Please help me with my diet/macros, etc

bahacca

Current info
1640 calories
40% protein
30% carb
30% fat
I'm 5'8" and 158 lbs. medium build
I'm trying to lose fat and, of course, hold onto as much muscle as possible. Date is April 2, 2013. Not a competition, but it is my 10 year anniversary cruise, so I want to LOOK like a bikini competitor.(18 weeks)
I'm guessing I need to change my macros to 40/40/20. Is this correct?
I was told by a friend here to watch the sugar, so I've been working really hard on not going over on sugar. Also trying to hit 100g protein at LEAST daily.
Please review my diary(go back about a week. This past week was Thanksgiving hell, so not at all typical for me)
I've tried egg whites-like REALLY tried and I just cannot eat them-I've tried the oat pancakes, in oatmeal, plain, mixed with 1 whole egg. . . If anyone has any recipe suggestions, I'll try them again.
And I see a lot of people using cottage cheese, so I need to find a brand I like and add that in for protein.
Finally-I see most people here (MFP) stating that it is 90% in the kitchen, 10% gym. Have you found this to be the case? I'm afraid I've been focusing so hard on getting my workouts in and tinkering with weights vs cardio that I've lost sight of what will REALLY make the ultimate difference.
Thanks for all of your input.

budru21

Ok....I looked over your profile and diary. You want to lose 10 pounds it says. At 5'8" and 158 pounds, you will probably be looking at more like 15-20 if you want to look like a bikini competitor, but that is doable by April 2013. How much muscle do you have on your already? That will determine how good you end up looking by your goal date. Don't get me wrong, you will look fantastic, but if you have a lot of muscle already, you will look better because you will have more definition. So...with that being said, I would shoot for a 45/35/20 protein/carb/fat ratio. You have way too much fat in your diet now, and not nearly enough protein. Protein will sustain what muscle you have, keep you full longer, and assist in muscle repair and growth as you workout. To lose fat, you want to do low intensity steady state (LISS) cardio 7 days a week, first thing in the morning before breafast. Start with 30 minutes daily. Lift weights in addition to that, preferably at a later time of day, 5 days a weak. Lift heavy and aim for a 8-15 rep range. If you can't split the sessions into two times of day, then drink a protein shake with whey protein and a banana after cardio, and before lifting. Try to get the majority of your carbs before and after working out. Simple carbs post workout. Aim for 25-30 grams of protein every single meal....NO EXCEPTIONS. Get your protein macros down first for every meal, then your fats for the day, then fill in the rest with carbs. Keep your calories up to your 1600 goal. Keep this consistent. If you aren't losing weight and are following the plan, drop 100 calories daily. Try this for a few weeks. If you aren't losing at least 1 pound a week, increase cardio to 45 minutes. Keep calories up though. If you folllow this, you WILL lose fat. If you cheat...you will run out of time before hitting your goal. Good luck!!!!!! Eye on the prize!

bahacca

I'm already pretty muscular. I've been back at heavy lifting for about 3 months now and I am seeing definition already. And my profile is about a year old-need to update it. I know 15-20 lbs is more realistic for this new goal. This summer I trained for and ran a 1/2 marathon, so steady rate cardio isn't a problem. I have time restraints with my gym(I have to go before noon), but I can try to get in my cardio right after I drop my girls off at school and then eat some protein and carbs and then go lift. Would this be OK?

Will go change my macros to 45/35/20 and see how that works out.

And for the 1600 calorie goal-I've been eating exercise calories back. I'll try continuing doing this and if I'm not losing, I'll start cutting 100 cal off at a time and see if that works. Thanks so much for your help!