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Basic Nutrition
Basic nutrition is all you need to gain weight or lose weight. Some people forget how powerful their diet can be in acheiving their goals. Calories are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Those are what make your diet, it's what makes it or breaks it.
Protein = 4 calories per gram - Protein is what builds muscle, that's why bodybuilders need more then average people wanting to stay fit. If your goal is gaining muscle mass then use protein. A good base to start on is 1 gram per lb. of body weight (example: 180 lb. bodybuilder consumes 180g protein a day). Now you will want to increase your protein intakes gradually. Use it to help break through plateau's and help acheive your goals. If you have been lifting for a few months with the basic requirements for a diet and you start to stop seeing gains, it is time to increase the amount of calories you take in. So if your on 1 gram per lb. of body weight then you would increase it to 1.25 grams per lb. of body weight. (You can do this with carbohydrates and fats as well). Then you start gaining again and then it comes again, what do you do? Different supplements, different training? First thing to do again is to increase your caloric intake again. Bump the protein up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. (Do the same with carbohydrates and fats too). And repeat till you hit a peak where you can't increase your caloric intake anymore. Then you will start using supplements and more shock methods in your training to further your progress through bodybuilding. Now with protein there is a certain amount of water needed to intake in a day. The base rule is 1 gallon for each amount of grams per body weight. So if you take 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, you would consume 1 gallon of water (as the minimum). So now you get the basic idea of protein, now it's time to inform your about carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram - Carbohydrates are a little harder to explain the protein. There are more types of carbohydrates like slow digesting and fat digesting carbohydrates. Slow digesting carbohydrates are "natural" as you can say. Examples be apples, bananas, potatoes, yams, oats, etc. They are basic fruits and vegetables and grains that are straight up. These are good to take in the morning for a slow burning energy source. Also good before a workout too.
Fast digesting carbohydrates are basically "man made." They are a combination of different things to make another thing. Exaples would be breads, juice, rice, etc. These are good postworkout for fast recovery after a hard workout to make sure your muscles recover and get bigger for the next workout.
Carnohydrates can help aid in fat loss, that's why low-carb diets are so popular, but with low-carb can have some serious side effects if not done properly. I suggest 1 gram of carbohydrates per lb. of body weight when trying to lose some fat. Carbohydrate cut-offs are also good to use. They prevent the build up of glycogen over night. Now you are informed about carbohydrates, now it's time to move on to the topic of fats.
Fats = 9 calories per gram - Fat is always looked down apon because people believe that fats (oil) will make them fat. But that is not the case in any way, it's the amount of calories not burned that will make you fat. So that means you could eat 10,000 calories in lettuce and still get fat (very hard to do, but true). You want to avoid animal fats and vegetable fats, too many saturated and bad fats in those. Good fat sources include olive oil, nuts, avocados, peanut butter, flax, safflower, sunflower seeds, and fish oils. The good fats are unsaturated and mono unsaturated. Those are what you want to aim for in a diet plan. Fats are what protect your organs, they also help support joints. Very low body fat percents are very dangerous cause your body needs fats to function, this is why low-fat diets totally suck.
Rememer for each gram of protein there is 4 calories, same as carbohydrates, but for fats it is 9 calories. So if you eat 100g protein. 100g carbohydrates, and 100g fats you would end up consuming 1,700 calories (remember that is just an example).
Bulking up is one way of adding muscle and putting on size. That is the first thing skinny ectomorph's focus on. Bulking and cutting isn't the best idea, but it is a simple way to start. To perform a good bulk, simply consume more calories then you burn. So if your metabolism burns 2,300 calories, plus 500 calories burned from working out and 700 calories from sports activites you would need to eat 250-500 calories more then you burn. So that would be about 3,775 - 4,000 calories a day. Now everyone is different so they should figure what their metabolism and actually how much they burn to determine a good amount of calrories for a quaity bulk.
