Basics of Bodybuilding Nutrition

[Taekwondo Guy]

This is a post for all the newbies and curious members out there that are in doubt over their diet.
The basics of bodybuilding nutrition is typed up by me here so you should be able to grasp a general feel for what your diet needs to consist of.

Protein:

You need a gram or protein for every pound of bodyweight for growth. I say it should be 1.2 grams to make sure your getting enough...
Example... 180lb average bodybuilder needs 180g of protein or in my case (180 x 1.2 = 215g).
I weigh 190lbs but i take in 220g to make sure i'm getting enough.

Protein sources:

Try and eat a whole range of proteins like chicken, tuna, beef, lamb and nuts. (nuts are a good source of protein)
Meats contain amino acids which are the building blocks of muscle, they help repair and build muscle fibres.
Taking in a range of protein sources ensures your getting a good range of amino acids too as well as not getting bored of eating the same thing every day/meal.

Carbs:

Carbs provide fuel for your body, getting the carb levels right is a very fine balance between:
1*putting on quality muscle with a little fat
2*putting on quality muscle with alot of fat
3*cutting up (losing a bit of muscle but alot of fat)

Number one is a bulking diet which involves 3-4g of carbs per lb of bodyweight, eating complex carbs like rices/pastas/potatoes/vegeatbles/grains etc...
Number two is a "see food bulk diet" which most people think will build a great physique. WRONG!!!
This diet will involve multiple trips to Mac Donalds and generally involves adding a few love handles in the process.
Number 3 is a cutting diet, handy for when you've just finished bulking up and want to show of that muscle but lose the fat covering it first. To do this the carbs need to be cut right down to starve the body of energy and make the body dip into its existing fat stores for energy.
You will lose muscle in this process as muscle can be burned as fuel when the body gets desperate for energy, its advised to bump up your protein intake to counteract this catabolic process.

Carbs can make or break a training day, too little carbs before training will make you run on half throttle and you will lose steam quickly. Think of it as filling the fuel tank before starting the engine, you want to work at max power...
An hour before a workout, take in at least 60-100g of complex carbs that will slow burn throught the workout. Slow burning is the term i use as simple carbs will produce an energy spike for a short while,but is followed by burnout that will leave you tired.
After a workout, your body will be gasping for energy, it will need carbs and fast, you have a half hour window to promote anabolic growth (muscle building) before the body switches into a catabolic process and starts to find energy sources anywhere it can, usually muscle...
By taking a carb/protein drink after training or eating a post workout bar, will help your body start to recover from the ordeal you've place upon it.

Fats

The dreaded word shunned in every gym across the globe!
Fats are essential to the body's normal processes, without it we would slope into a coma and die.
BF% is how much bodyfat we are storing relative to our weight. Fats need to be taken in in healthy doses in bodybuilding so dont start taking fat out of everything.
Just use common sense, use a George Foreman grill when cooking meats, take the skin of chicken, avoid dressings such as full fat mayonnaisse etc..

Water

The body needs at elast 3 litres of water a day to keep it hydrated, never supplement water with alcohol or fizzy drinks, drink juices or squashes instead.
If your using creatine then you will need water to stop getting dehydrated all the time.
Drink during workouts as it helps flush out all the toxins and lactic acids building up while you train.

These are just the basics, hope this helps...

[freaky]

I am new to this and my diet consists mostly of protein, if I don't get enough carbs in can this cause me to become tired at all times of the day?
General diet now
3 eggs scrambled morning
2 wheat toast
10 oz orange juice

1000am
1 Banana,apple

1100am
3 pieces of chicken, tuna, or hamburger patty

100pm
3 pieces chicken, tuna, or ham patty

200pm Yogart

0630 workout

0900 protein shake, chicken, tuna, or ham patty

1000 spoon of peanut butter
I have started adding spagetti and bran cereal to diet seems like to too much protein.. I am 150 lbs.. Anything I can do to help out diet?

thx

[freaky]

Sometimes I add a High Cal shake to supplement a small meal sometimes, is this ok?

thx again

[Jaime]

Seems ok, what kind of shake? And you might want to have a protein shake before and after your workout.

