The ESSENTIALS of losing fat and gaining muscle - YOUR DIET
 

I think we need a good thread we can point anyone who asks "how do i get not fat?" or "i want to TONE!!! omgbratpittfightclub!" to. I'll try to get all the basics of your diet in here. I'll make another thread on exercise later (it might already exist by the time you read this).

All of the information i'm posting here is gleaned from knowledgable sources. It has worked for me and many, many others out there. A large chunk of it was posted by a guy who really knows his shit. I would copy-paste his post but the site's database server ate it, so i'm paraphrasing. Anyhow...

I'm going to focus more on losing fat than building muscle, because what you eat for gaining weight is as simple as eating like a pig and getting enough protein. Well, almost that simple :)

90% of losing fat and building muscle is diet. The workout is important, but you will not see a large change without a proper diet.

The first thing to look at when changing your body weight is calories. Everyone loves to criticize middle aged women who obsess over calories, but they're what matter. The most important, fundamental concept for you to remember about dieting is this:

If you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you take in fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.

As far as losing WEIGHT (note i am not specifiying muscle or fat) is concerned, it doesn't matter if it's fat, carbs or protein. If your body burns 2000 calories a day you could eat 1500 calories in Oreos and you'd lose weight. It won't all be fat, but you'll see lower numbers on the scale. We'll discuss how to make sure the weight you're losing is fat instead of muscle later on.

First thing's first: how many calories should you take in? As a starting point, take your weight and multiply it by 10-12 if you want to lose fat, 15-18 if you want to gain muscle. For example: if you weigh 200 pounds and you want to lose fat you should be getting 2000-2400 calories per day. Keep in mind this is just an initial guestimate - these numbers are far from absolute. This is especially true if you're very overweight, or someone who can eat a whole supermarket and not gain a pound. We'll get to you next.

"But Adam, I want to lose fat and build muscle at the same time! What about me?"

Unless you are just starting to weight train, or using steroids, you will not burn a significant amount of fat and put on significant amount of muscle at the same time. It does not work that way. You either burn fat or build muscle, not both. Pick one.

Your goal with this calorie counting is to be 500-1000 calories above or below what your body burns on a daily basis. If you're burning 2500 calories per day and want to lose weight, try to take in 2000. If you want to gain, 3000-3500. A pound of fat is about 3500 calories. At a 500 calorie deficit you will lose around 1 pound per week ignoring water weight (water weight loss varies from person to person, the severely overweight will lose a ton of water weight in the first few weeks). Losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is unhealthy; if you are losing that much you are burning muscle in addition to fat and putting your body through more stress than is necessary. Note: again, severely overweight people are the exception here, burning 3+ pounds per week when you're really fat is not unheard of.

If you're very fat - 25% bodyfat or higher - instead of multiplying your current weight by 10 to 12, take your lean body mass and multiply it by 10-12. Check below if you want to know how to find your bodyfat percentage. Find your lean mass like so: (100% - your body fat percentage) * your current weight = your lean mass). So if you're 250 pounds with 30% bodyfat, your lean mass would be (1 - .3)*250 = 175lbs.

For you hardgainers, it's as simple as this - eat like a pig. If you're eating 3000 calories per day and not gaining weight, eat 4000. 4000 doing nothing for you? Eat 5000.

We have our initial caloric guideline. Great! But what do we eat, and how much of each? Again there is a basic outline that'll work for 99% of the people out there with minimal tweaking.

As most of you probably know, your body gets its energy (calories) from three basic forms: proteins, fats, and carbs. How much of each should you get?

Protein: Get between 1 and 1.5 grams per pound of body weight (fatties you should use lean body mass instead of total body weight here). A high amount of protein is important for both maintaining and building muscle mass.

Fats: 25% of your total calories should be fats. Fish and nuts have a lot of good fats in them, stay away from the saturated crap.

Carbs: The rest of your calories should be carbs.

Before i forget - take at least a multivitamin once a day and drink lots of water. You should be peeing clear.

Okay, you have your basic diet outlined. What do you do now? Try it out!

A good way to figure out if all this eating (or not eating) is doing you any good is this:

Step 1: Take your weight at a specific time one day of the week. I like to weigh myself monday morning after i've used the bathroom. It doesn't REALLY matter when you do it (mornings will typically give you the most consistant results) but you need to pick a day and time and stick with it. Being consistant is important here - your weight can fluctuate up to 10 pounds during the day so stick with one time. Use common sense too; don't drink a gallon of water before you weigh yourself one week, and then run for 2 hours in the sun before weighing in next week.