Cutting is the after phase from bulking. You will get fat from bulking up, so you want to get rid of the fat to see what muscle you have developed for that bulking time period. Now to insure you don't lose all you gained from the bulk, make sure to perform some rules of how to lose fat properly. Cause if you gain 20 pounds from a bulk and then 15 pounds from a cut you won't be so happy with what you got. So some basics are to burn more calories then you consumed that day. I don't recommend eating 1,200 calories a day, cause that will equal instant muscle loss. So when thinking about losing fat, calculate how many calories you burn a day. Then figure you wan to burn 250-500 calories more then what as consumed. So you burn 3,500 calories a day, you would for 3,000-3,550 calores that time period. With cutting, make sure you have a high amount of protein to prevent as much muscle loss as possible. 1.75 - 2 grams per lb. of body weight is good to use during this time. Also, use 1 gram of carbohydrates per lb. of body weight and add carbohydrate cut-offs and some cardio if you ate too much. Fats should always remain moderate during clean bulking, cutting, bulking, etc.
When bodybuilding diet calls for more then average diets. You will eat more often and that will help burn more calories, plus spread your calories out to help you get more energy throughout the day. So 6+ meals a day is mandatory. Always eat healthy foods, never go for some shitty food, get clean whole foods. Get your fuits and vegetables in a day as recommened, but more of it. Eat more white meats like chicken, fish.
Sample Diet 1:
Meal 1 - 6 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 glass skim milk, 1 apple
Meal 2 - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1-2 tbs. peanut butter
Meal 3 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 4 (preworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup dry oats
Meal 5 (postworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 60g dextrose, 1 apple
Meal 6 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 7 - 1-1.5 cups 1-2% cottage cheese
Sample Diet 2:
Meal 1 - 6 egg whites + 1 whole egg, 2 slices whole wheat toast with peanut butter, 1-2 cups skim milk
Meal 2 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 cup rice, 1 tbs. olive oil
Meal 3 - 1-2 cans tuna, 1-2 slices bread, 1 cup lettuce
Meal 4 (preworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1 cup dry oats
Meal 5 (postworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1 cup dry oats
Meal 6 - 8 oz. beef (rinsed), 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 7 - 1-1.5 cup 1-2% cottage cheese
Basic nutrition is all you need to gain weight or lose weight. Some people forget how powerful their diet can be in acheiving their goals. Calories are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Those are what make your diet, it's what makes it or breaks it.
Protein = 4 calories per gram - Protein is what builds muscle, that's why bodybuilders need more then average people wanting to stay fit. If your goal is gaining muscle mass then use protein. A good base to start on is 1 gram per lb. of body weight (example: 180 lb. bodybuilder consumes 180g protein a day). Now you will want to increase your protein intakes gradually. Use it to help break through plateau's and help acheive your goals. If you have been lifting for a few months with the basic requirements for a diet and you start to stop seeing gains, it is time to increase the amount of calories you take in. So if your on 1 gram per lb. of body weight then you would increase it to 1.25 grams per lb. of body weight. (You can do this with carbohydrates and fats as well). Then you start gaining again and then it comes again, what do you do? Different supplements, different training? First thing to do again is to increase your caloric intake again. Bump the protein up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. (Do the same with carbohydrates and fats too). And repeat till you hit a peak where you can't increase your caloric intake anymore. Then you will start using supplements and more shock methods in your training to further your progress through bodybuilding. Now with protein there is a certain amount of water needed to intake in a day. The base rule is 1 gallon for each amount of grams per body weight. So if you take 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, you would consume 1 gallon of water (as the minimum). So now you get the basic idea of protein, now it's time to inform your about carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram - Carbohydrates are a little harder to explain the protein. There are more types of carbohydrates like slow digesting and fat digesting carbohydrates. Slow digesting carbohydrates are "natural" as you can say. Examples be apples, bananas, potatoes, yams, oats, etc. They are basic fruits and vegetables and grains that are straight up. These are good to take in the morning for a slow burning energy source. Also good before a workout too.
Fast digesting carbohydrates are basically "man made." They are a combination of different things to make another thing. Exaples would be breads, juice, rice, etc. These are good postworkout for fast recovery after a hard workout to make sure your muscles recover and get bigger for the next workout.
