My Commitment To Myself - Page 2

My diet is currently about 45% protein, 35% carbohydrates, 20% fats. I'm drinking 32 oz of orange juice and 8 oz of grape juice per day, all of which are loaded with carbs. It might seem like I'm getting a lot of protein but it's about 380g per day (1520 calories) which is about right considering my body weight of 227 lb (about 1.6g/lb) I'll mix the lean meats a bit between Chicken, pork, turkey, etc. I don't eat dairy products for hte most part because I am lactose intolerant, and I don't eat almonds, eggs, or peanut butter too often because they are too high in fats. I eat salmon every other day or so in order to get enough Omega 3 fatty acids, but try to keep my fat intake fairly low.

If you're lactose intolerant, try yogurt and cheese. (Your diet sounds too monotonous for me to stay on for any length of time).

Actually I've been fairly happy with it. I substitute various lean meats for chicken from time to time as well, such as tuna (often mixed with salsa) or cooked salmon, but as chicken is close to my favorite meat, I can eat it every day without any problems. Dinner is more or less up to me, so I eat whatever combination of meat and vegetables I want, I don't really find that it's that monotonous. I will sometimes substitute something like a chicken, beef, or tuna salad (i.e. raw tuna, and vegetables) instead of my lunch as well. Also, the BSN protein shakes are REALLY good, as in, as good as regular milkshakes, IMO.

I think a positive outlook is overrated.

^^^

I think you've got the recommendations a bit wrong. All studies are conducted in g/kg and not g/lb. Therefor your daily intake of protein is more like double (~3.8g/kg) that of what would be sufficient according to the studies.

To me, it's nothing but waste. I would rather spend those calories on carbs like bread, potatoes and/or pasta instead. You will still get proteins (pasta ~12-14%) from them if thats important to you but also in my opinion a better balanced diet.

Most articles I've read about strictly adding mass recommend about 1.5g/lb of protein, adjusted from kg. Source: bodybuilding.com A study conducted at the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco showed that subjects on a higher protein intake (2.8 g/kg/day), coupled with intense strength training, gained a whopping 3.28 kg (7.2 lbs) of lean mass. The study was done over a 40-day period and the subjects were trained to near exhaustion. Another study of weightlifters over a 3 month period, with the protein increased from 2.2g/kg/day to 3.5 g/kg/ day, resulted in a 6% increase in muscle mass and a 5% increase in strength. In two months, with a caloric excess of ~500 cal/day, I have added 11 lb. A bit of that weight is likely water, but in the meantime, my BF% decreased slightly, meaning the majority of the mass was added as muscle. Theoretically, a 500 calorie excess over 8 weeks should yield a maximal weight gain of about 8 lb, so nearly all of my excess calories were anabolized to muscle, which was the goal. I think the diet was very efficient for that purpose. As far as balance, what are you referring to? I'm receiving plenty of fiber through vegetables and supplementing most things I'm lacking in the diet itself.

I have read the same

I haven't heard nor seen anything about this study, please link directly to the document itself and I will be happy to take a closer look. However I stand firm by the earlier studies I provided you with.

Here's yet another one done a few years back, which concluded 1.4g/kg was enough to produce an overload of protein intake.


Tarnopolsky et al, J Appl Physiol 73: 1986-1995, 1992;


How did you conclude the added muscle vs. fat? Most people have the reverse relation when overeating/bulking ie. they gain more fat than muscle. I fail to see why you would be any different. It is impossible to decrease BF% when bulking, the only way to actually accomplish it would be through dieting.

Please consider these sources:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/56/4/641.pdf
http://www.unu.edu/Unupress/food2/UID08E/uid08e05.htm
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/...ct/322/21/1477

Regarding the balanced diet, I merely meant to consider substituting the protein for carbs as most of the protein will oxidate to carbs anyway. That way you'll have an even better ground for getting the minerals, vitamins etc worked out favourably.

Consolazio GF, et al. Protein metabolism during intensive physical training in the young adult. Am J Clin Nutr 1975; 28:29-35

Dragan GI, Vasiliu A, Georgescu E. Effects of increased supply of protein on elite weightlifters. In: Galesloot TE, Tinbergen BJ, eds. Milk Proteins. Pudoc, Wageningen, The Netherlands 1985:99-103


The article you quoted described protein supplementation over only a 13 day period, and described some very strange exercise routines used during the article (3 rep lifts at 70% of 1RM?) Did you read the whole article or only the abstract?


That's untrue, actually. It's perfectly possible to decrease BF% while bulking. It just depends on the timing of eating and exercise. The studies I've read have indicated that if you keep caloric excess at about 500, the majority of gains during high protein bulking phases will be muscle, with some water. This is almost exactly what I've experienced.


Protein is not oxidized to carbs. Some amino acids are converted into glycolytic or TCA cycle intermediates (glucogenic amino acids), but many of them are stored as free amino acids and used by muscle or other tissues.

1, Those are way old - the new studies I provided clearly shows a new and improved result.

