My Protein??

[wmr1980]

Good balanced diet, watching fat levels, cutting out junk and booze, plus training hard 3-4 times per week will sort that out.

 

Keep a calories diary too, that will show you were you going wrong. I lost 2 & 1/2 stone last year on this basis.

 

It really is that simple. Good post

 

Though I will say fats aren't the enemy. I'd rather eat good fats rather than carbs from refined and processed sources.

Edited July 11, 2013 by wmr1980

[Flex]

True, that's why I said good balanced diet as a catch all.

[stuarty]

Good balanced diet, watching fat levels, cutting out junk and booze, plus training hard 3-4 times per week will sort that out.

 

Keep a calories diary too, that will show you were you going wrong. I lost 2 & 1/2 stone last year on this basis.

Could not put it better myself. Exactly what I did a couple of years back to drop 5st in 11 mths, best thing I ever did.

 

I still have days where I binge like crazy, but as I've kept the rest of the diet and exercise up it bother me not a jot. Life is for living, and pizzas are definitely living well!

 

Sometimes I wish I understood the whole protein shake and creatine thing a bit more, but I cannot get my head around drinking a 1000 kcal shake. Good luck to any one who goes down that route, but it's a bit too hardcore for me. As long as I can fit into normal clothes without having a belly and I've got some definition on my top half, I'm happy.

Not all protein shakes are loaded with calories mate. For example, i'm currently taking 3 a day. 2 of which contain under 100 calories ant the other around 120 calories.

For me its all about getting the correct amino acid's into my body and keeping my protein intake at a level were i can get the most from my training sessions. I'm currently consuming around 1.8g of protein for every KG of body mass. Some folk think it's 1-2g per lb of bodyweight but thats only if your training to really gulk up.

2 guys i train with are currently consuming between 1000g-1500g of complete proteins everyday. Dont get me wrong there monsters but there very limited to what they can do.

I train in other sports and my weight training is to assist my longevity in my sport. A top sports nutritionist told me a year ago that "nothing will change your body like weight training" and he was 100% correct. I really wish i had lifted heavier years ago as i think it would possibly have reduced the chance of mt rupturing my ACL when i did. The only reason i'm back competing in my sport is due to the hard work i put in lifting weights, as this has built lean muscle around my knee taking the strain off the amstring graft in my knee.

Finally, i love folk who are obsessed with what ever it is their doing. Whether its cars, tennis, martial arts etc. its these folk who push the limits of what is possible and although i'm no bodybuilder, its great to be surrounded by like minded people who are totally dedicated to there choosen goal!

[stuarty]

After chatting with a few natural bodybuilders, ive decided to just have a really clean balanced diet.

 

Reason why i'm waiting to start the creatine is because i want to know that any weight i put on is due to muscle growth and water from the creatine and not fat!

 

Hey bro, do you even lift?

 

Sorry, I was getting bored of waiting for someone to say it haha

 

If you are cutting then you've chosen the right option - but don't be surprised if you dont lose weight for a while, I found this when I had to lose 11KG IN FAT. I was still increasing muscle mass whilst I was burning fats, so even though I lost a lb of fat, a lb of muslce was gained - this can make it disheartening as you don't see the results, but it's worth it... How long is your cycle? I do a good 4 months of cutting which make you feel really small

 

Creatine won't cause you to gain muscles though mate, it will only aid the repair of your muscle tissue - in turn it will seem like it builds your muscle, but ultimately it's the protein which will do this for you.

Funny you should mention it. Usually when i'm cutting weight i have no problem when its cardio based training. But my weight lose has been a lot slower this time. But, although my weight is coming down slowly, my body composition is rapidly changing. I'm now wearing cloths again that i wore when i was 85kg, but i'm still sitting around 92kg at present. TBH i dont mind because i feel great. Maybe time to move up a weight class and show the heavy weights how it's done, lol.

[Av8er]

It feels great when you pick up a heavier weight and push yourself further. I was sat at 35KG dumbbell press, I'm now on 40kg and can squeeze 42.5-45's with a spotter.

 

After dislocating my shoulder and ending my rugby career I put on masses of fat, in 6 months I've got myself into a position where I'm happy with my body (well kind of).

 

I'm squatting 220, benching 90 and can curl 20's, and that's after only 3/4 months of real hard training.

