Sport Diet Advice - Meals & Shakes

[Mike_S]

Hey there, I'm new to the board, trying to get into the whole fitness thing and finding myself somewhat uneducated in the diet department. I'm about 6'2 and my weight bounces around between 135-140lbs.

I recently started getting into cycling again, I try to do 12-16 miles a day, 2 days off a week and a nice long 30+ mile ride on Sundays. The last few days I've been getting into the gym to work on my upper body strength, I'm stronger than people expect from looking at me, but somewhat skinny, as you've probably figured out from my weight. I'm focusing on my shoulders/arms/chest/abs, not much work on legs since I cycle alot, I'd like to get my upper body matching my legs before I start working on them in the gym too. I spend maybe 15 minutes working out, 12-15 reps at heavy weights (heavy to me anyway, the weight I choose is the weight that usually leaves me almost struggling to do the last repetition).

I've always been a somewhat picky eater, I don't like spending alot of time to prepare my meals, I eat alot of junk food, I have a high metabolism so I have trouble gaining weight in general. I'd like to get into drinking protein shakes before/after work outs.

1. What do yall reccomend as a readily available brand of shake I can go to the store and buy that tastes pretty good? I'm not too big on chocolate shakes, but I've tried some strawberry protein shakes in the past that I really hated, so maybe chocolate is the way to go. I hate shakes that have a chalky powdery taste/texture, so I'd like to avoid that if possible. My logic is that if I LIKE the shake I choose, I'm more likely to drink them regularly. I'm definately not trying to lose weight, so take weight gain into consideration when making a reccomendation

2. What are good snack foods to snack on during the day that'll help build up some body weight and keep me from feeling hungry all the time?

3. What are some good meal options that are quick and easy to prepare that would help me gain weight and aid my goal to build up muscle mass?

4. What is a good meal to eat before a workout or before a bike ride?

5. What is the general opinion on fatty foods such as bacon? Is this good? Bad? Or doesn't matter?

Thanks in advance for any reccomendations and advice

 

[maverick494]

Welcome to the board Mike! I'm gonna give a go at your questions.

1. I don't drink protein shakes, only because of the stupid fat they are pretty hard to get in my counrty. Oh yes, they sell shakes, but only the 'entire meal' ones (slim fast etc.) that aside, I have heard positive reactions about whey protein powder. It's very quick to drink and can be mixed with various liquids and foods.

2. Again, I'd say protein. Some chicken, or (eggwhite)ommelette and you're pretty much filled up again. Atleast, that's the case with me. Stuff with lots of fiber helps filling you up as well. Some veggies (carrots, etc) are good snacks as well. if ur lazy, u could go for a handful of nuts like almonds (beware that you don't start snacking away too many of them though) Whatever you do, don't go the crackers-route. They seem to be a good choice at first (bein low in fat and all) but they don't fill you up and before you know it 1 or 2 crackers, turned into a whole bunch.

3. to build muscle you need to eat protein. atleast 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Tuna, chicken, turkey, crab etc. are good meal choices. And not hard to prepare. I suggest you look around on the board a bit, There are quite some good recipes.

4. eating before ánd after your workout is probably best (an hour/hour and a half before, hour after http://www.fitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28429&postcount=2

5. Well, too much fat is bad. But then, too much of almost anything is bad. And fat is very important in your diet. Saturated fats (found in all animal flesh, eggs, some vegetable oils) will raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) level, but impossible to cut out of your diet completely. So eating a lot of bacon isn't recommended. Same goes for junk food in general.

Saturated fats are the cause of many illnesses like heart disease, and cancer, so beware. However, Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are unsaturated fats that are necessary for thousands of biological functions throughout the body. Since they cannot be manufactured by the body, the must be provided by your diet.

Essentially, these are the only fats you will ever need. There are two types of EFA's, they are linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3). It is primarily found in oils like canola, sunflower, safflower and also in linseed oil. It is also found in cold water fish.

To gain weight, you will have to eat a lot of calories, but you need to pay attention where they come from. Don't expect to gain much muscle with a double cheeseburger as your fuel

I hope this helped. If anyone else has something to add, please do!

 

[malkore]

1. What do yall reccomend as a readily available brand of shake I can go to the store and buy that tastes pretty good?
Chocolate is usually the most common 'good tasting' protein...followed by vanilla. I'd suggest something by Optimum Nutrition (theirs is tastey) and I've heard that Nitrean by AtLarge Nutrition tastes like a milkeshake.


2. What are good snack foods to snack on during the day that'll help build up some body weight and keep me from feeling hungry all the time?

Any excess calories will add body weight. Good snacks would be a protein shake with some fruit, and a handful of nuts like peanuts, almonds, walnuts...but not cashews! They really shouldn't be dry roasted or salted either. I suggest nuts because of thier fat content, which is mostly healthy fats (except cashews) and fats also increase feelings of fullness.

3. What are some good meal options that are quick and easy to prepare that would help me gain weight and aid my goal to build up muscle mass?

Brown rice, veggies of your choice, and lean meat like chicken breast, fish/tuna, lean beef. That is a staple meal in my diet. The less you have to think about elaborate meals, the easier it is to eat 5-6 times a day. All I change is the veggie, and the seasonings used to cook the meat.

4. What is a good meal to eat before a workout or before a bike ride?

Before weight training, eat a normal meal 90 mins before hand. Before a bike ride, you'll want more carbs to provide energy...extra brown rice, or even some whole grain bread (like a sammich)

5. What is the general opinion on fatty foods such as bacon? Is this good? Bad? Or doesn't matter?

You imply all fats are the same. They aren't. Trans fat is evil. Saturated fat is both anabolic, but bad for the heart in excess. EFA's are good for you.

Because I end up eating very little processed food, I typically have to eat a tablespoon of natural peanut butter (no sugar or hydrogenated fats added), plus some fish oil capsules, to ensure i'm getting enough fat in my diet to stay healthy. I aim for about 25% of calories from fat. Any less and my skin feels dry.


A few other things: you didn't mention 'back' in your weight routine...make sure you work your back as well as your chest.
Too many reps, and too short of a workout. Spend a good 30 minutes lifting weights, and lower your reps down to 6-10 reps per set, 2-3 sets per exercise. Some days, aim for 6 reps, and use more weight. other days, go for 10 reps.
At your current rep range you're not training for muscle growth, or strength...rather you're simply training to lift lighter weights for a lot of reps...endurance training. That type of muscle fiber is what marathon runners train..and you never see huge, hulking marathon runners...at least not the ones who win