Healthy vs. Less Strict Frequency

[KingMeso]

Weird post. I follow a strict diet and know what I need to it. So this is for discussion purposes only.

While I was at the gym today, I was asked a NEW question. A guy asked me if "eating more frequent meals, which are less strict is better than eating fewer meals, that are super strict".

I first asked what his goals were. He said, He was 'trying to cut out his gut'. Then I asked what his idea of 'less strict' was. He pretty much said high protein, but 'possibly' fatty (from what I gathered, this guy wanted to eat a fast food burger or two :burger: ).

My answer was, eating more frequent meals, that are well thought out and for the most part strict are going to yield you better, faster gains.

But then I started thinking (damn brain). If you had to choose say 3 to 4 meals of high protein, but fatty food vs. 1 to 2 meals of super strict food, what would be better?

Like I said, I know what I need to eat, so this is just for discussion.

 

[thedon3534]

The extra calories would completely diminish the benefits of eating extra times in a day.... "Wants cake..... and wants to eat it too!"

 

[Force of Green]

There are too many variables in the equation. You'd have to know a lot of factors and fill in the blanks:

1. Macronutrient breakdown of each meal
2. Water intake (yes this is also important)
3. N.E.A.T. or thermic effect of food consumed
4. The person's thyroid output
5. Timing of nutrient consumption
6. MISC.

In my opinion, if the meals are somewhat sensible and not absolute crap and this person has all other lifestyle habits in check... AND... the person trains in HIT and/or HIIT discipline (afterburn metabolic induction effect), he is better off eating less strict, more frequent meals. If the dude can fit in 4 meals of junk, he can fit in 4 meals of decent nutritional proportion. Sounds like this dude has a lack of willpower.

 

[KingMeso]

Yeah, I chalked it up as someone just wanting to do a little bit of work. He asked me what my diet looked like. I told him and he gave me one of those stupid looks, like "Uhhhh".

 

[Irish Cannon]

Healthy I feel would be more important than strict, frequent meals. Get a couple healthy meals in, slam protein shakes in between the other ones. Not so hard.

 

[pudzian2]

There are too many variables in the equation. You'd have to know a lot of factors and fill in the blanks:

1. Macronutrient breakdown of each meal
2. Water intake (yes this is also important)
3. N.E.A.T. or thermic effect of food consumed
4. The person's thyroid output
5. Timing of nutrient consumption
6. MISC.

In my opinion, if the meals are somewhat sensible and not absolute crap and this person has all other lifestyle habits in check... AND... the person trains in HIT and/or HIIT discipline (afterburn metabolic induction effect), he is better off eating less strict, more frequent meals. If the dude can fit in 4 meals of junk, he can fit in 4 meals of decent nutritional proportion. Sounds like this dude has a lack of willpower.

what tools or methods do you use to get an accurate representation of your calorie expenditure on a given day....?

 

[Force of Green]

what tools or methods do you use to get an accurate representation of your calorie expenditure on a given day....?

Hmmm... I can give it a shot... there's gotta be some kind of equation.

Some of bodybuilding.com's things come in handy. You can use a standard online thing, or whatever you wish. Nothing is perfect.

I'll calculate it for me and write the steps:

I'm 24 years old, 6' tall, about 200 lbs. My bodyfat is around 7%, but I'll use 10% as the number.

1. 200 lbs (90.71kg) so, 90.71 x 24 = 2182

The multiplier for 10% bodyfat is 1, so 2182 is the BMR (basal metabolic rate)

I like to say that outside of my training, I'm a moderately active guy.

The caloric expenditure for light, to light-moderate activity is 1.55 to 1.65

Let's say that I do some walking, typing, light lifting, and whatnot during the day.

2182 x 1.60 = 3491.2

Let's make it easy and say 3,500 maintainence calories. Macronutrients are to be adjusted for body-type (ecto, endo, meso).

At my weight (200lbs) Continuous HIT training or circuit training with minimal rest burns 500 calories in 40 minutes.

For lack of absolute perfection of subtracting 40 minutes of regular, daily activities, just add 500 cals to your daily expenditure.

Our total thus far is 4,000 calories. Tack on another 50 calories for my 15 minute pilates/abs session.

Okay, 4050 cals... now... the afterburn effect of HIT (and HIIT) we have to keep in mind. Our metabolic rate is revved up for a long duration after the exercise is complete.

My research shows that you'll burn the greatest number of calories during and after aerobic exercise when you exercise at 75 percent of your maximum effort or above. If you do very high intensity training, like sprints or intervals, your metabolism can stay elevated for days. Some of my studies show you can burn up to 200 additional calories this way. However, harder workouts are harder on your body. If you overdo them, you may wind up overtired, overtrained, chronically injured or all of the above. For this reason, it's best to limit your very high intensity workouts to once or twice a week.

Ok, an extra couple hundred calories at rest isn't bad at all. I'd rather have the HIT afterburn than to rely on clenbuterol or some other crap for increase RMR.

