Pre-sleep nutrition?

[RaiseDaBar88]

Hey, I'm still trying to put together my pre-sleep stack.

I take ZMA 45 minutes before bed, but I'm still trying to figure out the other stuff...

I eat chicken at 6:00, and then take an oats/whey shake with the ZMA mixed in at 8:15.

I just want to know if this is a good pre-sleep stack, or if there's something wrong with it.

Thx

[XenoWang]

Well for starters, you want to replace the whey with a casein protein source, eg. cottage cheese.

[RaiseDaBar88]

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Well for starters, you want to replace the whey with a casein protein source, eg. cottage cheese.

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The only reason I have whey is to mix with the ZMA, I can't swallow pills /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[CoL]

didn't you ask a similar q in another thread?

anyways, you should take ZMA about an hour after your second last meal of the day, which is your 6:00pm chicken gorge.
the ZMA should be taken on an empty stomach for better absorption.
then wait atleast half an hour to 45mins and chub on some CC or chicken with flax, and a GLV stack. i'd save the whey and oats for morning.

the whey will only be juicing around your blood plasma for a max of two hours, and if your sleeping for say 8 hours, that leaves 6 hours of catabolism.

[CoL]

**** you responded before i posted.

so could you not mix the ZMA in water instead?
then wait 30mins to 45mins and then chub on CC/chicken, flax and GLV stack.

[RaiseDaBar88]

ZMA is probably the single worst taste I have ever tasted, and water doen't hide the taste. /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[CoL]

well.....i guess if the stuff makes you spew it back out having a TINY amount of whey to swoosh the ZMA down would't be the worst thing in the world....but if your going to do that then i don't think you need the oats, especially since it's so close to your previous meal.

i still recommend just water for optimal absorption though. and having GLV instead of oats for pre-bed carbs.

[RaiseDaBar88]

GLV?

[CoL]

green leafy veggies, best for pre-bed carbs.

[SteveO]

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ZMA is probably the single worst taste I have ever tasted, and water doen't hide the taste. /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

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I take it you haven't had a fish oil pill blow up in your mouth?

Man I used to have a pill swallowing problem, just don't think about it and take a huge gulp with the pill in the back of your throat. I can now swallow like 50 pills at a time and not even flinch, it only takes practice. Start small with something like a little certs mint drop, and work up to a tic tac, then go all out and go for a good size pill. You'll eventually get it so you don't have to deal with that kind of taste.

[CoL]

or try using home made ZMA as the zinc and B6 pills are waaaaaay smaller in comparison to a manufactured ZMA pill. dunno why i didn't think of that before.

[RaiseDaBar88]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ZMA is probably the single worst taste I have ever tasted, and water doen't hide the taste. /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I take it you haven't had a fish oil pill blow up in your mouth?

Man I used to have a pill swallowing problem, just don't think about it and take a huge gulp with the pill in the back of your throat. I can now swallow like 50 pills at a time and not even flinch, it only takes practice. Start small with something like a little certs mint drop, and work up to a tic tac, then go all out and go for a good size pill. You'll eventually get it so you don't have to deal with that kind of taste.

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I've been trying, I've been trying mini m&m's for the last couple weeks, but I still need a solution for my pre-sleep stack right now.

Thx for the support man

[SteveO]

I'd say the best ideal pre-bed meal would be

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Flax Oil
1/2 cup sninach

[RaiseDaBar88]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd say the best ideal pre-bed meal would be

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Flax Oil
1/2 cup sninach

[/ QUOTE ]

I have all that, now it's just a matter of getting my ZMA down @ 8:15 and then eating that @ 9. I just got to drink my ZMA down with less protein so it doesn't fill me up.

[sucramdw]

You need to be taking your ZMA on an empty stomach, which means you MUST take it with water!!

-ZMA Article
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An easy solution would be to simply supplement with these two minerals. However there are some rules to the procedure.

a. take it 30 minutes before bed on an empty stomach ( you should digest at least 1-2 hours before taking this supplement )

The reason why I say to take it 30 minutes before bedtime is because zinc's effect on healing, tissue repair, and muscle growth is maximized during sleep. The largest daily burst of natural growth hormone occurs during stage 3 and 4 sleep (about an hour and a half after going to sleep). Insulin, testosterone, zinc, and magnesium increase the effect of growth hormone. So, this is the time you want zinc and magnesium at a peak level in the bloodstream.

b. The dosage should consist of: Magnesium: 450mg, Zinc: 30mg

c. Do not take anything that has calcium in it with zma! Calcium competes ferociously with the absorption of it!

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-Enter The Z-factor

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Pre-sleeping stack:



1. Take a ZMA supplement on an empty stomach. ZMA has been shown to aid in sleep and increase hormone levels while you sleep. Jacob has written an awesome article on ZMA. Access it here.



2. After the ZMA has been totally digested, about 30-60 minutes later, eat a complex and fibrous Starchy Carbohydrates or Fibrous Green Vegetables(depending on if you are cutting or bulking) such as oatmeal, a yam, a salad, or a green leafy vegetable (see the 13 weeks to dieting for more examples of these). The key is to eat a slow burning carbohydrate source here.



3. Combine that with 1 tablespoon of flax oil, 1 gram of vitamin C and 5 grams of Glutamine.



4. And lastly consume 20-60 grams of casein protein( cottage cheese is a great source ) (this amount depends on your body weight and goals).



Numbers 2-4 should be taken in as one meal.



5. Hit the hay for 8 to 10 hours!



The first 3-4 hours of sleep is when we spend the majority of our time in SWS, therefore this is when GH release is at its highest. This combination will digest slowly in your stomach giving you a steady supply of muscle building nutrients as the GH is released. The Vitamin C and Glutamine will aid in tissue repair and help the body strengthen the immune system. This is a double whammy as sleep already aids in the repair of both of these.



6. Immediately upon awakening consume a post-wake up protein shake to put your body back into an anabolic state. REM sleep has been shown to dramatically increase catabolism in your body. Recall that by half way through the complete nights sleep cycle you are spending most of your time in REM sleep. So when you wake up you are extremely catabolic and need nutrients and vitamins right away!



Start taking this stack as serious as you take your post-workout shake and I promise you’ll like what you see!

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[CoL]

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I have all that, now it's just a matter of getting my ZMA down @ 8:15 and then eating that @ 9. I just got to drink my ZMA down with less protein so it doesn't fill me up.

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like i said before, just use the SMALLEST amount of whey possible to just get enough flavouring to disguise the ZMA if you really, really can't swollow them down with water.

and trying out homemade ZMA as i suggested before might help as the pills are tiny compared to manufactured ZMA. plus it's cheaper to make your own.

[JTiger]

Try non-brand ZMA pills. They aren't that expensive, and they don't taste bad. Check www.1fast400.com (http://www.1fast400.com)

[sucramdw]

I dont even understand any of this.....how do you taste pills. I bought some fish oil pills cause they were so cheap and then i realized why, because the serving size is so small compared to regular oil. So i just swallowed 12 of those bad boys at once with no problem. Seriously, how are you tasting the pills? Your not supposed to suck on them, its not candy!

[RaiseDaBar88]

I can't swallow pills right now, so I break up the ZMA pills and put the powdr into a shake.

[sucramdw]

ewww....well you gots to learn to swallow pills man, cuz you dont want anything but water with your ZMA..