I just started a diet/workout plan this week (after getting a lot of motivation from this site of course) and I have a couple questions.

I realize that working out/cardio in the morning is best and most effective, but I'm in college. I have classes in the morning and throughout the afternoon. I can't workout till about 5-6PM. Is this going to work effectively? The main problem is that it kind of screws with my meals. I'm trying to eat 4 small meals a day, but it doesn't work out. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, about 3-4 hrs apart and after I work out I don't really want to eat, because you don't want to eat much after a workout and it's bad to eat before bed anyway.

I'm counting my meals, calories/carbs etc.. (nutrawatch.com), slowly working back into the workout routine with cardio. I'm going to add weights next week. Is this going to work out? Is it going to be effective?

Thanks a lot.

Two things:

1) Working out at night is infinitely better than not working out at all, so when you're starting out, just find a time you can use consistently and go with that. Once it becomes more of a habit and you get used to the routine, you'll probably find that it won't be terribly hard to move the workout around to an earlier time of day.
2) You DEFINITELY want to eat after you work out, especially if you're lifting weights. You can wait an hour or so after the workout, but you definitely need to give your body a nice dose of protein and carbs to give it something to build with.

Two things:

1) Working out at night is infinitely better than not working out at all, so when you're starting out, just find a time you can use consistently and go with that. Once it becomes more of a habit and you get used to the routine, you'll probably find that it won't be terribly hard to move the workout around to an earlier time of day.
2) You DEFINITELY want to eat after you work out, especially if you're lifting weights. You can wait an hour or so after the workout, but you definitely need to give your body a nice dose of protein and carbs to give it something to build with.


Agreed!!!

Thanks funtax. Another question now. I'll start to make my previous dinner meal a smaller one, and eat after the workout also. I guess chicken, fish, or something like that with protein?

Also, I'm 6'0 220lbs, and mainly just concentrating on losing weight. Should I take a protein supplement now or just concentrate on weight loss? I also have trouble getting enough calories without overloading on carbs and stuff. I guess I just have to experiment and find the right foods. Sorry, I know I should read up on this stuff more but I haven't had time to really research yet. Too busy reading schoolbooks and doing homework.

Anyway thanks a lot.

Another question now. I'll start to make my previous dinner meal a smaller one, and eat after the workout also. I guess chicken, fish, or something like that with protein?

Should I take a protein supplement now or just concentrate on weight loss?

This after workout meal should be the protein supplement with some dry oatmeal mixed in. Since you do not have the supplement i would use the proteins you listed along with some type of good carb....

Thanks funtax. Another question now. I'll start to make my previous dinner meal a smaller one, and eat after the workout also. I guess chicken, fish, or something like that with protein?

Also, I'm 6'0 220lbs, and mainly just concentrating on losing weight. Should I take a protein supplement now or just concentrate on weight loss? I also have trouble getting enough calories without overloading on carbs and stuff. I guess I just have to experiment and find the right foods. Sorry, I know I should read up on this stuff more but I haven't had time to really research yet. Too busy reading schoolbooks and doing homework.

Anyway thanks a lot.

Take a look at John's food logs. They're a great example of how to maintain a healthy balance of fat/carbs/protein. Be forewarned though, even John has admitted that he took in too few calories during the earlier stages of his program.

You should definitely take protein supplements - especially during fat loss. When you lose weight, you also lose muscle tissue. This is an unfortunate side effect of fat loss. However, by training w/ weights and taking in the right amount of protein, you can still maintain a lot of your muscle mass during your fat loss phase. Supplements are a great way to get your daily protein in. I know how hard it is to consistently eat high-protein, low fat meals. That's where Whey protein can really help.

Thanks funtax. Another question now. I'll start to make my previous dinner meal a smaller one, and eat after the workout also. I guess chicken, fish, or something like that with protein?

Also, I'm 6'0 220lbs, and mainly just concentrating on losing weight. Should I take a protein supplement now or just concentrate on weight loss? I also have trouble getting enough calories without overloading on carbs and stuff. I guess I just have to experiment and find the right foods. Sorry, I know I should read up on this stuff more but I haven't had time to really research yet. Too busy reading schoolbooks and doing homework.

Anyway thanks a lot.

For me, getting in six small meals a day is only possible by planning ahead and by using foods that are good for my goals and easy to carry/consume. This means preparing my whole day's food (aside from breakfast) the day before, getting it packed up and ready to go so I can just grab it and head out in the morning.

