Working out, while eating like normal?

[copyandpaste]

Im not sure Ive posted this in the correct forum. But hey, I tried.
I just wanted to see what anyone else thought about my philosophy.
I see it this way. You dont have to worry about eating this many portions of fat, this many portions of carbs, protein etc. If youre not an advanced bodybuilder, you will see gains as long as you are simply eating healthy foods. This means small meals too. Just stop eating once youre not hungry, and only eat when you ARE hungry. Those meals should be healthy. Like chicken salads, fruits, whole grains etc. And trying to get at least 3 food groups in: Now Im not gonna say Im a fitness guru, but I have studies nutrition outside of the realm of bodybuilding. My thoughts are that all this hard work you guys put into planning your meals, and weighing your chicken breasts, is only going to count for 5% of your results...that is unless your advanced...But Im not advanced....

Would these Ideas work for me?? They should right??

[DJAuto]

If youre not an advanced bodybuilder, you will see gains as long as you are simply eating healthy foods.

No, you won't.

You'll see newcomer gains, and, after that, you'll stall or progress in such a small capacity that it would be hard to tell if you even lift.

[zildjian_4]

No, you won't.

You'll see newcomer gains, and, after that, you'll stall or progress in such a small capacity that it would be hard to tell if you even lift.

this

eating doesnt account for 5% of your gains, at any time it is the deciding factor on how you look. youll get big if you eat a lot, youll look small if you dont, you be healthy and look healthy if you eat healthy, youll look ill if you dont. simple as that.
what you eat is EVERYTHING

[Beachman]

Im not sure Ive posted this in the correct forum. But hey, I tried.
I just wanted to see what anyone else thought about my philosophy.
I see it this way. You dont have to worry about eating this many portions of fat, this many portions of carbs, protein etc. If youre not an advanced bodybuilder, you will see gains as long as you are simply eating healthy foods. This means small meals too. Just stop eating once youre not hungry, and only eat when you ARE hungry. Those meals should be healthy. Like chicken salads, fruits, whole grains etc. And trying to get at least 3 food groups in: Now Im not gonna say Im a fitness guru, but I have studies nutrition outside of the realm of bodybuilding. My thoughts are that all this hard work you guys put into planning your meals, and weighing your chicken breasts, is only going to count for 5% of your results...that is unless your advanced...But Im not advanced....

Would these Ideas work for me?? They should right??

This belongs in the nutrition section. These ideas would work for you until you're noob gains ended then your strength and progress would stall. I'd suggest doing some more studying on your nutrition philosophy.

[ironwill2008]

My thoughts are that all this hard work you guys put into planning your meals, and weighing your chicken breasts, is only going to count for 5% of your results...that is unless your advanced...But Im not advanced....

Would these Ideas work for me?? They should right??

You're totally lost here. Bodybuilding nutrition has little in common with "normal" eating. If you're planning on getting into bodybuilding, you've got a lot of reading to do, before you get up to speed on what's required, nutrition-wise.

[copyandpaste]

Ok, so what is a good diet plan thats relatively easy to follow? Or where can I find one? I would prefer to hear it from the horses mouth rather than read some bias articles.
I think calorie counting sucks by the way...because how do I know how many calories are in my salad? Or in a chicken breast, fish fillet, or a single egg for example??

Anyway...any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[allieninja]

because how do I know how many calories are in my salad? Or in a chicken breast, fish fillet, or a single egg for example??

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/
http://www.fitday.com/
http://caloriecount.about.com/

etc.

[Ironlife]

if you eat the same diet and same amount whilst lifting then dont expect to put on additional muscle mass...

[call_me_pops]

Im not sure Ive posted this in the correct forum. But hey, I tried.
I just wanted to see what anyone else thought about my philosophy.
I see it this way. You dont have to worry about eating this many portions of fat, this many portions of carbs, protein etc. If youre not an advanced bodybuilder, you will see gains as long as you are simply eating healthy foods. This means small meals too. Just stop eating once youre not hungry, and only eat when you ARE hungry. Those meals should be healthy. Like chicken salads, fruits, whole grains etc. And trying to get at least 3 food groups in: Now Im not gonna say Im a fitness guru, but I have studies nutrition outside of the realm of bodybuilding. My thoughts are that all this hard work you guys put into planning your meals, and weighing your chicken breasts, is only going to count for 5% of your results...that is unless your advanced...But Im not advanced....

Would these Ideas work for me?? They should right??

You should fuel your body based on your training/goals. The reason most people here put all this hard work into planning their meals is to optimize their benefit from training, be it lean mass (muscle) gains, weight loss, improved sport performance etc. If an individual weighing 160lbs is trying to gain lean mass (with a great training program), but only consumes for example, 50g of protein a day and 1500kcal ...they probably won't achieve their goals. Similarly, if a ultramarathon runner is meant to consume 10000kcal on race day but only takes in 2000kcal, chances are they won't fare too well either.

My point is that you need to define your training/goals and fuel your body accordingly. Assess your current food consumption, look at your present activity levels, factor in your training and goals. Assuming you have a sound training regiment, if your fuel consumption then is in the ballpark of the food requirement calculation you make, you should then at least see some reward to your efforts. If you choose to be extra finicky (which it doesn't seem like you want to) about how much you are consuming, then chances are your progress will reflect this in a more positive way.

