Vodka Tonics with Lime are great, so maybe I will have to start drinking those.  Mixed drinks will help me drink a little more responsibly, too.   The only poor thing in my diet is the cafeteria food and alcohol.. granted, that's all my diet is during the school year, but the fast food basically stops away from school, and the alcohol consumption dips quite a bit.  I do tend to favor 6-8% beers, so I guess that helps some(?), but by far, my favorite liquor is rum.

 

God, (that's a badass way to address someone) hopefully I won't have too much catching up to do.  I'll be abroad in Australia the next few months and hope to focus more on my working out, and maybe train like I used to for baseball.  Either way, being away for four months has got me motivated to make changes that will make my physical appearance different upon return.  The bar scene there, hopefully, will help me limit my over-consumption, too.

Pick the healthy shit at the cafeteria. Spend booze money on other good shit they don't provide.

Australian's drink their ass off. You will do some of it there too.

And its Jordan or just J.

J

Good to know, and as expected from what I know of New Zealand.  Eating healthy as a picky eater proves to be difficult, but for the times I do choose a cheeseburger, I always go bun-less.  Actually just noticed your sig.  I'm checking out that website.

Decided I wanted to burn off a little fat I gained from Freshman year.  Started debating if the supplements or my diet was causing me to see a lack of results.

 

Old routine (6 months, from 180 to 160):

-Emerge Pre-workout + appetite suppressor

-Take Five Slow Release Protein

(Workout)

-Whey

-Breakfast without carbs

(The last month of this routine, I began replacing a meal a day with fruit/vegetable juice. Dropped ~5 lbs in that month.)

 

Began more weightlifting, instead of mostly cardio and core, and switched up my routine.  I have definitely continued to gain muscle, but it doesn't seem that I'm converting the fat, just that I'm putting muscle under it, mostly around the waist and chest.

 

New Routine (began 6 months ago 160 to 170):

-Emerge Pre-workout + appetite suppressor

(Workout)

-Breakfast with carbs and protein with every meal)

(No juice in this routine, but I intend on starting that today if I can get to the store.)

 

For those that know more, could you help me figure out an appropriate plan for supplements?

 

First and foremost, grab a pencil, paper, calculator and calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and macro nutrient requirements.

 

BMR

 

Lets say your target is to be a 160 lbs. with 10% body fat (BF). This means you're roughly 10% BF and 90% Lean Body Mass (LBM).

 

So, 90% of 160 is equivalent to 0.90 * 160, which comes out to 144 lbs. LBM.

 

Now convert this to kilograms by dividing 144 by 2.2, which is roughly 65 Kg.

 

Using the Katch-McArdle formula, we get 370 + (21.6 * 65). This comes out to about 1800 kcal. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR. It's roughly the amount of calories required to maintain 65 Kg of LBM.

 

BMR does not take into account activity levels, only sitting around on your ass. In order to calculate your total calorie requirement, you have to multiple your BMR by a certain factor based on your activity level:

1.2 = Sedentary (Desk job, and Little Formal Exercise)

1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light daily activity AND light exercise 1-3 days a week)

1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)

1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)

1.9-2.2 = Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)

 

Let's say your moderately active, so you'll want to tack on an extra 50% to your BMR, bringing up your total daily requirement (TDR) to around 2700 kcal.

 

Protein

 

Easily the most debated requirement known to fitness. Bottom line, most research points to 0.6-1.0 grams of protein per pound of LBM, with little, if any, benefit after 1 gram per pound. For 144 pounds of LBM, this would be ~85-150 grams of protein a day. You can eat more protein than this, if you want, just make sure not to exceed your TDR, which is 2700 kcal per day in this example

 

Carbs & Fats

 

0.4-0.6 grams of fat per pound of LBM is a decent target if you're looking for low body fat. No real guidelines here, just make sure not exceed your TDR, which is 2700 kcal per day in this example.

 

Supplements

 

Creatine Monohydrate, 5g daily. Multivitamins and/or Fish Oil if you don't eat properly.

 

 

In summation, using this example you would want to eat 55-85g fat, at least 85g of protein, and limit your daily intake to around 2700 kcal per day.

 

 

Pretty simple stuff, really.

Edited June 30, 201411 yr by Penguin4x4

Supplements in the United States are, at best, a shady enterprise. I strongly advise getting as much of your major nutrients (fats, proteins, carbs) from food sources. In addition to being tastier, they also provide dozens of micro-nutrients that aren't in most supplements. At most, the only supplements you might need are a multivitamin, fish oil, creatine, and a good protein powder. Beyond those, well, that's up to you.

And that's where the Company in my sig comes into play.

J

Good to know, and as expected from what I know of New Zealand.  Eating healthy as a picky eater proves to be difficult, but for the times I do choose a cheeseburger, I always go bun-less.  Actually just noticed your sig.  I'm checking out that website.

I am a picky fucker too so I can sympathize.

J

And that's where the Company in my sig comes into play.

J

 

 

Indeed; TrueNutrition's unsweetened, unflavored soy is my powder of choice. Shipped to my front door it's as cheap as chicken and twice the convenience.

Their price for CreaPure creatine is damned good, to boot.

Not a fan of the soy personally, but if it works for you, that is ALL That matters.

J

Not a fan of the soy personally, but if it works for you, that is ALL That matters.

J

 

I'm a cheap, cheap, CHEAP bastard.

Unfortunately, I can't choke down the powder without sugar.  Had some EAS mix that I threw away just because it tasted so nasty, but I got it for free, so it was hardly a worry.  I use Max Triple Whey right now.  26g protein and 3g of sugar, which is a much better ratio than the powder I used to use. 

