Bodybuilding Forums

Hi guys,

I am a complete beginner, just 3 weeks ago started going to gym. I have always been skinny my entire life. I am on high carb diet for the past 3 weeks in attempt to gain weight and develop muscle.

I am following a diet recommendation that says I should eat high carb diet 6 times a day, since I am busy I took weight gain shake as a meal replacement so that I can maintain 6 meals a day schedule. The result is I have gained 5kgs (11 lbs) for the past 3 weeks! I can fell by chest and biceps is bigger. But I notice my tummy getting bigger also :p

I just found this forum and website, so I am afraid if I switch to MAN or GLAD I might reverse what I have gained? No?

Also If I switch to MAN or GLAD should I still eat 6 times a day? I find it a little hard to find MAN diet around my area (I am in Malaysia, we eat rice most of the time). Is there low-carb protein shake that anyone can recommend as a meal replacement? I plan to take that protein shake to replace my current weight gain shake.

Regards.

rosdi wrote:Hi guys,

I am a complete beginner, just 3 weeks ago started going to gym. I have always been skinny my entire life. I am on high carb diet for the past 3 weeks in attempt to gain weight and develop muscle.

I am following a diet recommendation that says I should eat high carb diet 6 times a day, since I am busy I took weight gain shake as a meal replacement so that I can maintain 6 meals a day schedule. The result is I have gained 5kgs (11 lbs) for the past 3 weeks! I can fell by chest and biceps is bigger. But I notice my tummy getting bigger also :p

Yep. That's what happens eating a high-carb diet - you add fat almost as fast as muscle.

rosdi wrote:I just found this forum and website, so I am afraid if I switch to MAN or GLAD I might reverse what I have gained? No?

NOPE! Not unless you screw it up. Though there is some likelihood you'll be able to reverse some of the *fat* gain.

rosdi wrote:Also If I switch to MAN or GLAD should I still eat 6 times a day?

GLAD yes. MANS doesn't matter you just need to get the calories in.

rosdi"I find it a little hard to find MAN diet around my area (I am in Malaysia, we eat rice most of the time).[/quote]

You got chickens and fish in Malaysia? Seriously, this stinks of a BS excuse. MANS means high protein, high fat, low carb. You're going to need to change your diet in order to gain muscle. Period. You cannot allow yourself the excuse of "it's hard" to avoid it or be sloppy about it without seriously compromising your results. Now, if it's a psychological issue of you just aren't satisfied with your meal if you don't have rice, then look at a diet like GLAD - and learn to put up with 6 times a day. If you can't put up with 6 times a day, then you need to change what you eat. The name of the game here is hormone control - specifically, in regards to carbs, insulin. Poorly controlled or excessively high glycemic index carb intake leads to elevated insulin. Elevated insulin leads to excess fat accumulation. If you bulk up and gain too much fat, then you'll be cutting the next cycle - and giving up some of your muscle gains in order to get rid of the fat you've gained, and basically push yourself back to where you started. The easy route does not lead to progress - it just goes from too small to too fat and back again. If you'd rather not do that, and you'd rather be muscular, then accept that you will need to overcome the dietary challenges. Whether you go with something like MANS or GLAD or something else entirely is your decision to make, but that rice-based diet hasn't made you muscular yet, now has it?

[quote="rosdi wrote: Is there low-carb protein shake that anyone can recommend as a meal replacement? I plan to take that protein shake to replace my current weight gain shake.

Regards.

As a replacement, no. All shakes should be supplemental. They should be to plug up holes in your diet, or should be being consumed that way for a specific purpose. For example, on MANS and TSPA, for carb loading you are encouraged (but by no means required) to use dextrose or maltodextrin, a liquid carbohydrate. It absorbs quickly, it causes an insulin spike you can control, and it makes it easier to consume on the order of 300-400g of carbs in a day - which I find I almost can't do without the maltodextrin, but the bulk of the carbs are still good ol' food. Same goes for protein. Right after you workout, whey is the way to go - you just wrecked your muscles, your body will *immediately* look for protein to break down, and the whey isolate absorbs quickly and gives your body something to use other than breaking down the muscles you just worked so hard to build up. Right before bed, casein is a good idea since you'll be going 6-9 hours with no food, but even then cottage cheese is just as good a source as a powder. The rest of your protein needs to come from food - as in needs to come from food. It's how your body works. Too much from supplements and liquids and you will develop absorption and nutritional issues, and you'll have WAY bigger issues than being too skinny. A huge shake to plug up a hole in your diet on a particularly frantic day? No big deal. That huge shake as a routine feature of your diet? Probably unwise.

That said...

