More Diet Advice

[Old_Fart2]

This is from Dave Draper:

General Nutrition

Good nutrition, like good training, is simple - learn the basics and practice them consistently. A little knowledge and a lot more discipline is the secret. Apply yourself diligently - look ahead, don't look back and don't look for shortcuts. There simply aren't any.

Health and fitness has climbed to the top of America's popularity list and has become big business. As you've noticed, there's a gym on every corner and a glut of diet and bodybuilding formulas to pack on muscle and burn off fat. Competition is fierce, the promises are bizarre and we're all confused, suspicious and eventually numb. We have on our hands a zillion ways to diet, feed ourselves and live our lives for fitness. Let's clear the air and put some things in order.

RULE # 1- Stay away from fats, excessive salt and simple sugars. This eliminates 99% of the fast foods, munchies and soft drinks. Who needs them? In a few short weeks, you won't want them, wonder why you ate them and feel sick if you do!

RULE # 2 - Eat a basic breakfast of complete carbohydrates and protein to set up your metabolism for the day and to provide fuel and muscle building ingredients. Basically, protein builds muscle and carbohydrate supplies fuel for energy. Breakfast can be an easy to prepare meal from a quality protein shake to a bowl of oatmeal, scoop of cottage cheese, fruit and coffee. Remember, if you don't feed yourself a small wholesome meal in the morning, your body will draw on your muscle tissue as a source of energy, putting you in a slump and in muscle deficit. Add a good vitamin and mineral formula each morning to put order and efficiency in your body chemistry.

RULE # 3 - With whatever effort it takes, feed yourself every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day - each meal consisting again of protein and carbohydrate. Any combination of the following is perfect: tuna/rice, lean meat/baked potato, cottage cheese and fruit, chicken/pasta, etc. (Vegetarians - take particular care in order to get plenty of protein in your diet.)

RULE # 4 - In simple English, to gain weight, eat more and eat more often. Be ready for solid bulk weight - lean muscle comes slowly but surely. To lose weight, eat less, still as often, consuming the majority of your calories early in the day.

RULE # 5 - I have always instinctively leaned toward a higher intake of protein over carbohydrate to build a lean body. Though contrary to popular opinion, many doctors and top bodybuilders I've conferred with agree. Emphasize protein.

RULE # 6 - Between meal snacking is okay if the snack is truly nutritious - no junk! Don't let them be a substitute for a meal or become a habit. Good snacks are fruits or vegetables, low fat muffins, protein energy bars, nonfat yogurt, whole wheat bagels, cottage cheese, etc.

RULE # 7 - Simple carbohydrates (sugar and honey) provide us with a quick pickup but let us down just a quickly. Excessive sugar plays havoc with our insulin metabolism and leads to fatigue and fat storage. Not good.

RULE # 8 - Fuel up before your workout. Eat a small easily digested meal 30-60 minutes before you train. With complex carbohydrates in your system, you'll train harder, longer and with more enthusiasm. You won't experience low blood sugar jitters or dizziness - you will experience a great muscle pump and probably get that last rep. After a long day's work, protein shakes and BCAA are the kings. It's also a good time to restock your creatine stores.

RULE # 9 - Similarly, you need to eat a hearty protein meal with plenty of carbs within 60-90 minutes of completion of your workout. This is necessary to provide the muscle building materials to repair depleted tissue and begin the process of building new muscle.

RULE #10 - The most important nutrient in your body is plain water. The quality of your tissues, their performance and their resistance to injury is absolutely dependent on the quality and quantity of the water you drink. Flood yourself throughout the day, especially during the workout.

RULE #11 - Sleep, rest and relaxation are of prime importance. It's during periods of sound sleep that our bodies recuperate and build muscle tissue.

It's really not all that complicated, just have to be dedicated.

[premedios]

I can go with this!

[descarado]

for sleep, does it matter WHEN as opposed to how long? ie, is it better to sleep 8 hours from 2 AM-10 AM or is it better to sleep 7 hours from 12 AM-7AM?

[Old_Fart2]

Originally Posted by descarado

for sleep, does it matter WHEN as opposed to how long? ie, is it better to sleep 8 hours from 2 AM-10 AM or is it better to sleep 7 hours from 12 AM-7AM?

Good question and I don't know the answer.

I think you can look back at our far distant ancestors for answers to a lot of questions about why our body works certain ways. So looking at it from that standpoint, we're probably hard-wired to sleep during the night hours when the larger predators were out and it was safer to stay in a cave.

It's interesting to look at our behaviour with that in mind.

