Health, Good Practises, and Exercise

[arkitect]

Avoiding Artificial Sweetners:

Lots of scare stories… but each to their own.

I use these three:

Stevia;
Erythritol for granulated sweetener;
Sucralose (NOT Splenda granulated. It is filled with Maltodextrin which spikes your insulin. And is something I try to avoid at most times. Maltodextrin also gives some people the *****. Liquid or powdered Sucralose by itself is great. Incredibly sweet so you use microscopic amounts.)

Locally in the UK I buy Truvia — a blend of Erythritol and Stevia. Multi purpose and hits my sugar free spot for baking etc.

[doublepost=1534672608][/doublepost]

snacking is mindless eating and its caught onto way too many peoples lifestyle. If people skipped these snacks and just ate all their food in each meal they would be better off.
[doublepost=1534596149][/doublepost]
leangains.com Ive done some sort of If for about 5 years now I won't ever go back to the 6-7 small meals a day. It was more of a hassle to eat like that and doesn't make a difference in the end of the day to weather you will loose weight or gain it.
[doublepost=1534596235][/doublepost]
its how companies sell breakfast foods. eating more often does not speed up your metabolism unless you are a rat

Agree with everything you wrote here.
[doublepost=1534673375][/doublepost]

There is not one way to eat or exercising that fits everyone, all the time

You have to get to know yourself and see what works for you. And what works for you now, may not work another period.
It all depends on how your mind/life etc is. We are no machines.

100% agree.

So often people seem to want a path laid out for them and unwilling to look inside themselves and find what works for them.

 

[x-evil-x]

These are my ‘small’ meals as an itemized list below For my own personal gains, I’m into Bodybuilding (Been lifting for 10+ Prior) and for my “On” days, this is what the protein intake represents as of current. 5 Days a week in Gym/Almost 3 Hours per session:

Meal 1:

Two cups of Oatmeal

Two scoops Annex whey/22 ounces of milk


Meal 2:

10oz Chicken breast

(One) whole Avocado


Meal 3:

18 ounces of Tuna

1 Oz Raw almonds


Meal 4: (Post workout)

Two scoops of Annex whey/three Grams of creatine

22 ounces of milk.

Two cups of Basmati rice


Meal 5:

7oz Steak

Broccoli


Meal 6:

Four eggs

20 ounces of milk

I used to eat like that. I dont miss it one bit haha. I want to erase from my mind the start of it all when I was doing 18 eggs a day(9 whites 9 whole split morning and night). 6 potatoes a day. pounds of meat by themselves ect...
Doing that for so long have you ever tried a macro style dieting with mostly good foods but still more fun with your meals?

 

[Huntn]

Lots of scare stories… but each to their own.

I use these three:

Stevia;
Erythritol for granulated sweetener;
Sucralose (NOT Splenda granulated. It is filled with Maltodextrin which spikes your insulin. And is something I try to avoid at most times. Maltodextrin also gives some people the *****. Liquid or powdered Sucralose by itself is great. Incredibly sweet so you use microscopic amounts.)

Locally in the UK I buy Truvia — a blend of Erythritol and Stevia. Multi purpose and hits my sugar free spot for baking etc.

[doublepost=1534672608][/doublepost]
Agree with everything you wrote here.
[doublepost=1534673375][/doublepost]

100% agree.

So often people seem to want a path laid out for them and unwilling to look inside themselves and find what works for them.

The question is which scare stories should you pay attention to? The concerns I have are reports that:

• They can cause an insulin response.
• They can destroy good bacteria in your gut, leaving the bad bacteria, which is reported to effect how well food is digested and even cravings the individual may have, described as a symbiotic relationship between you and your bacteria.

I’m not pushing the idea that the worst fears are all true, but I am seeking ways I can improve my diet, play the odds, and huge improvement would be reducing sugar, but not relying on a sugar crutch if I can help it. Sugar has always been big in my diet. I know I can’t cut it out completely like I did coffee, but, I’m working on reducing it without crutches if that is possible.

 

[arkitect]

The question is which scare stories should you pay attention to?

This is where YMMV is a handy way to live.
Don't sweat too many of the genuinely small details — the bigger picture is what I am looking at.

