Thanks
I'm about to go grocery shopping, so I think I'll pick up some Quinoa.
I'm 5'3, 105 lbs, and I do want to bulk up, or atleast get some nice abs
Oh, and, I'm a girl...I forgot to mention that...
Also, what's a good PWO snack?
Ok, I'm at work now so I can give you a full response to your original post. We need to calculate your BMR, this tells us how many calories you need daily to keep you going, and we're going to add 500 to bulk.
The first step is establish how many calories you need to maintain your weight while resting. This is called your BMR. The following equations can be used to figure out your BMR:
“English BMR Formula”
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
“Metric BMR Formula”
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
This is just a general estimation, some may be above or below this, but this is a good place to start.
Multiply this number by your activity level factor:
1.0 - Sedentary (doing nothing all day)
1.2 - Very light activity (Working a desk job or on a computer and not performing any type of physical activity during your day.)
1.4 - Light activity (having a non-physical job (desk, computer, etc.) but performing some sort of physical activity during the day (e.g. above average walking) but no hard training.)
1.6 - Moderate activity (having a non-physical job, performing some sort of physical activity during the day, and including a daily workout session in your routine. This is where most of you are at.)
1.8 - High activity (either training plus a physical job or non-physical job and twice-a-day training sessions)
2.0 - Extreme activity (a very physical job and daily hard training.)
Now you have your daily maintenance calories.
Now that you know how many calories it takes to maintain your weight - how many should you eat to achieve your goals?
Well, the general rule of thumb is +/- 500. Plus 500 to gain, minus 500 to lose. However, it can be a better idea to go by percentages, +/- 20% of your maintenance. Remember, if you’re trying to bulk and eat too much - you will gain fat instead of muscle. If you’re trying to lose fat and eat too little, your body will hold on to the fat you have for dear life. Moderation, dear readers, moderation.
Eat 5-6 meals a day, these meals combined should equal your BMR +500 in calories. I suggest counting your calories and not going over the +20% mark.
Eating often will:
A. Reduce total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces resistance to insulin.
B. Keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Below is a list I've made for a vegan, edited from LV's shopping list, stickied at the top of the nutrition section. These are all good sources of the appropriate food group.
Proteins
Whey powder
Vegetarian protein supplements
Soya flour (10g protein per 24g flour)
Tofu
Complex Carbs
brown/white rice
whole wheat pasta
oatmeal
yams
sweet potatoes
red potatoes
beans (pinto, black, kidney, lentils)
farina (Cream of Wheat)
rye cereal
Fibrous carbs
romaine lettuce
celery
asparagus
broccoli
cauliflower
brussels sprouts
cucumber
green pepper
red pepper
zucchini
spinach
Fruits
bananas
apples
blueberries
strawberries
rasberries
grapefruit
Fats
olive oil
flax oil
udo's oil
almonds
natural peanut butter
natural almond butter
peanuts
avacado
Here's the protein content of some foods.
http://i39.tinypic.com/33wnodk.jpg
Post workout meals: Protein and carbs.
Protein: When you put your body through an intense exercise session, your muscle fibres stretch and tear, resulting in that post-workout feeling of soreness. By fueling your body with sources of protein (chicken, eggs, nuts), which is made up of amino acids, you give your body what it needs to repair and rebuild exerted muscles.
Carbs: Because your body relies on carbs (or muscle glycogen stores) to supply energy during workouts, replenishing lost reserves is a must following your workout. Look for complex carbs like those found in rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread and bran cereals which, unlike simple carbs containing additional sugars, sustain energy levels, leaving you fuller, longer, without causing a spike in your blood sugar levels.
Examples:
Hummus and wholemeal pitta
Peanut Butter & banana on Rice Cakes
Protein shake and banana
Quite a lengthy response, I used to be vegetarian untill I realised the importance of meat and fish, it's all relevant and I hope it helps, good luck.
