Help with wife's diet

My wife just started exercising again to get in better shape. 10 pounds over weight at best. She is not a gym rat, but does cardiovascular exercise 2-3 times a week.

Her biggest struggle is her diet, particularly mid day. She is an accountant, to be accurate CPA, and works out of an office in our home. Her weakness is snacking mid day. She needs something to hold her till dinner. I have 5 to 6 cans of protein at any given time and she asked me for a meal replacement. I told her to have a protein shake, but she doesn't like the taste of mine.

Any meal replacement suggestions? Real food would be great, but prefer something quick she can mix up. Good taste is a must.

It's important to me to help her get going as I am hoping this will lead to a lifestyle change.

Lowtman

Hey LTM, I think we're gonna need pictures of your wifey. You know, for science.

geoffsawyer said:

Hey LTM, I think we're gonna need pictures of your wifey. You know, for science.

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Got it, if that helps me get her in the gym with me your on. All three kids are out tonight at friends, so I will see what I can do, or what she will....

LowT

Have her prep some meals the night before and throw them into tupperwares. Shakes are ok but do not replace whole foods. More quality fats and protein in these meals will help curb her cravings. Eggs(whole) really fill me up. So something like a salad with a few hardboiled eggs with an evoo/vinegar based dressing is a good start.

If you really want to get her on a shake try Divine protein..... the taste is stellar. I throw in alittle MCT oil with mine for fat.... but the Nutiva extra virgin coconut oil maybe a better option for her. Hit up HeyMrWaters he will give you some more info. It may take him a day or two cuz I hear he is getting drunk and makin an ass of himself on Bourbon St as we speak.

velociraptor44 said:

Have her prep some meals the night before and throw them into tupperwares. Shakes are ok but do not replace whole foods. More quality fats and protein in these meals will help curb her cravings. Eggs(whole) really fill me up. So something like a salad with a few hardboiled egges with an evoo/vinegar based dressing is a good start.

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This
A shake is gonna fill her up for maybe 30 minutes. Veggies are very filling. Lately I've been making a huge pot of boiled chicken breast and TONS of veggies with boullion cubes at the beginning of the week and eating it til it's gone. Very filling and high in protein

Thanks Gluutes and Raptor!

Looks like I'm going to have to make bigger portions for me and package them for her. Will try the Devine too!

LowT

Women are really picky about taste. Lately I've been doing pork tenderloin. It seems to save in a Tupperware better than turkey or chicken. Throw some rice in there and she'll be gtg. Tell her to put a teaspoon or two of water in it before she microwaves it. It rehydrated the rice so you'd think it's fresh

LowTman said:

My wife just started exercising again to get in better shape. 10 pounds over weight at best. She is not a gym rat, but does cardiovascular exercise 2-3 times a week.

Her biggest struggle is her diet, particularly mid day. She is an accountant, to be accurate CPA, and works out of an office in our home. Her weakness is snacking mid day. She needs something to hold her till dinner. I have 5 to 6 cans of protein at any given time and she asked me for a meal replacement. I told her to have a protein shake, but she doesn't like the taste of mine.

Any meal replacement suggestions? Real food would be great, but prefer something quick she can mix up. Good taste is a must.

It's important to me to help her get going as I am hoping this will lead to a lifestyle change.

Lowtman

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Sounds stupid but I struggled (and still struggle) with something similar. Let me know if this sounds like her or not...

I used to work night audit at a hotel. Overnight by myself. Two hotels, actually, for a total of three years. Whenever I would sit down to focus on a task I began to notice that I almost always took breaks to snack. (Unfortunately I didn't realize I was doing this until well into my third year bc I started lifting weights.) I had an entire pantry and kitchen at my disposal and I snacked my ass off. Not bc I was hungry, but as an escape.

Working from home I'm sure she has even more to choose from. I realized then that I had attention issues and I was snacking as an escape. I still struggle with it to this day. When I'm in my office working on something that requires me to sit and pay attention for long periods of time, my instinct is to get up and snack on something. I don't know why. My guess is that I use snacks to comfort myself when I get overwhelmed. Now when it happens, I mix up a protein shake instead of eating a muffin.

My doctor is ready to prescribe Addarall but I'm worried that I'll abuse it and not be able to handle the comedown on a daily basis.

Does she use food to comfort / distract herself...or is she legit hungry? It's worth exploring.

A good snack can be an Apple and/or vegetables. One of my favorites is celery sticks with peanuts. Great crunch and the peanuts help to curb hunger.
I would also drop any whey shakes to keep insulin levels stable. The last thing you want when trying to loose weight are insulin spikes.

just for the discussion of shakes, BSN Syntha 6 has some that are great tasting. I like the Chocolate, banana, and vanilla. Wasn't much on the cookies and cream. Rock Solid has a cinnabun one that is totally amazing, but its like $80 5lb. But it mixes like water, no residue or clumps, and great tasting. But like was mentioned, whole foods are better of course.

I find drinking water from a straw when sitting for long periods doing homework is a good 'trick' which makes me drink more water and feel less hungry. When I do get hungry, quick and easy whole foods are the most satisfying. Your wife would probably appreciate you making extra pre-portioned meals for her cottage cheese and veggies with different spices is a nice snack (depends on personal preference!)

Coconut oil. Mix it in tea or coffee. It'll hold her over cuz of fat content


Sent from the 36 Chambers of the Wu Tang Clan

Get2daChoppa! said:

Coconut oil. Mix it in tea or coffee. It'll hold her over cuz of fat content


Sent from the 36 Chambers of the Wu Tang Clan

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Yes! Great idea.

