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I don’t do paleo or low carb or any fancy diet besides eating plenty of protein and calories. The key for me is regular, heavy strength training. I exercise 3-

I don’t do paleo or low carb or any fancy diet besides eating plenty of protein and calories. The key for me is regular, heavy strength training. I exercise 3-6 days a week, all compound lifts, at high weight/moderate (3-7) reps. More than just managing my physique, I find it immensely helpful for my mental health and general well-being. I’m not the biggest or most shredded guy in the gym, but the focus on strength keeps me from obsessing with aesthetics, while everyone who knows me has still noticed the changes to my physique. My point in all this is that exercise and sufficient calories is more important than following a specific diet, and that it’s been a solution in multiple dimensions of my life. I heartily recommend it to all my friends.

rerx 8y ago
At which age did you start to lift?
- stochastic_monk 8y ago
  I’m 29 now. I started lifting at 26, but finally got proficient and rigorous about a year ago. The biggest key was learning to eat more because my body’s metabolism was low because I wasn’t eating enough. I went from a 2000 calorie maintenance to 3000 in about 6 months.
  - Kirth 8y ago
    Did you find it hard to increase your calorie intake? This is something I've been struggling with for a while. Especially since I don't deal well with lactose getting in enough calories and protein can be a bit daunting. What are your "trick foods" that contain a good amount of calories but are good to eat?
    - stochastic_monk 8y ago
      It was hard! Here’s where the “eat clean” obsession breaks down for me. Gummy bears and chips balanced with plenty of protein works great for me. 1. Gummy bears. 500 calories a pack. (Usually before or after a workout) 2. Fritos, 1500 calories a bag. 3. Chicken breast and eggs - high protein and good fats from the eggs I can afford on a grad student stipend. 4. Natural peanut butter. This and other nut butters are key. 5. Whole milk. Past a certain amount of carbs, I feel like they make me bloated, so it’s easier for me to use fats and some junk food to get the rest of calories in.
    - matwood 8y ago
      Peanut butter snacks during the day. I used to set alarms that would go off during the day. When they went off, I'd pull out a jar of PB and eat a few spoonfuls with crackers. Second dinner. Eat your first dinner early, and then eat a lunch sized snack right before bed. When I was gaining, this usually consisted of a turkey or roast beef sandwich. Know that I was almost never hungry. I ate on a schedule, and tracked everything I ate.
    - rubicon33 8y ago
      You should know that exercising a bunch and jamming more food into your system IS NOT the "healthiest" option, if life span is your goal. Calorie restriction IS perhaps the healthiest route, if you are mainly interested in living longer. Feeling better is harder to quantify. The "TLDR" is: Exercise moderately, and find the minimal amount of calories you can consume without feeling like shit. That's the optimal balance. The unfortunate reality is that often the "healthiest" path in life, doesn't FEEL the best. I felt my best lifting 3-4x a week, running, and eating 3600-3900 calories per day. I was constantly full, but felt like I had tons of physical and mental energy. Alas, plenty of research has been done on the effects of large calorie diets EVEN WHEN CONTROLLED FOR WEIGHT. Large calories = bad. If you're interested, here's a good place to start: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686342/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686342/
      - naasking 8y ago