I make my research and live by my decisions… So far so good. I also tend to ignore "scare stories", yes, there is such a thing as sensationalist "reporting" — whether that be on a Blog, the BBC or a newspaper.
And we all know bad news is big news.

Silly made up example below:

OMG! Eating FAKE SUGARS make people die earlier… then read the "studies" and you see, well they fed a couple of poor rats vast amounts of "fake" sugars weeks on end, 24/7. And then extrapolated the results to humans — and the horror of it is that we will then die earlier. A day… a week? A couple hours earlier?
This is not in the same league as smoking and alcohol abuse.

*shrug*

I go my merry way. Not too many decades left before I shuffle off this all too mortal coil and I intend to enjoy them. And my enjoyment starts with being in decent shape and health — physically and mentally.

 

[Huntn]

This is where YMMV is a handy way to live.
Don't sweat too many of the genuinely small details — the bigger picture is what I am looking at.

I make my research and live by my decisions… So far so good. I also tend to ignore "scare stories", yes, there is such a thing as sensationalist "reporting" — whether that be on a Blog, the BBC or a newspaper.
And we all know bad news is big news.

Silly made up example below:

OMG! Eating FAKE SUGARS make people die earlier… then read the "studies" and you see, well they fed a couple of poor rats vast amounts of "fake" sugars weeks on end, 24/7. And then extrapolated the results to humans — and the horror of it is that we will then die earlier. A day… a week? A couple hours earlier?
This is not in the same league as smoking and alcohol abuse.

*shrug*

I go my merry way. Not too many decades left before I shuffle off this all too mortal coil and I intend to enjoy them. And my enjoyment starts with being in decent shape and health — physically and mentally.

I don’t disagree, but the links I have used, discuss the issue in a rational matter, in terms of what research has shown, not necessarily conclusive for all people, and possibilities vs probabilities.

 

[D.T.]

Lots of scare stories… but each to their own.

I use these three:

Stevia;
Erythritol for granulated sweetener;
Sucralose (NOT Splenda granulated. It is filled with Maltodextrin which spikes your insulin. And is something I try to avoid at most times. Maltodextrin also gives some people the *****. Liquid or powdered Sucralose by itself is great. Incredibly sweet so you use microscopic amounts.)

Yep, same here (see my post above), and to be clear for everyone, those aren't artificial, I figure if there's a simple, easily sourced option that is likely better (and with things like stevia, at least a plant vs. some kind of chemical created in a lab ...)

Be aware of the details, like how different sugars affect your body, like Glucose vs. Fructose, for example, Agave became a popular option, it has a low GI, but it's a way higher % of Fructose (vs. Sucrose, aka, table sugar), so that may not be a good option.

I also occasionally drink a regular old "diet" soda, usually the Splenda sweetened cokes or like a boutique soda that uses blend of Erythritol/stevia and regular sugar, great point from @arkitect , sometimes it's just about living We're very conscious, try to be extremely educated about this, but we have times when we have no care at all, that's kind of why we work out, eat healthy, etc. We've been traveling a lot, The Keys, Tampa for a show, Universal coming up this weekend, Canada and DC in the near future and we won't sweat a diet coke, a 4th beer, a Voodoo donut, a larger order of chili cheese fries

 

[Rum_Becker]

I’ve always heard that breakfast starts up the metabolism, but some suggest otherwise. Is it really important or better avoided to drop a few pounds?

Skip breakfast, meals and snacks. You should only eat when you are hungry, as for breakfast starting your metabolism I call BS. The longer you wait before your first meal of the day the more your body will produce HGH, so when and if you do exercise you will be able to build more muscle.

The worst possible thing a person can do to lose weight is to eat many small meals, this will constantly elevate the insulin level in your body. High insulin make you hungry and puts your body in an anabolic state, so if you skip breakfast and eat healthy the rest of the day you will lose weight if that is your goal.
[doublepost=1534732506][/doublepost]

I read that white flour can spike your blood sugar faster than a candy bar.

That is correct, flour breaks down into pure glucose which will spike your blood sugar way more than sugar because sugar is only 50% glucose, the other 50% is fructose which will not elevate blood glucose. Even though fructose does not elevate blood sugar, it will be converted into fat if you eat lots of it which can lead to NAFLD.

