For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I personally prefer to do my morning workout's (either weights or cardio or both) completely fasted. I just feel that with your glycogen stores being low that is the optimum time for burning fat stores but i know ripped dudes who drink a shake before hand and it certainly doesn't hurt them.

For me i feel sick if i have belly full of protein shake or food before a workout so that was my main reason for doing it fasted.

You are similar size to me and 2000 cals seems to work well for me. Maybe start there and see how the scale / mirror are going after a few weeks and adjust accordingly? I've noticed recently that making my evening meal the smallest of the day and limiting my carbs at night has helped me a bit. I have a big breakfast (1 cut of oats, 1 cup of milk, 1 scoop of protein) and a big lunch (1 large skinless chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup veges) and then at night I just have a protein shake with 2 scoops of protein and water / ice blended up and it's been working great. If i want to snack i have almonds or a boiled egg.

I know it depends on your goals but i would try for at least some sort of resistance training at least twice a week if possible. I doesn't have to be much and could be just bodyweight moves like pushup's, pull ups, sit ups, squats etc for 20 mins but just something to try and preserve some muscle.

Many people cut with just cardio and end up "skinny fat" where the scale is sure a lot lighter but they aren't necessarily happy with the final look if you know what i mean. The more muscle you can preserve the easier it will be to keep it off as well because more muscle = faster metabolism.

GL with it Kearnzo.

[Kearnzo]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Thanks for the tips Jonesy! My biggest issue is being a horrible cook . I usually just stick to pre-made foods. Shakes would be an easy way to combat the issue. Is there a certain amount of protein you try to consume each day?

What type of protein do you get? I've never tried it before, and I know there are a couple different types. Do they go better with skim milk or water also?

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I shoot for a gram of protein per lb of body weight so around 200 grams per day for guys our size. You might not need that much if you aren't lifting but protein is good because it takes the longest of any of the 3 (fat, protein, carbs) to digest and leaves you feeling fuller for longer.

I gotta admit i'm no master chef either but i get by. I cook up 5 chicken breasts on sunday night and i get these microwave brown rice packs and microwavable steamed veges and make up 5 portions in tupperware containers for my lunches each day ( i put some mustard on them for taste). I then freeze 3 of them and keep 2 in the fridge for monday and tuesday then take the others out of the freezer as i need them during the week. It only takes me about 20-25 mins and I'm set for lunches then for the week. It means i don't fall back on fast food if i run out of things to eat during the week. It takes some discipline but nobody said being in great shape was easy and if they did they were lying.

EDIT: regarding the protein I prefer Optimum Nutrition brand as it's pretty much the gold standard in bodybuilding circles but most brands from a place like GNC will be fine. Doesn't really matter where you get it from just make sure it gives you at least 22 grams per serve (hopefully more) and doesn't have a ridiculous about of carbs or calories. To me anyway it tastes way better with skim milk but obviously that is more cals so you just have to see how many calories you have left to work with. Sometimes i blend it with 1 cup milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 cup cold water, some ice cubes and a frozen banana (makes it nice and frothy) and seriously it tastes like a thickshake from McDonalds or something, i love it!
I generally stick with Vanilla, Cookies and Cream or chocolate flavour but everyone is different as to what they like.

You can buy them pretty cheap online these days from places like www.bodybuilding.com as well.

[NDAlum]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

You can use milk, but remember it contains calories & sugar. If I need something more than water I'll do half milk/half water.

[Kearnzo]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I shoot for a gram of protein per lb of body weight so around 200 grams per day for guys our size. You might not need that much if you aren't lifting but protein is good because it takes the longest of any of the 3 (fat, protein, carbs) to digest and leaves you feeling fuller for longer.

I gotta admit i'm no master chef either but i get by. I cook up 5 chicken breasts on sunday night and i get these microwave brown rice packs and microwavable steamed veges and make up 5 portions in tupperware containers for my lunches each day ( i put some mustard on them for taste). I then freeze 3 of them and keep 2 in the fridge for monday and tuesday then take the others out of the freezer as i need them during the week. It only takes me about 20-25 mins and I'm set for lunches then for the week. It means i don't fall back on fast food if i run out of things to eat during the week. It takes some discipline but nobody said being in great shape was easy and if they did they were lying.