Step 2: Follow your diet and exercise plan for 2 weeks. Don't touch the scale at all for 2 weeks.

Step 3: After two weeks, weigh yourself at your previously chosen time and day. How has your weight changed? If you're trying to lose weight, you should have dropped about 2 pounds. Those of you trying to bulk should see the exact opposite.

If you're unsure about these results, give it another two weeks. It takes your body time to change into fat burning or muscle building mode - one guy I talk with doesn't notice changes for up to 6 weeks after he adjusts his diet. If your body weight still hasn't changed after 4 weeks adjust your caloric intake up or down 500 calories per day and try again. Remember you're aiming for about 1 pound per week difference here. Continue this process to find what works for you.


In summation:

1) CALORIES COUNT! 11 or 15 * bodyweight in calories for losing or gaining weight
2) 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
3) 25% of calories from fat
4) the rest from carbs
5) Aim for 1-2 pound change per week
6) Adjust as necessary

Here's an example of what I have been doing. When i started this i was at 215lbs and around 25% bodyfat.

Calories: 2000 per day
Protein: 180-200 grams per day
Fats: Hell if I know, I'm honestly not keeping track beyond popping some fish oil and flax seed oil pills every day.
Carbs: the rest

It took me about 2 months to narrow down about how many calories i should be getting, but at this rate i lose between one and two pounds per week while maintaining (and in some areas slightly increasing) strength. When losing fat that is the goal.

Finding your bodyfat percentage
For a rough guideline of what bodyfat percentage you're at, use this guy's pics for a reference - http://www.naturalphysiques.com/cms/...php?itemid=144. If you can, have a trainer at your gym do a caliper test on you for a more accurate measurement of your bodyfat percentage. Or even better find somewhere with a dunk tank, that's the most accurate way to measure. *NOTE* Those electronic bodyfat measurement devices are worthless, don't trust them.

Common Questions

How much <carbs/fat/protein> is in <some food>?
www.fitday.com should have an answer.

I heard your body can only absorb 50 grams of protein per day.
Bullshit. At the very least there is no well respected research that says this. Try eating 50 grams per day, and then try eating 1*bodyweight per day, you'll see that there is a difference.

I'm trying to lose fat, but i broke down and had a snickers bar out of the vending machine at work. What do i do?!
Don't worry about it, one time won't kill you - just don't make a habit of it. Now, if you broke down and ate a whole tub of snickers ice cream... well, learn your lesson and stick with it.

A lot of people like to schedule in a cheat meal or day once a week. For this day or meal they will eat whatever they want: pizza, candy, fried chicken, fast food, whatever. That's fine. Once a week won't kill you, but try to keep it within reason. If you break down and cheat on a day that is not a designated cheat day, adjust your diet for the next two or three days to compensate a little. In the grand scheme of things cheating once a week won't have a huge impact. Use it like a motivator if you have to - if i stick with my diet for the rest of the week, i can have that double cheese all meat pizza when i get home Friday.

What about Atkins/Southbeach/<insert fad diet>?
Ignore them. They might work, but they're not important. Done properly, what i have outlined will work and is a very healthy way to lose weight. You CANNOT lose weight unless your body is burning more calories than it consumes. All those fad diets are just the scenic route to this fact.

I'm a girl, does all of this still apply?
YES!

1 pound a week is too slow! Spring break is two weeks away, i gotta lose this beer gut!
Sorry, not gonna happen. A healthy body composition change takes time. If you're losing much more than 2 pounds per week you are burning muscle along with that fat, not to mention stressing your body. Thinking "If 500 below maintenance is good, 1500 below must be great!" is a good way to hurt yourself. Also most people will have a hard time sticking with a diet like that, you will NOT feel good eating 1000 calories per day if your body needs 2500.

I'm 120 pounds and 6'5", i have to gain weight, i don't care if it's fat!
You don't want to gain fat. Being a fat guy with no muscle is even worse than being a skinny one with no muscle.

I love pop/soda/coke. I can't give it up. What do I do?
Stop being a wussy and quit drinking it. If you absolutely can't, try and fit it into your diet; drinking your calories is never a good idea but if you can make it fit, go for it. Failing that, go to diet. That stuff is horrible for you in other ways, but at least it doesn't have the calories of normal pop.