[ironwill2008]

Ok, so what is a good diet plan thats relatively easy to follow? Or where can I find one? I would prefer to hear it from the horses mouth rather than read some bias articles.
I think calorie counting sucks by the way...because how do I know how many calories are in my salad? Or in a chicken breast, fish fillet, or a single egg for example??

Anyway...any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

It's called education. Have some initaive. No one here is going to spoon-feed you a nutrition plan.

[VoxExMachina]

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/
http://www.fitday.com/
http://caloriecount.about.com/

etc.

It's called education. Have some initaive. No one here is going to spoon-feed you a nutrition plan.

^ You'd better put more effort into your workouts than you do in your research.

[Beachman]

It's called education. Have some initaive. No one here is going to spoon-feed you a nutrition plan.

^^^This. Would you also like someone to lift the weights for you, its pretty hard.

[Drekkor]

You're totally lost here. Bodybuilding nutrition has little in common with "normal" eating.

I'm not 100% on this bandwagon. You can look 'good' with pretty minimal effort into keeping the diet in the 'zone', with plenty of opportunities for splurges. A completely seperate discussion from contest preperation and diet.

[Karaim]

Ok, so what is a good diet plan thats relatively easy to follow? Or where can I find one? I would prefer to hear it from the horses mouth rather than read some bias articles.
I think calorie counting sucks by the way...because how do I know how many calories are in my salad? Or in a chicken breast, fish fillet, or a single egg for example??

Anyway...any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Eat about 500 calories above maintenance. And if you hate to count calories, then you aren't devoted enough to be a bodybuilder.

[R.Talbott]

Eat about 500 calories above maintenance. And if you hate to count calories, then you aren't devoted enough to be a bodybuilder.

I don't count calories. Guess I'm not devoted

[ironwill2008]

I'm not 100% on this bandwagon. You can look 'good' with pretty minimal effort into keeping the diet in the 'zone', with plenty of opportunities for splurges. A completely seperate discussion from contest preperation and diet.

IMO, that would depend on what the definition of "normal eating" would be. To me, it's what the "civilians" do--eat fast food, fried stuff, sugar-laden desserts, etc. I don't think it's a good idea at all for a noob to get the idea that being lax is going to get him anywhere. The nutrition angle of bodybuilding is the most demanding, discipline-wise. Getting off on the right foot is vital.

I agree entirely about contest-prep. No question, it's in another world.

[Drekkor]

IMO, that would depend on what the definition of "normal eating" would be. To me, it's what the "civilians" do--eat fast food, fried stuff, sugar-laden desserts, etc. I don't think it's a good idea at all for a noob to get the idea that being lax is going to get him anywhere. The nutrition angle of bodybuilding is the most demanding, discipline-wise. Getting off on the right foot is vital.

Not lax persay, but the biggest issues I see with a 'noob' is burnout and binges with an 'all or nothing' mindset. It's the same thing you see in the forums w/the 'max efficiency' or 'best' type posts, when a few simple eating adjustments and workouts are all that's needed for improvement. They don't need $1200 of new gym clothing, equipment, and supplements, what a joke

[djansen]

IMO, that would depend on what the definition of "normal eating" would be. To me, it's what the "civilians" do--eat fast food, fried stuff, sugar-laden desserts, etc. I don't think it's a good idea at all for a noob to get the idea that being lax is going to get him anywhere. The nutrition angle of bodybuilding is the most demanding, discipline-wise. Getting off on the right foot is vital.

I agree entirely about contest-prep. No question, it's in another world.

Agreed, define is "normal" eating.
What may be normal for you may be far from what I consider eating normal. I have a buddy who does not count his macros at all, he works construction and just eats ALOT of food. He does know about protein but in the end he gets enough cals to grow.

and only eating when your hungry may work for the select few but I know for me on some days I need to eat WAY more than I would normally eat.
I also do want to have any doubts in my head related to nutrition if I had a bad day in the gym, or failed on a PR. I dont ever want to say I did not get it because I did not eat enough today as I did last time.

[R.Talbott]

IMO, that would depend on what the definition of "normal eating" would be. To me, it's what the "civilians" do--eat fast food, fried stuff, sugar-laden desserts, etc. I don't think it's a good idea at all for a noob to get the idea that being lax is going to get him anywhere. The nutrition angle of bodybuilding is the most demanding, discipline-wise. Getting off on the right foot is vital.

I agree entirely about contest-prep. No question, it's in another world.

That's not what OP was saying normal eating was. But I agree, the normal American diet is just pure ****. OP would be correct if he were talking about the "normal" Mediterranean Diet.

Not lax persay, but the biggest issues I see with a 'noob' is burnout and binges with an 'all or nothing' mindset. It's the same thing you see in the forums w/the 'max efficiency' or 'best' type posts, when a few simple eating adjustments and workouts are all that's needed for improvement. They don't need $1200 of new gym clothing, equipment, and supplements, what a joke

100% agree. Unfortunately most people are too lazy or too stubborn to even do the small things that would make all the difference in their health.

