Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
A friend told me that fruit should be eating by itself (not with other fruit). I believe his logic here was that when fruit is digested, more acid is produced, or something like this?
Any opinions? Should I eat my fruit with my regular every-two hour meals (or every other meal, etc.) or should I reserve one meal of the day for just fruit? If I am to reserve one meal per day for just fruit, which meal should it be?
This is what I am eating now (starting this today; 6/28/04): PLEASE EVALUATE AND CHANGE… I have made changes to the suggested to me diet as I work out late….:
9 p.m.=dinner/supper (one slice chicken or turkey breast cooked, 1/2 cup cauliflower or broccoli)
11 p.m.=snack (1/4 container of fat free cottage cheese with pineapple or less if I am not too hungry).... Based on this...
I go to bed at 11:30 latest or right after the snack and sleep for 8 hours (or try)…
Is 2 p.m. the best time for me to eat the fruit? IntakePerformance has the Omega-3, etc. (see this link above)… So should I STILL take fish oil capsules? What about Flaxseed oil?
How should this diet be changed, if at all?
Can someone write for me alternatives to this diet with Oatmeal (I love Oatmeal with skim milk and honey!... How good is Oatmeal like this for me? I can add some of my IntakePerformance protein if needed to this Oatmeal in the morning for instance; should I?). I bet I will get sick of the above total diet pretty fast, LOL……. Suggestions for changes?
Right now to lose fat and gain some muscle I will be doing HIIT 3 times per week, running for 2 (might be closer to one for starts) miles per night (5 days per week), the training that Lou described/recommended:
(starting that today), anything other than Lou’s recommended routine that I feel is necessary muscle-wise (I’ll see as time goes by) and Stepper Machine for a few (5-10) minutes PER night (5X/week). On weekends I will try to do some biking and hiking too….
I will start tracking calories tonight…..
I know that some of you wrote how many calories I should have per day, but based on the above changes, can someone recommend to me this amount explained in detail again, please?????? I feel like I have gotten many different suggestions and ways to split the calories per meal, etc.: I am confused…… ;o(
Oh, and I will be drinking 6-8 X 500 ml (16.9 fl. oz.) of water per day.
Additionally, I drink plenty of white and green tea per day (at least 3 cups). No sugar (sometimes a bit of Splenda).
Am I on the right track or what?!!
FYI, I will post all subsequent questions to nutrition and workouts for me that I have in this thread. THIS WAY, it will be easy for you to scroll up and find all the data on me instead of going to links and links…..
Thank you a ton!!
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
Looks like you are definitely on the right track. You're a fast learner whos' reaped the knowledge of this forum pretty darn fast! JP will be sending you an invoice in the mail. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Oatmeal is good for you because it is a lower GI carb...in other words, it won't promote the insulin spike that will lead to more fat storage. In addition, the oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber - good for keeping cholesterol down and your arteries clear. Finally, by adding the skim milk, you are getting more protein.
To elaborate on what rockhard said, the colors in those veggies often indicate different types of antioxidants - great in helping your body recover and stay healthy.
Hopefully Dr. John will chime in with other food options. Otherwise, check out his recipes (mentioned in another thread) for good healthy and tasty food you can also eat.
Looks good Anna. You should definitely enter all of that into fitday to see the overall calories , and the macronutrient breakdown.
Good point by the others about veggies - more variety is always better.
I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I made a revised meal plan for you on the other thread, for late workouts, which includes oatmeal in the mix:
8am Breakfast – 6 egg white omelet with 1-cup veggies (like chopped onions and peppers) and 1 piece of fat free cheese.
10am Snack – Protein shake in water with 2 tsp flaxseed oil
12pm Lunch – 3oz Chicken breast and large salad topped with fat free cottage cheese, and 4 fish oil capsules
2pm Snack – 3 slices turkey breast and a small handful of walnuts
5pm – 4oz salmon fillet (or lean ground beef, large salad & fish oil capsules), steamed spinach with lemon juice.
