IV. Nutrition and Supplements
**A. General Questions
**B. Chubbies
**C. Skinnies
**D. Athletes
Question - I would like a detailed description of exactly what I should eat and when
Take it to the nutrition forums. A detailed discussion of nutrition and supplementation belongs there, not here. It is beyond the scope of this FAQ
Question - What supplements should I take while doing Starting Strength?
Vitamins, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), and a whey protein isolate or concentrate supplement are all good products for any trainee to take.
Creatine and taurine are quite helpful and quite cheap but not necessary. Stay away from pro-hormones, NO-X supplements and anything that promises to "add slabs of muscle". Keep it simple for now, you don't need to spend the $$$ on something that won't make that much of a difference since, as a beginner, you will "add slabs of muscle" anyway.
Diet and training are 95% of the equation. Supplements make up about 5% of the equation. For a beginner, it's even less. Don't obsess about supplements. Obsess about consistency in your training and consistency in your nutrition.
Question - Generally, how should I eat?
I am NOT going to get into minutae and specifics about this subject, because there are as many opinions about "how to make a fat guy lean" as there are fat guys on the planet.
Go
here to calculate your BMR. This calculator assumes:
That you are not inordinately fat or slim, muscular or weak, athletic or untrained
The biggest problem with this and just about every other BMR calculator on the internet is that they do NOT take lean body mass (LBM) into account. As such, they provides a "bell-shaped curve" answer. In other words, it'll get the average guy or gal pretty close, but if you are noticeably large or small, athletic or untrained, you will get skewed results.
An easier way, and one that is about as accurate:
If you are skinny or you are a teenager, multiply your bodyweight by 20. If you are a skinny teenager, multiply it by 22.
If you are a chubba bubba and you want to drop blubber, you can probably get by with somewhere between 12-15 calories/lb of bodyweight, depending upon how old you are, and how long you've been chubby. Chubby's who are extremely strong naturally (the stereotypical "big Samoan mofo") will have faster metabolisms because of their natural base of strength, as will chubby teenagers. If that's you, err toward the 15. If you're an old fart like me, check what 12x does for you.
Teenage athletic types will probably be able to eat whatever the hell they want. If you want to get extremely strong (football linebacker) and you want to gain weight, shoot for the 20-22x. Otherwise, shoot for 18x.
Weigh yourself after your morning dump. Note this weight. Weigh yourself after a week of a controlled nutrition plan, and see what the difference is. If you've gained a lb, then you are approximately 500 calories above your base level daily, assuming you ate the same # of calories each day. It takes approximately 3500 calories above maintenance to add a pound of bodyweight in a week (3500 calories/7 days = 500 calories/day). This is NOT 100% IRONCLAD, but is a pretty easy and cheap way to get the ball rolling.
If you maintained your bodyweight, then you are right at your BMR. If you lost a pound, then you are 500 calories under your BMR.
From there, adjust your calories for your weight gain/loss goal. +500 kcal daily to gain 1-lb weekly, +1000 to gain 2-lb weekly (don't do this if you're over 25, you'll get fat), +1500 if you want to gain 3-lb weekly (don't do this if you aren't still growing in height, you will get fat, unless you are a mutant)
Skinny dudes probably will want higher carb and fat levels, and can shoot for about 25-50-25 for their protein-CHO-fat ratios. This is NOT exact! Skinny dudes don't need to follow the "super-high protein" type diets. You simply won't build muscle all that fast. You'll need the carbs and especially the fats to keep your body from catabolizing muscle tissue to use as fuel, just make sure you have a steady supply of nutrients entering your body during the day. NO SKIPPED MEALS!!!!
Chubbies will want lower carb levels and higher protein levels. give 50-30-20 or 50-25-25 a try and see how that works for you. Again, no skipped meals.
Natural mesomorphs (i.e. athletic types, those who are naturally pretty strong and lean) can probably do best (or do real well) on a diet that is somewhere around 40-40-20 of protein-carb fat. To be honest, almost anything will work for these guys, as long as they have their caloric needs met throughout the day.
Almost everyone can do pretty well on a 30-40-30 or a 33-33-33 type diet as well, assuming the carbs are clean (specifically this applies to chubbies).
Are these absolutes? No, of course not; they are starting points. Use them as such. If you know that you don't respond well to those same ratios, then great! Congrats. You already know what to eat, why are you reading this?
Let's do the calculations for a skinny 150-lb teenager.
150lbs x 22kcal/lb = 3300 calories.
25% protein = .25 x 3300 = 825 calories. 825 calories divided by 4 calories/gram ~ 205 grams PRO.
50% CHO = .50 x 3300 = 1650 calories. 1650 / 4 ~ 410-415 grams CHO
25% fat = 825 calories. 825/ 9 ~ 70-75g FAT.
That is the BASELINE. You will almost definitely want to add to this, especially because you have to account for the extra calories you are burning during training. Chances are good skinnies will want to add to the carbs and especially the fats.
Eating a ton does NOT mean you're absorbing a ton. You have to properly absorb your calories in order for them to be of use. If you are farting and crapping yourself every 10-15 minutes, then you added too many calories too fast. Scale back a bit and work your way back up. Too much too soon can overload your system.
You also may have a food allergy (wheat gluten and dairy lactose are 2 major culprits here) There are volumes upon volumes written about diet, go read up and learn more for yourself.
Question - What should I eat before, during and after a workout
Go here and read up. The man knows his stuff.
Question - I've been doing this program for a month and I've only gained 2 lbs. What is wrong?
Eat more.
Period.
It doesn't matter what program you are on, weight gain is ENTIRELY dependent upon how much you eat.
If you don't eat enough, then you will not get heavier, simple as that. The weight training program doesn't determine how heavy you get, it only determines how much of that "added heaviness" is muscle and how much is fat.
Let me say this one again so that you understand.
NUTRITION IS 100 PERCENT RESPONSIBLE FOR WEIGHT GAIN
Your training plan will help determine how much of that weight gain is muscle, and how much is fat.
Question - Why do I need to drink so much milk? What kind of milk should I drink?
Why milk?
1) It is VERY easy to ingest. Most kids can down a ton daily with cereal, pop tars, ice cream, protein drinks, etc, and for a skinny kid who is growing vertically as well as horizontally ( yeah puberty!), this is a VERY easy way to ensure you get your calories.
2) Protein, yeah protein...tons of high quality protein, as well as calcium. 1% milk will have a nearly ideal macronutrient profile for a growing kid as well.
Does this mean you HAVE to drink 1 gallon of whole milk daily? No. Is it recommended? Well, it sure is effective for adding necessary protein and calories while growing. If you are worried about the calories and fat, then drink skim. Note that Hola Bola, one of the best built natties on bb.com, drinks damn near a gallon of 1% or 2% daily. Granted, he is enormous, and has the resultant metabolic "advantage" of having over 200lbs of LBM, but he is also 25, not 15, and he isn't growing vertically as well as generally filling out.
Skinny dudes and relatively lean, athletic dudes can probably get away with drinking 1% or 2%. For those painfully skinny early teens, whole milk. Chubbies should stick to skim milk, obviously.
Milk isn't magical, although it is quite effective. Keep your calorie totals in mind when figuring out how much milk to drink.
Question - If I eat too much protein, will I end up with kidney stones?
Probably not. If you have healthy kidneys and you drink the necessary 1 gallon (preferably more - up to 1.5 gallons) of water a day, you should not have any problem whatsoever with your kidneys. Get your calcium, drink your water, and all will be well.