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Cicero
July 20th, 2012, 04:40 AM
So I'm making this thread to help people who need advice on what diet would fit them best. Please no smart ass comments like "The best diet for me is the one I'm on now".


Weight Loss

The best way to lose fat, is a diet involving high protein and a calorie deficit. As teens, we have an advantage over anyone over 25. Our bodies need good, clean calories in order to help build us into strong men and women. Generally, what people do to cut body fat is either weight lift while eating more calories (we'll talk about that later) or they have a calorie deficit (eating less calories than we burn) with cardio. In order to calculate how many calories we burn daily, by just living and doing daily tasks, a doctor will be of assistance. But if your to lazy to see a doctor to know the exact number you burn. You can look up on a trusted site, and they can help you determine the daily calories you burn.

After we figure out our metabolism, you should cut calories according to how fast you want to lose fat. Fat equals 3,500 calories. So 1 lb. of fat = 3,500
Meaning we must burn a total of 3,500 calories. So if you want to lose 1 lb of fat in a week, you should cut 500 calories from what you burn daily. As teens, you shouldn't cut more than 300-500 calories per day.

Now comes the dieting, of what you should eat. Experts say a high protein diet helps fill you up, without filling you out. Carbs like vegetables are also a great low calorie snack, that will help fill you up. So a good, healthy diet should contain carbs, proteins, and fats. In order to lose weight, our body must have fat, eating fat is the key to survival. Fats come from foods like avocados or olive oil. They are higher in calories, more so than other foods, our diet should consist of (varies to each person) 35% protein, 45% carbs, and 20% fats.

Water is a very, very important aspect of dieting the healthy way. Upon waking you should drink 1-2 cups of water. Water helps to make you feel full, without over eating. A good way to avoid over eating, is to drink 1 cup of water 15 minutes before you eating, and another cup after you eat. Sometimes, your body confuses hunger with water, so with that trick I explained, you can avoid that confusion.

The worst thing you can do while dieting, is not eating or eating to less of calories. If you eat under 1,100 calories,vthats considered a crash diet. Which is extremely unhealthy and will cause damage to your body. The other problem with crash dieting, is that it is only temporary. Within a few days or weeks, the pounds will just come back.

Cardio is very important too. A great way to lose fat, is using the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). So basically, jog for 3 minutes, then run as fast as you can for 1 minute, and keep doing that for 15-30 minutes. Something people do that isn't always good, is getting into something their bodies aren't used to. Slowly build up to something, don't just jump head first.

Conclusion to Weight loss

Do not eat less than 1,400 calories (a general rule for teens) and eat well rounded meals, a high protein diet will aid in your quest for weightloss. Your diet (generally) should be 35% protein, 45% carbs, and 20% fats. Cardio is another key part to weight loss, so a great way is to do 15-30 minutes of HIIT. When figuring out your metabolism, do not take off more than 300-400 calories per day (everyone burns, typically, between 1500-2100 calories, if you exercise daily, the number increases to the 2,000-2,400 range).


Gaining Muscle

When your trying to gain muscle, and become as muscular as Taylor Lautner. The worst thing you could probably do, is eat under your calorie needs. Ask anyweightlifter and they will tell you that you should be eating 500-750 calories more than you burn. In order to get Pecs you must eat more. This is something, that I had trouble understanding, because I always thought you should eat less than you burn. When your trying to add muscle, you should eat as clean as possible. So if you must eat 3,000 calories a day, have only 500 of those calories be unhealthy, but the rest of those calories should be healthy fats, proteins, and carbs. When you eat more calories than you burn, you are creating extra muscle mass, the downside is, is that you're also creating a little bit extra fat.

When your eating extra calories than what you burn (ONLY WHEN COMBINED WITH WEIGHTLIFTING) that is called a "Bulk" or "Bulking". It's a very common term amongst weightlifters and bodybuilders. When your eating less than what you burn (bodybuilding term) it is called a "Cut" or "Cutting".