8pm - pre-workout meal: oatmeal - boil 1/2 cup dry plain (unsweetened) old-fashioned oats, remove from heat, add cinnamon, Splenda, and 1 scoop (20g) vanilla or chocolate protein powder.
9-10pm workout - during the workout sip on a liquid drink containing 20 g fast digesting protein (like whey) and 40g of simple carbohydrate (like Gatorade)
11pm Snack before bed – Lowfat cottage cheese with chopped pineapple.
Originally posted by FishrCutB8: Natural Peanut Butter...get it in there today.
Why is Natural Peanut Butter good for me? It is SOOO high in fat content! How much should I eat? Plain? Is 'natural' peanut butter different from the stuff on the store shelves?
When I go to buy this peanut butter, WHICH exact one should I buy? Should I eat this X amount of peanut butter every day?
What is "PWO" (yes, I know I have seen this descriped somewhere... Is it Post WorkOut?)??
;o)
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
PWO is post-workout....check out the provided links; they will explain everything.
Also, natural peanut butter takes out all of the bad stuff (High Fructose Corn Syrup...commonly abbreviated here as HFCS) and sugars to name two. It is higher in fat, but it is good fat. The stuff you want to watch is saturated. Poly and mono are good for you. Avocadoes and natural peanut butter are your friends.
A general guideline for determining your caloric needs is the Harris-Benedict formula:
weight in pounds x 11
IF you are under 30 years old:
multiply by 1.3 if you are fairly inactive, have fairly high body fat, or are new to lifting
multiply by 1.4 if you are moderately active, have a job where you are not sitting at a desk but are up and walking/carrying/doing physical tasks.
multiply by 1.5 if you are very active, participate in sports on top of your workouts, have been weight training for at least a year (regularly), or have pretty low body fat.
If you're 30 to 40, subtract 0.05 from these values, so you multiply by 1.25, 1.35 or 1.45 for sedentary, moderately active, and very active respectively.
If you're over 40, subtract 0.1 from these values, so you are using 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4 for your multiplication values.
For maintenance, keep the numbers you get. If your goal is weight loss, subtract between 500 to 1000 calories per day. If your goal is weight gain, add up to 500 calories per day.
Fish also forgot to mention the number one bad actor in 'regular' peanut butters: partially hydrogenated oils.
When you take out all the bad stuff, you are left with basically peanuts and salt. The oil in natural peanut butter (avaialble at Whole Foods and even now at a lot of local supermarkets) will rise to the top. You need to mix it back in. Natural peanut butter will taste different than your normal PB, less sweet. But as fish mentioned, the fats that are in it come from good oils and are actually good for you. Eat it in moderation and enjoy.
To expand on Fish's good foods list, here are some ingredients to avoid in your quest to eat healthy:
-high frcutose corn syrup - a one way ticket to the land of fatty legs and bellies
-hydrogenated anykind-of-oil: made by chemically altering oils to make them solid at rooom temperature and extend shelf life of the foods they are in. This culprit is indicated in obesity, coronary heart disease, and systemic inflammation.
Stay away from foods with these in them in your quest to eat healthy and trim fat. Easier said than done since these two items are in most packaged foods.
While you are at it, you might also want to stay away from white rice, white pasta, white bread, white guys (OK, maybe not the last one)...the first three have relatively high glycemic loads - spiking blood sugar and promoting fat gain. Stick with whole grains, brown rice, etc.
Another source of protein that I like is soy. Edamame is a favorite, as is soy milk. Forgetting about the alleged, yet suspect, estrogenic effects (since you are a female, it wouldn't matter - actually it would help you later in life), soy is a complete protein on par with eggs in providing the most amino acids with which to build muscle.
Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
white guys (OK, maybe not the last one)...
...killing me...
