Healthly Eating/Fitness

[avenger]

I know some of you are a wealth of knowledge on healthy eating and fitness so I was going to get your advice on my recent (call it 2 months) eating healthy/staying fit.

A typical day of eating...

1 cup Organic Soy
Low Fat Yogurt w/All Bran Buds + 1 chopped banana
1 Grapefruit
Small snack of almonds+walnuts+dried cranberries
Tuna on Rye bread
Raw veggie snack (carrot, celery, brocolli)
Soup w/a side of sorts (2 egg omelette w/some cheese)
Decaff Green tea instead of a snack

I try to do 30-45 minute workout daily at a moderate pace. Soemthing like...

Strech
Run/knee lifts on spot
Various curls/chest exercises with free weights (need heaveir weights)
Pushups!
More running
More weights
More pushups
More running/streching
Situps (although I find push ups give me a better ab workout)
Strech/cool down

I started out about 195+ lbs and am down to 183/4ish. So lost about 10-12 pounds already and am starting to look and feel alot better. I am wondering if there is anything else I can do to help drop weight or if my eating is healthy/enough calories. I am 23 years old, 6 foot even.

Also I take part in epic multi hour sexerices several times a week.

[ralphy1976]

good stuff, man keep it up

but, you still need proteins and where are your carbs?

You need some, but not Kgs of it (ie, not bread and pasta in the same day..), a bit of meat isn't going to kill you either, but make sure it is not cooked in oil.

Chichen is pretty much a given protein injection for this kind of diet, but you can use eggs too. Egg are also a good input of good fat, but don;t go and eat 6 of them.

Having said that you are 6ft7" tall, what you are eating is not much, unless you can give us the weight of what you eat...

EDIT : avocado is a great food for sexercises!!! good for sperm and overall vitality, i ....ing hate them with passion, but i love my wife..so....

I am 5ft 10" and that diet makes hungry.......be careful not too be too drastic on the diet side

[avenger]

Originally Posted by ralphy1976

good stuff, man keep it up

but, you still need proteins and where are your carbs?

You need some, but not Kgs of it (ie, not bread and pasta in the same day..), a bit of meat isn't going to kill you either, but make sure it is not cooked in oil.

Chichen is pretty much a given protein injection for this kind of diet, but you can use eggs too. Egg are also a good input of good fat, but don;t go and eat 6 of them.

Having said that you are 6ft7" tall, what you are eating is not much, unless you can give us the weight of what you eat...

EDIT : avocado is a great food for sexercises!!! good for sperm and overall vitality, i ....ing hate them with passion, but i love my wife..so....

I am 5ft 10" and that diet makes hungry.......be careful not too be too drastic on the diet side

I ment 6ft0"

I typically eat a "standard" serving (which isnt awhole lot) unless its veggies then I will have more then the suggested amount. Yeah I have been told by a few people now to check my carbs I am a little confused on how much carbs I should be eating. Is two slices of bread good for a day?

Also protien I do have soem chicken in there time to time I was hoping the nut mix would help with protein aswell and the 2 eggs/tuna. I have pretty much given up beef and think I want to try to stick to that desicion for personal reasons.

My goal is to have a balanced diet with little to no processed foods and mainly organic/non chemical filled foods (pretty much impossible but ill take it in small steps).

As for the avocado helping sperm... are we talking flavour or for making babies, I do not want a child!

[ralphy1976]

we are talking strength and vitality of your soldiers..also it is good for your own vitality as it has got a lot of goodies inside.

try to make yourself a wrap with avocado, olive, tomatoes, carott, cucumber, and a ultra low fat greek creme (satsiki), it is quite good...i do that on week-end at noon, pretty quick and very good, together with orange juice or water.

to be honest, if you are doing 1 or 2 hours sport everyday then carbs will be your friend!! otherwise a bowl of pasta once or twice a week, mainly before exercise. same idea for bread :

if your breakfast is : cereals, fresh juice and a couple of toast then that's ok too, and a noon avoid carbs...

you got the idea, now try to find something whih in the long run will not mean that you are tired or hungry.

[Sang-Drax]

Regarding the no fat yogurt.

I read from multiple sources that saturated fat isn't as bad as it's usually depicted. Following that track, I went from around 500ml skim milk a day to 2 litres (half a gallon). I gained no fat mass whatsoever and around 7kg muscle in a 3-month time frame. While I am working out, I do cardio no more than 3x a week; usually 2.

