Dieting Basics and creating your own diet

how to calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs


To calculate your BMR based on your total body weight (Harris-Benedict Formula)

BMR= basal metabolic rate

BMR (women) = 665 + (9.6 x weight in Kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

BMR (men) = 66 + (13.7 x weight in Kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

To calculate your BMR based on lean body weight (Katch-McArdle Formula)

BMR (both sexes) = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

THis will give you what your body requires for all of your basic biological processes, such as digestion, nerve transmission, respiration etc, or your basal metabolic rate.

NEVER DROP YOUR CALORIES BELOW THIS LEVEL!!!!!

To figure out how many calories you need for the day multiply your BMR by your activity levels
Sedentary BMR x 1.2 no exercise/desk job
Lightly active BMR x 1.375 light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week
Moderately active BMR x 1.55 moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week
Very active BMR x 1.725 hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week
Extremely active BMR x 1.9 hard daily training/physical job or training 2x/day

To lose weight/fat, obviously, you do need to burn more calories than you need!!
So, take about 10-20 % off of your total calorie requirements

To put on weight/muscle, you need more calories than your basic daily needs so ADD about 10-20% to your total calorie daily requirements.

If you change your calorie intake too drastically, your body may not do what you want it to do.

'Starvation' diets (very low calorie) only work on about 5% of the population, and too low calories or rapid 'weight' loss will probably be muscle and water, rather than the fat you want.

Similarily if you go from a 2500 kcal/day average to 4000 kcals, you are more likely putting on FAT and water rather than muscle.

1 g carbs = 4 kcals
1 g protein = 4 kcals
1 g fat = 9 kcals

After sorting out your daily intake, you have to work out the percentage of each of the macronutrients:

Carbohydrate Definitions:

Very High carbs = 65-70% +
High carbs = 55-60 %
Moderate carbs = 40-50 %
Low carbs = 25-30%
Very low carb (ketogenic) = 5-15 % or 30- 70 grams carbs per day

Protein Definitions
Very high protein = 41-50 % +
High protein = 31-40 %
Moderate protein = 25-30 %
Low Protein = 15-24%
Very low protein = less than 15%

Fat definitions
Very high fat = 40% +
High fat = 30-39%
Moderate fat = 20 -29%
Low fat = 10-19 %
Very low fat = less than 10%


Definitions for macronutrient percentages taken from Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto

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Basal Metabolic Rate - BMR

Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to Sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed asleep all day!

BMR can be responsible for burning up to 70% of the total calories expended, but this figure varies due to different factors (see below). Calories are burned by bodily processes such as respiration, the pumping of blood around the body and maintenance of body temperature. Obviously the body will burn more calories on top of those burned due to BMR.

BMR is the largest factor in determining overall metabolic rate and how many calories you need to maintain, lose or gain weight. BMR is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, as follows:

Genetics. Some people are born with faster metabolisms; some with slower metabolisms.

Gender. Men have a greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage. This means they have a higher basal metabolic rate.

Age. BMR reduces with age. After 20 years, it drops about 2 per cent, per decade.

Weight. The heavier your weight, the higher your BMR. Example: the metabolic rate of obese women is 25 percent higher than the metabolic rate of thin women.

Body Surface Area. This is a reflection of your height and weight. The greater your Body Surface Area factor, the higher your BMR. Tall, thin people have higher BMRs. If you compare a tall person with a short person of equal weight, then if they both follow a diet calorie-controlled to maintain the weight of the taller person, the shorter person may gain up to 15 pounds in a year.

Body Fat Percentage. The lower your body fat percentage, the higher your BMR. The lower body fat percentage in the male body is one reason why men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women.

Diet. Starvation or serious abrupt calorie-reduction can dramatically reduce BMR by up to 30 percent.Restrictive low-calorie weight loss diets may cause your BMR to drop as much as 20%.

Body Temperature/Health. For every increase of 0.5C in internal temperature of the body, the BMR increases by about 7 percent. The chemical reactions in the body actually occur more quickly at higher temperatures. So a patient with a fever of 42C (about 4C above normal) would have an increase of about 50 percent in BMR.

