increasing my metabolism

[singing master]

i 've been givin a diet to go by at gym from one of the female bodybuilders .then her husband ( also a bodybuilder) told me to follow the diet from monday to friday and eat normally on weekends..... he says it will help speed up my metabolism is this true?..........also i was told from some one else..that drinking alcohol on the weekends can screw up a weeks worth of training.is that true..please help

[zaggahamma]

not a problem to allow yourself a cheat meal or day depending on your goals....moderate alcohol isnt going to ruin a week but binging is never the answer...best of luck

[VegasRenegade]

So what is the diet

[singing master]

breakfast 1 cup oats/museli/bran cereal with 1 tsp sugar and half cup of low fat milk


snack. i medium size fruit with 175 ml low fat yoghirt
or 3 provitas / high fibre biscuites and 30g cheese

lunch 90g lean meat/fish/chicken/cheese or 1 cup of green beans
with 2 slices of low gi bread or 2 medium potatoes and half cup of moxed vegetables


snack same as before


supper same as lunch except it's a 1 cup mixed vegetables


snack still the same

[singing master]

and a glass of water before each meal

[maxwkw]

breakfast 1 cup oats/museli/bran cereal with 1 tsp sugar and half cup of low fat milk
I'd leave out the sugar, and maybe have a couple of egg whites instead of milk

snack. i medium size fruit with 175 ml low fat yoghirt
or 3 provitas / high fibre biscuites and 30g cheese
yogurt is okay, but you might consider some lean meat instead, and veggies instead of biscuits
lunch 90g lean meat/fish/chicken/cheese or 1 cup of green beans
with 2 slices of low gi bread or 2 medium potatoes and half cup of moxed vegetables
lean meat here is good, but there is a big difference between meat and cheese. Go with meat. Also I'd skip the potatoes and go with more veggies.

snack same as before


supper same as lunch except it's a 1 cup mixed vegetables


snack still the same

I'd also throw in a tablespoon of fish oil (or 5-6 pills) and maybe another tablespoon of oil somewhere.

[gbrice75]

i 've been givin a diet to go by at gym from one of the female bodybuilders .then her husband ( also a bodybuilder) told me to follow the diet from monday to friday and eat normally on weekends..... he says it will help speed up my metabolism is this true?..........also i was told from some one else..that drinking alcohol on the weekends can screw up a weeks worth of training.is that true..please help

I don't like the 'eat normal on weekends' idea... simply because - what is 'normal'? Normal for one person might be decent meals, maybe they just don't pay attention to how much they eat. Normal to another person might be McDonalds and pizza's.

No, I don't agree with that at all. I am less strict on weekends but still try to maintain some order. I agree with a cheat meal, go all out, have whatever you want, dessert, etc - but it ends there. You can EASILY ruin an entire week's worth of dieting with 1 bad day, forget 2.

Alcohol - definitely true. Depends on what you drink of course, but generally not a good idea. Stay away from mixers/cocktails, they are the worst. Stick with hard liquor and diet soda if you must drink. Remember that even most hard liquor is about 100 calories/shot - that adds up FAST!

[gbrice75]

breakfast 1 cup oats/museli/bran cereal with 1 tsp sugar and half cup of low fat milk

Bad meal, hardly any protein


snack. i medium size fruit with 175 ml low fat yoghirt
or 3 provitas / high fibre biscuites and 30g cheese

At least it has protein, but still not a good meal IMO. Somebody actually made this for you? (sorry, don't mean to sound like a d!ck it's just amazing what some people recommend)

lunch 90g lean meat/fish/chicken/cheese or 1 cup of green beans
with 2 slices of low gi bread or 2 medium potatoes and half cup of moxed vegetables

Definitely stick with the 1st option, because the 2nd again has no protein.


snack same as before


supper same as lunch except it's a 1 cup mixed vegetables


snack still the same

Honestly, I HATE this diet! Use the info below to educate yourself on proper diet and nutrition. You should be eating 6-8 small meals/day, with a lean protein source in EVERY meal, accompanied by either a low GI complex carb, or small amount of healthy fat. See below, thanks to Damien for compiling the info:

__________________________________________________ _________________

I love analogies. Let’s use a good one. Think of your perfect body as a house that you must build. You’ve figured out your BMR and TDEE, so you know the exact specs of the property you have to work with. You know how exercise affects weight loss and how much of a caloric deficit/surplus we must create to lose/gain said weight; so you know how to build - you understand architecture. You also know the pace you intend on losing/gaining weight at based on these other factors, so you know it will be harder to get your house built in weeks as opposed to months. The only thing left is the tools/building material you must use and because you don’t know how to eat, you still can’t build anything. At least, not well. Sure, you can starve yourself for a few months but you’ll just gain all the weight back in a couple weeks of binge drinking and shitty eating on a vacation – you’re house will fall down!

So, let’s talk tools baby. Let’s talk food. First off, there are only 3 types of foods/macronutrients. Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. That’s it.

Protein – 4 calories per gram - Building material. Bricks. You can’t gain energy from protein, you can only use it to build muscle/skin/hair/nails. It’s basically just amino acids and it’s what our bodies are made of. As such, we need lots of it. 1g of protein per body lb is a good number to shoot for . Go as high as 2g per body lb if you’re lifting weights and trying to build muscle. For example, I am 207 lbs and I eat between 300-400 grams per day. Our body can only break down so much at one time however, so we want to eat 20-40 grams of protein in every meal, several times per day. Protein, being building material only and not energy/labor – the body can rarely find a reason for it to be stored as fat. If you must over-eat – make it lean meat/fish.

Carbs – 4 calories per gram - Think of these as human labor for your house. Think of sugar as dudes you pick up out front of home depot and oatmeal as a skilled carpenter. Both are carbs, both serve very different purposes. Carbs help transport essential nutrients to the muscles, create glycogen stores, and as such, increase protein synthesis but do not build muscle; they are simply an energy source. As such, they should only be eaten/used when we need energy. Any carbs we ingest before bed or before watching a movie, or something sedentary are not used as energy, and as such, are more likely to be stored in the body as glycogen (glucose/water in our muscles that we will use when doing high-intensity exercise). Once our glycogen reserves are full, they will spill over and be stored as fat. Yes, they will make you fat. Carbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Fats – 9 calories per gram - Like carbs, fats are an energy source, not a building material like protein. They provide nowhere near as much energy as carbs however. Ask anyone who's on a ketogenic diet. With regard to our house, think of fats as the glue/cement. They provide much needed essential fatty acids, which are great for joint/organ health and increase our protein synthesis. Going back to our analogy, cement/glue increases the effectiveness of bricks! If we give our bodies the right fats, it will be able to burn stored body fat quickly as it won’t see any use in keeping it. Remember, like carbs – not all fat is good and ALL fat is high in calories so watch out. A tablespoon of peanut butter can be a good addition to a meal. Snacking on 5-6 tablespoons, however, means you’ve just eaten over your TDEE for the day.

Acceptable proteins for your healthy lifestyle diet:

The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.

§ Ground beef (93% lean or better)
§ Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
§ Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
§ Chicken breast
§ Turkey breast
§ Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
§ Salmon
§ Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
§ All shellfish
§ Venison
§ Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
§ Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the
good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated
fat!

§ Bacon
§ Sausage
§ Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
§ Pork and beef ribs
§ Pork/Lamb chops
§ Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
§ Duck
§ Chicken legs/thighs
§ Chicken skin
§ Cheese

Acceptable Carbs for your healthy lifestlyle:

Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.

§ Oats/Oatmeal
§ Grits/Cornmeal
§ Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
§ Sweet potato (the best choice)
§ Butternut squash
§ Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
§ Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
§ Brown rice
§ Ezekiel bread
§ Swedish grain bread
§ Gluten free bread
§ Wheat couscous
§ Corn
§ Quinoa
§ Lentils
§ Beans
§ Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black List:

§ White pasta
§ White bread
§ Baguette
§ Bagels
§ Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
§ White couscous
§ White rice
§ You get the idea…

Don’t get discouraged upon reading this list. I still make desserts all the time with whole
grain flour and splenda. I buy bagels and baguettes at the health food store that use
complex carbs as a base. If you’re dedicated, you don’t have to miss out 100%

Acceptable fats for your healthy lifestyle:

We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.

§ Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
§ Natural almond butter
§ Cashews
§ Almonds
§ Peanuts
§ Flax seeds
§ Flax seed oil
§ Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
§ Fish oil
§ Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
§ Chia seeds
§ Grapeseed oil
§ Macadamia nut oil

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).

§ Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
§ Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
§ Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
§ Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
§ Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[FireGuy]

5pm Friday-10pm Sunday night = nearly 32% of all the time of a week. It never amazes me when I hear about how many people dont diet over the weekend and wonder why they dont get results.

[singing master]

thank you so much g brice.... and fire guy....... i don't eat alot of junk food so weekends are just three meals a day breakfast cereal. lunch ham and cheese or chicken mayo toasted sandwich. supper. pasta etc......i only drink red wine and brandy but very little.... and i do eat chocolate but i don't go over board.......cause i am i diabetic

[singing master]

is omega 3.6.9 good for me to take.and muscle science ripped efx rapid fat burner

[maxwkw]

Stick with a regular omega 3 chances are you're getting more than enough omega 6

[gbrice75]

thank you so much g brice.... and fire guy....... i don't eat alot of junk food so weekends are just three meals a day breakfast cereal. lunch ham and cheese or chicken mayo toasted sandwich. supper. pasta etc......i only drink red wine and brandy but very little.... and i do eat chocolate but i don't go over board.......cause i am i diabetic

You should try and double those meals per day - i.e. try and eat at least 6. Careful with the alcohol regardless!

is omega 3.6.9 good for me to take.and muscle science ripped efx rapid fat burner

These are your EFA's and are vital to health. You can't overdo it - they are still fat. Oily fish, avacado, nuts, nut butters, different oils, etc are all good sources. Some are higher then others. I agree with Maxwkw - if you're going to supplement, you will most likely want to focus on omega 3.

[jngymrat]

I would agree with the following statement about the diet, its horrible! very bad diet advice from the person in your gym. This proves that most do not have good foundations on nutrition and education.
One thing that I didn't catch was your stats (unless I missed a thread or post) what are they? and what are your fitness goals? Are they maintenance? Casual exercise? What? Would you mind telling us? ----- Age, weight, height, BF%
And far as the Alcohol, I can't think of a single serious person (personally) that indulges in Alcohol looking for serious fitness results. We can talk about that when you can answer some of the questions I listed above, if you so inclined.

[singing master]

i am not a drinker . i only drink once or twice a month and i never get drunk so alcohol its no longer a concern for me......i am 20 years old i weight 85kg and would like to get down to 65kg.. i was told that muscle weighs more than fat so i can't rely on a skale...my body fat% is 33% i was told it should e 21% for my height which is 5.7 i am willing to work my ass off .....i want to lose weight and tone my body and have just some muscle deffinition i am not looking to become a bodybuilder and would infact like to lose as much as possible in a short period of time

[jngymrat]

Well, first off good for you and your goals, remember to focus on your health and exercise as a lifestyle for life not just for the short term gym challenges or 12 week programs. By the sound of it you have the right frame of mind and you previously admitted your willingness to work your butt off, I'm sure your committed,so there you go!

Now gbrice75 gave an excellent rundown of foods and food groups (good food) and learning proper nutrition and workout regimens will be the next step in examining what or where you need help. My advice right now is very basic and gbrice I think already touched on this but, depending on how long you have been at it and what your eating in the course of a day or better yet a weekly diary would be essential. This way it is easier to see (as a result of what your eating) where adjustments need to be made. We have already assessed your previous diet was absurd so if you can maintain a plan then we could critique its relevancy.

Again, include your weekly workout regimen, if it is a 4, 5, 6, day routine or whatever your program is. How much is cardio and how much is weight training.

Also, get a accurate or moderately accurate idea of your BMI (body mass index) not real important, however knowing your stats will help. It will come into play when calculating your caloric intake and the amount of exercise (or perhaps type of cardio) needed for the right deficits (caloric) also known as you BMR (basic metabolic rate) knowing these things may give you and us an advantage as your progressing. It never hurts to have too much information.

