are "build-up" shakes non-sense?

[shrew]

hi folks,

im 27 and about 10st, after some injuries im looking to get fit again and to hopefully gain a good bit of muscle mass, im not a fan of GYMs but love cycling, the question i have is what should i be eating and drinking?

i search all over websites that say use this shake or that protien shake, blah blah and tbh im not sure i belive them.

do they work or are there any natural alternatives? such as just muching high amounts of bacon and steak...

Id really like to gain a good stone in weight so any tips would be awesome.

 

[JNR]

I'd go for a balanced diet, plenty of greens and don't drink too much ale. I don't know much about the protein shake thing but a mate of mine (a boxer) reckons that if you are using the shakes you need to be putting serious amount of time in the gym on weights, something like 2 hours a day!

And perhaps put more proten in your diet like bacon and steak as you have already mentioned. Much more fun than a protein shake at any rate.

 

[darkstar]

Well to put it simply, if you drink protein shakes at the correct times based around your weight training, then yes it will make a difference. you can of course get protein from foods, though it's easy with one protein shake (with fruit mixed in)

 

[walker]

I would avoid the protein Shakes if you are aiming to keep cycling at a consistent Level.
I'd avoid also the high fat option of proteins that are listed and go for more nuts, Chicken, Eggs.
I've been off the bike for a year and been hitting the gym hard, and have gain nearly 2 stone in muscle which is now no good for my ride into work that has a 1.5km hill on it.

 

[fossyant]

Don't bother. Hone your climbing skills and you will be awesome on hills shifting just 10st...

Oh and you haven't hit 30 yet.....you'll be trying to keep the weight off then.

 

[shrew]

interesting stuff, thanks folks.

so my best bet is to ignore my size and try and stay pretty trim and just go for building stamina?

 

[darkstar]

If you're after a well built physique then just cycling will not do it for you. To be good on the hills as the others are saying, requires you to be skinny. Thats not how I want to look so i incorporate weight and resistance training into my regime. It's easily possible to cycle regularly and maintain a good, strong body.

 

[shrew]

right, yeah, i dont want to be big and muscular, if i can get alot stronger and stay the same size id be happy, id just like to be stronger then i am and much fitter.

on a seperate note, i struggle to comsume 1500 calories a day, my concern is my body will just eat the mucles that im strenthening and ill just hit a wall sometime soon because i cant consume enough fuel to keep myself gaining fitness.

 

[ColinJ]

i struggle to comsume 1500 calories a day...

I reckon we might be onto something there!

It's no wonder that you are so skinny since you are eating less per day than a very small woman needs. I assume that you are not a very small woman?

 

[shrew]

nope, im a 5ft 8, 27 year old "man", i fluctuate between 10 and 10.5st.

 

[ColinJ]

nope, im a 5ft 8, 27 year old "man", i fluctuate between 10 and 10.5st.

Right, well even without doing much exercise you'd be about 1,000 Calories a day short of what you need just to maintain your weight! Over a week you'd be 7,000 Calories down which is equivalent to about 2 pounds weight loss a week. Add on the exercise and you might be looking at 3 pounds loss a week. You need to double your Calorie intake!

Try eating 5 or 6 small meals a day, each one being about 500-600 Calories. That's not a huge amount of food at any one time so you shouldn't struggle too much with each one.

Some of those meals could be smoothies. You could make a really tasty smoothie with 3 or 4 types of fruit, some low fat natural yoghurt and/or skimmed milk and if you want some extra protein, add a scoop or two of whey powder. You can buy it cheap from MyProtein.co.uk. I used to like a little ginger in my smoothies to give them some 'bite'.

When you say that you 'struggle' to eat 1,500 Calories a day it makes me worry that you might have an eating disorder. You should speak to your doctor if you really can't face eating more.

 

[shrew]

i wouldnt go so far as to say i have an eating disorder, i just dont eat much, never have really, im quite content eating 1 meal a day in the evening and maybe a light snack such as a piece of toast or 2 in the day time, i just dont really get that hungry and feel a bit ropey when i eat in the day.

i never go below 10st so have never really given it too much thought, but now that im planning a more seriously fitness plan i really need to do something about it.

ill try the fruit smoothie route 1st i think, and go from there, maybe i just need to get my body used to eating more over a time.

thanks for the advice colin, ill aim to increase my calarie intake as much as i can )

 

[ColinJ]

If you aren't losing weight on that tiny food intake, then your body must be going into starvation mode and slowing your metabolism right down to conserve energy. Once you start doing a lot of cycling, you won't get away with that. You'd end up 'bonking' ('hitting the wall') really badly and suffering like a dog.

To be honest, when I was younger I didn't like eating breakfast but it was just a habit that I hadn't got into. I now see it as the most important meal of the day. I have a large bowl of porridge every morning and chop a banana into it and that really sets me up for the day

On the day of a hilly century ride I have my breakfast as above, then I get through 4 * 750 mL bottles of carbo-drink, a 500 mL bottle of Coke, a couple of cereal bars, maybe a bar of chocolate or a piece of fruit cake on the ride. I'd have quite a large meal when I get home. I'd still end up losing 0.8-1.0 pounds in weight on a ride like that.

On a hilly '200' (125 mile audax ride) I'd eat/drink as above but have an extra couple of 750 mL bottles, maybe a proper meal somewhere along the way and I'd end the day having lost 1.0-1.2 pounds.

Lots of cycling requires lots of fuel!