When bulking, your diet should consist of 40% proteins, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. To know your exacts you must determine your Macro-Nutrients (which you can find on your own).

The best way to gain big muscle, in little time. Is to do compound exercises like squats and dead lifts. Compound exercises, is when you work more thn one exercise. What you I'll read in fitness magazines, is its better to do isolating exercises, where you focus on that one muscle. Typically when they recommend something they recommend a supplement. The funny thing is, is that all the fitness magazines, is owned by mega. Suplement corporations. So they're secretly endorsing you to by their supplements. If you determine your macro nutrients, there is no need for supplements.
Supplements are there to give a little boost, that's it. They're not gonna change your life, or make you become Arnold Swarzeneger. They're only good for a little help. Isolating exercises make turning your body into tht dream body, much, much longer. So stick with compound exercises.

Conclusion to Gaining Muscle

Eat extra calories to gain extra mass. Diet should be high protein, 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats. Compound exercises give you that dream body faster, while giving you faster strength. Isolating muscles are only useful when your past the beginning stages of weightlifting. Bulking should last between 4-8 months or even longer, and depending on your body fat percentage, a cut should last any where from 1-3 months. Supplements are only their to assist or to give a boost to muscle building, they're not gonna change your life or make you get a Taylor Laugtner body faster. One last thing, it's better to be muscular with abs, than skinny with abs. Any guy who weightlifts seriously, would laugh at someone who thinks he's cool, with abs who's skinny.


BMI vs Body Fat Percentage

Ask anyone who weightlifts and they're ginna tell you that your body fat percentage is the only thing that matters. BMI (Body Mass Index) only tells you what you are compared to others. Body fat percentage tells you what you are, based off of your fat. According to BMI, Arnold Swarznegger was considered Obese, when in fact, he had between 5-8% body fat (I don't know the specific %). So the conclusion, is that the body fat percentage is more important than BMI, especially if your aiming to get abs. If your a guy aiming for abs, you should aim below 12% body fat, typically.


Supplements

As I've said, supplements are only an aid in weightlifting. I'm sure your wondering, what supplements would be great for muscle gain and working out.
Well, a caffeine supplement is great for energy pre workout. It will help give you the energy, which you other wise might not have. Whey Protein is s great supplement after your workout, but truthfully, it doesn't matter much what you have after a workout. As long as you meet your macronutrients your perfectly fine. Whey protein can help decrease soreness time, and help speed recovery. Every time you workout, you should a full days worth of rest and 7-8 hours of sleep. Creatine (which some may not be able to have) is like a natural steroid, which is usually found in red meats like steak. It wil help increase size and strength (only slightly).



Well, that's it. I hope I've helped some of you out. I am learning new stuff everyday, just recently (within the last 1-2 months) I found out about proper muscle building. This is only a helpful guide, always consult your doctor before doing anything like weightlifting and going on a certain diet. If you have any questions just leave a comment :)



Oh and one last thing, if your interested in a gaining a lot of muscle, I'm currently doing the "Stronglifts 5x5 (http://stronglifts.com/blog/)" program. They say with this program, you can gain 25 lb. worth of muscle within the first year (which is a lot). If there are any errors, please send me a PM.

Listed MIA
July 23rd, 2012, 11:30 AM
Thanks for all the info. i agree about HIIT being the best for weightloss. its supposed to increase your metabolic rate so you should burn more calories and lose weight faster. it's supposed to help with your performance in sports too, so when i run i usually run intervals. i also think that building muscle is good when you are trying to lose weight. the more muscular your body is, the more calories it needs to keep it going, so you can eat more food. which is always nice.

Okay, what do you think about this for a diet? (this is yesterday)

Calories: 3,404/Carbs: 380g/Protein: 147g/Fat: 113g

That's no where near 40/40/20. i guess i should cut out all the extra bread i eat? But then if i do the calories will drop, so what would be good to replace them with? i figured out my weight in pounds, it's 133lbs so my protein intake is ok. Why is 40/40/20 the magic number for bulking up? just out of interest.

