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Help to sort out your diet

Tatyana

Elite Mentor
Ok, I nicked this off another board and I thought I would put it in the steroids discussion board as SO MANY of you newbies start in the steroid forum rather than the diet and bodybuilding section.

How to Calculate Your Caloric Needs in Your Diet

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These are merged posts from Tatyana and Carlos901.

Thanks you so much!

How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs
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To calculate your BMR based on your total body weight (Harris-Benedict Formula)

BMR= basal metabolic rate

BMR (women) = 665 + (9.6 x weight in Kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

BMR (men) = 66 + (13.7 x weight in Kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

To calculate your BMR based on lean body weight (Katch-McArdle Formula)

BMR (both sexes) = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

THis will give you what your body requires for all of your basic biological processes, such as digestion, nerve transmission, respiration etc, or your basal metabolic rate.

NEVER DROP YOUR CALORIES BELOW THIS LEVEL!!!!!

To figure out how many calories you need for the day multiply your BMR by your activity levels
Sedentary BMR x 1.2 no exercise/desk job
Lightly active BMR x 1.375 light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately active BMR x 1.55 moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very active BMR x 1.725 hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week
Extremely active BMR x 1.9 hard daily training/physical job or training 2x/day


To lose weight/fat, obviously, you do need to burn more calories than you need!!
So, take about 10-20 % off of your total calorie requirements

To put on weight/muscle, you need more calories than your basic daily needs so ADD about 10-20% to your total calorie daily requirements.

If you change your calorie intake too drastically, your body may not do what you want it to do.

'Starvation' diets (very low calorie) only work on about 5% of the population, and too low calories or rapid 'weight' loss will probably be muscle and water, rather than the fat you want.

Similarily if you go from a 2500 kcal/day average to 4000 kcals, you are more likely putting on FAT and water rather than muscle.

1 g carbs = 4 kcals
1 g protein = 4 kcals
1 g fat = 9 kcals

After sorting out your daily intake, you have to work out the percentage of each of the macronutrients:

Carbohydrate Definitions:

Very High carbs = 65-70% +
High carbs = 55-60 %
Moderate carbs = 40-50 %
Low carbs = 25-30%
Very low carb (ketogenic) = 5-15 % or 30- 70 grams carbs per day

Protein Definitions
Very high protein = 41-50 % +
High protein = 31-40 %
Moderate protein = 25-30 %
Low Protein = 15-24%
Very low protein = less than 15%

Fat definitions
Very high fat = 40% +
High fat = 30-39%
Moderate fat = 20 -29%
Low fat = 10-19 %
Very low fat = less than 10%


Definitions for macronutrient percentages taken from Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto




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Basal Metabolic Rate - BMR

Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed asleep all day!

BMR can be responsible for burning up to 70% of the total calories expended, but this figure varies due to different factors (see below). Calories are burned by bodily processes such as respiration, the pumping of blood around the body and maintenance of body temperature. Obviously the body will burn more calories on top of those burned due to BMR.

BMR is the largest factor in determining overall metabolic rate and how many calories you need to maintain, lose or gain weight. BMR is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, as follows:

Genetics. Some people are born with faster metabolisms; some with slower metabolisms.

Gender. Men have a greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage. This means they have a higher basal metabolic rate.

Age. BMR reduces with age. After 20 years, it drops about 2 per cent, per decade.

Weight. The heavier your weight, the higher your BMR. Example: the metabolic rate of obese women is 25 percent higher than the metabolic rate of thin women.

Body Surface Area. This is a reflection of your height and weight. The greater your Body Surface Area factor, the higher your BMR. Tall, thin people have higher BMRs. If you compare a tall person with a short person of equal weight, then if they both follow a diet calorie-controlled to maintain the weight of the taller person, the shorter person may gain up to 15 pounds in a year.

Body Fat Percentage. The lower your body fat percentage, the higher your BMR. The lower body fat percentage in the male body is one reason why men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women.

Diet. Starvation or serious abrupt calorie-reduction can dramatically reduce BMR by up to 30 percent.Restrictive low-calorie weight loss diets may cause your BMR to drop as much as 20%.

