Nutrition

[vikingsrule92]

Alan, I'm no expert but I'd have to disagree with you there, you NEED to drink a lot of water to keep your system functioning as high as is possible when you lift heavy or do a lot of cardio.

Thanks for the recommendations guys, much appreciated. Frank, I drink lactaid milk and take the supp when I want to eat pizza or whatever else, its just not a good idea to take it in excess because every once in a while it doesn't work and I'm always scared my body will adapt to it and it'll stop working well in the future.

[Magnus]

Alan, I'm no expert but I'd have to disagree with you there, you NEED to drink a lot of water to keep your system functioning as high as is possible when you lift heavy or do a lot of cardio.

^^^^^^Yep. 2 quarts isn't enough. I drink at least a gallon of fluids a day (and my shakes and stuff).

Edited January 14, 2009 by Magnus

[twig]

Shedloads of H2O are good, but aren't enough. (Just don't drink enough to drown the brain!)

Simple sugars/carbs (same thing) are bad.

Calorific deficit is the xanadu, but C/D from protein is easy given how hard it it to get calories from protein, and can result in vitamin/mineral .

The body absorbs calories from 3 sources:

#1 sugar/carbs.

#2 Fat

#3 protein.

So eat 1,2,3. Rdeduce 1 before 2. Reduce 2 before 3. Reduce 3 as a last resort.

Think about it; if you were marooned on an Island with no food, what would you want your body to process first? The instant energy(sugar/carbs), the stored energy(fat) or the stuff that's actually keeping you alive(protein-muscle)?

Your body ain't stoopid!!!

[AnimalCage]

Alan, I'm no expert but I'd have to disagree with you there, you NEED to drink a lot of water to keep your system functioning as high as is possible when you lift heavy or do a lot of cardio.

^^^^^^Yep. 2 quarts isn't enough. I drink at least a gallon of fluids a day (and my shakes and stuff).

Sorry guys, maybe I was a little misleading. I was simply talking about my work day, driving around, and shopping for food during the day. With breakfast I have at least two glasses of OJ and some soy milk, and I drink at least a quart at home in the evening. Balance is good. But I will keep track of how much I drink for a complete day, and make sure I am not deficient. I just can't seem to drink plain water. I used to blend one citrus fruit into a half gallon of water. I may start that again. Thanks for the responses!

[andyfreeland]

thanks for all the info andy you looked jacked up.

I have a question about fruit, is this something thats ok to eat in excesslike 2 bannas and an orange a day, or does the sugar out wiegh the benfits?

When cutting fat, sugar is the enemy, including the sugar (fructose) in fruit. For gereral nutrition however, include fiberous fruit, as the fiber will act as a controll to the insulan reaction caused by sugar. Bananas are the worst I believe but don't know that for sure, Oranges are mostly juice which is all sugar. There was a discussion about the nutritious benifits of apples, the fiber in apples is good. You can eat fruit while cutting fat (I do) but I try to eat it before/after workouts as that is when a blood sugar spike is most useful.

Hope that helps!

I can elaborate on blood sugar and insulin reaction (glycemic index) if necessary,

Andy

Abort! Abort! You're entering Quackville and you were doing so well! Calories, specifically excess calories are the enemy when cutting fat. A low sugar, low fat, high pro diet will make it just as difficult to cut fat if you aren't creating a caloric deficit. Insulin gets a bad rap. Insulin spikes alone don't cause weight gain, excess calories do. For example, it's not like you could go pump a starving Ethiopian full of insulin and he'd just pack on the pounds; it's the calories/food.

Regarding glycemic index: it's one of those things that looks promising in the lab but doesn't translate well into real life. Scores change depending on what food is consumed with what food, daily hormone levels, etc.. It is rarely even educated on for DB pts (usually an overzealous nurse trying to impress some endocrinologist ) because the evidence supporting it's benefits on blood glucose control is so weak. If it's not making much of a difference with DB's, I'm not going to get real wound up over what it can do for me.

Hope you don't take offense to this Andy; it's a very interesting thread and I enjoy reading your responses.

Josh

Josh, I'm afraid I don't agree , and I don't take offense

[andyfreeland]

I've made two changes this week.

First, I have a loaf of 100% whole grain bread in my work van, along with a bottle of mustard. Now for lunch I just go to the deli and get 1/4 lb of low sodium meat and 1/8 lb of cheese.

Second, I have been a BIG juice drinker for years. (Had to have something to replace the soda/green tea/mass-produced protein shake drinks, all very high in sugar, that I used to down by the gallon.) So I switched to juice, and would easily drink a half gallon during the work day. Lately, I have been drinking a lot less juice and eating more whole fruit. I think it was more of a mental adjustment. I was accustomed to drinking a lot. Period. I had to realize that I don't need two quarts of fluid during the day. One or two peices of fruit, with the occasional water fountain supplement, seems to be enough fluid to get me through my work day.

The results will tell me if the direction is right, or where I need to make adjustments.

