Weight and how much you should take

[mike23mj]

Just say you way X amount of lbs. How much protein,carbs and everything should you be intaking. I know i saw a site for it but i lost it. Anyone have any useful sites i could look at?

[Bigpecs]

You should take in about 1 gram of protein per pound of bw and 3 grams of carbs and fats should ba about 20% of your diet. I dont know the exact amount of grams. Hope that helps.

[enjoyincubus]

anywhere from 1-1.5 grams. and around twice that many carbs, unless you are restricted

[mike23mj]

anything else?

[ahhchon]

i personally wouldn't worry about the numbers too much.

eggs and milk for breakfast

meal 2: chicken

meal 3: chicken

lunch: beef

protien shake

dinner: chicken, fish, steak..

if you do that you're bound to get enough protein.

john

[Rsottoway43]

Basic Nutrition

It's quite well known that nutrition is one of, if not the, most important factors of bodybuilding. I'd like to give a basic breakdown of some of the more basic aspects that everyone should be aware of.

As for a very basic breakdowns, all food consist of: carbs, proteins, and fats. Again...this is on a very basic level (as it all gets much more complex).

Protien (4 calories/gram) - Protien is the building block of muscle, so it's no wonder why bodybuilders are recomended to take in 1-1.5g/lb of bodyweight....minimum. There has been a debate that has still never been solved claiming that high protien diets aren't necessary, and even dangerous, and that high protien diets produce more of a placebo effect. But for every study which shows high protien diets are not effective, there is another showing that they are. This is still being debated, and most likely will continue to be debated for a very long time. It is believed that high protien diets are dangerous because it requires a lot of water to digest protien, a simple answer to this problem is to drink more water. It is also believed to put strain on the kidneys, again, drinking a lot of water will help with this problem. Though most of these claims of protien being dangerous are outdated, people still choose to believe, and preach this theory. Though there seems to be no real threat, i figured this debate was worth mentioning to clear up any concerns that a new bodybuilder might have.

Carbohydrates (4 calories/gram) - Carbs are much more complicated than protien because each carb source is different and should be used in a different way. Here's a basic run down:
1) Slow-Digesting Carbs(natural): yams, wild rice, beans, oats, fruts...all natural carbs are in this category. These are ideal for most people as they are digested slowly providing you with energy throught the day. They also don't spike insulin levels which is very unwanted for if you're metabolism isn't on the freakishly fast side, you're going to be gaining some fat.
2) Fast-Digesting Carbs(man-made): white bread, bagels, white rice, cold cerials, fruit juices, and other man-made carbs. These carbs hit the blood stream quicker and produce an insulin spike, which is generally only of use post-workout.
3) Bodybuilders with excess bodyfat should consume slow-digesting carbs
4) If you are low in bodyfat and have a hard time putting on weight, fast-digesting carbs can be usefull as you will be able to eat more of them and it will help stimulate appetite.
5) Take in slow-digesting carbs before training because your body will need them to sustain energy.
6) Immediately after training, take in fast-digesting carbs. They will spike insulin levels switching your muscles from a catabolic to an anabolic phase. Durring this phase after training you can take in up to .7 g of carbs/lb.
7) It is recomended to get 2.5-3 times your bodyweight in carbs/day. Use the information above to determine what sources you should get these carbs from.

Fat (9 calories/gram): This is the most feared of all of these 3 nutrients because common logic is, if someone doesn't want to store excess fat in their body, why would they eat something that bears the same name? The thing that most people don't know is, fat is as essential to a propper diet as anything else, it's just a matter of taking in the right fats. First of all, fat is very essential as it serves to keep you warm, and more importantly cushions your organs. The body also calls on fat for energy. Fats are probably the least complicated of all of these nutritents, as there really isn't much to say about them. Many people don't even count fat calories, they just limit the amount of saturated fat which they take in. I will say this though; it is very important to make sure you are getting all of your essential fatty acids. These are fats which the body needs and not just stored as fat as saturated fats are. You can get your essential fatty acids from fish, nuts, flax seeds, almonds, and avacados, just to name a few. With fat taken from these sources, you can supply your body with the fats that it needs without fearing your waist line expanding.

I included the calories/gram of all of those because, though you should be more concerned with where your calories are coming from, you should be sure to eat 200-300 calories over your maintnance levels every day in order to grow. If you wish to find out your maintnance levels, take a week where you just eat to maintain. Eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're not hungry anymore. Right down everything you eat in detail, and at the end of the week, add all of the calories up, and devide it by 7 (because there are 7 days in a week). The number you get is your maintnance calorie level. Add 200-300 calories on to that and you're set.

As you are just getting into bodybuilding, you are probably eating roughly 3 meals/day, with the occasional snack thrown in....well in bodybuilding, that crow won't caw

It has been understood for a very long time that you must change your eating patern from 3 large meals per day, to several small ones. There are several reasons as to why this method is best. First of all, your body gets a constant supply of nutrients throughout the day, so you can constantly feed your muscles (as they are metaboliclly active, and you're sure to have atleast 1 muscle group that is still recoving from it's previous workout) and grow. Another reason is because your body can only digest so much protien at a time. It varies from person to person but it's generally around 30g (though you can take in more upon waking up and post-workout). If you were to eat 3 meals a day, that would mean your body would only be digesting around 90g of protien and the rest would serve as empty calories to be stored as fat. Here are some sample meal plans that a bodybuilder may follow. Feel free to use these as guides, but they must be customized to tailor your caloric needs and schedual.


Sample 1:
Meal One - six-egg omlette with cheese, whol-grain toast, fruit, 1-2 glasses of milk

Meal 2 - broiled steak, 1-2 vegetables, baked potato, 1-2 glasses of milk

Meal 3 - tuna salad, 1-2 vegetables, baked potato, 1-2 glasses of milk

Meal 4 (pre-workout) - protien shake

Meal 5 - roast chicken, 1-2 vegetables, rice, 1-2 glasses of milk

Meal 6 - boiled eggs, cold cuts, 1-2 glasses of milk


Sample 2:
Meal 1 - 6 egg whites w/ 2 or 3 yolks, oatmeal, piece of fruit, two slices of whole-wheat toast

Meal 2 - protien and carb shake, bagel, piece of fruit

Meal 3 - 6 oz chicken breast, rice, vegetables

Meal 4 (pre-workout) - protien and carb shake

Meal 5 (immediate post-workout) - whey protien w/ simple carbs

Meal 6 - 6 oz beef (burger or steak), baked potato, vegetable (spinach)

Meal 7 (before bed)- 2 oz oatmeal, egg whites

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hreadid=150447

Thanks to my man Poppa Pump!!

Ryan