LowTman said:

My wife just started exercising again to get in better shape. 10 pounds over weight at best.

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Word of advice, stop saying she is overweight and get her to stop obsessing over the scale! Weight is a poor indicator of health OR looks. If someone saw my latest doc notes and that I was 5'10.5" and 250lbs they would immediately assume ive "overweight" but one you take into account Im probably now around 13-14%bf one would hardly consider me fat.

If you get your wife actually moving some weights in the gym she is going to gain weight and gain weight fast as she packs on muscle. This muscle is denser than fat and shapelier than fat putting all the right curves in the right places. She is going to see the numbers on the scale go up and freak out so you guys need to get into a different mindset.

Additionally, try and ween her off the slow steady state cardio, its a poof fat burner when compared to high intensity interval work AND it actually demands your muscle cells hold more glycogen causing them to bloat with glycogen instead of actual movement performing tissue.

Last but not least, if he fat is stubborn, then consider that she very well could be missing essential nutrients for optimal thyroid function. Primarily selenium and iodine but other important cofactors as well.

Zyglamail said:

Word of advice, stop saying she is overweight and get her to stop obsessing over the scale! Weight is a poor indicator of health OR looks. If someone saw my latest doc notes and that I was 5'10.5" and 250lbs they would immediately assume ive "overweight" but one you take into account Im probably now around 13-14%bf one would hardly consider me fat.

If you get your wife actually moving some weights in the gym she is going to gain weight and gain weight fast as she packs on muscle. This muscle is denser than fat and shapelier than fat putting all the right curves in the right places. She is going to see the numbers on the scale go up and freak out so you guys need to get into a different mindset.

Additionally, try and ween her off the slow steady state cardio, its a poof fat burner when compared to high intensity interval work AND it actually demands your muscle cells hold more glycogen causing them to bloat with glycogen instead of actual movement performing tissue.

Last but not least, if he fat is stubborn, then consider that she very well could be missing essential nutrients for optimal thyroid function. Primarily selenium and iodine but other important cofactors as well.

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Women don't gain muscle fast at all and if the scale goes up fast it's due to too many calories. We can only gain around .5-1lb per month in the first year if we're in the optimal building state, ie eating for growth. Every year after that the muscle gain potential goes down.
When women begin lifting yeah there might be a small scale jump due to the muscles filling with water/glycogen but if it's steadily going up (and she's wanting to LOSE fat) then she's eating too much.
Now, the average woman is "skinny fat". Which, IMO is a really tough thing to fix. It can take years and many cycles of bulking/cutting, or if she's afraid to see the scale go up she could go down the recomp route, which I don't usually advise as it's extremely slow to see changes.

While I think photos and measurements are the best indicators of progress, The scale IS an important tool for the average person, especially when getting started. Yes if an average person was your weight/height they'd be fat, but you are a seasoned bodybuilder, BMI, and the scale isn't the most accurate progress tracking method at this point for you.

Gluuutes911 said:

Women don't gain muscle fast at all and if the scale goes up fast it's due to too many calories. We can only gain around .5-1lb per month in the first year if we're in the optimal building state, ie eating for growth. Every year after that the muscle gain potential goes down.
When women begin lifting yeah there might be a small scale jump due to the muscles filling with water/glycogen but if it's steadily going up (and she's wanting to LOSE fat) then she's eating too much.
Now, the average woman is "skinny fat". Which, IMO is a really tough thing to fix. It can take years and many cycles of bulking/cutting, or if she's afraid to see the scale go up she could go down the recomp route, which I don't usually advise as it's extremely slow to see changes.

While I think photos and measurements are the best indicators of progress, The scale IS an important tool for the average person, especially when getting started. Yes if an average person was your weight/height they'd be fat, but you are a seasoned bodybuilder, BMI, and the scale isn't the most accurate progress tracking method at this point for you.

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Ive seen many women new to lifting drop inches AND gain many pounds in just the first few months. Lot of variables of course but from those I have seen, if they obsessed with the scale they would have stopped for fear of being too heavy.

Zyglamail said:

Ive seen many women new to lifting drop inches AND gain many pounds in just the first few months. Lot of variables of course but from those I have seen, if they obsessed with the scale they would have stopped for fear of being too heavy.

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Those are called newbie gains. They last about 6 or so months. If someone is within 10-15lbs of their goal weight then ya, the scale isn't as important but if someone has a set goal of gaining or losing, then the scale will tell them exactly which way they're going

My whole point is wight by itself is a poor measure. The OP said his wife was new to lifting. Lots of people (especially women) get scared from initial weight gain.

Zyg and Glutes, you are both right, and I understand what you both are saying within the context of your statement.

I appreciate all the feedback. When I referenced her weight, I was more or less trying to give as much detail. I should have said she wants to recomp and that could be movement of the scale up or down and that she is trying to get back "in shape" or get healthier.

Her workout is progressing, along with her diet. Due to limited time and work constraints, She was looking for a meal supplement for her mid day. Something after her "real food" lunch but before our dinner. Thought a shake would be great and was looking for suggestions. Taste is important.

In the end, I think she is hot now and support her either way. Alot of her friend groups are pushing advocare products, so she told me to get on the forum, she asked if I could post this for some suggestions. For once she is telling me to get on the forum, instead put my tablet down.

Lowtman