While you're reading labels, you might also find you want to stay away from monosodium glutamate, sometimes labeled as hydrolized protein (in any form). Surprisingly, it is found in a range of things, from soups, to chips, to processed meats to bicyclers from Chicago...
Originally posted by Kaiser: While you are at it, you might also want to stay away from white rice, white pasta, white bread, white guys (OK, maybe not the last one)...the first three have relatively high glycemic loads
Great sense of humor, Kaiser! We need that in these serious-minded forums! Great post!
Fish: "Once you go brown, you'll never wear a frown!' A good motto to remember the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat bread, and me. A favorite saying of Mrs. Kaiser.
During workout: Am I to drink 40 g of protein? Or is that including my protein drink? Meaning is it ok for me to get 15 g of carbs from Gatorade and the rest (25g) from Isopure which has 25g of carbs and 50g proteiN??
Also, I am having some trouble with drinking all of this at once (well, or even in a 1/2 hour or so). During my workout, I go through a bottle of Gatorade. That makes me full. Then protein (50g, mixed with a bit of ice and water) makes me look like a ball on the stomach area. Is this healthy/normal?? LOL.
Also, Lou's advice is confusing (see link above in my 1st question on this thread)... I don't really understand how to do the stepups, etc.
So, I am thinking to continue my routine with weight lifting:
Monday: Chest: Bench press, incline bench press, flyes at incline.
Tuesday: Arms: Bicep curls with dumbbells standing, bicep curls sitting down supporting elbow on inner thigh and curling, overhead triceps extensions, forearms (curls both ways with fists up and down).
Wednesday: Legs: Squats, lunges, standing calf raises, will do leg curls and extensions soon once I put the bench I bought together this weekend.
Thursday: Shoulders: Upright row, lateral raises, shoulder press.
Friday: Front lat pulldowns or pull ups, low pulley row.
Also Cardio: 1 mile per day running (2 is out of the question for now) with HIIT 3 times per week on treadmill (sprints). Few minutes per day of stepper machine and abs 3-4 times per week (situps on decline).
STRIT diet as in above posts....
Lou suggested a routine for me on the premise that 'if weight lifting has not worked for me yet, it won't...' Well, as I am just getting back into fitness (this is my 2nd monday back), and my first week on a strict diet, it is hard to say whether weights work or not... When I trained a while back, I was not so serious and did not stick to a routine anywhere close to the one I have now!
So I am going to do the above workout and diet as above for the next few weeks and see how I feel/look. Already I sweat 'like a pig' (actually not that bad) each evening. I felt like I was going to have an early heart attack at 20 today after the HIIT workout and running/lifting, so likely if I stick to this, I will do well....
Yet, please, LOU or someone, please explain in better detail the routine Lou proposed. Are there any photos/animations to this??? Would be SOOO helpful! Difficult to picture w/o some graphics......
Thanks!
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
During workout: Am I to drink 40 g of protein? Or is that including my protein drink? Meaning is it ok for me to get 15 g of carbs from Gatorade and the rest (25g) from Isopure which has 25g of carbs and 50g proteiN??
Also, I am having some trouble with drinking all of this at once (well, or even in a 1/2 hour or so). During my workout, I go through a bottle of Gatorade. That makes me full. Then protein (50g, mixed with a bit of ice and water) makes me look like a ball on the stomach area. Is this healthy/normal?? LOL.
Holy crap! 50 g of protein! That's a problem. In general, you should take no more than 20 g of protein for your post workout shake. There is a widely held belief in the scientific community that 20g or so is the maximum amount of protein uptake the body can take in one sitting. The rest would either be converted to energy or excreted or go through a complex metabolic process to become fat. There is even some new research being looked at that puts that top end number at 10 grams (BryanC just posted something about that from a sports medicine conference he attended). 50? No wonder your stomach feels like a ball.
Also, your ratio in a PWO of high GI carbs to protein should be 2:1 or 3:1. So if you take 20 g of of protein, you would need two to three times that amount in carbs. That's the theory anyway.
