Some Links and helpful tips

[Jakanden]

Here are some general tips (Regardless of bulking/cutting) and some links to threads I think you all might find helpful.

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• Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day. This will boost your metabolism, help keep you full, and keep you from binging or craving all day.

• NEVER skip breakfast. If you do you are shooting yourself in the foot as that sets the tone for your body for the rest of the day. Eating breakfast will help you wake up in the morning and provide you with energy to get started. If you are not used to eating breakfast, start off with something small (But healthy) and gradually build up to a good breakfast. This is especially important if you workout in the morning as your pre-workout meal should be one of your biggest.

• SLEEP is very important. You should shoot for 7-8 hours in the summer and 8-9 in the winter (At least in the US). This is in tune with our natural biological cycles. The longer it is darker (Winter) the more sleep you need. The longer it is light (Summer), you need less sleep. Regardless of when - just make sure you get enough sleep.

• Do not shy away from fats. I always reccomend at least 20% (If not more) of your diet in healthy fats. They transport fat-souble vitamins (A, D, E and K), Slow the absorbtion of carbs to regulate blood sugar levels, Help your body conserve proteins, and is a precursor to serotonin, which elevates mood and controls food cravings. Healthy sources of fat are Flax seeds/oil, fish oils, Olive/Canola Oil, NATURAL peanut butter, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds and the like. The only thing you need to remember is that nuts and seeds are VERY calorie dense and you can over-eat them very easily.

• Make sure your carbs are primarily complex carbs. The only time you want simple carbs (Sugars) is immedatly post workout to replace glycogen stores. Complex carbs come from vegetables, oatmeal/bran, rice, Whole wheat/sprouted grain bread, whole wheat pasta, sweet potaotes and many others.

• However, do not shy away from fruits because they are very healthy. They are insulin-independant which means they do not need a signifigant insulin release to metabolise. Plus they are cheap, taste great and are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber!

• Speaking of which, Fiber is an essential part of your digestive system. Make sure you get at least 25-30g a day. The average person gets less than 20g or so! These can come from fruits, veggies and anything whole wheat/grain. Gradually introduce this into your diet though as a huge spike in fiber will cause bloating, distention, gas and cramps. Make sure that an increase in fiber leads to an increase in water intake as well which brings me to my next point...

• Water, water, water. You need to drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated (Especially if you up the fiber intake). I personally drink a gallon or more a day. Water should really be the only fluid you drink with some minor exceptions (Post workout shake, protein shakes, etc..). If you MUST drink a coke, make sure it is a diet. Many people do not realize how many calories are in just one 12oz can of coke (140kcal in ONE can to be exact). For people who drink nothing but coke all day that can lead to 600 (or more) calories of sugar.

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Bodybuilders Grocery List
Cutting down FYI
Facts and Myths
How to get Nutritional Values of food
Workout Timing and Diet Tactics
12 Rules of a Bodybuilding diet
Are Low Carb diets healthy?
Building Mass While Losing Fat Is A Myth
Cholesterol Control
Counting Fiber Carbs
Flaxseed/oil Info
Weight Gain links
Good reads on Low Carb diets
Natural Testosterone Enhancers
Post Workout Shakes
Pre-bed meals
Sophos Calculator
Whey and soy protein info
Do we really need 1.5g/lb of protein?
Fiber-ratio of foods
How bad is alcohol?
An interview with Udo Erasmus, the Father of Fats
How to eat six meals a day
What Does 200 Caloires Look Like?
Recipe Calculator

[Lady C]

Make it a sticky - It should cut down on the same questions being asked over and over.

[Jakanden]

Done and Done. If you guys have any suggestions to add to it please let me know. Just to keep this thread clean I will delete posts on it after updates are made. I want this to be as clean as possible for new users.

[lac2t]

heres another good link i found that has links to articles and calculators and such that answer a lot of random questions

http://www.thedietchannel.com/related.htm

it also has info on each fad diet and why they might or might not work. its pretty fun site for when you're bored. i'm not completely sure of the accuracy of the information but most all the links/articles are from university sites or respected research centers...not just info some random person put up

[440gtx]

Excellent, however it appears the links need to be updated. Thanks.

[Dojomaster]

i like this