Dear All:
I am interested in learning more about nutrition; specifically information about healthy bulking, how to lean-up properly while maintaining strength gains, and overall how to get the most from nutrition for my strength goals and maintain/imrpove health. I am not a competitive powerlifter but train the main lifts and have a main interest in strength.
Are there any specific books that you would recommend to purchase or to avoid?
Thanks in advance!
Carb backloading and Carb nite are pretty well read. And are specific to a weightlifting audience, although I can’t say whether I agree/disagree with the diets themselves.
Also, Jaime Lewis is writing a new e-book entirely about nutrition that should be coming out soon. his diet is pretty interesting, if you ant more info check out hit blog chaos and pain and browse through some of the older nutrition articles. HE has more info on when the book is coming out and stuff there too.
Aside from that, there is a lot of great free information out on the internet too. Obviously you have to sort through the bullshit and whatnot haha, but there are some simple “diets” and diet information that can work really well, depending on your goals and whatnot. For example… intermittent fasting, paleo, zone diets. Also, I remember hearing Glen Pendelay, when asked about nutrition, say quite simply “eat meat and vegetables. If you have trouble gaining weight… eat rice too” hahaha. Can’t get much easier than that.
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Honestly, it seems like CBL got a lot of traction with weightlifters because it’s a quick fix. No carbs followed by massive amounts of carbs…I don’t think this type of extreme dieting with huge fluctuations like that are really necessary for most people. Isn’t it possible to just eat sensibly?
I wasn’t arguing for carb backloading, just letting the OP know that it exists, and does get a lot of attention because it is a nutritional book geared for weightlifters. Personally, I tried it and didn’t find it to be anything special, and am now eating in a completely different way. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t an interesting read. Just like I did, the OP could check it out, do some more reading and experimentation, and decide for himself if it’s crap or somewhat useful.
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Honestly, it seems like CBL got a lot of traction with weightlifters because it’s a quick fix. No carbs followed by massive amounts of carbs…I don’t think this type of extreme dieting with huge fluctuations like that are really necessary for most people. Isn’t it possible to just eat sensibly? [/quote]
I think part of the problem with people today is that going a few hours without food or even just without carbs is “extreme”.
There is a moderated forum over at another strength site that is really good. There have been several people who have really lost some fat while maintaining strength. Jordan is writing a book that should be out soon.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]xjusticex2013x wrote:
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Honestly, it seems like CBL got a lot of traction with weightlifters because it’s a quick fix. No carbs followed by massive amounts of carbs…I don’t think this type of extreme dieting with huge fluctuations like that are really necessary for most people. Isn’t it possible to just eat sensibly? [/quote]
I think part of the problem with people today is that going a few hours without food or even just without carbs is “extreme”.[/quote]
Okay, maybe “extreme” wasn’t the best word for it.
This is just my take on CBL and I am a nobody, but I use it at its most basic levels; lots of coffee, no breakfast, no carbs until about halfway through my workout and then I eat what I want.
When I do this, I dont feel bloated and full all day long; I hate eating and Im rarely hungry, so when its time to actually take in the carbs and calories, I can actually eat a good amount of food; the carbs at night seem to help me sleep better. I havent lost any strength, my numbers are actually climbing and I lost a couple inches off my gut. I dont plan on smashing any world records or winning a physique contest, but I feel a bit better and I actually look a bit better as well. I hope this helps and good luck.
The reason most carb restricting diets work wonders is because, at a rough guess, 99% of the people in the US are over-eating carbs. I’d also guess a good 90% of the people you see in the gym are still over-eating carbs, at least in terms of macro ratios. Theyre just too easy to come by. Lot of people think eating whole grain sandwiches and fruit and pasta every meal is good for you, and maybe it is, but its a ton of carbs. That being the case, they are the easiest thing to manipulate, imo. By easy of course I mean the planning part, not the execution.
Far as solid advice goes, I think the best bet is to try things out that have worked for other people, and see what works for you. Some people have a hard time holding on to strength while watching carbs, some people don’t.
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Judging by your statement above, you appear to know very little actual facts about CBL. Sure, CBL isn’t the be all /end all of diets but it is an efective program grounded in actual science. In fact it shares a ton of similarities with the Mountain dog stuff. Once you read the hows and whys it become clear that it is a sound approach to over all fitness. In CBL and Mtn dog one eats carbs in a strategic manor to elicit a hormone responce. It does not give license to eat a gal of ice cream and pound 3 boxes of Little Debbies after doing a few push ups.