I usually cook a few servings worth of chicken or beef to eat for lunch and dinner (I work long hours, so I eat both meals at the office) then use other things throughout the day for the other meals.

I use "meal replacements" a couple of times a day - usually a protein shake or an EAS AdvantEdge bar (I just happen to like the taste of the EAS stuff, you can use any of the main energy bars out there, so long as they aren't glorified candybars). If you're doing a meal replacement, aim for something with a decent chunk of carbs and protein. Energy bars work well because they're prepackaged, easy to carry and pack a decent number of calories and nutrients.

As for the importance of protein, you need to understand what your overall goal is fitness-wise. You don't just want to haphazardly lose weight, you want to lose FAT. To do that, while maintaining muscle, you need to exercise and you need protein, which is what your body uses to build up lean mass. You don't need to do anything "Atkins-level" with protein, but you need to make sure that you aren't overloading on carbs (especially processed carbs).

So, to recap:

1) Plan ahead. If you don't have things ready when you're in a rush in the morning, you'll wind up eating crap later on as a result. Take ten or fifteen minutes each evening to prepare food for the following day.
2) Get ahold of some things that are high in protein and GOOD carbs while also being easy/quick to prepare, transport and eat. Get a decent cannister of whey protein and some energy bars to supplement your regular meals.
3) Eat something with a decent blend of protein and carbs roughly one hour after your workout (which will give you just enough time to get in some good stretching, take a shower, change, etc.).

Thanks a lot for the help everyone. Just got back from the gym. Im going to head to vitamin world and pick up some whey protein, and then read up to find out exactly what "good" carbs are. And I'll look at some energy bars tomorrow. Thanks a million everyone. Hopefully next year I'll have a set of pictures to put up here to see what I've done.

Quick info on carbs:

There are three types of carbohydrates:

Simple, Complex High Fiber, Complex Low Fiber.

Simple carbs are the ones you want to avoid. Processed products, usually white-flour-based foods, as well as sweets are all packed with simple carbs. These should be avoided because they're basically no different than eating sugar. They are converted into glucose which, in turn, is easily coverted into fat.

Complex carbs come in two varieties - High Fiber and Low Fiber.

High fiber carbs contain an element known as cellulose. Cellulose not digested by the human body, as we lack the necessary digestive enzymes to process it (a cow, for example, can get calories form grass, whereas a human cannot). Cellulose is consumed and passes through us without being absorbed.

Low fiber carbs are similar to simple carbs, in that they're generally processed to some degree and, as such, wind up pumping us full of glucose. Many are better than pure, simple carb alternatives, but they aren't as good as complex, high fiber carbs.

Glucose isn't the only downside to simple and low-fiber carbs. Overly processed carbs wind up stripped of many of their nutrients and vitamin content, leaving you, as mentioned previously, with a glorified mouthful of sugar.

Sources of high fiber carbs are things like lettuce and broccoli - pretty much any green vegetable - which can be consumed rather liberally and are quite good for you. Low fiber carbs are things like most cereals, breads, potatoes, bananas, etc. There are "high fiber" versions of these products that are better than others, so look for fiber content on labels. Simple carbs are in things like sugars, fruit JUICE (which has had most/all of its cellulose - pulp) removed), etc.

To recap:

Avoid: Processed carbs. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything white - white flour, white pasta, white rice, etc. in favor of brown versions of the same product, where available. Check for fiber content on labels, the higher, the better.

Load up on: Complex, High Fiber carbs from things like green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables.

Once again, thanks a bunch. I have lots of green veggies on hand. Not taking in any simple carbs at the moment. The only low fiber carbs I'm getting is from total cereal, wheat bread and bananas. I guess I'll cut back from eating those to a couple times a week.

I have one doubt: am I supposed to have my after workout meal within 1 hour (that is, in the following 60 minutes) or after 1 hour?

I work out at home so i take the shake right after the workout....then about 45 to an hour after that i have a meal....lean protein and a complex carb....and plenty of water to rehydrate

I have one doubt: am I supposed to have my after workout meal within 1 hour (that is, in the following 60 minutes) or after 1 hour?

If your primary goal is to burn fat, wait a bit, but no more than an hour, lest your body start eating delicious muscle mass instead of fat. If your primary goal is to add lean mass, eat fairly soon after the workout.

I work out in the mornings and evenings... I lift weights when I come back from school at 10:45AM. And run at night after work.

It seems to be working ok, it's been almost a month since I started my program and went from 223 - 204 so far.