Food and The Gym

Shikkaka

Shikkaka

Shikkaka

Soldato
Joined
10 Jun 2003
Posts
2,916
Location
Nottingham
Hi everyone,

Hope this isn't thought of as medical advise!?

I've been going to the gym now for about 1 month and feeling rather good from it. I'm of an average weight for my height.

Now i've started eating a bowl full of tuna and pasta everyday as I heard this is pretty good for you. I also drink a shed load of semi skimmed milk throughout the day (2 - 4 litres) and have a normal meal after work which normally includes some sort of meat, veg and chips.

My goal is to gain some weight and bulk up for the summer. Is what I'm eating the right sort of stuff to eat to succeed my goal? Is having so much pasta and milk bad for you in anyway?

Cheers

PS. feel free to delete if it is classed as medical advise!
 
i use 100% whey protein by EAS. really good for putting on lean muscle.

food wise, just try and eay healthily, i go to the gym every day so i need to take in lots of carbs for energy, if you go less regularly, you will obviously need less so it doesnt turn to fat.
 
Trick is to eat little and often throughout the day, sticking to a well balanced diet..

Don't go believing that the more protein you eat the more you bulk because it isn't true.

Your daily calries should consist of at least 60% Carbs (complex), 15% fat and 25% protein (or there abouts).

Remeber that rest is just as important then the training and the diet.
 
So much contradiction in this area.

Remember everyone is different.

I recommend Patrick Holford's Nutrition Bible.

He would tell you not to drink cow milk at all. It's full of Bovine enhancer chemical stuff and cow's milk is essentially for baby cows.

As far as protein goes, you only need about a teaspoon of tuna extra on top of a well balanced diet to provide you with muscle. All protein drinks etc will be more of a psychological boost.

Then he would go on to say to take a ton and half of vitamins and stuff each day. This is where our body is lacking and refined foods don't give us what we need.

But everyone is different....
 
Steameh said:
But I love my milk :( lol
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ahh then drink it then? :confused: I drink two - four pints of the stuff every day.. ??

You can eat what you want.. just avoid to much Saturated fats, to much fat and sugary foods (simple carbs).. Milk does contain simple but it has lots of other nutrients too. It is not classed as "Empty Calories".
 
Admiral Huddy said:
Trick is to eat little and often throughout the day, sticking to a well balanced diet..

Don't go believing that the more protein you eat the more you bulk because it isn't true.

Your daily calries should consist of at least 60% Carbs (complex), 15% fat and 25% protein (or there abouts).

Remeber that rest is just as important then the training and the diet.
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Is what I'm eating generally good though? I take a large bowl of pasta to eat throughout the whole day at work because my metabolism is sky high and I get hungry about 1.5 hours after last eating.

I have a low calcium level anyways so drink the milk for that, but it has helped me gain weight as I used to under weight and now I'm average for my height.

I forgot to mention I have got some Maximuscle Cyclone which I've just started taking. Gonna give it a trial see how it goes.
 
Balanced diets are the basis of any health / fitness regime.

Eat a bit of everything - the choices are so ridiculously large (even if, like me, you stick to strict organic standards) that there's a little of everything that you'll like.

Stop being English (eating to live) and be a bit more French (living to eat).
 
why do you think yo need supplements? Is what you are eating not enough? I've not taken supplements for over a year??

Basically don't let your Glycogen levels get to low but not to higher either. To low than you will loose weight and possible suffer catalbolism.. too high expect weight gain but gain fat. It's an even balance which is why i eat little and often. I eat breakfast at home, breakfast when around 9:30, first meal at 11.. Second Meal at 3, third meal at 7pm.. with a few snacks in between.. I don't see the need to supplent what i'm getting because my diet is calculated.

However, my training has gone a bit pear-shaped over the last 6 months but that's been down to personal problems, age and injuries to the neck.
 
there's a good deal of info in the sticky, but telling me to lose weight i need to eat more fats, protein and cut out the carbs is one thing....telling me the foods i can do that with is another....bit of a muddle for me im afraid!
 