EDIT: regarding the protein I prefer Optimum Nutrition brand as it's pretty much the gold standard in bodybuilding circles but most brands from a place like GNC will be fine. Doesn't really matter where you get it from just make sure it gives you at least 22 grams per serve (hopefully more) and doesn't have a ridiculous about of carbs or calories. To me anyway it tastes way better with skim milk but obviously that is more cals so you just have to see how many calories you have left to work with. Sometimes i blend it with 1 cup milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 cup cold water, some ice cubes and a frozen banana (makes it nice and frothy) and seriously it tastes like a thickshake from McDonalds or something, i love it!
I generally stick with Vanilla, Cookies and Cream or chocolate flavour but everyone is different as to what they like.

You can buy them pretty cheap online these days from places like www.bodybuilding.com as well.

Thanks for the response man, I appreciate all the help. I was looking at Walmart, and saw that they have Body Fortress Whey Protein. Have you tried it? It's like 15 bucks for 2 lbs., and it's actually got decent reviews. I serving is like 110 calories, 26g protein, and only 2g sugar. I figure for a post workout "breakfast" (I work overnight, would wake up around 4, work out, then have a shake), i'd just do like 1 scoop of protein with skim milk or water, depending on taste.

And that idea with making the chicken, rice, and veggies at the beginning of the week is great. I think i'll have to institute that, as I can surely slap some chicken breasts in the oven without burning the house down

About how many calories per meal is it when you make that? I figure with the chicken breast, rice, and veggies, it's probably decent. How do you plan out your meals throughout the day? Typically, I wake up around 4 in the afternoon, have a small breakfast, a snack before work, a snack a couple hours into work, lunch at 3am, then one more snack around 6:30-7am before I head to bed. I'm just trying to plan ahead with meals and make sure I don't cut out too many calories. If i'm a little under 2000 it's no biggie, but just that shake alone for breakfast is only like 100 calories (add in skim milk if I use that).

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Thanks for the response man, I appreciate all the help. I was looking at Walmart, and saw that they have Body Fortress Whey Protein. Have you tried it? It's like 15 bucks for 2 lbs., and it's actually got decent reviews. I serving is like 110 calories, 26g protein, and only 2g sugar. I figure for a post workout "breakfast" (I work overnight, would wake up around 4, work out, then have a shake), i'd just do like 1 scoop of protein with skim milk or water, depending on taste.

And that idea with making the chicken, rice, and veggies at the beginning of the week is great. I think i'll have to institute that, as I can surely slap some chicken breasts in the oven without burning the house down

About how many calories per meal is it when you make that? I figure with the chicken breast, rice, and veggies, it's probably decent. How do you plan out your meals throughout the day? Typically, I wake up around 4 in the afternoon, have a small breakfast, a snack before work, a snack a couple hours into work, lunch at 3am, then one more snack around 6:30-7am before I head to bed. I'm just trying to plan ahead with meals and make sure I don't cut out too many calories. If i'm a little under 2000 it's no biggie, but just that shake alone for breakfast is only like 100 calories (add in skim milk if I use that).

That nutritional profile on that body fortress stuff looks great, hope it tastes ok. Good price too.

I don't track calories anymore because its annoying and i pretty much know how many cals are in most things i eat now. I personally do 3 larger meals rather than the 5 or 6 smaller meals lots of people do more for convenience than anything and i like feeling full. Only personal preference though and it doesn't make much difference in the scheme of things as long as the overall caloric intake is in the right range. I tracked my cals using www.fitday.com for about a month until i got it down pat so maybe you could try that? At least enter in what you are planning to eat on an average day so you know what cal range you are actually consuming.

I pretty much do:

breakfast: 500 cals

Lunch: 500 cals

Dinner: 500 cals

Snacks: nuts and a protein shake with banana and a cup of milk: 500 cals.

You just have to find a setup that works with your schedule and isn't too much of a pain in the *** otherwise you won't stick with it. I don't know how many times I started these hardcore bodybuilding diets only to flake out after a week and fall off the wagon again. Now i have worked out what works for me and my schedule and things are going great.

[USF11]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I would still go with Optimum only because what they say is in the powder is actually there.


Also it's still very cheap as powders go.

[Money99]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

Need help with cutting some weight guys. I'm currently at 6'0 205lbs. To be honest, i'm not looking to gain size at all. I just want to finally cut some excess belly weight i've been hauling around for the better part of 5 years now. I've been looking into interval training with my exercise bike, as I hear it's great at cutting weight fast, as long as you can handle it. Does anyone have experience or opinions in regards to interval training?

