Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Nutrition Thread - Weight Loss/Gain & Muscle Gain/Retention

HamaTime™

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
1,807
Reaction score
61
Points
48
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
C Class AMG
Although there are some who are naturally ripped and muscley, the majority of us need to work hard to stay lean and also put on muscle. I'm sure most of us have one or more mates who are just naturally ripped and we all envy them, to be honest, personally I'm glad I'm not one of them, because not being one of them got me into the gym and into nutrition and turned my life around.

If you really want to unlock gains in both your own personal health and also transforming your body in the gym, then a solid diet/nutrition plan is what you need. Unless you have the body of someone I just described who is naturally ripped/built, then without a proper nutrition plan, your full potential can not and will not ever be realised.
I have coached a vast number of people in nutrition all starting with myself and you can trust me on my knowledge and I practice what I preach.

Alot of people seem to have the misconception that a nutrition plan is:

  • Too hard to stick to (you need to learn commitment and re-evaluate what you want to achieve in the gym)
  • Too expensive (I eat 7 meals a day and spend $60-$70 on food a week. Most people who buy junk food every day and eat 3 meals a day spend $300+ a week on unhealthy food which does not help them achieve their goals
  • Too restrictive (I can't eat my favorite things) - trust me on the fact that with a little understanding of food, you will soon be able to fit anything you want to eat into a daily nutrition plan and still acheive your goals.

Anyway.

Nutrition 101

Basic Terminology
1. BMR (Base Metabolic Rate) - The amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body if you were comatose (i.e. zero exercise)
BMR Calculator

Calculated using:
- Age
- Sex
- Height
- Weight

2. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) - The amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body in an active lifestyle (i.e. regular exercise, physical/non-physical job, regularity of physical activity etc)
TDEE Calculator

Calculated using:
- Age
- Sex
- Height
- Weight
- Type & Regularity of Physical Activity

Calculating Calories to Determine/Manipulate Body Composition
Essentially there are three types of dieting.

  1. Bulking (putting on muscle/weight)
  2. Maintenance
  3. Cutting (stripping body fat)

The most important thing to think about in dieting in any situation is CALORIES IN vs CALORIES OUT

The basic philosphy behind each is:

  1. Bulking - Calculate your TDEE and add 500 calories or 15-20% on top of your TDEE. This is the total amount of calories you need to eat every day to put on lean muscle
  2. Maintenance - Calculate your TDEE and this is the amount of calories you need to maintain your body mass based on your stats and your current physical activity levels
  3. Cutting - Calculate your TDEE and subtract 500 calories or 15-20% off your TDEE. This is the total amount of calories you need to eat to burn off body fat whilst preserving maximum amount of lean muscle as possible.
    (Note, that 0.5kg loss per week is quite normal - the lower your body fat gets, the more strict and different diet techniques need to be employed to keep cutting) - metabolisms are quite fragile and easily become stagnant with prolonged periods of the same eating patterns. I will cover this in a more advanced post on dieting.

Calculating Macronutrients To Determine/Manipulate Body Composition
Macronutrients are the 3 major types of foods (I have described them and given some traditional examples)
1. Protein

  • ALL Meats
  • Egg Whites
  • Fish
  • Whey
  • Dairy Products (Milk/Cheese)
2. Fats

  • Avocado's
  • Egg Yolks
  • Almonds/Peanuts (Almond/Peanut Butter)
  • Dairy Products (Milk/Cheese)
  • Coconut Flesh/Milk
  • Olive Oil
3. Carbohydrates

  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Bread
  • Potato's
  • Vegetables
  • Sugar

Essentially, you need a fixed balance of your Macronutrients each day in order to maximise your bodies growth and hormone production.

Protein

  • 1.4 - 2g of Protein per kg of Bodyweight

Fats

  • 1-2g of Fat per kg of Bodyweight

Carbohydrates

  • There are various calculations on amounts of carbs 'needed' but carbs are the least important of the 3 macros and various people need more carbs and some need less carbs. Essentially, fill up the remainder of your calorie requirements with carbs after meeting your protein and fat requirements.

FAQ's

How do I count Calories & Nutritional Values of foods?
- Google the type of food you are eating and put 'nutritional information' after it e.g. '250g chicken breast nutritional information' this will give you a loose idea of the calories/macronutrient breakdown of any food you are eating.
 