According to my calorie counting thingy i burned 1,162 calories from exercise yesterday (i cycled 25 miles, and did some other stuff) So maybe i'm not even eating enough calories?? that would explain why i haven't gained weight like i thought i should. its all very complicated and annoying.

Cicero
July 23rd, 2012, 11:40 AM
Thanks for all the info. i agree about HIIT being the best for weightloss. its supposed to increase your metabolic rate so you should burn more calories and lose weight faster. it's supposed to help with your performance in sports too, so when i run i usually run intervals. i also think that building muscle is good when you are trying to lose weight. the more muscular your body is, the more calories it needs to keep it going, so you can eat more food. which is always nice.

Okay, what do you think about this for a diet? (this is yesterday)

Calories: 3,404/Carbs: 380g/Protein: 147g/Fat: 113g

That's no where near 40/40/20. i guess i should cut out all the extra bread i eat? But then if i do the calories will drop, so what would be good to replace them with? i figured out my weight in pounds, it's 133lbs so my protein intake is ok. Why is 40/40/20 the magic number for bulking up? just out of interest.

According to my calorie counting thingy i burned 1,162 calories from exercise yesterday (i cycled 25 miles, and did some other stuff) So maybe i'm not even eating enough calories?? that would explain why i haven't gained weight like i thought i should. its all very complicated and annoying.
Well 40/40/20 is just an estimate. For everyone it's slightly different, especially on body weight, height, etc. What you want to make sure you do, is eat 500 calories more than you burn daily. If you burn 3,000 calories a day, add 500 to that. In order to gain muscle mass, you need extra calories. Especially making those extra calories clean calories. Just make sure you eat your body weight in grams for protein, so if you weigh 147 lb then eat 147 grams of protein. If you are very athletic, even bump up that protein to 1.2 grams per pound. Just eat calorie dense food to fill the gaps. If your daily measurements are off by 5% or even 10% no need to stress. Just try to not have it over 10%. I'm no doctor, if you want to know exact specifications you have to see a nutritionist. Im just wanting to help give people advice, but before starting any diet plan or exercise plan please consult a doctor. So make sure you can do this by calling or asking your doctor. A lot of what I say is fact and suggestions with helpful tips. Oh, and whole grain is something that you want to have more of. It has more nutritional value than white breads and non whole grain stuff. But keeping things basic is a very good way to go. But when your bulking, the only thing you should worry about is hitting the macronutrients. If you hit the macros, eat whatever you want and keep with your personal macros. There is a forum on bodybuilding.com which shows you how to know your macros.

PinkFloyd
July 23rd, 2012, 12:37 PM
This is what I do: I eat and drink something with a lot of calories. I'll eat a double cheeseburger, fries, and a mcflurry. and maybe drink a monster or something. Then I go and workout for like an hour (muscle milk does the trick)

cgk101
July 23rd, 2012, 05:03 PM
I move around so much I don't have to worry about diet

Maiden
July 23rd, 2012, 05:14 PM
im currently going @ 2500kcal/day
trying to get atleast 150-200g of protein each day, im not that bothered about carbs and fat.
i just steppd up from 1800kcal, as i feel like i should'nt try to get a lower fat% then what i have atm, it's hard to eat it but im trying to force it down.

Cicero
July 23rd, 2012, 10:29 PM
This is what I do: I eat and drink something with a lot of calories. I'll eat a double cheeseburger, fries, and a mcflurry. and maybe drink a monster or something. Then I go and workout for like an hour (muscle milk does the trick)

That's the worst thing you can do, the only thing you'll gain is muscle and fat, and might I add you will gain way more fat than muscle. But I understand some people do t care about pecs or abs or having a lean muscular body.

im currently going @ 2500kcal/day
trying to get atleast 150-200g of protein each day, im not that bothered about carbs and fat.
i just steppd up from 1800kcal, as i feel like i should'nt try to get a lower fat% then what i have atm, it's hard to eat it but im trying to force it down.

