The Health, Wellness, weight loss, and fitness thread

[gae86]

what kind of diet do you follow? any meal plan? zone, paleo or what? also how do you calculate how many kcal you need every day?

[K2000]

BCAA are supposedly very bitter, so they need to flavor them. Or take capsules.

If your BCAA has other aminos added, it's not really BCAA anymore. They're just bumping up the total grams with cheaper aminos. In order to get the effects of isolated BCAA, you don't want other aminos. You might as well use whey protein isolate instead, which is what I do... one scoop of whey isolate, which I sip during my workout. Isolate has a good amount of BCAA, along with the other aminos, and it's super easy to digest for most people (not everybody though). I used to scoff at people drinking protein shakes during their actual workout, but after trying it, it seems to help me do more work in the gym. I like Syntrax Nectar, which tastes good and goes down easy like water. I just avoid the flavors with artificial colors (more than half their flavors). Why do so many companies have to make their products in fluorescent colors, are we all 10 years old? It bothers me that I'm using these supplements almost every day, and they glow in the dark. I hate that! We're getting a lot of artificial sweeteners, too.

[gunslinger_burrito]

what kind of diet do you follow? any meal plan? zone, paleo or what? also how do you calculate how many kcal you need every day?

I've tried carb-cycling and a paleo-ish diet in the past, but came to the conclusion that my body just does better with good carbs.

I don't keep a real close count on calories, really. I just eat a lot, and clean. I try to hit 1.8-2g per kg bof bodyweight in protein though. So for me that's about 120-150g protein a day. I don't do bodybuilding but nearly everything I do is strength oriented, and I do it often, though not to failure. I can't eat dairy and I cut out gluten years ago, so most of what I eat is eggs, chicken (I even save the whole chicken carcasses to make bone both/soup), some red meat when I can afford it. I won't buy conventional, only organic or at least free-range/grassfed, so it can be a little pricey. I do a LOT of nuts. So many nuts and nut butter ...... Lots of greens (kale, broccoli...) and veggies, yams, some gluten free bread here and there (usually around workouts, since it's a slightly faster carb) and olive and coconut oil. I also do veggie protein, creatine and banana shakes after work outs. The only sugar I really get is from honey.

Sometimes I wonder what ridiculous amount of food I'd have to eat if I did try to do a bodybuilding style workout. I eat to my max as it is......

[Jwar]

BCAA are supposedly very bitter, so they need to flavor them. Or take capsules.

If your BCAA has other aminos added, it's not really BCAA anymore. They're just bumping up the total grams with cheaper aminos. In order to get the effects of isolated BCAA, you don't want other aminos. You might as well use whey protein isolate instead, which is what I do... one scoop of whey isolate, which I sip during my workout. Isolate has a good amount of BCAA, along with the other aminos, and it's super easy to digest for most people (not everybody though). I used to scoff at people drinking protein shakes during their actual workout, but after trying it, it seems to help me do more work in the gym. I like Syntrax Nectar, which tastes good and goes down easy like water. I just avoid the flavors with artificial colors (more than half their flavors). Why do so many companies have to make their products in fluorescent colors, are we all 10 years old? It bothers me that I'm using these supplements almost every day, and they glow in the dark. I hate that! We're getting a lot of artificial sweeteners, too.

What you're saying about the cheapness of other additives is simply not true. If you have evidence to prove otherwise, I'd love to see it, because that's the first time I've ever heard that claim. Unless it was made by someone in the supplement industry trying to make other shit look bad to sell their shit. All the basic amino acids can be had for very, very low cost.

BCAA=Branch Chain Amino Acids

Branch Chain Amino Acids=leucine, isoleucine, and valine

Here's an example of what BCAA powder looks like when done with just BCAA

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/b ... AiE68P8HAQ


LOL. What I'm saying is BCAA is a simpler way of saying what it is. I'm not sure where that term came from.

Now I have taken Leucine in a concentrated, non flavored form. It is very effective and you literally cannot taste it other than the graininess. It essentially tastes like nothing.

SOME isolates have good amounts of BCAA in them, but not all. I wouldn't use that as a general rule. The reason I'd use an Isolate is for the lack of lactose.

If I were going to go that route, which I don't because it's A) expensive and B) literally makes no difference for me with gut health (and I've had 3 stomach surgeries), I'd do with Dymatize Iso 100. IMO it's a much better product. I've had both and prefer it much more. That being said I like my API Clean and Pure more than anything I've had.

I'll say this also. I've heard people say the whole protein drink thing during a workout for years and I used to do it. All it did to me is make me feel sick during my workout. Like I was going to vomit. I now do BCAA's and Ignition (which is a carb replacement powder). I've done that combo for 2 years and am in better shape than I've ever been. I think you just need to get in enough calories and time them right to get an efficient workout. Everyone is different though.

[untilshewokeme]

I was a little confused about the BCAA comment as well, first time hearing about that. Now if you meant adding BCAAs to proteins than you are on the right track.

Since protein is an amino acid, some companies have been adding cheap BCAAs to spike the nitrogen levels which gives off a false reading for the total grams of whole protein you are getting.