Results are the bottome line. "First, I have a loaf of 100% whole grain bread in my work van, along with a bottle of mustard. Now for lunch I just go to the deli and get 1/4 lb of low sodium meat and 1/8 lb of cheese". That alone will yeald result. When you are ready...start mixing 1/4 gallon of juice + 1/4 gallon of water and gradually add more water and less juice. That's one strategy to keep you drinking the same amount that you are used to.

Keep up the progress!

Andy

[mattvod]

How do I make healthy eating tasty, and CV exercise fun? (egg whites, grilled chicken breast and boiled brown rice has no flavour, and jogging in Moss Side is not only dull, but can get you shot!).

I've had this same problem for a long time... I'm still dealing with it because it sucks... But one thing that does help is Gourmet Nutrition by John Berardi... It's a really good recipe book for building muscle and dropping fat. The meals taste great but it does involve cooking...

The cardio problem... the thing that's helped me is kettlebells... it's a lot easier for me to do 5-minute-sets of swings and snatches for a half hour rather than hitting a treadmill or elliptical machine.

[Egolego]

Hi, i was thinking what you think about a milk diet? Sometimes when i come home im too tired to make dinner and just gulp down 1/4-1/2 gallon of milk. Of course i don't do this every day, just wondering if it's ok to drink alot of milk if you want a lean body?

[andyfreeland]

Hi, i was thinking what you think about a milk diet? Sometimes when i come home im too tired to make dinner and just gulp down 1/4-1/2 gallon of milk. Of course i don't do this every day, just wondering if it's ok to drink alot of milk if you want a lean body?

Sorry guys...have to close this thread. I started a new job and have VERY little free time. Maybe someone else can chime in?

[timiacobucci]

Sorry guys...have to close this thread. I started a new job and have VERY little free time. Maybe someone else can chime in?

That is too bad, this was pretty interesting and informative.

Although I do have one more practical type question if anyone else has a suggestion. One major nutritional hurdle for me is sugar. I have never really cared for fatty stuff but I am very addicted to sugar. I can go for a good while without it then I have to go eat a box of cookies or something or I want to kill someone. I have never smoked ciggarettes or gotten addicted to anything serious of that nature, but man I love sweet stuff and I also don't really trust most artificial sweeteners.

Are there any suggestions on how to stop massive sugar cravings?

[impala]

Sorry guys...have to close this thread. I started a new job and have VERY little free time. Maybe someone else can chime in?

That is too bad, this was pretty interesting and informative.

Although I do have one more practical type question if anyone else has a suggestion. One major nutritional hurdle for me is sugar. I have never really cared for fatty stuff but I am very addicted to sugar. I can go for a good while without it then I have to go eat a box of cookies or something or I want to kill someone. I have never smoked ciggarettes or gotten addicted to anything serious of that nature, but man I love sweet stuff and I also don't really trust most artificial sweeteners.

Are there any suggestions on how to stop massive sugar cravings?

If you get an intense sugar craving, it's usually due to a drop in your blood sugar level. It probably wouldn't hurt to have a 12 hr. fasting blood sugar test, just to rule out any medical problems. If there's no problem, it should mean you're not ingesting a good quality protein often enough to keep that type of craving away. Doesn't have to be elaborate, even a couple of pieces of jerky or a Slim-Fast should carry you over until your regular meal.

[Griparn]

Are there any suggestions on how to stop massive sugar cravings?

When I eat lots of fruits and vegetables my sugar cravings for candys and cookies seem to be less. I've heard other experience the same.

[VahnCruz]

Are there any suggestions on how to stop massive sugar cravings?

When I eat lots of fruits and vegetables my sugar cravings for candys and cookies seem to be less. I've heard other experience the same.

Yah I agree I do pretty good as long as I a lot of fruit and vegtables. I also find drinking tea helps, that and still allowing for one day a week to have a big slice of cake or whatever. Just as long as the reward day is kinda preplanned and the calories are accounted for.

mmm my big dessert is pumpkin pie...

[BigTone]

I have been doing my lifting first thing in the morning, would you recommend lifting in a fasted state, or eating something (if eating, what is a good pre-workout boost)?

[vikingsrule92]

I have been doing my lifting first thing in the morning, would you recommend lifting in a fasted state, or eating something (if eating, what is a good pre-workout boost)?

I'm no expert but I'd say never lift on an empty stomach, then your body doesn't have the nutrients it needs to break down to lift as much as possible. And I'd say a simple protein shake, or something like a banana, granola, peanut butter, milk, yogurt, etc. Anything high in nutrients and protein and low in sugars and simple carbs. Also always wait about 30 mins between a small meal like this and lifting or else your body will still be in the initial phase of digestion and will not be able to exert itself fully.

[yakri]

Hello there, I'm 6'1 190lbs BF of approximately 15%(give or take) vegetarian and 17.

I'm trying to cut 10-20 pounds in 5 months. Although I would prefer to get all the weight loss done in 2-3 months, and my real goal is to go under 10% body fat, however losing 10-20 pounds of fat would probably do the trick.

