Milk vs Food

[BTW_72]

I'm up from 165lbs to 195lbs doing SS and milk. My question is once at a good weight is it better to cut calories, to maintain weight not loose, with food or milk? I enjoy milk and it is very convenient for me. I'd rather cut the food calories and keep drinking the whole milk. Anybody have experience with this? By the way I'm 5'8" tall 37 years old.

[nisora33]

I'm up from 165lbs to 195lbs doing SS and milk. My question is once at a good weight is it better to cut calories, to maintain weight not loose, with food or milk? I enjoy milk and it is very convenient for me. I'd rather cut the food calories and keep drinking the whole milk. Anybody have experience with this? By the way I'm 5'8" tall 37 years old.

Whichever choice helps best facilitate your body weight goal (loss, gain, maintenance) is the one you should go with. Convenience is a legitimate reason for choosing one over the other IMO.

-S.

[Paul Sousa]

I have no scientific info to support this, but for me I am still drinking alot of milk (about 3 quarts per day) and am eating less than I did when gaining weight. I have stayed between 225-230 (at 6') and am still making strength gains. I decided it would be better/easier to clean my diet up and use milk to get the calories I needed for maintenance/minimal growth and still make gains.

[Chewie_jrc]

Not to sound snide but maybe a little bit of both? Maybe cut back some of the food (preferably simple carbs/sugars) and cut the milk down from full GOMAD to a few tall, cool, delicious and refreshing glasses of awesome muslcle-building mana....

(*runs off to fridge to poor a glass of said awesomeness*)

[Chewie_jrc]

I have no scientific info to support this, but for me I am still drinking alot of milk (about 3 quarts per day) and am eating less than I did when gaining weight. I have stayed between 225-230 (at 6') and am still making strength gains. I decided it would be better/easier to clean my diet up and use milk to get the calories I needed for maintenance/minimal growth and still make gains.

That's a pretty solid strategy imho. Tidy up the diet then fluctuate the milk level based on goals (be it mass gain, maintenance, or fat losos).

[Gary Gibson]

That's a pretty solid strategy imho. Tidy up the diet then fluctuate the milk level based on goals (be it mass gain, maintenance, or fat losos).

Seconded.

[BTW_72]

That is what I was thinking and hoping to do. Do you think "tidying" up the diet means less starchy carbs? For example my wife, who still does step aerobics and thinks I'm getting a little fat, cooks some sort of pasta dish 3-4 nights a week for dinner. We do eat plenty of meat, but after work it is just easier for her sometimes to make a pasta dish. Any who, I was thinking to pick at the pasta and get most calories from milk on those nights. Would this be a decent strategy to avoid all the starchy carbs but yet get enough calories to support my new weight and training goals?
P.S. I'm not a dick and am capable of cooking dinner. I just work longer hours than she does and I get home later.

[Paul Sousa]

That is what I was thinking and hoping to do. Do you think "tidying" up the diet means less starchy carbs? For example my wife, who still does step aerobics and thinks I'm getting a little fat, cooks some sort of pasta dish 3-4 nights a week for dinner. We do eat plenty of meat, but after work it is just easier for her sometimes to make a pasta dish. Any who, I was thinking to pick at the pasta and get most calories from milk on those nights. Would this be a decent strategy to avoid all the starchy carbs but yet get enough calories to support my new weight and training goals?
P.S. I'm not a dick and am capable of cooking dinner. I just work longer hours than she does and I get home later.

When my wife and I have pasta I usually have a normal size portion of the pasta and load up on meatballs and sausage. The main thing I cut out was sweets. I was eating a good amount of ice cream, cookies, desserts, whatever while gaining. It was the holidays and I wasn't going to say no. Now I basically eat my three meals each day, snack on stuff like nuts and fruit, and limit the junk food. Combined with my milk I hit about 4kcals on training days and at least 3500 cals on off days.

Edit - I did add a protein shake to ensure my protein intake was adequate with the lower caloric intake.

[Brenden]

That is what I was thinking and hoping to do. Do you think "tidying" up the diet means less starchy carbs? For example my wife, who still does step aerobics and thinks I'm getting a little fat, cooks some sort of pasta dish 3-4 nights a week for dinner. We do eat plenty of meat, but after work it is just easier for her sometimes to make a pasta dish. Any who, I was thinking to pick at the pasta and get most calories from milk on those nights. Would this be a decent strategy to avoid all the starchy carbs but yet get enough calories to support my new weight and training goals?
P.S. I'm not a dick and am capable of cooking dinner. I just work longer hours than she does and I get home later.

Ask her to cook up an extra pair of sausage, and cut your pasta portion in half. You could also whip up a weekly batch of food on the weekends for some nights. I like making a big pot of meaty soup or stew or baked beans, freezing half of it, and eating the other half over the next couple days.

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

You could switch to 2% milk too, and cut a few calories.

[Paul Sousa]

You could switch to 2% milk too, and cut a few calories.

I boo you sir! :)

[Sami]

I'm considering this too. Now my weight is upwards of 200lbs (5'9"), I'm trying to just maintain for a while. I'm not GOMADing anymore but I think I still have a few pints here and there. I had three today. :)

[Chewie_jrc]

You could switch to 2% milk too, and cut a few calories.

What's this "2% milk" you speak of? Is it like, 2% more whole than whole milk or something? :D

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

You guys crack me up! There isn't much difference between whole milk which is 3.5% milk fat, and 2% milk.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/71/2

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/69/2

Same protein, one less carb, and three less fat, and you save 24 calories. So for a gallon of milk you only save 384 calories.

[Chewie_jrc]

Blasphemy!!!!