Carnohydrates can help aid in fat loss, that's why low-carb diets are so popular, but with low-carb can have some serious side effects if not done properly. I suggest 1 gram of carbohydrates per lb. of body weight when trying to lose some fat. Carbohydrate cut-offs are also good to use. They prevent the build up of glycogen over night. Now you are informed about carbohydrates, now it's time to move on to the topic of fats.
Fats = 9 calories per gram - Fat is always looked down apon because people believe that fats (oil) will make them fat. But that is not the case in any way, it's the amount of calories not burned that will make you fat. So that means you could eat 10,000 calories in lettuce and still get fat (very hard to do, but true). You want to avoid animal fats and vegetable fats, too many saturated and bad fats in those. Good fat sources include olive oil, nuts, avocados, peanut butter, flax, safflower, sunflower seeds, and fish oils. The good fats are unsaturated and mono unsaturated. Those are what you want to aim for in a diet plan. Fats are what protect your organs, they also help support joints. Very low body fat percents are very dangerous cause your body needs fats to function, this is why low-fat diets totally suck.
Rememer for each gram of protein there is 4 calories, same as carbohydrates, but for fats it is 9 calories. So if you eat 100g protein. 100g carbohydrates, and 100g fats you would end up consuming 1,700 calories (remember that is just an example).
Bulking up is one way of adding muscle and putting on size. That is the first thing skinny ectomorph's focus on. Bulking and cutting isn't the best idea, but it is a simple way to start. To perform a good bulk, simply consume more calories then you burn. So if your metabolism burns 2,300 calories, plus 500 calories burned from working out and 700 calories from sports activites you would need to eat 250-500 calories more then you burn. So that would be about 3,775 - 4,000 calories a day. Now everyone is different so they should figure what their metabolism and actually how much they burn to determine a good amount of calrories for a quaity bulk.
Cutting is the after phase from bulking. You will get fat from bulking up, so you want to get rid of the fat to see what muscle you have developed for that bulking time period. Now to insure you don't lose all you gained from the bulk, make sure to perform some rules of how to lose fat properly. Cause if you gain 20 pounds from a bulk and then 15 pounds from a cut you won't be so happy with what you got. So some basics are to burn more calories then you consumed that day. I don't recommend eating 1,200 calories a day, cause that will equal instant muscle loss. So when thinking about losing fat, calculate how many calories you burn a day. Then figure you wan to burn 250-500 calories more then what as consumed. So you burn 3,500 calories a day, you would for 3,000-3,550 calores that time period. With cutting, make sure you have a high amount of protein to prevent as much muscle loss as possible. 1.75 - 2 grams per lb. of body weight is good to use during this time. Also, use 1 gram of carbohydrates per lb. of body weight and add carbohydrate cut-offs and some cardio if you ate too much. Fats should always remain moderate during clean bulking, cutting, bulking, etc.
When bodybuilding diet calls for more then average diets. You will eat more often and that will help burn more calories, plus spread your calories out to help you get more energy throughout the day. So 6+ meals a day is mandatory. Always eat healthy foods, never go for some shitty food, get clean whole foods. Get your fuits and vegetables in a day as recommened, but more of it. Eat more white meats like chicken, fish.
Sample Diet 1:
Meal 1 - 6 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 glass skim milk, 1 apple
Meal 2 - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1-2 tbs. peanut butter
Meal 3 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 4 (preworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup dry oats
Meal 5 (postworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 60g dextrose, 1 apple
Meal 6 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 7 - 1-1.5 cups 1-2% cottage cheese
Sample Diet 2:
Meal 1 - 6 egg whites + 1 whole egg, 2 slices whole wheat toast with peanut butter, 1-2 cups skim milk
Meal 2 - 1-2 chicken breasts, 1 cup rice, 1 tbs. olive oil
Meal 3 - 1-2 cans tuna, 1-2 slices bread, 1 cup lettuce
Meal 4 (preworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1 cup dry oats
Meal 5 (postworkout) - 1-2 scoops whey, 1-2 cups skim milk, 1 cup dry oats
Meal 6 - 8 oz. beef (rinsed), 1 potato, 1 cup mixed vegetables
Meal 7 - 1-1.5 cup 1-2% cottage cheese
ratio of around 2:1 is good/standard, although going as high as 4:1 is fine.
