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strongtide

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  1. I don't see why there'd be an issue as there are a lot of protein powders/supplements that have BCAAs/Creatine etc. in them, premixed. I'm not 100% sure though.
  2. I was seeing pretty good results then got scared I'd plateau and that would be it, so I bought into the supplement thing. I eat SUPER clean, whole, non processed foods only. Logic told me that was enough, but I kept hearing the whole "you gotta do supplements to get REAL gains' routine, so I caved. I'll use up what I've got (it's a couple of months worth, maybe a little more) and see if I notice any negative changes when I stop....I'm really glad to hear they're not vital. Again, logically it made no sense as to why they would be as long as I was eating a clean diverse diet. Bought into the BS I guess. Haha.
  3. Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback. It's not that I have an excess of cash I want to drop on supplements, but I keep hearing that if I don't want to "waste my time and actually see results" it's what I have to do. I'm a very small, lean female, so I'm guessing that makes things a little tougher anyway. Supplements get really expensive and if they're not really necessary, why bother? I'd rather buy more real food .
  4. I'm sure this question has been asked a kazillion times, but my search thing never seems to work . I'll make it quick and hopefully painless for you guys... It has been recommended to me that I take three specific supplements: BCAAs, Creatine and Glutamine, because according to a few personal trainers that I know, it's VITAL. What do you guys think and are they really necessary? Which ones are important or should I just continue on with the three? It's been a few weeks that I've been taking them and I *thought* they made a difference at first, but now I'm just not sure. I did gain almost two pounds pretty much immediately after starting the creatine (which was fine as I'm underweight) BUT that couple of pounds doesn't appear to be stable. I'm wondering if it's just water retention caused by the creatine? Normally, my weight is SUPER stable, within 1/2 a lb anyway. They are all clean, vegan supplements with NO additives. Straight BCAAs, capsulated creatine and straight glutamine. Thanks so much for your thoughts, and I apologize again for more than likely asking a question that has been asked a million times before, I'm really new to this and need some help
  5. I pretty much eat that way all the time. When I made the switch, it didn't take long for the heavily seasoned/sauced, semi processed or fully processed food to start tasting really bad. Things start to taste really sweet or really salty once your taste buds adjust to the way food in it's natural state actually tastes. I never thought I would be able to eat a salad with nothing but an avocado squished up on it, or homemade fresh salsa on it. MUCH better than dressings. I also use homemade tahini a lot as a base for healthy sauces or dressings when that's something I feel like. Almond butter works well too. I actually find it hard to eat at restaurants now, even healthy ones, the food has too much stuff on it. Whole food just tastes better once you adjust and it happens faster than you'd think. Everything else starts to taste less like food.
  6. Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I think the protein shakes are probably the easiest way to sneak in more calories. I've also been eating spoonfuls of straight almond butter to try to up my caloric intake. I'm definitely NOT trying to lose weight. I can barely break 100lbs. Here's to gaining a few pounds .
  7. I can do grains/beans a couple times a week with no problems. Quinoa I seem to be able to tolerate a little better, it's usually part of a meal a couple times a week as well. I do eat a fair amount of almonds and nut butters. I can't eat anything refined or processed, I get sick. I have a very fussy/sensitive/damaged digestive system. Spelt, Kamut and similar grains are kind of hit and miss, but once in a while is fine. Grits (that's just cornmeal, right?) again, once in a while. Wheat is a definite no. Can't do it at all. I totally forgot about oatmeal. I have a huge bag of steel cut oats in my cupboard... As far as the boat load of fruit. I know, hahaha. The problem is fruits and veggies fill me up REALLY fast and I feel like shit when I overeat, so I just stop. I more of a grazer and that seems to work for my system a lot better than 3 big meals a day. I haven't ever figured out how many calories I eat in an average day. I'm guessing around 12-1500, maybe 2000 on the odd day here and there. It definitely does vary a bit, but I don't think it's enough. I've never been a calorie counter, so I really don't know. I'm female as well, I'm not sure if that makes a difference as far as advice.
  8. Well, that was quick. MegaFood supplements are all vegan, apart from the probiotics. They are all raw, whole food supplements as well. : )
  9. I take a raw whole foods balanced B supplement made by MegaFood. Synthesized vitamins are not all that available to the body. I know the brand I take is vegetarian, but I'm not sure if it's vegan (I've read the ingredients over and over and can't see what would be in them that would not be vegan, but who knows. I think I'll contact the company). I am vegan, but the way I see it is if I'm spending the money, I WANT the vitamins to be bio available. Make sure the supplements you take come from natural sources (you'll know by price and usually the dosage is much lower because you actually absorb it, and the bottle will say "whole food" or 'derived from natural whole food sources' or something along those lines.)