[Drekkor]

100% agree. Unfortunately most people are too lazy or too stubborn to even do the small things that would make all the difference in their health.

Sometimes that's the case. I smoke, it's not exactly easy to quit, addiction plays a roll in some of these things

[R.Talbott]

Sometimes that's the case. I smoke, it's not exactly easy to quit, addiction plays a roll in some of these things

And addicted. I forgot that one. I used to be "addicted" to sugar cereals. That was a hard one to quit.

[ironwill2008]

Not lax persay, but the biggest issues I see with a 'noob' is burnout and binges with an 'all or nothing' mindset. It's the same thing you see in the forums w/the 'max efficiency' or 'best' type posts, when a few simple eating adjustments and workouts are all that's needed for improvement. They don't need $1200 of new gym clothing, equipment, and supplements, what a joke

I agree with this, too, especially the idea of noob burnout, due to trying to do everything in perfect fashion. The problem appears when you try to figure out where the line should be, between eating "cheat" food, and staying strict. I've never been an advocate of eating strict 100% of the time; everyone needs some wiggle room, occasionally. Again, the problem lies in where the line is drawn. And also again, we're not talking about prepping for competition.

[-Lucifer]

I used to be "addicted" to sugar cereals.

Being addicted to junk food is much worse. Just sayin'.

I'm now addicted to all bran. Tastes good but is healthy at the same time.

[Drekkor]

The problem appears when you try to figure out where the line should be, between eating "cheat" food, and staying strict.

Depends on adoption of 'continuous improvement' principles vs 'revolutionary change', the latter is almost sure to fail in diet and other areas you try to apply it.

[Karaim]

I don't count calories. Guess I'm not devoted

It's either you count calories or you know approximately how much to eat to grow. Either way you know that you are staying above maintenance.

[ironwill2008]

Depends on adoption of 'continuous improvement' principles vs 'revolutionary change', the latter is almost sure to fail in diet and other areas you try to apply it.

I tend to be an "all or nothing" type of person, and it works well for me, but I wouldn't expect anyone else to subscribe to only my way of doing things. It takes a certain kind of "hard-headedness" to have success with this method.

"Continuous improvement" would be much more palatable to most people, I'd think. Consistent small changes in eating habits, from poor to good, would be easier to make, and stay with, providing the trainee is seeing actual improvement in the mirror with his/her current level if discipline.

[copyandpaste]

IMO, that would depend on what the definition of "normal eating" would be. To me, it's what the "civilians" do--eat fast food, fried stuff, sugar-laden desserts, etc. I don't think it's a good idea at all for a noob to get the idea that being lax is going to get him anywhere. The nutrition angle of bodybuilding is the most demanding, discipline-wise. Getting off on the right foot is vital.

I agree entirely about contest-prep. No question, it's in another world.

^^^This. Would you also like someone to lift the weights for you, its pretty hard.

It's called education. Have some initaive. No one here is going to spoon-feed you a nutrition plan.

Maybe you missed the part where I said I have studied nutrition...that should give you and Idea as to what normal is to me. Obviously, to someone who has studied nutrition, Normal would be something that is NUTRITIOUS. Not empty calories, or preservative based foods. I hear you when you say I should get an education, but look around here, thats what Im doing. Research is conducted in many different ways besides picking up a book...I guess you could only know that by first having learned of it..."its called an education" lol
I dont actually intend to sound like a dick head, though I did think it was quite rude of you to suggest that I lack education. It isnt education that I lack, it is simply a facet of study that I am interested in. Just because Einstein didnt know how to perform surgery, do we then say that he was uneducated? The answer is, he was lacking in that FACET of education...and may very well have been interested too, who knows hes just my example.

[ironwill2008]

Maybe you missed the part where I said I have studied nutrition...that should give you and Idea as to what normal is to me. Obviously, to someone who has studied nutrition, Normal would be something that is NUTRITIOUS. Not empty calories, or preservative based foods. And as far as "getting an education" as you say I should do...look around...Thats what Im doing. Research is conducted in many different ways besides picking up a book...I guess you could only know that by first having learned of it..."its called an education"

I didn't miss anything. What's "normal" to you won't carry you very far at all, if, in fact, your goal is to bodybuild. You can take my advice to educate yourself, or not. It's up to you.


ETA: I was not commenting on your level of general education. I don't care what it is; it's irrelevant. This is BB.com, and the questions were posed in a bodybuilding context. My reply was in the same context.

[Drekkor]

I tend to be an "all or nothing" type of person, and it works well for me, but I wouldn't expect anyone else to subscribe to only my way of doing things.

At 60, I'd imagine you're very familiar with your limits. Perhaps things were different for you ~40 years ago though

[Drekkor]

I dont actually intend to sound like a dick head, though I did think it was quite rude of you to suggest that I lack education. It isnt education that I lack, it is simply a facet of study that I am interested in.

Unfortunately, that's how you sound. Use judgement on the advice given here, and apply your 'best guess'. Men used to know how to pull the trigger, not sitting around discussing all the variables and possibilities until the target is lost.