What Chuck Does

The 6-Pack Challenge: Day 84 of 104

larrychi:

I’m getting sick of this shit. Look at what I eat every day. I’m going to throw up if I eat another banana or another bowl of Joe’s O’s cereal (f-you Trader Joe). I’m going to pierce my eardrums with a chopstick if I listen to “The World’s Greatest” one more time (f-you R. Kelly).

I’m starting to think that it’s biologically impossible for me to get rid of the final few inches of fat on my lower belly. I’ve spent over 6 hours of my life on an elliptical in the past 2 weeks. What else is a Chinaman supposed to do?

I just want to get through the last 20 days without losing my mind…

I know exactly what you mean. I get cranky sometimes from either lack of sleep or lack of tasty foods. Keeping the body in a constant state of flux basically sucks. Counting calories sucks. Eating chicken day after day sucks. Doing what we do requires serious willpower and can seriously drive one completely bonkers.

The difference is my challenge doesn’t end on day 104…

How Much Protein Should You Be Taking?

As an athlete and semi-experienced “body-builder” I’ve been taking protein for years (since 1997). In that time I’ve heard a lot of different suggestions for how much protein one should take when actively lifting weights. Most of my influences have come from the “muscle-head” camp where more protein = more muscle.

However as I grow older and more curious about what we accept as fact, I’ve begun to rethinking the age-old question, “How much protein should I be taking?”

The following sources all suggest that the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of protein is more than sufficient for 97% of Americans. Furthermore they propose that most Americans eat approximately 1.2-1.5x the RDA. The RDA is calculated by 0.8 g/kg body weight. That is you should eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For my 68.6 kg body my RDA of protein is 55 grams. These sources mostly suggest that the more exercise you get, the more protein you will need. That said, the sources differ on the type of exercise that cause an increase in protein need. For example, weighttraining.about.com proposes that only endurance sports create a physical demand for more protein and that normal weightlifting does not require increased protein intake.

All three sources below recommend NOT taking protein in excess of 2.0 g/kg body weight. For me, that would be not exceeding 140 g.

Since I do still occassionally perform the long swim, bike, or run, I have prescribed myself a 100 grams of protein a day, which is just under 1.5 g/kg body weight. This shoudl be more than adequate for my body to perform optimal protein synthesis.

Personally, while I agree that there are no short-term side-effects for active and healthy people overdosing on protein, I would err on the side of caution for taking too much protein over time. Excess protein must be processed by your kidneys and taking too much protein over prolonged periods of time puts unnecessary stress on your kidneys (possibly causing early kidney failure). In the example of my dog that suffered end-stage renal failure, we had to minimize protein in his diet because the proteins would make him nauseous and throw up. This was because his kidneys were no longer able to process the proteins in his blood and therefore the proteins would act as toxins.

For my purposes, I’m going to limit my protein intake from 80-100 g daily (approximately 1.2-1.5 g/kg body weight) and not to exceed 130 g daily.

Sources:
http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/articles/nutrition/protein_2/
http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein.htm
http://weighttraining.about.com/od/nutritionforweights/qt/protein_howmuch.htm

GNC Mega Men vs. Mega Men Sport

I wanted to know if there was a difference between the GNC Mega Men “regular” multivitamins and the Mega Men Sport multivitamins. Looking at the Sport label above, I see that the Mega Men Sport has 150 mg of BCAA (branched chain amino acids) including L-Valine, L-Leucine, and L-Isoleucine. These are missing from the Regular Mega Men.

Looking at the abbreviated label below, I see that the Regular has 105 mg of Antioxidant Fruit and Vegetable Blend. Otherwise, these two formulae are the same.

Supplemental History

On the topic of supplements, I thought to supplement my last post with a short history of supplements I’ve taken, when I took them, what companies made them, and what my experiences were.

Creatine Monohydrate - Circa 1996
I started taking the powdered form of creatine between junior and senior year in high school. During summer school, I took a weightlifting class where the trainers suggested creatine. While “loading” (taking 2x the dosage instructions), I misread the label and took 5 tablespoons instead of 5 teaspoons per dose. I remember having symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) as a result and I could not sleep at night. My roommate at the time suggested that it was probably the creatine. I told him that creatine was not known to have any harmful side-effects. After finishing most of the bottle in about a week, I realized I had completely overdosed on creatine. When I cut back to normal dosages, I began sleeping normally again. At the time I did not notice any particular benefit from creatine. At the time I was only 130 lbs. and had just begun my weightlifting career.