Body Temperature/Health. For every increase of 0.5C in internal temperature of the body, the BMR increases by about 7 percent. The chemical reactions in the body actually occur more quickly at higher temperatures. So a patient with a fever of 42C (about 4C above normal) would have an increase of about 50 percent in BMR.

External temperature. Temperature outside the body also affects basal metabolic rate. Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the BMR, so as to create the extra heat needed to maintain the body's internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body's metabolism as it is compensated mainly by increased heat loss. But prolonged exposure to heat can raise BMR.

Glands. Thyroxin (produced by the thyroid gland) is a key BMR-regulator which speeds up the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxin produced, the higher the BMR. If too much thyroxin is produced (a condition known as thyrotoxicosis) BMR can actually double. If too little thyroxin is produced (myxoedema) BMR may shrink to 30-40 percent of normal. Like thyroxin, adrenaline also increases the BMR but to a lesser extent.

Exercise. Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise your BMR by building extra lean tissue. (Lean tissue is more metabolically demanding than fat tissue.) So you burn more calories even when sleeping.

Short Term Factors Affecting BMR
Illnesses such as a fever, high levels of stress hormones in the body and either an increase or decrease in the environmental temperature will result in an increase in BMR. Fasting, starving or malnutrition all result in a lowering of BMR. This lowering of BMR can be one side effect of following a diet and nothing else. Solely dieting , i.e. reducing the amount of calories the body takes on, will not be as affective as dieting and increased exercise. The negative effect of dieting on BMR can be offset with a positive effect from increased exercise.

How to Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is also known as your "maintenance level". Knowing your maintenance level will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet.

According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the average maintenance level for women in the United States is 2000-2100 calories per day and the average for men is 2700-2900 per day. These are only averages; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher for athletes or extremely active individuals. Some triathletes and ultra-endurance athletes may require as many as 6000 calories per day or more just to maintain their weight! Calorie requirements may also vary among otherwise identical individuals due to differences in inherited metabolic rates.

Methods of determining caloric needs

There are many different formulas you can use to determine your caloric maintenance level by taking into account the factors of age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula that takes into account your lean body mass (LBM) will give you the most accurate determination of your energy expenditure, but even without LBM you can still get a reasonably close estimate.

The "quick" method (based on total bodyweight)
A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total current body weight times a multiplier.

Fat loss = 12 - 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Maintenance (TDEE) = 15 - 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Weight gain: = 18 - 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight


This is a very easy way to estimate caloric needs, but there are obvious drawbacks to this method because it doesn't take into account activity levels or body composition. Extremely active individuals may require far more calories than this formula indicates. In addition, the more lean body mass one has, the higher the TDEE will be.

Because body fatness is not accounted for, this formula may greatly overestimate the caloric needs if someone is extremely overfat. For example, a lightly active 50 year old woman who weighs 235 lbs. and has 34% body fat will not lose weight on 3000 calories per day (255 X 13 as per the "quick" formula for fat loss).

Equations based on BMR.


A much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal bodily functions (excluding activity factors).

This includes keeping your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making new blood cells, maintaining your body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body. In other words, your BMR is all the energy used for the basic processes of life itself. BMR usually accounts for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure.

BMR may vary dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors. If you know someone who claims they can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce of fat, they have inherited a naturally high BMR. BMR is at it's lowest when you are sleeping undisturbed and you are not digesting anything. It is very important to note that the higher your lean body mass is, the higher your BMR will be.

This is very significant if you want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and it requires a great deal of energy just to sustain it. It is obvious then that one way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training in order to increase and/or maintain lean body mass. In this manner it could be said that weight training helps you lose body fat, albeit indirectly.

The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)

The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example:
You are female
You are 30 yrs old
You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm)
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day

Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

Example:
Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day

Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)

If you have had your body composition tested and you know your lean body mass, then you can get the most accurate BMR estimate of all. This formula from Katch & McArdle takes into account lean mass and therefore is more accurate than a formula based on total body weight. The Harris Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men generally have a higher LBM and this is factored into the men's formula. Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula applies equally to both men and women.

