First off, I'd like to say that I'm no expert. This is all information I have gathered from my own research and put to use on my own body. I've seen incredible results (lost 21 pounds in a little over a month), so take it for what it's worth. WITH THAT SAID, I have yet to see any of this information fully disputed, so do with it what you will. These are not in any particular order. They are tips that you should utilize every single day that will help keep the fat off and the muscle on, because it can be hard for people to not burn both equally. Some of them are painfully obvious, some are not, but there should be at least one tip here for everyone. 1. Substitute WHOLE WHEAT/GRAIN carbs over simple white carbs wherever possible... the higher the grain, the better. A good example would be to throw your Subway sub on their 9grain wheat or honey oat bread. If you need to have your white carbs, do it in your last carb meal of the day, since it is burned quicker. Also check the sugar content of everything... that will affect your carbs, and you don't want your carb intake to be all sugar. You need LONG LASTING energy. 2. Take the cheese off your sandwiches. If not, you're adding about 10-15 grams of fat on each sandwich that doesn't really need to be there. 3. Take the fatty spreads off your sandwiches (no thick oil based dressings, no cream based dressings, etc) and replace them with fat free spreads (buffalo sauce, mustard, or the fat free versions of your favorite dressings). Not as good on a salad, but on a sandwich with many other ingredients, you won't notice the difference. IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, YOU ARE ADDING AT LEAST 20 GRAMS OF FAT PER SANDWICH/SALAD IF NOT MORE. Think about that... on a cut, you want NO MORE than 50 grams of fat per day, divided across 6 meals. Do the math. 4. Eat within 30 minutes of waking up. No excuses. Force the food down your throat if you have to... it will only take a couple minutes. 5. Eat NO LATER (!!!) than 3 hours after every meal. If you do, your body is going to target your muscle for energy. 6. Stop eating red meat. Substitute burgers with turkey burgers, sausages with turkey sausages, etc. I'm the biggest red meat fan you'll ever meet, and no, there is barely a difference in taste. 7. Do not EVER run on an empty stomach. Take a scoop of whey before going for a run, and make sure you keep the 2-3 hour rule for your eating. Your body will always target your muscle before your fat, so you want to constantly give it a supply of energy. 8. Substitute eggs for egg whites. Don't like the taste? That's fine, neither do I. In that case, go half and half. On a cut, you want AT LEAST 4 grams of protein for every gram of fat you eat... eggs have a 4.5:6 ratio of fatrotein. If you go half and half, you're now looking at 4.5:12, which is more respectable. 9. Drink NOTHING but water and milk. Get your nutrients in what you eat, so skip even the juices. And about the water... a gallon a day. 10. When you're getting drunk with friends, buy vodka. Drink it straight. Any mixers/beers/etc are empty calories that are (likely) consumed in the evening and (therefore) will go straight to your gut and ass. 11. Say no to fruit. You should have your fruits in the morning or right around your workout times. Fruits are terrific and delicious, don't get me wrong, but they're just sugar that needs to be used (and sugar is burned very quickly). 12. Stop eating carbs within 6 hours of bedtime. Protein can be used as carbs, but not vice versa. Within 6 hours of bedtime, time to go all protein/leafy greens. 13. Drink casein every single night, period. 14. Do not stop lifting, ever. But cardio is a MUST. You need to feel like you're going to die after a cardio session. And PUSH YOURSELF- you can run through cramps and they will go away. The best mile I ever ran in any grade was 8:45. I can now run a full 5K (3.1 miles) in 25 minutes, because I don't give up when I start feeling a little cramp. Just focus on your breathing and keep going. 15. Every single meal should include at least 25 grams of protein. For reference, a full chicken breast (about two decks of cards) is around 40 grams of protein. Chicken is your best friend. 16. Go skim. It's not a big deal. If not, go very low fat on the milk. 17. Do NOT baselessly assume nutritional info. Do the homework on this. You can pull your phone out while you're at the drive thru and google "Mcdonalds grilled chicken wrap no sauce nutrition facts" and you will get what you're looking for. I used to eat a large sub with grilled chicken for a meal thinking it was okay. In actuality, a 6" with doublemeat is typically the optimal protein:carb ratio. 18. If you're going to use protein powders to pick up the pace (and it's okay to do so), learn the difference. Can't tell you how many idiots I've seen buying feeder proteins for workouts and taking whey throughout the day. Whey = 30-60 minutes absorption (taken RIGHT BEFORE, DURING, OR RIGHT AT THE END of workouts), feeder = 2-3 hours absorption (taken AS A MEAL SUBSTITUTE), casein = 6-8 hours (taken BEFORE BED). Like I said, it's okay to use protein powders, but only for two meals maximum a day, and one of them must be casein. One final note- look at the nutrition label. One scoop usually isn't the amount you need, it's actually usually around 2-3 (again, shooting for 25-40grams in a meal). 19. You need 3-4 full cardio sessions per week, no compromising. And I mean full sessions. With that said, if you're unsure about whether you feel like doing the cardio... always go for it. You can stop after a mile if you realize you really don't feel like it, but it's better to get 1 mile than 0. But remember... don't count that as a full session. You're only cheating yourself. 20. Channel your inner Rickey Henderson. When you're looking at yourself in the mirror everyday (and I know you are), tell yourself you're the man and that you can do it. Trust me... the first week or two is a bitch, but you finally find your rhythm and then it becomes an obsession. I'll post more if I think of them. Feel free to do the same. If you have an issue with something I've said, discuss. This is a learning process for everyone.
21. Whey does count as a meal. I usually will have 1-2 scoops of whey MAXIMUM (if at all), and I don't even count it when I do my daily meal plans. It's not like you need to anyways... it's pretty much all protein, so it won't ever really make you fat if you ignore it when counting your daily intakes.