Just (whole) food for thought.

[avenger]

Originally Posted by Sang-Drax

Regarding the no fat yogurt.

I read from multiple sources that saturated fat isn't as bad as it's usually depicted. Following that track, I went from around 500ml skim milk a day to 2 litres (half a gallon). I gained no fat mass whatsoever and around 7kg muscle in a 3-month time frame. While I am working out, I do cardio no more than 3x a week; usually 2.

Just (whole) food for thought.

Interesting, I was reading/having a discussion yesterday about drinking lots of milk and its effects on fat&muscle. I am not sure how much muscle I am looking to gain, not to say I dont want more msucle mass I more want to tone but I guess if there is nothing to tone thats a problem ahaha.

[ralphy1976]

if you are looking just to tone up, then 1st you need to reduce your fat mass, whih youa re doing by adjusting your diet accordingly.

muscle toning can be achieved thus : play sport man!!!! no need to spend $$$ to go to the gym, go running, swimming, play soccer, rugby, football, etc...

also, sit-ups and press-ups / push-ups help..again no need of a gym for that.

bare in mind that you need to look medium term for seeing any significant improvement : 4 to 6 months. so you need to keep at it.

Also you need to drink a lot of water when exercising, or at least some proper sports drink. you need some good hours of sleep too. Sleep deprivation plays a lot in your nutritional habits and such.

if you keep this going you should see quite a few changes :

1 - thinner, leaner, will need new clothes
2 - better mood, more awake, more alert, should pay dividend at work / uni / school
3 - healthier skin, healthier bowels
4 - obviously, more appealing to the ladies....

keep it going man!!!!

[Jason]

You need to easily triple your protein intake. Also double your carbs as well.

The protein in nuts isnt a real protein. What I mean is it doesnt contain the amino acids like a animal protein. Your body burns it more like a fat or a carb.

[avenger]

Yeah everyone keeps telling me more carbs more carbs more carbs. I may go the route of protein powder for the protein although I was trying to go without suppliments.

I started using the gym at work here (free!) and that has really got things going.

Cardio (cycle) - 30 mins (pretty vigorous pace, I am dripping afterwards)
Weights - 30 mins (trying to work out a rotating routine between muscle groups)

I feel like I need to add abit of muscle to my arms and chest to get them where I want but I naturally have broad shoulders so I dont think I want to put to much more muscle in that area. Probaly tighten up the back abit aswell. As far as "abs" go I am starting to get abit of definition already (well its been a few months now). I have a pretty solid stomach so I think I just need to keep burning fat off to get that area to look more toned.

So far things are going good, I feel lot more energized and generally healthy. I dont feel like I am starving myself at all although people say I could probaly eat more food. I have been getting pretty decent amounts of sleep (well as much as a 23 y/o can lol).

Any suggestions would be great!

[Wingchunwarrior]

also, sit-ups and press-ups / push-ups help..again no need of a gym for that.

sit-ups,Almost useless exercise to burn fat and drop weight, so many more exercises far more effective, however of course it strengthens the abdominal muscles, don't know if that is an ambition of the OP.However if one believes in spot reduction, which is the ridiculous idea that you can burn fat in one area,one might think its a good idea to burn fat in the stomach area,I know I believed that when I first started out training.

If you want to burn fat, as aforementioned swimming,rugby etc all great ways

I may go the route of protein powder for the protein although I was trying to go without suppliments.

Can I ask why you don't want to use supplements?

The protein in nuts isnt a real protein. What I mean is it doesnt contain the amino acids like a animal protein. Your body burns it more like a fat or a carb.]

But that is easily resolved by adding a different protein source when having nuts,especially something that contains the BCAAS.


Not exactly agreeing upping the carbs, if you're looking to burn fat, more carbs isn't the route to go down,monounsaturated fats and indeed saturated fats(not that many though) should be you're sources of energy, in fact some studies have shown that fats are actually the bodies preferred source of energy, contrary to popular belief that carbs are the best source of energy.

Definitely up you're protein intake as not only will help and induce muscle growth,recovery and maintain but the thermogenic effect is almost double that of or carbs and fats.

[Bevo]

Don't forget the metabolism, the more you work out the more fuel you need to burn, the more muscle also more fuel, fuel is food.

Protien and all the supplements are great but you first need a healthy diet, this is the base you work from.
I don't eat meat but I get a decent amount of protien, not near enough but I am doing alright in the muscles and keep adding more.

