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2004/03/14, 10:22 AM
I'm a 37 yr old male (5'8", 151 lb). I have a very sedatary lifestyle in front of a computer all day (except for my workout days). In the past, I never stuck to any workout, but now I'm very proud of myself for being dedicated to a 3 day (MWF) workout routine (1 hour) since the beginning of Sept 2003 (I know it's not long, but to me it's amazing I've been sticking to it). In the beginning, I had a trainer, just to get me going on a routine and some nutritional guidelines. My trainer was into Macrobonics, and he got a little crazy with his guidelines... so, based on his initial training, and some changes I've been doing on my own, I do see results, which keeps me going to the gym. Unfortunately, I've hit a plateau, which is why I've hit freetrainers.com. I've been working the same muscle groups each day, so I'm assuming I'm overtraining them. I will be changing that to once a week.
I really started working on my abs, and I can start to see a little difference there, but I know that working it in the kitchen will really allow it to show. I have a little layer of fatty tissue between the muscle and skin that I need to get rid of, and I really don't do any cardio workout (just don't have the endurance to do it)
I did the ft nutritional guide, and it just blew me away.. I had to change a few things in my profile to bring it down to what seemed more normal, otherwise I'd have to be eating more than I ever did..
According to the web site (after the profile adjustments), I should be eating:
2655 calories (I can live with this)
188 g protein (I try to reach 200g)
375 g carb (I was told to stay away from most carbs, so I don't understand this number)
53 g fat (this number seems enormous to me)
Now for the questions:
1) Wouldn't I be gaining weight if I at so much fat and carbs? I would think that I want to limit the carbs to burn off the fatty tissues I have? If that's the case, how many grams of carbs and fat should I really be eating? I also read that when you eat fat, it going into the body as fat.. so why would I want to put it in my diet?
2) How important is water? I usually don't drink during the day, and have been trying to drink about 100 oz of water a day, but I feel as though I'm floating away, not to mention running to the bathroom all the time.. If I drink half of that, would it have a negative effect on muscle growth?
3) As I said, I've been doing my own workout, but need a change.. should I use the ft workout routine (as well as the ab routine) instead of my own hoping to punch through the plateau?
4) How do I know if and when I reach a catabolic state? Logically, wouldn't I want to be in a state right before catabolic? This would assure me that I'm burning all the fat I have...
As you can see, I'm very confused regarding nutrition. There's a lot of conflicting information available, and don't know what is what. If anyone can help out with anything, that would be much appreciated..
:dumbbell:
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2004/03/14, 12:44 PM
At 5'8", 151 pounds, why would you be concerned about gaining weight. Granted, I could see where you could possibly have some fat to lose, but you've also got enough muscle you can gain to offset that. By increasing your metabolism, you can eat more but still burn fat.
Yes, working the same muscle groups each day is probably overtraining them. Something like that is not bad for a few weeks to shock the system, but it's not a good long-term plan.
Don't be afraid of cardio, even if it's slow at first. Your endurance will improve over time.
Don't listen to the people who tell you to stay away from carbs. Your body needs carbs. Perhaps you could get away with lowering that amount there a bit, but it's really not a lot. You need fats, too. The 17% you listed actually sounds low to me, rather than high.
I think water has a tendency to be overrated, but nonetheless, it's still important. You should get used to drinking a lot of it after a while.
You don't want to reach a catabolic state, but there's no way of telling. You could guess based on factors such as time it's been since you last ate, but that will be nothing more than guessing.
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2004/03/14, 01:22 PM
Thanks for the reply. I'm not looking to gain weight, but to add muscle bulk and definition. According to the ft nutrition plan, it was telling me to eat A LOT.
As far as carbs are concerned, should I be eating the 375 carbs a day, but concentrating on staying away from simple carbs? or does it really make a difference? What if I don't reach that many carbs during the day? Would it affect my muscle gain, assuming that my energy level isn't effected?
I've been starting to run a few laps around the gym after my workout three days a week. I feel like a wimp doing it because after 3 laps, I'm totally winded (like I said, I have no endurance). I assume that each week I can add a lap, but we'll see how that goes.
If I eat more fats, how does this affect the body? Does eating fats get deposited as fat in the body, or does it get burned up with the carbs?
I wish I can find a site that explains all this in layman terms. Unfortunately, there are so many opinions out there that it's hard to understand what the 'reality' is.. (I guess that's why there are sooo many fad diet plans available).
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2004/03/15, 07:44 AM
So based on the reccommended calorie intake. If you find it hard to get 53g of fat and then aren't getting anywhere near the carbs then your diet is in terrible balance. Whatever happens I'd say keep the carbs to that level or lower and keep the fat at that or lower. So protein can be higher:big_smile: . But don't change it much, just a tweak and watch and see what your body does..
Fat wise look at fish, peanut butter or nuts and seeds in general to supply you with 'good' fats..
More than 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight is probably a complete waste of time so keep it about 1 1/2 or less... Test your diet over like 8 week periods- Make a change like slightly less carbs again (or more protein, less carbs) and note the differences... Everybody is different but generally less carbs can make you feel tired. But more protein can make your muscles grow, then theres calorie intake that doesn't seem to help as you eat less your body can get upset and store fat instead of shedding it... Just don't cut out whole groups of food, keep a balanced eating lifestyle and only change little by little. You'll get a pattern you like over time but make it a healthy eating lifestyle, not a mass gain diet or a fat loss diet as that's the beginning of the yo yo effect.
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2004/03/15, 08:07 AM
Thanks for the feedback..
I don't find it hard at all to get 53g of fat, especially when most foods have some fat. I don't know how to view a certain food as 'good fat' or bad fats. I'm assuming that good fats are more or less natural foods, rather than processed foods, but I'm sure there are exceptions to that rule...?
What I did have trouble with is getting the carbs up to 375g (which just seems awfully high to me). I try to stay away from simple carbs, so pasta, potatoes, sugar, etc are not in my diet anymore. I do have fruits (mostly apples), Ezekiel breads, brown rice, etc for 'good carbs', but they don't come out anywhere near 375g a day.
How do you get the right mixture to balance your day?
Also, out of curiousity, when you go out to eat, do you let loose for a night (to a certain degree), or do you maintain the daily balance?
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2004/03/15, 10:54 AM
efrost,
You could try one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 1-2 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. Add a little good fat to you rveggies or grains, in the form of olive oil or flaxseed oil.
At 151, with an assumed medium metabolism, I get around 2,114 for a base caloric amount, add around 300-500 for activity levels and you would be in the neighborhood of 2,400 - 2,600 calories. Still, that is not a lot compared to a lot of men, but if you ahven't been eating that much, you will want to incraese it gradually.
You are right in staying away from the simpler carbs. Focus on whole grains and vegetables, and I think apples are a good carb, too.
Do some searches for the grocery list for a bodybuilder, inexpensive nutrtion, and a protein primer.
also search for good fats and I am sure you will come up with some posts on that subject.
If you take your caloric amount and split it up with a 40/30/30 ratio or a 40/40/20 ratio (Pro/Carbs/fat) see what you come up with for amounts.
Many people still adhere to the idea that low or no-fat is the way to lose weight. research is starting to prove that people who ingest healthy fats lose more weight than people who cut out fat completely. fat is important and plays many roles in your system.
I hope I haven't just confused you further.
Stop stressing and eat 5-6 healthy balanced meals a day, including lean protein, fibruos carbohydrates and good fat.
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"To be able to go to the gym and train hard is a joy and a privelege, even though the hard work necessitates driving yourself through considerable discomfort. Savor this privelege and blessing, and revel in it."
Stuart McRobert, Beyond Brawn
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