 

[44267547]

I used to eat like that. I dont miss it one bit haha. I want to erase from my mind the start of it all when I was doing 18 eggs a day(9 whites 9 whole split morning and night). 6 potatoes a day. pounds of meat by themselves ect...
Doing that for so long have you ever tried a macro style dieting with mostly good foods but still more fun with your meals?

I go through a lot of eggs. Almost three cartons a week, three gallons of milk in less than five days. However, That’s really difficult for me to eat like that, as my body is still adjusting to the higher calories. But if it’s my cycle days were I’m at the gym for longer hours, I definitely need the energy and the restoration for my body to recover from a three hour post workout. [I really enjoy night workouts, no one is at the gym and all the machines/weights are wide open compared to a day].

Can you give me any idea’s or examples of what you mean by ‘consuming good foods, but still more fun’ with my intake?

 

[x-evil-x]

The question is which scare stories should you pay attention to? The concerns I have are reports that:

• They can cause an insulin response.
• They can destroy good bacteria in your gut, leaving the bad bacteria, which is reported to effect how well food is digested and even cravings the individual may have, described as a symbiotic relationship between you and your bacteria.

I’m not pushing the idea that the worst fears are all true, but I am seeking ways I can improve my diet, play the odds, and huge improvement would be reducing sugar, but not relying on a sugar crutch if I can help it. Sugar has always been big in my diet. I know I can’t cut it out completely like I did coffee, but, I’m working on reducing it without crutches if that is possible.

I say give stevia drops a shot. im a sweet type person and its nice to have something that isnt any calories. I never saw any change in body composition dieting while using this. it never not made me lose weight as it shouldn't.
[doublepost=1534760689][/doublepost]

I go through a lot of eggs. Almost three cartons a week, three gallons of milk in less than five days. However, That’s really difficult for me to eat like that, as my body is still adjusting to the higher calories. But if it’s my cycle days were I’m at the gym for longer hours, I definitely need the energy and the restoration for my body to recover from a three hour post workout. [I really enjoy night workouts, no one is at the gym and all the machines/weights are wide open compared to a day].

Can you give me any idea’s or examples of what you mean by ‘consuming good foods, but still more fun’ with my intake?

3 hours a way too long a session I follow more of a plan of keeping track of all my volume and slowly increasing it as the plan goes on till I have a break and start over with lower volume and different rep ranges.
Think of it like this. Once your body gets used to all that volume you are doing it wont change or get stronger if it doesn't have different stimulus thrown at it either increasing weights/reps (volume). Less is more sometimes for longer gains imo.
Good foods is what people think are "clean" foods. I do really hate that word because people think you cant get into crazy good shape just counting your macros and being more open with your food choices. Good foods as in good meats, (I usually do turkey now), veggies. less processed foods.
I haven't bought chicken to cook at home in well over a year doing it everyday for 7ish years had me burnt out on a lot of plain type foods(lean meats, veggies eat). I use turkey now(99% fat free) for a lot of my foods. Ill make pasta and toss my turkey in it or make burritos with it and avocado for fats. I tend to like leaner turkey cause I can add my fats in other ways if I want or keep my calories lower with lower fats(what I usually do). I try keeping fats to 20% of overall cals(10% or less if Im doing a high carb day).
I make burritos basically everyday. Protein pancakes with pbfit mixed with enlightened ice cream for on top, ice cream smoothies, pasta with turkey, cereal/yogurt mixes. I diet with these foods and can get very lean controlling the amounts I eat everyday. Im more open to eating whatever I like if I can work it into my plan. Ill also not care too much about one days of food if im off I more focus on weekly cals then anything.

 

[44267547]

3 hours a way too long a session I follow more of a plan of keeping track of all my volume and slowly increasing it as the plan goes on till I have a break and start over with lower volume and different rep ranges.
Think of it like this. Once your body gets used to all that volume you are doing it wont change or get stronger if it doesn't have different stimulus thrown at it either increasing weights/reps (volume). Less is more sometimes for longer gains imo..

