How to gain weight?

northernfalcon30 said:Maria Kelly6, tap water can be really heavy, so it’s no wonder you're feeling all bloated! You'd honestly feel much better if you just stuck to bottled water—it’s way lighter and much healthier!
My advice? Try sipping your water slowly instead of gulping it all down at once. Always carry a little bottle with you so you can just take small sips throughout the day.
And, I suppose I shouldn't even have to mention this, but all of this applies to non-carbonated water. Sparkling water is fine once in a while, but it's packed with too much sodium, so... well, you know how it goes..................
🙂

I actually try to drink water filtered through one of those Brita pitchers or whatever they're called, and I don't even like sparkling water. Plus, I always have a small 16-ounce bottle on me to sip from.

So, I ended up dropping a significant amount of weight once I cut carbs out of my diet entirely. Now, I just eat fruit twice a day and plenty of salad. I’ve been doing this boxing training that is absolutely brutal, and honestly, the fat just melted away... Now I'm planning to start adding in some summer sports too. I haven't been feeling any fatigue or dizziness, so I guess my body isn't signaling any major deficiencies or anything...

George Bailey2 said:Hold on, just wait until a few people on this forum try to explain to you that protein powder is basically pure chemicals—basically steroids that’ll make your mustache grow overnight! They'll tell you it's totally unhealthy and that you'll end up with muscles as huge as the Governor of California or Jarmila Kratochvilova... they'll probably suggest you're better off just sticking to bacon and onions like Janica. I mean, have you seen how she looks after all that bacon and onions? 🙂

Equating protein to steroids is just plain stupid. And look, I'm not one to sit here and analyze Janica's specific training routine or her diet, but if something isn't quite right there, her physical condition—especially those joints—really seems to show it...

Look, seriously: you can find protein powders in a few spots around town. I’d recommend checking out the Helix shop over on old Vlach Street; they have the widest selection you'll find in the entire US. It would be a good idea if you told us exactly which type of powder you're looking for, because there's a huge difference between needing whey protein and casein. There are tons of options out there, and prices can range anywhere from $100 up to $167. Before you head into one of those shops—where they absolutely love customers who don't have a clue what they're buying just so they can lighten your wallet—it would be best to give us some more specific details about what kind of protein you need and what your actual goal is.

So, here's the deal... one recipe calls for Twinlab's "Veg Fuel," another says "Universal super Whey protein," then there's "Vigor sport, protein 90." Honestly, when you're prepping meals for life in zone, I don't think the brand matters all that much—it’s all about hitting that high protein percentage. I noticed a Twinlab shop over on Ilica today, so they probably carry that "Veg Fuel" (soy, which is basically 100% protein powder); meanwhile, I stumbled upon some shop online near the Sports Hall...

My mom picked up some whey at Encijan today, so we'll use that for the first round... 🙂

Alright, so there isn't a strict rule about it... If you want my advice, go for the best value—quality, taste, and price all rolled into one. Grab some whey protein from Inkospor; their vanilla and chocolate flavors are excellent, but the banana is absolutely insane. It'll run you $37 for 500 grams over at Helix.

I've got some $35, a 750-gram bag of whey protein—but honestly, I’m in no rush to start pitching it to you guys... let them pay me first. 😁

Maria Kelly6 said:>
I'm trying to stick to filtered water from that Brita machine or whatever it's called... plus I don't even like sparkling. I always carry a 1/5 L bottle with me and just sip on it throughout the day.

Did you mean—half a liter?!😕 🙂

Melissa Cruz2 said:I lost a ton of weight once I cut carbs out of my diet. I just eat fruit twice a day and tons of salad. I've been doing boxing which is super intense, and the fat just melted away! Now I’m gonna start adding some summer sports too. I don't feel tired or dizzy at all, so I guess my body isn't signaling any deficiencies.

Melissa, how do you kill those sugar cravings—dried fruit?!
What kind of carbs did you ditch exactly?

I honestly don't even crave meat. I actually dodge it during group meals, basically choking down steamed veggies instead, but it works for me... plus salads, which I mix into everything, even soups... I love them so much...
But seriously, should I be replacing the lack of meat with something else?

As for fruit, I only stick to citrus (grapefruit, oranges) and apples.

If you're looking to swap out meat, go with eggs, cheese (keep it low sugar, obviously), or fish. As for the whole soy thing—honestly, I don't know all the technical details... I just assume it's basically just a partial substitute for meat.

when I cut carbs out of my diet

Honestly, cutting carbs entirely isn't really my idea of healthy.