[Regex_1]

If you go low carb you will only be tired for the first couple of days, until your body uses up all the stored carbs.

[Y2Jversion1]

Here's a list of foods preferred by bb'ers.. It's in the lastest 'Advanced Nutrition' section in this month's FLEX (with Arnold on the cover...yea yea, bb mag's are full of ads n crap but this nutrition articles make sense..)
I'll even take the trouble to type it out (thank me later )

Source: FLEX Sept 2003 Issue pg 190

Q: As a bodybuilder are there any foods I should avoid other than junk foods?

A: Yes & now. In all food categories some foods are better than others in terms of nutrient profiles and macronutrient compositions. As a pro bodybuilder, I recommend a diet based on whole foods with the addition of supplements to help you achieve your desired physique goals.
With that said, within each category of whole foods, some are better than others depending on your needs and how your body responds to them. Try to choose from among the better options most of the time. Here are a few food categories and some of my picks for Best Bets & Worst Choices.

Vegetables:
Best Bets: Asparagus, green and red peppers, broccoli, spinach and leafy greens
Worse choices: Corn and peas are somewhat starchy, and they should be eaten in moderation. Carrots provide good nutrients, but they are also high in starchy carbs. Eat these as frequently as desired, cooked or raw but in moderate quantities

Fruits:
Best Bets: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and oranges
Worse choices: Grapes, bananas and watermelon. What they offer in nutrients and fibre doesn't offset the carbs these fruits contain
Worst choice: Fruit juice. Virtually all fruit juices are high in sugar relative to their nutritional value and should be avoided.

Meat:
Best Bets: Lean beef, skinless chicken breast & fish. Fish, regardless of whether it's lean or fatty, is an excellent bodybuilding choice because it contains healthy and necessary fats.
Worse Choices: Ground beef and dark-meat chicken with skin. These meats contain far more saturated fat than the lean counterparts listed in 'Best bets'

Grains:
Best Bets: Oatmeal, brown rice and whole-grained bread
Worse choices: White rice, pasta and white bread. These carbs are mostly processed, and they are much lower in nutrients and fibre than the 'Best bets'

These are just some examples of the types of foods you can select to further your bodybuilding progress.

**end article**

If you read it and think about it, it does make a lot of sense. However, i'll still have grape juice with my creatine for the insulin spike

[JiNX]

I'm still having my pasta 2! LOL

I have a question... when finishing a work out, do you go home and Eat first? Or pound down a shake? Or does it matter?

[Topgun]

I take a Protein shake because after a grueling workout the body is starved for Protein.

[BUFFGIRL]

ok ive always thought saturated fats where bad bad, up until i read this artical, check it out.


http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/ph...389&highlight=

OblivionX take a look at his second post.

[zippyhm]

mmmmm people who have read too many muscle magazines and take too much heed of studies sponsored by supplement makers.
What is important to understand that there are 2 sides to the nutrition of making those big bulgy muscles.
One the one side there is fueling growth - this is all about protein.
Then there is the prevention of loss during workouts, walking around, just being alive - this is all about carbs.
Most people in an average diet get more than enough protein to fuel muscle growth.
It is in the carbs where many are lacking. Without enough carbs the body uses up the a number of amino's in the body's pool and turns them into energy - this is real inefficient so when this is done starts to burn up the muscles for energy.
This can be prevented by having plenty of carbs - this is called protein saving.
More often than not it is a lack of carbs holding people back - they are making gains, but then losing them at the next workout.
Hope everyone has a sensible day
zippy

[Dave]

