# A few questions on diet and exercise... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006 "2001-07-10T23:49:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N\_A\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6de8d8/32.png) [@N\_A\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N_A_M)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/1 "2001-07-10T23:49:06Z")
I look at myself, and I’m kinda dissatisfied. Now, mind you, I’m not fat, not at all; I’m 5’7", and 142 libras last time I stepped upon the scales. But I do have a little give when I press my stomach… I’d like to build a little muscle, but just enough to halt the jigglies. In other words, I would not like an Arnold Schwarznegger-type physique; more like a male dancer. Maybe calisthenics will shoot me towards my goals? I heard that they’d build muscle up to a point, and no further. Help, athletically-inclined Dopers? Dietary restrictions: I’m vegetarian, and like to stay away from eggs and dairy as much as possible. I take vitamin supplements, but dairy products do weird things to my gastro-intestinal Autobahn. ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/2 "2001-07-11T00:21:28Z")
To build muscle you need to lift weights and eat plenty of protein. Unfortunately for you, the best sources of protein are milk and eggs. (milk protein is also known as whey or casein). The next best source is soy. You can buy soy drinks, or soy protein powder to mix with other foods. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/3 "2001-07-11T00:34:24Z")
You can meet your protein requirements (which are quite small - about 70 grams a day) on a vegetarian diet. As you probably know, being a vegetarian, it was once thought that you had to ingest all the essential amino acids at the same meal. Now it is realized that this is not so. As you also probably know, it is not the amino acids, as a vegetarian, you are concerned with, but vitamin B-12, which is only found in meat, fish, and poultry. Since you are interested in tone, not bulk, your additional protein requirements will not be great. As a rule of thumb, you need 30 additional grams of protein for each hour you work out. If you do the Nautilus, or a similar circuit-type regimen, two sets, 8-12 reps, once every other day, you will not bulk out, but tone up. ---
**Author:** ![N\_A\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6de8d8/32.png) [@N\_A\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N_A_M)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/4 "2001-07-11T02:11:30Z")
Actually, B-12 has been grown in bacterial cultures for a while now, as an extract. In fact (checks vitamin bottle), yep, it’s here, 100% of my RDA. So… All I need’s protein (well, amino acids, but let’s not nitpick), regular pushup-situp-type exercise, and enough water to irrigate Saudi Arabia into jungle… No problem. Anything else? ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/5 "2001-07-11T04:13:44Z")
The [Make me buff!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=77252) thread has some good advice. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/6 "2001-07-11T07:58:46Z")
As a former Gold’s Gym floor trainer and later as a successful Ace certified personal trainer, I can give you the straight, proven low-down. First, you didn’t mention your age which would have helped. Regargless, the giggles come from fat. All the muscle tone in the world won’t cure that. Picture the old Olympic lifters - muscles hard as rock, but fat bellies giggling all over the place. To get rid of fat you need to adjust your caloric intake/caloric output ratio. It’s really that simple. Fat is, for a ‘normal’ male (broadly) a product of calories in/calories out. PERIOD. I highly recomend ‘Dr. Bob Arnot’s Guide to Turning Back the Clock’ book. Second, Don’t waste your time on sit-ups. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT REDUCING. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT REDUCING. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT REDUCING. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SPOT REDUCING. Use big musle groups to burn more calories. (jog, row, swim etc) And finally, without Arnold’s genetics, you COULDN"T look like that if you owned a steroid factory and lived in the gym. I have to laugh everytime I hear someone tell me, “I don’t want to get too big”. Trust me, work your ass off - it ain’t gonna happen. As for protien, as mentioned above, soy protien powder. Just don’t over do it. It’s not magic. Work builds muscle, not suppliments. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/7 "2001-07-11T08:01:38Z")
I just read your ‘water’ post. Too much water can be very dangerous. Drink enough to stay hydrated - no more. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/8 "2001-07-11T21:43:47Z")