What I say is as long as its healthy and your working out its all good (And you eat enough protein) :D

randomnessqueen
July 25th, 2012, 02:16 AM
personally i think vegetarianism is the best, but i dont its necessary for fitness.
protein really isnt that important, atleast not getting alot of it. you get enough in normal food you dont need extra. and dont focus too much on calories, you should ofcourse not consistently eat too many, but you dont need to count them. just have a good idea of how much youre getting, and try to keep it consistent.
a diet i would suggest anyone to tryout, is eat most all of you calories within a few hours each day, if you eat otherwise make sure its miniscule, its really not as hard it sounds trust me. and eat like that at the same time everyday. i would ofcourse drop obvious things like heavy junk food and soda, try to drink a lot of water. if you have trouble drinking alot of water, try drinking it room temperature rather than cold, it seriously helps. from my experience, you feel a difference fast, and you really feel good.

Cicero
July 25th, 2012, 03:45 AM
personally i think vegetarianism is the best, but i dont its necessary for fitness.
protein really isnt that important, atleast not getting alot of it. you get enough in normal food you dont need extra. and dont focus too much on calories, you should ofcourse not consistently eat too many, but you dont need to count them. just have a good idea of how much youre getting, and try to keep it consistent.
a diet i would suggest anyone to tryout, is eat most all of you calories within a few hours each day, if you eat otherwise make sure its miniscule, its really not as hard it sounds trust me. and eat like that at the same time everyday. i would ofcourse drop obvious things like heavy junk food and soda, try to drink a lot of water. if you have trouble drinking alot of water, try drinking it room temperature rather than cold, it seriously helps. from my experience, you feel a difference fast, and you really feel good.

If your wanting to loose weight, protein will help make you feel full longer. Protein is very important, especially when working with weights. If someone is working out seriously, they have to have protein. Because it provides the building blocks for muscle growth, and it helps rebuild the tears to your muscle fiber. The fact that protein isnt Important, is something that vegetarians like to tell themselves, if you were to ask any doctor, they would say protein is important. Vegetarianism is also kinda unhealthy, their are certain nutrients you can only get from meats, and those are very important nutrients. With eating vegetarian, it's also more likely you would gain extra weight. Because eating to many carbs can cause extra weight gain. A lot of vegetarians also eat stuff like pastas or white bread, which can also lead to extra unwanted weight. If someone is at a perfectly healthy body fat % and weight doing what they're doing, then they shouldn't worry and they should continue their diet. But if they wanna build muscle, or otherwise lose weight, I just gave suggestions and facts.

randomnessqueen
July 25th, 2012, 12:29 PM
i mean excess protein is unneeded. you get enough through other foods. and its about what kind of carbs you get, i agree to much pastas and breads can affect you negatively, but carbs from fruits are their best source. even for those building muscle, the proteins you get from things other than meat are better for you, there are many body builders who are vegetarian or vegan, and while i dont agree with veganism, its on the same principle that muscle building doesnt require meat and there are no nutrients only in meat, nutrients you need have many sources.
though the more important thing i wanted to say was about the diet, even if youre still eat meat and supplements, it can still help alot, its a very affective diet for so many aspects.

Scarface
July 25th, 2012, 02:16 PM
I have a high fiber and high protein and iron diet. It works for me because i'm toned, i dont equalize carbs because i dont eat that many unhealthy carbs. So your kinda copy pasta'd guide is a little off, but its not bad.

rocketedd
July 25th, 2012, 02:34 PM
EAT ALMONDS

They contain loads of minerals

I have 15 almonds one hour b4 gym and 15 after with some yog and fruit.

I like a warm milk drink at bedtime and a mashed banana and chicken on wholemeal bread.

There is also Quorn a TVP protien from mushrooms etc for veggie peeps but I like it.


Spread the love - hug a mate or your Dad Mum Bro whatever but hug

Mob Boss
July 25th, 2012, 09:47 PM
Ummm I'm not allowed to diet, but what I eat is very similar to the Mediterranean Diet: Grilled fish (is really my only source of protein), tons of veggies, and fresh fruit.