As far as exercise goes, for the next 1-2 months, starting on the 14th of this month, I will be doing water training. Both lap swimming and other specific exercises for my sport(tricking). After that I'll be following a full body workout routine based mainly around barbell and body weight exercises for the rest of those five months.

My current diet has no meat in it, and milk only in the form of baked goods and cheese. I eat almost no junk food (occasionally potato chips, chocolate, or a granola bar) and drink only water (except for juice in cereal). I eat 3-4 meals a day, that probably add up to 2000+ calories (probably not much over, but I don't count) I get to this amount simply by eating when I'm hungry. Most of everything I eat is what would be considered health food (whole wheat, organic, etc) I eat a lot of fruits and veggies (brocoli, bananas, apples, oranges, peas, beans, lentils, tomatoes, etc.) The worst things in my diet would probably be instant freezer food, which i eat a lot of because it's cheap, and the free food I get on Mondays (in some cases volenteer just means they give you delicious free food instead of money).

Er, well that's rather garbled, but I've only got just a little time to write this right now.

Anyway, my diet is mostly good but vary unscheduled and lacking breakfast. It also doesn't seem to have a good balance of fat/protein/carbs(sugar). Any advise you'd have for a guy of my age build and dietary inclination who would like to get down under 10% body fat while keeping, and maybe building muscle would be most appreciated. ^_^

And sorry if this is hard to read, I don't really have enough time on my hands to go back and edit it. :\

[yakri]

Well I can't seem to edit my old topic now, so I thought I'd tack this on. Near the begining of the thread, you talked about how you helped one guy go from 15% body fat to 8% in eight weeks, so I thought I'd ask for help since that's almost exactly the change I'm trying to make.

[VahnCruz]

I would say cut out the sugary stuff (keep it to one day a week treat) and salty stuff (this is easy just read the labels on the back of whatever your eating or look it up online), everything else looks pretty good but I would add in lots of nuts if you are going to be anaerobic exercises. besides that you just need to count your calories and find out your current breakdown of carbs/protein/fat ratio. All of this can be looked up online, it takes 15 min at the end of your day to quickly find out and record it all.

As for the proper breakdown of carbs/protein/fat ratio to follow I'd listen to some of the others on here and do some research yourself, I go with about 30-50% carbs, 30-40% protein and 10-30% fats->(mainly in meats and nuts for me) I cycle according to how I feel and how my workouts are going. I follow very close to the paleolithic diet, a modified version could work for you. (a great food I found is quinoa a high protein grain).

As for a good workout I'll just let the more experienced answer as I have only been serious for a little less than a year.

[foxyj75]

I have been doing my lifting first thing in the morning, would you recommend lifting in a fasted state, or eating something (if eating, what is a good pre-workout boost)?

I'm no expert but I'd say never lift on an empty stomach, then your body doesn't have the nutrients it needs to break down to lift as much as possible. And I'd say a simple protein shake, or something like a banana, granola, peanut butter, milk, yogurt, etc. Anything high in nutrients and protein and low in sugars and simple carbs. Also always wait about 30 mins between a small meal like this and lifting or else your body will still be in the initial phase of digestion and will not be able to exert itself fully.

I agree with Derek. His meal suggestion is a great one, and a good idea, as lifting on an empty stomach can cause the body to enter a catabolic state, in which it begins to burn muscle for energy. The light meal before your workout will give your body fuel, and will get the metabolism jump started, so it will continue to be revved up for a longer period, burning more calories than if you had trained in a fasted state.

[tselegala]

I quit smoking 4 months ago and since then I eat fresh/frozen vegetables and fruits, whole grain rice, chicken, turkey and fish, five or 6 small meals a day. I supplement with ZMA, BCAA, Whey protein, L-Arginine. Never sugar, never processed, never bread or heavy carbs, never salt, no booze. (look up paeolithic diet)

ZMA works really much better than i thought for me, i though it was the placebo effect but it isnt.

This is the best diet i have ever been on, i feel alot stronger i sleep better, i recover better, i keep the fat off, it's just grrrrrrrrrrreat!

It's not really a diet but rather something more permanent. It's not for everybody but for me, the benefits are to great to want to stop kind of like working out or quitting smoking.

This is a great forum!!

[andyfreeland]

Alexis, this type of diet is ideal for all body types IMO. This is how I eat when my dicipline is peaked (ie: training for something in particular). I just use protein powder/multi-vitamin though, no other supps, and I do eat red meat but only the lean stuff (top serlion or leaner....no more than 12-16oz/wk).

Edited July 9, 2009 by AFreeland

[tselegala]

Alexis, this type of diet is ideal for all body types IMO. This is how I eat when my dicipline is peaked (ie: training for something in particular). I just use protein powder/multi-vitamin though, no other supps, and I do eat red meat but only the lean stuff (top serlion or leaner....no more than 12-16oz/wk).

Good for everybody but not everybody can stick to it! I added Red meat too since my last comment.