I haven’t read the water post and since there was no link I’m not going to. You cannot drink too much water unless you are exercising for a long time in the heat and have lost a lot of sodium. You then can get hyponatremia. Normally, you can’t drink too much water. I don’t think you need any kind of protein powder so long as you’re combining your veggies to get all the essential amino acids. A combo of any grain and legume will do it. You need, of course, to take a B-12 supplement. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/9 "2001-07-15T07:41:54Z")
The post I was refering to was NAM3’s about drinking “enough water to irrigate Saudi Arabia into a jungle”. We’re not talking about ‘normal’ situations here. We’re talking about working out. Even weight lifting in a hot, humid climate can cause hyponatremia. Sure, it’s a bigger problem with long distance runners, but everyones physiology and work out enviroment is different. People do die from this condition all too often. A wieght-lifter/body builder aquaintance of mine did. It’s bad form to leave the lay boarders with potentionally bad and dangerous advice. Besides, to the point of this OP, drinking that much water will not help you get rid of the “jigglies”. ---
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/10 "2001-07-15T10:52:04Z")
Plenty of water speeds up the metabolism.Of course this is very slight and likely will not burn off any fat. The only reasons to not drink water immediately after heavy sweating is of course hyponatremia and the possibility of muscle cramps.That’s why sports drinks contain sodium.I see no harm in drinking plenty of water in between exercises.Don’t follow cycles of long dehydration and sudden rehydration,however. That being said,I remember reading about a woman who died of multiple salt losses after drinking 3-4 gallons of water in one night,because her doctor advised “plenty of water”. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/11 "2001-07-15T13:40:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by warmgun \* > \*\*It’s bad form to leave the lay boarders with potentionally bad and dangerous advice. > \*\* I don’t think it’s bad advice to advice people to drink plenty of water. I don’t know about your weightlifting friend, but most people do their weightlifting in a controlled environment. I just don’t believe anybody can die from hyponatremia from weightlifting. All that I’ve read concerned ultramarathoning in the heat. I’m a big fan of sports drinks and they are definitely good if you’re going to be exercising long. It was said that they don’t do any good unless you exercise for one hour, but that is not so. However, there we’ll not talking sodium but carbos. ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/12 "2001-07-15T16:21:42Z")
Quick point on the water issue. It is possible to die from drinking too much. A teenager died recently from kidney failure after taking ecstasy, which apparently causes users to have an unquenchable thirst. ---
**Author:** ![Adithya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e99b99/32.png) [@Adithya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adithya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/13 "2001-07-15T16:31:29Z")
It would take a very very large amount of water,though,to kill oneself.Water is the least toxic of all substances you can inhale or ingest,including oxygen.The most a person can drink in half an hour without throwing up is possibly 2 quarts and you need 6-7 times that dosage within a few hours to kill. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/14 "2001-07-15T16:50:42Z")
It’s called “drowning”. Water in such large quantities as contained in Lake Superior are not good for you. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/15 "2001-07-15T23:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by warmgun \* > \*\*It’s bad form to leave the lay boarders with potentionally bad and dangerous advice. > \*\* Potentially bad and dangerous advice is to scare people off from drinking enough water. Of course you can die if you drink too much, but that is hard to do unless you are on drugs or if you run low on sodium. Moderation in all things. It’s important for boarders to realize that it is virtually impossible, under ordinary circumstances, to drink too much water. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/16 "2001-07-16T06:59:46Z")
Geez, barbitu8, I don’t understand your zeal about this. 1. Wheather YOU believe it or not, my friend did die from hyponatremia, in a gym (which he owned). An autopsy was performed confirming this. I was told this by his sister. 2. Again, we’re not talking about normal conditions. 3. I’m not advising people not to drink plenty of water, just not enough to “irrigate Saudi Arabia into a jungle”. 4. Why is it “important” for boarders to know it’s virtually imposible to drink too much water? 5. Recent reports and studies (sorry, no cites offhand - and, yes, I realize I will incure your wrath because of that fact) show that under ‘normal conditions’ people get enough water from the average American’s drinking habits. Drink all you want - just don’t expect to loose significant wieght or the jigglies from it. I mean, come on, if loosing weight was THAT easy, would there be all the weight loss programs and diets on the market. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/17 "2001-07-16T06:59:59Z")
