so, i am trying to mainly loose my belly fat but also need to gain some lean muscle mass. I usually just have a protein shake with banana and berries after working out and that’s it. No dinner.
Is that ok for me to do? I am just not sure if i will be able to get rid of my belly if i drink the shake and have a dinner as well. but at the same time i think that just the shake alone is not going to help me building muscles.
is there maybe a good article on here that would help me figure that out?
As relates to post w/o read solving the post w/o puzzle as well read some of Chris Shugart’s latest on PWO drinks for those that gain fat easy etc.
Yes you need to have a good meal a while after your PWo shake
Phill
Philly, you have two goals, and you’re going to need to EAT for both goals.
The first goal is to reduce fat mass. The second goal is to increase LBM (Lean Body Mass).
You need to start with the basics:
The PWO shake is good, but the types of carbs you’re adding aren’t going to help you with your goals. The goal PWO is to refill muscle glycogen. Fruit is high in a fructose, a type of sugar that is processed in the liver and that only minimally refills muscle glycogen. You need to consume a whole-food P+C meal with some starchy carbs – brown rice, sweet potatoes, yams, whole wheat pasta or oatmeal, as an example.
The PWO shake and the PWO meal will help you with your goal of increasing/improving LBM. Along with doing that, you need to create a bit of a caloric deficit earlier in the day so that your body is having to draw on stored body fat.
If you’d like to get a better idea of what is involved, here are a couple of links … one with instructions on how to design a diet, and the other where I worked with someone to optimize their plan …
Hey,
thanks a lot for all the info. I think i really just need to eat more after working out.
Here’s what i eat throught the day, if you have time it would be great if you could comment and let me know how to improve…
morning 8am: coffee and large bowl of swiss familia muesli
snack 10am: nuts or finn crisp crackers with cottage cheese
lunch 12pm: whole wheat sandwich with cheese, avocado and ham and a small salad
snack 3pm: banana, grapefruit and kiwi
pre-workout 6pm: protein shake
post-workout 7pm: protein shake
dinner 8pm: buffalo or chicken with veggies and brown rice (from now on, since i only had the shake before as a dinner replacement)
now, another issue i have is that i don’t seem to get enough energy from my pre-workout shake. do i need to eat somethign on top of the shake before i hit the gym? I am usually very hungry by the time i get home from work and before i hit the gym.
I am just confused about how much to eat and when. but thanks to ur posts i kinda get the idea now…
look low on protein early bro. In general good to really have solid breakfast and bigger meals early when they will fuel you all day. then load up post training as well.
How late are you staying up you get no fod from 8-8 may get another snack in the at night as well if up later.
how much very individaul track what your eating and use your goal if you want to gain keep increasing the intake until you see the scale move for two consecutive weeks keep eating that weigh in weekly to see if your still rollin and adjust accordingly same for losing 1-2 lbs a week adjust as needed slowly
Phill
[quote]Philly wrote:
now, another issue i have is that i don’t seem to get enough energy from my pre-workout shake. do i need to eat somethign on top of the shake before i hit the gym? I am usually very hungry by the time i get home from work and before i hit the gym.
I am just confused about how much to eat and when. but thanks to ur posts i kinda get the idea now…[/quote]
Hey Philly,
One of the simplest plans i’ve seen that works great for getting lean and maintaining/adding muscle is basically this:
6 meals a day
At every meal, have mostly green vegetables and lean proteins. (ditch the ham. Think fish, chicken, eggs) Along with a good fat source: almonds, walnuts, olive oil…etc.
The only times you should be eating something that is not the above is before and after your workouts.
Cereal, rice, bread should only be had right before or right after a workout. One exception maybe being the morning.
Pre-workout: This is a good time to have a protein shake with some kind of carbohydrate. Throw in perhaps a 1/4 to 1/2 cup oats into your shake and blend it up. Or 2 pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter along with your shake.
Another weird one: if i am especially hungry before a workout, i’ll have a tablespoon of olive oil.
Fats like olive oil and nuts curb hunger pretty immediately and you’ll get a pretty nice energy boost as well.
Try all of that for about 2 weeks and see how things are progressing.
My 2cents.