Its all balance for you right now and the most important thing to do is eat more, once you have the muscle you can do all the cardio to burn off that extra fat.
What will probably happen is you will get bigger and lean out at the same time.

Remember, carbs are fuel, protien is muscle and water is life..

[avenger]

So I did some number crunching and tried to average over a week my calorie intake per day. I am coming out at 12-1500 a day on average (maybe once a week I will have a 2000 day).

Is this enough? I am loosing weight and getting some definition now. I feel fantastic and full of energy. My 32 pants fall off me now.

[Wingchunwarrior]

So I did some number crunching and tried to average over a week my calorie intake per day. I am coming out at 12-1500 a day on average (maybe once a week I will have a 2000 day).

That is definitely wrong, you will find it very hard to gain muscle with that little, however if that is for losing weight, that might be right, I don't really know.

Glad you're feeling real good man, its a shame people don't follow your ways, all it takes is a bit of planning and some determination and you can shed that fat, I have respect for you man!

[Bevo]

Good for loosing weight thats for sure!
If you want muscle you have to get more calories in you, just make sure they are the right kind.

If you had to choose between a Soda at 200 Calories or a chicken sami at 200 its a no brainer but the same number.

[avenger]

Yeah for right now I think I am going to focus on loosing fat. I did pick up some really nice protein though I am thinking of taking it when I do lift more weights while working out.

Its coming along I am still loosing weight (~1-2lb/week) but I am sure its going to start getting a lot harder soon. scale read 177lb's today (corrected to 180lb) so still seeing good progress!

I have also cut beef out completely and am only eating fish/chicken/turkey right now. Pretty much switched to organic soy instead of milk and am focusing on salt intake right now.

Only negative to all of this is that it is much more expensive to eat healthy and now that I am getting into some organic products its pretty stupid price wise!

[powerofze]

I recommend getting some cooking oils/butter/mayo into your diet. You may or may not know but you still need fats from these sources (and these sources are mostly low in saturated fats and have no trans fat). But fat and shit aside, these cooking oils also give vitamin E. It is important to have vitamin E in your diet because it is an antioxidant.

Mostly your diet seems to be doing good in terms of vitamins and minerals, but you are lacking in terms of proteins (just by a tiny bit). If you want to omit meat from your diet, that's fine but you do need a large amount of nuts and tofu etc. eggs also work in this manner. It is important to get sufficient protein in your diet to fulfill your body's need on essential amino acids that your body cannot manufacture.

Last but not least, you need more animal products. There is a crucial vitamin called vitamin B12. These vitamins ONLY CAN BE OBTAINED THROUGH ANIMAL PRODUCTS.

But yeah, I've probably left out a lot.

Sources: well, I'm not the most knowledgeable guy on this but I've done a course on nutrition and I'm a nursing student.

[avenger]

Ive started taking Promasil Protein to boost my protein and vitamin count. I will probaly only take it on days when I hit weights hard because I really dont want to gain to much bulk. Started eating a tad bit more aswell but I think that is my metabolism kicking in from the workouts.

Weighed myself on a proper scale (although it wasnt int eh morning) and hit 181.8lb. Looking for that 179 gonna kick cardio into hyper gear to try to burn some more fat off. Already noticing major changes in my body since starting. Getting lots of comments and the GF tells me everytime the differance from when we hooked up in the summer until now is unreal.

[ry_z]

Originally Posted by powerofze

Last but not least, you need more animal products. There is a crucial vitamin called vitamin B12. These vitamins ONLY CAN BE OBTAINED THROUGH ANIMAL PRODUCTS.

Or through fortified foods / supplements. A daily multivitamin is a good idea.

[Wingchunwarrior]

Ive started taking Promasil Protein to boost my protein and vitamin count. I will probaly only take it on days when I hit weights hard because I really dont want to gain to much bulk. Started eating a tad bit more aswell but I think that is my metabolism kicking in from the workouts.

That would a very detrimental thing to do, you grow when you're resting not at the gym,and afraid of gaining too much bulk, I'm sorry but that is physically impossible,by having protein you're never gonna lose control and become huge and bulky.

Honestly the skinny pencil neck who started that ridiculous myth that by doing too much weights or having too much protein will get you "too Bulky" needs help, sorry for the rant but these idiotic myths that have confused people in fitness really piss me off

[avenger]

So I should be taking protein on days I am not working out? I am confused now. I have also kinda changed my outlook on my goal. I think I am looking to stay fit/loose weight but I kinda want to be more muscley now that I am starting to see results.

