** The ASK GB ANYTHING thread (diet/nutrition related) **

[gbrice75]

I was interested in going straight into carb or cal cycling but it seems that people are opposed to it unless your body fat is < 15%, so does that mean you wouldn't recommend it for me while cutting?

Where do you get that impression?

I would recommend it to anybody, IMO it's the smartest and most efficient way to cut while preserving LBM.

[Dpyle]

GB you think you could pop in and shoot me a number on my current bf%?
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...F#.T6LkquN5nTo

[gbrice75]

Done!

[Dpyle]

Thanks! Took a long time to actually stick to a diet but just kept reading till I figured it out.

[akali]

I have heard in terms of fat loss to drink lemon water flat out because lemon is a natural cutting agent, is this Bullsh*t? I also heard stay away from all fruit, and lemon is a fruit! Thanks GB youre aweomse

[johnyz333]

Hey GB. I have been reading about IF recently and am quite intrigued by the concept. Correct me if I'm wrong but basically, you train in a fasted state and have your first meal around 1pm. From then on in you have an 8 hr window to consume your calories for the day. The first meal being the biggest meal. Is this IF in a nutshell?

[gbrice75]

^^ no... lol! You don't have to train fasted, your first meal depends on when you fast, and the feeding window can be UP TO 8 hours, but less is ok (and arguably better).

There are many different variations of IF. I'm a fan of Martin Berkhan's approach. Check out leangains dot com to really get a feel for it.

[Rwy]

Can I have whole wheat bagel a couple of times a week as long as it is within my macros for the day?

Today was day 2 of counting everything out and knowing exactly what I consumed.

Just curious if I could have a whole wheat bagel with a tblspoon of smart balance lite in the morning with my shake instead of oats every day

[gbrice75]

Can I have whole wheat bagel a couple of times a week as long as it is within my macros for the day?

Today was day 2 of counting everything out and knowing exactly what I consumed.

Just curious if I could have a whole wheat bagel with a tblspoon of smart balance lite in the morning with my shake instead of oats every day

If you asked me this 2 years ago I would have said "no way!". But our opinions change, as new info becomes available to us. Today, I say - go for it.

[gbrice75]

Can I have whole wheat bagel a couple of times a week as long as it is within my macros for the day?

Today was day 2 of counting everything out and knowing exactly what I consumed.

Just curious if I could have a whole wheat bagel with a tblspoon of smart balance lite in the morning with my shake instead of oats every day

duplicate post

[Rwy]

Thanks!

I do scoop it out, but I am a pretty picky eater. So a shake and oats every morning gets old real fast

[gbrice75]

Thanks!

I do scoop it out, but I am a pretty picky eater. So a shake and oats every morning gets old real fast

I'm picky too. Ironically, shakes and oats are one of the few foods I never get sick of. Right now, I don't think I can even go close to a piece of grilled chicken breast unless it's smothered with some kind of fattening sauce or dipped in the same.

[jpowell]

gb, wats happening brudder?

basic question on carb cycling. I'm currently setting up a diet, carb cycle, gonna do high, moderate, and low days.
plan on eating six meals.
do u rec i split carbs at just 3 meals (break, pre/post workout)--or should i have them in all 6 meals?

[gbrice75]

gb, wats happening brudder?

basic question on carb cycling. I'm currently setting up a diet, carb cycle, gonna do high, moderate, and low days.
plan on eating six meals.
do u rec i split carbs at just 3 meals (break, pre/post workout)--or should i have them in all 6 meals?

Assuming your goal is to cut bodyfat... I'd definitely do carbs in 3 meals, not 6. Take in energy when your body requires it, not when it doesn't. This is why macro timing IS significant, IMO.

[jpowell]

yea def plan on cutting. been talking to 405 a currently in the process of building up a solid diet based off carb cycling. high, low, and none. lol its hard b/c macro split is tough. I hit the protein but not carbs and over in fats, and when i hit the carbs, I'm low in protein and still over in fats lol. but I'm hungry, hungry for results.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm

I've read this article, and this is where the idea/structure has come from. I mean seriously, 405, such the considerate guy he is dammned near mapped everything out for me.

but i just also want a second opinion/thoughts on a few questions that arose..

its recommended to have small amount of fruit (50-100g) at 4of6 meals on high carb days, 3of6 on low carb days, and 0of6 on no days?
its recommended to have carbs 4of6 on high carb days, 3of6 on low carb days 0of6 except from green veggies on no carb days?
is hot sauce ok?

thanks again bro

[gbrice75]

its recommended to have small amount of fruit (50-100g) at 4of6 meals on high carb days, 3of6 on low carb days, and 0of6 on no days?