In terms of protein replacements, YES, there are LOTS of good brands! Nature's Best Perfect Zero Carb Isopure is my personal favorite. Optimum Nutrition's line is pretty great, though I would warn you they're a bit pricey and deciphering said product line can be a bit daunting if you're not familiar with what you're looking for. My Protein is the only good non-American one I'm familiar with, but if that's available or cheaper in your area than the others, it's a good alternative - and a perfectly fine first choice. Ultimately, what you want is protein ISOLATE, not CONCENTRATE. The difference is bioavailability - how much product actually goes into your body and not your waste. For Isolate, it's in the 90% ballpark. For concentrate, it's closer to 70%. Also, when picking a protein powder, remember you're buying a protein powder, not a weight gainer. You do not want the one with the highest calories - you want the one that's as close to all calories from protein as you can find. The less fat and the less carbs in you protein powder, the better. You can always make them with milk or cream adn *add* fat, or make them with a carb powder and *add* carbs, but you can't take them out of the mix. Optional, but hardly required, are proteins that contain Glutamine and BCAAs. These are supplements that are rather quite cheap to buy on their own, and are never a bad idea to take - basically, if for whatever reason you're taking down a protein shake, your body can use these, too, so there's no reason not to throw them in. If you pick a protein powder that already has them, it's one less thing to buy and frankly it's just easier to deal with.

Thanks for the explanation, it really helps.

I have started the MANS diet yesterday, so this is day 2 now.. my breakfast was beef meat, egg, mayonnaise, 2 small tomatoes, and plain water.
Then at about 10am I had chicken meat, and also full cream milk.
Lunch was a little difficult, chicken and also red meat, and a 'little' rice (about 1/4 cup of rice), had to have it otherwise I do not know what else to eat.
Afternoon I plan to have a protein shake. (Not yet bought, so no choice but to replace it with full cream milk today, I am going through all the links you suggested).
Then at night I will have some more meat, and probably also add some egg.

I feel a somewhat sleepy today, no energy, hungry, dizzy even... I really hope this does not lead to skinnier me again!

I don't really count how many carbs I have consumed, but I think it is pretty low since I ate just 1/4 cup of rice.. which should be about 15g of carbs? Then with a couple of carbs from the full cream milk and mayonnaise I should be about 30g, just well within the suggested limit.

It sounds like you are "winging it"....

I think you really need to count your carbs and your other macros too. At least until you know that you are taking in enough to add mass, while not taking in too much thus increasing fat.

I agree with the above post.

You're living in 2011, not the pen-and-paper age! There are literally dozens of free websites you can use to plan out your daily meals. You'll have a hell of a lot better time if you use these! You can plan out and alter your macronutrients with ease, and there will be no guess work. You'll know exactly what you can eat in a day, and how much you have left after you've eaten something. I can't imagine following a dieting scheme properly without modern technology.

Come to think of it, I agree I should keep track of what I eat, I am starting to log in excel now. In fact, I am calculating my lean mass, body fat % etc show that I know the exact amount of carbs, protein, and fat that I need.

But toeser brings an interesting point, it seems like you are suggesting me to eat 'enough' carbs. Aren't MANS diet is all about protein and fats? Carbs should be low show that the body start looking for alternative energy since there is not enough carbs. Did I misunderstood somewhere?

rosdi wrote:Come to think of it, I agree I should keep track of what I eat, I am starting to log in excel now. In fact, I am calculating my lean mass, body fat % etc show that I know the exact amount of carbs, protein, and fat that I need.

But toeser brings an interesting point, it seems like you are suggesting me to eat 'enough' carbs. Aren't MANS diet is all about protein and fats? Carbs should be low show that the body start looking for alternative energy since there is not enough carbs. Did I misunderstood somewhere?

Ever hear the phrase "too much of a good thing"?

With carbs on MANS, theoretically there is such a thing as too little of a bad one.

You want enough carbs that you don't hate life during your work outs - that's why the suggestion is start at 30g/day, run that way for 2 weeks, and if you have loads of energy you can try cutting back, and if you're dragging through and suffering during your workouts, you can creep up a little bit - like ~5g increment adjustments until you find the minimum intake level that you personally need to get through your workouts and achieve progressive overload. For me, it's between 20-25g/day. For some, that's way too low. But you gotta keep track to find your personal threshhold, and then you gotta keep track to make sure you hit it without overshooting it.

Thanks! it is reassuring to have someone verify my understanding. Yeah I am aware the danger of 'overdoing' it, as in everything we do, common sense always prevail.

I am not aiming to be super low carb, my aim is between 25g to 50g max, daily. I choose MANS diet over GLAD since it is easier to follow, I would go crazy trying to calculate all those GLs. With MANS the principle is low carb, high protein and high fat, that is all. simple.

I have began documenting everything, including taking photo of my body, lol, lets see how it goes in a 2-3 months. Now on to the training!!!..