Received supplements. | Eating 101 | Forum

The following is a list of supplements I ordered, received, and started using from http://www.trueprotein.com, with the exception of glutamine, which I bought at Walmart.

   Premixed by TrueProtein (Recovery Drink Mix / part 1): 15 lbs.

     Hydrolyzed whey protein 35%

     Maltodextron                   35%

     Dextrose                         30%

  Premixed by me (Recovery Drink mix / part 2): About 1 lb, 12 ozs.

    Glutamine         35%

    BCAAs              50%

    Phenalanyline   15%

  Soy Protein:  (emergency meal replacement powder): 3lbs.

Total cost including shipping and glutamine = About $145.  I haven't done the math to figure out how long this quantity will last, but it should be a long time, since this recovery drink is only for lifting days.

I mix part 1 (macronutrients) and part 2 (amino acids) of the recovery mixes as prescribed in Scrawny to Brawny, by Michael Mejia and John Berardi for lean guys.  The prescription is to drink three servings total (before, during, and after workout). 

TrueProtein allows one to customize the mixes.  I could have had the aminos premixed with the macronutrients, but it's a minimum of 5% of each ingredient when one customizes on line, so that didn't really optimize the mix as prescribed.  The prescription calls for the two sugars to equal twice the amount of the hydrolyzed whey protein and for each serving to be .8g/kg body weight carbs, .4g/kg protein, 3-5 g BCAA, 3 g glutamine, and 3 g phenylalanine.  As a real perceptive reader might notice, I've gone a little light on phenylalanine according to the prescription and the protein is about 5% too high, but everything else is pretty close.  I figured it may be better to go a little high as compared to a little low on the protein, since I may add extra sugars by mixing with skim milk.

Also, since I'm not extremely skinny, I mix about 2 1/2 servings only, and I split the one and a half serving for the before and during phase, leaving a full serving immediately after.

I'm real happy with what I received.  The mixes came in clear, plastic food bags with zip ties (no hype).  Also, they taste terrible (also a good sign of their legitimacy), however, mixing with milk helps calm the bitterness somewhat, although I'm not sure if that will actually hinder absorption.

As with this site and other legitmate sources, Scrawny to Brawny deemphasizes the use of supplements to the importance of one's overall plan of attack, however, they do stress the importance of a proper recovery drink, especially for naturally thin guys (or gals for that matter).  The book does not recommend other protein powders or bars as optimal, but does suggest having such items on hand when one's plan goes astray.  This is the reason I also purchased some cheap protein.

Unlike Darrin's assertion that any ole whey protein will do as a recovery drink, the book states that taking any protein other than hydrolyzed whey protein is little better than eating a food protein source for quick absorption.  In the authors' opinions, bitter-tasting, hydrolyzed whey is an absolute must if one wants to add protein to enhance the effectiveness of his or her recovery drink.  I think I've got the right stuff, cause this stuff sure is bitter!

Phenominal post Darrin.

Here's what the bottom line is, you can take the advice or not.  You are the parent.  (This coming from a 21 year-old, so I know where your son is comeing from here.)  He may not like it now, but he will see the value of what you try to teach him, as with most issues.  What your wife eats is between you and her, I personally don't see the problem with some crackers or chips laying around, OCCASIONALLY.  But, as far as your son goes, he wouldn't choose the frozen patties if they weren't there.  A child's taste buds are different from an adults, so he may not like everything healthy that you eat, it's ok, BUT you still buy the groceries.  When I was growing up I got one soda a day, period.  Usually I didn't even drink that after a while. In fact, I see diet sodas as FAR more deceptive and dangerous than a normal sugar loaded soda (but that's a whole other issue).  Yes, you want to give your son a choice, but it has come to the point where he is addicted to the frozen foods.  It's your job as a father to break him of this, he will appreciate it later, even if he never says it.  Just be up for an argument from time to time.  Your son made some changes to his life.  I encourage you to help him along the way there and push him a little bit more.  He seems plenty adjusted to where he is now, so now it's time to move on some.  Wether you want to force activity on him or not is up to you, but I'd recommend makeing some kind of deal with him on exercise.  Like he has to play a sport(s) or go to the gym with you every day, or something along those lines.  Most althetes didn't always like sports.  They were forced to do them until the liked them as a kid.  My experience was 3rd grade gym class.  While yes he is older than 3rd grade, he still is impressionable.   Anyways, hope this helped some.  I'm also interested on Darrin's take on this, since he's like an old man compared to me  (most of you are anyways….)