Cicero
July 30th, 2012, 10:57 AM
I have a high fiber and high protein and iron diet. It works for me because i'm toned, i dont equalize carbs because i dont eat that many unhealthy carbs. So your kinda copy pasta'd guide is a little off, but its not bad.

I didn't copy and paste it.

TheHumanSpirit
August 4th, 2012, 09:44 AM
I'm 20 lbs. over the recommended weight at my height, with 25% body fat. I want to gain muscle, but I'm not sure if I should cut to lose weight before bulking up.

StoppingTime
August 4th, 2012, 08:32 PM
Can you provide any sources that you used to write this article? If not, it is basically useless.

Dake
August 4th, 2012, 09:06 PM
da' best diet is "SPARTAN DIET"

PleasureMe7777
August 6th, 2012, 11:02 AM
I used the Fat smash diet...It worked for me. It was HARD tho...It was pretty much all fruits and vegetables.

Emiil
August 8th, 2012, 04:54 AM
Right now I don't eat very much, most of the days I eat breakfast+dinner (no lunch or anything else). It's not really a problem since I don't get hungry but I kind of wanted to lose weight which I don't think I'm doing.
I used to be really unhealthy and eat really much and I love chips and could eat like 5 bags of chips in 1 week and I still lost weight.
It's really annoying, help please?:)

Cicero
August 8th, 2012, 08:36 PM
Can you provide any sources that you used to write this article? If not, it is basically useless.

On my last article I wrote I was told that it should be done through knowledge and not a bunch of websites. But what I said is fact. I'll provide some websites. But no, its not useless. Here (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=145723081) is something I found to help backup a lot of what I said. FYI I just found this, I didn't copy my thread from this site.


To Emiil:


Make sure your getting your macronutrient needs and such. Try weightlifting, it will add to your weight while making you look better. But try talking to your doctor about what you should do.

Cicero
August 8th, 2012, 08:38 PM
Right now I don't eat very much, most of the days I eat breakfast+dinner (no lunch or anything else). It's not really a problem since I don't get hungry but I kind of wanted to lose weight which I don't think I'm doing.
I used to be really unhealthy and eat really much and I love chips and could eat like 5 bags of chips in 1 week and I still lost weight.
It's really annoying, help please?:)
please remove

Nellerin
September 12th, 2012, 03:07 PM
I move around so much I don't have to worry about diet

That honestly makes no sense at all and is a sure way to be unhealthy.

TigerBoy
September 12th, 2012, 05:59 PM
Can you provide any sources that you used to write this article? If not, it is basically useless.

Agreed - "standing on the shoulders of giants" and all that. Will give your words more credibility.

Also it may be worth clarifying that this is not in fact a "best for everyone" diet (think the thread title is currently misleading and likely to get into TL;DR territory if you try to do that), but rather it is a suggestion for a "fat loss / muscle gain" program.

Alternatively leave the title and elaborate more on cardio which you've only spent about 3% on (roughly 50 words I could find on cardio out of approx 1560 words).

That is not a criticism of your program, but just a observation : not all of us want to (or should) go the bodybuilder route or indeed want to build large bulky muscles.

Cicero
September 12th, 2012, 09:50 PM
Agreed - "standing on the shoulders of giants" and all that. Will give your words more credibility.

Also it may be worth clarifying that this is not in fact a "best for everyone" diet (think the thread title is currently misleading and likely to get into TL;DR territory if you try to do that), but rather it is a suggestion for a "fat loss / muscle gain" program.

Alternatively leave the title and elaborate more on cardio which you've only spent about 3% on (roughly 50 words I could find on cardio out of approx 1560 words).

That is not a criticism of your program, but just a observation : not all of us want to (or should) go the bodybuilder route or indeed want to build large bulky muscles.