I wouldn't recommend that. If you want to have some fruit on your carb days, have a small amount in the am, and or pre/pwo. I wouldn't do all 3 however.

its recommended to have carbs 4of6 on high carb days, 3of6 on low carb days 0of6 except from green veggies on no carb days?
is hot sauce ok?

thanks again bro

I'm not sure if you're telling me what IS recommended, or asking if I recommend it?? To answer, I have to assume the latter obviously. I have carbs in 5 of 6 meals on my single high carb day, 3 of 6 on my moderate (I guess what you're calling low) carb day, and no starchy carbs at all on my no carb days.

Hot sauce is fine.

[jpowell]

gb, when u get a chance, stroll over to my thread and check out my carb cycle lemme no what you think. i think its pretty solid, but ima novice compared to urself.

[akali]

hey GB has a quick question was wondering your opinion. Basically i am wanting to make some homemade jerky for snacks just to change up my protein sources, i use only garlic,black pepper and some Ms.Dash ( because its 0g's of everything ! lol ) as my spices, but i am wondering if you could tell me if the cholesterol of Moose would be a concern. I have moose here in my freezer, a few roasts which i havent used and i wanted to make jerky out of basically. According to calorie counter it says per 8 oz of cooked moose it is 176mg of cholesterol(59%) daily intake appearently. but also 65g protein, 2g fat,0.0g carbs. Would the cholesterol impact me much? i am on a cutting diet and seeking clean protein alternatives.

[gbrice75]

gb, when u get a chance, stroll over to my thread and check out my carb cycle lemme no what you think. i think its pretty solid, but ima novice compared to urself.

Will do!

hey GB has a quick question was wondering your opinion. Basically i am wanting to make some homemade jerky for snacks just to change up my protein sources, i use only garlic,black pepper and some Ms.Dash ( because its 0g's of everything ! lol ) as my spices, but i am wondering if you could tell me if the cholesterol of Moose would be a concern. I have moose here in my freezer, a few roasts which i havent used and i wanted to make jerky out of basically. According to calorie counter it says per 8 oz of cooked moose it is 176mg of cholesterol(59%) daily intake appearently. but also 65g protein, 2g fat,0.0g carbs. Would the cholesterol impact me much? i am on a cutting diet and seeking clean protein alternatives.

I'm not a qualified nutritionist and don't want to offer you bad advice, so take this with a grain of salt. We know too much cholesterol in the diet isn't good. If you were planning to eat moose as a primary protein source day in and day out, 7 days a week, i'd say you have a problem. However, I doubt this is the case. Even if you had it once per day, I wouldn't be concerned personally. People are always worried about the cholesterol in egg yolks yet there are some who eat a dozen/day and their cholesterol levels are fine.

This is my opinion. You should definitely seek further advice from somebody better qualified with regards to cholesterol inquiries.

[Mwaku]

opinions on starting ur day/brekkie with a pro gainer shake (650 calories) as some morning i wake up too late and gotta rush outta the house.

good/bad/meh?

[gbrice75]

opinions on starting ur day/brekkie with a pro gainer shake (650 calories) as some morning i wake up too late and gotta rush outta the house.

good/bad/meh?

Not my cup of tea. Most if not all gainer shakes I've seen are loaded with sugar and fat, 'filler' carbs, and a bunch of crap neither of us can pronounce. Either:

a) Be disciplined enough to get up earlier to allow time to prepare, eat, and actually ENJOY your breakfast, or

b) make your own 'gainer' shake. Play with the ingredients and you can come up with a delicious, nutritious CLEAN calorie shake:

protein powders
oats
cottage cheese
liquid egg whites
natty PB
water/almond milk
crushed ice
splenda/stevia

Plenty of other things you can throw in there too, blend up and enjoy.