4250 cals per day would be maintenence. Break down the macros to suit your needs. There are some other variables, sure.... but they're so small that you'd be a neurotic bonehead to pay attention to it. "Ohh I wagged my pee pee a little longer after I took a leak... better tack on another 2 calories!" Get over it. LOL

Best of luck my home dawg!

 

[Rodja]

It also depends whether or not the fattier meals are also with carbs. If you are using low carbs, then fats must be added. There are some choices that are better than others, but eating fatter cuts of protein along with vegetables are fine.

 

[pudzian2]

Hmmm... I can give it a shot... there's gotta be some kind of equation.

Some of bodybuilding.com's things come in handy. You can use a standard online thing, or whatever you wish. Nothing is perfect.

I'll calculate it for me and write the steps:

I'm 24 years old, 6' tall, about 200 lbs. My bodyfat is around 7%, but I'll use 10% as the number.

1. 200 lbs (90.71kg) so, 90.71 x 24 = 2182

The multiplier for 10% bodyfat is 1, so 2182 is the BMR (basal metabolic rate)

I like to say that outside of my training, I'm a moderately active guy.

The caloric expenditure for light, to light-moderate activity is 1.55 to 1.65

Let's say that I do some walking, typing, light lifting, and whatnot during the day.

2182 x 1.60 = 3491.2

Let's make it easy and say 3,500 maintainence calories. Macronutrients are to be adjusted for body-type (ecto, endo, meso).

At my weight (200lbs) Continuous HIT training or circuit training with minimal rest burns 500 calories in 40 minutes.

For lack of absolute perfection of subtracting 40 minutes of regular, daily activities, just add 500 cals to your daily expenditure.

Our total thus far is 4,000 calories. Tack on another 50 calories for my 15 minute pilates/abs session.

Okay, 4050 cals... now... the afterburn effect of HIT (and HIIT) we have to keep in mind. Our metabolic rate is revved up for a long duration after the exercise is complete.



Ok, an extra couple hundred calories at rest isn't bad at all. I'd rather have the HIT afterburn than to rely on clenbuterol or some other crap for increase RMR.

4250 cals per day would be maintenence. Break down the macros to suit your needs. There are some other variables, sure.... but they're so small that you'd be a neurotic bonehead to pay attention to it. "Ohh I wagged my pee pee a little longer after I took a leak... better tack on another 2 calories!" Get over it. LOL

Best of luck my home dawg!

Thanks man. Yea those are the tools I usually use to calculate my approx expenditure, was just wondering if you went as far as using a fancy tools to measure heart rate and total daily caloric expenditures and things or just sacrificed a bit of accuracy for generalized coefficients and such.

 

[Force of Green]

Thanks man. Yea those are the tools I usually use to calculate my approx expenditure, was just wondering if you went as far as using a fancy tools to measure heart rate and total daily caloric expenditures and things or just sacrificed a bit of accuracy for generalized coefficients and such.

I totally get what you're saying... but when you go that far, try adding this into play:

1. Today, my paypal transaction declined, my heart rate went up 40 BPM for a period of 3 minutes then peaked, slowly declining for 2 minutes.

2. When I took a dump today, I had a looser stool than usual and burned 4 less calories on the crapper.

3. I just got my tongue pierced, so I spent more energy chewing my food better and more carefully.

4. My shaker cup top wasn't closed today, so after 3 shakes I had spilled protein on my tank top and I think that I expended 8 calories vigorously cleaning it up and making a new one....

5. I had some other miscellaneous checks and balances too. OH! And I walked to CVS after eating lunch... gotta get my calculator out...

Going too far really makes someone neurotic and irritable.

 

[pudzian2]

I totally get what you're saying... but when you go that far, try adding this into play:

1. Today, my paypal transaction declined, my heart rate went up 40 BPM for a period of 3 minutes then peaked, slowly declining for 2 minutes.

2. When I took a dump today, I had a looser stool than usual and burned 4 less calories on the crapper.

3. I just got my tongue pierced, so I spent more energy chewing my food better and more carefully.

4. My shaker cup top wasn't closed today, so after 3 shakes I had spilled protein on my tank top and I think that I expended 8 calories vigorously cleaning it up and making a new one....

5. I had some other miscellaneous checks and balances too. OH! And I walked to CVS after eating lunch... gotta get my calculator out...

Going too far really makes someone neurotic and irritable.

yea when you put it that way...well thats a very good point.

 

[Force of Green]

You're definitely on the right track bro... The way I figure it, if you have a nice staple supplement arsenal with effective micronutrition and hormonal favoritism, you should not stress the little things. I keep right around my maintenence level everyday and if I go over, I'm confident that by treating my body well and rewarding it by not starving it, I will be rewarding in turn. Most of the excess food I eat is burned off by thermic energy anyhow. This is due to the HIT weight training and HIIT cardio training and some supplements I take have thyroid optimizing compounds in it.