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Example:
You are female
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your body fat percentage is 20% (24 lbs. fat, 96 lbs. lean)
Your lean mass is 96 lbs. (43.6 kilos)
Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 43.6) = 1312 calories

To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity multiplier:

Example:
Your BMR is 1312
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1312 = 2033 calories

As you can see, the difference in the TDEE as determined by both formulas is statistically insignificant (2075 calories vs. 2033 calories) because the person we used as an example is average in body size and body composition. The primary benefit of factoring lean body mass into the equation is increased accuracy when your body composition leans to either end of the spectrum (very muscular or very obese).

Adjust your caloric intake according to your goal

Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal. The mathematics of calorie balance are simple: To keep your weight at its current level, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level). To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.

Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.

Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat loss. If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored as fat. You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit.

There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a 3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit in a week you will lose two pounds. The calorie deficit can be created through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both. Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary deficit.

Calorie deficit thresholds: How low is too low?

It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the question is how much of a deficit do you need? There definitely seems to be a specific cutoff or threshold where further reductions in calories will have detrimental effects.

The most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For some, especially lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are extremely low.

A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start. A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

Example 1:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2033 - 500 = 1533 calories

Example 2:
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE (.20% X 2033 = 406 calories)
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1627 calories

Positive calorie balance is essential to gain lean bodyweight

If you want to gain lean bodyweight and become more muscular, you must consume more calories than you burn up in a day. Provided that you are participating in a weight-training program of a sufficient intensity, frequency and volume, the caloric surplus will be used to create new muscle tissue. Once you've determined your TDEE, the next step is to increase your calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain weight. It is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a positive calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight. A general guideline for a starting point for gaining weight is to add approximately 300-500 calories per day onto your TDEE. An alternate method is to add an additional 15 - 20% onto your TDEE.


Example:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is + 15 - 20% = 305 - 406 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2033 + 305 - 406 = 2338 - 2439 calories

Adjust your caloric intake gradually


It is not advisable to make any drastic changes to your diet all at once. After calculating your own total daily energy expenditure and adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust your calories gradually.

For example, if your determine that your optimal caloric intake is 1900 calories per day, but you have only been eating 900 calories per day, your metabolism may be sluggish. An immediate jump to 1900 calories per day might actually cause a fat gain because your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake and the sudden jump up would create a surplus. The best approach would be to gradually increase your calories from 900 to 1900 over a period of a few weeks to allow your metabolism to speed up and acclimatize.

Measure your results and adjust calories accordingly

These calculations for finding your correct caloric intake are quite simplistic and are just estimates to give you a starting point. You will have to monitor your progress closely to make sure that this is the proper level for you. You will know if you’re at the correct level of calories by keeping track of your caloric intake, your bodyweight, and your body fat percentage.

You need to observe your bodyweight and body fat percentage to see how you respond. If you don't see the results you expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels accordingly. The bottom line is that it’s not effective to reduce calories to very low levels in order to lose fat. In fact, the more calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through diet and exercise. The best approach is to reduce calories only slightly and raise your daily calorie expenditure by increasing your frequency, duration and or intensity of exercise.
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Shopping List for Newbies

Shopping List for Newbies

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Healthy Grocery List Fresh Vegetables
Lettuce Other Greens Cucumbers Carrots
Asparagus Zucchini Radishes Tomatoes
Green Beans Onions Green Onions Peppers
Cauliflower Broccoli Peas Celery
Potatoes Corn Sweet Potatoes Squash
Other Vegetables:
____________ ____________ ____________



Fresh Fruits
Bananas Apples Oranges Pears
Peaches Nectarines Grapefruit Berries
Other Fruits:
____________ ____________ ____________



Frozen Foods
Green Beans Peas Mixed Vegetables Carrots
Chicken Breasts Fruit Juice Bars Blueberries Corn
Fish Fillets Onions Vegetarian Burgers Shrimp
Other Frozen:
____________ ____________ ____________



Canned Foods
Black Beans Tomatoes Marinara Sauce Tuna
Salmon Pinto Beans White Beans Pineapples
Other Canned Foods:
____________ ____________ ____________



Meats
Lean Hamburger Pork Chops Steaks Fish
Shell Fish Chicken Turkey Ham
Other Meats:
____________ ____________ ____________



