Nutrition Question for those with bodyfat goals in the athle

pkgirrl
pkgirrl Posts: 587
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I was just curious about how your diet changed, if at all, once you got close to 20% BF? I'm at about 26% right now, but I'm very fit, averaging about 10h of cardio (including tae kwon do, parkour, and some pretty intense HIIT sessions at the gym) I dome some strength training, mainly using the p90x dvds, but am not actually following their program, and I recently started using their nutrition plan as well.

I've gone from eating 1200cal per day of about 55% carb /25% fat / 20% protein, to 1700cal a day of 50% protein/ 30% carb/ 20% fat, and I've noticed a huge difference! I haven't weighed myself, but I could practically feel the fat melting off!

However, I'm finding that diet very hard to sustain, as well as expensive, and I just keep falling off track. I have chocolate cravings like never before haha. (I usually enjoy eating fairly healthy, but when I'm eating p90x style it seems like all I think about is junk food lol) So I'm just generally wondering you think it might be the increase in cals, or the ratios, that are helping speed things along?

I don't really feel like I'm at a low enough BF percentage (mind you, that was an internet calculator, I've never had it tested properly, but I'm more looking for change than an actual number).

But I am very curious to get some opinions, as well as hear what you've done/ tried to cut your body fat down =)

Thanks all! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    errr.. athletic range? lol. I didn't notice it had been cut off =$
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
    I'm at 20-21% right now. I eat 40/30/30 (protein/carbs/fat) but there are days I go over on the protein. I eat every 2-3 hours and I center what I eat around protein. I weight train 4-5 days a week, run 5-10 miles every week and do H.I.I.T cardio sessions at the gym. I really think running and weight training are what helped get me down from 26 to where I am now. My over all goal for bodyfat is 16-18%. During the summer when I'm off work, I incorporate spin class, kickboxing, boot camp classes and more running along with the weight training 5-6 times per week. My time is limited during the school year since I am a teacher and mom.

    My diet mainly consists of white fish, salmon occasionally, tuna occasionally, chicken breasts, turkey (lean), egg whites, protein shakes, protein bars, yogurt, 1% cottage cheese, almonds, healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nonfat/low fat dairy and a lot of veggies and fruit along with brown rice here and there and whole wheat bread (no more than 2 slices/day.

    this last week I craved junk food terribly! I ate a FULL candy bar, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a fruit tart! I dipped into some cheez-its (BLECK) and ate chipotle. BAD week!
  • LatLon
    LatLon Posts: 5
    Lots of high-intensity cardio increases your need for carbohydrate, and your carbohydrate ratio is low...which is why your body is screaming 'sugar'.

    Based on your workout plan, a better ratio would be somewhere between 30-35% protein, 45-50% carbs, and 15-20% fat (GOOD fat i.e. olive oil-based dressings, omega 3's from fish etc).

    Another reason to focus on increasing good quality carbs is this..., the metabolic processes associated with high-intensity cardio generate a lot of free radicals. Not too worry--you just need to make sure that you are eating a lot of nutritious foods with high antioxidant content i.e. fruits and veggies. These are your good carbs -- another reason why you don't want to low-carb it with high-intensity anaerobic cardio.
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    Thanks for the advice guys!

    I'm going to try upping my carbs a bit, I already eat primarily healthy fats, but I can cut down my dairy fat a bit more I think. Hopefully the cravings will go away, I just caved yesterday and bought a tub of rolo ice cream cause it was on sale, but I'm sure if I give my roommates the go ahead it won't be there for long =)

    So should I go with 1-2 servings complex carbs (whole grains like oats, quinoa, bread, etc) a day and then aim to fill the rest of my carbs with fruits and veggies?
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    How'd you set up your calories? 1200-1400 plus exercise? I don't own a heart rate monitor so I prefer to have a set amount of calories that I eat regardless of exercise, do you think 1700 would be good?
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
    I'm at 1250 for net calories. To be honest.. it's hard for me to stay under 1400. I'm always hungry. I do eat back my exercise calories.
  • pkgirrl
    pkgirrl Posts: 587
    Thanks! =)
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
    Hey girl-I just looked at your food diary. It's my opinion that you need to have around 1600-1700 net calories as your goal, not 1200. Especially since you only have 11 pounds to go. 1200 is low for a teenager, and anyone who's been around here very long will probably tell you the same thing. 1200 is probably why you're having cravings. And by the way, enjoy that chocolate. There is a cocoa/milk fat balance that is good for women.
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