Eating for fat loss + muscle gain + lowering cholesterol

hi everybody, some background info:

38yo female

5'5"

70.8kg (156lbs)

Have been lifting hard for well over a year. Have increased my size (muscles), lost 20kg but still have a lot of body fat left to lose. Also just been told I have super high cholesterol and my GP wants me on medication which I want to avoid. I have been vegan since March 2012.

In a nutshell, I have been slack with cardio/fitness and nutrition. Not overly bad, but nowhere near what it should be. I have changed that around this week and getting in more cardio/fitness (one of my goals is to be fitter than what I am!) and as of today I am determined to eat squeaky clean to get the results I want. Sticking to an eating plan is no problem.

I have followed a BB style diet about 10 years ago when I was omni so I'm familiar with it all, however now I am receiving conflicting information about HOW I should be eating to enable me to lose body fat but also put on mass (or at the very least, maintain what I have as the focus has now shifted more to fat loss than muscular size gain). And of course, I have to factor in lowering my cholesterol.

I am reading and being told conflicting advice about how I should be eating. If I had to choose one goal right now, it would be reducing body fat to show off what I have achieved so far. Which is pretty much covered with fat *sigh* However I do admit I am slightly panicky about losing mass as I want to be bigger and stronger.

I really want to get this right. I understand there will always be fine tuning as I discover what does and doesn't work for me. I took some progress pics this week and was very disappointed with what I saw, hence the kick up the backside and here I am determined to make changes, no excuses!

Looking forward to hearing your stories and any advice. Yay vegans!

Welcome to the group Ironmum if I haven't already welcomed you previously. Great that you brought up your focus on lowering cholesterol. Many forum members here have that same goal but I don't read enough discussion about it. Vegan diet will definitely help you get there if you're eating the right things. Let me know if you need any help, I have started a side business of creating goal specific meal plans.

-Dylan

My top ten tips for you

1) Keep your oil intake up (coconut oil, vegan 'fish' oils etc)

2) Make cardio your friend ~ walking is fantastic, you don't have to turn into a runner to get results

3) Eat as close to nature as possible (lots of fruits and veges, raw, unprocessed, organic, fermented/sprouted foods)

4) You can definately get stronger as you lower your bodyfat. MUSCLE MOVES WEIGHT, NOT FAT.

5) Eat smaller portions to reduce overall calories but eat regularly

6) Stay away from sugar(s); fruit is okay though as the sugar absorption is slowed due to the fibre, minerals and other cofactors that are present

7) Look into using some of the best supplements for cholesterol (ones with the most scientific data behind them). Red yeast rice is essentially a natural statin, so this would provide the greatest benefits to you. Other ones worth consideration would be kyolic garlic, hawthorn and oils

Keep your water intake high

9) Limit coffee/caffeine intake

10) Positive mindset. Happy and sound mind will filter through to the body in time