Loaded Dice

.... Lets roll.
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
693
Reaction score
34
Points
28
Age
55
Location
Victoria
Members Ride
MY12 SSV Redline
Great writeup but your BMI and TDEE calculators, how do you do the calculations and what to you refer the result to?
 

HamaTime™

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
1,807
Reaction score
61
Points
48
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
C Class AMG
Great writeup but your BMI and TDEE calculators, how do you do the calculations and what to you refer the result to?

The red 'Calculator' words in the OP are links to the BMR and TDEE calculators. Enter in your relevant stats and that will give you your results.

Compare your results to the info further down in the OP, based on how to set your calories, i.e. Bulking/Cutting/Maintenance and from there you can go on and fit your macronutrient breakdown into it.

I.e. if your TDEE works out to be 2800 calories and you want to bulk, follow these steps:

- 2800+500 = 3300 calories to Bulk
- 2g of Protein per kg of bodyweight
- 1.4g of Fats per kg of boydweight
- Add up the total calories of the Protein and Fats then fill the remainder of your calorie requirements in with carbs.
 

AirStrike

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
8,197
Reaction score
1,044
Points
113
Age
38
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
91' VN SS
I'll add it up correctly when I get home, but I think going by what you have listed Hama I'm under eating. My TDEE works out at around the 3600-3700 calories range yet I would most likely average around 1500-1800 a day. Think I might look to add something like a protien shake to supplement some calories as food wise I am eating enough to feel full.
I'll work out the macro's tonight.
 

c2105026

Active Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
900
Reaction score
141
Points
43
Location
NSW
Members Ride
2000 VTII Commodore Olympic, 2012 Ford Focus ST
On your typical 'good' day I may have 2000-2300 calories. My Energy requirements look to be around 2300, to lose weight, plus whatever running I do. atm this is 45km/week but will get up to 80km/week again. My main issue is I have a sugar addiction whereby i'll eat insane amount of calories of crap in one sitting, every several days.
 

AirStrike

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
8,197
Reaction score
1,044
Points
113
Age
38
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
91' VN SS
Just added up what I would call a fairly typical day.
Total calories: 1200
Total protein: 142g
Total fats: 28g
Total carbs: 86g

Based on the info above my targets should be closer to;
Total calories: 3000
Total protein: At least 200g (800 cal)
Total fats: At least 140g (1260 cal)
Total carbs: At least 235g (940 cal, remainder of cal allowance)

Suggestions on how to bulk up my intake healthily?
 

attycuz

New Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Messages
53
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
39
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
VT SS
Shakes, milk, banana, oats, peanut butter, all in a blender. Easy 700 cals
 

HamaTime™

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
1,807
Reaction score
61
Points
48
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
C Class AMG
Just added up what I would call a fairly typical day.
Total calories: 1200
Total protein: 142g
Total fats: 28g
Total carbs: 86g

Based on the info above my targets should be closer to;
Total calories: 3000
Total protein: At least 200g (800 cal)
Total fats: At least 140g (1260 cal)
Total carbs: At least 235g (940 cal, remainder of cal allowance)

Suggestions on how to bulk up my intake healthily?

This will help you considerably in your task of putting together a solid nutrition plan


Sample Diet Planner Here


It's a very loose sample plan I constructed for you. Obviously with certain foods and brands you buy, all you have to do is enter in the relevant nutritional info and calculate it to hit your above stats.

Best foods to eat if you want to eat clean, healthy foods are:

Protein:
  • Chicken
  • Kangaroo
  • Beef (Fatty cuts will help bump up your fats)
  • Fish (Tuna/Salmon are standard easy choices)
  • Egg Whites
  • Whey Protein Shakes
  • Casein Protein Shakes

Fats:
  • Avocado's
  • Nuts (Almonds/Peanuts - Including Almond/Peanut Butter)
  • Olive Oil
  • Egg Yolks

Carbs:
  • Oats
  • Rice (Basmati for white, medium/long grain for brown)
  • Wholemeal/Wholegrain bread
  • Pasta
  • White Potatos/Sweet Potatos
  • Green Veggies
 

frogsta

Perth WA
Joined
Oct 5, 2011
Messages
783
Reaction score
15
Points
18
Location
Perth
Members Ride
Focus ST E30
How do you have 7 meals in a day?
I would assume they aren't quite as big as the traditional family meals but I just get bloated after a chicken + salad roll for lunch sorta thing
 
Top