[MrMayhem]

HEEY, so far, I've read most of this thread Like I said in another post... I learn a lot from you. Much respect. Im wondering.... Got my diet down (mostly), I know I pretty good amount about supplementing and how to use different supps and all. Im 21 (was 18ish in my avi pic), 5'9" 12%-14% body fat and 260lbs.
Im wondering what my calories should be at, to just maintain? Normally, I get 5000-7000 calories on most days. I eat 6 to 8 meals. Do 3 to 5 shakes a day. Use the animal pak twice a day for multi-V. Take 1000mg of fish oil 3 times daily. lift 5 days a week. Cardio 3-6 times a week, depending... right now, no cardio. I drink close to 2 gallons of water daily. Love juices. I havent been counting carbs lately, Im sure its a rediculous amount right now.
I think thats about all my basic info. So as I said, I'm wondering what my calories need to be at to just maintain my weight and percentage?

[gbrice75]

HEEY, so far, I've read most of this thread Like I said in another post... I learn a lot from you. Much respect. Im wondering.... Got my diet down (mostly), I know I pretty good amount about supplementing and how to use different supps and all. Im 21 (was 18ish in my avi pic), 5'9" 12%-14% body fat and 260lbs.
Im wondering what my calories should be at, to just maintain? Normally, I get 5000-7000 calories on most days. I eat 6 to 8 meals. Do 3 to 5 shakes a day. Use the animal pak twice a day for multi-V. Take 1000mg of fish oil 3 times daily. lift 5 days a week. Cardio 3-6 times a week, depending... right now, no cardio. I drink close to 2 gallons of water daily. Love juices. I havent been counting carbs lately, Im sure its a rediculous amount right now.
I think thats about all my basic info. So as I said, I'm wondering what my calories need to be at to just maintain my weight and percentage?

Thanks man!

5'9, 260lbs and 12-14%??? Dude, please post a pic... you've gotta be a fvcking MONSTER. Hazard (one of the other mods) is 6'1 or 6'2 at around 255lbs and a fvcking beast (look him up and check his avy) so if you're numbers are even close to accurate, I can't imagine what you look like - and I need to see it!

Based on your numbers (I went with 14% bodyfat) I'd put you somewhere in the 3500 calorie range to maintain. It's a very crude estimate based on very simple math, so take it with a grain of salt. It'd be a good starting point at best; you'd likely need to adjust +/- from there.

Pics asap pls!!

[MrMayhem]

Pix soon as I can lol I promise. Thanks, thats was all I needed, just a good starting point.
THanks again.

[bobjack]

sup, just wondering if my diet should be the same on off days

currently eating a 40/40/20 diet. anything i would change on an off day?

[gbrice75]

Probably... but without any info beyond you eating a 40/40/20 diet, i'm not sure what you would think I could comment on...??

[akali]

sucralose in a cutting diet, is it a bad thing? i do enjoy sometimes sparkling water, or another drink of something similar which states 0g sugar, 0g carb, 0g, etc I have read mixed reviews such as sucralose isn't processed by the body therefore theres nothing to worry about that you'll just pea it out. Also i read that it causes insulin spikes which is good i know, but with everyone saying different i wanted to get your standpoint because you seem very knowledgeable of course! Thanks my friend.

[gbrice75]

sucralose in a cutting diet, is it a bad thing? i do enjoy sometimes sparkling water, or another drink of something similar which states 0g sugar, 0g carb, 0g, etc I have read mixed reviews such as sucralose isn't processed by the body therefore theres nothing to worry about that you'll just pea it out. Also i read that it causes insulin spikes which is good i know, but with everyone saying different i wanted to get your standpoint because you seem very knowledgeable of course! Thanks my friend.

Thanks man. I wish I had the answer to this one! Like you, i've read and heard both sides of this. What I really need to do is run my own BGL / insulin tests in a fasted state. I'll check both prior to eating sucralose, and then at determined intervals after - probably every 5 minutes up to an hour. Only then will I know for sure. To be honest, I eat quite a bit of splenda (sucralose), so if it DOES negativly impact BGL, i'm in trouble!

[pregan]

What would you recommend for a pre-work out breakfast? I get up at 4:30 am and am at the gym at 6. Lifting 4 days a week. I can't cook at that time of morning since the family is asleep. While working out I feel like I'm running out of energy rather than the strength if that makes sense. Right now I have a protein shake and a english muffin with peanut butter and jelly. Thank you.

[gbrice75]

What would you recommend for a pre-work out breakfast? I get up at 4:30 am and am at the gym at 6. Lifting 4 days a week. I can't cook at that time of morning since the family is asleep. While working out I feel like I'm running out of energy rather than the strength if that makes sense. Right now I have a protein shake and a english muffin with peanut butter and jelly. Thank you.