 

Really cool to see that TN ships internationally.  May have to ship whatever powder I use to Australia.

Try the team skip protein mix and premium flavors. Pre sweetened with premium flavor and they are fucking yummy.

J

Supplements in the United States are, at best, a shady enterprise. I strongly advise getting as much of your major nutrients (fats, proteins, carbs) from food sources. In addition to being tastier, they also provide dozens of micro-nutrients that aren't in most supplements. At most, the only supplements you might need are a multivitamin, fish oil, creatine, and a good protein powder. Beyond those, well, that's up to you.

 

If/when you've got the time, take a look at this:

 

https://blog.priceplow.com/protein-scam-amino-acid-spiking

Unfortunately, I can't choke down the powder without sugar.  Had some EAS mix that I threw away just because it tasted so nasty, but I got it for free, so it was hardly a worry.  I use Max Triple Whey right now.  26g protein and 3g of sugar, which is a much better ratio than the powder I used to use. 

 

Really cool to see that TN ships internationally.  May have to ship whatever powder I use to Australia.

 

By all means get whatever tastes good to you; just keep a watchful eye on those macros and you'll be fine.

Unless they're using a ton of taurine and glycine then that sounds a bit over the top considering both are amino acids present in beef, chicken, fish, etc. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/122/3/467.full.pdf 

Unless they're using a ton of taurine and glycine then that sounds a bit over the top considering both are amino acids present in beef, chicken, fish, etc. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/122/3/467.full.pdf 

 

The article addresses this:

 

Taurine and glycine already occur naturally in protein, but some unscrupulous companies are simply adding more of it to legally “pad the protein stats,” giving you less of what you want and more of what you don’t need.

 

“Not in my protein”… right? After all, your tub says 25g protein right on the label!!! This is a major product from a big company – they can’t lie like that and get away with it! They’re cGMP certified and have lab tests to back up their numbers!

 

Well, guess what: When run through a certificate of authenticity (CoA) test, glycine and taurine show up as nitrogen. And because of that nitrogen-based bond, they are technically considered “protein” to the FDA.

 

Meaning, according to FDA specifications, you do have “25g of protein” — tested, certified and stamped for approval.

 

Except one thing…It’s just not all dietary protein.

 

Instead, you’re getting a fair amount of cheap filler that qualifies under the FDA’s loose definition of protein – but it’s not going to do much for your muscle protein synthesis.

 

...

 

It’s not just taurine and glycine. Any added free form amino acid can be used to cheat the system like this — including glutamine and glutamine peptides. Even creatine, which is possibly the worst offender, as we’ll see below.

 

Note that we’re not upset when a manufacturer adds in extra leucine — this is the powerhouse amino acid linked the growth and repair of your muscle tissue — but glutamine, glycine, and taurine… they’re just not as effective.

 

In short, we’ve been had by the companies that are adding these amino acids to our protein powders – and right before our very eyes, no less.

 

...

 

If a protein manufacturer is being responsible and listing the product’s full amino acid profile, it will state that there’s glycine and glutamine / glutamic acid inside. After all, they’re naturally occurring in your protein.

 

However, taurine is not naturally occurring in whey protein in any significant quantity. If you see it on the amino acid profile, it’s likely been added. A little bit is fine, but more than a gram of it per scoop is unacceptable.

 

...

 

A few grams of protein isn’t really the end of the world. According to the response we received from an industry insider (posted below), you still need at least about 20g of protein to get the right consistency – so you’re most likely not getting a totally “empty” product.

But it’s not necessarily about the protein. It’s about the ethics.

The real problems are:

• Nobody wants to get bamboozled – not even a bit.
• The good companies the are not doing this are at a severe pricing disadvantage.
• The FDA is relatively benign when it comes to handling these types of situations.

And that’s why it’s time we all stood together and started taking matters into our own hands.

 

Try the team skip protein mix and premium flavors. Pre sweetened with premium flavor and they are fucking yummy.

J

 

Love team skip myself.

It's what I'll be getting back on. Going to see some local gyms today after another VA appointment.

J

I've been using dymatize iso100 blend. Amazing stuff buy work has limited my gym time. Just staying active at home.

Tn protein was great but their pricing scale didn't work for me at the time. Might look into it again

I've been using dymatize iso100 blend. Amazing stuff buy work has limited my gym time. Just staying active at home.

Tn protein was great but their pricing scale didn't work for me at the time. Might look into it again

Depending on what you get the price can be a bit.

But when you consider the quality, and getting true protein weight....its worth it.

J

Dymatize is good stuff, but TN will make your farts so rank your dog will throw up.

Edited July 5, 201411 yr by Penguin4x4

With regard to Team Skip's stuff, all the reviews seem to think it's best with milk, which I won't be able to store in my dorm.  The CYO is intriguing, but I'm not sure I know enough to use it and assume that just about every mixture is already available.  Is that the gimmick? Great idea, though.

 

What's the concensus on fiber pills?  Could they help counteract beer?! I'm shooting for under $15/lbs, and am really liking the idea of anti-soy, anti-hormone whey I find in the CYO.

 

**edit: Also looking into this BCAA Plus stuff for a pre-workout while overseas.

Edited July 7, 201411 yr by wannabang

Are you referring to MuscleMilk? Avoid MuscleMilk like the plague; they're one of the major reasons that class action lawsuit was filed.

Edited July 7, 201411 yr by Penguin4x4

What is your definition of "counteracting" beer? Being hungover, or trying to "absorb" the calories in beer? If it's the first, stop drinking that much alcohol to begin with. If it's the second, then no, there is no magical calorie absorbing pill.

MuscleMilk has already been to court over their premixed shakes IIRC.

Edited July 7, 201411 yr by Penguin4x4