Grains and Cereals
Whole Grain Bread Whole Grain Pasta Whole Grain Cereal Oatmeal
Other Grains: Quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, amaranth, barley
____________ ____________ ____________



Beverages
100% Fruit Juice Sparkling Water Tomato Juice Herb Tea
Other Beverages:
____________ ____________ ____________



Dairy and Eggs
Low Fat Sour Cream Low Fat Milk Cheddar Cheese Butter
Low Fat Cream Cheese Colby Cheese Mozzerella Cheese Yogurt
Other Dairy:
____________ ____________ ____________



Miscellaneous Items
Herbs and Spices Sesame Oil Low Fat Dressings Mustard
Low Fat Mayonaise (HMMMMMM) Honey Low Sodium Soy Sauce Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds Mixed Nuts Walnuts Pecans
Flax Seeds Olive Oil Walnut Oil Garlic
 
Italian Flavouring

Basil

Oregano

Fennel Seeds

Sun dried tomatoes/tomatoe paste

Garlic

Olive Oil

'Mixed' Italian Spices


Mexican Flavouring

Safflower Oil

Ground Coriander

Ground Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

Oregano

Chilli Peppers

Chinese/Japanese flavourings

Toasted sesame seed oil

Ginger

Garlic

Soya Sauce

Mirin - cooking rice wine

Brown Rice Vineagar

Umeboshi Plum Vineager


Indian

Garlic

Onions

Ground Cumin or cumin seeds

Ground Coriander or coriander seeds

Tumeric

Astoefida (sp)

Cinnamon Stick

Cloves

Cardamon Seeds

Thai

Sesame Seed Oil

Lemon Grass

Fresh Coriander/Cilantro

Green curry leaves

Red chili peppers

(I am forgetting something here)

Anyway, my point is that the same old veg or rice or chicken can taste quite different with different spices.

It does help loads when eating clean.

x
x
x

T
 
Written by Jimmy-Mod on Uk-Muscle.co.uk

Formulating your diet for beginers

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Ok, this thread is written for those who dont have a clue on how to prepare a decent nutrition plan for a bodybuilding lifestyle.

I want to make 1 thing clear right now.....Its what you eat that makes you grow period!!!!!

Training and indeed steroids(if thats the route you choose) do play a major part in building that massive physique we desire, but without the correct nutrition we wont get very far at all!!

So the point of this post is really to outline a few basic rules for a newbie to adhere to, so that they all have a good idea of what foods to eat, how much and when to eat.

I will write another thread on more advanced nutrition tequniques soon.

Firstly we need to know how many kcals we need to grow or maintain our muscle tissue. To do this we need to know what macronutrients are, and how many kcals they contain.

Protein 4kcals per gram

So what is protein and what does it do?

Protein is made up of amino acids. These amino acids are what our bodies require to exist, to build muscle, skin, bone, hair...the list goes on. When we eat protein our body breaks it down into amino acids and uses them as and when it needs them, for what ever it requires.

For our interests its building muscle so we need to make sure that we have an abundance of amino's to satisfy our bodies needs, so that we have enough to grow bigger!

We do this by eating quality protein sources at regular intervals. This is so that our body doesn't turn catabolic and start to break down its hard earned muscle due to not being fed regularly!! In short, if we dont eat enough protein, we shrink!!!

The amount we need to eat in each meal depends on A.. the amount of meals, and B.. the lean mass we hold. The bigger we are the more we need in a day and the more meals we eat the less we need in each meal.

Some good protein sources are

Red meat
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Whey powders
Milk
Soy
Nuts
Beans
Lentils

Human tissue has an individual string of amino acids as do all protein sources. Some are better than others for building muscle.

Whole eggs for instance, are near perfect for this purpose. We need not worry too much about amino spectrums as beginners, as long as we are eating a variation of some or all of the above choices through the day.

Carbohydrates 4kcals per gram

Carbs are used as an energy source for our bodies. We need energy to go about our daily lives and if in abundance, carbs give our bodies the calories it needs to grow. This energy is stored in the muscles, as well as the liver as a substance called glycogen. Its muscle glycogen that gives our muscles the energy to perform. It also is what gives them that full look. Liver glycogen is what gives our bodies the energy to live out our day to day lives.