        Controlling for weight isn't meaningful if you're not also controlling for body composition.
      - stochastic_monk 8y ago
        You make an interesting point. I glanced over the article and I’m curious: is weight a sufficient proxy for activity/lean body mass? The anecdata I have of athletes generally supports longevity and health, whether training strength or long distance exercise.
      - nradov 8y ago
        Perhaps, but no study has yet shown that calorie restriction actually extends human life. It works on lab animals. Given that human lifespans are already relatively long it will take many years to gather reliable data.
    - psergeant 8y ago
      > What are your "trick foods" that contain a good amount of calories but are good to eat? Cheese! Parmesan is 50% protein and 50% fat by weight. Almost all soups and stews can be improved in taste and calories by adding enough coconut oil
    - bonesss 8y ago
      I think there are protein sources that work well for lactose intolerant people (soy, pea, etc?). I'm not well versed in them but google it up, protein is key for staying in a positive nitrogen balance. If you're looking to gain nothing is as efficient as a scoop or two of your most important macro. I struggle to eat enough calories as meals, so I make "fat shakes". Obviously you're gonna want to adapt this to your personal preferences, but: coconut milk and protein powder as your base, a little sweetener (stevia, sukrin), a litte salt, one avocado, a bit of peanut butter, and a banana if you're feeling wild. I eat keto-ish... Olive oil, ghee, and coconut oils are all hugely calorie rich and can easily be snuck into food. Hellamns mayo is 700+ calories per 100g, so slathering it on some broccoli can quickly make up any caloric gap :)
madeuptempacct 8y ago
I can't handle more than 3 days a week at the gym. I do my main lifts only once a week or I don't recover, but I am still getting stronger on my program. I have been lifting for more than a decade though. I do cardio and lift on the same day, I also can't run every day or I don't feel great. On off days, I just walk and do minor accessory stuff. Can't imagine lifting like this every day.
- Itaxpica 8y ago
  How much are you eating? I used to have similar troubles with recovery until I realized that I just wasn’t eating nearly enough to train at the volume I was. For me, adding two cups of Greek yogurt and a protein shake every day (so roughly 500 calories and 50 grams of protein over what I was eating before) made an enormous difference.
  - madeuptempacct 8y ago
    I am eating 90 grams of protein @ 190 lbs body-weight with a pretty low fat %.
    - Moto7451 8y ago
      More anecdata: I aim for 125g per day, 1800 calory target, at 138 lbs/5’ 5” and can lift strong every day. I usually take a “rest” week (calisthenics and 3-7 miles of walking) every other month when I travel somewhere.
      - madeuptempacct 8y ago
        That seems crazy high to me, but maybe I am just too used to my own thing and should try upping it.
        Moto7451 8y ago
        It depends on your goals. I’m trying to gain muscle. 90 isn’t bad for maintenance in my case. Some folks would say I’m low as the recommendation is as high as 1.1g of protein per lb to gain.
matwood 8y ago
> My point in all this is that exercise and sufficient calories is more important than following a specific diet, and that it’s been a solution in multiple dimensions of my life. Completely agree, hence I said -ish. I'm not Paleo, but it's probably the closest to what I normally eat. Lots of veggies and protein with high quality carbs and limited 'junk' (I also almost completely stopped eating sweets). I view diet as something you can do your entire life, and I've settled on something that I can easily follow and enjoy.

