# Do protein shakes really work OR do they give you a belly?



## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hey,

This is my first official post! :clap2:

I have been going gym for weight training for the past 5 weeks now but have not bough any protein shakes as of yet.

My daily eating patterns are as follows:

*Mon-Fri*

(08:00 AM) Breakfast - Weektabix, Brown Toast, Green Tea

(13:00 PM) Lunch - Chicken Tikka and Rice

(17:00 PM) Go to Gym (*Excluding Wednesdays*)

(19:00 PM) Green Tea with Biscuits

*Sat-Sun*

I consider these days as "Bad" days where i eat what i want when i want! :high5:

So first things first, is there anything wrong with my nutrition? Also, should i be having protein shakes, as i do go gym 4 times a week and have only noticed a slight difference.

Hope someone can help..

Regards,

Billy


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Billy

At a minimum, you need a fast protein source first thing in the morning when you wake as you're body has been without any since your last intake the night before, again after training to help the muscles recover and last thing before you go to bed to see you through until the following morning. If your budget allows, ideally you should be taking some on board before you train also.

Also, 2 cheat days?? Lucky you!! Ha.


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

My 4 year old daughter eats more! Ha.


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## freddee (Mar 2, 2009)

You are asking opinions from people without first introducing yourself and giving your stats, but let me tell you that is probably the worst diet I have ever seen, it looks like at the weekend is the nearest you get to a normal nutritional intake of food, catwalk models with eating disorders eat more than that!


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Ha, funny! In all fairness he has put some stuff on an intro thread but that doesn't take away the fact his diet is poor. Billy, try this for size. It's some 'lean bulk' info you might find handy:

*Main Points:*

1.) Meals will consist of Protein/Carbs (P+C), or Protein/Fats (P+F). Therefore, while eating a P+C meal you should eat no more than 10-15g of fat at that time. The same will go while eating a P+F (ie: no more then 10-15g of Carbs)

2.) You should aim for 7-8 meals/day.. Not only will this supply a steady level of quality food, but eating often will keep metabolism up, fat burning going, and make it easier to eat the desired amount of calories.

3.) Since this is a lean bulk ALL sources of food should be from clean food.

*So how do I know how much to eat?*

Protein- 1.25- 1.5gram X 1 Lb. body weight

Fat- .6-.75gram X body weight

Carb- 1.5-1.75gram X body weight

For example, if you weighed 188 lbs, your numbers would be:

Protein: 235-282g/day

Fats: 112.8-141g/day

Carbs: 282-329g/day

*How many calories does that come out to?*

Protein = 4 cals/gram

Carbs = 4 cals/gram

Fat = 9 cals/gram

*So going by the example listed:*

940-1128 cals from protein

1128-1316 cals from carbs

1015.2-1269 cals from fats

Total:

3,083.2 - 3,713 cals per day

*How do I know if it is a Protein/Carb or Protein/Fat Meal?*

This is the suggested Layout, using a standard 5 p.m. workout time:

Meal 1- Protein/Carbs (Breakfast)

Meal 2- Protein/Carbs (Mid Morning)

Meal 3- Protein/Fats (Lunch)

Meal 4- Protein + light amount of Carbs (Pre-Workout)

Meal 5- Protein/Carbs - (Consume Immediately Post Workout)

Meal 6- Protein/Carbs (1-1.5 hours after Post Workout)

Meal 7- Protein/Fats

Meal 8- Protein/Fats (Preferably casein powder or cottage cheese + a small amount of fats.)

*So what food qualifies as clean?*

Carbs:

Whole Grain Bread

Whole Grain Wraps

Whole Grain Pasta

Oatmeal (Not Instant)

Whole Grain Brown Rice

Veggies (Steam/Grill)

Ezekiel Bread

Quinoa

Protein:

Chicken breasts (Boneless, Skinless)

Lean Red meats (Use in P+F meals; steak, ground meat, etc)

Turkey (Ground, lean cuts, etc)

Lean Fish (Tuna)

Fatty fishes (Use in P+F meals: Salmon, etc)

Whole eggs (Use in P+F meals)

Egg Whites (Use in P+C meals)

Cottage Cheese (Skim, 1%, 2%)

Protein powder (Whey, Casein, Egg)

Fats:

Olive Oil (Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin)

Nuts (Raw almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc. NON SALTED)

Fish Oil (Caps/Liquid Form)

Natural peanut butter

Flax Seeds/Oil

Coconut Oil

*How Do I know if I'm on the right track?*

Of course while dieting in ANY sense it is a good idea to monitor your progress, and adjust calories as needed( remember that individual metabolism, genetics, workouts, etc will play a huge role). Be sure to monitor your progress on the scale, in the mirror, and with body fat tests if they are available to you. Whether you're bulking or cutting you should shoot for no more then 2 lbs of gain or loss per week. If you are bulking and gaining more than 2 lbs a week, chances are you are gaining fat and you need to look at your diet to make adjustments. If you feel that you are getting fat, cut back on fats or carbs, but never, EVER cut back on protein.