 

You can ask people for advice as much as you like, but I find the best thing to do is say to yourself how you want to be. No 1 training regime will suit 2 people, we all have strengths and weakness' which you can only work to in your own manner.

 

I think we should start a photo thread so we can see each others progression... Sounds massively homosexual I know, but when other people comment on your results it gives you a massive boost and pushes you even harder!!!

[wmr1980]

What about deadlifts? My favourite lift! Nothing more neanderthal than picking up something really heavy from the floor! As for pics I've posted and post in other sports forums and for those that are trying to get encouragement or show what is achievable.

[Av8er]

Deadlifts tonight! 160KG

[wmr1980]

Nice lifting. I'm envious of your squats though. I struggle with bench like you owing to shoulder issues through rugby

 

I use Olympic Rings now for all my dips it's much more dynamic and requires more core strength and stabilising muscle activation. Have you ever tried? Rather humbling!

 

Can't believe I've been doing sports or lifting weights now for nearly 15years! Only got into proper weight lifting in the last 8 yrs so not as far ahead as I could be. Still, got 600kg out of the big 3. Was hoping I'd breach that, but I'm struggling to get back to my old strength so I'm knocking about my 10-5 RM at the moment and quite happy at that. Lacking a training partner doesn't help for motivation. Still boringly health conscious though! ;D

 

Maybe we should have a sports specific forum?

[Av8er]

Dips are something I struggle with - the way I dislocated my shoulder was diving for an ankle tap and lock my eblow, landed funny, bodyweight was pushed directly into my joint and POP! Followed by extremely loud f'ing and blinding... Relocating it on the pitch and continuing to play wasn't a great idea, but I was young and invincible.

 

Dips just seem to pull the ligaments still so I avoid it as much as possible.

 

I like the idea about a sports forum.

[wmr1980]

That's the thing, regular dips, my shoulders don't like, but ring dips owing to the fact that the rings can move in 360 degree plane actually reduces the shoulder issues for me. For you though it may be different. incline bench make my shoulder ache a lot.

 

Bloody rugby and feeling young and invincible!

[Av8er]

Bloody rugby and feeling young and invincible!

 

I miss it so badly.... Effectively a chance to legally inflict pain on people and then get smashed together afterwards - What could be better!?

[rabbitstew]

Sometimes I wish I understood the whole protein shake and creatine thing a bit more, but I cannot get my head around drinking a 1000 kcal shake. Good luck to any one who goes down that route, but it's a bit too hardcore for me.

 

The thing with bodybuilding is that you need to consume more calories & protein for your body to repair and build muscles. They generally say something like 1.5->2g of protein per 1lb of body weight - give or take. So if you weigh say 180lb thats upto 360g of protein. Your body can only physically process about 40g of protein in one go, So bodybuilders tend to rather than have 3 meals a day, split them up into smaller meals and more of them. So may have 7 or 8 "meals" a day. So, rather than have to sit there and prepare a meal every 3 hours, thats where protein shakes come in. Convenience.

 

1g of Protein is 4 calories, so I used to have maybe 40g of protein in my shake which is only 160 calories. If I felt like i needed to replace some energy or wanted more calories, id just add some maltodextren powder to that which is pure carbs. Handy after workouts to give me quick recovery.

 

Back in the day the logic was to increase calories & protein by big amounts, so your`d gain muscle + some fat. That became known as bulking. For an example, google image Lee Priest. He`s a big name bodybuilder, been around years. You can see pix of him there fat as anything when he`s bulking although he does take it to extreme.

 

After a while of bulking, you have put on muscle & fat, so you then want to get rid of the fat, whilst trying to maintain as much muscle as possible. Its hard, as if you are on a low calorie diet to drop the fat, you normally will loose some muscle as well. Hence a lot of people do use steroids to try and maintain that muscle whilst loosing the fat.

 

These days its not "fashionable" to bulk up as most people who workout now want that 6 pack all year around, so they tend not to increase the calories as much when "bulking" and the bulk cycle isnt really a bulk one now. Theres arguments that you can or cant put on as much muscle as if you bulked properly etc. etc.

 

I used to be one of those people and it's taken a long time to see that it's a fairly pointless existence training every hour of the day (slight exaggeration) and the only person that really benefits is you when you crack one out over yourself in the mirror because you look too hot.

 

No one else really cares what you look like, unless you're fat and then they'll point it out all day long.

