthy about what you take in.

    It looks like your dinners need some work :happy: One of the things I've read and it seems to work for me is that a larger breakfast helps to get you through the day better than a light one. This means a lighter dinner so that your body isn't going to bed still processing large amounts or heavy foods when it should be resting completely.

    I hope this helps you.
  • lisabeavers
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    i see a couple of things (and its hard to say with dinner being such a question). First of all, where's your protein? Protein is very important for filling full and for building muscle and for keeping your blood sugar stable. I try to get 100 g a day. you might not need that much. I have a lot more to lose than you do :) Also, where's your fiber? lots of fiber is good for you but there isn't as much of it in stuff as we think. I mean, we would think a salad has tons of fiber in it cuz of all that lettuce but often a salad, specially a fast food one, doesnt. One of the great things about this website is that it lets you see all your nutrients (?) like fat, carbs, fiber, protien on a food item by item basis and gives you daily totals and goals to reach as well. That helps me a lot. I am consistently high on my protien and low on my carbs these days, but i am having to work hard to reach the fiber goals. As an athlete, im sure you need more carbs than i do. (I have a desk job that keeps my mind racing, but not my body). My suggestions to you would be to add lots of lean protein to your diet (fish, chicken) and eliminate simple carbs (i dunno how to classify the sports drinks. I know you need the electrolytes but im thinking all the sugar might be a bad thing, as it slows down your metabolism). and add good healthy sources of carbohydrates, like fresh veggies and fresh fruits. Course, that's my advice to ME to, on a daily basis. Good luck, and you've picked a great place to come for help, inspiration and motivation!
  • amethystx
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    Looks like you're on a liquid diet. You definitely need more fiber and protein.
    eg:
    chicken, fish, broccoli, spinach, beans, whole grain breads, pasta, almonds, etc.
    If you HAVE to go to McDonald's, get the grilled chicken and a salad (use only a small amount of the dressing).
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    Have you looked into protein bars? They can be carried with and help provide the energy you need for the day, as well as keep you feeling fuller longer.


    Oh, and I'd eat those exercise calories. Maybe not all 1000 but I'd use at least half of them for sure. You are working hard and need to replenish your body. You will still lose weight, eating a base of 1200 plus exercise calories, working out that hard.


    Good luck! Can't wait to hear about your progress!
  • hurleycutie142
    hurleycutie142 Posts: 480 Member
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    okay so switch out the salad at mcdonalds and get a chicken salad... i can do that... and i am definetly looking up power bars... thanks
  • chelsey787
    chelsey787 Posts: 261
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    it's rough to think that your body actually needs those extra calories when you're trying to LOSE weight, but as an athlete, you really need them!

    didn't you read how michael phelps consumes up to 12,000 calories a day? yeesh! too many to even fathom for me!

    However, you need need need to stay healthy! add in some more fresh fruits and veggies, some snacks (bc i see you are only eating the traditional 3 meal/day) and make sure you eat an after practice snack to refuel your body!
  • LMKupizza
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    Hey I played softball in college for 3 years... trust me the work outs and running, and training with weights, and softball practice and general can be overwhelming...

    if you need to lose 50 lbs, I wouldn't even worry about that. With all the activity you are doing, you will lose that in no time, your main focus should be to obviously be contious about what you eat, and to take care of your body.

    By doing that stay well hydrated, WTIH WATER, stay away from the alcohol, sure it's fun and "cool" but it only makes you fat, and when you come into practice hungover, you don't want your coaches to be disappointed. (BTW: if you don't drink just disregard what I said : )) Anyways, moving on, when I started softball, I was already so strict with the way I ate, I wasn't getting enough and after a while I would binge and it wasn't a good idea.

    Exercising like that, you can pretty much eat what you want, just watch your portions and the bad stuff like fast foods, sweets, ect. But don't be afraid to join the team with a celebration for ice cream or something like that... all the hard work, YOU DESERVE IT... good luck with softball, I miss it so much!!!
  • areay
    areay Posts: 463
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    One thing I noticed when I was playing basketball in college is that I never worried about what I ate. We usually ran it all off. But, I was eating a lot of empty calorie foods and a lot of them. College athletes tend to overeat because they think that they will just burn it off. If you are eating the right foods, then you can afford to eat a little more than the average person.

    Watch the sports drinks, they have a ton of sugar in them. I love the new G2 that they came out with. It does lack a little in carbs, but it has half the sugar. I think that's a good trade out.

    I would try to eat a good ratio of carbs to protein that fits your exercise plan. Good luck!