a question for body-builders!

Well I wouldnt consider myself a "body builder" but my advice is:
Stay away from the creatine.
The only way to gain weight is to be in a a consistent caloric surplus. Find out what your base metabolic rate is and then take in a few hundred calories over that. That doesn't mean eat your maintenance and then have a couple pieces of cake. Keep your diet balanced with an emphasis on protein. You should be able to do this without supplements unless you are a vegetarian or are doing excessive training..

It's hard to say if they're good or bad for you since everyone is different. However, I think the amount of sugar in protein drinks and weight gainers 'may' cause a problem for those of us with UC. Even without UC, I experienced bloating with some of those protein drinks that supposedly help you put on weight, etc.

I think an alternative to protein drinks and weight gainers is to consume larger amounts fatty foods, starches, etc. that hopefully won't cause a flare. But my question is...are you trying to gain weight or build muscle (assuming you're a man lol); if you want to build muscle you don't need to gain weight for that (someone addressed that nicely in the other thread) because the fat will hide the definition of your muscles.

anyway, I think I've just confused myself with this post :)

Good luck!

NBT

I have to agree with edco on this as well...if you want to look bulky-big

My hubby was an avid weight lifter in his teens he started and our son is quite lean but very nicely toned (he's 15) and my hubby has told my son if he wants to get "bigger"/"thicker" he needs to gain weight along with building muscle (working out), my son doesn't eat alot so he'd really have to go at it if he wanted to bulk up...you do need to gain weight if you want to look bulky/thick, if you want to look lean and super toned then you don't.

:)

I assumed because of the title "body builders" that lardossen wants to be big as that typically fits the "body builders" profile...and generally people who want to be big use supplementation to help them get bigger.

:)

Muscle is a mega calorie-burner and for someone with a naturally high metabolism (which I'm assuming you have based on your body profile), you have to consume more calories to build muscle. Otherwise, your body will go into your muscle stores for energy. So yes, you do need to consume a higher amount of good, balanced calories. (Balanced between protein, starch, fat, etc.) As far as the supplements, I'm not sure how they affect UC. I know that the Makers Diet says to stay away from protein powders and recommends "Goatein powder" - which as the name implies is from goats milk. Maybe it's just the lactose thing. Also, some protein powders have artificial sweeteners in it which some say exacerbates their UC. Not sure about creatine, but I seem to remember someone saying that L-Carnitine (which is an amino acid i.e. protein) was good for UC??? I'm not positive, so double check.

I used to be a personal trainer as well as a nutritionist and counseled several body builders as well as those wanting to lose weight. There are so many "diets" out there that the world is confused about what's good for you and what's not. (Myself included sometimes!) Of the diets I've seen, Body for Life seems to be a good one as far as being balanced. It gives you flexibility with your portion sizes, although he does promote a good bit of supplementation.

Getting UC totally rocked my world b/c suddenly I was told to stay away from everything that I've been taught to eat: raw vegetables, most fruits, whole grains, etc. It's hard finding what works for you - I'm just proud of you that you're working out still. I've been terrified to go to the gym since I've had this flare!!!!

After my 4th flare, I've given up trying to maintain a sleek body. It cost me a fortune in gym fees and supplements each time, only to be forced to watch it waste away time and time again.

I know it sounds pessimistic, but what I am trying to say, and what I do now is try to keep a "nice" body, without trying to take it to the extreme that a gym allows you to.

For me, just keeping my body weight in the "barely safe" range is a challenge.

I also found that many of the supplements caused me major D. Many also left me with rather nasty gas which only increased the urgency. I found the best way was to use a whey isolate protein powder with minimal sugar, and then use rice and pasta (lots of it) as carbs instead (of the sugar).

No biggie Nuffin, you still added good info!

:)

lardossen said...
hey guys.

thanks so much for your responses. to clarify (and i'm perhaps the dummy here), the question was DIRECTED at body builders as i assumed t'would be them with the knowledge, but actually i'm not trying to bulk up, just get my skinny figure looking athletic and a little less scrawny! and perhaps not so skinny either :D

sorry for the confusion, please keep the responses coming - this is all really helpful!

Well, okay then, being I used to compete in powerlifting (still train actually)I can help here. Begin with a high protein diet and start taking Muscle Milk in between meals. You need to train with heavy weight. In other words, on your last set, you want to be maxing out by your third rep. Do one pewer excercise per body part. In other words, for chest, bench press heavy for your first excercise for that body part, then the next three excercises, do between 10-12 reps. Use that formula for legs, shoulders, back, biceps and triceps. The important thing is to give your body rest. Train everything once a week. When you lift, your breaking down the muscle. You won't see results if you overtrain. Goodluck and let me know how you make out.

I weight trained and did kickboxing before all of this started.

When I am off the prednisione, (at 20 mg for the next 5 days, then down to 10, then off), I am hitting the weights mainly to build bone density first and foremost. Then, getting my muscles back would be nice. Right now I am major scrawny. I will increase my calories a bit, make sure I have enough protein, and start at the beginning (again!). Good luck to you!