Everyone’s body will respond differently to weightlifting. 2.5/3 Hours is what I find works for me right now, as that’s consistent of hitting the target muscles for both {compound and isolation} lifting measures. One thing I have been in excelling in is making sure that I’m constantly confusing/shocking the muscles with doing drop sets, super sets and altering the weight starting from a high-volume minimizing down to a lower volume or vice versa. With my current routine, I think it’s really working and help stimulating the growth for my muscles, as I don’t want my body to be able to anticipate my every move, and I do alter my workouts quite regularly. Additionally, what I find that is the most challenging for me, but has been consistently working is that I take a very short break in between my sets and repetitions, too many guys stand around on their phones between sets way too long, and you need to constantly stimulate those muscles and exhaust them. Allowing the muscles to ‘Over-relax’ between sets is a horrible practice for heavy weightlifting.

As I’m sure you know, bodybuilding is all about *not* having a set path consistently inducing muscle confusion on a regular basis, which can be difficult, but I enjoy the challenge. But where I can improve, is trying to focus on my weak points and not always my strong points with lifting, and I need to prioritize that better. Naturally, we want always continually improve our strong points,

One thing I find that helps me a lot, as I have a ‘pre-game plan’ before I go to the gym, to basically to determine what I want to do differently and change my route, as I know my body will try to outsmart me.

Good foods is what people think are "clean" foods. I do really hate that word because people think you cant get into crazy good shape just counting your macros and being more open with your food choices. Good foods as in good meats, (I usually do turkey now), veggies. less processed foods.
I haven't bought chicken to cook at home in well over a year doing it everyday for 7ish years had me burnt out on a lot of plain type foods(lean meats, veggies eat). I use turkey now(99% fat free) for a lot of my foods. Ill make pasta and toss my turkey in it or make burritos with it and avocado for fats. I tend to like leaner turkey cause I can add my fats in other ways if I want or keep my calories lower with lower fats(what I usually do). I try keeping fats to 20% of overall cals(10% or less if Im doing a high carb day).
I make burritos basically everyday. Protein pancakes with pbfit mixed with enlightened ice cream for on top, ice cream smoothies, pasta with turkey, cereal/yogurt mixes. I diet with these foods and can get very lean controlling the amounts I eat everyday. Im more open to eating whatever I like if I can work it into my plan. Ill also not care too much about one days of food if im off I more focus on weekly cals then anything.

Love Turkey, and a great idea about the turkey burritos you mentioned, I will have to add that in. Chicken has been a staple, eggs, lots of tuna, lean red meat, etc. are all part of my diet currently And I make a a lot of stir-fries. Fresh seafood is my favorite. I’m not really interested in cereals that much, oatmeal has been a primary for me in the morning now mixed with protein powder or peanut butter. I also like to incorporate more ‘fats’ before a pre-work out, as carbing can cause a crash during the workout.

 

[x-evil-x]

Everyone’s body will respond differently to weightlifting. 2.5/3 Hours is what I find works for me right now, as that’s consistent of hitting the target muscles for both {compound and isolation} lifting measures. One thing I have been in excelling in is making sure that I’m constantly confusing/shocking the muscles with doing drop sets, super sets and altering the weight starting from a high-volume minimizing down to a lower volume or vice versa. With my current routine, I think it’s really working and help stimulating the growth for my muscles, as I don’t want my body to be able to anticipate my every move, and I do alter my workouts quite regularly. Additionally, what I find that is the most challenging for me, but has been consistently working is that I take a very short break in between my sets and repetitions, too many guys stand around on their phones between sets way too long, and you need to constantly stimulate those muscles and exhaust them. Allowing the muscles to ‘Over-relax’ between sets is a horrible practice for heavy weightlifting.

As I’m sure you know, bodybuilding is all about *not* having a set path consistently inducing muscle confusion on a regular basis, which can be difficult, but I enjoy the challenge. But where I can improve, is trying to focus on my weak points and not always my strong points with lifting, and I need to prioritize that better. Naturally, we want always continually improve our strong points,

One thing I find that helps me a lot, as I have a ‘pre-game plan’ before I go to the gym, to basically to determine what I want to do differently and change my route, as I know my body will try to outsmart me.



