Diet Thoughts/Suggestions

[morgan7]

Just after your thoughts and suggestions on my diet.
My goal is to bulk but preferably doing it lean.
180cm H 74kgs W
At the moment it works out better for me to go to
the gym first thing in the morning 3 out of the 4 times
i go.

Pre work - Get up and have a protein shake or creatine.
I dont feel like eating anything but should I eat something?

Workout

Post workout - 2 cups brown rice with 425g tuna in springwater.

Snack - Protein Shake or Almonds

Lunch - Salad sandwich using 425g tuna in springwater

Snack - Protein Shake or Almonds

Dinner - Chicken or steak for dinner with vegies

The only reason I use tuna and almonds is that they
are quick and easy to prepare, because I dont have
much time in the morning after the gym and before work.

 

[Christian]

Just after your thoughts and suggestions on my diet.
My goal is to bulk but preferably doing it lean.
180cm H 74kgs W
At the moment it works out better for me to go to
the gym first thing in the morning 3 out of the 4 times
i go.

Pre work - Get up and have a protein shake or creatine.
I dont feel like eating anything but should I eat something?

Workout

Post workout - 2 cups brown rice with 425g tuna in springwater.

Snack - Protein Shake or Almonds

Lunch - Salad sandwich using 425g tuna in springwater

Snack - Protein Shake or Almonds

Dinner - Chicken or steak for dinner with vegies

The only reason I use tuna and almonds is that they
are quick and easy to prepare, because I dont have
much time in the morning after the gym and before work.

Thats why you prepare the night before...

 

[Shrek]

Have the protein shake and almonds not one or the other.

 

[morgan7]

I'll start having both together the shake and
almonds although Im getting sick of those.
The only issue with my snacks is that they
have to fit in a suitcase thats why almonds
are easy, but im trying to find alternatives.

 

[dave]

I hate almonds (dry etc) so I eat peanuts, hey they may not be the best but having them with my shake is much better than some of the other things I could eat.

 

[Shrek]

Peanut butter straight out of the jar is good, the natural type.

 

[Fadi]

Why not just eat normally, albeit in a slightly larger quantaties. For example:

1. Peanut butter sandwich
2. Cheese sandwich with salad
3. Boiled eggs sandwich with plenty of cumin and olive oil (or whatever spice you like and possibly organic butter instead of the olive oil).
4. Chicken sandwich with tahini sauce
5. Tuna sandwich with shallow fried corriander and garlic and added sesame seed paste and lemon juice.
6. Salmon Sandwich
7. Rice of you choice
8. Pasta with added (whatever you like)
9. Almond and dry apricot combo
10. Walnuts and dry figs combo
11. Almonds and dates combo
12. Baked sweet potatos
13. Boiled potato and boiled egg salad (chopped parsley,tomato,shallots , lemon juice, olive oil,lemon juice,etc)
14. A can of Butter beans with your favourite protein food (tuna,eggs, cheese) plus salad and olive oil....
15. Etc

PS: Right now I'm having my second kebe nayeh sandwich since 6pm tonight: (raw minced meat, cracked wheat, onion, basil, salt, olive oil, nuts, all mixed in).


Fadi.

 

[Oli]

Fadi, you dont seem big on high protein diets.

Nutrition isnt my area of expertise, but most good sources (IA) suggest around 2g/lb a day works best, and I've experienced it myself.

Can I ask why yours is so low?

 

[Fadi]

Fadi, you dont seem big on high protein diets.

Nutrition isnt my area of expertise, but most good sources (IA) suggest around 2g/lb a day works best, and I've experienced it myself.

Can I ask why yours is so low?

I'm just a little bit surprised by your comment Oli; I mean why do you say that, what gave you that idea is what I'm getting at that is?

When you say I'm not big on protein you would be right but...

...but I'm all about balance. And we all know that not you or I, or anyone else for that matter can challenge the body and come out on top. There'll always be a price to pay. I'm talking about the magic word here: Homeostasis. We all know that the body likes to keep an equilibrium going and anything done in a way that is contrary to our body's homeostasis stance would be retaliated against, sometimes swiftly and at other times more slowly.

You mentioned good sources (IA) suggest around 2g/lb a day works best. What is (IA)? At 2g/lb is equal to 4.4g/kg. I myself have not seen a study that warrants such a high amount of protein yet! The most I've seen (and did share it with you all on the forum) was Fern, E.B., Bielinski, RN., and Schultz, Y., " Effects of exaggerated amino acid and protein supply in man," Experientia, 47: 168-172, 1991. That was at 3.3g/kg (1.5g/lb).