rerx 8y ago

At which age did you start to lift?

stochastic_monk 8y ago
I’m 29 now. I started lifting at 26, but finally got proficient and rigorous about a year ago. The biggest key was learning to eat more because my body’s metabolism was low because I wasn’t eating enough. I went from a 2000 calorie maintenance to 3000 in about 6 months.
- Kirth 8y ago
  Did you find it hard to increase your calorie intake? This is something I've been struggling with for a while. Especially since I don't deal well with lactose getting in enough calories and protein can be a bit daunting. What are your "trick foods" that contain a good amount of calories but are good to eat?
  - stochastic_monk 8y ago
    It was hard! Here’s where the “eat clean” obsession breaks down for me. Gummy bears and chips balanced with plenty of protein works great for me. 1. Gummy bears. 500 calories a pack. (Usually before or after a workout) 2. Fritos, 1500 calories a bag. 3. Chicken breast and eggs - high protein and good fats from the eggs I can afford on a grad student stipend. 4. Natural peanut butter. This and other nut butters are key. 5. Whole milk. Past a certain amount of carbs, I feel like they make me bloated, so it’s easier for me to use fats and some junk food to get the rest of calories in.
  - matwood 8y ago
    Peanut butter snacks during the day. I used to set alarms that would go off during the day. When they went off, I'd pull out a jar of PB and eat a few spoonfuls with crackers. Second dinner. Eat your first dinner early, and then eat a lunch sized snack right before bed. When I was gaining, this usually consisted of a turkey or roast beef sandwich. Know that I was almost never hungry. I ate on a schedule, and tracked everything I ate.
  - rubicon33 8y ago
    You should know that exercising a bunch and jamming more food into your system IS NOT the "healthiest" option, if life span is your goal. Calorie restriction IS perhaps the healthiest route, if you are mainly interested in living longer. Feeling better is harder to quantify. The "TLDR" is: Exercise moderately, and find the minimal amount of calories you can consume without feeling like shit. That's the optimal balance. The unfortunate reality is that often the "healthiest" path in life, doesn't FEEL the best. I felt my best lifting 3-4x a week, running, and eating 3600-3900 calories per day. I was constantly full, but felt like I had tons of physical and mental energy. Alas, plenty of research has been done on the effects of large calorie diets EVEN WHEN CONTROLLED FOR WEIGHT. Large calories = bad. If you're interested, here's a good place to start: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686342/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686342/
    - naasking 8y ago
      Controlling for weight isn't meaningful if you're not also controlling for body composition.
    - stochastic_monk 8y ago
      You make an interesting point. I glanced over the article and I’m curious: is weight a sufficient proxy for activity/lean body mass? The anecdata I have of athletes generally supports longevity and health, whether training strength or long distance exercise.
    - nradov 8y ago
      Perhaps, but no study has yet shown that calorie restriction actually extends human life. It works on lab animals. Given that human lifespans are already relatively long it will take many years to gather reliable data.
  - psergeant 8y ago
    > What are your "trick foods" that contain a good amount of calories but are good to eat? Cheese! Parmesan is 50% protein and 50% fat by weight. Almost all soups and stews can be improved in taste and calories by adding enough coconut oil
  - bonesss 8y ago
    I think there are protein sources that work well for lactose intolerant people (soy, pea, etc?). I'm not well versed in them but google it up, protein is key for staying in a positive nitrogen balance. If you're looking to gain nothing is as efficient as a scoop or two of your most important macro. I struggle to eat enough calories as meals, so I make "fat shakes". Obviously you're gonna want to adapt this to your personal preferences, but: coconut milk and protein powder as your base, a little sweetener (stevia, sukrin), a litte salt, one avocado, a bit of peanut butter, and a banana if you're feeling wild. I eat keto-ish... Olive oil, ghee, and coconut oils are all hugely calorie rich and can easily be snuck into food. Hellamns mayo is 700+ calories per 100g, so slathering it on some broccoli can quickly make up any caloric gap :)

madeuptempacct 8y ago

I can't handle more than 3 days a week at the gym. I do my main lifts only once a week or I don't recover, but I am still getting stronger on my program. I have been lifting for more than a decade though. I do cardio and lift on the same day, I also can't run every day or I don't feel great. On off days, I just walk and do minor accessory stuff. Can't imagine lifting like this every day.

Itaxpica 8y ago
How much are you eating? I used to have similar troubles with recovery until I realized that I just wasn’t eating nearly enough to train at the volume I was. For me, adding two cups of Greek yogurt and a protein shake every day (so roughly 500 calories and 50 grams of protein over what I was eating before) made an enormous difference.
- madeuptempacct 8y ago
  I am eating 90 grams of protein @ 190 lbs body-weight with a pretty low fat %.
  - Moto7451 8y ago
    More anecdata: I aim for 125g per day, 1800 calory target, at 138 lbs/5’ 5” and can lift strong every day. I usually take a “rest” week (calisthenics and 3-7 miles of walking) every other month when I travel somewhere.
    - madeuptempacct 8y ago
      That seems crazy high to me, but maybe I am just too used to my own thing and should try upping it.
      - Moto7451 8y ago
        It depends on your goals. I’m trying to gain muscle. 90 isn’t bad for maintenance in my case. Some folks would say I’m low as the recommendation is as high as 1.1g of protein per lb to gain.

matwood 8y ago

> My point in all this is that exercise and sufficient calories is more important than following a specific diet, and that it’s been a solution in multiple dimensions of my life. Completely agree, hence I said -ish. I'm not Paleo, but it's probably the closest to what I normally eat. Lots of veggies and protein with high quality carbs and limited 'junk' (I also almost completely stopped eating sweets). I view diet as something you can do your entire life, and I've settled on something that I can easily follow and enjoy.