Dietry Help

FullOf..IT

I m now starting my 4th week of weight training (looking to build lean muscle). I am 6'2 and started at 85kg with a body fat of 24.5%. I am now 86.7kg with a bf of 23.7 (is this possible?). I know i am struggling with my calorie intake and i am guessing that i am not hitting a surplus.

So i have ordered a Shxx load of crxx, so here is what my diet is going to look like from today on. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Meal 1: 1 serving of MassX with OJ.

M2: 3 slices of toased brown bread, 1 tin of beans.

M3: 2 tuna or chicken sambos with butter on brown bread.

M4 (preworkout): Smootie with 1 serving of Big Whey with 1 banana, 1 pear and 400ml of low fat milk.

M5 (post workout): serving of RAM.

M6: dinner consisting of spuds veg and turkey or chicken etc.

M7: MassX shake with juice b4 bed.

I will be working out 3 days per week and will replace RAM with whey smoothie on non workout days.

davyjose

FullOf..IT wrote:

I am 6'2 and started at 85kg with a body fat of 24.5%. I am now 86.7kg with a bf of 23.7 (is this possible?).

Technically yes - it means you've put on more muscle than fat, so the added 1.6 kg, has offset some of your bf, and also now that you're working out you may have burned bf. However, it's difficult to gain muscle without putting on fat, and also as it's only 0.8% difference, it's possible that it's just an inaccuracy in the scales (or however you measured).
Having said that, you're not going in the wrong direction either in weight or bodyfat, so fair play to you.

g'em

Well done on getting into weight training.

But what's with all the supplements?? There's two servings of Mass X, one Big Whey and one RAM?? Supplements are exactly that- they're not meant to replace whole food, just be an addition to it. Wholefood will virtually always be superior to a shake, you just need to know how much of it to take. If you need to eat big, then eat big. Buy whole chickens and eat them. Double up your servings. Why has only one of your meals got veg in it? Where are your healthy fats? It's a carb/ protein heavy diet as it stands now. Olive/ walnut/ avocado/ sesame/ flax oils would easily bump up your calories and give you the EFAs/ DHA's your body needs to grow lean muscle? And nuts - plenty fo protein and fats.

Really not trying to cut you down, and I really do applaud do for trying to get to grips with your diet, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that shakes are the be-all and end-all of muscle building.

I_and_I

You are quite right there g'em, people starting weight lifting often make this mistake. You can't really blame the either when you take a look at all the crock information that these supplement companys spread all over the net. Even if you replaced one of those servings of supplements with like g'em suggested nuts, you would be getting a whole range of different nutrients.

g'em

OP you need to work out what your daily calorie requirements are and work from there. There's information in the stickies on how to do that, and once you've determined it, come back and we can give you a hand. I know there's a whole heap of info out there and it can be hard to know what to listen to and what's just marketing hype.

You want to get bigger with lean muscle right? Well then you just need to figure out how to structure your diet so that your body gets what it needs when it needs it. Eat lots of "clean" foods - foods that aren't processed or packages, and will give you all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs to grow. Again, if you're not sure about what those foods are, pretty much everything you need is in this sticky.
Protein: lean meats (chicken, turkey, beef), fish (tuna, salmon), milk, nuts, cottage cheese.
Carbs: veg (all types, as many colours as possible), fruit, brown rice/ pasta/ bread (look for "wholemeal" on the package and avoid things called hydrogenated fats), oats
Fats: olive/ walnut/ flax/ sesame/ rapeseed/ avocado oils, nuts (plain, unsalted) and natural nut spreads (health food shops have peanut and cashew butters with nothing but ground nuts in them - in one serving you can get hundreds of calories).

This isn't a definitive list, but it's a good start. Try and get protein with msot meals, and vegetables in as many meals as possible. Veg are jam-packed with essentail vitamins and minerals, carotenoids, flavenoids, antioxidants and a whole host of other things that your body will love. Broccoli ftw!!

As far as training goes heavy compound lifts will give you the best overall workout - squats, deadlifts (all heavy free-weight pulls in fact) and bench are your best bets. Any lift that uses lots of different muscles groups in one go will enhalnce the release of hormones that your body will use to increase your lean muscle mass.