 

I think this sums it up for me (except the cracking one off bit). I used to workout extremely hard twice a day, 4 days a week, plus run 5 miles 3 times a week etc. etc. Id spent nearly every bit of my spare time either working out, cooking chicken / tuna / rice or eating it. Id eat 8 times a day, have a massive lunchbox (fnar) id take into work full of meals. Id factor in meeting friends etc around workouts so I didnt "loose out on training day". Even on holiday id have to hit the gym whilst I was away.

 

Sure, i got pretty big and had good definition. It was quite funny as everywhere I went, people would end up turning the conversation around to working out and asking me my advice as they could clearly see I was in good shape. Mates would comment on my size. I remember one BBQ when one mate asked me "Do you still work out" and another mate spurted his beer out laughing and said "what a stupid question, look at the size of him, he`s huge, of course he`s still working out".

 

But I all the gf`s I had moaned that I was too big and they didnt like muscular men (in which case why arnt male strippers all fat lorry driver looking people?), and I realised that I was spending nearly all my time working out, cooking or eating!. So I stopped working out. Now my gf is happy and i spend most of my spare time sitting on the sofa with her drinking beer, eating pies & watching Glee.

 

Unfortunately it does have a psychological effect on you when you know you used to look good and now whilst she says I still look good, i look down and now have a belly instead of a 6 pack and whilst i weigh the same as i did before, my arms and chest are smaller now than when I was 20 years old. (im 40 now). So you then end up getting all depressed about it and you stop wearing t-shirts as you are embarrassed at how small your arms are, and you cant wait for winter so you can hide under jumpers etc..

 

I might have to hit the gym tonight after reading this thread.....

Edited July 12, 2013 by rabbitstew

[wmr1980]

It doesn't have to dominate your life, unless of course you want to compete in bodybuilding. I'm more into strongman and powerlifting and functional strength rather than the vanity of it, though let's be honest, if we look better we're not going to complain.

 

It's a balance of lifestyle. If you have a good lifestyle that works well it'll be easy to maintain. I do the food shopping and prepare lunches for my fiancée and I, and eat very well throughout the week, and allow myself a few treats over the weekend, but I'm not a big drinker either so I don't have that downfall. however, it's an easy lifestyle for us to live. Go to work, gym, eat, enjoy each others company, and still have nights out

 

I take my health seriously, and train hard, (hence my 600kg totals) but, if I'm on holiday I enjoy my holiday, if I'm not at home I just embrace what's around me, I'm not obsessive about it.

 

I actually enjoy being fit and lifting weights, others like to bet on the dogs and go for a pint, others play wow online all night.

 

Soon I'll be spending my spare evenings tweaking a 350z when I finally get ones! Haha!

 

Enjoy life, and do what's important to you, and if it's causing strain on things, maybe see how you can reestablish a balance to keep everyone happy.

 

I'm not big, 92kg or so, young (32-33) but feel fit, strong, and generally happy, a lot of that is because I sleep, well am healthy and try not to obsess over things.

 

Anyway this has got far too serious! Maybe we should do a zed meet and see how many zeds we can deadlift and squat!

Edited July 12, 2013 by wmr1980

[Av8er]

Anyway this has got far too serious! Maybe we should do a zed meet and see how many zeds we can deadlift

 

This sounds like a good activity for large meets!

 

Someone fabricate a deadlift jig for the rear wheels

[wmr1980]

Here is a post I made up for some friends in the past, hopefully this will help some of you

 

 

The key to "diet" is not to regard it as a diet but as a way to live

life.

 

I've grown distant from all the @*!# food that exists in the world -

refined, processed foods. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the odd

cake, and biscuits etc... however these are the exception to the rule.

 

Golden rule number 1 is to keep away from heavily refined/processed

foods. Basically anything that exists naturally and requires no human

intervention (other than butchering or picking) is ideal. Now, of

course that precludes things like pasta and rice - which I'm not

hugely against - so I'm not THAT strict, however, I do keep those to a

minimum. Carbs aren't the enemy - but the key is to get your insulin

sensitivity to be enhanced - i.e. when you do eat carbs your body

processes it more efficiently.

 

Golden rule number 2 - don't follow a fad diet. I don't think things

like Atkins, or low carb or high fat or whatever is the answer. The

answer, is to follow a lifestyle that you can follow and integrate

into your life. Making a conscious effort to eat the "healthier"

option. Also not buying treats for the home makes them less

accessible.

