Some help with my supplementation plan

[LI GUY 1]

The cheapest I saw BCAA there was 336 grams for 39.99. You can get 1,000 grams for the same price at bulknutrition.com

1,000 grams glutamine at that site is about 50. It is 25 on the bulk site.

All amino acids are the same, buying a brand name amino is the same as a bulk supplier, just a lot cheaper.

[Teh El Macho]

Bro, a muscle milk RTD is not good nor sufficient for breakfast. However, a shake can be taken as a pre-breakfast snack - my g/f takes a protein shake right after her morning shower, and 90 mins later she has her breakfast (usually a bowl of oatmeal, raisins and yogurt) at work.

You are seriously murdering yourself with a lack of a good breakfast. You ask for a suggestion, I can give one, which is basically what I eat:

1. half a cup of oatmeal micronuked with water, some cinammon and raisins. Then you can either add 4 to 8 oz of yogurt and/or a teaspoon of peanut butter (peanut butter is your friend).

2. two eggs with 3 egg whites, salt and pepper and that's it. Maybe 2-3 brocolli florets (sp), also micronuked.

That's basically what I eat every day. Sometimes I eat them together, sometimes with 1 hour of separation between them. And if I wake up early, maybe a small protein shake an hour before that. But breakfast is there, always.

You can include a shake as part of your breakfast, or as a snack a few hours before your breakfast, but it can never substitute it. Remember this: a protein shake or bar is not real food; it is a supplement.

I haven't started the Muscle Milk for breakfast yet, that's something the guy at the store suggested.

If that's what he said, literally, he's fucking retarded.

Food wise my biggest problem is supper. By the time I get home from work it's about 18:30 and I'm either at class or the gym by 19:00, so I can't have a real meal or I might leave it on the mat.

I hear ya. Still, even if you have to swallow stuff at 23:00, eat.

Even if you don't feel hungry, eat. The simplest thing you can eat (small, easy to digest) is some tofu and brocolli, perhaps some turkey breast (my g/f and I buy this smoked, low-sodium turkey breast, which we slice and freeze some for later use - pretty fucking convenient.)

Brocoli is also your friend, specially at night. You need to get some protein (animal protein preferable, but tofu is fine as well), and soluble fiber (brocoli or cauliflower). Worst case scenario, a banana - fruits and breads are not ideal, but they are a thousand times better than going to bed with an empty stomach.

To be honest, I'm shooting suggestions in the dark. Can you describe, with luxury of details the type of meals (including fruits, yogurts, breads and granola bars BUT excluding protein shakes and bars) you have at different times of the day????

[rw4th]

Lastly, I reccomend taking the Muscle Milk pre bed. If you do you should drop the ZMA as Zinc and calcium do not mix. Anything containing calcium should be avoided around the time you take the ZMA so it gets used. I would imagine that having slow digesting protein before bed (Muscle Milk) is more valuable then ZMA. When I take Zinc supps I do it first thing in the morning, then eat about 15 minutes later.

I take the ZMA to help me sleep on days that I work out and it seems to help.

A few more questions:

- If I take the muscle milk before bed, what should I take post-workout?
- On days that I don't train, what should I take? Should I still take the muscle milk in the evening on top of a real supper or would that be too much?
- Should I replace the evening Muscle Milk with straight protein on off days?
- Would adding a muscle milk shake before training as my "supper" be any good?

Thanks for the help

[LI GUY 1]

If you take the ZMA, do not use the Muscle Milk before bed. Wait an hour after taking the
MM to take the ZMA.

No reason you cannot take MM pre bed and post workout. I suggested a better shake for post workout though.

MM before training is fine. Just not if you are taking free form aminos also.

Free form aminos are best taken without anything else that would slow doen the absorption. The point of free form is so that it gets absorbed ASAP.

[SunTzu]

Here's the smoothie I eat for breakfast everyday:

1 small banana
1/4c unflavored protein powder (roughtly 1/3 whey, 1/3 caseins, 1/3 egg whites)
1 tsp Glutamine (4.5g)
1/3c nonfat plain yogurt
1/3c oats (whole, not instant)
~2Tbps flax seeds
1 bag Acai puree
1 bag Acerola puree

Sometimes I sub in blueberries, strawberries, mangos, etc. for the last two. If I don't use the Acerola, I add some vitamin C powder to sub for it.

Edit: I actually used to use Evopro, which is the protein mix used in MM, but it was too sweet so I found a place that makes powders without flavor or sweetner. I tried straight whey, but it didn't seem to keep me feeling satisfied as long so I started playing around with different mixes. During the summer I get fresh eggs from my folks and use raw egg whites, which I prefer to powders, but they don't lay year-round.

[Teh El Macho]

^^^ There you go. Another good option for breakfast.

[Jack Rusher]

Another good option for breakfast.

My girlfriend is a food writer with a food blog. Here is her write-up on various smoothies we've tried. I drink the bottom one first thing in the morning. An hour later, a bowl of granola (home made, cheaper and more reliably nutritious that way) with yogurt and fruit.

Some snacks that I like better than protein and energy bars: fresh fruit, dried fruit, hard boiled eggs (I can't say enough good things about them, especially fresh ones from the farmer's market), hockey puck-sized portions of steak pre-cooked and waiting in the 'fridge, raw milk cheeses, ceviche made the night before, almonds, walnuts, real ("natural") peanut/sunflower butter on whole grain bread, a bowl of chickpeas/garbanzo beans with olive oil, more yogurt & fruit, a salad with some tuna on it, &c.

I try to mix the hippy local/fresh/seasonal farmer's market thing with sports supplements so as to get all the nutrients and all the tasty.

[Chimaira]

Also on the quick breakfast/smoothie front, check out menshealth.com. They have a crap-ton of smoothies as well as other quick meals.

[rw4th]

Thanks for the help. Based on the feedback I received I’ve made some changes. I can’t give too much detail about the exact food I eat because I don’t always eat the exact same thing every day (if I did I’d go nuts).

Here’s my new plan with a healthy dose of plagiarizing from everybody’s suggestions. I don’t really have time to make an actual smoothie for breakfast, since I suck at mornings and am usually rushing out the door so I like to stick to things I can just stuff into my bag and take with me.

08:45 – Muscle Milk RTD, multivitamin
09:30 – Breakfast (at work): instant oatmeal, raisins and yogurt
12:00 – Lunch: usually some kind of healthy sandwich with a salad, Omega 3 fish oil capsule
16:00 – Snack: apple, piece of cheese, V8, Omega 3 fish oil capsule

On days when I work out:

17:00 – “Supper”: Muscle Milk RTD
18:30 – Pre-Workout BCAA, Glutamine in water
19:00 – 21:00 Workout
21:00 – Post Workout BCAA
21:20 – Whey Protein Shake with Glutamine
23:30 – Muscle Milk (before bed)

On days when I don’t workout

18:00 – Supper: what ever the woman cooks (which is usually healthy since she’s doing Weight Watchers)
21:00 – Evening Snack (varies)
23:30 – Muscle Milk (before bed)

[rw4th]

The cheapest I saw BCAA there was 336 grams for 39.99. You can get 1,000 grams for the same price at bulknutrition.com

1,000 grams glutamine at that site is about 50. It is 25 on the bulk site.

All amino acids are the same, buying a brand name amino is the same as a bulk supplier, just a lot cheaper.

Thanks, I'll check them out when I start running low on my current stuff.