I’ve just started a gym to improve my health and to bulk up my muscle. But....................?

Question

.............now all of a sudden I’m becoming conscious of what I’m eating! how many calories it contains, and whether I should in fact be actually eating it! I’ve been told to ensure my intake of protein increases but am not sure what to eat! Not just with regards to protein! I know the common sense ones, i.e. Chocolate, Sweets! Crisp! Etc should be avoided, but what about bread, red meat, yogurts! What should I eat and NOT eat???????????? Please advice me if you can! And thank you. (If it helps I’m 25yr male, body in proportion to height)

Answer 1

Hello,



(ANS) Be a bit careful here? why? because many gym's focus very hard on body building which is a very macho kind of past time. Body building can infact be extremely bad for your body.



**I trained for many years in contemporary dance, which is very athletic and requires a great deal of awareness of the body, of energy, diet, training.



**DON'T change your present (current) diet in anyway shape or form, that is NOT required at all. You should just try and eat a normal balanced diet as you have been.



**You wont do your body any good with all the pills, potions, weird energy drinks etc that body builds take.



**if you train regularly in the gym and don't over do it, you will naturally over time build muscle mass anyway (not become a freak show either), increase your stamina, improve both lung capacity and cardiovascular capacity. You may even loose some weight or loose fat anyway.



**When you train as an athlete or professional dancer you expend huge amounts of energy and so those calorie's need replacing but only by the right foods and substances. NOT chocolate bars which contain chemical sugars and almost no calories at all. What is required is carbohydrates that release energy back into the body gradually. From foods like potatoes, rice, pasta,etc.



**Protein rich foods should NOT be stressed any more important than other dietary element such as carbohydrates when you training physically. Foods rich in proteins are for example, eggs or soya based foods. The richest protein based food of all is in fact soya bean curd or tofu because pound for pound its richer in protein than any pure beef .



**When training its vital to warm the body up and the cool the body down after a training session, if you don't do this you greatly increase the chances of injury sooner or later.



**DON'T over lift more weight than is suitable for your ability, (not pain no gain is total rubbish in my opinion. If it hurts its probably doing you no good at all).



Ivan

Answer 2

Depends on your goals and your current health.



If you are concerned about fat loss then you need to eliminate and not consider the chocolate, sweets, etc.. at all.



Most people who are obese and crave these treats are usually emotionally attached to their food and would do better on a program that cut it out completely. Only later, after getting into a healthy weight should they consider indulging maybe once a week or so.



Red meats are loaded with saturated fat and are not that good. Turkey, chicken and fish are better alternatives. I would eat red meat sparingly.



White bread has no nutritional value and is basically sugar. White flour is not meant for human consumption.



Stick to whole wheat and stay away from high fructose corn syrup and BHT preservatives.



You will find many so called "whole grain" bread still have high fructose corn syrup a cheap form of sugar used in the US.



Yogurts are ok as long as they don't have too much added sugar.



A trip to your local nutrionist might be a good idea.



Have a great day!



Jose Santiago



http://www.personalfitnessforyou.com

Answer 3

i think if your being healthy, you should cut out red meats, eat white meats and fish, (less saturated fat to them), eggs are good protein but in moderation, yogurt, milk and cheese. Wholegrain pasta, brown rice , wholemeal bread. It can be interesting, honestly! good luck.