[DaramoeX]

So, in the short time that I have been in college studying Strength & Conditioning, I've learned much more than I could of imagined. One thing that really sticks out to me is the fact that I doubt even 3 people who are in this subforum eat properly. So, I'm going to do a little write-up encompassing many of the nutritional knowledge I've gathered while studying and talking to my football and S&C coaches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 Rules of Good Nutrition

1. Eat every 2-3 hours-
Don't go more than 3 hours without food. Workout days should include 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), 3 snacks, and a post-workout shake. Carbs should come from fruits and veggies, along with whole-grains. Non-workout days should consist of 3 meals and 3 snacks. On your off day, eat more protein, healthy fats, and vegetables.

2. Eat a lean protein source with every feeding-
Make sure every meal and snack includes lean protein. These include chicken, beef, turkey, pork, tuna, fish, eggs, whey protein shakes, cottage cheese, etc. A serving should be at least two cuts of meat, each the size of a deck of cards, or two scoops of protein powder, or a cup of cottage cheese. These are about 30-5 grams of protein per serving. Aim for 1 gram of protein per lb. of LEAN body mass. I weigh 273, and my lean body mass is 241, so I aim for 241 grams of protein per day.

3. Eat fruits/veggies with every feeding-
Fruits and veggies are important in your diet because they balance out the protein and carbs you ingest and keep you in a fat-burning and muscle-building mode. 10+ servings AT LEAST every day. A serving of cooked veggies is 1 cup, raw only a 1/2 cup. Fruits are a medium-sized piece or a 1/2 cup. Many people don't eat near enough vegetables.

4. Time your carb intake for the best time of the day-
Your body handles carbs the best at breakfast and 30-60 minutes after a workout. Aim for non-processed carbs and avoid sugars, sweets, enriched breads, bagels, and pastries. Whole-grain and fruit is king.

5. Drink non-calorie beverages throughout the day-
Avoid beverages with calories except at meals and your post-workout shake. Drink as much water as you can, and aim for a minimum of a gallon a day.

6. Eat healthy fats-
Eat 1-2 oz. of nuts a day as snacks with your fruits and vegetables. Healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil, fish oil, borage oil, flax seeds (crushed/ground), and flax seed oil. Egg yolks are another good source. This will help fat metabolism, as well as anti-inflammatories and aid the immune system.

7. Prepare food ahead of time-
The easiest way to fall off track is to not be prepared. To help yourself eat the right foods at the right times, do your best to have it prepared in advance. Keep good foods around at all times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meals, Snacks, and Bed

All meals should include-
1. Fruit & veggies
2. Protein source
3. Quality carbs
4. Drinks w/ calories (milks, 100% juices)
5. Drinks w/o calories (basically just water and green tea-that's it)

All snacks should include-
1. A fruit/veggie
2. 20-30 grams of protein
3. Non-caloric drink

Bed-
1. Before bed, eat 30+ grams of casein-based protein
2. Veggies
3. Healthy fat source (fish oil is best)

Many people have poor sleeping habits. You need to take full advantage of sleep and all the benefits it brings to you. Here are a few I've picked up on.
1. Get 8-9 hours of CONTINUOUS sleep a night
2. Keep the room as dark as possible
3. Keep the temperature under 70
4. Get in a routine
5. Try to not lay in bed during the day to watch TV or get on the computer or do homework
6. Take a hot bath or shower before bed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Things to Keep Handy

1. Cottage cheese
2. Cheese
3. Nuts
4. Trail Mix
5. Tuna in water
6. Whole-wheat/multi-grain breads
7. Deli sliced turkey
8. Chicken breast
9. Milk
10. Natural peanut butter
11. Kashi brand cereals
12. Bagged carrots
13. Bananas
14. Apples
15. Yogurt
16. Prunes
17. Dried apricots
18. Promax bars
19. Oranges
20. Oatmeal
21. Granola bars
22. Fish oil capsules
23. Sunflower/pumpkin seeds
24. Beef jerky
25. Whey/casein protein powder
26. V8 juice
27. 100% fruit juice
28. Frozen berries
29. Green tea
30. Eggs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hydration

Carry a water bottle at all times. Hydration is important, especially to a weightlifter or athlete. Even a slight dehydration increases risk of injury and cramps by a significant amount. If you're thirsty, you are already too dehydrated for your own good. Start hydrating yourself right when you wake up. Aim for at least a gallon of water a day. For a workout lasting over an hour, drink Gatorade and Powerade.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post-workout Nutrition

This is one of the most critical times to get calories into your body. 30 minutes after exercise is the "window of opportunity" for maximum impact and recovery. After the 30 minutes, the "window" closes and recovery takes a nose-dive. Some quick tips for your post workout shake-
1. High in carbs (1 gram per 2 lbs. of body weight)
2. 30-40 grams of protein
3. Make sure these are in liquid forms
4. Keep it fat-free (fat slows absorption)
5. Eat a solid meal within an hour to an hour and a half after the post workout shake.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alcohol

Alcohol is bad for you. Without delving in too deep, alcohol has some nasty effects.
1. Around 5% lack of strength due to muscle tissue inflammation
2. Decreases protein synthesis
3. Can physically damage muscle cells, increasing muscle soreness
4. Disrupts glycogen metabolism, increasing your storage of fat
5. Can effect REM sleep, decreasing recovery significantly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I might add more later, depending on how the thread goes. Feel free to discuss things regarding nutrition or shoot me a PM.