Carbohydrates are all different. Some have a low glycemic index, whilst others are medium or high. What is the glycemic index (GI)?

The glycemic index is used to determine how quickly a particular food is absorbed and is principally used in reference to foods which are high in carbohydrates. The quicker the carb is absorbed, the shorter the burst of energy we get due to a sudden raise in blood sugar.

The slower the absorbtion, the lower the blood sugar and a long sustained amount of energy provided.

The higher the blood sugar, the more insulin the body provides to counter act that sudden raise.

So what will insulin do??

For the basic content of this beginners article, I wont go deep into insulin. Lets just say that insulin helps the uptake of all nutrients consumed. This means that while protein is stored more efficiently, so are fats and carbs. This may make a person fat, and we dont want that!!!

Although low GI carbs are a better source of energy, there are still times that we can manipulate hi GI alternatives such as before, during and after a workout. We need fast energy to train and a spike of insulin post workout PWO will obviously be handy to absorb protein when we need it most .

What happens if we eat high GI carbs all day long such as chocolates, sweets, sugary drinks?

Well it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that body fat may increase, but what else can go wrong??

If you think about it, high GI sugars raise blood sugar, which the body produces insulin to lower again. Now when this happens our blood sugar takes a nose dive which has the opposite effect and makes us feel tired and low. We then start to crave sugar again in order to raise those blood levels. Can you see what is happening here? Yes, we are on the slippery slope of raising and lowering our blood sugar which in turn makes us feel up and down in energy and mood! Anyone ever experienced this?? I think so!

So we can see that a long sustained release of energy is better for keeping our blood sugar stable, which is done by eating low GI carbs.

Examples of low/high GI carbohydrates are hard to put forward as there is a vary long scale of variables. The best thing to do is buy a book on GI which you can get in any good bookstore.

Alternatively you can find a GI database as well as learn more on GI at this link

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

One last point regarding GI

The GI of any given food is affected by a number of other variables. Fats, fibre and protein consumed with carbs slows down the absorbtion considerably. In fact, hi GI foods will slow quite a bit if eaten with low GI foods. This leads us to the fact that its good to eat well balanced meals containing protein, fibre and fats to keep our blood sugars stable.

Fats 9kcals per gram

Fats are also an energy source which some people prefer to carbohydrates

A further point to note is that fats will not spike insulin levels.

There are 5 different types of fats, all of which are beneficial in optimum health, some more than others.

saturated fats
polyunsaturated fats or omega 6 poly's
monounsaturated fats
trans fats*
omega 3 fish oils, a type of poly

*should be kept restricted as can lead to heart disease and cancer if taken in abundance.

Ok, again I wont confuse the issue here as it is a beginners article so I will only state that which applies to our beginners diet.

If we are using carbohydrates as our main energy fuel, we then need to keep fats to a moderate level. Although a small amount of all the above fats are needed, we as bb'ers should eat mainly monounsaturated fats i.e.
avocado pears
rapeseed oils
olive oils

and omega 3 oils
salmon
trout
mackerel
sardines
pilchards
tuna (to a lesser degree)

There are also some good omega oil blends on the market such as udos choice or Holland and Barrett optimum oil blend. Note that vegetarians cant have the fish oils that the above oils contain so flax seed oil would be a good choice for them.

The fats that come naturally in foods such as eggs and meats are ok as long as they are not over eaten.....the only one that possibly could be over eaten would be eggs.

If you are using fats as the main source of energy then more than moderate amounts can be consumed as long as carbohydrates are kept down somewhat.

So what should I use as my main source of fuel for energy??

This is a complicated question as we are all so different. There are technical computerised machines which measure our co2 levels that can determine our exact ratios of fats and carbohydrates needed as an individual but again, this is more advanced than we need to concern ourselves with as beginners.

I feel that trial and error is the best way to learn about our bodies and so what better than to try all the options for a period of X amount of time and see what suits us best?

Low fat, high carbs
Low carbs, high fat
Even a mix of the two (my favourite option)

I feel that if the low/zero carb, high fat route is the one you wish to follow then at least one carb meal a day is needed. Alternatively, some go for a "clean carb up" day once a week, finding it good to replenish depleted glycogen stores.

