eating for strength

[t3c]

just wondering how many meals you guys eat a day?

how many meals is optimal for strength?

over the summer i was eating lots of food every two hours, but with school and other stuff in my schedual its pretty hard to get more than 4 meals or so in, sometimes i get some snacks in too hehe

what are your opinions?

 

[jeremys]

im in the exact same situation. thats why im hoping powerlifting is more CNS than muscle fiber size/strength/number/whatever

 

[Jagermeister]

food is more important for bodybuilders than peaple who lift for strength.

the answers to your questions are found here
http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=175644


Jager

 

[BigWh1tey]

6-7 and some snacks

 

[Hannibal]

Chocolate Milk...

 

[growin']

I have to pay attention to what I eat, otherwise I don't recover well and I just end up getting FAT. But in short,

EAT BEEF!!!!!!

I was eating chicken and tuna for so long, then I started eating lean red meat again. MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Must be the vitamin B.

Beef, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, tuna, icecream, kidney beans, otmeal, various veggies and fruits have been working well lately.

 

[endpoint]

i have lost weight and gainned strength.

so i have been confused about this topic....and i will be till some one tells me the nutrients that fuel the adaptation of the CNS.

every one says protein protein protein, but i know a lot of strong SOB on high carb (potato chips and bread) low protein diets.

also, this 5-7 meals a day hasent been around that long....and im sure old strong men ate three big meals a day

 

[spatts]

I think a strong CNS is reinforced on fats. I know this because I was on keto as a kid specifically because it repairs and improves the neurons. It's also backed by a strong immune system which is reinforced with a wide variety of macro and micro nutrients. I believe a well balanced diet, with ENOUGH of everything, is key. Protein builds, carbs repair, fats regulate. Perhaps changing to a more positive focus of getting as much good stuff as you can, as opposed to focusing on what to avoid, will help.

I know Bfold has backed me on this many times. He eats a TON of food, but he also gets all his "good stuff" in there too.

 

[Imnotdutch]

I think a strong CNS is reinforced on fats. I know this because I was on keto as a kid specifically because it repairs and improves the neurons. It's also backed by a strong immune system which is reinforced with a wide variety of macro and micro nutrients. I believe a well balanced diet, with ENOUGH of everything, is key. Protein builds, carbs repair, fats regulate. Perhaps changing to a more positive focus of getting as much good stuff as you can, as opposed to focusing on what to avoid, will help.

I know Bfold has backed me on this many times. He eats a TON of food, but he also gets all his "good stuff" in there too.

You are right about the link between the CNS, the immune system and fats. If you dont get enough fat in your diet your body has to run either the CNS or immune system at a less than optimal level. Either way, that isnt good.

I'm inclined to agree with yourself and Bfold about having a varied diet, but as Endpoint has found I can gain strength and lose weight. This'll sound stupid but when you are doing that you have to listen to your body and give it the amount and types of food that it is asking for.

I know that I'm gonna catch some flak for saying you can eat less, but my job really doesnt allow me to spend much time eating most of the time. So when work slows down I bulk up a bit, then lose weight later (when working).

 

[latinus_spicticus]

I've always been a big believer in eating fat for strength. Carbs are important as well as proteins, but IMO to a lesser extent than fat.

Im trying to clean up my diet and eat correctly. I'll have to check the nutrition posts that spatts' was talking about...just have to find them and then find the time to read them.

Peace.

 

[spatts]

Imnotdutch, I totally agree with you. You are familiar with my bulking and cutting diets all over the women's board, and my opinion that fat is just more weight to move (concrete supports more weight than mud). I, too, eat plenty, but not too much, just what I need based on what my body is telling me. One of the things I like best about my training is that I seem to be able to eat enough to train hard, and stay lean at the same time. When I start cutting for my BB comp in December I have no plans to change my training for this very reason. In terms of strength, there's a happy medium for me where I'm eating enough to keep strength, but lean enough to be FAST, which is more important to me. I feel like I get more out of being fast, than any additional leverage gain from fat would afford. The best part is, my body just seems to fall into it naturally, as you said, as long as I'm pay attention to its needs.