Love Turkey, and a great idea about the turkey burritos you mentioned, I will have to add that in. Chicken has been a staple, eggs, lots of tuna, lean red meat, etc. are all part of my diet currently And I make a a lot of stir-fries. Fresh seafood is my favorite. I’m not really interested in cereals that much, oatmeal has been a primary for me in the morning now mixed with protein powder or peanut butter.

give some pbfit or pb2 a shot its really good in a lot of things. basically stripped peanut butter of the fats just high protein pb you mix with things. My favorite cereals are the granola pumkin flax stuff. The low cal ice creams mixed with pbfit is super good(enlightened is my favorite halo top second best).
Lots of ways to get it done in the gym and ive tried them all over the years. I always end going back to my phat style training split as I think it makes the best progress. DC training is really good too if you've ever done super long static stretches and drop sets its hard on your body and cant do it for super long without taking breaks from what ive noticed. As long as youre progressing thats all that matters really. I just end up keeping track of my lifts with this app called STRONG its one of the best apps ive ever used. If I dont increase either reps or weight the following week for two weeks I change that exercise for something similar I can progress on before returning to the exercise I plateaued on.
Are you working out 3 hours more than 4 days a week? at least you dont have to do cardio then haha. I try to add in cardio at the very last as a tool to drop more fat its the one thing ive always hated doing.

 

[44267547]

Are you working out 3 hours more than 4 days a week? at least you dont have to do cardio then haha. I try to add in cardio at the very last as a tool to drop more fat its the one thing ive always hated doing.

Currently my routine is two days on/one day off in a given week (5 workouts/2 total Recovery days). And on a really heavy workout day, the most is three hours, my average in the gym is at least two hours/2.5 most days. Chest seems to take the longest because of all the isolation sets.

All my cardio is actually is running outside, I don’t do any cardio in the gym. With the added muscle, I definitely know it slows me down a little bit more, but as long as I am staying on top of my cardio, I’m fine with that. Cardio is not my favorite, but I know it makes me feel good and gives you that natural stamina.

 

[0388631]

The kids make for a decent "weight" when doing front raises during downtime at home. Weather has cooled down in the last few weeks. Despite everything being hectic and flying here and there, I've managed to break a consistent 8:42 mile for up to 70 minutes. Provided I don't injure myself, I'm looking forward to knocking the mile time down to sub 7 minutes or high 6 minutes for the same endurance or more by April.

 

[Gutwrench]

I used to eat like that. I dont miss it one bit haha. I want to erase from my mind the start of it all when I was doing 18 eggs a day(9 whites 9 whole split morning and night). 6 potatoes a day. pounds of meat by themselves ect...
Doing that for so long have you ever tried a macro style dieting with mostly good foods but still more fun with your meals?

I can be pretty anal but not enough for macros. I never dieted except when cutting. Otherwise I ate everything I wanted, as much as I wanted. I was fortunate to have a lifestyle to be in the (home) gym twice a day sometimes three times.

I was never on a bike but for a couple years used some legal prescriptions.

 

[x-evil-x]

I can be pretty anal but not enough for macros. I never dieted except when cutting. Otherwise I ate everything I wanted, as much as I wanted. I was fortunate to have a lifestyle to be in the (home) gym twice a day sometimes three times.

I was never on a bike but for a couple years used some legal prescriptions.

Macros isn’t bad. Really it’s not. I can make food and add it up super fast. Some people are so turned off by it but I like being able to make changes if I’m not gaining or losing. If I guess at what I’m eating in a day I can’t change anything really. If that makes sense to you. It’s easy to gain or lose if you know what you’re eating in a day.

 

[D.T.]

Ill also not care too much about one days of food if im off I more focus on weekly cals then anything.

Yeah, we go pretty focused M-F with food (very "managed" carbs [depending on the day/workout], clean, good/low fats, etc., and no booze), so that on the weekends we don't have to sweat it too much (though we still don't go completely nuts ...)

The low cal ice creams mixed with pbfit is super good(enlightened is my favorite halo top second best).

The wife and I aren't big sweet eaters, but we started buying both of these products for the little G. Figured if we could mitigate a little sugar consumption vs. regular ice cream (or even worse, something super excessive like B&J) and she still got all the enjoyment, why not?

