this vegetarian needs help with his diet while working out

[timmypeace]

Hi,

Today I was told that I am not eating enough to be working out like I am. I am currently running every other day, and then hitting the gym the other days. I have been a vegetarian for almost 2 years, so I am open to anything.

My daily meals consists of:

8:00
Oatmeal with splenda

10:30
Fruit

12:00
Veggie Burger
Yogurt with Fiber Cereal
Granola Bar
Fruit

6:00
This is the time where I go run or hit the gym

7-7:30
I usually have something simple with my protein shake

I am looking to tone. I like the size I am at now, I would like to improve my muscles.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am in desperate need of some help. I always find diet and excercise something difficult for me to understand and know what is right. It would be awesome to get some feedback.

:help:

[greensgood]

Vegetables! you really should be eating more vegetables than anything else. you are missing out on lots of vitamins and minerals by not eating leafy greens...
also you should probably add another meal in the evening instead of just a protein shake. just a salad would be a huge improvement, or a bowl of vegetable soup.
how long and far is your normal run? how long and what do you do at the gym?

[Bios]

That looks low on calories to me, and I second the Eat Your Veggies. Also, you're going to work out when apparently you haven't eaten for some six hours. That's likely to impair your ability to lift and run because your blood sugar will be low.

Perhaps add a generous couple of servings of veggies to lunch. The granola bar, or maybe a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat right before you work out. (Nothing holds me through a workout like peanut butter, and it would help up your calorie count. For dinner, I don't know what you mean by 'something simple' but something veg rich like veg chili, stir fry, a curry, or veg stew over brown rice would bring your calories up and your nutrition too; and all of those are easy to make. A veg soup with lots of brown rice or some whole wheat pasta in it (to make it more hearty) works too. You can make those with canned soup and added veggies if you're not a cooking sort.

If you don't eat enough calories, all that protein gets burned for fuel instead of helping you tone.

[namastea]

If I ate like that (and I'm a skinny girl), I'd be emaciated and ill. I exercise a lot, though not a gym-goer or a runner.

Anyway, I would go with more carbs. Ezekiel brand stuff works for me well; it's sprouted and dense and healthy. Tastes "meaty" in a good way. Cereal, bread, buns, etc. I need a lot of carbs every day for how much I work out.

I eat about six meals a day, all with protein, carbs, and fruits and veggies and some fat. I drizzle olive, flax, sesame oil on EVERYTHING. It's the only way for me to get enough food in my system without feeling like I swallowed the entire store's entire product section....

Why not oatmeal with fruit (fresh or dried w/o sulfites), hemp milk, and some melon? Also perhaps a piece of whole grain bread?

Between noon and seven you should eat something for sure. With carbs AND protein! Too much protein right before bed MAY POSSIBLY interfere with deep sleep, so sayeth my doctor. If you are pressed for time from 12-7, try a smoothie with a nut butter, banana, hemp/soy milk, and some strawberries! Keeps me going for a few hours.

Your metabolism will LOVE you if you eat more often. I swear. I lost weight when I ate six meals a day (smaller, but still). Feed the fire on a regular basis and it won't go out! The fire of your digestion, that is!

Bios and greensgood gave you some great advice :). So I'll get off my little podium.

[LadyFaile]

when i was going to the gym my trainer said to eat something high in protein right after a workout to help build muscle and carbs right before to give me energy for the workout.
but my brother who's been working out and bulking up for years has a different approach, since protein burns more slowly than carbs he eats something high protein before the workout and then some carbs after to restore his energy.
i think either way works but regardless you do seriously need to eat before a workout. if you are looking to tone up and not to burn fat not fuelling your body before a workout means your body will have to break down muscle for energy. if you're overweight and trying to burn fat then yeah your body will burn fat but you still need something in there to keep you going.

don't forget that when you are working out and burning a lot of calories you need to eat more than when you are not working out. especially if you're a runner. runners generally have low bodyfat. so if a trainer or doctor or a site like fitday etc tells you for your age height and weight you should eat x amount of calories, if you are active you need to increase that amount by quite a bit. i know a cyclist who has such low bodyfat that he needs at least 3000 calories a day or he gets the shakes. he has to eat so often that he packs a lunch when he goes grocery shopping. he buys so much and reads every label so it takes a while and usually ends up having to go back out to the car, eat, and go back in to finish up or he gets lightheaded. he has food in his hand constantly. he's the healthiest person i know

[badwobot]

I would add a vegetable stir fry (w/ tofu) to your dinner. I run every day (currently training for an ultramarathon) and follow a similar diet. Speaking of that, congratulations on eating so freaking healthy!

[TKD]

Instead of splenda in your oats, you might want to try cracking and egg in it, then mixing it in, that's the only breakfast protein trick I know. There's my input.

[Dirty Martini]

I am looking to tone. I like the size I am at now, I would like to improve my muscles.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am in desperate need of some help. I always find diet and excercise something difficult for me to understand and know what is right.

Cut down on the sugar, for one thing. Get greek yogurt instead of the yogurt you get now - much lower in sugar and high in protein. Ditch the granola bar - all it is is sugar and a gram or two of fiber and a gram of protein. Junk, junk, junk. If you want a bar, at least get a Builder Bar or Myoplex or Pure Protein or EAS or some other kind of protein bar (NOT luna or clif, those are carb bars).

Increase your protein intake dramatically. If you're looking to BUILD muscle, you need to consume it. Period. If you don't consume enough protein, your body will use it for energy, as LF said.

Finally, if you're looking to "tone" I assume you mean you want to lose body fat and build muscle. That means cutting down on sugar and upping your protein intake while doing muscle-building exercise aka weight lifting. (Running build muscle too, but typically not the kind people mean when they say they want to "tone" - I could be wrong, but I assume you don't want to become one of those srawny runners with 8% body fat and who disappear when they turn sideways). Find a weight lifting program you like and stick with it. And I don't mean doing bicep curls and bench presses for an hour. I mean doing deadlifts, squats, lunges, push presses, cleans, push ups, bench presses, rows... lifting heavy weight.

Here's something that discusses what not to do when building muscle:
http://johnberardi.com/articles/training/skinny_guy.htm (yeah he pimps a couple of books but just ignore those parts)

There is a crapload of information on the net. Bodybuilding.com, t-mag.com, lylemcdonald.com, johnberardi.com, exercise.about.com, etc etc. You can figure this out.

[waser]

This site is really cool man!!!!!!!!!1