Help with diet

miguelv06
miguelv06 Posts: 17
in Food and Nutrition
So i 5.11 250 lb male.. Trying to loose some weight, so i just stared going back to the gym, guy at the gym recommended eating bcaa, and protein shakes.. im just confused on when i should drink the shakes and when i should drink the bcaa..

My normal day is:

wake up at 7am, get to work at 8am... Lunch at noon, then leave work at 5pm, gym from 5:30 to 7:00pm get home at 7:30... Normally go to sleep around midnight...

fyi i can take breaks when ever i want so i can eat anytime

Replies

  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    Save the money on the BCAAs. They are expensive as hell and won't be very useful to you right now anyway. You're better off putting the money you save towards food. Plus, if you're new to working out and you've never taken BCAAs then you're not going to know whether they enhance your workout and recovery time or not because you've got no previous experience to compare it to. Apply this logic to other supplements as well.

    I started out 5'9 240 and that's the advice I would've given myself in regards to supplements.

    While I think most supplements are a waste of money, protein powder is pretty useful. But you need to understand how it actually works, what is its purpose? Don't take it just because some random guy told you to. Understand what it's really for. It is a supplement, which means it's supposed to supplement a proper diet and nutrition, specifically your protein intake. If I was you, I'd first figure out how much protein my body is going to require for my fitness goals. Then I'd figure out if I can reach that protein requirement through foods, or if I really need to spend money on protein powder.


    Learn to diet properly then learn a proper, structured workout routine (in that order) before you start spending money on other things.
  • ChunkLaFunk
    ChunkLaFunk Posts: 38 Member
    Whey protein isolate is helpful for meeting daily protein number. The good ones will list the bcaa's on the label. They are so good now you probably won't need separate bcaa's.

    Ideally, you want a shake within 45 minutes after training, then a solid healthy meal.

    If you want to do shakes during the day, then a hybrid protein powder is recommend because it will be absorbed over hours instead of minutes, like the whey protein.

    Because you stay up until midnite, you may want to consider intermittent fasting (IF). Most of your calories are eaten in specific time window, followed by a fasting period with a couple of small snacks.

    Not something I've tried but many on this site have had success with it. It's a hot concept now so lots of info on the internet about it.
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/08/06/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/ is good primer on it.
  • miguelv06
    miguelv06 Posts: 17
    So this IF, im guessing in a nutshell is not eating breakfast.. In my case go from 7pm to noon with out eating, which is 17hours...

    So something like this:

    12 PM or around lunch/noon: Pre-workout meal.
    4:30 PM: Training (Gym)
    7-8 PM: Post-workout meal (largest meal).

    Kinda following this model: https://s3.amazonaws.com/jamesclear/Posts/leangains-daily-intermittent-fasting.jpg
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Save the money on the BCAAs. They are expensive as hell and won't be very useful to you right now anyway. You're better off putting the money you save towards food. Plus, if you're new to working out and you've never taken BCAAs then you're not going to know whether they enhance your workout and recovery time or not because you've got no previous experience to compare it to. Apply this logic to other supplements as well.

    I started out 5'9 240 and that's the advice I would've given myself in regards to supplements.

    While I think most supplements are a waste of money, protein powder is pretty useful. But you need to understand how it actually works, what is its purpose? Don't take it just because some random guy told you to. Understand what it's really for. It is a supplement, which means it's supposed to supplement a proper diet and nutrition, specifically your protein intake. If I was you, I'd first figure out how much protein my body is going to require for my fitness goals. Then I'd figure out if I can reach that protein requirement through foods, or if I really need to spend money on protein powder.


    Learn to diet properly then learn a proper, structured workout routine (in that order) before you start spending money on other things.

    ^ Great reply.

Categories