Hi, I am a University Track Athlete. I used to have just one meal a day and want to change my eating habits. Coming from Nigeria, I’m used to having one large meal, eba, in the evening then sleeping. Specifically, I want to know if this is okay: Preworkout take 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, immediately after workout take a powerbar, then 1 hr later take proscore 100? Also, how many meals a day should I have? I think 2-4, is that okay? Last item at hand is multivitamins. I am considering taking some. What is the best/most comprehensive multivitamin…there are so many out there(usana, GNC, Life,Centrum). I like Dr. Michael Colgan’s Athlete Pack, but $150/mos is too expensive. Thank you kindly for all of your help. :afro:
What event do you do?
5 meals a day is what you should strive for. I would take the powerbar before you workout and the cottage cheese after. Use the Proscore within a half hour after you workout.
With multivitamins you get what you pay for, but you don’t always get what you pay for. That means you can only get good ones for the higher price but it doesn’t mean you will get good ones just cause you pay the higher price.
Great! Thanks for your help. I do multievents, long/triplejump, 60m, 200m, 300m. I remember reading in a thread by nightmare4d where he mentioned not taking any carbs in until after the workout and I think it was Richard Hand who said this effect is enhanced by taking protein 1 hr b4 working out ie) cottage cheese 1 hr b4. I understand the deal w/ multivitamins…To make matters worse, I just read in the news that one can overdose on multivitamins.
for meals the ussual is 5-6meals per day which consists’ of protein source(portion size eq to palm of your hand) and smart carbs as in veggies.you can also substitute protein shakes for 1/2 meals if time is a porblem.as for MV’s i’d stick with twinlab products,in europe wellmans are very popular with serious athletes.
I really like Usana. I think Centrum’s pretty crappy.
Nigerian Nightmare,
The idea of taking sufficient protein before training is to have amino acids already in place for protein synthesis. According to my old sports nutrition prof. (who advises Manchester United FC and others) the greatest increases in protein synthesis have been shown with 1 hour pre exercise protein feeding as opposed to post exercise feeding. If eating 1 hour before it is probably best to eat whole food protein (only 10-20 grams), and immediatly before or during exercise, probably best to take whey. Of course protein post exercise is also beneficial and whey is best here. Beradi states that muscle catabolism is in place post exercsie due to HYPOaminoacidaemia, however, this is not true if sufficient protein is consumed within 1-2 hours prior to exercise. Beradi also states that whole food protein, especially from milk and beef, can produce HYPERaminoacidemia for atleast 7 hours. I do find he contradicts himself or atleast does not always clarify his information.
Any comments?
Regarding multivitamins, it is best to get them from your food. Food contains far more micro nutrients than supplements, and generally food contains them in more favourable amounts/ratios. It is better to gain a large range of nutrients in small amounts than just a few in large amounts. In the body nutrients act synergistically and when megadoses of certain nutrients arrive they cannot be supported resulting in toxicity. There are also many more actions in the body than a handful of nutrients from a tab can provide for.
However, the exceptions may be:
-vitamin E is only found in small amounts in the diet, therefore supplement 100iu-400iu
-poor diet days - take a well rounded multivitamin
-nutrients where performance can be seen to be enhanced eg. ZMA
I agree Richard - just to add :
The same rules of absorbtion apply to multivatins as real foods i.e. zinc/magnesium and calcium.
The needs for supplementation arise where almost every athlete avoids certain foods to avoid fats and bad carbs etc. or where they are particluar busy, travelling etc.
I believe (with no academic proof at all) that time will prove that natural foods are the best alternative for long term health.
The needs for supplementation arise where almost every athlete avoids certain foods to avoid fats and bad carbs etc
Good point No23.
If resulting in many nutrients - multinutrient supp. But this could also result in individual nutrient deficiency or less than optimum amounts of a certain nutrient. Here individual nutrients taken.
good post no23, and i agree, even though i am in the supplement industry, i agree that whole food is king!
nigerian nightmare
with that said, a multi is in most cases, essential for an athlete. i am using the HPF 1 step liquid multi right now and i really like it alot.
the rest of your questions seem to be answered already by the rest of the crew, if you need any further info, email me directly or post here. welcome to north america!
a diet must cover every area if trying to consume all nutrients from food alone while avoiding a MV.in the long run you are better using a good brand MV incase certain nutrient levels hit a low.prevention
Nightmare4d,
Where can I buy the liquid vitamin you posted about? Do you like it?
http://www.highperformancefitness.com/
here is the link to HPF 1 step. i do like it. i tastes good and is easy to use, i take one shot in the morning rather than 2 seperate 3 caps servings of my old multi.
nightmare4d…
how much does it cost and how longs it last?
BTW
In my above post regarding multivits and toxicity, I was stating toxicity in terms of megadoses (ie. found in Solgar etc.) and not the 100-200% doses found in Centrum or Nightmares multi. Centrum etc. are probably safe, and although they are no competition for a varied diet, they may provide ‘insurance’ especially on days of inadequate diet.
Nightmare4d,
Thanks for the url. I will try it. I can’t afford USANA right now, is it as good? It’s an extra 250 dollars a year for the essentails, should I save my money or go with one step? I asked the track coach at my school and he said USANA is a tiny bit better but he uses the liquid stuff. He said something like the vitamin was insurance and not to worry unless I am eating bad.
i lobbed an email over to jay at HPF and asked him if he could set a discount code up for CF.com forum members. he said it was cool and he would set up a 10% code for all members.
the present costs on the website are:
1 bottle 15oz (15 days) $14.95
2 bottle $27.90
6 bottles $74.95
the code will be set up later this week and ill post it here, also it is only a discount code not a kickback code, i wont receive anything in return except good karma from forum users.
nightmare, good karma coming your way bro.
Thanks for all the help peop’s. I’ve been working hard to refine my diet. But, it’s not something I force, I just adjust it to my lifestyle. For instance, I love some African foods, so I just adjust, based on thier nutritional content. I was just wondering about using ZMA. I did some research, but I’m a bit apprehensive. I read about some guy getting acne on his legs because of increased testosterone. What can it do for me and is it safe/legal? Especially here in Canadian University.
:afro:
1 Step are trying to set up a European Supplier in the near future for all you UK and European users.
It is very expensive to ship at the moment, so if you are considering ordering it don’t consider anything les than 3 months supply - 6 bottles or more.
Must say - sure you’ll agree Nightmare - Jay and the Guys are really sound and couldn’t be nicer or more helpful.