I don't want to rubbish protein because that would b foolish Oli. The message I'd like to get across over here is balance. Balance of not just protein, but balance of fat and carbohydrates as well, in addition to making sure that all other nutritional factors are in fact factored in to help one absorb and hopefully use the macronutrients to their fullest potential.

I'll just give you two very quick examples of what happens when you ingest too much protein in favour of fat and carbs and other micronutrients.

1. The body's pH level is almost always thrown out of whack. But you (and I) Oli would not know it...at least not now. What I'm getting at here is the crippling disease we (mainly in the west) call osteoporosis is due to an over consumption of protein and the acidic by-product pool that it produces in our body. Remember when I said that you and I wouldn't realise the harm done now? Well that is thanks to calcium. No, not the calcium you get from outside (I've got another story on that one), but the calcium that is leached from your bones so as to compensate for that acidic environment caused by the metabolism of protein. You see calcium is very much an alkaline (base) mineral. Basically it is released from your bones to put out the fire that is caused by an over consumption of protein. I emphasise the words over consumption!

2. The other thing is steroids. Remember I once said on the forum that there's bodybuilding and then there's bodybuilding. The spelling is the same but they have nothing in common when it comes to the way one begins to absorb nutrients and recover from a workout. Your body is placed in an anabolic environment whilst at the same time taking care at minimising the catabolic one. So in effect, your body is now geared to grow if only you provide it with the appropriate stimulus (weight training) and the building block of muscle synthesis, (protein). So one has to ask the question; is that 4.4g/kg protein prescribed above prescribed for Mr. Natural or otherwise?

Furthermore, as you probably know, protein is a diuretic, where carbohydrate holds about 3g of water to each 1gm of carb ingested. So it would be in the best interest of that steroid taking bodybuilder to have a high amount of protein as opposed to a high or higher amount of carbs. Why? Because now he has two battles to contend with, one with the steroids themselves and the way they retain fluids in the body, and carbs if he was to ingest plenty of them. Having a higher than normal protein in this instance serves two purposes, 1) It facilitates in the synthesis of muscle and 2) It helps shed water from the body. But please note that the steroid taker is always drinking a ton of water to help flush his kidneys from toxins built up by the high consumption of protein as well as to flush out the extra sodium chloride that is held due to the steroid taking.

and I've experienced it myself.

My experience has been/is different from yours Oli. You see, I'd do better on a large plate of pasta with 1 egg (or 100g of mince meat), instead of a large steak or two with a small baked potato for example. I would lose weight like crazy if I cut the carbs and increase the protein to the ratios that are propagated by muscle building magazines.

I'll leave it here for now Oli but please know this; I'm not against high or low anything as long as the timing is right and there's a need for it...for as long as all parameters are taken care of to insure an overall balance to the body as a whole…I’m a happy man!


Fadi.

 

[Ben]

Interesting Fadi - what breakdown (roughly) of carbs/fat/protein are you taking?

 

[Fadi]

Interesting Fadi - what breakdown (roughly) of carbs/fat/protein are you taking?

It's very interesting you should ask me such a question Ben. You know, the breakdown you're talking about I do not do, and if I did do it, it would be after the fact and has never been before it (in my life)! So remember the 13545 calorie breakdown? Well that was not a breakdown I set out to do but when after eating like that for few months, I decided to see what I'm eating hence the breakdown of it.

But let's put it this way, I'm never shy to have plenty of fat in my diet, and when I say plenty I do mean plenty. For example I could have a fava/broad bean and chick pea dish with Lebanese bread and pour on top about 60ml/gm of extra virgin olive oil (at least)! For me (and I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here Ben) it's all about the speed of one's metabolism. Some people would get fat just by looking at the dish I've described above...not me though.


Fadi.

 

[morgan7]

To speed up your metabolism is it just
eating lots of small meals or is more
involved.

 

[Fadi]

To speed up your metabolism is it just
eating lots of small meals or is more
involved.

Get active!


Fadi.

 

[morgan7]

More exercise, more food, faster metabolism.
On the off days of not going to the gym
do you just reduce the carbs and keep the
same protein or just keep the intake the same.

 

[Fadi]

More exercise, more food, faster metabolism.
On the off days of not going to the gym
do you just reduce the carbs and keep the
same protein or just keep the intake the same.

Keep the same. A roaring V8 Ferrari doesn't suddenly become a 4 cylinder Toyota echo when left undriven for couple of days!


Fadi