For the lil guys out there tryin to grow as much as possible, (like me) try and consume around 5-7 smaller meals per day, preferably spaced about two hours apart. It will produce far better results than stuffing your face at just breakfast lunch and dinner. In the morning, eat some leaner meats, like chicken, and white fish with some rice or oats, carbs are crucial here (i know, i was shocked too when i was first learning this stuff- i didnt wanna eat that shit when i woke up, i wanted my goddamn lucky charms!). Some sacrifice is necessary however... A whey protein shake is also perfect for the morning. Hydrolyzed whey will be absorbed the fastest. Anyways, lean meats in the morning for quicker absorption for ur muscles after theyve had a long, productive night growing. Fats may slow down how quickly protein is absorbed into the bloodstrem, so theyre best eaten later in the day and at night. Eggs are good protein for early times of the day, but theyre high in cholesterol... i eat em anyway. U should be good as long as ur gettin some fatty acids, omega 3's, 6's and 9's. Steak, milk, and peanut butter sandwiches are solid nighttime proteins as they tend to have more fats. Slug a casein protein right before bed, as it is more slowly absorbed than whey and will be able to supply ur body protein throughout the night when u arent eating. Dont feel obligated to follow all of this to a tee, for the average joe-just eat bro! This is all very basic nutritional info, i strongly encourage all my puas out there to do your own research and spread the wealth. I really wanna help u guys out any way i can, and since im much more knowledgeable about this shit as opposed to women, i'll do whatever i can for ya. Talk to personal trainers, nutritionists, and anyone else who's knowledgeable about these things. I hope i've provided some of u with enough to get started. Best of luck!
-shmoozer

meal frequency: http://www.leangains.com/2011/04/critiq ... -meal.html

Wow. Where to start... I would like to thank big bad wolf for that link. I've read some of your other posts and comments, and they've given me a healthy respect for your opinions on certain matters. I have yet to find one that i disagree with. Anyways, i wont lie, my brain is totally scrambled after reading all of the info on that link haha . Mostly due to the advanced terminology and the back-and-forth, almost A.D.D-like, sentence structuring. I like to think im a pretty knowledgeable dude, but i was humbled by the fact that i felt like albert einstein was giving me a lecture on meal frequency and a ton of other things. I personally disagreed with some of the statements made, but im unsure if those were the thesis of the article, so i dont wanna sound too dumb. I did like the fact that there was an extensive list of references at the end, leading me to believe it wasn't a bunch of marketing b/s. I will say this however- i read a few bodybuilding mags from time to time, (namely muscular development, but also muscle and fitness, mens health, etc.) and ALL of the personal trainers for these elite athletes, especially the most world-renowned and respected trainers, ensure that their clients, (pro bodybuilders) eat in the high frequency fashion, similar to some of the guidelines i laid out above. I've never heard of any pro contestant to date who only eats 3 meals a day. I specifically laid out that simple guideline for the sole purpose of bulking up and gaining muscle, not just to increase lean gains. Now i know you're not all looking to be meat heads, and yes, some biased people may say that eating more and consuming more supplements is just a marketing tactic designed to get you to spend more money, and that it might make you fat, etc. But i dont argue with multiple professional opinions from different sources stating the same thing. I guess what im trying to say here is that from all the research i've done in the past few years, one thing that seems to be synonymous with building muscle and bulking up is the "high frequency" eating style, apparently contested by the leangains link, but dont quote me on that one. However, there were several statements in it i agreed with, but again, they presented so many conflicting statements side-by-side, and with a lack of a strong conclusion, i am still mystified as to what the articles main thesis was. It was a chore to read it all, and i dont intend to again, no offense. I appreciate the fact that some of you may have some criticism (be it constructive or not) about what i said, and i encourage you all to research and debate these things. Perhaps i shouldve changed the title of this topic to something else other than food for thought... Anyways, thanks in advance for your opinions, and i look forward to hearing more from you guys.

-Your buddy shmoozer

Hey, just another advice to make things easier to read.
Break up the sentences once in a while.

Press enter.

That way we don't get lost in the middle of your paragraphs.
Makes it a whole lot easier.

Now, regarding the frequency thing.
It's a generally accepted idea that you somehow need to constantly put protein into your body every 3 hours based upon some early discoveries regarding the speed at which the body breaks down protein.
However, the theory is flawed, even from a logical point of view:
Consider your body as evolved, as it is, and consider under what conditions it would gain muscle.

In order to gain muscle, you'll do something that taps into your available force-output. (Think of it as units of muscle, a sort of fuel if you will)
Now if you tax your body severely, then your body will respond by increasing your potential, (building a bigger fuel-tank, but not too big since it costs a lot, both to build and to carry around). So next work-out you up the ante.

Another thing relating to your evolved body.
We have evolved as hunters and gatherers.
That involves long intervals between available meals, and hunting.
If you would become weaker when you hadn't eaten for 3 hours, how would you survive to hunt ?
It doesn't add up.

(Regarding that, what has been shown is that your body will produce more growth hormones when hungry, up to 60-72 hours into a fast it will actually be building more muscle than right after a meal, as well as keener senses and a more focused mind. (which also makes sense in evolutionary terms; it makes you a stronger hunter.))



Concerning taking all advice from the big guys at the gym;
These guys come, mostly, pre-selected for building. By that I mean that they inherited a genetic structure that gives them more potential for muscle-growth. Consider that the fact that you wouldn't ask a tall guy how to eat to get taller.

When it comes to who are usually studied in this context, it is usually the prime subjects. The best athletes with best genes for a certain task.
The top 5% of the bell curve.
The fact that they are predisposed towards excelling at certain tasks doesn't mean they necessarily know best how to get you closest to your potential.

There are so many fallacies connected here that I could probably go on for a long while. But just remember that people have different genetic potential.

Martin Brekhan covers a lot of these fallacies regarding diet at leangains,
and when it comes to exercise look to Tim Ferriss and his "4-hour body", Doug McGuff's "Body By Science" and compare these with the stuff you usually hear.
Or Mike Mentzer's legacy at mikementzer.com , Drew Baye at baye.com and a host of other people who will provide you with evidence to back up their claims.
Not just anecdotal claims from some guy who hasn't got a clue about the underlying physiological adaptations. (Which is mostly what you'll find in the commercial body-building fora.)

btw.
Here's Doug McGuff at the 21 convention:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU[/youtube]

I wont be making any more posts for a WHILE. Yet another reason i've become ridiculously anti-social recently, which eventually, led me to this place. Alot of good points i didnt wanna delve so far into have been brought up. I give up. I wish i could delete everything i've said here. No more out of me. Sorry for tryin to be helpful guys. I'll leave it to the pros. Anyways, im gonna shut up and mind my own business. I'll be here in the background until i can someday find something worthy to contribute. Peace...