  10. Maybe buckwheat? I find it to have a chewier, more ricey texture. Might be worth a try....Hell, I might try it!
  11. I'm getting a little concerned over my protein and calorie intake and if I'm getting enough due to dietary issues. I eat a ton of raw fruit, veggies, nuts, hemp seeds etc. but I'm struggling to get ENOUGH calories in daily. Honestly, I'm not even quite sure how many I should be eating per day (I'm 5'1'', I'm at the gym 5-6 hours a week weight training and I'm currently under weight and can't really seem to gain. And when I do pig out for a few days, I seem to drop weight, I don't get it. That being said, I have either gained a lot of muscle, or, my body fat is so low it just looks that way, hahaha). My issue is that my super sensitive digestive system can't do beans, legumes and grains daily. It wreaks havoc on my system and I know they are calorically more dense that anything else I eat and provide more protein. So, my concern is both calorie intake AND protein intake. I do use a raw hemp protein powder occasionally to try to boost protein intake. I literally eat zillions of avocados, lots of coconut and other foods high in good fats/calories but I get full so fast that I'm pretty sure I'm not eating enough. Well, I'm obviously not getting enough calories, I'm struggling to gain weight. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! Thanks!
  12. Sorry for the delayed response. I got hit with some super bug and have been flat on my ass for a few days. Nice... Anyway... Yeah, you guys are right. I really need to split my workout. Upper body one day/lower body the next/rest etc., instead of cramming the full body workout into a day. I'm starting to think that's not the best way to do things. I'll get a plan mapped out as soon as I can drag my butt back to the gym (hopefully by the end of the week). The food thing is tough for sure. I've never restricted my calories, I've always been naturally very thin and due to past digestive issues, I eat only whole foods (no wheat though), nothing refined, nothing fried, no sugar etc. Pretty hard to get fat on a clean diet, haha. I struggle to pack in enough calories though. I thought if I worked out harder, I'd be hungrier...That doesn't seem to be the case though. Graze, graze, graze I guess. I just choose higher calorie options to graze on. Nuts, avocados, coconut, etc. that way the volume of food is reduced but I still get the calories. Thanks so much for the recommendations, I really appreciate it. As soon as I can get back at it, I'll put your suggestions into practice and see how I do. Thanks again!
  13. Thanks again for all the warm welcomes! I'm really glad I found this forum/community.
  14. I'm actually in the gym 4 days a week, NOT 5. Whoops.
  15. As far as routine goes, kind of. I REALLY try to designate days for different areas, but I find I end up hitting just about everything every time I'm in the gym. It ends up being a full body workout. Because I end up doing this, I take a day off between gym days and stick to just doing light stuff on off days either outside or at home.That puts me in the gym 5 days a week and I'm there for about an hour and a half. At the gym I start with 20 minutes of cardio, then I usually do some combination of the following: chest press, squats, deadlifts (sumo and straightleg), one arm bench row, hammer curls or concentration curls, flys, dumbbell slides (various ab exercises), lunges (when I can), shrugs, calf raises, dips/tricep pull downs, Deltoid raises (front and side), seated shoulder press, upright row, tricep kickbacks. There are probably a few more exercises that rotate, but that's a pretty good list of what I do. I'm new to bodybuilding and weight training. I used to be really active before my accident but my workout goals were different (deluded is a better word). I was one of those girls who believed weight training would make me look like a man so I stuck to things that I was told were better suited for women to get in shape, spinning, pilates, running, mostly just cardio, but honestly, it TOTALLY lacked the results I was after. I did a lot of other things outside the gym as well. Eating plan: As I mentioned before, trying to gain weight after losing so much and being underweight for so long is a lot harder than I thought. I'm having a lot of trouble eating the quantity that I need, so I focus on small amounts of food that provide lots of balanced calories. I'm not afraid of fat, in fact, I eat a lot of good fats (avocados, nuts, coconut butter, nut butters, flax, chia seeds, hemp seeds). And I eat a TON of greens either in smoothies and/or in salads. My intake of fruit is pretty good, but my body is really fussy about sugars and I usually have to eat fruit on it's own and early in the day. I haven't had any refined sugars in 6 years and I don't do processed foods at all. I think the most processed food I have in my house right now is almond milk. My fruits, veggies, grains and legumes are all organic. I eat a fair amount of quinoa. I can't eat wheat. I drink tons of water. I DO add hemp protein to my smoothies and sometimes coconut oil or coconut butter (I prefer the butter as it's a whole food). I'm a grazer. I eat every couple of hours, but again, the issue seems to be that I get full REALLY quickly. And honestly, I have absolutely no idea how many calories I should be eating a day at this point. I hope this info gives you a better insight into what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. I really appreciate your help and suggestions. Thanks again!
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