Post edited 10:22 pm – August 2, 2010 by Darrin

As for the advice on my son, who is actually my step-son from age five, is a different kind of animal than most, and alot of his personality had already been developed when I came into the picture.  Tough love is destructive to him and only detracts from our ability to communicate with each other and absolutely does not create behavioral change.  Believe me, I've gone through this before with education, and he almost didn't graduate high school.   When he was a child, if you took something away from him to get him to change, he would simply just do without.  Spanking did not have postive results either.  He will not open up and honestly discuss matters related to himself and, hee would always rather have nothing than to do something that he is uncomfortable with.

His confidence is very delicate, and it takes time to get him to change, but (believe me) his dietary behavior is much better than before.  During his childhood, I didn't know what I know now on nutriton, so I wasn't very helpful.  What I've got to do now is to prove to his subconscious that eating a more nutritious diet will not cause him to gain weight.   If I try the things y'all suggest, he will simply not eat at home whatsoever; spend all his money eating out and at his girlfriends; and will further reduce the nutrional value of what he eats.  He will not, however, be defiant or mad; only stressed.  I think that he thinks and behaves sort of along the lines of an anorexic or bulemic (just not that extreme).  He is afraid of gaining weight back and tends towards eating the foods that he ate during his period of losing weight.  Before that time, he was an out-of-control junk addict, but so was everyone around him, save me.

_________________________________

I know I'm not using the correct terminology when I write "complete starches" but this is where I get stuck on healthful eating for a thin person.  I've done some reading on carbs from other sources.  Although whole grains, no bleached foods, and no sweets are preached, I don't really understand how this relates to me gaining weight while keeping it mostly muscle.  Previously, I believed it had to do with the GI of different carb choices, but Cameron dispelled that theory.  So now, the only thing I can understand is that some carbs have better nutrional value than other carbs, and, with respect to insulin, only the fiber content in some carbs slow the response.

This is my delimma.  If I must eat lots of carbs + protein to gain weight/muscle, and I must eat lots of calories in total (spread throughout the day); how do I do this, if I'm eating all low calorie items like vegies and low-fat proteins and limited choices on whole grain starches.  Moreover, how do I keep away from eating the same whole grain choices over and over, every day.  I don't see how it can be a healthful diet, for instance, to eat (say) ten whole wheat sandwhiches per day.  To eat other whole grains would be very difficult if three of my meals are eaten at work, and it may actually take ten sandwhiches for my three work meals for me to gain weight.

Currently, I'm eating one-to-two fruits in each of my first four meals and whole wheat and/or oats in at least three of the first four.  I also include dairy in at least one of those first four.  Those first four meals are P+C and, I try to keep fat levels low.  My last two meals, however, are P+F, and I usually limit the fruits and whole grains, and eat mostly veggies, meats/poultry/fish, nuts, and low-sat. oils.

My current plan, however, is not cutting it.  I weight 146 lbs (morning weight) and has not moved up in two months.  I've got to keep increasing calories or reducing energy expenditure until I find the right combination.  But I'm runing out of dietary choices and I'm growing weary of spending so much time planning and executing my meals.

As for my question about estrogens in whole wheat, that comes from an old program I was on called Cybergenics in1993.  In that diet program, one could eat no whole wheat and no bleached wheat.  The reason for no whole wheat was that it contains too many estrogens.  The reason for no bleached wheat was not explained, but, at that time, I thought it was because it would turn straight to sugar, but–now–I don't really know why bleached flour is bad for us.  During the program, I had to find breads made from unbleached flower (but not whole grain).  I don't understand the science of such a diet, but I did turn into a person that looked like he lifted weights for the only period of my life.  The program had other dietary rules that were very odd, some rules were based on lowering estrogens and increasing production of testostorone and GH.

In my mind, the whole-grain choices I have are wheat, rice, and oats.  Prepared dishes from these grains are limited, but the amount I must eat of these has to be great if my protein and other carb choices are low calorie.  I know I could eat even more fruit, but I think I'm probably getting enough, since I'm already clearing out the shelves at Wal-Mart.

_______________________________

As for the book by Venuto, I found one with the same or similar title @ Barne's, but it was a different author.  Part of my UFGs is to learn more about core and leg strength, flexibility, balance, nutrition, and recovery.  I went to the bookstore to find books on these topics, but I've not yet found anything from the authors' Darrin suggests.   Although I found books on all these topics, I don't know who to trust as experts.  I'm going to the library today.

________________________________

I didn't intend to turn this into a inquiry post, but I do need some help learning more about the basics of body building, which, previously, I thought I already knew.  I've got the info. I need for a self assessment; I've got UFGs; but now I need to find out how to learn more, so I can develop a long-term plan with short-term routines that will help me meet my UFGs.

The margins were doing that to me when I tried to reply the other day… it's better now, but yea that happens alot.  That's why they say to gain weight over winter and shed bf% over summe rbecause our bodies natural inclination is to lose weight over the summer.  Winter (way back when) was when food was more scarce, meaning we had to store it more.