You’ve got to distinguish between high-quality carbs and those so-called "empty calories."

Whole grain bread—on its own—is basically just a delivery system for vitamins and minerals (some varieties even have calcium included), and all that.

Certain types of veggies have higher or lower net carb counts—it’s all about how they're measured. Fruit is packed with carbs, and dried fruit? Man, that’s even worse because everything is just concentrated... basically sugar bombs. But hey, I'm with you on this one—completely cutting out carbs from your diet is a terrible idea.

rustymoose54 said:Certain veggies have more or less carbs—fruit has plenty, and dried fruit is even higher since it's so concentrated. I totally agree, cutting carbs out completely is a bad move.

So does that mean when I swapped my chocolate bar for dried fruit, I didn't actually do myself any caloric favors?

Look, chocolate is basically just sugar and fat packed together—it’s a total bomb—but dried fruit? Not even close. Plus, you've got all those fibers in the dried stuff that slow down how your body absorbs the sugar... so instead of just turning straight into fat, it actually gives you a steady stream of energy to burn through.

Anyway, if you grab, say, one dried apple, the calorie count is pretty much identical to a fresh one (assuming nobody went crazy adding extra sugar to it, obviously). The real kicker is that dried fruit takes up way less space in your stomach... so we end up inhaling way more than we realize without even noticing.

thanks 🙂

The issue is that dried fruit has less volume—so we end up eating way more than we realize without even noticing.

Oh, right. The whole bag. 😁

So, basically, since the calorie count for dried fruit and chocolate is pretty much identical—let's just call them both overkill—does the dried fruit hit the metabolism better, making it the smarter choice?

Which cheeses are actually worth getting?

northernfalcon30 said:So, even though the calorie count for dried fruit and chocolate is basically the same—let's just say they're both high—dried fruit hits the metabolism better, making it the smarter choice?

Which cheeses should I be looking at?

Plus, dried fruit doesn't have the fat content. 😉 Guess I learned something new today. 🙂

I’m a total cheese addict—seriously, I live for it—but if you're watching calories, stick to the fresh stuff. It's much lighter.

And it’s got more calcium, too.

Around here, you can always find some quark or a fresh cottage cheese style—pretty similar to the homemade stuff we used to get.

In the summer, I love mixing in some fruit and honey... honestly, I could survive on just that for days. 😳

Every morning it’s just eggs, but now I’ve moved on to bread. For lunch at the office, we get cooked beef, pan-seared chicken, mozzarella and tomatoes, or maybe a steak with two servings of salad. Dinner is usually hot dogs, more mozzarella, eggs, or liters of yogurt... we don't even buy bread here. Every once in a while, if I’m feeling a bit wiped out, I’ll grab some spaghetti or rice. Honestly, I have plenty of energy for my workouts and I assume I'm doing alright. My blood work looks fine...

I don't keep any sweets at home so I don't eat them, unless I toss some sugar into my yogurt. Occasionally, I might have some chestnut puree...

Look, I don't know the exact calorie count for chocolate versus dried fruit—mostly because I don't touch either of them—but if I had to guess, the chocolate probably packs more of a punch since there’s all that fat involved...

As for cheese, well, hard cheeses are definitely higher in fat. You get your calcium through milk and yogurt anyway, so you're better off sticking to the fresher, "whiter" varieties of cheese.

Anyway, Melissa Cruz2, a single slice of bread (about 50g) is roughly 130 calories, which is pretty much the same as a cup of yogurt (200g). But hey, just be careful about overdoing the protein in your diet—too much can actually put a strain on your organs, plus you end up soaking up way too much animal fat that way. For a woman our age—if I'm guessing right and you're around 32—two servings of yogurt or milk a day should be plenty.

Hey, those soft cheeses—the ones that are basically just creamy—are actually fattier. Since the calcium comes from milk and yogurt, you’re better off sticking to the fresher, "whiter" cheeses.

I remember reading somewhere that hard cheeses actually pack the most calcium, though I can't quite recall why—it feels weirdly like milk would have way less calcium than cheese itself.

It would be great if someone could clear that up.

I’m asking this because of my yogurt intake—what happens if I overdo it? To give you an idea of my daily routine: I have milk for breakfast, plus about a cup of that probiotic liquid yogurt—so roughly 1.5 cups total—then some kefir during the day (about 2 cups), followed by another little yogurt mixed with fruit (maybe half a cup), and then cocoa at night. Oh, and I eat cheese pretty much every single day.