You might want to try this. During the workout, take water. Afterwards take your high GI carbs + protein in your post-workout shake. If your only concern were fat loss and not muscle gain, you could even skip the immediate PWO and have a sensible meal an hour or two later. Have you read the article referenced above by Fishr by Berardi "Solving the Post Workout Nutrition Puzzle' parts 1 & 2? Read those to understand the theory behind all of this. Then we can get into specifics of fine tuning that for your goals (we've all gone over the PWO many atime amongst ourselves and, I think, we have kind of reached a consensus as to what we think should be done).
Anna, a suggestion for the split of calories at each meal and the total amount of calories that should be consumed for maximum muscle growth.
At all meals eat 60% carbohydrates and 40% protein except for the last meal of the day which should be 60% protein and 40% carbohydrates.
Pre-workout and post work out meal - 60% of total calories
Other meals - the rest
Total calories to be consumed - This can only be determined by measuring yourself... If you put on an inch around your waist - reduce total calories by 500 and vice versa.
In general if you're skinny and struggle to put on weight you should eat 3500-4000 calories a day... and if you're slightly overweight and put on weight easily you should eat 2000-2500 calories a day.
During workout: Am I to drink 40 g of protein? Or is that including my protein drink? Meaning is it ok for me to get 15 g of carbs from Gatorade and the rest (25g) from Isopure which has 25g of carbs and 50g proteiN??
Also, I am having some trouble with drinking all of this at once (well, or even in a 1/2 hour or so). During my workout, I go through a bottle of Gatorade. That makes me full. Then protein (50g, mixed with a bit of ice and water) makes me look like a ball on the stomach area. Is this healthy/normal?? LOL.
Also, Lou's advice is confusing (see link above in my 1st question on this thread)... I don't really understand how to do the stepups, etc.
So, I am thinking to continue my routine with weight lifting:
Monday: Chest: Bench press, incline bench press, flyes at incline.
Tuesday: Arms: Bicep curls with dumbbells standing, bicep curls sitting down supporting elbow on inner thigh and curling, overhead triceps extensions, forearms (curls both ways with fists up and down).
Wednesday: Legs: Squats, lunges, standing calf raises, will do leg curls and extensions soon once I put the bench I bought together this weekend.
Thursday: Shoulders: Upright row, lateral raises, shoulder press.
Friday: Front lat pulldowns or pull ups, low pulley row.
Also Cardio: 1 mile per day running (2 is out of the question for now) with HIIT 3 times per week on treadmill (sprints). Few minutes per day of stepper machine and abs 3-4 times per week (situps on decline).
STRIT diet as in above posts....
Lou suggested a routine for me on the premise that 'if weight lifting has not worked for me yet, it won't...' Well, as I am just getting back into fitness (this is my 2nd monday back), and my first week on a strict diet, it is hard to say whether weights work or not... When I trained a while back, I was not so serious and did not stick to a routine anywhere close to the one I have now!
So I am going to do the above workout and diet as above for the next few weeks and see how I feel/look. Already I sweat 'like a pig' (actually not that bad) each evening. I felt like I was going to have an early heart attack at 20 today after the HIIT workout and running/lifting, so likely if I stick to this, I will do well....
Yet, please, LOU or someone, please explain in better detail the routine Lou proposed. Are there any photos/animations to this??? Would be SOOO helpful! Difficult to picture w/o some graphics......
Thanks!
Anna
Familiarize yourself with the ExRx website. Here's one way to do step-ups. I do them with dumb bells (aka DB) but try to find a step that brings your thigh close to parallel with the floor. Of course, adjust the weight you use to whatever you can handle for now... including no weight if that's what it takes to get your reps in (I haven't read the entire thread so I don't know what Lou suggested).