What about supplements? Should i go max my credit card at GNC?
Supplements have their place. There are no magical supplements (aside from MAYBE steroids :teef: ) that'll make your dreams come true, but they can be a great way to meet your dietary goals.

My number 1 most favoritest supplement is whey protein. It's an easy, quick way to get a solid amount of protein into your diet. I have two scoops for breakfast and two scoops post workout. Here is an excellent article on post workout nutrition, read it.

What about creatine? Or this SUPERMEGABEEFCAKE 9000 stuff the GNC guy recommended?
Go here for all your creatine questions.

The assclown at GNC probably wouldn't know a good supplement from snake oil if his life depended on it. Most of that CELLTEK/MUSCLETEK/RIPPED FUEL bullshit is overpriced crap. When in doubt, stick to whey and a multivitamin. A good choice for whey is Optimum Nutritions 100% whey protein. I suggest sticking with the 2lb tubs until you fi nd a flavor you like.

I've found a supplement i want to take, where should i buy it?
NOT GNC, you'll pay twice what you should. My preferred store is www.1fast400.com. Excellent prices, excellent customer service, great selection, fast shipping. I don't get paid for recommending them, i have no connections with that site other than I'm a customer. I'm sure there are other good ones out there to, but i always order from 1fast400.

Damn, that was long.

Questions/comments/concerns?

Good shit, I'm gonna make it a sticky, although I don't think you can essentially eat anything to fill your calories/fat, you should be eating good stuff, chicken, fish, greens, and leave bad stuff for the cheat meal. (Which you kinda cover I suppose)

You CAN eat anything, but it's not recommended. If you want your carbs to be ice cream, go for it, but those calories won't fill you up like whole grains and veggies will ;)

Right, thats what I'm getting at, you could, but it would be stupid to do so.

How bad is it to have insufficient protein after your muscles are already severly sore from a workout? This is happening to me right now because I'm sick and I can barely eat. I tried eating more today but it came back up, and I forced down some roast.

It's not GOOD, but not the end of the world. When you're sick training goals go right out the window. Eat what you can, stay out of the gym, take some vitamin C and some zinc, drink lots of water and get lots of rest. Worry about getting in shape when you're healthy again.

If you're healthy, insufficient protein can cause your body to actually go after muscle as its primary energy source. There's some crazy biochemistry stuff that goes on in a situation where you don't have enough protein in your system to even repair the damage you've done in the gym. Exactly how bad this is, i can't say, but at the least you won't see any gains from going to the gym. Get sufficient protein on a consistant basis and you won't have to worry about it.

Thanks for all of that. I'm going to show a couple of people this.

Quick question: When you state try to lose 1-2 lbs a week, or else you are burning muscle as well. Does this apply if you are lifting too? I am trying to loose about 10 lbs of fat.

Even if you're lifting, 1-2lbs is what you want to shoot for. In fact if you aren't lifting you could lose muscle even at 1-2lbs/week. A good workout regimen says to your body "Hey, fucker, I'm using that muscle - don't touch it!" It should be noted that this thread goes hand in hand with the other one I posted.

Keep in mind these are not 100% hard numbers, some people might be able to lose 3 or even 4lbs of fat per week (this is especially true for those with a LOT to lose) without saccrificing much muscle mass, but 1-2 is what you should shoot for.

Thanks.....I notice that if I play ball 3 times a week for a few hard games, I can lose 3-4 lbs. I continue to lift as well and didn't notice any loss in strenght. I really don't have much to lose, rather I feel that playing basketball really works well for losing lbs in my body.

I bet if I gave up drinking pop, I could lose a pound a week. I usually end up drinking 2-3 cans of coke a day, which I know isn't the best for my body. Honestly, I kind of am addicted to the stuff.

That coke is ruining your weight loss effort.

Rep points for ABreece!!! :jk:
good stuff :thumbsup:

So after reading both of these I'm pretty much on target for the workout stuff and the cardio. I eat what I want in moderations, meaning I don't indulge and stuff myself like I use to. I am just not good with the numbers of carbs and protein, and I am confused about some foods. For example peanuts, I know they are high in protein but also high in (good) fats. Do you have a website that describes what proteins are good, along with how many calories per gram. Also, does it matter when you eat your protein and carbs? I was thinking of doing my cardio in the morning and eating my carbs before 3:00 pm, and on days that I work out, I plan to eat protein right after I work out in the afternoon. Or should I eat more protein at lunch since it's heavier to break down and carbs in the evening since I would be doing cardio in the morning?????

