Question to gfy fitness freaks
 

Back in the gym again and looking to make some nice gains.

I have a question about chocolate flavored milk. I'm currently drinking 2 of these per day.
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/asda-compare-prices/Yogurt_And_Milk_Drinks/ASDA_Chosen_by_You_Chocolate_Flavoured_Milk_1L.htm l

Each bottle is 1 litre
per 100ml
Cal 78kCal
Fat 1.8g
Sat Fat 1.2g
Sugar 10.2g
Salt 0.1g

I chose to drink 2 a day because it has a decent amount of callories but what about the rest of the stuff like fat and saturated fat, is that bad for me?

Some advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

You should be more concerned about the low quality carbs (sugar).

natural animal fats are good, saturated fat is fine. Two of these equals 20g of refined sugar a day.
Be less interested in calories and more interested in the general quality of your food. This whole business about calories would really only make sense if the body was a simple machine of calories in-> energy out. Which it definitely is not.

By "gains" I assume you mean muscle mass? This means amino acids, dietary protein and a protein boost as well. Find a good quality WPI and an amino acid heavy pre workout that is light on the "rush". The rush is just a whopping great hit of sugar and b vitamins, you dont need it. Gains is as much about what you eat as what you lift. Ditch processed junk like flavored milk, buy the best quality real food you can afford. Pastured meat is far better than grain fed meat, fresh fruit and veg is better than packaged or frozen stuff. "Organic" is largely just a buzzword now, farms have found ways to get around shit and still get to use the label on their produce. Vary your proteins too, dont just eat nothing but steak. Other meats and even vegetables are good sources of protein and often help you absorb it better. You can get REALLY into the science of complimentary foods but so long as you are buying the best quality fresh foods you can afford and have decent variety in what you are eating you're doing a lot better than most.

Lift heavy but dont be constantly close to max weight, there is no substitute for reps. I would recommend Jim Wendler's book/ program 5/3/1. Stick to the program, use the "boring but big" program, with one or two assistance lifts thrown in each day. Do it for a year before you start messing with it. You'll be tempted to change it up, dont. Just stick to the program, there is a reason it is widely considered one of the most effective programs in the world.

What kind of gains are you looking for? Bulking and then cutting? What is your body type/how is your metabolism?

I bulk, then cut, i slightly dirty bulk and sometimes use chocolate milk but then again, my body is great at taking the good nutrients out of things and not turning it into fat.

Everybody is different, its a slippery slope for most people when you dirty bulk. I wouldn't recommend it for most people.

Chocolate milk is a pretty standard thing in alot of peoples dirty bulks actually.

A thing to consider is what will you be able to maintain, sure you could get a much stricter diet that would be more beneficial but sometimes things such as chocolate milk helps you stick it through and reach your goals

With a dirty bulk, you do add quite a decent amount of fat, which if i were to guess isn't in your interest, if that idea of that doesn't sound that great, its probably best you stop drinking those and stick to a clean good diet like mentioned above.

My favorite tip for beginners is focus on negatives, especially when you start plateauing and need a change, try incorporating a routine very negative based. its funny, been training quite a long time and its crazy how rare ive seen people focus on the negative part of the lift