Unleashing The Beast :: FitBob

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RESEARCH STUDIES:
Protein Consumption

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One of the newer ideas roaming around is to drastically restrict calories for 2-3 days, crank them up for 1-2 days, and repeat. The theory being that it takes a few days before the body goes into “starvation mode” and starts storing calories (energy) as fat. By chowing down after the low calorie days, you trick this biological survival mechanism by feeding it amply just before it goes into starvation mode. I have not read any research on this yet, but it seems like a logical approach to aid weight/fat loss.

As always, eating right and exercising regularly are going to work best over the long run.

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I generally eat 6-7 small (300 calorie) meals a day, so I’m eating every 2-3 hours, and currently target around 35% protein, 55% carbs, and 15% (good) fat intake per day. At my present weight of 203 pounds, I have found that eating about 1800 calories a day, combined with lifting and cardio, allows me to both add muscle and burn fat at a safe rate.

I consider fruits and veggies to be FREE calories, I rarely count them. They are just too good for the body, and many take more energy to digest than they contain!

Years ago I discovered that I wasn’t eating enough fat (<15g a day!) and started adding good fat to my diet. I still minimize saturated fats, but am no longer avoiding all fats. I changed from using no oil to using vegetable oil to settling on extra virgin olive oil when cooking. I have recently added Omega-3 and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) supplements as well. For me, CLA is great for increasing lipolysis (fat metabolism) and the Omega 3s balance out the excess Omega 6s that are in our food, as well as improve my skin (not so dry) and perhaps lube my joints a bit too.

I also make sure to allow myself one "cheat day" per week where I let myself eat whatever I want, however much I want. This not only serves as a psychological break, but helps curb my cravings during the week by telling myself, "You can have that Sunday."

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Example of Daily Eating Schedule:
7:00am Protein shake, vitamins, supplements, coffee
8:00 Workout
10:00 Whey protein, simple carbs, supplements
10:30 English muffin w/peanut butter, salad
1:00 Chicken breast, whole grain brown rice, broccoli, supplements
4:00 Whole grain/flax bread + pastrami or chicken sandwich, spinach salad
7:00 Chicken breast, whole grain pasta, salsa, vitamins, supplements
10:00 Lean ground beef, whole grain crackers, olives (smaller meal)
11:30 Protein shake (preferably delayed release), supplements

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Kitchen counter/supplements:

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In addition to regular meals, I am currently taking the following supplements:

Whey Protein

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

Creatine

Glutamine

Vitamins: Multivitamin, B, C, Calcium

Congugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Omega-3 (Fish Oil) – DO NOT take together, as they counteract each other

Beta Alanine (for increased carnitine production)

Glucosamine/Chondroitin (for joints – my knees in particular, keeps ‘em greased)

Green Tea Extract

Gaspari Nutrition Superpump 250 Nitric Oxide booster (pre-workout)

Melatonin, ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin B) (pre-sleep)