I started working out two weeks ago and I have been planning to add protein to my diet, to substitude a meal, actually I only eat twice a day so it would be like adding a meal. What brand of protein do you guys recommend? Also i was thinking about adding creatine to my diet, what do you guys know about it? Pros and cons? I think I read a thread like this a while back but i cant find it.
I think you should add 3 or 4 meals to your diet. 2 even 3 meals will not cut it if you are trying to add muscle. You want your body to constantly have nutrients flowing through it and you cant do that on 2 - 3 meals. Especially two. For most of the day your metabolism will shut down and that is going to hurt you. It wouldnt matter how much protein or creatine you added if you don't have your metabolism going most of the day.
twice a day, it aint going to happen buddy, you gots to upgrade to 5 to 6 meals a day. I started going to the gym in January, something like a new years resolution. I'm really happy with the results. From 203 lbs to 190 yesterday morning, I also gained some muscle... I cook my own stuff and bring it to work. I eat a lot of chicken, plain boneless chicken...make my own sandwiches, most of them are turkey and peanut butter. You can get some great deals at GNC, they usally have the 30% coupon off every few days, check slickdeals.com the forums for more info.... My stack looks like this ON whey double rich chocolate Animal Pak 44 and Fish Oil I'm still not taking any creatine, there are no cons with creatine just drink a lot of water, you'll be fine. I suggest you look into Green Mag LINK
what those other guys said is correct. its hard to get that many meals in but its the best way to go about it. also not sure about creatine brands i would have to do some research (which i will do since im about to start working out again myself) but the protien part is Optimum Nutrition. Unless you want to spend a lotta lotta money this is the best brand to go with. it tastes great and per dollar gives you the most protein. but like i said i guess if money is no object you can find even better stuff out there. not sure about those specific brands though.
Eat more meals, eat peanut butter before bed. Not sure about creatine, i've never used the stuff, I know that it retains water so make sure to get a bunch of fluids in your system.
Mr Brightside would know, since 90% of his protein comes as a supplement. As for creatine, it works greats, but heed my advise. Drink plenty of water, or else you will tear a muscle. Without water in the muscles, creatine can make muscles brittle (so I've heard). I used it about 8 years ago. I was benching around 235 at the time and hit 300 in just under 6 months. It works, but drink water. Did I mention to drink plenty of water.
Thanks guys...I begin to see where my problems are. i have no time in the morning to eat so thats when i would be taking the protein shake... could i take two a day and eat two meals a day?
Why do you eat before bedtime. Food needs time to digest. You can eat it during the day and at least it won't transfer into fat as much.
Many people will say to drinking when your thirsty, because when you take creatine your body will crave it. Some people disregard this, because they're not used to craving water. I drink anywhere from 32 -64 ounces per day, depending on how active I am. Mr Brightside drinks a gallon I think. He should be here shortly.
one of the most important things with the diet is eating right in the morning, to keep your metabolsim going...thats the reason why you also need to eat at least 5 times a day, of course in small portions....I know how hard it is to eat right in the morning, but you have to do it... water, well 2 to 3 liters is perfect, but also you need to exercise in the meantime, water flushes all the bad stuff outta you and keeps you hydrated all day long here is a simple plan for you if you intend to take all the supplements and work out 4-5 times a week 6-7 am - protein shake, oatmeal, a fruit and your multivitamin 9 am - lets say, a sandwich 12pm - a can of tuna, slice of wheat bread, and maybe 15 piece of almonds 3pm - before you hit the gym creatine, maybe some strawberries 6pm - 6 ounces of boneless chicken breast, maybe some brown rice and 9pm - protein shake and cottage cheese before you hit the bed