[Wingchunwarrior]

Originally Posted by avenger

So I should be taking protein on days I am not working out? I am confused now. I have also kinda changed my outlook on my goal. I think I am looking to stay fit/loose weight but I kinda want to be more muscley now that I am starting to see results.

Its ok man, its a learning curve,people seem to think protein can some how turn you into a bodybuilder in a couple days

Whatever your goal is , a good amount of protein is needed.You're about 180 pounds, so a recommended amount of protein would be 180g of protein daily.Protein also has a high thermogenic effect which means it takes more calories to metabolise thus burning more excess calories, a plus for burning fat.

To me having more muscle, creating more shape in you're body which personally I think looks better than just being skinny, so I would definitely suggest trying to be more muscular.

Oh and yes take just as much protein on non workout days as you do on workout days

But believeme, you're not gonna get freakishly muscular by eating protein

Rome wasn't built in a day and all that shit

[Bevo]

The way you build muscle is by tearing (microscopic) the muscles or breaking them down. Resting allows the muscles to rebuild making them bigger, use your pain as a guide.
If you work out hard and don't hurt not much happens, if you hurt the next day and eat well the day after you will be better then the next day you will be ready to hit those same muscles again.
If you work out and are always sore its the number 1 sign of not enough protien.

Big pro builders will work out like animals eat huge protien then lay on the couch all day while eating more protien. The next day the work another body part then lay on the couch all day.
For those guys 400 grams of protien is nothing in a day..

A body builder rule of thumb is 2-6 grams of protien per pound you weigh. A person racing bikes in the tour will need 2 the guy looking to gain 100lb is looking at 6.
Do the math on what you weigh, then think of what you eat and what you need to eat..don't forget the cost of all that.

[Wingchunwarrior]

The way you build muscle is by tearing (microscopic) the muscles or breaking them down. Resting allows the muscles to rebuild making them bigger, use your pain as a guide.
If you work out hard and don't hurt not much happens, if you hurt the next day and eat well the day after you will be better then the next day you will be ready to hit those same muscles again

That is actually another myth,the soreness the next day is no indication of how many muscle fibres you ripped or how hard you worked the day before, its actually to do with having a lactic acid build up during your workout.It's the same with the "pump" a favourite of schwarzeneggarian approach on bodybuilding, the pump is not how well you are working out, rather its how much lactic acid is building up in your muscles.

For instance doing 200 reps of pushing and pulling a bicycle pump would get you a great pump in your arms, probably more than bicep curls, but that doesn't mean you have a better workout using a bicycle pump

So if you do get a pump during your workout or you feel sore the next day, great, but if you don't, don't sweat it, along as you work hard at the gym you're getting the job done well.

Big pro builders will work out like animals eat huge protien then lay on the couch all day while eating more protien. The next day the work another body part then lay on the couch all day.
For those guys 400 grams of protien is nothing in a day..

A body builder rule of thumb is 2-6 grams of protien per pound you weigh. A person racing bikes in the tour will need 2 the guy looking to gain 100lb is looking at 6.
Do the math on what you weigh, then think of what you eat and what you need to eat..don't forget the cost of all that.

Some of the points you make are your average laws of building muscle, but others seem condescending to bodybuilders and others are way too extreme and pointless.

I can assure you no bodybuilder eats 6 grams of protein per pound.For instance that would mean a pro bodybuilder like Jay Cutler(the best in world currently) who is 310lbs in the off season would have to eat 1860g of protein daily!!

And as regards to bbs laying on the couch all day,I don't know if you think bbs do 30 minutes of pilates and then eat protein all day on the couch but you are definitely mistaken. But yes in a way you are right, bbs spend most of their time in the kitchen.................eating protein

[avenger]

I have been doing a good balance of cardio and weights now (at least I think). I do 30 minutes cardio and 30 minutes weights. Weights I usally rotate between chest/shoulders/arms/back but usally I always do arms. Showing some improvements in arms/chest/and shoulders. I actually gained a pound but can see abit of definition in my stomach now so I must be loosing fat putting muscle on. Taking protein daily now, starting to kill the cardio.

Today I am going to do an hour blast of cycling.

\m/

[avenger]

176 lbs, healthy diet, starting to rip into my core now. Core feels so good after doing it, during not so much.