External temperature. Temperature outside the body also affects basal metabolic rate. Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the BMR, so as to create the extra heat needed to maintain the body's internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body's metabolism as it is compensated mainly by increased heat loss. But prolonged exposure to heat can raise BMR.

Glands. Thyroxin (produced by the thyroid gland) is a key BMR-regulator which speeds up the metabolic activity of the body. The more thyroxin produced, the higher the BMR. If too much thyroxin is produced (a condition known as thyrotoxicosis) BMR can actually double. If too little thyroxin is produced (myxoedema) BMR may shrink to 30-40 percent of normal. Like thyroxin, adrenaline also increases the BMR but to a lesser extent.

Exercise. Physical exercise not only influences body weight by burning calories, it also helps raise your BMR by building extra lean tissue. (Lean tissue is more metabolically demanding than fat tissue.) So you burn more calories even when sleeping.

Short Term Factors Affecting BMR
Illnesses such as a fever, high levels of stress hormones in the body and either an increase or decrease in the environmental temperature will result in an increase in BMR. Fasting, starving or malnutrition all result in a lowering of BMR. This lowering of BMR can be one side effect of following a diet and nothing else. Solely dieting , i.e. reducing the amount of calories the body takes on, will not be as affective as dieting and increased exercise. The negative effect of dieting on BMR can be offset with a positive effect from increased exercise.

How to Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is also known as your "maintenance level". Knowing your maintenance level will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet.

According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the average maintenance level for women in the United States is 2000-2100 calories per day and the average for men is 2700-2900 per day. These are only averages; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher for athletes or extremely active individuals. Some triathletes and ultra-endurance athletes may require as many as 6000 calories per day or more just to maintain their weight! Calorie requirements may also vary among otherwise identical individuals due to differences in inherited metabolic rates.

Methods of determining caloric needs

There are many different formulas you can use to determine your caloric maintenance level by taking into account the factors of age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula that takes into account your lean body mass (LBM) will give you the most accurate determination of your energy expenditure, but even without LBM you can still get a reasonably close estimate.

The "quick" method (based on total bodyweight)
A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total current body weight times a multiplier.

Fat loss = 12 - 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Maintenance (TDEE) = 15 - 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Weight gain: = 18 - 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight

This is a very easy way to estimate caloric needs, but there are obvious drawbacks to this method because it doesn't take into account activity levels or body composition. Extremely active individuals may require far more calories than this formula indicates. In addition, the more lean body mass one has, the higher the TDEE will be.

Because body fatness is not accounted for, this formula may greatly overestimate the caloric needs if someone is extremely overfat. For example, a lightly active 50 year old woman who weighs 235 lbs. and has 34% body fat will not lose weight on 3000 calories per day (255 X 13 as per the "quick" formula for fat loss).

Equations based on BMR.


A much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight, age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal bodily functions (excluding activity factors).

This includes keeping your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making new blood cells, maintaining your body temperature and every other metabolic process in your body. In other words, your BMR is all the energy used for the basic processes of life itself. BMR usually accounts for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure.

BMR may vary dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors. If you know someone who claims they can eat anything they want and never gain an ounce of fat, they have inherited a naturally high BMR. BMR is at it's lowest when you are sleeping undisturbed and you are not digesting anything. It is very important to note that the higher your lean body mass is, the higher your BMR will be.

This is very significant if you want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and it requires a great deal of energy just to Sustain it. It is obvious then that one way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training in order to increase and/or maintain lean body mass. In this manner it could be said that weight training helps you lose body fat, albeit indirectly.

The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)

The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example:
You are female
You are 30 yrs old
You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm)
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day

Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

Example:
Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day

Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)

If you have had your body composition tested and you know your lean body mass, then you can get the most accurate BMR estimate of all. This formula from Katch & McArdle takes into account lean mass and therefore is more accurate than a formula based on total body weight. The Harris Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men generally have a higher LBM and this is factored into the men's formula. Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula applies equally to both men and women.