Also, in terms of just strictly losing weight, what should I focus on eating? Cutting out carbs, calories, fat? I'm totally clueless when it comes to dieting, so ANY help in that regard is appreciated.

HITT training on a exercise bike or sprinting is brutal! I'll go for 5 minutes on the exercise bike where I go as hard as I can for 20 seconds and then take 10 seconds off.
It's painful and it sucks, but it does work. I'm such a panzy I'll only do it once or twice a week (along with 2-3 mile run 2-3x a week).

As far as diet, keep it simple. I find if you really hate your diet, and what you're eating, you won't stick to it.
I eat 6 small meals a day. I'll combine a mixture of cucumbers or celery with vinegar, fruits, protein shakes and a sandwich. I also drink 3 18oz glasses of water throughout the day.

Yes, I know the sandwich isn't healthy but I don't care. It's my one vice.
I'll also sub the sandwich with some chicken breasts here or there.

But honestly, if all you did was eat 6 small meals per day and they were relatively healthy, you're golden.
Throw in some cardio and a bit of weight training and your belly fat will go down.

I realized a long time ago that all the models on fitness magazines are usually drug fueled or go on crazy diets prior to a photo-shoot.
Normal guys who are older than 30 will have a real hard time to look like that without a chef and pro trainer aiding them throughout the week.
So find a look you can live with and go for it. Ryan Reynolds wouldn't look like he does without all the help he gets. So don't expect to look like that either. Especially if you have a life.

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

HITT training on a exercise bike or sprinting is brutal! I'll go for 5 minutes on the exercise bike where I go as hard as I can for 20 seconds and then take 10 seconds off.
It's painful and it sucks, but it does work. I'm such a panzy I'll only do it once or twice a week (along with 2-3 mile run 2-3x a week).

As far as diet, keep it simple. I find if you really hate your diet, and what you're eating, you won't stick to it.
I eat 6 small meals a day. I'll combine a mixture of cucumbers or celery with vinegar, fruits, protein shakes and a sandwich. I also drink 3 18oz glasses of water throughout the day.

Yes, I know the sandwich isn't healthy but I don't care. It's my one vice.
I'll also sub the sandwich with some chicken breasts here or there.

But honestly, if all you did was eat 6 small meals per day and they were relatively healthy, you're golden.
Throw in some cardio and a bit of weight training and your belly fat will go down.

I realized a long time ago that all the models on fitness magazines are usually drug fueled or go on crazy diets prior to a photo-shoot.
Normal guys who are older than 30 will have a real hard time to look like that without a chef and pro trainer aiding them throughout the week.
So find a look you can live with and go for it. Ryan Reynolds wouldn't look like he does without all the help he gets. So don't expect to look like that either. Especially if you have a life.

Great post Money.

One thing i have never gotten in the whole 6 small meals thing. For me personally having lots of little meals just leaves me hungry all the time and despite what is spouted in countless forums etc it has never been proven to provide any significant boost to a person's metabolism.

Honestly i think the whole 6 or 7 small meals things was concocted by supplement companies to try to get people to buy shakes, bars and meal replacements. Like you said though it's gotta be what works best for you so that's cool if it works well for you but i found it more annoying to have to come up with so many small meals and never really feel full. Each to their own at the end of the day.

[Kearnzo]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I've been designing a meal plan for myself for the last hour or so. Trying to get to around 2000 calories a day, and it's actually a little under 2000 without looking like too little. It actually may be around the same amount I usually eat in a day, but much healthier. How does this look guys?


Breakfast @ 5pm: Protein Shake w/skim milk (200 cals)

Snack @ 7pm: Wheat Bread Sandwich w/ Skippy Natural Peanut Butter (400 cals)

Lunch @ 10pm: Café Steamer w/ Sundried Tomato Wheat Thins (400 cals)

Snack @ 1am: Smokehouse Almonds (170 cals)

Lunch @ work (3:30-4am): Brown Rice w/chicken breast and brocolli: (500 cals)

Snack @ 6am: Fiber Plus Bar (130 cals)

Throw in some black coffee somewhere in there, and i'll only drink water. The calorie counts are approximate based off what I found online for information, and actually leaves a bit of room under 2000 calories to work with. What do you guys think? I eat quite a few things on here already (Fiber bars, almonds, Wheat Thins, Cafe Steamers), so I know it's food i'll enjoy.