 

 

Golden rule number 3 - fats aren't the enemy. I know - it seems

completely opposite to what gets bandied around - but they are

actually critical to energy, and helping your body use fat as an

energy source rather than relying solely on glycogen stores (carb

based energy). To turn your body into a fat burning machine, you need

to fuel it with the right fats. That's not to say you should eat lumps

of butter every day, however, eating say, a tub of ice cream, vs a tub

of avocado, let us say the calorie content is the same, the avocado

will promote fat loss whereas the ice cream will just cause a massive

insulin spike that will promote fat storage. That's what I was talking

about insulin sensitivity - if you keep hammering your pancreas it

becomes less effective - so keeping it more stable is a far better way

of treating your pancreas.

 

 

Onto diet - how much to eat...

 

This isn't a straight forward question, and a number of things all

make up the determining factor of what makes up the answer to that

question

- Age

- Sex

- Body type, lean mass vs mass

- Hormones

- How active are you?

- Macronutrient intake

 

Things that are out of your control like age and sex can play a big

part, as males typically burn more calories just being alive than

females, and older people burn less than younger people.

 

But other things make it up too, and these you can control. Your lean

mass, having more muscle mass on your frame will cause your body to

burn more calories even when you're doing nothing. Your hormone levels

(some of this you can't control, but diet and exercise play a part in

regulating hormone levels) and your activity level.

 

There are many online calculators that you can use, but avoid these as

a lot are hardcoded with values that don't relate to your particular

circumstances. And will probably over estimate what you need.

 

Some of the calculations you can use are as follows:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation

 

Probably the most commonly used method, but it is also notoriously

inaccurate, I'd avoid using this unless you are totally unaware of

your bodyfat and lean weight. If you do know these, use the next one

 

For MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x

age (years)]

For WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] -

[4.7 x age (years)]

 

Katch-McArdle

 

This is far more accurate as it uses your own bodyfat and lean

bodymass measurements to calculate the intake - to get those measured

you need to speak to a health advisor/doctor - do not use those

digital scales they're rubbish and inaccurate.

 

Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)

Where Lean Bodymass = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

 

So using one of the above will give you your BMR, this is what you use

just by being alive and your body running so to speak, but now you

need to factor in your activity level. Which we will then use as a

multiplier against your BMR. To calculate this multiplier we must

determine the following:

 

1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job)

1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3

days a week)

1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate

exercise 3-5 days a week)

1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise

or sports 6-7 days a week)

1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical

job)

 

Match yourself against one of the above and multiply your BMR by that

number.

Remember, be honest with yourself. If you have an office job but work

out 3-4 times a week, that doesn't necessarily mean you're Moderately

Active. You might be bordering between the two, but remember, if

you're dishonest on this part, you're going to be eating more than you

need to be which will ruin your progress to your goals

 

The key thing to remember with whatever number is eventually

calculated, is these are estimates, they might use some science and

individual measurements, but they are still estimates, and therefore

shouldn't be treated as a concrete number. Be prepared to adjust and

tweak this number.

 

My advice to you is to give yourselves 2-3 weeks at this number, if

you're gaining/losing too much weight, tweak it. However don't just

chop off 1000 calories do it gradually, literally a couple of hundred

calories a day).

 

Anyway.... so you have a number, say 2800, now what? Well it depends

on what you want to do.

 

So if you're trying to lose weight, take 2800 and remove 10-15% from

it, so 2520 or 2380. Again this should give you a healthy weight loss

amount per week.

 

However, these percentages can be increased or decreased as much as

you like depending on how quickly or slowly you want to achieve your

goals. But the optimal amount is 10-15%

 

So breaking down the calories - I mentioned these in the golden rules

above...

 

Don't base these amounts on percentages, your body has no idea of what

percentages it really wants or needs, so just make sure the end totals

match the requirements for you. And as long as you do that, they'll

work, it really is that simple

 

Protein! My favourite!

 

Aim for about 1g per lb of bodyweight. Ideally this should be per lb

of lean body weight, but if you don't know this then it's not going to

be a huge problem for doing total weight. However if you've used the

Katch-McArdle method above you should know your LBM

 

http://i.imgur.com/g00k2.png

 

Some sources of protein.