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Example:
You are female
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your body fat percentage is 20% (24 lbs. fat, 96 lbs. lean)
Your lean mass is 96 lbs. (43.6 kilos)
Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 43.6) = 1312 calories

To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity multiplier:

Example:
Your BMR is 1312
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1312 = 2033 calories

As you can see, the difference in the TDEE as determined by both formulas is statistically insignificant (2075 calories vs. 2033 calories) because the person we used as an example is average in body size and body composition. The primary benefit of factoring lean body mass into the equation is increased accuracy when your body composition leans to either end of the spectrum (very muscular or very obese).

Adjust your caloric intake according to your goal

Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal. The mathematics of calorie balance are simple: To keep your weight at its current level, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level). To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.

Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.

Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat loss. If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored as fat. You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit.

There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a 3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit in a week you will lose two pounds. The calorie deficit can be created through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both. Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary deficit.

Calorie deficit thresholds: How low is too low?

It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the question is how much of a deficit do you need? There definitely seems to be a specific cutoff or threshold where further reductions in calories will have detrimental effects.

The most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For some, especially lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are extremely low.

A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start. A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

Example 1:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2033 - 500 = 1533 calories

Example 2:
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE (.20% X 2033 = 406 calories)
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1627 calories

Positive calorie balance is essential to gain lean bodyweight

If you want to gain lean bodyweight and become more muscular, you must consume more calories than you burn up in a day. Provided that you are participating in a weight-training program of a sufficient intensity, frequency and volume, the caloric surplus will be used to create new muscle tissue. Once you've determined your TDEE, the next step is to increase your calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain weight. It is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a positive calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight. A general guideline for a starting point for gaining weight is to add approximately 300-500 calories per day onto your TDEE. An alternate method is to add an additional 15 - 20% onto your TDEE.

Example:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is + 15 - 20% = 305 - 406 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2033 + 305 - 406 = 2338 - 2439 calories

Adjust your caloric intake gradually


It is not advisable to make any drastic changes to your diet all at once. After calculating your own total daily energy expenditure and adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust your calories gradually.

For example, if your determine that your optimal caloric intake is 1900 calories per day, but you have only been eating 900 calories per day, your metabolism may be sluggish. An immediate jump to 1900 calories per day might actually cause a fat gain because your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake and the sudden jump up would create a surplus. The best approach would be to gradually increase your calories from 900 to 1900 over a period of a few weeks to allow your metabolism to speed up and acclimatize.

Measure your results and adjust calories accordingly

These calculations for finding your correct caloric intake are quite simplistic and are just estimates to give you a starting point. You will have to monitor your progress closely to make sure that this is the proper level for you. You will know if you’re at the correct level of calories by keeping track of your caloric intake, your bodyweight, and your body fat percentage.

You need to observe your bodyweight and body fat percentage to see how you respond. If you don't see the results you expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels accordingly. The bottom line is that it’s not effective to reduce calories to very low levels in order to lose fat. In fact, the more calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through diet and exercise. The best approach is to reduce calories only slightly and raise your daily calorie expenditure by increasing your frequency, duration and or intensity of exercise.

Shopping List

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Healthy Grocery List Fresh Vegetables
Lettuce Other Greens Cucumbers Carrots
Asparagus Zucchini Radishes Tomatoes
Green Beans Onions Green Onions Peppers
Cauliflower Broccoli Peas Celery
Potatoes Corn Sweet Potatoes Squash
Other Vegetables:
____________ ____________ ____________



Fresh Fruits
Bananas Apples Oranges Pears
Peaches Nectarines Grapefruit Berries
Other Fruits:
____________ ____________ ____________



Frozen Foods
Green Beans Peas Mixed Vegetables Carrots
Chicken Breasts Fruit Juice Bars Blueberries Corn
Fish Fillets Onions Vegetarian Burgers Shrimp
Other Frozen:
____________ ____________ ____________



Canned Foods
Black Beans Tomatoes Marinara Sauce Tuna
Salmon Pinto Beans White Beans Pineapples
Other Canned Foods:
____________ ____________ ____________



