I'm starting a two months workout program. I've figured I'll be working one time per day heavily (daytime) and twice "lightly" (evening and morning). There comes a time when a man wants to be bigger than he is. I have no problem with finding time for working my muscles. The problem is that I dont know what and when to eat right to grow well and grow relatively fast. I dont want to take any steroids or chemicals. So my question to you is.... What foods do you consume and when during your workout period?
2 servings of meat
2 servings of dairy
3-5 servings of vegetables
2-4 servings of fruit
6-10 servings of breads/cereals
Obviously you want to pick and choose. Eating Chicken or Turkey is better than Steak or Hamburger for dietary purposes. Fish is good, once in a while, but be careful about mercury levels. Broccoli is better than snow peas. Others like Spinach are VERY good, but I can't stand Spinach. If you can handle it, it will do amazing things for you. Apples and Oranges are better than Bananas -- you should only eat one Banana a day max. Whole wheat/grain cereals and wheat bread are better than "candy" cereals and bleached (white) or Italian breads. Skim milk (you'll get used to it) is FAR better than whole milk. You should at least drink 2%. I don't even know why they make whole milk anymore.
Some tips/advice/other.
>> Natural sugars, fats, etc. are by far better for you and easier for your body to process than processed/artificial counterparts. Beware of a lot of lunch meats which may be processed with chemicals and other artificials to preserve it. Ask for "dry" or "store-baked" meats, or "non-processed".
>> Vitamins and Minerals from good foods like vegetables and fruits absorb into the body much easier and work for you better than counterparts from pill supplements -- not to say that supplements do not work or should not be taken by those with genuine deficiencies.
>> In order to get the best out of an excersize routine, each day should include an excersize that elevates the heart-rate for at least one-half hour at a time, without breaks. Your body, when starting out, will burn the easily accessible fuels like sugars and other carbs. Once you have been at it for a while, your body will switch to burning fats. It may be a good idea, if you can work it out, to excersize before breakfast, in the morning, or before other meals, that way you don't have too vast a reserve of sugars to burn and switch more quickly to burning stored fats. If you are not overweight, then you need not worry about when you eat with regard to excersizing, as long as it is not right before. (BARF!)
>> When excersizing, particularly walking, jogging, or running, in order to maximize efficiency of the excersize, one MUST ensure that one is not excersizing too hard. Your heart rate should be elevated enough that you cannot sing, but that you can still talk. Once you exceed a point where your lungs can no longer supply oxygen to your body, you will run out of energy quickly and begin to burn sugars instead of oxygen in some parts of the body. The burning of sugars in place of oxygen produces acids which will destroy muscle for a variable period of time after the excersize. It is IMPERATIVE that you pace yourself, even if that means walking instead of running.
>> Keep an eye on weight loss. Weight loss that is too rapid is unhealthy. Depending on the person and the type of excersize being done, you should not lose more than 1.5 pounds per week. 3/4 per week was my average when I was really into it. You should be prepared, though, for periods of no changes or actual weight gains. If you had been previously sedentary (inactive) you may experience initial weight gains due to muscles being built up. You WILL also experience "plateaus" where you will stop losing weight for a few weeks at a time. That does not mean that you wasting your time. You have to work through it. Your body will experience metabolic changes that will cause you to eat more and you may not even realize it.
>> Your body is going to need an increasing amount of calories per day in order to keep up with the increase in activity. Be prepared for this and do not fear to eat greater portions of the healthy foods per day in order to compensate. If you don't, you'll get tired and feel drained. You don't want to feel like crap and if you do, you'll be more likely to quit. Remember though, eat more when you are still genuinely hungry, not on an impulse and not because the food tastes good.
>> IMPORTANT: Be prepared for changes in the consistency and timing of your bowel movements & other health. When a diet is suddenly changed, the body needs time to react. It is used to processing certain types of foods and needs a week or more to adjust. You may get the "runs" or "hard cases" and you should not worry, unless it continues for extended periods of months or more. If you are mildly lactose intolerant, an increase in dairy consumption may reveal such a condition whereas it may not have been previously evident. Symptoms may range from gas pains and excessive farting after dairy intake to severe stomach and gas pains, and other intestinal issues. 12% of White Americans are lactose intolerant. The number is similar, if somewhat higher in Europe. See the following chart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance
None of this should be permanent, but some changes are bound to occur.
>> WATER!!! It is terribly important for you to properly hydrate before excersizing/exertion. You will feel ten times better if properly hydrated. I drink a quart of water a few hours before I excersize. DO NOT drink too much water immediately beforehand. It will do you little good hydration-wise and will make you feel sick and cause cramps. Your body needs about 1 Quart (1 Litre) to 2 Gallons (just over 7 quarts) of water per day, depending on activity. If you are going to be highly active, you want to get more toward the high end of that scale. NOTHING will substitute for water, not soda, not teas, NOTHING. The only possible exception are some extremely low calorie (15 per eight ounce serving) fruit drinks, like Minute Maid Light Lemonade, which are almost entirely water anyway. You should, however, drink mostly plain water before, during, and immediately after excersizing.
That is about all that I can think of at this time. GOOD LUCK!