Also, I'm reading an incredible book right now by a couple of exercise phys researchers titled Nutrient Timing and they reference a lot of studies and recommendations on protein intake. In a nutshell, you don't need but a small amount of protein supplementation (10g or less) at one time but getting it pre-, during and post- w/o [i]and even for several hours afterward] helps to not only provide the positive N balance you need for muscle remodeling but also helps greatly for recovery. Insulin plays a huge role in all of this so you need the high GI carb (preferably glucose, sucrose or maltodextrose) to prevent insulin resistance from setting in post w/o. Berardi is big on nutrient timing (he reviewed this book) but I haven't read all of his recommendations on his website... but that's another topic.
Anyway, check out the ExRx website for help with your exercises... I think there's a thread about other such websites in the FAQ section.
Ehhh.... So many numbers to calculate and percentages to stick to. This weekend I will try out these numbers....
;o)
So, tonight I will go for 1/2 the Isopure packet (25g protein and 12.5g carbs...) Then I will drink some more carbs during working out/post work out in a Gatorade (about another 37.5g of carbs; meaning [(25*2)-12.5)] given 2:1). Is this right?
That's a lot of carbs, guys! I am trying to go by the low carb theory of losing weight.
60% of carbs many times a day (or even 40%) is a lot in my eyes.
I was trying to reduce the carbs to like 100g per day.... Obviously during the whole day by your recommendations, I will have many more carbs then that...
Thoughts?
Also, during the day, my protein shake should include how many carbs/protein?
How much Omega-3 complex do I need per day (maybe in grams)? I am trying to figure out if IntakePerformance (1/2 packet taken 2 times per day) will be enough of the fatty acids and omega 3s.... See link above in a post for IntakePerformance, if necessary.
I give all of you SO MUCH credit and applause for sticking to these crazy calculations and diets! Wow!!!
;o)
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
I want to thank all of you for the inspiration and the motivation to get back into shape!
A short while ago, I was sitting here thinking about the foods I used to eat about 2 weeks ago: Foods like french fries, pizza, looots of breads, dressing on salads, real sugar, chocolate chip cookies with 2% milk, etc. I seriously now think about those foods and have no desire to eat them. REALLY!!! ;o) Reading about all your strict and measured diets, I now know that I am not the only crazy one who is timing my lunches and cooking chicken NOT on oil! *SMILE!!*
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although this is the 2nd week of healthy eating and working out daily, I feel better about myself already and feel like I look sharper (though, doubt this is the true case; more time needs to go by) ANDDDD I owe it all to you guys!!!!
THANK YOU!
Looking forward to more and more discussions on this awesome forum (GO Jean-Paul for creating it!!!!)!
;o)
Anna
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
I was trying to reduce the carbs to like 100g per day.... Obviously during the whole day by your recommendations, I will have many more carbs then that...
I think this is an excellent approach. If you do this, and get the majority of calories from good sources of fat and protein, then you probably won't need to concern yourself with calorie-counting.
Are you really interested in building muscle, or just preserving what you have, so that all your weight loss is fat loss?
If it's the latter, you could probably cut out the carbs before and after your workout and just have a small protein drink of 10-20 grams before and after. This will keep fat burning at a higher rate, and will still give you most of the benefit as drinking carbs and protein together.
If you're interested in gaining a little muscle, keep the carbs in the equation for the pre/post workout shakes. 10-20 grams is probably fine there as well, although more might be optimal to replenish your carbohydrate stores (glycogent). Eating a few more carbs like this will also prevent your muscles from feeling "flat" as they might without them, although that's not typically a concern for women.
Lou's workout looks excellent for what you want to do. Other similar workouts that provide more information are available in an e-book called Shapeshift, which was written by a bunch of guys who frequent this site (Craig Ballantyne, Alwyn Cosgrove, Bill Hartman). I highly recommend it.
You could also try a workout like this. It's written for men (the tone of the article), but it will also work for women (note in the intro to the story that Alwyn has some pretty good experience training women). It may be a little advanced depending on your training experience, so the exercises may need to be adjusted.
