Eat lots of small meals

[Lizard]

I started to eat at least every three hours, I'm improving everytime I go to the gym and my muscles look a little bigger. I'm heavier but I'm not sure that it might be fat A lot of the time I'm eating when I don't really want to, I always feel full.

And once you put on fat it's hard to lose it without losing muscle. Should I do more cardio? (at the moment I do an hour of Thai boxing every week, except I keep missing lessons).

[Disciple]

Alot of people who lift weights, including myself have gone through the same problem as you. The answer is to eat according to what you are about to do. Continue to eat every three hours. If you are about to work out of train hard, eat a larger meal, if you're going to sleep soon, eat a very small meal, etc. Again, you need to eat only as many calories each day as you need to gain muscle but minimize adding fat. This is pretty hard to do, if you'd like I can give you a mathematical formula or list some websites that will help with this.

[Lizard]

Yes that would be helpful. I'd rather have a lot of muscle and a bit of fat than a little muscle and no fat.

[Lizard]

Since starting weight lifting I've gained 4-7 lbs. At least some of which is muscle, I've been lifting for about six months but have only changed diet recently. I would say that I am improving faster than ever before in my life. If I had started out knowing about diet then I reckon I could have twice as much muscle as I have now.

[Disciple]

This formula is very accurate and takes into account your lean body mass:

1. Lean body mass(kg) X 21.6+370=BMR
2. multiply BMR X Activity factor
1.2-sedentary 1.375-lift 3 hours/wk 1.55-lift 5-6 hours/wk
1.75-hard training athlete (daily lifting and lots of cardio)
3. You now have your daily maintenance calories per day. Increase this by amount by 15%-20% or two calories per pound body weight. On the days you are not working out or training, use the 1.2 activity factor.

To measure your lean body mass, you may need some body fat calipers. Divide your result by 2.2 to get the conversion from pounds to kilograms.

I have found that the most accurate and most effective way to do this is to use the 1.2(sedentary activity factor), add what ever extra calories I need for the day according to my activity, then increase by 15-20% or by 2 calories/lb body weight for muscle growth. Check out Dr. Fred Hatfield's site DrSquat.com. He has tables listing calorie expenditures for various activities such as lifting, running at various speeds, etc. He also has articles on the zig-zag diet, a very effective method to gain muscle without adding much fat.

[terry]

Very good post, Disciple. Could you clarify the meaning of the acronym, BMR? I'll check out Hatfield's site.

Thx,

T

[RobertG]

Terry I believe BMR is Base Metabolic Rate.

[Paul Wilson]

I advise you to eat 6 small meals a day. That is a healthy diet plan athletes use.

I have a book about BMR and studied it in class earlier in the year.
I will post an article about BMR.

[kh_s]

For me, It is kind of backwards. I might have some type of eating disorder, but I know I don't because I would be really skinny. Sometimes when I am hungry I eat but not a lot, so then I just have to stop eating then after I would just get hungry again after a short while, so I eat again.

arghhhh human body confusing for me to understand.

And half of summer break is over, I still haven't GAINED A POUND or grown taller!?!?! Haven't change for about a year now, starting to get worried.