[NDAlum]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

If you have time I'd make some eggs in there. They are a super food

You could add a small amount of 2% shredded cheese and some green peppers and ham or something. Just make a small omelette though, like 4 eggs.

Also I'd supplement fish oil capsules to get those good fatty acids which currently lack from your plan.

Here's my meal plan that I will work with:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs. 1 cup oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp PB
Snack: 1 scoop casein protein, water, 2 tbsp of ground flax seed
Lunch: .25 lb ground turkey, 1 tortilla, black beans, small amount of shredded cheese, spinach leaves. 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup pistacios
PWO shake: 2 scoops whey w/ water
Dinner: Chicken breast or two (marinated, yum!)
Snack if needed: nuts or scoop of casein

Supplement: Greens + (vegetable replacement) + 3 fish oil capsules

BTW I hate the casein shake. I'm going to look into making my own protein bar and just adding an egg to breakfast and then using the oatmeal with the casein in a protein bar.

[Jonesy]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I've been designing a meal plan for myself for the last hour or so. Trying to get to around 2000 calories a day, and it's actually a little under 2000 without looking like too little. It actually may be around the same amount I usually eat in a day, but much healthier. How does this look guys?


Breakfast @ 5pm: Protein Shake w/skim milk (200 cals)

Snack @ 7pm: Wheat Bread Sandwich w/ Skippy Natural Peanut Butter (400 cals)

Lunch @ 10pm: Café Steamer w/ Sundried Tomato Wheat Thins (400 cals)

Snack @ 1am: Smokehouse Almonds (170 cals)

Lunch @ work (3:30-4am): Brown Rice w/chicken breast and brocolli: (500 cals)

Snack @ 6am: Fiber Plus Bar (130 cals)

Throw in some black coffee somewhere in there, and i'll only drink water. The calorie counts are approximate based off what I found online for information, and actually leaves a bit of room under 2000 calories to work with. What do you guys think? I eat quite a few things on here already (Fiber bars, almonds, Wheat Thins, Cafe Steamers), so I know it's food i'll enjoy.

Doesn't look too bad to me. What is a cafe steamer?

You have a few meals without much protein in them but that is probably ok if you aren't really into building muscle etc and more straight weight loss. When you enter all that in does it give you a ratio of protein / carbs /fat? Seems a little high on carbs and low on protein to me but that's just eyeballing it.

I tend to try to keep carbs low, protein high and healthy fats (like your almonds and PB) medium when cutting but everyone is different.

If you have time I'd make some eggs in there. They are a super food

You could add a small amount of 2% shredded cheese and some green peppers and ham or something. Just make a small omelette though, like 4 eggs.

Also I'd supplement fish oil capsules to get those good fatty acids which currently lack from your plan.

Here's my meal plan that I will work with:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs. 1 cup oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp PB
Snack: 1 scoop casein protein, water, 2 tbsp of ground flax seed
Lunch: .25 lb ground turkey, 1 tortilla, black beans, small amount of shredded cheese, spinach leaves. 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup pistacios
PWO shake: 2 scoops whey w/ water
Dinner: Chicken breast or two (marinated, yum!)
Snack if needed: nuts or scoop of casein

Supplement: Greens + (vegetable replacement) + 3 fish oil capsules

BTW I hate the casein shake. I'm going to look into making my own protein bar and just adding an egg to breakfast and then using the oatmeal with the casein in a protein bar.

Totally agreed on the eggs, a great natural source of protein and fat so they fill you up and have no carbs as well. I generally only eat them on the weekends but i do need to get more of them in my diet.

For some reason my casein tastes like foot as well. It's ON brand and i love their whey protein taste but the casein makes me want to throw up. I might have to try it in my oatmeal or something to hide the taste a little bit.

[NDAlum]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

I love casein with milk. I hate it with water. I used to love casein but that was on my keto diet when I put some heavy cream in my shake lol...it was incredible!

[Kearnzo]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

What about substituting a couple hard boiled eggs in there? I love those, and they are easy as hell to make.

[NDAlum]

Re: For all you guys wanting to gain muscle, size, etc.

They are just fine. A little salt/pepper on them and your golden.

I actually would sprinkle a small amount of parmesan cheese on them...lol...i'm weird