I know and I plan on cutting way back starting today. To me, Coke is like crack. I plan on having no more than one a day for now.

www.fitday.com has a nice calculator setup that'll allow you to figure out what foods have what nutritional content in them. That's a great site in general for tracking your nutrition; their web version is free and has all kinds of neat graphs and stuff.

Lean meat is good stuff - poultry and fish. Some fish also have a lot of good fat in them - salmon is the one that comes to mind. Whole grain for carbs - stay away from white breads, most cereals, sugar, etc.

When you eat doesn't matter a ton. True 6 small meals a day is better than 3 larger ones, but it won't make a huge difference. Start out with a balanced amount in each meal and adjust to your preference. Try to get a solid amount of protein immediately after your workout (reasoning behind this: http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/windowofopportunity.php)

Thanks for the advice. Staying out of the gym is probably the best thing. I haven't gone since I got sick on tuesday.

One thing i know is CELLTECH is not crap, over priced yes, but not crap.. I took a 8 week program using celltech and stacking it with whey protein, i saw an increase of 15lbs in lean mass and my bench went up by 40 lbs.

I have stopped taking celltech because i am in the washout phase, but i continue to take protein, i take about 160 gms a day. Im seeing drastic improvements and i love it.

interesting article

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8514206/page/2/

thanks for the fitday link, i am going to start using it, because i can't seem to take in enough calories to match what i'm burning off each day.

yesterday i took in 2956 caloris, and i burned off 4000. :doh:

While I agree about the calories balance, I find that eating more proteins and low-carbing will prevent from being hungry more easily. In addition to the obvious sugar, there is some scientific base regarding the level of insulin, being hungry and the intake of some food. In find this forum very supportive and I don't think that it is attached to any commercial group.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/

I don't disagree with you. What i was really getting at is fad diets are not the way to do things. ;)

Excessive carbs do screw with your insulin levels and don't do much for making you feel full. The basic balance of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 25% of total cals in fat, and the rest carbs should work for helping most people feel full.

I totally disagree. Are you saying that 90% of building muscle is dependand on your diet? If yes, then that's totally false. Nutrition and not diet, is 1/3rd of the equation when building muscle.

Exactly. :)


Very important the latter is. Nice.

Also true. Your body sees protein as energy first, everything else, second. Hence
there are no proven or known limits to amounts of absorbtion.


Oh yes! :)

Your diet meaning what you eat, ie nutrition. You could say that it's 1/3rd of a tripod with the other legs being your workout and rest, i just felt it was important to emphasize diet because it is often overlooked.

also keep in mind that 7000 calories = 2lbs....if what you are eating now is 3000 calories ....just knock down 1000/day and you'll lose 2lbs a week. <---just a quick summary...

For me, I eat about 44% protein and 28% carbs and 28% fat.
I've changed my diet from the calories I was at (that kept my current weight) to a 2000 calorie diet.
Which for my body type and goal..would come to 236grams protien (0.91 per 1lb) 126grams carbs and 64 grams of fat per day.
Split that to 6 meals a day <- the Key.....5-6 meals a day is a must...never eat 3 meals.

:werd: celltech is awesome or creatine in general. Just be sure you drink water like a fish when taking creatine. The increase people see like FiftyFive mention is awesome...you will be pumped quick. Take that with products to increase the nitro levels like Pump-Tech...and you're workouts will be great.

Cytosport's Muscle Milk is good too. Contains creatine and other supplements if you want to take it easy.

To help promote some good fat burning, CLA is also a good product to take.

Just a reminder...if you go on creatine products...you will gain a good amount of weight due to water absorption...dont let this discourage you thinking you're getting fat...

Is the weight gain from creatine bloat THAt drastic? My weight didn't fluctuate much last summer when I was on it. I drank a gallon of water a day too. All I noticed was my forearms got a bit thicker...

And I believe the newer creatine EE products don't give you the bloat anymore.

true...u dont get much bloat anymore....but see it more has your muscles bulking...like you menioned with your forearms....the water absorbing to your muscles ....i believe more so under your muscles....but not like in the gut or anything....at least not that I have read or seen or experienced..