Amino 2000 - Circa 1997 
These were monstrous horse-pill sized tablets that contained 2000mg of amino acids hence the name. They were not gelatin-coated and were incredibly hard to swallow. I gagged everytime I took one. After nearly choking to death on my 10th pill, I had to break them in half for all future applications. During that summer I at like pig and worked out pretty hard on a daily basis. I gained approximately 7 lbs. that summer, so 1 thumb up for gaines and 1 thumb down for almost killing me.

Weight Gainer 2000 - Circa 1998
During this time I challenged myself to gain weight as I was under the impression that I would never break the 130’s lbs range. I started eating like a pig and taking Weight Gainer 2000 once or twice daily. By the end of my freshman year I had gained approximately 15-20 pounds. At 150 I was quite mostly fat though.

Myoplex Deluxe - Circa 2001 - made by EAS
I started taking Myoplex because it was one of the first protein powders that was more than just protein. It was basically a meal replacement that had more nutrients than the other protein products on the market. Myoplex was probably one of the earliest products to offer whey protein but the best thing about it was that it tasted great!

Nitro-Tech - Circa 2003-2008 - made by Muscletech
I’ve taken a lot of types of protein throughout the years and pretty much everyone knows that you need protein to make muscle so I won’t recount the benefits. This is what I’ve been taking for the past 5 years. If you can get over the nasty gas that it gives you, it’s pretty good for a meal replacement/protein powder. As I’ve mentioned, I feel like the creatine in the formula really gives me the kick I need to lift harder.

Creatine Serum - Circa 2002 - made by MMUSA
The serum form of creatine monohydrate is supposed to work faster (within 15 minutes) and requires no “loading”. My personal experience was that it got me pretty amped pre-workout and during the workout allowed me to lift more reps. Unfortunately it also caused my friend’s skin to break-out. Personally I don’t think I saw any side-effects. I’ve purchased two bottles of this. My first bottle broke (plastic housing) and I’m still on my second bottle though it’s been years since I’ve taken it. I am contemplating finishing it though and might buy my third bottle since it’s probably past the 2 year shelf life.

NO2 - Circa 2004 - made by MRI
An invention of Ed Byrd, the man who who “discovered” creatine. NO2 is basically argenine alpha-ketoglutarate and supposed to have hemodilative/vasodilative effects. That is, it’s supposed to cause your blood vessels to swell thereby improving your body’s absorption of nutrients. The other side effect/benefit to NO2 is that you’re supposed to maintain a “perpetual pump”.

When I purchased NO2 from MRI, it came with a book that explained all about it and prescribed a workout that would maximize the results. I followed the prescription to the ‘t’ and I did see the “perpetual pump” though I did not notice an increase in strength. Mind you I was taking NO2 after a almost a year of lifting pretty hard where I was at my strongest ever. I took NO2 for about a month before I got tendinitis in my right elbow and stopped lifting. Not wanting to waste the NO2 while resting, I stopped taking it. To this day, I still wonder whether NO2 contributed to the swelling that was my tendinitis due to the “vasodilative effects”.

Mega Men - 2003-2008 - made by GNC
I really like these vitamins. I’ve tried their Sport version and their regular version and I like them both. They have a lot of amino acids that normal vitamins don’t have and that’s good for at least a placebo effect! They seem to give me a kick start in the morning but on the flip-side make it hard to fall asleep if I take one too close to bedtime. The only downside I notice is that they turn my pee bright yellow, but that’s a function of having B-complex. There isn’t really a noticeable benefit to the vitamin but ingredient-wise it’s the best vitamin for men.

Move Free - 2007 - made by Schiff
I started taking Move Free because of my triathlon training. Occassionally my joints would hurt and I figured that some combination of chondroitin (sulfate) and glucosamine would help. In retrospect I can not say that Move Free made my joints fee any better. Furthermore I don’t know if there are any side-effects of taking glucosamine supplements at my age. I’m considering taking these again because I still have remnants of knee pain from running the half Ironman.

Fish Oil - 2008 - made by GNC
There are numerous benefits to taking Omega-3 fatty acids and they are well documented so I won’t recount them here. I started taking these because I found a bottle of my brother’s leftovers lying around and I started taking them. After I read up on them (yes after I started taking them), I decided it was a good idea to buy my own. GNC had a small bottle on sale for $5 that don’t taste or smell like fish. Thus far I haven’t noticed a real difference but I’m sure it helps.

There Something in My ‘Juice’

I’ve been taking Muscletech’s Nitro-Tech (powdered protein supplement) off and on for about 5 years now. I think I’ve gone through maybe 3 of their 4 lbs. bottles. Recently however, I ran out and went to GNC to purchase a new bottle and discovered they’ve changed their formula.