The ratios we eat will effect the amount of meals necesary in any given day. We already know fats and fibre slows the absorbtion of carbs we eat, but it also slows the whole meal down. So if we eat high fat and low carbs, we need not eat much more than 3 or 4 meals a day (as long as sufficient protein is present). On the other end of the sclae a high carb, low fat meal requires as many as 6-8 meals with moderate protein in each portion.

Other key things to remember when formulating our diets are

To drink plenty of fluids a day (2-3 litres)
Keeping hydrated is a must for optimum performance as an athlete as well as keeping in good health.

And eat plenty of fibre
Fibre comes naturally in countless foods but fruit, veg , nuts, beans and pulses are some of the best sources of fibre and some or all of the above should be incorporated daily in your nutrition plan.

An example daily food intake would look something like this

Meal 1
whole eggs
oats

Meal 2
chicken
basmati rice
fruit

Meal 3
tuna
salad
olive/flax oil
nuts

Meal 4
Baked beans
wholemeal toast
serving of whey

Meal 5 PWO
whey in water
glucose powder OR
maltodextrine powder

Meal 6
steak
jacket potato
green veg

So now we know what to eat and when to eat it, how much do we need to consume for optimum growth with minimum body fat BF?

Some bb'ers prefer to eat what ever they can get their hands on "if it aint nailed down then eat it!!" I have heard some say before. This can be an effective way of eating if you want sheer bulk, but has a few drawbacks.

1 Its very easy to gain a shed load of body fat

2 sometimes a person may eat too much of the wrong types of foods which can hinder their gains. For example, eating KFC all day long is great for protein and fat, but neglects carbohydrates.

Also eating food from the bakery down the street will fill you up on plenty of carbs and fat, but the protein will be lacking!!

So what do we do? How do we calculate our intake?

First off we need to know how much of each macronutrient is in the foods we eat. Again, any good bookstore will have a nutrition guide, or hit this link

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Next we need to work out our calorie requirements and I must credit the next section to J. Beradi as it is an extract from his Massive Eating Article.....







Step #1: Resting Metabolic Rate

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the energy it costs the body to basically keep alive. This doesn't include the costs of getting your butt out of bed and moving around; those numbers are calculated in later. Although you might not guess it, about 50 to 70 percent of your entire day's calorie expenditure is a result of the RMR. So, let's figure out your RMR right now.


Determining RMR:

To start off with, you need to take your body weight in pounds and convert it to kilograms. (International readers, please bear with us silly non-metric Americans for a moment.) This is a simple conversion. Just divide your body weight by 2.2.

Next you take your percent of fat and multiply it by your body weight (which is now in kilograms). This will give you your fat mass (FM) in kilograms. Next simply subtract this number from your total weight in kilograms and you'll have your fat free mass (FFM) in kilograms.

Before we go on, why don't we try this out on me. Since I'm an athlete with a body weight of 200lbs at 5% body fat, I'd take my total body mass and divide it by 2.2:

Total body mass in kilograms = 200lbs / 2.2 = 91 kg

Next I'd multiply this kilogram number (91 kg) by my percent of body fat. Remember, percents are really decimals so 5% equals 0.05, 12% bodyfat will be .12 etc.

Fat Mass = 91kg x 0.05 = 4.55kg FM

Next I subtract this fat mass number (4.55 kg) from my total body mass (91kg):

Fat Free Mass = 91kg - 4.55kg = 86.45kg

Therefore my fat free mass is 86.45 kilograms. From that I can determine my RMR. The formula for RMR is as follows:

Resting Metabolic Rate for Athletes (in calories per day) = 500 + 22 x fat free mass (in kilograms).

Again, for me, I'd multiply 22 times my fat free mass and add 500 to that number as shown below:

RMR= 22 x 86.45 + 500 = 2402

Therefore my resting metabolic rate is about 2400 calories per day. Everyone have their RMR figured out? Good, let's move on.


Step #2: Cost of Activity

The Cost of Activity represents how many calories are required to move your butt around during the day. This includes the cost of walking out to your car, scraping the ice off the damn thing, driving to work, pinching the secretary's ass, going to lunch with the boys, and of course, training after work. These factors make up about 20 to 40% of your daily caloric intake based on your activity level. So let's figure out your costs of activity. I'll use myself as an example again.