I believe Kaiser tried it so you might ask him how it worked. I got great feedback about it from our readers.
Are you really interested in building muscle, or just preserving what you have, so that all your weight loss is fat loss? [/QB]
Adam,
I am trying to get rid of all the fat and to then keep it that way. It would seem common sense to first follow a routine to lose fat and weight, AND THEN, after this is done, to work on muscle-gaining.
Can both be done at the same time in as fast a pace? I am not so sure myself, what do you think?
I plan to work out with weights for now to preserve what I have and to continue to define (this is also a good cardio-like workout for me as it gets me to sweat a bit) in addition to the cardio, particularly HIIT training.
I will keep the carbs low (no more Gatorade after I finish what I bought) and perhaps exchange my protein drinks to "NO CARB" ones. I love Isopure's taste, so I think I might try it without carbs. Now, the one I have has 25g of carbs per package, 50g protein (I drink 1/2 package per PWO).
I'll use up this above protein in a few weeks when I start "building," (and no I don't want to look like those women in the photos under "Member Photos!").I just want really great definition without looking big/fat/large, etc. I want to keep the feminine look but with a hint of SERIOUS fitness!
;o)
Opinions on switching my protein drinks now to NO CARB (for whole day) and getting carbs only from my veggies and meat?
I am starting to keep a log of what I eat and how I work out, which I will post in a few days.
ALSO, MY QUESTIONS re: Flaxseed oil and Fish oil/omega-3 complex have not been answered:
How much in grams or some other measurable form do I need per day and why this amount? I have to calculate whether IntakePerformance has enough or/and if I switch protein, how much to take in pills (different brands=different amounts per capsule, etc.).
;o)
ANNA
__________________
You live in too much of a logical world!
If you just stepped out of it and forgot the worldy limits, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING would be possible... - anna kubit
I bought at GNC an "Omega Complex," which "supplies DHA and EPA..."
Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: Three Softgel Capsules
Servings Per Container: 30
Calories: 30
Calories from Fat: 30
Total Fat: 3g
Vitamin E (as d-alpha Tocepherol): 30 IU
LA (Linoleic Acid)(omega-6): 463 mg
ALA (alpha-Linolenic Acid)(omega-3): 378 mg
Oleic Acid (omega-9): 455 mg
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)(omega-3): 180 mg
GLA (gamma-Linolenic Acid)(omega-6): 180 mg
DHA (Docasahexaenoic Acid)(omega-3): 120 mg
Lipase: 1200 units
Other ingredients: Borage Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Gelatin, Fish Body Oil, Canola Oil, Glycerin, Caramel Color.
Also: no sugar, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no preservatives, sodium free, no wheat, no gluten, no corn, no dairy, yeast free.
Directions: TAKE 3 softgels daily with meals.
Is this what I should be taking to supplement my diet? I do not eat fish (I might try salamon, but doubt I will like it enough to eat it regularly).
Also, if this is not the best product out there for me, what should I buy (please send link, etc.)?? I paid $12.99 for this (90 softgels).
Is this product missing any of the fatty acids that I need?
Originally posted by Anna Kubit: Conclusion: LOW LOW LOW carb diet for me for now until I lose the fat and some weight (anyone know what my ideal weight should be????).
Then once the fat is gone: Muscle building and more protein + carbs.
Sounds good or am I way off????????
Since starting this workout program (6/21/04) and a diet as above (6/28/04) my weight has remained constant at 140 lbs., hence the change.
Opinions?
Two quick comments because it is late and I'm tired!
-Don't focus on a weight. Focus on a bodyfat percentage, or a measurement or a size. Do you want to look good or just have a certain weight? If the latter, you can lop an arm off and get to your goal weight in a matter of seconds. [img]smile.gif[/img]
-Slow and steady in fat loss wins the race. You may not even lose weight since you may gain in muscle what you lose in fat. Again, don't worry about the numbers on the scale so much.
) but it's true.
Linear Mode