If your wanting to gain muscle, then it would be a good idea to do the bulk and cut method. Most questions in the sports and fitness section is about "how can I get abs" or "how can I get muscle". Not all bodybuilders want to get bulky. Some body builders just want to get extremely ripped. What I suggested here is advice to help assist someone in getting ripped, as in abs, pecs, and/or vascularity. I don't really know what else I could do, I did talk about cardio, I find it hard making a thread about cardio and I'm not gonna waste my time explaining how to run.

TigerBoy
September 13th, 2012, 02:14 AM
If your wanting to gain muscle, then it would be a good idea to do the bulk and cut method.
I don't. A runner or swimmer or many other athletes not wanting the body weight and needing more fast-twitch muscle would in general rather do cardio and lighter weight workouts.


Most questions in the sports and fitness section is about "how can I get abs" or "how can I get muscle". Not all bodybuilders want to get bulky. Some body builders just want to get extremely ripped. What I suggested here is advice to help assist someone in getting ripped, as in abs, pecs, and/or vascularity. I don't really know what else I could do, I did talk about cardio, I find it hard making a thread about cardio and I'm not gonna waste my time explaining how to run.
Yep this it all true - as I said, you may prefer to change the title and/or intro, not the advice. As it is, your title suggest that anyone and everyone will find a diet herre, where you a actually are going for something more specific and also offering exercise making it a bit more than just a diet.

jdps
September 13th, 2012, 03:12 AM
I just don't drink soda too much and eat fastfood a lot like I used to

milestails
September 13th, 2012, 03:04 PM
my favorite diet is eating carrot and green beans and sweet peas out of the can

Cicero
September 13th, 2012, 04:19 PM
I don't. A runner or swimmer or many other athletes not wanting the body weight and needing more fast-twitch muscle would in general rather do cardio and lighter weight workouts.


Yep this it all true - as I said, you may prefer to change the title and/or intro, not the advice. As it is, your title suggest that anyone and everyone will find a diet herre, where you a actually are going for something more specific and also offering exercise making it a bit more than just a diet.

Swimmers and runners want muscle, just not football type muscle. Weight lifting is great for anyone, young, old, black, white, runner or football player. I know a few swimmers that do use the method I suggested. They just use the method to they're benefit, and they don't bulk as long as football players might.

TigerBoy
September 13th, 2012, 05:09 PM
Swimmers and runners want muscle, just not football type muscle.

I think everyone needs muscle, yes :) It is not a corollary (as you seem to be trying to imply by this statement) that weight lifting is the only, or necessarily "best" way to achieve the particular type of muscle a given athlete needs.



Weight lifting is great for anyone, young, old, black, white, runner or football player.
Sure its great. But lets not forget similar claims could be made about pretty much any other form of exercise, some of which might suit individual needs better than weights or other resistance work. While you may find long distance runners doing resistance training, they won't be too concerned with lifting weights. In general old people are likely to benefit more from lighter resistance and aerobic work (and I would not personally recommend 'weight lifting' to an age group known to be prone to heart and blood pressure issues and injury as a preferable choice of activity).

Trust me, I'm not trying to knock what you've done, just point out that it is not helpful or very responsible to claim "weight lifting" as THE answer for everyones exercise needs.

I know a few swimmers that do use the method I suggested. They just use the method to they're benefit, and they don't bulk as long as football players might.
There's no question that resistance programs (which may well include weight lifting) are useful. My point is they are PART of the answer not the whole answer for many athletes.
Fwiw I have a pretty good idea what swimmers want, as I've been a club swimmer for a few years myself. I'm also studying PE (Sports Science) so I also have an opinion and interest based around formal academic study that goes beyond swimming.

Its great that you are enthusiastic and interested about weight lifting, and I respect you are researching and sharing. It can be a useful part of many athletes programs including my own: I did my second gym session of the week just this morning which was mostly resistance work (with some actual weight lifting you'll be pleased to hear!).

Anyway its getting late here and I have to get up early for the pool in 7 hours . Ffffffuuuuuuu