 

Carbs always get a bad rep, they're the first point of blame when

people are dieting or putting on too much weight. But eating carbs,

and the right carbs can be beneficial to your goals, both gaining and

losing weight

 

Carbs give you the energy to have intense workouts or do high amounts

of exercise. As I mentioned before they're not the enemy but should be

from good sources if you're going to have them (remember the refined

discussion I said). Aim for wholegrain foods - and "organic" if you

can, oats and other stuff low on the

glycemic

index (GI).

 

The thing to remember with carbs is they are split into two categories

at a basic level, Complex and Simple Carbohydrates. Complex carbs such

as the ones I mentioned earlier are digested at a much slower rate,

keeping you fuller for longer and giving a much more stable and steady

flow of energy. Simple carbs, while deliver the same amount of energy

per gram, are digested at a much faster pace and deliver an immediate

boost in blood sugar and energy, but it wears off quickly. Meaning you

feel hungrier sooner and your energy falls quicker. Hence why keeping

away from sugar and refined carbs is important.

 

If you consider yourself highly active, 3g per lb of lean bodyweight,

moderate 2g and less active 1g. Again very approximate figures.

 

As mentioned, these get a bad rep, people assume because of the name

that fats make you fat. But only the wrong kinds (trans fats are the

worst kind)

 

Fats are crucial to regulating hormone levels, as well as aiding the

body to actually burn fat. So these are a must in the diet. Saturated

fats are important too, but again these are something that must be had

in moderation

 

The types of fats you need to know about are Saturated Fats,

Monounsaturated Fats, Polyunsaturated Fats and Trans Fatty Acids.

 

Sat fats:

Usually found in food from animals (meat, butter, cream etc), they

yield more energy than unsaturated fats however are linked to higher

cholesterol levels and heart diseases. However, please don't shy away

from Saturated fats, as a certain amount is important in your diet.

For men, you should be eating no more than 30g per day of saturated

fats, for woman, 20g

 

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats:

Found in plants, oils, cereal grains and fish oils. These are the good

fats and you should be making up most of your fat intake from these.

They are good for a number of reasons, two of these being Omega 3 and

Omega 6. The oils and cereal grains provide Omega-6. The body uses the

Omega-6 fatty acids to make hormone like substances called

eicosanoids. These provide a number of functions including muscle

contraction/relaxation, blood vessel constriction/relaxation, immune

response to injury and infection. They also help to lower LDL

cholesterol, the bad kind.

 

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils help with the brains cerebral

cortex development and retinal development for vision. There are also

a number of health benefits from Omega-3 fatty acids, including a

healthier heart which is always a good thing and healthy joints. A

number of studies also show Omega-3 fatty acids help with fat burning

and minimising the effect of catabolism.

 

Trans Fatty Acids:

Most of the nasty nasty fatty acids are the result of industrial

hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fats. These fats are bad because not

only do they massively raise the bad cholesterol, LDL, they also

reduce the HDL levels of cholesterol too, the good kind. Margarine is

a source of trans fats, so be careful if you use margarine.

 

Typically you want to aim for 0.45-0.8g per pound of total body

weight, however if you are of a high bodyfat percentage, you want this

to be per LEAN pound of bodyweight. And remember, make sure it's made

up of mostly good fats and not bad fats.

 

Now a lot of people will tell you that you should eat every 3 hours to

keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders. This isn't proven to be

completely true, but mainly because eating smaller meals this often

will keep you from being hungry like you potentially would be on a

diet consisting of just 3 bigger meals. It will help you from being

tempted to pick at junk food and it will just keep you feeling fuller

longer. Aim for 6 small meals a day, with a couple of them just being

nothing more than snacks if you like (handful of nuts/mixed fruit or

something). However, if it doesn't fit into your lifestyle, eating 3

square meals a day is fine - just be aware of the snacks you eat!

Grazing style suits me, it might not suit you.

 

There are a number of different dieting methods however that encourage

you to break this tradition and I encourage you to look into them, but

ultimately it is down to calories in vs calories out.

 

If you miss a meal and are short on your macros, don't eat for the

sake of it. Junk food will have some nutrients but also a lot of bad

stuff too. Don't worry too much, remember, your macros average out

across the week.