Hey man, thanks for taking the time to post this. I'm not quite at the hardcore level of working out, but this has definitely been helpful for a few points. Some great information, +rep
Like I said, if you think anything I have to say is incorrect, please discuss. Otherwise, I'm going to assume you have nothing to disprove what I have to offer. Like I said, I'm no expert, this is just to help people since I just lost 21 pounds in almost 30 days. Maybe someone else can too. There's lots of information here that multiple trainers told me as well as much information I found on arguably the best bodybuilding forum on the internet. Thanks for the lack of contribution and your baseless accusations. Not to say it's all to be taken as gospel, but without any elaboration.. it's baseless.
sorry didn't mean to come at you in a bad way. i missed the first few sentences and thought you were trying to state all of what you said as facts. 2. there is no reason to eliminate cheese from your diet entirely. fats are actually very beneficial and can help promote testosterone production as well as build muscle. and although it can be high in saturated fat, if you watch your intake it's perfectly fine to include in your diet. cheese is also a good source of protein. 3. same as above. oils are loaded with good fats which promote fat loss. just limit your intake. 5. your body will not become catabolic after only 3 hours. there are many diets used by bodybuilders that involve longer lengths of time fasting. (ex: warrior diet, intermittent fasting, eat stop eat) 9. this one is debatable. drinks such as fruit juices have been said to be good post workout to increase insulin production and absorb post workout nutrients. it also helps deplete lost glycogen stores from your workout. 10. this ones totally false. any kind of alcohol is made up of empty calories. no drink will go straight to your gut or ass more then another. if you can fit it into your daily caloric limits then it will not give you a beer gut or fatass. the only downside to drinking is that it slows down/stops protein synthesis and nearly no muscle can be built while your body is digesting the alcohol. 11. fruits are packed full of nutrients. yes they are high in sugar but it is not the bad refined/processed sugar that you want to avoid. 13. casien protein doesn't have to be drank. cottage cheese/pb will get you through the night since they are slow digesting proteins. you really can't go wrong having any kind of protein before bed. again sorry about my post earlier. didn't mean to come off as a dick. you did have some good info just thought a few could use some correcting.
Thank you. I hate when people come on and spew their information as fact because it can be misleading to anyone who wants to learn. The fact that you came on to elaborate will go a long way... I'm not concerned with being right in this thread, I'm just concerned with giving people tips (whether big tips, such as how you should form your exercise, or little tips, such as where you can find little spots in your diet to cut fats out) to help them lose fat... I know firsthand that is the most frustrating part of a fitness routine. Good information, really, and thanks again for coming back. If you have anything else to offer in the future by all means.
i'm glad to see there are no hard feelings. the way some of your tips were worded kinda threw me off, but it looks like we do agree on most things. can't really think of anything to add off the top of my head right now but if anything comes to mind i'll be sure to post it.
I couldn't really care less. I shed from 14bodyfat to 11bodyfat, and I ate 6x a day, including tons of whole grains, lean proteins and more veggies/fruits than most people eat in a week. Sure if I created some kind of horrible imbalance it would be terrible, but I don't see the issues. Smoking weed is probably worse for you, so hop off the high horse. Also, why are you trolling this thread? Something you wanna talk about? Maybe I can help you. Otherwise, find a better use for your time.
Idk man, I have a hard time getting all of the calories I need without eating junk, so I embrace high-fat foods. If I don't get enough calories, I can't workout to my full potential, so I'm shooting for like 4k cals. My own personal rules for food are: The less processed, the better; stay away from trans fats at all costs; minimize intake on pure sugar junk like cake and candy; try to keep the sodium intake low (for me, I try not to exceed 50% of the daily value on the label, which would probably be about 25% for me); drink tons of water, and eat as much protein as possible. That's all that I live by when I eat. You made some good points though, like no carbs at night, get some slow-digesting protein before bed (dairy/casein, or at least some kind of protein), and drinking just straight liquor instead of all of the sugary addons or beer. Most alcohol is about the worst thing you can do if you are trying to get in shape, but a little won't hurt you. Also, fat is not the enemy here. A lot of fats are healthy fats, too! Yeah, if you are just trying to lose weight and you are only doing cardio with maybe some light lifting, then limit fat and just focus on mostly carbs/protein. For those that are like me and are trying to build as much muscle/strength as possible, you need to eat like mad man and not think twice about it. If you notice you are getting too much fat, you are probably then overdoing it, which I find hard if you are having intense workouts, or maybe you just have a low metabolism. For now, the eat whatever I want diet is working well for me. I still find that I can't shove enough calories in me, though.
Ah. I should have clarified... this is for a cut phase. My tips change drastically from a cut to a bulk, but I think mostly anyone can put on weight a lot easier than lose it. I'm on my bulk right now, sitting in one of the cafeterias on campus... taking advantage of the buffet while I do homework for the next few hours. Speaking of which, brb
Me? I'm not trying to troll, I've just heard from several sources that 1 or 2 lbs per week is ideal, and it's easier for your body to adjust. What the fuck is in your ass? I'm not trying to say it'll kill you, but it's not ideal.
Nothing's in my ass. Read your posts. I came here to help people, you came here multiple times.. to contribute nothing. Didn't mean to come off as harsh, I guess I just don't see why you're wasting your time.
bulking? high fat, adequate protien, low carb. LC minimizes insulin and fat storage yay! cutting? same, except defeciet of about 400kcal. Anymorr, and losin more then 1.5-2 lbs/week and youll lose muscle. not counting water weight of the first 2 weeks.