As far as the percent you are now (33%) this may or may not be important, if you could post a body photo (without revealing your face) that could be helpful as well. I'm always telling women not to panic at this number because of breast tissue, if you have abnormally large breast for your size it will be a huge % difference to overall body mass. So a Picture would help.

Other than that, still a couple basics if your so inclined, good luck and hope to hear how your doing.

Sorry, one last thing that caught my eye, you said "you want to lose as much as you can in a short period of time" I'm not going to lecture too hard on here, however that should not be the first priority, you should lose ( if your doing it right) between 1-2 lbs. a week, any more than that and your most definitely losing more than fat (unless your morbidly obese, which your not). Determination, not a calendar will be the payoff. Not trying to lecture you but if this was so easy everybody would be doing it. Don't worry, you have the gift of youth and willingness on your side, you WILL do well.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't ---- your right!

[Damienm05]

Thank god for the intervention that's occurred here. Can you believe somebody actually structured that original diet for her AND suggested she eat even more casually on weekends?

Really good advice above. Also, Fireguy articulated what I've never been able to very concisely. 32% of the time in the week... Yeah, that won't speed up any part of the process, let alone metabolism.

[gbrice75]

^^^ And he appears! Where the F have you been... again???!!! Lmao

Sorry for the hijack OP

[Damienm05]

I'm around, just been living in the PM inbox with contest stuff. Haven't had much time to browse threads as of late with my life sucking and such.

[gbrice75]

I'm around, just been living in the PM inbox with contest stuff. Haven't had much time to browse threads as of late with my life sucking and such.

I hear you bro, same here with the PM's. It's tougher then I thought! Still trying to stay on top of posts here too... almost impossible.

for the 2nd time, sorry for the hijack.... =\

[GirlyGymRat]

As far as the percent you are now (33%) this may or may not be important, if you could post a body photo (without revealing your face) that could be helpful as well. I'm always telling women not to panic at this number because of breast tissue, if you have abnormally large breast for your size it will be a huge % difference to overall body mass. So a Picture would help.

Can it also be density? Breast cancer doctor says a firm breast is a dense breast which has more breast tissue which is fat. A HUGE % difference to overall body mass???

[singing master]

tryed to post a pic but it won't upload for some reason.......all tho my breasts are quite small not that big..... was a former ballet dancer till i developed insulin resistance picked up alot of weight ... with my medication i do lose weight a little faster than normal but i want to do it right so i can keep it off.....

[jngymrat]

Yes it does play a huge part and number in the overall body fat percentage. Insulin resistance, I address this on occasion, do you mind?

Because of the insulin sensitivity (and any hard to lose weight individual) you will want to know the low side of all the glycemic carbs so that you can include these in your portions with proper protein and meals in general. Given the fact that exercise itself is excellent in improving insulin sensitivity you will also find taking alpha lipoic acid, (ALA) green tea extract, and chromium picolinate, you can pick these up at most GNC's or a good sports nutrition store, I personally use the internet exclusively for most everything in our sport. Consult your physician before taking (to make sure its safe) But these will dramatically improve the way your body becomes thermogenic!

Also, this is somewhat of a "by the way thing" and not having the luxury of knowing you or seeing your daily routine I will just "offer" this to you, take it for what its worth.

Not only do you have Insulin and Cortisol making you hungry (which, vitamin C and glutamine can bring down cortisol levels) but you also have Ghrelin and Leptin as two additional hormones throwing a wrench into your appetite roller coaster.

Ghrelin is produced by the stomach and triggers appetite. High levels of Ghrelin create a strong desire to eat. Leptin is produced by fat cells and tells the brain the body is full.
Now when the body gets stressed, primarily due to a lack of sleep or rest, Grehlin production goes sky high and Leptin production goes way down, obviously that would play havoc on your diet. So getting proper rest and plenty of sleep is essential. Also, since thats the time that muscle grows, well enough said.

Just some food for thought, when I heard you mention insulin resistance I thought you may want to know.

[SlimmerMe]

^^^ I appreciate this. Very informative. Thanks.

Good Luck to you Singing Master. I hear ya.

[GirlyGymRat]

jygymrat...great post on the insuln resistance

[gbrice75]

Nice post JNG!