Meats
Lean Hamburger Pork Chops Steaks Fish
Shell Fish Chicken Turkey Ham
Other Meats:
____________ ____________ ____________



Grains and Cereals
Whole Grain Bread Whole Grain Pasta Whole Grain Cereal Oatmeal
Other Grains: Quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, amaranth, barley
____________ ____________ ____________



Beverages
100% Fruit Juice Sparkling Water Tomato Juice Herb Tea
Other Beverages:
____________ ____________ ____________



Dairy and Eggs
Low Fat Sour Cream Low Fat Milk Cheddar Cheese Butter
Low Fat Cream Cheese Colby Cheese Mozzerella Cheese Yogurt
Other Dairy:
____________ ____________ ____________



Miscellaneous Items
Herbs and Spices Sesame Oil Low Fat Dressings Mustard
Low Fat Mayonaise (HMMMMMM) Honey Low Sodium Soy Sauce Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds Mixed Nuts Walnuts Pecans
Flax Seeds Olive Oil Walnut Oil Garlic
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Ok, this thread is written for those who dont have a clue on how to prepare a decent nutrition plan for a bodybuilding lifestyle.

I want to make 1 thing clear right now.....Its what you eat that makes you grow period!!!!!

Training and indeed steroids(if thats the route you choose) do play a major part in building that massive physique we desire, but without the correct nutrition we wont get very far at all!!

So the point of this post is really to outline a few basic rules for a newbie to adhere to, so that they all have a good idea of what foods to eat, how much and when to eat.

I will write another thread on more advanced nutrition tequniques soon.

Firstly we need to know how many kcals we need to grow or maintain our muscle tissue. To do this we need to know what macronutrients are, and how many kcals they contain.

Protein 4kcals per gram

So what is protein and what does it do?

Protein is made up of amino acids. These amino acids are what our bodies require to exist, to build muscle, skin, bone, hair...the list goes on. When we eat protein our body breaks it down into amino acids and uses them as and when it needs them, for what ever it requires.

For our interests its building muscle so we need to make sure that we have an abundance of amino's to satisfy our bodies needs, so that we have enough to grow bigger!

We do this by eating quality protein sources at regular intervals. This is so that our body doesn't turn catabolic and start to break down its hard earned muscle due to not being fed regularly!! In short, if we dont eat enough protein, we shrink!!!

The amount we need to eat in each meal depends on A.. the amount of meals, and B.. the lean mass we hold. The bigger we are the more we need in a day and the more meals we eat the less we need in each meal.

Some good protein sources are

Red meat
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Whey powders
Milk
Soy
Nuts
Beans
Lentils

Human tissue has an individual string of amino acids as do all protein sources. Some are better than others for building muscle.

Whole eggs for instance, are near perfect for this purpose. We need not worry too much about amino spectrums as beginners, as long as we are eating a variation of some or all of the above choices through the day.

Carbohydrates 4kcals per gram

Carbs are used as an energy source for our bodies. We need energy to go about our daily lives and if in abundance, carbs give our bodies the calories it needs to grow. This energy is stored in the muscles, as well as the liver as a substance called glycogen. Its muscle glycogen that gives our muscles the energy to perform. It also is what gives them that full look. Liver glycogen is what gives our bodies the energy to live out our day to day lives.

Carbohydrates are all different. Some have a low glycemic index, whilst others are medium or high. What is the glycemic index (GI)?

The glycemic index is used to determine how quickly a particular food is absorbed and is principally used in reference to foods which are high in carbohydrates. The quicker the carb is absorbed, the shorter the burst of energy we get due to a sudden raise in blood sugar.

The slower the absorbtion, the lower the blood sugar and a long sustained amount of energy provided.

The higher the blood sugar, the more insulin the body provides to counter act that sudden raise.

So what will insulin do??

For the basic content of this beginners article, I wont go deep into insulin. Lets just say that insulin helps the uptake of all nutrients consumed. This means that while protein is stored more efficiently, so are fats and carbs. This may make a person fat, and we dont want that!!!

Although low GI carbs are a better source of energy, there are still times that we can manipulate hi GI alternatives such as before, during and after a workout. We need fast energy to train and a spike of insulin post workout PWO will obviously be handy to absorb protein when we need it most .