 

If you're at work and eating is a problem, buy a bag of nuts/dried

fruit, or make some snacks you can pick at the night before. And just

eat when you can, but don't think that making up for not being able to

eat quality food by eating junk is the same thing

 

Breakfast - I can't stress enough just how crucial a good breakfast is

for anyone, no matter what the goal is. Be it gaining mass, or

training for a marathon. A good healthy breakfast will kick start your

metabolism, give you the energy for the day ahead and just general

give you a better start to the day in my opinion. It doesn't have to

be much either, find something that fits with your macros and make it

something you enjoy.

If you are short on time, make a smoothie the night before and have it

in the morning, but I think it's a pretty special circumstance when

you don't have time to fuel your body for the day ahead

 

Carbs before bed.... No not really, infact several studies have shown

carbs in the evening can actually aid weight loss. But as with most

things related to diets, it's unproven either way.

You can have carbs after 6, just keep them sensible and keep them

good. If they fit with your remaining macros, eat it and enjoy it

 

What bout drinking?

This is also an important part of the dieting process. Being

dehydrated will leave you feeling lethargic and in no mood to do any

form of exercise.

 

I personally need or feel most comfortable when I'm drinking at least

4 litres of water a day, but I'm no nutritionist and everyone is

different, so you can take or add to that as much as you want. Just

make sure that when you're going to the toilet, you're weeing a nice

straw colour every time. If you're doing that, you're hydrated and all

is well

 

Alcohol is the killer - that will undo all the hard work you do.

 

Use an app like myfitnesspal to track calories - knowing how much you

eat is critical to making changes/improvements. You need to benchmark.

 

Onto me.

 

I eat around 2,500 - 2,700 calories a day depending on if I hit the

gym or not - when I hit the gym and because I do VERY intensive

exercise, I need to bolster the calories to recover. Food is fuel but

it also aids recovery and fixes your muscles that you actually tear

when you exercise. You also grow/recover when you sleep. Also doing

something like HIIT (high intensity interval training) which is

literally a 10 minute blast can push your heart into the fat burning

zone for longer and up to 24hrs after the exercise. I generally do

skipping, and I skip like a mofo for 30s - then rest for 30s - then

skip for 30s and rest. But it's not just an idle skip, it literally is

going as fast as I can. I do this 10-12 times (i.e. 10 skips and 10

rests). The alternative is to do hill sprints. I measure out 30m, and

then sprint up as fast as possible. Take 90s rest as you're walking

back down, and sprint back up again. 10-12 times. It puts your heart

in the lactate point - and just helps puts your body into a fat

burning state. Look up HIIT online for some examples. The key, is that

it must be 90%+ intensity - i.e. really go balls out. However these

are done on "off" days or days when I cannot get to the gym.

 

A typical day for me is like this.

 

Breakfast:

 

2 eggs fried in coconut oil or poached

Smoked haddock fillet

 

Handful of blueberries

 

Sometimes a small bowl of porridge (no sugar - but I use cinnamon)

with blue berries.

 

Snack:

 

~70g of mixed unroasted nuts

apple

 

Lunch:

 

Spinach

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

large chicken breast

lardons

pine nuts

olive oil

 

more fruits

 

Before gym:

 

banana

coffee

 

Post gym:

 

if I'm having dinner later I have a protein shake

 

Dinner:

 

fish/chicken/lamb/pork/beef (though we have fish a lot)

mixture of vegetables (the vegetables take up over 1/2 the plate)

 

That's it - sometimes I add some cous cous, or wild rice with dinner

depending on the dish and if it fits with it.

 

That works out to anything between 2,500 to 2,700 calories. I

sometimes go in excess of 3000 but only if I know I'm going to be

doing some intense exercise or if I want to enjoy myself!

 

However I do not eat manufactured bread, hardly drink any milk, I

don't have sugar or treats, I do not eat white refined carbs. If I'm

hungry and want to snack, I'll have an egg, or some nuts, or a protein

shake (just because it's convenient). I don't eat any refined foods

basically. IF I'm losing weight and I want to put some more on, I eat

more. I also work VERY hard in the gym - and I need the calories to

help recover. If you're not interested in the gym, you don't' have to

go - but doing some exercise, even bodyweight stuff is good - you want

to improve your core and boost your lean muscle mass. However to

accelerate fat loss, doing exercise is important - as doing exercises

boosts your metabolism - it fires it up. Remember when we were hunter

gatherers, we'd eat, then spend days hunting and fasting eating

berries, leaves and nuts until we found a wilder beast to eat - then

hunt, and gorge ourselves (we didn't have fridges ). Some people

follow a lifestyle called intermittent fasting - whereby you fast for

16hrs, then eat all your calories in an 8hr window. So go to bed , and

then don't; eat until lunch time - which goes against the eat

breakfast rule - but that would effectively be your breakfast - and

you'd still have your 3 meals a day but in a shorter time period.