 

[DBCooper]

EAT SLEEP GET STRONG! Personally I eat everything and anything as long as it's alot of it. Having a little fat on you helps your leverage and protects you from injury, to much fat and your just fat and in a bigger weight class. Learning to eat is alot harder than most think, at some meets you can have a 24 hr weigh-in,that means a day to fuel your body. I have gained 15 lbs in a day and have seen some gain 25lbs in a day and that is without being starved and dehydrated even though weight gain would be just as extreme from that as well. Tighter suits and shirts along with all the energy you need is the result.

 

[Hannibal]

I've always been a big believer in eating fat for strength. Carbs are important as well as proteins, but IMO to a lesser extent than fat.

Back in the early 90's Leo Coasta traveled to Bulgaria to speak with their coaches...to determine how they produced so many top level weightlifters. When the discussion turned to diet the coach stated that they kept their lifters diet's above 35% fat. When Leo asked if they were concerened with the effects of the high fat level on their athletes arteries. He was replied to with a confused look by the coach. The coach said they were only interested in producing the strongest athletes...not necessarily the healthiest. He went on to say that when his athletes fat intake dropped below 30% of thier diet that their strength was reduced by up to 15%.

On a related note..Hamburger Helper now comes in a larger size. 50% MORE FREE!!

1 Box of Hamburger Helper
2lbs of Ground Beef
1 Gallon of Chocolate Milk.

6000+ calories for less than $8 a day. Eight bucks....you can spend that much on a fast food lunch. Just supplement your vitamins and minerals and I promise you will get stronger. I am actually surprised by the results I have gotten eaten like this. I was expecting to gain weight and get stronger. However with all the excessive insulin I thought for sure I would have gotten much softer. However, this is not really the case. I have gained 20lbs or more in the last couple months...with the strength gain to go with it...and at the same time I have stayed at the relatively the same bf%. I am in no way "lean"...but a very high percentage of the weight I have put on from eating like this has been muscle mass.

FOOD IS ANABOLIC

 

[latinus_spicticus]

Hannibal,

That bulgaria/leo costa thing is where I got the idea that fats are a very important component of diet WRT strength. I've also heard stories of the Greek olympic weightlifting team's diet. Supposedly, in addition to a diet already high in fats, the coaches demand that the weightlifters consume one kilogram of cheese per day. 2 pounds of cheese per day! And, IIRC, the superheavies had to eat 3 kilos of cheese per day! Mind you, this was in the offseason and the source of info is not 100 percent reliable, but this could explain their ability to work out multiple sessions per day, 6 days per week and get STRONG! I tried this approach when I first read about it-- I lasted about a week before I could no longer stomach any cheese. Believe me, I can down food like a starved junkyard dog, but I couldn't keep up with the kilo/day of cheese supplementation. That shit was expensive, too. I'd rather down a few ounces of olive oil than do that again.

 

[t3c]

i eat a hamburger helper pretty often its so fuckin salty though

it makes me so thirsty =\

 

[beercan89]

Lately I've been fooling with increased carbs on workout days, and increased protein on off days. It makes sense, and has been yeilding decent results. Something to try if you're looking for a change.

 

[spatts]

There are different kinds of fats too, as you all know. I don't know anyone that's going to advance arterial plaque from Dr. Udos, natty pb, fish, or avocado. I get at least 50g of fat day, I just try not to take it with carbs. Over 50% of it is Udos. I eat a helluva lot of food, but it's almost ALL clean (save for the ME squat day cheddar pepper fetish ).

 

[endpoint]

come to think of it...when i was cutting down my body fat levels....i had just bought my first bottle of Udos choice essential fatty acids and was taking a couple of table spoons a day

 

[spatts]

Lately I've been fooling with increased carbs on workout days, and increased protein on off days. It makes sense, and has been yeilding decent results. Something to try if you're looking for a change.

