I am brand new to this site. I am very into my health and nutrtition thats why I ask for help with a few issues that I have.
I eat very clean, having 5-6 meals a day with lots of fruits, veggies, good fatz, and lean meats. I count calories, but lately I have been super bummed with eating due to the fact I have to think about it so much.
So here is whats buggin me:
*Will eating PB+CC before bed make me gain fat if I am not looking to bulk
*Is eating carbs and fats together bad?
*Eating carbs with my dinner other than veggies a bad call.
*Eating breads (even ezekiel)is a no no…
My diet and exercise has pushed me into overtraining and insomnia and a binge every now and then due to not eating enough calories.
Give yourself a break, man. Stop the calorie counting for a while and just eat when you’re hungry. Keep the good stuff around but don’t plan yourself into madness.
From what I understand, combining fats and carbs together is a no-no. Besides, every meal should have protein, so why would you be doing PB+CC and no protein?
Eating non-veggie carbs with dinner should really only be done if you’ve trained before eating.
Keep the bread to a minimum, but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy it every once in a while. I love Ezekiel bread, and I eat a couple slices a week (doing the Cheat to Lose diet right now, so I get one slice of bread per day during the Low GI/GL days); as long as you’re not overeating it, it should be cool.
Take a week off from training, to give yourself a break. If taking time off scares you, just do something recreationally during the week. Go for walks or easy bike rides.
[quote]DrumTech wrote:
*Will eating PB+CC before bed make me gain fat if I am not looking to bulk
*Is eating carbs and fats together bad?
*Eating carbs with my dinner other than veggies a bad call.
*Eating breads (even ezekiel)is a no no…
[/quote]
Depends on your total calories for the day
This concept seems to be losing traction, with carb timing being the replacement theory. Essentially you’ll want to keep most of your carb intake in the morning or surrounding your workout.
Depends on when you worked out, and whether you’re on a ketogenic diet or not, but for the most part it’s ok in moderation.
It’s not bread per se, but the sugar and white flour that are the bad guys. Many people on this site, including Jamie Eason, will eat breads like Ezekiel, though it depends on your current nutrition strategy.
Overall it sounds like you’re confused because you don’t really have an overall strategy. Here’s something that works well for me:
Read the nutrition label before you buy any food. If it has sugar, white flour, potatoes, corn syrup, or unfermented soy in the first three ingredients, don’t buy it. This rule is pretty simple, and will make your overall shopping experience fairly non-stress while giving you quality choices.
It’s really not that complicated. There is no reason to count calories or make it such a chore.
If you’re eating lean protein sources, fruits and veggies along with healthy fats, it really doesn’t matter what you combine together.
The only thing I would be concious of is if you’re eating complex carbs like bread, rice, pasta and oatmeal and combining it with too much fat (C+F). Obviously, those meals should contain P+C and low on the fat.
Otherwise, feel free to combine your fruits and veggies with any protein and healthy fat and you’re good to go.
If you want to eat complex carbs, save them for the meal AFTER you workout. It’s really that simple!
As for portion sizes, eat portions roughly equal to the size of your fist. If you’re still hungry, eat larger portions. If you’re trying to gain, eat larger portions. If you’re stuffed, eat smaller portions. If you’re trying to lose, eat smaller portions.
Don’t complicate something that is really a pretty simple concept.
Don’t eat man-made processed foods (if it comes in a box, don’t eat it!) Exceptions include real oatmeal or whole-grain brown rice for certain meals.
Don’t sweat the small stuff man. The goal is to eat healthy 90% of the time and be consistent with everything and give yourself time to make adjustments as needed.
I know not to eat anything out of a box. I usually eat Oats every morning with egg whites and sometimes I will add in almonds to the bowl with a banana.
My lunch is usually brown rice, chicken, and veggies with some sort of fat… EVOO in a salad…
snacks are usually yogurt w/ PB or Nuts.
I am good about dinner… lots of veggies, sometimes fruit… good meats, and avocado or side salad with olive oil…
I just always get thrown off with these “diets” I am not looking to bulk, just have good health and keep my muscle.
With all the P+C P+F yays and nays, I feel like I can’t eat complete meals anymore…
Although I work out 6 days a week, I still stress on the calories. I am only doing about 2500 a day… being 6’2 I know this is low, but I really cant get myself to eat more. (not that I want to)
Don’t get all caught up in the P+C+F stuff. For the most part, all veggies and fruits can be eaten as a part of P+F or P+C meals. Only certain veggies (potatoes and corn) and fruits (bananas, grapes) should be reserved for P+C and eaten after your workout or earlier in the day.
As for getting more calories, I don’t see why it’s so hard to do. I can eat 3,000 calories per day without a second thought. Just eat more calorically-dense foods like nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, cheese, avocados, etc.
And yes, for your size, you probably do need a lot more than 2,500 calories per day to gain any size on your 6’2" frame.
Eat larger meals and include more healthy fats to help give you the extra calories you need.
Here’s a great idea. For all you newbies and beginners out there who want to learn about proper nutrition but can’t afford Precision Nutrition by John Berardi.
Go to Amazon.com and purchase “The Metabolism Advantage” by John Berardi. It costs less than $17 and is almost a “mini” version of what Precision Nutrition contains.
It will explain the reason why, give you the research necessary and set you on the right path to eating right and making whatever goals you have. And it even contains 8 weeks worth of meals (most are the same meals in Precision Nutrition). That way, you can take the confusion out of eating “clean” and eating “right” in order to stop overthinking things.
I think I might just be working myself too hard in order to burn calories… I am taking some time off this weekend to rest. I havent been sleeping, but I still go to the gym and run every night…