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Yup this exactly. OP figure out your maintence calories pick macros. hit them, lift heavy. profit
Thank you all for your assistance. I will check out CBL and the other info that has been given.
Any tips or resources for a successful, ‘healthy’ bulk? I have added mass successfully in the past but ended up with some pretty bad bloodwork in addition. I would like to formulate a better plan for the next time I bulk.
Thanks!
[quote]MrX wrote:
Dear All:
I am interested in learning more about nutrition; specifically information about healthy bulking, how to lean-up properly while maintaining strength gains, and overall how to get the most from nutrition for my strength goals and maintain/imrpove health. I am not a competitive powerlifter but train the main lifts and have a main interest in strength.
Are there any specific books that you would recommend to purchase or to avoid?
Thanks in advance![/quote]
Try something like Power Eating by Susan Kleiner. While additional studying will probably lead you to develop opinions that do not necessarily go along with everything in the book (but who really agrees 100% with anything diet related), but it is a very good place to start and build a base from.
What do you guys think of the paleo diet for lifters by Justin lascek?
[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Carb Backloading is a fad diet that worked because a bunch of obese people lost weight eating fewer calories. I would really caution the OP to stay away from garbage like that.[/quote]
Judging by your statement above, you appear to know very little actual facts about CBL. Sure, CBL isn’t the be all /end all of diets but it is an efective program grounded in actual science. In fact it shares a ton of similarities with the Mountain dog stuff. Once you read the hows and whys it become clear that it is a sound approach to over all fitness. In CBL and Mtn dog one eats carbs in a strategic manor to elicit a hormone responce. It does not give license to eat a gal of ice cream and pound 3 boxes of Little Debbies after doing a few push ups. [/quote]
Saying something is “based on actual science” means nothing. It’s based on science in the sense that a guy crafting a fad diet found some studies that vaguely support his argument. But if you were really basing this on science, you’d be significantly more hesitant to start preaching about hormonal responses from carbs. Manipulating carbs seems to work for some people, and that’s fine, but it’s ridiculous to think you’re going to see significant (in a clinical sense) changes from it.
And yes, that’s exactly what CBL encourages even if not openly supporting it; it’s a diet based on binging, and it doesn’t set anyone up for long-term success. People are much better served learning about macros and balanced eating.
You can also set up macronutrients and count them. 1g of protein per lb bodyweight. .3-.5g of fat per bw, and I would recommend starting at 300g of carbs. Carbs are easy to adjust, just weigh yourself and lower or increase if you are not liking what you see on the scale. If you are losing weight too quick, up the carbs, if you are gaining, lower them.
12-15g of fiber per 1000 calories. 2 servings of veggies and fruits a day should cover it.
don’t avoid certain foods just because they’ve been deemed “dirty”. food is apart of life, enjoy it. Just eat things in moderation. Don’t develop an eating disorder and only eat 5 foods for the rest of your life. here’s a video to help you understand macros and the importance of tracking them.
If you still don’t believe me here’s an actual research paper, written by real doctors who have experimental data. It’s long and you can simply read the conclusion, but to fully understand the concept you should at least skim the paper;
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/5/899S.long
There’s more information on the web about flexible dieting, calorie and macro counting/tracking. Please feel free to research more of it. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too.
[quote]Zerpp wrote:
You can also set up macronutrients and count them. 1g of protein per lb bodyweight. .3-.5g of fat per bw, and I would recommend starting at 300g of carbs. Carbs are easy to adjust, just weigh yourself and lower or increase if you are not liking what you see on the scale. If you are losing weight too quick, up the carbs, if you are gaining, lower them.
12-15g of fiber per 1000 calories. 2 servings of veggies and fruits a day should cover it.
don’t avoid certain foods just because they’ve been deemed “dirty”. food is apart of life, enjoy it. Just eat things in moderation. Don’t develop an eating disorder and only eat 5 foods for the rest of your life. here’s a video to help you understand macros and the importance of tracking them.
If you still don’t believe me here’s an actual research paper, written by real doctors who have experimental data. It’s long and you can simply read the conclusion, but to fully understand the concept you should at least skim the paper;
There’s more information on the web about flexible dieting, calorie and macro counting/tracking. Please feel free to research more of it. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too.
[/quote]
Glad you linked that. 3DMJ is one of the best sourced on nutrition IMO.
John Meadows is also very knowledgeable…