What happens if we eat high GI carbs all day long such as chocolates, sweets, sugary drinks?

Well it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that body fat may increase, but what else can go wrong??

If you think about it, high GI sugars raise blood sugar, which the body produces insulin to lower again. Now when this happens our blood sugar takes a nose dive which has the opposite effect and makes us feel tired and low. We then start to crave sugar again in order to raise those blood levels. Can you see what is happening here? Yes, we are on the slippery slope of raising and lowering our blood sugar which in turn makes us feel up and down in energy and mood! Anyone ever experienced this?? I think so!

So we can see that a long sustained release of energy is better for keeping our blood sugar stable, which is done by eating low GI carbs.

Examples of low/high GI carbohydrates are hard to put forward as there is a vary long scale of variables. The best thing to do is buy a book on GI which you can get in any good bookstore.

Alternatively you can find a GI database as well as learn more on GI at this link

www.glycemicindex.com/

One last point regarding GI

The GI of any given food is affected by a number of other variables. Fats, fibre and protein consumed with carbs slows down the absorbtion considerably. In fact, hi GI foods will slow quite a bit if eaten with low GI foods. This leads us to the fact that its good to eat well balanced meals containing protein, fibre and fats to keep our blood sugars stable.

Fats 9kcals per gram

Fats are also an energy source which some people prefer to carbohydrates

A further point to note is that fats will not spike insulin levels.

There are 5 different types of fats, all of which are beneficial in optimum health, some more than others.

saturated fats
polyunsaturated fats or omega 6 poly's
monounsaturated fats
trans fats*
omega 3 fish oils, a type of poly

*should be kept restricted as can lead to heart disease and cancer if taken in abundance.

Ok, again I wont confuse the issue here as it is a beginners article so I will only state that which applies to our beginners diet.

If we are using carbohydrates as our main energy fuel, we then need to keep fats to a moderate level. Although a small amount of all the above fats are needed, we as bb'ers should eat mainly monounsaturated fats i.e.
avocado pears
rapeseed oils
olive oils

and omega 3 oils
salmon
trout
mackerel
sardines
pilchards
tuna (to a lesser degree)

There are also some good omega oil blends on the market such as udos choice or Holland and Barrett optimum oil blend. Note that vegetarians cant have the fish oils that the above oils contain so flax seed oil would be a good choice for them.

The fats that come naturally in foods such as eggs and meats are ok as long as they are not over eaten.....the only one that possibly could be over eaten would be eggs.

If you are using fats as the main source of energy then more than moderate amounts can be consumed as long as carbohydrates are kept down somewhat.

So what should I use as my main source of fuel for energy??

This is a complicated question as we are all so different. There are technical computerised machines which measure our co2 levels that can determine our exact ratios of fats and carbohydrates needed as an individual but again, this is more advanced than we need to concern ourselves with as beginners.

I feel that trial and error is the best way to learn about our bodies and so what better than to try all the options for a period of X amount of time and see what suits us best?

Low fat, high carbs
Low carbs, high fat
Even a mix of the two (my favourite option)

I feel that if the low/zero carb, high fat route is the one you wish to follow then at least one carb meal a day is needed. Alternatively, some go for a "clean carb up" day once a week, finding it good to replenish depleted glycogen stores.

The ratios we eat will effect the amount of meals necesary in any given day. We already know fats and fibre slows the absorbtion of carbs we eat, but it also slows the whole meal down. So if we eat high fat and low carbs, we need not eat much more than 3 or 4 meals a day (as long as sufficient protein is present). On the other end of the sclae a high carb, low fat meal requires as many as 6-8 meals with moderate protein in each portion.

Other key things to remember when formulating our diets are

To drink plenty of fluids a day (2-3 litres)
Keeping hydrated is a must for optimum performance as an athlete as well as keeping in good health.

And eat plenty of fibre
Fibre comes naturally in countless foods but fruit, veg , nuts, beans and pulses are some of the best sources of fibre and some or all of the above should be incorporated daily in your nutrition plan.