Hard question to answer without knowing anything about you other than your workout time. What are your stats? What are your goals?

I workout at the same time as you. My preworkout meal is usually as follows (when adding mass):

Protein smoothie blend:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 scoop ON casein
1/2 scoop ON pro complex
tsp instant coffee
splenda (to taste)
1 cup water
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/2 cup 1% milkfat no salt added cottage cheese

1/2 cup oats (cooked)
1/2 banana

When cutting, I simply omit the oats from the shake.

[pregan]

38 yo 6'3" 275lbs just trying to get strong again. Stopped lifting for a long time. Lift heavy 4 days a week. No cardio, no cutting although once my strength is where I want it to be I would like to get down to about 245 which is a comfortable weight for me. Thanks for the smoothie. I can't run the blender in the morning. Can I make it night before or would it be disgusting?

[gbrice75]

It'd probably be disgusting! I have an 8 month old sleeping upstairs. I bring the blender down to the lowest level (split level home) and run it down there. Hasn't woken him yet! Any chance you can do something like that?

If not, you can always make something like my evening meal:

1/2 cup 1% milkfat cottage cheese
1 scoop protein powder (a blend, myofusion vanilla is my preference)
'dash' of skim milk just to soften/loosen it all up
1 packet splenda or stevia (optional. I like it sweet)
1tbsp natty peanut butter (I like Smucker's Chunky)

[E-T-R]

Hey just a quick intro.. I am new to the forum but have an understanding of nutrition. A debate I had with a friend of mine yesterday??

What is better pre and post workout??
He is convinced whey and oats are 100% better. My input is any pro/carb meal is great PWO (basmati rice/ 8oz chicken). I think the difference is negligible and as I usually go to the gym after work my pre workout is usually Oats/Whey. Cheers

[gbrice75]

I agree with you - difference is negligible. If anything, I like your choice better. I never use straight whey, it's absorbed too quickly and doesn't sustain very well throughout a workout, or afterwards. I do have a shake PWO, but it's always a protein blend.

Oats and whey are more convenient, that's about it, IMO.

[E-T-R]

Cheers for clarifying that....
Yeah Im a blend fan myself. I mix ON Gold standard whey and ON Casein. Love the taste from the two. Depending on time of day the amount of each varies but there is always a blend of the two.

[gbrice75]

Cheers for clarifying that....
Yeah Im a blend fan myself. I mix ON Gold standard whey and ON Casein. Love the taste from the two. Depending on time of day the amount of each varies but there is always a blend of the two.

I do ON Casein and either ON Pro Complex, or Myofusion (because Pro Complex is fvcking expensive!)... delicious, love it either way!

[E-T-R]

Heard a lot about Myofusion but never tried.. I need more prtein soon so I may give it a go... I do like two separate proteins though and being able to choose the ratio myself

[gbrice75]

Heard a lot about Myofusion but never tried.. I need more prtein soon so I may give it a go... I do like two separate proteins though and being able to choose the ratio myself

Myofusion is ok, not the greatest in quality... but IMO it's one of the best for all-around taste, cost, and quality.

Idk where you are in the world, but check out truenutrition dot com. You can completely customize your own protein blend with all kinds of choices... you can also choose the sweetener (if any) and additives (BCAA, digestive enzymes, etc). They're a little pricy, but worth it since you know exactly what you're getting. Check em' out and see if they ship to your area!

[E-T-R]

Myofusion is ok, not the greatest in quality... but IMO it's one of the best for all-around taste, cost, and quality.

Idk where you are in the world, but check out truenutrition dot com. You can completely customize your own protein blend with all kinds of choices... you can also choose the sweetener (if any) and additives (BCAA, digestive enzymes, etc). They're a little pricy, but worth it since you know exactly what you're getting. Check em' out and see if they ship to your area!

They dont ship but did I have fun customizing my protein

[E-T-R]

Myofusion is ok, not the greatest in quality... but IMO it's one of the best for all-around taste, cost, and quality.

Idk where you are in the world, but check out truenutrition dot com. You can completely customize your own protein blend with all kinds of choices... you can also choose the sweetener (if any) and additives (BCAA, digestive enzymes, etc). They're a little pricy, but worth it since you know exactly what you're getting. Check em' out and see if they ship to your area!

They dont ship but did I have fun customizing my protein