With time you'll learn that your body isn't exactly the same as everyone else's, and you'll tweak your diet and training to suit it. But until then, the same building blocks of information will appy, so stick to them and have fun!

davyjose

I_and_I wrote:

You are quite right there g'em, people starting weight lifting often make this mistake. You can't really blame the either when you take a look at all the crock information that these supplement companys spread all over the net. Even if you replaced one of those servings of supplements with like g'em suggested nuts, you would be getting a whole range of different nutrients.

Very true. It's difficult not to be swayed by advertisements when getting started. The amount of tubs I have in cupboards gathering dust. g'em made a very good point about eating wholefoods, but sometimes when you are starting out, it IS just easier to take a whole lot of supplements, because, lets be honest, I know people who think eating a Caeser salad with full dressing is going to do them good. But at least when you take supplements, you know that what you are taking is going to do a certain job for you. It's like food with instructions.

g'em

davyjose wrote:

Very true. It's difficult not to be swayed by advertisements when getting started. The amount of tubs I have in cupboards gathering dust. g'em made a very good point about eating wholefoods, but sometimes when you are starting out, it IS just easier to take a whole lot of supplements, because, lets be honest, I know people who think eating a Caeser salad with full dressing is going to do them good. But at least when you take supplements, you know that what you are taking is going to do a certain job for you. It's like food with instructions.

No, it's food with sweeteners, flavourings, and a host of other artificial additives. Who says Caesar salad isn't good for you? Course it it, if you use the right homemade dressing and fresh ingredients. Starting is is *exactly* the time when over-use of supplements should be avoided, because it teaches bad habits. To be honest, I'm using less and less supplements as time goes on - the only time I rely on one is immediately PWO when a RAM shake gives me everything I need when I need it. Otherwise wholefoods tend to do the job.

davyjose

g'em wrote:

No, it's food with sweeteners, flavourings, and a host of other artificial additives. Who says Caesar salad isn't good for you? Course it it, if you use the right homemade dressing and fresh ingredients. Starting is is *exactly* the time when over-use of supplements should be avoided, because it teaches bad habits. To be honest, I'm using less and less supplements as time goes on - the only time I rely on one is immediately PWO when a RAM shake gives me everything I need when I need it. Otherwise wholefoods tend to do the job.

But that's what I'm saying: beginners who use supplements will learn to cut down and learn about food - I think it's exusable to use supplements when starting out because actual food is very difficult to read, or understand. How many people out there know what they're putting into themselves when they order a caser salad? (They sell them in Eddie Rockets, I've ... heard ) I've had ex girlfriend's chow down salad with dressing thinking they're being good - and maybe they are, but not nearly as much as they think. With supplements, when you take the time to use them, you begin to understand about what it is you are actually fuelling your body with. Personally, the first time I ever really looked at nutritional info on a food packet was when I started comparing it to the supplements I was using.
I would never advocate the use, solely, of supplements, but the OP doesn't seem to be someone gulping down Promax 'tm' to kid himself. He genuinely seems to be on the right road. And if he switches right now from what he's doing, he could, well ... screw it up. Nutrition really does sometimes make rocket science look like child's play.

g'em

mmm... yeah, I guess. Still though, wholefoods ftw!!!

davyjose

g'em wrote:

mmm... yeah, I guess. Still though, wholefoods ftw!!!

Ha ha, yeah - wholefoods rock

FullOf..IT

Thanks for the feedback. I understand that too many supplements are not ideal but i do find it hard to find time to prepare and eat whole meals. Can you give me an example of a meal that would replace a supp?

Thanks

davyjose

Porridge is a great 'first meal of the day'; it's low-cal. - 60 grams of oats is only about 250 cals. And it is easily measured (oats and water). Get yourself a food scales. You can weigh ingredients, to the gram, of what your putting into meals, and when your using fresh (whole) ingredients (another plus), it's so easily calculated. For instance with Porridge, you pour in a certain amount of oats, and from the nutritional info can work out EXACTLY what your putting into your body.