Muscle building Nutrition

[timmyc]

I just wanted to start a thread on what bodybuilders are eating, there Nutrition.

I will start!

So I have been doing MMA for the last few years but i am having a break from that at the moment due to some injuries and hitting the iron again!

What i found over the years is that you can get sick of chicken, brown rice, broccoli and sweet potato really fast. I find if you prepare meals days in advance especially with chicken and fish. It just isn't the same as before.

Once reheated in the microwave the chicken is dry, the once crispy salmon skin is soft and flabby and god don't even mention the smell!

So this is what I have been doing to maintain a healthy diet while not going crazy eating dry chicken and bland veggies most nights.


1. Veered away from food i find the microwave completely destroys, no chicken at all, at least for the time being i think i will turn into a chicken if i have anymore.

2. for proteins i have bean making homemade beef burgers, brasied lamb shanks and osso bucco I find the braised meats reheat especially well in the microwave and still taste amazing. One of the advantages of the braised meats is i am able to freeze them, store them for as long as i want and once defrosted i still have a quality dish.

The beef burgers reheat well also and still taste amazing after precooking them, i have not frozen them but i dont think it is necessary.

3. With sweet potato i have been baking the whole sweet potato in it's skin which gives it much more
flavour than boiling or steaming. I peel the potato skin once it is fully cooked and prepackage them up.

4. I still eat brown rice and broccoli, the difference for me was squeezing some fresh lemon juice all over the meals i prepare to provide it with plenty of flavour.

As a chef I LOVE salt! (not good) to much of a good thing isnt a good thing. I find with lemon juice used to add the flavour i am not going to the salt to season the meals as the flavour is amazing. Lemons are great, what don't lemons go with?


What do you guys eat?

How do you prepare your meals?

 

[Morning Glory]

Well I'm the last person on earth that is ever likely to do body-building, but I gather that eggs can be very good. Plus they are portable and easy to cook quickly.

Why are you re-heating in a microwave, may I ask?

 

[timmyc]

Well I'm the last person on earth that is ever likely to do body-building, but I gather that eggs can be very good. Plus they are portable and easy to cook quickly.

Why are you re-heating in a microwave, may I ask?

Time poor.

I Have alot going on and preparing meals packaged for the week keeps me on track for eating healthy instead of getting takeaway after split shifts at work.

 

[epicuric]

I relate to much of your post. I don’t do microwaving, preferring slow cooking methods such as sous vide or slow cooker. With a bit of advanced planning, meals can be set off in the morning, with minimal finishing required at night. Sous vide is particularly useful, whereby protein (chicken, game, beef) can be precooked, chilled or frozen, then flash fried for an easy meal.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

So I have been doing MMA for the last few years but i am having a break from that at the moment due to some injuries and hitting the iron again!

Have you done this competitively, or just for recreational purposes? I achieved a second degree in Tae Kwon Do, but I didn't find much time for competitions. The competitive world and the "real" world of training are really are two different worlds, with techniques designed to score points in a match aren't quite what I'd use in a real situation. I haven't trained in a very long time (family does get in the way of what once was an all-out devotion to my craft), but I do remember that time fondly.

As for nutrition, I have also enjoyed using a meat grinder to create ultra lean ground meats. One favorite addition - after trimming the fat - is mushroom, which adds umami and moisture at the same time (to keep the meat from becoming a crumbly dusty mess when cooked). I have also had success adding peppers, which add color and flavor in addition to the moisture.

Now, the ability to reheat in the microwave is of huge consideration for me, since I bring a wide array of things to work with me for lunch. Obvious things that reheat well are soups and stews. When it comes to meats, I like to cook them at home just a bit underdone, so the reheat in the microwave actually finishes the cooking process and makes it just right (in theory).

Other things that reheat extremely and are also very healthy are things like zucchini (courgette) noodles. And, of course, there's nothing that beats a cold salad, with cold salmon or chicken being a perfect topper...no need to worry about overcooking there!

 

[timmyc]

Have you done this competitively, or just for recreational purposes? I achieved a second degree in Tae Kwon Do, but I didn't find much time for competitions. The competitive world and the "real" world of training are really are two different worlds, with techniques designed to score points in a match aren't quite what I'd use in a real situation. I haven't trained in a very long time (family does get in the way of what once was an all-out devotion to my craft), but I do remember that time fondly.

As for nutrition, I have also enjoyed using a meat grinder to create ultra lean ground meats. One favorite addition - after trimming the fat - is mushroom, which adds umami and moisture at the same time (to keep the meat from becoming a crumbly dusty mess when cooked). I have also had success adding peppers, which add color and flavor in addition to the moisture.

Now, the ability to reheat in the microwave is of huge consideration for me, since I bring a wide array of things to work with me for lunch. Obvious things that reheat well are soups and stews. When it comes to meats, I like to cook them at home just a bit underdone, so the reheat in the microwave actually finishes the cooking process and makes it just right (in theory).

Other things that reheat extremely and are also very healthy are things like zucchini (courgette) noodles. And, of course, there's nothing that beats a cold salad, with cold salmon or chicken being a perfect topper...no need to worry about overcooking there!

Thanks for the tips!

Slightly undercooking is a method I have used also before microwaving.

Yes I compete in Brazilian jiu jitsu and muay Thai, not at the moment though as I would like to heal up my injuries before jumping back in.

 

[timmyc]

Buying some food tomorrow, trialling a new diet for the week and trying some different things.

I will post some pictures and see how this goes.

 

[timmyc]

I played around with some things, but kept most things the same.

I am trialling some stuffed mushrooms this week and pork.

The Mushrooms are stuffed with mashed pumpkin.

I diced the mushroom cores & garlic up and sauted them in a pan, finished with a touch of white wine. I don't like wasting the cores of the mushrooms.

I mix this with the mashed pumpkin and stuff the mushrooms, never done this variation of stuffed mushrooms before, i am trying to keep the food as clean as possible.

As well as that food i just have some rolled oats, fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast.

I made some fresh orange juice and have mixed it with my brown rice

Total cook and prep time for this was 1 hour, excluding the baked sweet potato, thats still in the oven haha.

 

[Morning Glory]

I diced the mushroom cores & garlic up and sauted them in a pan, finished with a touch of white wine.

So no other seasoning added?

 

[timmyc]

So no other seasoning added?

nothing at all, the garlic comes through nicely.

The asparagus i seasoned with salt and pepper.

The pork with some dry thyme, salt and pepper.

The broccoli, was seasoned in the water with salt but that is all.

 

[Morning Glory]

nothing at all, the garlic comes through nicely.

So how did you cook the mushrooms?

 

[timmyc]

So how did you cook the mushrooms?

With the mushrooms, they where just put onto a baking tray raw.

I filled them raw, with the pumpkin stuffing and baked them for about 10 minutes.

A solid meal, didn't use alot of salt, fresh herbs, nothing fancy done. Very basic ingredients, good for a budget.