The Enlightened were 2 for 1, so we did a couple of those, then the next week the Halo Top was on sale, same 2 for 1, so we tried those - she liked them all, with the exception of being a little iffy on the Movie Night flavor (to be honest, I sort of got that one for me and the wife, it's pretty awesome, butter caramel popcorn!)

A whole carton (pint) is 280-360 calories, some B&J flavors are 450+ per serving and a pint is __four__ servings

 

[shinji]

Yeah, we go pretty focused M-F with food (very "managed" carbs [depending on the day/workout], clean, good/low fats, etc., and no booze), so that on the weekends we don't have to sweat it too much (though we still don't go completely nuts ...)



The wife and I aren't big sweet eaters, but we started buying both of these products for the little G. Figured if we could mitigate a little sugar consumption vs. regular ice cream (or even worse, something super excessive like B&J) and she still got all the enjoyment, why not?

The Enlightened were 2 for 1, so we did a couple of those, then the next week the Halo Top was on sale, same 2 for 1, so we tried those - she liked them all, with the exception of being a little iffy on the Movie Night flavor (to be honest, I sort of got that one for me and the wife, it's pretty awesome, butter caramel popcorn!)

A whole carton (pint) is 280-360 calories, some B&J flavors are 450+ per serving and a pint is __four__ servings

Enlightened's chocolate peanut butter swirl bars are awesome https://eatenlightened.com/collecti.../chocolate-peanut-butter-swirl-ice-cream-bars

 

[x-evil-x]

Yeah, we go pretty focused M-F with food (very "managed" carbs [depending on the day/workout], clean, good/low fats, etc., and no booze), so that on the weekends we don't have to sweat it too much (though we still don't go completely nuts ...)



The wife and I aren't big sweet eaters, but we started buying both of these products for the little G. Figured if we could mitigate a little sugar consumption vs. regular ice cream (or even worse, something super excessive like B&J) and she still got all the enjoyment, why not?

The Enlightened were 2 for 1, so we did a couple of those, then the next week the Halo Top was on sale, same 2 for 1, so we tried those - she liked them all, with the exception of being a little iffy on the Movie Night flavor (to be honest, I sort of got that one for me and the wife, it's pretty awesome, butter caramel popcorn!)

A whole carton (pint) is 280-360 calories, some B&J flavors are 450+ per serving and a pint is __four__ servings

Next time try getting some pb fit(or any powdered peanut butter) and mixing it in with the ice cream. Thank me later haha. High protein low fat ice cream that tastes like it has to be bad for you.

 

[0388631]

Peanut powder is glorious in homemade ice cream. Throw in some chopped chunks or flakes of TJ's pound plus and you're set. Maybe some banana too.

 

[x-evil-x]

Peanut powder is glorious in homemade ice cream. Throw in some chopped chunks or flakes of TJ's pound plus and you're set. Maybe some banana too.

I’ll add granola into it sometimes too. That pumpkin flax granola. So damn good.

 

[0388631]

Just threw up a little.

 

[x-evil-x]

Just threw up a little.

Don’t knock it till you try it

 

[0388631]

Don’t knock it till you try it

Already have. Wasn't a fan. Chocolate granola, on the other hand, is nice. Don't really like toppings for my ice cream, though.

 

[Lioness~]

These bars have become my new healthy 'addiction'. In a period of rebuilding and in need of protein.
They are totally delicious too, and comes in several flavors.
I don’t need carbs in a bar, if I want that, I rather add some fruit.
These are the d*** best bars I’ve found

 

[x-evil-x]

Already have. Wasn't a fan. Chocolate granola, on the other hand, is nice. Don't really like toppings for my ice cream, though.

100% bet you havent had it the way I make it though. The way I mix the ice cream with things its melted obviously or it wouldnt mix with the powdered peanut butter
[doublepost=1535703081][/doublepost]

These bars have become my new healthy 'addiction'. In a period of rebuilding and in need of protein.
They are totally delicious too, and comes in several flavors.
I don’t need carbs in a bar, if I want that, I rather add some fruit.
These are the d*** best bars I’ve found
View attachment 778829

uhhh 39 grams of fiber in one bar? Im hoping you arent getting upwards of 70+ in a day. Too much fiber isnt good.