Originally Posted by zippyhm

mmmmm people who have read too many muscle magazines and take too much heed of studies sponsored by supplement makers.
What is important to understand that there are 2 sides to the nutrition of making those big bulgy muscles.
One the one side there is fueling growth - this is all about protein.
Then there is the prevention of loss during workouts, walking around, just being alive - this is all about carbs.
Most people in an average diet get more than enough protein to fuel muscle growth.
It is in the carbs where many are lacking. Without enough carbs the body uses up the a number of amino's in the body's pool and turns them into energy - this is real inefficient so when this is done starts to burn up the muscles for energy.
This can be prevented by having plenty of carbs - this is called protein saving.
More often than not it is a lack of carbs holding people back - they are making gains, but then losing them at the next workout.
Hope everyone has a sensible day
zippy

Bump!
Another NZ'er
Welcome to the boards! lol

[Shredder]

Try to stick with a variety of lean protiens including egg whites, fat free cottage cheese, chicken breast, turkey breast, fish and canned tuna. For carbs, try for low glycemic. This includes oatmeal, brown rice, 100% sto*****und whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta, among others. For fats, look for natural sources like nuts, avocados, olives and olive oil. For vegetables, broccoli and brussel sprouts have the most protien, but you want a variety of colors as they each have different anti-oxidants. For fruits, berries are probably the best. Avoid juices and most tropical fruits due to the sugar content.
Hope this helps.

[DucRacer]

Originally Posted by Incredible Bulk

This is a post for all the newbies and curious members out there that are in doubt over their diet.
The basics of bodybuilding nutrition is typed up by me here so you should be able to grasp a general feel for what your diet needs to consist of.

Thanks to IncredibleBulk for the info.

After writing down everything I ate yesterday, here are the reults:

Calories: 2,721
Protein (g): 233
Carb (g): 248
Fat (g): 96

What is the correct ratio of protein to carbs to fats that I should be aiming for? i think my protein intake is OK, but are my carbs too high? What about the fats? What amounts do you guys usually ingest (in grams)?

I am 34 yrs, I weigh 181 lbs. I am making progress, but there is always room for improvement...especially around my midsection.

Thanks!!!

[Dave]

Ducracer, the correct ratio depends on your goals. Are you trying to bulk, cut.....what?

[DucRacer]

Dave,

I am trying to cut at this point. I am fairly happy with my results thus far. (I am also 5'11'' if that info helps...) i don't mind gaining a 2-3 more pounds if necessary, but I am not looking to hit 190. My biggest concern from reading posts and various BB articles is that by cutting, I may be eroding the muscle I have grown.

Right now, I am supplementing with:
ON 100 whey
Creatine
Glut
ALA
BCAA
HMB
Flax oil pills

I arrived at this combo from a recent M&F article that suggested different supp "cocktails" pre & post-workout and thought I'd test it out. Not sure what the HMB and ALA are really doing for me, though.

I like the creatine and am defintely seeing results, but it makes me extremely thirsty. I finished my loading phase 2 weeks ago and am currently in maintenance mode. I have noticed weight gains of 2-3 pounds recently. Could this be from all the water I am drinking??

So, more questions:
Should I cut out the HMB and ALA?
Would you recommend something like hydroxycut at this stage?
where should I be in terms of my prot/carb/fat proportions.

Thanks again!!!!!!

[Shredder]

The creatine draws more water into cells, so you need to drink extra water. It is just more of what's already naturally occurring in your body and has no known adverse affects. The HBM is another story. The testing and known info is pretty unreliable, but the consensus is that for newbies it is helpfull with gains for a short while. If ALA stands for Alpha Lipoic Acid, it is a powerfull anti-oxidant that helps neutralize cell damaging free radicals that contribute to oxidative stress and play a role in premature aging of cells. It also helps metabolize sugar inthe body, especially in muscles, where it promotes energy.
In fact, cell tech is just creatine, dextrose, alpha lipoic acid and l taurine. I make my own and save a ton, but only it take it immediately post workout.

[DucRacer]

Where did you get the dextrose?

[garretr1]

go to thebetterhealthstore. i usually order 10 pounds at a time. they come in 2 pound bags and sell for about 2 dollars a bag. very cheap and they ship quickly.

[DucRacer]

Thanks, you are right. Very cheap!