Hi there,

i am 28 yr old female who weighs 127lbs with a body fat of 22%...i would like to gain more muscle and lose more body fat to be around the 16 - 20% range...i have been working out (weights and cardio) for the past 6 years but have not been able to see any visible results.

My goals are to lose body fat and TONE..tone ...tone...and gain lean body muscle...

I recently hired a personal trainer at the gym and i understand that nutrition is half the battle...so if anyone would be kind enough to critique my meal plan that would be greatly appreciated.

Usually workout on an empty stomach..especially if i am doing Cardio...but i noticed that when i strength trainer with my trainer...i don't have much energy...so i am going to wake up bit early and have a little something to eat before i do weights..

Meal 1

Oatmeal, 2 eggwhites, 1 piece of low fat chicken deli meat, water


Meal 2

Post workout.....Protein Shake with Whey powder (24g of protein/ scoop...is 1 scoop enough????), with low fat plain yogurt, strawberries, and kiwi, and flax seeds


Meal 3

Half a pita with two slices of pickles, half a can of tuna, and a handful of spinach


Meal 4

Homemade banana protein muffins...made with oatmeal, protein powder, eggwhites, cottage cheese and banana...


Meal 5

Chicken Breast with either a salad or steamed veggies...not sure if i should have a carb late at night...so i usually skip the WW bread or Brown rice...


Meal 5 is usually consumed around 730pm...i don't have a meal before bedtime as i am scared to sleep on a full stomach and don't want to gain weight...

I drink more than 8 cups of water a day.........

If anyone can give me some guidance and shed some light on my meal plan..that would be wonderful...thank you very much and have a wonderful day!

Oh yes...one more concern, should i be eating a different meal (CARB/PROTEIN RATIO) if i do weights one day, and HIIT cardio the next day...i usually do weights one day (3 day split...biceps and back, chest and tri, and legs and calves) and HIIT cardio on the other days....

Thank you once again!!!

Muscle doesn't tone, it either grows or it doesn't. In order to make the muscle visible, that just comes from a loss of body fat. Also, DO NOT strength train on an empty stomach. You're trainer should be telling you this. Have a protein shake or your regular breakfast, just have something. Cardio, not a big deal if you do it fasted or not. What do you have after your strength training session? You should be having some fast digesting whey (protein powder) and some high GI carbs (bagels, rice cakes, etc).

Here are some suggestions for your diet:

Meal 1) lose the deli meat and have more egg whites.

Meal 2) PWO, like I said above, should be protein powder (which you have, that's great) and some high GI carbs. I'd have a bagel or something, instead of a yogurt. Lose the fruit and the flax seeds. This should be after strength training only, not cardio.

Meal 3) This is fine, since it's your post-post workout meal.

Meal 4) This is ok, but I would opt for an actual meal rather than muffins.

Meal 5) You don't need carbs this meal, just because you worked out earlier in the day. You could try cooking the chicken with some Olive Oil, or stirfry with some almonds. Get a source of healthy fat in there.

Just because you eat late at night does not mean you'll gain weight. That is a terrible myth. The most important thing is your calories. How many calories are you eating? Weight loss is about calories in versus calories out. If your eating more than you burn off, then you'll gain. Consume less, you lose.

Keep the water intake up.

I'm not sure if I understand the last question. Should you be eating carbs the days you do cardio? If thats the question, theres no reason not too. Carbs don't make you fat. Too many calories do. Off days I have my carbs the first few meal of the day, then taper off into protein/fat meals.

Hope this helps. Any more questions just post

HI Big Stew,

Thanks for the feedback...

My trainer did tell me to have something before i do strength training..he also suggested me to do HIIT for my cardio days..in which i go in a fasted state..and wait about one hour after the HIIT workout before i eat..which is usually a protein shake...

I have one question regarding the PWO shake...why should i not use the fruit? and why something High GI instead? is it because u want your body to absorb the food as quickly as possible...And you did mention that for my PWO shakes...i should have a different shake...so for cardio days..is it okay to have yogurt and fruit in my shake? and for strength training days...have protein shake with no fruit and yogurt with a High GI Carb...am i getting that right?

I started logging my food intake on fitday and i have been averaging about 1550 calories a day with 6 meals. I weigh 127 lbs, 28 year old female with 22% body fat..i am 5'6 tall..is that enough food or is that too much for me to consume if i ultimately want to lose body fat and gain more muscle to increase my metabolism?

Thank you big stew...i appreciate ur feedback and guidance..hope to hear from you soon!!!