I want to eat real food as often as possible, but its hard and exensive to eat fish or chicken every two to three hours.....so I am looking for the most cost effective meal between my 3 main meals. Advice? Please keep it simple...fairly light....cheap...and little to no prep. I am in the cutting phase of my diet so I am trying to keeps starchy carbs down....if you need more info please ask, but I am not sure if doing shakes 3 times a day is best...but I think its the cheapest option....but I wonder how a shake vs food effects metabolism....like does your body speed it up with small meals that are no more than a shake? Or does it need to be real food every 2/3 hours?
Posted by: bigsahm21
real food is better. i'd keep the shakes at 2 a day tops...1 as your PWO and then 1 other meal.
i'd go with the egg whites...or some cottage cheese, chicken breast, etc. and maybe some good fats or fibrous greens with it, like almonds or a salad, to help curb the hunger a little bit.
don't eat lunch meat whenever you can avoid it. it's full of sodium, as well as a ton of other unhealthy things in it. as a rule of thumb, most processed food = bad.
Posted by: ABCs
Out of the three you listed... the egg whites is what I'd put into my body. No lunch meat and shakes should be used when they need to be.
Posted by: KentDog
None of those options seem like a meal. To me, it's a tossup between the 6 egg whites and the shake. I suppose it depends on the rest of your meals. Is convenience an issue? I don't like to, but I always drink a shake with grounded oats between classes two days a week for convenience. This is the only reason I ask. I'd love to sit down and eat more, but don't have the time on those days.
Posted by: TrojanMan60563
Time is an issue....I need to be able to cook it and take it with me...I wanted to keep the cost down....I wonder how a shake effects metabolism? Does your body treat it as a meal, or is it best to keep it for post workout? I was eating some meat like bacon with my eggs...but bacon or sausage is not that healthy.
As for healthy fats I cook everything in olive oil...What if I up the egg whites to 10? Is that more like a "meal"? I am not looking to eat chicken/fish 5 times a day...its expensive and time consuming. Plus its heavy and I am cutting and trying to keep my energy levels up....for some reason when I eat big I feel real big...and I hate being full all the time....so its either going to be a shake or egg whites....Is 10 whites too much? Its like 30g protein....help please.....oh and I am not looking to get carbs out of the two meals between bfast-lunch and lunch-dinner....I just want to keep food in and protein for the muscles....I want to keep it low in calories....thanks guys!
Posted by: bigsahm21
If it's all about protein and convenience, then I'd go with making egg whites beforehand and taking it with you (in a container or something) with some almonds, or just go with some whey or casein shake. again though I'd recommend some good fats or fibrous greens with it...30g of protein isn't enough to keep you going for 3 hours.
Posted by: KentDog
I'm not sure about the shake's effects on your metabolism, other than your metabolism is boosted each time you eat (and that would include shakes since they contain calorie).
10 egg whites is not too much. Time being an issue, you can cook the night before and Gladware your food, nuke it before you leave in the morning and take it with you. Cost-wise, the shake would be cheaper and quicker. You can also add ground oats to it to boost calories.
Posted by: TrojanMan60563
Thanks for the advice guys...I think I am going to finish up the packages of lunch meat I bought....it was cheap....and then I am going to switch to shakes for those two meals....my after workout shake is more of a meal shake than anything so its only like I have 2 shakes during the day....I cook the night before...I guess I am just being cheap because I get protein so cheap.
I would add something to these two shakes similar to what I do post workout, but I am trying to keep the calories down to a minimum....if I feel that I am getting weaker or losing muscle I will add some food.
Posted by: sara
avoid the lunchmeat.. I would choose the whey protein and add some flax oil or natural peanut butter.. 6 egg whites would be good, but you need some fat.. through 1-2 yolks with that