Carb rotating is exactly what I do. Only I do constant protein and fat, and variable carb. It works no matter what I'm doing....cutting to 8% or just trying not to blow up while gaining strength.

Like you said, it just makes sense. Your AMR changes day to day, so your energy (read: carb) requirements do too.

 

[CytoMel]

Hannibal,

That bulgaria/leo costa thing is where I got the idea that fats are a very important component of diet WRT strength. I've also heard stories of the Greek olympic weightlifting team's diet. Supposedly, in addition to a diet already high in fats, the coaches demand that the weightlifters consume one kilogram of cheese per day. 2 pounds of cheese per day! And, IIRC, the superheavies had to eat 3 kilos of cheese per day! Mind you, this was in the offseason and the source of info is not 100 percent reliable, but this could explain their ability to work out multiple sessions per day, 6 days per week and get STRONG! I tried this approach when I first read about it-- I lasted about a week before I could no longer stomach any cheese. Believe me, I can down food like a starved junkyard dog, but I couldn't keep up with the kilo/day of cheese supplementation. That shit was expensive, too. I'd rather down a few ounces of olive oil than do that again.

I am gonna try that cheese thing. I have a 2 pound bag of mozzerella cheese and I am gonna start today and eat a bag each day. Its only $5 a bag

here is the breakdown for 2 lbs mozzerella

32 servings

fat 6 grams
carbs 1 gram
protein 8 grams

so multiply that by 32 and you get 250 grams of protein for $5 that sounds like a great deal! I am going to need some breath mints I think

 

[latinus_spicticus]

I am gonna try that cheese thing. I have a 2 pound bag of mozzerella cheese and I am gonna start today and eat a bag each day. Its only $5 a bag

here is the breakdown for 2 lbs mozzerella

32 servings

fat 6 grams
carbs 1 gram
protein 8 grams

so multiply that by 32 and you get 250 grams of protein for $5 that sounds like a great deal! I am going to need some breath mints I think

Let me say,

I do NOT advocate this type of diet. Yes, it will make you big and strong but will adversely affect your cardiovascular health. But you'll get a lot of protein and fat for relatively cheap. I would do this only for a short time during intense training, if I were to do it again (try to do it, at least). But for the time being, I am trying to use healthy fats (fish oils, MAYBE some Udo's or flax, olive, etc.) to up my fat intake. I still eat cheese, I love it, but I keep it to a sane amount (ie a few ounces per day).

 

[jeremys]

what i dont understand is WHY a person needs 1g protein per lb of bodyweight. i mean, bodyweight is with bones and guts and hair and everything..im confused.

 

[spatts]

"There has always been a debate among regarding protein needs. Recent info collected on physically active individuals tends to indicate that regular exercise increases daily protein requirements; however, the precise details remain to be worked out. Based on laboratory measures, daily protein requirements are increased by perhaps as much as 100% vs. recommendations for sedentary individuals (1.6-1.8 vs. 0.8 g/kg). Yet even these intakes are much less than those reported by most athletes. This may mean that actual requirements are below what is needed to optimize athletic performance, and so the debate continues. Numerous interacting factors including energy intake, carbohydrate availability, exercise intensity, duration and type, dietary protein quality, training history, gender, age, timing of nutrient intake and the like make this topic extremely complex. Many questions remain to be resolved. At the present time, substantial data indicate that the current recommended protein intake should be adjusted upward for those who are physically active, especially in populations whose needs are elevated for other reasons, e.g., growing individuals, dieters, vegetarians, individuals with muscle disease-induced weakness and the elderly. For these latter groups, specific supplementation may be appropriate, but for most North Americans who consume a varied diet, including complete protein foods (meat, eggs, fish and dairy products), and sufficient energy the increased protein needs induced by a regular exercise program can be met in one's diet."