Back to the Massivemuscle.net Newsletter Archives
In This Issue
1. Website Updates
2. Jon's Livable Diet
3. Achieving Your Goals - by Rebecca
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1. Website Updates
I've been working quite a bit on Massivemuscle.net. Unfortunately, it was a lot
of work for
things that you don't "see". But, I've optimized all my banners and link buttons
to make the
site much quicker to download.
Also, I have also added a "Headlines" page. This
page contains continually updated links to the
most recent web articles for bodybuilding, fitness, health and diet topics. So,
feel free to go
check things out, let me know what you think.
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2. Jon's Livable Diet
For quite a few months I have been working on keeping a good diet (centered
around losing fat)
that is easy to follow in everyday life and cheap. Now, I admit that mixing up a
protein drink
every morning and afternoon at work is not considered "easy" by many. But I know
those of you
reading this are already bodybuilding minded people who actually find this
practice quite sane.
Are we strange or what? Nothing here is ground-breaking, but if you're like me,
it takes seeing
this stuff repeatedly to put it into practice yourself.
The whole point of this diet, besides its ease, is to be healthy, low calorie
and high protein.
The only things I have not included are fruits and vegetables. Being from Iowa,
I've grown up a
meat and potatoes guy. You will want to add the greens in where you see fit.
Obviously, I still
recommend a good multivitamin (as always) to help out. Remember that your body
is receiving more
stress than average folks. Also, I have trouble eating much in the morning, so a
lot of you will
replace breakfast with eggs, etc. So here goes:
-Each meal is followed by Calories / Protein (g) / Carbs (g) / Fat(g)
7:00 AM - 1 scoop protein mixed with 3/4 cup skim milk and 2 tablespoons peanut
butter. Vitamins
380 / 34 / 20 / 18.5
9:30 AM - 1 scoop protein mixed with 3/4 cup skim milk. 1 Nutri-Grain cereal
bar.
330 / 29 / 40 / 5.5
12:00 PM - 1 6 oz. can Albacore tuna in spring water. 30 Wheat Thins
(Multigrain).
422 / 42.5 / 37 / 10.5
3:30 PM - 1 scoop protein mixed with 3/4 cup skim milk. 1 Nutri-Grain cereal
bar.
330 / 29 / 40 / 5.5
6:30 PM - (Post workout) 2 scoops protein mixed with water. High glycemic carb
source optional.
260 / 42 / 10 / 5
8:00 PM - Cheese stuffed ravioli with a little marinara sauce. Vitamins (Tuna
Helper or Hamburger
Helper are other options)
770 / 38 / 111 / 19.5
Daily Totals: 2492 / 214.5 / 258 / 64.5
Extra Notes:
1. I drink at least 1 gallon of water per day. To do this, I have a 1/2 gallon
bottle which I
drink during the day. Then I fill it up and drink it during my workout. Plus, I
drink water at
breakfast and dinner.
2. I always give myself one day per week to eat whatever I want. This is a
sanity keeper in my
book. It will let you keep those cravings under control, and doing this one day
per week does
not ruin anything. I have my "cheat day" on Saturday. The hardest part is then
to eat good on
Sunday. Personally, I have to work on this and I am getting better. Keep in
mind, it's not
necessarily bad if you are unable to eat 6 meals on Sunday. I usually don't
because I'm not
awake as many hours. I'm not usually very active Sundays either.
3. This diet is based on a 200 pound person (approximately). If you weigh more
or less, you
will need to adjust the calorie intake slightly for your own needs.
There you go. It's a pretty easy diet with cheap food. Obviously it's not a diet
for
competition preparation, but just for everyday life. I just keep all the daytime
supplies in my
office and some milk in the refrigerator. Other changes you could make would be
having a lower
carbohydrate dinner. One of the reasons I don't get too worked up over this is
because I workout
in the evening, so my body is still trying to get all the nutrients possible for
recovery.
Hopefully this will help some of you who have had trouble finding and sticking
with a good diet.
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3. Achieving Your Goals - by Rebecca
We all have goals no matter how big or small they may seem. Some of us would
like to put on 10
pounds of muscle while others hope to lose 20 pounds of fat. All of our
intentions start out
good, however when we don’t get immediate results we tend to lose our motivation
and focus.
Don’t despair, there is hope. There are three keys to successfully accomplishing
your goal. To
help illustrate my point we will use the goal of losing 20 pounds of fat.
The first key is to make your goal reasonable. We all know that it’s impossible
to gain the
quality muscle we want or lose that unnecessary fat in a matter of weeks, so
don’t expect
yourself to lose or gain those pounds instantly. Granted, there are unhealthy
alternatives out
there that might allow you to achieve this, but do we really want to subject
ourselves to those?
Just remember that we can’t ask unrealistic things of our bodies. In our sample
a reasonable
time frame is approximately five months from now. This time frame allows for any
extenuating
circumstances that might arise; this does not give you approval to slack off.
The second key is to break your ultimate goal down into smaller goals. Since we
have established
what is reasonable, setting smaller goals will allow you to feel and savor
accomplishments along
the way. By breaking your large goal down into “mini goals” it makes them seem
more realistic
and achievable. It’s easy to keep your focus and determination when you are
consistently meeting
your “mini goals” instead of feeling as if you have an unreachable goal looming
over you. In our
sample we will make the “mini goal” to lose a pound per week. Losing a pound per
week keeps us
within the allotted time frame. However, we can still remain healthy losing two
to three pounds
per week. This gives you the option to exceed the time set and boosts your
confidence in the
process.
The third key is to reward yourself after each “mini goal” is reached. This will
keep you
motivated and help you stay focused. Keep in mind to not reward yourself with
things that are
detrimental to your goal. This will cause unwelcome setbacks. You can reward
yourself with a
fitness magazine or book and as a bonus it serves as some powerful inspiration.
The reward
doesn’t have to be great; just enough to ensure you stay on track.
By keeping these three key points in mind when evaluating and progressing
through your goals you
are sure to succeed.
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Pretty simple yet powerful ideas. Keep things simple and keep track of what
you're doing. Oh,
and brush your teeth after the tuna lunch!
Jon Miller
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DISCLAIMER:
The suggestions and opinions in this newsletter are based on my personal
experiences. Obviously,
not all diets, supplements or training routines work the same for everyone. The
objective of
this newsletter is to provide you with the knowledge that will help you find
what works best for
you. You should always check with your personal physician before starting any
exercise programs.
All of the companies, products and websites I suggested are also from my own
findings only.