LOL, it's not just the diet that matters - it's your state of mind. It's your drive to lose the weight/gain the muscle. If it were that easy, do you think american people are as fat as they are now?

You can eat mcdonalds and not get fat. It's called eating in moderation. Most of the other countries have been doing it for centuries. It's all about portioning out your food. Most people in other countries like HK, taiwan, asian countries eat alot of fried fatty shit. Because they eat small portions (unlike here in america where we have claim jumper style portions), they accompany their meal with daily exercise such as walking to work, tai-chi etc. Here after a full meal deal at the outback steakhouse eating a 26 ounce steak, we sit and watch tv or a movie.

I would say it can be a 60/40 or 80/20 split - that is what you put into your body that affects you. What's left is the amount of exercise you put in and your genetics. You have people eating fatty foods all year long and not gain more than 5 lbs. It's the size of each portion they eat and how many times they eat during the day along with actual body movement.

What you should do instead is take a picture of yourself now. Develop the photo and examine it. You will not like what you see if you are overweight...you can really tell that you are overweight when you see yourself in a photo. Hopefully, that will snap some sense into your pig habits.

Yes, you can eat right and lose weight even without going to the gym-that will give you bare bones physique (not sculpted).

The diet goes hand in hand with the drive. You can't stick to the diet without the willpower. That should go without saying.

No matter how you get there, it all boils down to this:
Calories eaten < calories burned == lose weight
Calories eaten > calories burned == gain weight

Good advice. If you haven't done this before, try it. You'll be amazed.

quick question:
You say if your piss is clear that it's a good thing. Can you explain this better, why/how this happens. Is it caused by the increased water that you drink or what? Thanks in advance....

Many individuals will have yellow tinted urine as a result to many things, one namely being lack of water (dehydration) in their diet. Increasing the intake of water into your diet, normally will change the color and even odor, in some cases, to a slightly yellow/clear color. Best of luck..following the food pyramid for a well-balanced diet, and ingesting a good amount of water daily, before sticking tons of your hard earned money into supplements, is highly recommended.

Thanks for that writeup!!!

re
 

Alright here i am, 220pounds, around 25% bodyfat, 5'11'', im training alsmost everyday and work in construction. i eat about 1800calories a day and burn between 300 to 500 calories 4 times a week when i go the gym and burn ?? when i go to work, i eat well not junk and i weight train well also, ive taken this resolution to loose weight starting b4 the holidays, and today i weight myself guess what 220pounds on the scale but i feel more fit, and i aint losing anything.

Ive bought a whey protein supplement also and drinking it with water for not exceeding calorie intake

Is the amount of protein important to be 10 times my weight to lose fat? Can it be that i dont take enough protein and this is causing me not to lose fat?

Help me out here, i feel like im gonna let everything go very soon :tomato:

Goal:20pound loss

informative article

didn't see this earlier so i donno if you're still checkin the boards, but you're most likely replacing fat with muscle... don't use a scale to measure your results...

Awesome thread! I'm 6'3" 230lbs. I've always been active (mountain biking, running, basketball, etc) so it's not all fat, but I have a major sweet tooth and do the majority of my eating after 8 PM at night. It all started in high school when I got a TV in my bedroom at home and ever since then I've always brought a "snack" up to the bedroom before sleep. Anyway, I'm literally right around the corner from 30 years old and I have at least 15lbs to lose to be happy with myself, but I find the cravings almost unbearable at night. I've tried pretzles (low fat but high in carbs), drinking lots of water instead of stuffing my face, etc and nothing seems to work. Any advice on how to cut out my late night snacking/binging? I should also note I tend to work out at night, not in the AM, so do you think becase I'm burning calories closer to bed time my body is craving food to compensate more in the PM? Would working out in the morning be my first step?

What kind of food do u guys c that u r generally eating to lose weight?

I really want to try this dieting but i cant think of any food that is healthy and gets u full that
is tasty as well.

You should not be worrying about what you eat when you are still in High School. Once you get to college, it will be time to reevaluate your exercise/eating habits because you will add about 5000 calories a week in beer.

I learned a lot from this thread. Thanks for all the posts. I'm getting conscious at my weight. Hope I can loose at least some to get back in shape.

What is a good multivitamin to take daily?

My doctor + future father in-law, (he's a doctor as well) recommended taking Centrum Cardio.