!bluetonic! said:
As far as protein goes, you only need about a teaspoon of tuna extra on top of a well balanced diet to provide you with muscle. All protein drinks etc will be more of a psychological boost.
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I have to disagree with that completely mate. While it's true for your average joe, if we are talking about somone who is lifting a lot of heavy weights at the gym then you need far more protein (actually you need a lot more carbs too but thats not what we are talking about here). A teaspoon of tuna is around 1 gram of protein, thats not going to make a blind bit of difference to anyone.

As for protein drinks being nothing but a psychological boost. Again I have to disagree. Whey protein drinks are used post workout for their quick absorption. They are also extremely handy to have at hand if you are in a rush and cannot get your required protein in from real food. They should never be a replacement for food but they are probably the single most useful supplement there is for bodybuilders.

I haven't read the book you are recommending but I assume it gives general nutritional guidelines for your average Joe. The whole ball game changes when we are talking about sports nutrition and it changes even more dramatically when a persons goal is to increase their lean mass.
 
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Admiral Huddy said:
why do you think yo need supplements? Is what you are eating not enough? I've not taken supplements for over a year??
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living in catered student halls means i get loads of carbs from jacket potatos etc, but they hardly ever have any good protein foods like fish, so i take the supplement (30g protein - approx equivalent to a tin of tuna, 130calories) once a day to make up for it.
 
As stated above eat a balanced diet of about 55% carbs, 30% protein and 15% fat. Regarding if you're eating enough try and aim for about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean bodyweight.

What you'll notice for the 1st couple of months you'll gain lean body weight quite rapidly, this is your body re-acting to you starting training, when it gets used to the workouts the muscle gains will slow a little but if your training and nutrition is right you'll keep gaining.

Try not avoid going nuts at suppliment shop and getting all manner of expensive stuff. All protein and weight gain powders are, are a convient way of getting protien and carb calories. Great if your in a rush or at work and don't want to stink the office out by opening a tin of tuna, but apart from that try and get as much of your calorie intake by solid foods. Food such as Fish, Chicken, Beef, milk and egg whites for protein. For carbs your best bet is rice, pasta, potatoes

How many times a day do you eat? if its only a typical 3 meal per day diet, then you will be better eating smaller and more frequent meals throughout the day like 5 or so meals, this doesn't overface your digestive system and it will break the food down quicker if there is less of it, making better use of the calories you are eating.
 
I have to disagree with that completely mate. While it's true for your average joe, if we are talking about somone who is lifting a lot of heavy weights at the gym then you need far more protein (actually you need a lot more carbs too but thats not what we are talking about here). A teaspoon of tuna is around 1 gram of protein, thats not going to make a blind bit of difference to anyone.
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I Got it wrong..

It's quarter of a teaspoon of tuna. This comes from 'Average Joe's' nutritionist Dr Michael Colgan.. 'Average Joe' is Sylvester Stallone.

The max amount of muscle you could build in a year is 3.6kg. 70g a week. Muscle is only 22% protein.

It's all about making proper use of protein in your diet.

And I aint your 'mate'..
 
Steameh said:
Is what I'm eating generally good though? I take a large bowl of pasta to eat throughout the whole day at work because my metabolism is sky high and I get hungry about 1.5 hours after last eating.
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We can't tell if what you are eating is good or not wihtout you posting your full daily diet.

Work out how many calories you burn per day. If your goal is to gain muscle add 500 on to that number. If you goal is to lose fat then decrese it by 500. Simple really.

Keep your protein intake around 1.5g per lb of bodyweight and manipulate your carbohydrate intake depending on whether you wish to gain weight or lose it.

I would concern yourself too much with the ratios of protein/carbs/fats. Depending on your weight, amount of lean mass and your goals, these ratios will differ.
 
I have breakfast @ 8 - small portion of tuna pasta between 9 and 11 - large portion of tuna pasta around 1 - then if there's any left some more tuna pasta around 3 then evening meal around 6:30. Then if I feel like it some cereal before I go to bed.

Am drinking milk almost constantly throughout the day.

I have only started doing the above diet, literally 3 days ago. My previous diet was crap. Breakfast - Normally Mc D's or a sandwich at lunch then evening meal then nothing and you could guarantee the lunch meal would be crap convenience food
 
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