Geez, barbitu8, I don’t understand your zeal about this. 1. Wheather YOU believe it or not, my friend did die from hyponatremia, in a gym (which he owned). An autopsy was performed confirming this. I was told this by his sister. 2. Again, we’re not talking about normal conditions. 3. I’m not advising people not to drink plenty of water, just not enough to “irrigate Saudi Arabia into a jungle”. 4. Why is it “important” for boarders to know it’s virtually imposible to drink too much water? 5. Recent reports and studies (sorry, no cites offhand - and, yes, I realize I will incure your wrath because of that fact) show that under ‘normal conditions’ people get enough water from the average American’s drinking habits. Drink all you want - just don’t expect to loose significant wieght or the jigglies from it. I mean, come on, if loosing weight was THAT easy, would there be all the weight loss programs and diets on the market? ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/18 "2001-07-16T07:01:32Z")
Oops… Sorry for the double, I thought I caught it in time. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/19 "2001-07-16T08:12:29Z")
Just thought I’d jump in here with another recommendation for an alternate source of protein. Try buckwheat. You’ll most likely find it in the Kosher/Jewish section of your grocery store, under the name “Kasha”. I prefer [Wolff’s medium grained](http://www.netgrocer.com/detail.cfm?oid=13730&smallFrm=yes), myself. From: [http://www.minndak.com/buckwhea.htm#NUTRACEUTICAL](http://www.minndak.com/buckwhea.htm#NUTRACEUTICAL) > [@](#): > > (bolding mine) > > …The human body can utilize 74% of the available protein in buckwheat. Look how buckwheat protein utilization compares to the utilization percentage of other protein sources: > > Eggs: 94% > Pork: 82% > **Buckwheat: 74%** > Cheese: 70% > Brown rice: 70% > Beef Steak: 67% > Wheat germ: 67% > Oatmeal: 66% > Soy flour: 61% > Wheat flour: 47% There’s some other interesting nutritional information on that page, too. Good luck and I hope you reach your goal! * * * Jeg elsker dig, Thomas ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006/20 "2001-07-16T20:22:05Z")
This from a RoadRunner Sports email: > [@](#): > > Within the last few years the condition known as hyponatremia has begun to attract the attention of sports medicine physicians, exercise physiologists, and the medical directors at some of the larger marathons around the country. Hyponatremia has been called water intoxication because of the symptoms it produces. According to Dr. Tim Noakes, Professor of Exercise & Sports Science Director at the University of Cape Town, “…a person with hyponatremia looks like he or she is mildly drunk. They can’t concentrate normally…they forget what you were talking about and start to concentrate elsewhere.” > > Hyponatremia occurs when the body becomes dangerously low in sodium. It’s caused when you literally take in too much water. Although scientists have known about it for a long time, it has only been in the last few years as more runners have been competing in marathons that it has become a concern. According to Dr. Noakes, fluid has to be ingested at high levels for several hours for hyponatremia to occur. He suggests that a runner would have to be drinking water regularly for at least four to six hours to develop the condition. So runners taking four to six hours or more to run a marathon are at particular risk. > > Unfortunately, symptoms of hyponatremia tend to mimic those of severe dehydration and/or heat exhaustion. By giving the athlete more water to drink the hyponatremia becomes worse, as more and more sodium is flushed out of the system. If a runner with hyponatremia is given fluids intravenously, they can suffer a fatal reaction. Dr. Noakes and other sports medicine professionals recommend that physicians and other medical personnel at road races be alert for the signs of hyponatremia. One of the earliest symptoms is a craving for salty food. > > Although hyponatremia is rare, it’s wise to be aware that it can occur, particularly if you’re running a marathon in unusually hot weather. Hyponatremia serves as a reminder that water is good, but don’t forget sports drinks, which replenish your body with the sodium, potassium and other trace minerals you lose through sweat. It’s worth repeating: if you’re going to be running (or racing) for longer than an hour, you should be drinking a sports drink as well as water. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-on-diet-and-exercise/72006.md?page=2)