[Manfred_Man]

great post, old fart!

Originally Posted by descarado

for sleep, does it matter WHEN as opposed to how long? ie, is it better to sleep 8 hours from 2 AM-10 AM or is it better to sleep 7 hours from 12 AM-7AM?

it depends on what your day demands, and looks like

if you're a 9-5 guy, and assuming you need to leave by 7:30, i'd say get to sleep around 11 and get up around 6:30 (if you workout in the evenings) or get to sleep around 10 and up at 5:30 (for morning workouts - don't forget to shower!)

your body will also tell you what it needs for rest...

[Adonis]

the closer you go to bed to sunset the better, and even better is waking at sunrise. The body loves that, but its kind of hard unless your a farmer

[acutekitten]

woohoo my dad was a farmer and i worked for him as long as i can remember. I go to bed at 10-11p.m. every day and wake up at 7:30a.m. so i get plenty of sleep. maybe too much.

[titoboy]

great post

[mrcollege]

You usually should sleep at some time at night so that your waking time is a little after sunrise. It's part of the body's circidaian rhythm. It seems to be ingrained in humans. Anyway, it depends on the person though, but dawn is the best time to wake IF you got enough sleep.

[Manfred_Man]

hey, mrcollege! welcome to the EF community! specifically to the Health forums!

thanks for your input & we look forward to hearing more from you, too!

btw, just for those interested in circadian rhythms, here's something to read:

The circadian rhythm is a name given to the "internal body clock" that regulates the (roughly) 24 hour cycle of biological processes in animals and plants. (The term circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning "around" and dies, "day", meaning literally, "around a day").

Humans have been aware of these cycles since pre-history, as an understanding of these rhythms was essential to early hunters. The formal study of this daily rhythm and other biological rhythms (such as seasonal ones) is called chronobiology.

Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including humans. There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this 24 hour cycle.

The circadian rhythm is neither fully dependent nor fully independent of external cues such as sunlight and temperature. Early researchers identified that some sort of "internal" rhythm must exist, because plants and animals did not react immediately to artificially-induced changes in daily rhythms. However it has been well established that a mechanism for adjustment also exists, as plants and animals will eventually adjust their internal clock to a new pattern (if it is sufficiently regular).

It has also been clearly established that the circadian rhythm is rigidly linked to the light/dark cycle. Animals kept in total darkness for extended periods eventually demonstrate a "free running" rhythm. This research has influenced the design of spacecraft environments, as systems that mimic the light/dark cycle have been found to be highly beneficial to astronauts.

The circadian "clock" in mammals is primarily located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a distinct group of cells located in the hypothalamus. Destruction of the SCN results in the complete absence of a circadian rhythm. Contributing to this clock are light receptors found in the retina which have a pathway, (called the retinohypothalamic tract), leading to the SCN.

It appears that the SCN takes the information on day length from the retina, interprets it, and passes it on to the pineal gland (a pea-like structure found on the epithalamus), which then secretes the hormone melatonin in response. Secretion of melatonin peaks at night and ebbs during the day. The SCN does not appear to be able to rapidly react to changes in the light/dark cues.

Recently, evidence has emerged that circadian rhythms are found in many cells in the body--outside of the SCN "master clock." Liver cells, for example, appear to respond to feeding rather than light. Cells from many parts of the body appear to have "free-running" rhythms.

Disruption to rhythms usually have a negative effect in the short term. Many travelers have experienced the condition known as jet lag, with its associated symptoms of fatigue, disorientation and insomnia. A number of other sleep disorders are associated with irregular or pathological functioning of the circadian rhythms.

[Old_Fart2]

Good posts, MRCollege and Manfred!

And Welcome to the Forum! I see you're a reformed leecher! Congatulations!

[Goose102]

is there such a thing as "too much" sleep?

[patsmith]

Originally Posted by Goose102

is there such a thing as "too much" sleep?

Not particularly, but if you always feel sleepy, it's possible that you suffer from iron deficiency. If you always feel a bit sleepy and needing a nap, get a blood test from a reputable doctor just to be sure. Extra iron in your diet makes you feel that much better.

[gYmgIrL]

With eating often - but not eating crap, what would be the best option if you were due to eat something but don't have access to anything but crap to eat?

Not eating at all or eating the bad thing?

[eqpfunk]

i would say eating a reasonable amount of the bad thing. Like if you're at McDonalds, one hamburger but no fries and not the bacon big mac. That way you're feeding yourself so your metabolism won't drop but you're not pigging out either.

[gYmgIrL]

Great thank you