BIG shitshow in the industry right now because some tests are showing some products with as little as 50% of actual claimed protein on the label due to spiking.

This is not to say that some proteins with added BCAAs are giving you a clinical dose of BCAAs without effecting the whole protein, but some brands are starting to move away from that because they don't want to be caught up in the witch hunt.

[Jwar]

#optimumnutrition. LOL

Yea I read about that about two years ago. Amino spiking. Bunch of dick heads. I'm sure most of them are doing it. If they aren't they are using other fillers. Sigh. It's hard to keep people on the beaten path when the FDA isn't involved. I hate the FDA too, but sometimes I wish they'd take a hard stance in the sup community.

[repoman]

i gotta figure out some winter cardio. our weather here in Winnipeg gets dumb in the winter months. riding my bike the way i've been doing can't happen now

http://www.schwinnfitness.com/schwinn_fitness_us/nln/retiredproducts/uprightsr/prdcd~100216/Schwinn+Airdyne+AD2.jsp

kinda looking at this indoor bike. thinking about just getting a jump rope? i don't want to join a gym for cardio.

What kind of bike do you have? Most people that are really into cycling will start jumping on a trainer or set of rollers in the winter. Kinda sucks, but relatively hassle free and you can really dial in what you want to accomplish. You can get a trainer for 100-200 and lots of bikes can fit on them, your position is dialed in from just using your regular bike on them. Rollers are a bit trickier but more fun.

Something else people who are into endurance sports do in the winter is XC skiing, which is a super good workout, especially for your core.

[K2000]

BCAA are more expensive than other aminos like Glutamine, that should be apparent to everybody. Adding other aminos to BCAA is the "spiking" which you're talking about. So when you look at the label of a "BCAA plus more" product, it says 12 grams of protein total (or whatever) instead of 7 grams, as part of a 'proprietary blend' (so they don't have to disclose specific amounts, telling you that they are padding their products)

Glutamine - $20.99 per pound
http://www2.netrition.com/now_glutamine_powder.html

Leucine - $26.99 per 250 grams (just over a half-pound)
http://www2.netrition.com/primaforce_l_leucine.html

The Leucine (a BCAA) is almost double the price per pound of Glutamine. (I'm not trying to cherry pick from different brands, both are no-frills companies and neither one had both products for sale.)

Every good protein source 'contains' BCAA. The reason to take isolated BCAA is because certain isolated aminos can have 'pharmaceutical-like' effects (that is the claim). You blunt those drug like effects by consuming other aminos at the same time (and if that's not true, you could easily just eat ground beef instead of BCAA). Isolated BCAA stimulate protein synthesis while requiring no digestion. Tryptophan makes you sleepy. Tyrosine makes you alert. Lysine helps heal cold sores. All those aminos are contained in food though. You need to take them in isolated form, on an empty stomach, to maximize their effects.

I compromise by taking whey isolate instead of BCAA because isolate has high amounts of BCAA, and I'm willing to compromise because of the cheaper price. And a lot of BCAA products aren't just pure BCAA anyway, so why pay premium prices for that? Whey Isolate is easy to digest (some isolate products are hydrolized, so they require no digestion at all, like BCAA). Do pure BCAA stimulate protein synthesis better than Whey Isolate? I think so, but it's probably only an incremental improvement.

[K2000]

Did that sound strident? I'm trying not to sound strident. Possible fail.

[D.o.S.]

it sounded like weed kushing other weed.

[K2000]

I could be wrong...

One group consumed 40g of whey protein and the other group had 40g of whey protein plus BCAA per day....

The group that consumed the blend of whey protein and amino acids gained significantly more lean muscle mass and improved strength compared with the group that consumed just whey protein alone.

http://relentlessgains.com/guide-to-bcaa-supplements-benefits-and-how-to-take/

I'm not sure what "significantly more" means (was it a 20% increase? That would be 6 pounds of muscle gained, instead of 5 pounds - I don't consider that terribly significant). No link to a study.

With other aminos (Tryptophan etc) the conventional wisdom was to take them alone, away from other food, on an empty stomach. For protein synthesis, that may not be necessary with BCAA and other forms of protein, I don't know.

[Sparrow]

it sounded like weed kushing other weed.

[wsas3]

Caloric Surplus not going as well as planned. At the gym in a stringer I looked not only ripped but fucking huge as well, which is an insanely awesome feeling, but without a shirt I have some love handles now. Strength has gone up (hit a 405 squat!) but not in ideal proportion to increase in fat. Time to do some serous intermittent fasting, hypertrophy days and cardio for the next 4 weeks and see where I'm at.

[chuckjaywalk]

I took a week off of work to get my head right and now I am fat. I need to eat better.

[Iommic Pope]

Dunno if you guys have posted about this, because I couldn't be arse sifting through 66 pages or whatever, but:
I've been trying to workout for months now and I get like a week or two into shit and then I get really sick. Like every fucking time. I'm down to like a week out of every four or so, or one a week and then I'm wiped out and I have to rest the rest of the week because I'm wiped out.
What the fuck is that shit about?
Because it's pissing me off.
I'm really trying to do hard yards here and get some semblance of my fitness back now that I'm able to exercise again after my accident, but it's just ridiculous.