*What else do I need to know?*

1. Try to take in a small salad or some steamed vegetables with your Protein/Fat meals to get some fiber.

2. Make Meals 1, 5 and 6 the time you take in the majority of your carbs.

3. A multivitamin is a great addition

4. On non training days, eat 2 P+C meals and they should be Meals 1 and 2. All of your other meals should be P+F.

5. Keep a food log to know how close you are hitting your numbers, and to also see what is, or isn't working for you.

6. Have a cheat meal, but don't go nuts. Preferably, do it on the weekend. Also, it is recommended that you stick with the clean foods even on cheat days, just feel free to bump your calories a little higher.


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your posts.

Don't get me wrong, i know i'm not eating as much as i should. This goes hand in hand with me thinking i'm going to put on too much weight. There is a learning curve on these sorts of things and i just want everyone to appreciate that i have JUST started so i don't mind constructive criticism / advice at all.

Only thing is that i find forums better than personal trainers which is why i have chosen to post on this forum as it looks like you guys know exactly what you are talking about.

In reply to Dorsey's post, i will be putting a nutritional plan together and then will post it back here, i would really appreciate it if you or anybody else for that matter would care to comment.

In a way i am excited about this because i know it will mean than i know EXACTLY what i am eating and when to eat it 

Will be replying later on as currently at work!

Thanks again, really appreciate the replies.


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Pleasure mate and obviously don't take any of it personally, it's only harmless banter.

There are a million and one more experienced guys out there than me but i'm happy to give my ten pence worth where possible.

I do agree, when starting out it's nice to be told exactly what to do and when to do it. Remember though, as humans we're all different so what works for one wont necessarily work for another. You can build a good basis but after that the tweaking is just down to trial and error.

Have you actually sat down with a good PT and been through a training programme & diet plan? And I don't mean with some 20st bird at your local Fitness First! I know it's all money at this stage (gym membership, PT, food & supps etc) but setting your stall out correctly now will put you in much better stead going forward.


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Lol! Thanks pal

I'm not at Fitness First, i'm at Esporta gym 

I have sat down and gone through a weights program with a PT, didn't really go through a nutritional program, was just told to eat plenty of protein and have protein shakes.

The reason i changed the weights program that my PT gave was because once i'd done the workout i didn't feel like i'd just done a workout (if you knwo what i mean) so i changed it all around only to find that now i'm doing too much. So i think i need to rethink the program again. In my other thread i will probably post my PT's weights program so that you guys can see if that is more on the lines of what i should be doing.

Thanks again


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Ha. I wa at Esporta until recently, paying £1400 a year for me and the other half plus extra charges for absolutely everything! The PT's there are pretty crap mate, majority have no quals and wouldn't know a decent routine if it bit them in the arse! You changing their routine around within no time just goes to show.

Changed over to a proper gym now, £23 a month and great advice to go with it, mostly from the lads training around me.

As per other thread, just get someone to nail it all down in black & white for you and you'll be all set.


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hmm i am paying £50 a month and am in a contractual sort of trap for a year. I cannot cancel the membership until 3 months prior to the end of the year.

Now the reason why i joined Esporta was because of the facilities such as Squash, Badminton and the Swimming. This was good until the guy i used to go with has had an operation so can't go to the gym for 6 months. That means i am having to train on my own.

If i do go to Fitness First i will have someone to train with, which i have come to know is always good.

I think what i can do is get a new weights program panned out and then continue at Esporta until the end of the contract. Hopefully i will see a difference and then i can take it from there.. :focus:


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Mate, the facilities at the Esporta are great so don't be put off by my post. I just wasn't using them properly anymore so it was pointless spending the money. I wouldn't personally use their PT's though, too expensive and not enough knowledge in my opinion.

I now go to a little back-street gym, rough & ready type place, but it's perfect for what I want now.

Training alone can be a problem but if you're outgoing enough just get chatting to the guys around you and in no time you'll find a new training partner.


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Lol, yep thats true. Its jus that if i find someone to train with they might not do the same as what i am doing so i'm slightly curious about this...


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Yeah, chances are they wont have a fcukin clue what they're doing either by which time you'll be clued up out your nut and be able to show them a thing or two!!


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Haha i surely hope so!

Lets see how i get on with this Cal guy, because i just don't want to put on any fat, i want to get rid of the bit of extra flab i have around my belly and make it as solid as i can. So doing a 2 day split would mean 5 days without working out?

Or is this where the cardio comes in?

I have too many questions.. LOL :becky:


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

You barely eat, you train 5 days a week and do like a zillion exercises. There's more chance of you dropping dead than putting on ny fat!! Ha.

PM Cal for now because what i'm telling you could be a complete contradiction - i'm no expert and he defo is!

Questions aren't a bad thing mate so long as you get the right answers. Always do your own research though.


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

I'm with you there Fleg however, i've got a feeling he'll happily chuck a couple of quid into the pot if it means getting himself on the right track. One does attend Esporta afterall....


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Ok, i will PM Cal and see what he advises, and no i don't mind paying for the time it will save me millions later on 

In regards to fleg's comment, i will be posting a nutrional plan and asking for criticism 

This is like the start of a new journey hehe!!


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Bdw, just tried PMing Cal but his status tells me i cannot psot a private message to him?


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

He's online now so if you're lucky might jump onto this thread. If not, I believe it's [email protected]


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## billy_111 (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks for that, if Cal doesn't jump into this thread i will send him a PM 

Lets see how things pan out!


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