Determining Activity Costs:

Cost of Daily Activity is equal to the RMR you calculated above multiplied by an activity factor that fits your daily routine. I've listed some common activity factors below:

Activity Factors:

1.2-1.3 for Very Light (bed rest)

1.5-1.6 for Light (office work/watching TV)

1.6-1.7 for Moderate (some activity during day)

1.9-2.1 for Heavy (labour type work)

Note: Don't consider your daily workout when choosing a number. We'll do that later.

With this information we can get back to determining my calorie needs. Since I work at a university, most of my day is pretty sedentary. Even though I run back and forth between the lab and classes, I've selected 1.6 as my activity factor. Therefore the amount of calories it takes to breathe and move around during the day is about 3800 calories as shown below:

RMR x Activity Factor = 2400 calories x 1.6 = 3800 calories


Costs of Exercise Activity:

Next, we need to determine how many calories your exercise activity burns so that we can factor this into the totals. Exercise activity can be calculated simply by multiplying your total body mass in kilograms (as calculated above) by the duration of your exercise (in hours). Then you'd multiply that number by the MET value of exercise as listed below. (MET or metabolic equivalent, is simply a way of expressing the rate of energy expenditure from a given physical activity.)

MET values for common activities:

high impact aerobics… 7
low impact aerobics… 5

high intensity cycling… 12
low intensity cycling… 3

high intensity walking - 6.5
low intensity walking - 2.5

high intensity running… 18
low intensity running… 7

circuit-type training… 8
intense free weight lifting… 6
moderate machine training… 3

So here's the formula:

Cost of Exercise Activity = Body Mass (in kg) x Duration (in hours) x MET value

And here's how I calculate it for myself:

Exercise Expenditure for weights = 6 METS X 91kg x 1.5 hours = 819 calories

Exercise Expenditure for cardio = 3 METS X 91 kg x .5 hours = 137 calories

Add these two together and I burn 956 total calories during one of my training sessions.

Since my training includes about 90 minutes of intense free weight training and 30 minutes of low intensity bicycling (four times per week), my exercise energy expenditure might be as high as 1000 calories per training day!

The next step is to add this exercise number to the number you generated when multiplying your RMR by your activity factor (3800 calories per day in my case).

So 3800 calories + about 1000 calories = a whopping 4800 calories per day! And we're not done yet! (Note: I rounded 956 up to 1000 for the sake of simplicity. If you're a thin guy trying to gain muscle, it's better to round up anyway than to round down.)


Step #3: Thermic Effect of Food

TEF is the amount of calories that it takes your body to digest, absorb, and metabolise your ingested food intake. This makes up about 5 to 15% of your total daily calorie expenditure. Since the metabolic rate is elevated via this mechanism 10 to 15% for one to four hours after a meal, the more meals you eat per day, the faster your metabolic rate will be. This is a good thing, though. It's far better to keep the metabolism high and eat above that level, than to allow the metabolism to slow down by eating infrequently. Protein tends to increase TEF to a rate double that of carbs and almost triple that of fats so that's one of the reasons why I'm a big fan of protein meals.


Determining the Thermic Effect of Food:

To determine the TEF, you need to multiply your original RMR value (2400 in my case) by 0.10 for a moderate protein diet or 0.15 for a high protein diet. So this is what the formula looks like:

TEF = RMR x 0.10 for moderate protein diet (1 gram per pound of bodyweight)

TEF = RMR x 0.15 for high protein diet (more than 1 gram per pound of bodyweight)

Since I eat a very high protein diet (about 350 to 400 grams per day), I use the 0.15 factor and my TEF is about 360 calories per day as displayed by the calculation below:

Thermic Effect of Food = 2400 calories x 0.15 = 360 calories per day

Now add that to your calorie total.


Step #4: Adaptive Thermogenesis

I like to call Adaptive Thermogenesis the "X factor" because we just aren't sure how much it can contribute to daily caloric needs. Some have predicted that it can either increase daily needs by 10% or even decrease daily needs by 10%. Because it's still a mystery, we typically don't factor it into the equation.