[stuarty]

Ive always been advised to eat 1.4-1.8g of protein per KG of body weight for bodybuilding and thats from an international coach with a MSc and Phd in a sports nutrition subject area.

 

[wmr1980]

You'll find many conflicting arguments. Fact is there is no golden rule they are ALL approximations, from phd to anecdotes. Protein synthesis curves are all around the same so it makes little odds. There is only so much protein that is needed depending on your training and diet and current health, any excess is just used as calories to fuel the body and turned into glucose.

 

If there were any conclusive facts where one way was better than the other there wouldn't be all this debate in the fitness world.

 

It'll rage on ad infinitum. Obviously as you take gear protein synthesis increases and that skews all the theories as everyone's metabolism is different and reacts differently.

 

Just do what works for you.

[elfman]

Can't beat a good lifting thread.

I use My and get the soy protein as I tried the whey protein and it pushed my lactose level to high. Let's just say the result wasn't good haha! The sit protein is brilliant though. I get the unflavoured stuff and put drinking chocolate in it for taste and some super for after the gym.

 

I'm a skinny little guy but last year I started at the gym and made some good gains but if I'm honest never really pushed myself hard enough, anyway I changed job which meant it was very hard for me to get to the gym both for time and energy. Got my old job back 2 weeks ago though so I'm back on it and even after 2 weeks the results are good. Going on holiday this week so after I'll be started to eat a bit healthier.

 

Just say you feel so much better when you get back into it. Makes you feel more active and inelegant and confident. I'm currently 60kg so im going to try and get up to 70k of lean mass hopefully cut off the tiny bit of fat I have so i can get more definition on my abs. But for the time being I'm just gunna lift ad heavy as I possibly can.

 

Also shoe the guys with shoulder Injuries I broke my color bone as a teenager and my shoulder can sometimes hurt off dips (have to really tense everything up for it not to) and it cracks and hurts like hell on lateral raises.

[Av8er]

^ iPhone predictive? Haha

 

Injuries suck man, but mines got a lot stronger!

 

Don't focus on weight if you're getting back into it, it can make it arduous as hell, especially if its a 10KG gain of lean mass. Lift so you feel that you've worked hard and be proud of it, soon you'll see the gains, by which point you'll be back into the 'routine' of gym and weight chasing will be an even bigger boost opposed to a downer.

[wmr1980]

Also, form is so important. It's not about the weight. It's lifting the weight (no matter how much) with good form. Many people tend to suffer more from form in deadlifts and squats. Not keeping core braced, neutral spine, and not activating certain parts of the body. A lot of people have hip flexor and glute tightness. I suggest that you read (I can provide a pdf copy) "Become a supple leopard" - http://www.suppleleopard.com/ - it's published by Kelly Starrett who you may have seen from mobilityWOD on youtube. I've done a lot of mobility work for my shoulder (previous dislocation) and "bum tuck" at the bottom of squat, with my improved mobility, my squat posture is now so much better with less lower back pump etc... However this is a subject that I could go onto for pages - just like nutrition!

[elfman]

Yeah phone predictive

 

Ive not started heavy yet i tend to start at a comfortable weight ans add 2.5kg per session so im always progressing.

 

Not done squats yet but i video myself regularly to check form

[wmr1980]

To be honest, you can learn so much from video that you can't from just looking at the mirror - to be honest, you shouldn't be looking at the mirror when lifting, it doesn't actually help. Besides, in powerlifting and strongman comps, they don't have them!

 

It's best to leave the ego at home and lift well, than snap yourself trying to do cocky stuff.

 

I often do deload weeks when I've been lifting heavy for a few weeks, just to let my body recover, and to work on mobility and form.

 

Hey, at least you're at the gym, and we all learn every day and from our peers. As long as you're getting better, stronger, more supple and fitter - what more could you want?!