When I first started taking Nitro-Tech, it was basically a protein supplement with a timed release system called RTS. RTS had some creatine in it but otherwise was a hodgepodge of amino acids. My last bottle of Nitro-Tech was produced in 2005 (these things never go bad).

Fast forward 3 years and Nitro-Tech has “changed”. Most of the change has to do with marketing itself to meet the demand for different supplements such as NO2. The new Nitro-Tech has new proprietary ingredients:

Each serving of Nitro-Tech Hardcore contains a Nitrogen Delivery System™. This exclusive system consists of three anabolically infused blends – each loaded with high-quality amino acids that have a proven track record for building muscle. The first is SynthePro^®, an exclusive, ultra-absorbing amino acid matrix designed to maximize muscle growth. The second is Insulogen^®, a complex of anabolic insulin drivers designed to support insulin secretion, maximize insulin sensitivity, and prime your muscles for nutrient supersaturation. Nitro-Tech Hardcore’s third proprietary blend is Nitroxen^®, an amplified nitric oxide accelerator formulated to turbocharge amino acid delivery to your expanding muscles for a surge of serious growth.

I know that most of this is marketing. Muscletech realizes that the market demands some sort of hemodilation effects from supplements, hence they’ve “created” Nitroxen. Funny thing is when I look at the ingredients, there’s evidence of argenine alpha-ketoglutarate which is what NO2 consists of. Matching the 2005 ingredient list to the 2008 ingredient list, I find that SynthePro, Insulogen, and Nitroxen are simply component breakdowns of the RTS that was in my 2005 Nitro-Tech. Hell one of the only real differences between Nitro-Tech 2005 and 2008 is that they added aspartame in my 2008 bottle!

That said, I had a bad-ass workout today. Might have been the fact that I was well rested, but taking Nitro-Tech before (and after) the workout definitely helped. It’s likely the creatine which in my experience does have a positive effect on lifting more reps.

Bottom line: I like my Nitro-Tech. I can live with the nasty-gas that I get from taking this stuff.

Sleep or Carbs?

I was tired Tuesday and Wednesday and I’m not sure if it’s because I wasn’t sleeping enough or because I am not taking in enough carbohydrates. I’m guessing it’s sleep deprivation because even after eating I still felt tired. Then again I could feel my stomach growling in the middle of Monday and Tuesday night.

The third possibility is that I simply need physical rest and not necessarily sleep. Looking through my logs, I haven’t had a full day of rest since Monday June 23, 2008. That was 2 weeks and 2 days ago!

Working backwards, I’ll be recovering from the bachelor party this Sunday, paintballing on Saturday (cardio). That leaves just today and tomorrow for working out. Since I’ll be up late tomorrow night and don’t want to overextend myself, I guess I have to do a workout or some cardio today. Rest can wait just one more day…

What are Processed Foods?

A while back I read several diets that recommended not eating “processed” foods. For the longest time I wondered what qualified as “processed” foods. My own personal definition (developed over time) is that processed foods are altered from their original state and have a higher CD (caloric density). They aren’t good for you because they are “richer” than ordinary “whole foods” and often include chemicals and other unnatural ingredients. A good example is the hot dog vs. a regular pork or beef. Or apple juice vs. an apple.

There are different definitions for processed foods. Regardless of which camp you side with, I think everyone would agree that it’s healthy to take in as much raw and whole food as possible. e.g. the whole wheat vs. the white bread, and fruits and vegetables.

For more information, check out the following http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/2005…

Caloric Intake - Weekends/Holidays - 1,000 Calorie Meals!

Well, I’m probably preaching to the choir (since the only people who know about this site are on some sort of “exercise challenge”) but weekend caloric regulation is impossibly hard. In the office it’s easy to eat what I need to eat, when I need to eat, and in the right portions. However on the weekends, eating is opportunistic and hard to control especially when you’re out with friends. When you’re out and about, you never know when you’ll get your next meal (timing), or what you’ll eat (quality). And although you can regulate the quantity, it’s hard when you’re at a sit-down restaurant and your $30 dinner tastes great but costs you 1,500 calories. It’s hard not to get a drink, it’s hard to pick the “healthier” choice from the menu, and it’s hard to not eat all of it!

After only 1 week of tracking my caloric intake, I’ve discovered it’s hard not to eat 1,000 calories per meal. I know it sounds crazy but when you add the drink (200 calories) to the salad (200 calories) and the meal (600 calories), you easily break 1,000 calories. If you look at my past 7 days, I’ve already had 2-3 1,000+ calorie meals!