2, I would take everything regarding cost supplements on bodybuilding sites with a grain of salt as most of those are linked to some kind of producer/reseller of such products. Hence the old studies that show more proteins are good - spikes their business.

3. That is but one study, I linked to many with different routines.

4. I think it's important to pint out to whomever might be reading this that an excessive intake of proteins could actually harm your body. (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Apr;16(2):129-52. A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans) The theoretic toxic level starts at 3.5g/kg.



Again, how did you come to that conclusion?
Did you use a caliper to messure or is it more of an "eye messure"?

It's a MYTH. If you would like to believe it is, go ahead. If you're bulking you WILL gain fat and muscle, thats just the way it is.

The only possible way I know of to gain while trimming down ones BF%, which is far from a optimal situation would be to go by a week-to-week basis. Bulk and exercise for 3-4 days, diet and do cardio for 3-4. Repeat.

Please consider this as well. Claiming all your excessive intake would build muscle is nothing but a false assumption.


Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 904:359-365 (2000)


IIRC 18 of the amino acids can oxidate to glucose. Hence my statement.

Actually there's a great deal of articles on bodybuilding.com saying that the majority of bulking should be done with high levels of carbs. There's been a lot of disagreement over this in some circles. That said, I'm going to go with what I've found to work through personal experience during the ~13 or so years I've been involved in weightlifting.


I use the Accufitness Accumeasure 3000 caliper. It's not quite as accurate as underwater measuring but it's going to give a pretty good ballpark of BF%.


Again this depends on your activity and intake during your lifting and non-lifting days. With a 500 calorie excess based on a 2800 calorie maintainance (i.e. 3300 calories) the question remains what's actually catabolized vs what is actually anabolized, and there are timing issues as well, regarding the cardio done during off-days, as well as whether the calorie intake is actually higher than what is being used once all activity is taken into account.

If you don't believe this, then consider the following routine. 100% calorie neutral diet (meaning the diet is perfectly adjusted for all activity) with normal heavy weight lifting every other day and one hour of cardio during off days. Do you really think that hypertrophy isn't going to occur w/o caloric excess, and that fat loss isn't going to occur w/o caloric deficit? Sure you're going to catabolize some muscle with the cardio, but you're also going to catabolize some fat. However, you're going to build more muscle with the weight lifting and likely not be adding fat. The overall effect will be addition of lean muscle mass, with decrease in body fat. By altering the calories upwards slightly from this model, it's possible to have the vast majority of the excess calories consumed be anabolized without significant fatty acid synthesis.


18 Amino acids can technically be converted to glucose because they feed into glycolytic cycles. Glucogenesis can occur in cases of low glucose levels, but that's why carbohydrates (grape juice + malodextrin) are taken immediately following workouts, so increased blood sugar levels don't allow the proteins to enter the glucogenic cycle, and instead be circulated to muscle tissue as free amino acids.

Indeed, why I originally made the statement as IMO most bb's are afraid of trying new things. Hence why the myths still lives on although new and improved studies have been published.


Good enough for personal use I agree. As with most things regarding bodily functions one do have to look over a great span of time to get the most accurate results though as it's an ever continuing cycle.


Yes, I'm perfectly up to speed with what you are saying, however recent studies show just how important the energy intake is for anabolism. Without an excessive intake there will be no growth of muscle tissue.

Src: Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Kang J, Falvo MJ, Faigenbaum AD. Effect of protein intake on strength, body composition and endocrine changes in strength/power athletes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 3(2):12-18, 2006.

I do think what you are describing is an optimal situation which most people would never be able to keep up. The body itself can also play tricks on us, consider one such things as the metabolism - which can self adjust.

I can only point you towards what I said earlier and the studies mentioned, which clearly proves just how difficult if not impossible it is to gain all muscle but no fat.


I don't see the use of why using fructose and glucose. I would personally prefer not using fructose as an post-workout energy source. Other than that we're saying pretty much the same thing.

I think what it comes down to for post workout drinks is that you want a large dose of both carbohydrates and protein immediately after your workout, as well as circulating carbs and protein during the workout. My normal pre and post workout drinks are the following:

Preworkout:

1-2 hours prior to workout:
Protein Shake (1 hour) or protein from food (1.5-2 hours)

30 minutes pre-workout:
16 oz Orange Juice with Cellmass and NO
(200 mg Caffeine, 5g Creatine Ethyl Ester Malate, 2g Glutamine, and other supplements)

Workout drink:
32 oz water with Cellmass and NO

Immediately post-workout:
8 oz grape juice with Cellmass

5 minutes later:
Protein shake

The vast majority of my creatine intake is immediately before, during, and immediately after my workout (although I also take the same orange juice drink in the morning)

I agree with what you have said regarding the evolution of nutrition philosophies. I think what it comes down to is that different things work for different people because of different rates of metabolism. That said, the principles of physiology and biochemistry still apply to everyone, it's just that we might not understand exactly what is going on in the body.