Diet help please

[hapihour]

My wife is 5'1" 120lbs. Use to be a size 8 (at about the same weight) and over the last year or so is a 4. She does 5-6 meals a day about 1500 cal. Does weight training 4 days a weeks and 30-45 cardio 4 days a week. She is getting stuck with the last little bit (stomach area and legs). We never really looked at her diet as far as carb and fats. She usually gets 180 grams of protein and we use fat free cheese, chicken, lean meat, fat free cottage cheese etc. So the fat usually was not a big deal but I think she may be getting too many carbs. We don't want to go on a low carb diet but I was wondering about lowering the carbs. What do most people find works for them? We were thinking about 50% protein 30% fat and 20% carbs. Which would put her at 750 cals from protein, 450 cal from fat and 300cals from carbs. Any input would be great. Thanks.

 

[phoenix13]

Is the leanness something she wants to achieve for a special occasion (trip, wedding, etc.) or does she want to maintain it?

If it's just short term...lower carbs, add in 1-2 days of cardio and/or make her 4 days cardio all 45 minutes, not just 30. When that no longer works, bump it up again as needed.

300 cal from carbs is ~75g. If that is a reduction in carbs relative to how much she is getting in now, it should cause her to pull more fat out as fuel.

When I want to get leaner, I gradually reduce carbs or cycle them with more frequent low days, and increase cardio until I get the desired effect. Getting VERY lean is not comfortable and I personally wouldn't want to maintain it for longer than I have to (i.e., competition or photo shoot).

If she wants to maintain a greater degree of leanness longterm, I would recommend she focus on building muscle...unless she wants to have to continue to do a lot of cardio and eat with greater restrictions.