Just for interest's sake, one factor included in the "X factor" is unconscious or spontaneous activity. Some people, when overfed, get hyper and increase their spontaneous activity and even have been known to be "fidgety." Others just get sleepy when overfed — obviously the fidgets will be burning more calories that the sleepy ones.

Other factors include hormone responses to feeding, training, and drugs, hormone sensitivity (insulin, thyroid, etc), stress (dramatically increases metabolic rate) or temperature induced metabolic changes (cold weather induces increased metabolic activity and heat production).

With all that said, you don't need to do any math on this part or fiddle with your calorie total. This is just something to keep in mind.


Step #5: Putting it all together

Okay, so how many damn calories do you need to consume each and every day? Well, adding up RMR plus activity factor (3800 calories in my case), cost of weight training (819 calories), cost of cardio (137 calories), and TEF (360 calories), we get a grand total of about 5116 calories! (Remember, that's just my total. You'll get a different number.)

Now that's a lot of food! And I must eat this each and every day when I want to gain weight. Are you surprised at how many calories I need? Most people are. So the next time you complain that you're "eating all day and can't gain a pound" you'd better realistically evaluate how much you're really eating. If you're not gaining a pound, then you're falling short on calories.






Thank you John....Back to me now.

So this may seem like a lot of food and you may wonder where you will put it all. We must remember that the above article is only an example and can be modified a little. For instance there are a lot of whey powders, meal replacements MRP and weight gainer drinks available. These are very good for getting in those extra few kcals. Maybe one can eat 3-4 whole food meals and 2-3 liquid meals. That makes it a little easier doesn't it?

What if I am still struggling?

Well we can build up to this massive amount of food slowly. Start by eating half to two thirds of the suggested total calories. Once you can easily manage that, add one more meal, or up the kcals a little in your existing meals.

How ever you do it, you will get there in the end.

There will be some days that we just cant stomach all the food and other days, we will be as hungry as a horse...thats bodybuilding guys

So to summarise

Eat plenty of protein, every 2-3 hours. I suggest 1.5-2g per approximate LB of lean mass throughout the day.

Eat the rest of your calories from low GI carbohydrates and/or quality fats (both in the ratios that you have chosen)

Drink plenty of fluids.

Eat lots of fibrous foods like vegetables and fruit

Work out your individual calorie requirements and devise a well balanced food plan using correct nutrient data/guide.

Start growing






I want to thank a few guys for helping me write this article...

One Smart Cookie....(Biohazard)
Gary Howell....(Biohazard)
Boxer....(Muscle talk)
James Collier BSc(Hons)....(Muscle talk)
 
this will be my reading material after work tomorrow night.

Tatyana, thank you for taking the time

this is obviously comprehensive as hell and will mandate multiple readings.

is there a "cliff notes" version? J/K

again, thanks, many, many will benefit
 
The "quick" method (based on total bodyweight)

A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total current body weight times a multiplier.

Fat loss = 12 - 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight

Maintenance (TDEE) = 15 - 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight

Weight gain: = 18 - 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight

http://strengthnspeed.tripod.com/Nu...mCalculator.htm


There you go, fast version.

It is not as accurate as doing the calculation from the Katch Mc-Ardle formula:

BMR (both sexes) = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

Remember you have to add calories based on how much you train (see the multiplers in the first post)

BMR is just what your body needs for it's own thing. Not your thing like training.

Best way to figure out your lean body tissue, or how much muscle you have and how much fat you have, is a one site skin-fold measurement using these cheap, white plastic calipers called the accumeasure.

When your bodyfat is REALLY low, I would do multiple site measurements, there are also several different methods to do this, but as this is already a bit much for people, I won't go into that.

THEN you have to figure out exactly what you ARE eating, weigh it and then plug it into the calorie king site.

Adjust your meals and calories accordingly.

There are also programs free on the internet that will help you figure out the calories, protein, carbs and fat, you still have to weigh what you are eating.......................................
 
Im still reading this thread shit should be a stickie lol. A lot to read but its been helpful so far. I dont like some of the things tho like asparagus or spinage. Can I stick to other green veggies that I like?
 
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