[Barber]

I'm with you up until cheese on the list. I always heard cheese wasn't really too good for you?

[Sexy_James_281]

Its fine to eat in proportional amounts. You can find low fat cheese that is your best bet. These are the staples of any decent nutrition plan and people cant seen to grasp it. You can wear yourselves out everyday in the gym but if you dont put the same effort into diet it will get you nowhere. The amount of threads asking about diet is ridiculous...eat low fat foods, avoid anything in a box/bag eat fresh.

[Loony]

Originally Posted by DaramoeX

1. High in carbs (1 gram per 2 lbs. of body weight)

Good read, thanks for posting!

Question; you say 1 gram per 2lbs, is that all you need that day? Or is that just for that serving? Also, should I take in that much carbs on off days as well?

What if I needed 90 grams and took 20 grams pre- and 70 grams post-workout?

[DaramoeX]

Originally Posted by Loony

Good read, thanks for posting!

Question; you say 1 gram per 2lbs, is that all you need that day? Or is that just for that serving? Also, should I take in that much carbs on off days as well?

What if I needed 90 grams and took 20 grams pre- and 70 grams post-workout?

That is what you should aim for in your post-workout shake. It can be a ridiculously high amount for some, but do the best you can.

[billy1234]

thanks for making this. exactly what i was looking for. planning to do a really clean bulk over the next 3 1/2 months.

[bluestreak08]

i have to say good job, i read everything just so i could find something wrong, but i must applaud you on this thread.

one thing i wanna bring up about fruit juices. i've noticed some have sugar added and some don't grape juice for example has like 40+g of sugar per serving, but is usually labeled no sugar added, while other juices may only have 30 but will have a high fructose corn syrup or fructose, or some other sugar additive. is one kind healthier for you or does it really not make much difference?

[DaramoeX]

Originally Posted by bluestreak08

i have to say good job, i read everything just so i could find something wrong, but i must applaud you on this thread.

one thing i wanna bring up about fruit juices. i've noticed some have sugar added and some don't grape juice for example has like 40+g of sugar per serving, but is usually labeled no sugar added, while other juices may only have 30 but will have a high fructose corn syrup or fructose, or some other sugar additive. is one kind healthier for you or does it really not make much difference?

I'm not entirely sure on this, but I'm going to guess that it takes less artificial sugar to sweeten something up than natural sugars from the fruit. If something is really 100% fruit juice, it should have no added sugar, and all the carbs that come from drinking it should be the same carbs as if you just ate a bunch of fruit. So hopefully, it's good sugar.

You shouldn't make a habit of drinking it throughout the day, only a glass or so with each meal.

[bluestreak08]

yeah the only time i took it was when i took my creatine

[black_angus]

Terrible thread. Wtf are they teaching you at Central?

[pbmink (Banned)]

no carbs included in snacks?

[DaramoeX]

Originally Posted by pbmink

no carbs included in snacks?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear there. The snack should be a very small/large meal depending on your goals. It should include carbs and fats and protein, but make sure to get at least what I mentioned as a minimum for all snacks. You can add on more food accordingly.

[Turb0 Negr0]

There is already a nutrition thread

https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.p...n+discu ssion

[black_angus]

Originally Posted by Turb0 Negr0

There is already a nutrition thread

https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.p...n+discu ssion

And wtf page was that thing on?

We should go ahead and get this thing stickied, and not have to worry about it.

[Turb0 Negr0]

Yeah I always try to revive it but no one ever listens to my requests for a sticky and people dont care enough about nutrition to keep it on the 1st page. They'd rather talk about supplements for whatever reason

[a nice bush]

Who needs food when you can drink protein shakes and take designer steroids??

[bluestreak08]

yeah this probably should be stickied, but most people ignore stickies anyway.

[DaramoeX]

Originally Posted by Turb0 Negr0

There is already a nutrition thread

https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.p...n+discu ssion

Sorry, I don't frequent this section much and I didn't see that thread. You can add my stuff to yours or I can copy all your stuff into this thread. Either way, it would be beneficial to have a nutrition thread stickied to the front page.

[hell's army-mid]

You say tuna in water is a good thing to keep handy, what are the differences between tuna in water and tuna without water-besides the obvious that one doesn't have water...

[LGB (Banned)]

If it's not in water, it's likely in sunflower oil which has some more fat in it. Not necessarily bad depending on your goals.

[Turb0 Negr0]

Tuna in oil is disguisting, thats what the difference is.

I drain my tuna, put it in a bowl, add hot sauce, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes mix it all up and throw it on a skillet for about 10 minutes. You would never think tuna could taste so good