An example daily food intake would look something like this

Meal 1
whole eggs
oats

Meal 2
chicken
basmati rice
fruit

Meal 3
tuna
salad
olive/flax oil
nuts

Meal 4
Baked beans
wholemeal toast
serving of whey

Meal 5 PWO
whey in water
glucose powder OR
maltodextrine powder

Meal 6
steak
jacket potato
green veg

So now we know what to eat and when to eat it, how much do we need to consume for optimum growth with minimum body fat BF?

Some bb'ers prefer to eat what ever they can get their hands on "if it aint nailed down then eat it!!" I have heard some say before. This can be an effective way of eating if you want sheer bulk, but has a few drawbacks.

1 Its very easy to gain a shed load of body fat

2 sometimes a person may eat too much of the wrong types of foods which can hinder their gains. For example, eating KFC all day long is great for protein and fat, but neglects carbohydrates.

Also eating food from the bakery down the street will fill you up on plenty of carbs and fat, but the protein will be lacking!!

So what do we do? How do we calculate our intake?

First off we need to know how much of each macronutrient is in the foods we eat. Again, any good bookstore will have a nutrition guide, or hit this link

www.nutritiondata.com/

8 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism


By WLR Dietitian
Juliette Kellow BSc RD


Get active - it's a sure-fire way to increase the amount of muscle you have, which in turn will speed up your metabolism. Do a mixture of aerobic and resistance training for best results. And don't forget to be more active in your daily life too.

Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.

Eat plenty of protein-rich foods - research shows that around 25 percent of calories in a protein-rich meal may be burnt off. But make sure you choose low-fat protein foods such as lean meat, skinless chicken and low-fat dairy products.

Spice up meals - it's not an old wives tale after all! Spices like chilli are thought to raise metabolism by up to 50 percent for up to three hours after eating, due to increasing your heart rate. But before putting the local Indian takeaway on speed dial, work out which curries have the lowest calorie and fat content.

Swap you daily cuppa for green tea - there's evidence that it contains antioxidants that speed up metabolism.

Try a CLA supplement - more extensive studies need to be carried out before any definite conclusions can be drawn, but research has shown that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) might increase muscle and therefore boost metabolism.

Chill out - research shows that being very cold can increase metabolism by up to 20 percent.

Have a sauna - being very hot is also thought to boost metabolism by about 20 percent (but check you don't have any underlying medical problems that mean you shouldn't go in saunas or steam rooms).

Awesome, thanks for sharing DJ. This deserves to be a sticky.

may it become a sticky then hope people actually read it

Dj, You're da man brotha...
Schweeet post...
Have'nt had time to all of it...yet...
I'll be adding this ons as a favourite definitely...

Peace Out
$ilver...

Brilliant thread for beginners and some "pro's" alike .... Have some Karma bud

thanks dirk,hows things going with u champ? keeping well i hope....

Thanks DJ for all your help.

I downloaded the Nutrition Planner in the downloads section and calculated that my TDEE everyday is about 3300 calories. A 20% deficit gives me 2600 calories a day for fat loss. Can anyone help me out with a decent diet that is PRACTICAL. I still live with my parents :blink: and the food around here isn't what I would call "bodybuilding food". Please help me out guys, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.

djeasye, just a couple of questions reagarding a discussion u had with doctri regarding high carbs days

Q1 - Do you recommend high carbs days for people that are carb sentive?
Q2 - I currently consume about 2200.00cals per days 30% fats and 20% card 50% protien, on high card days would you advise the diet to consist of 50% carbs and would i lower the protien to about 30% and keep the fats around 20%?


Very High carbs = 65-70% +
High carbs = 55-60 %
Moderate carbs = 40-50 %
Low carbs = 25-30%
Very low carb (ketogenic) = 5-15 % or 30- 70 grams carbs per day

Thanks

what is your current stats weight height and age first of all... look low carbs works well,but i have found that as long as u are training hard u will utilise those carbs, the whole carb sensetive thing is myth, it is just dependant on what type of carbs u are consuming,if u say u are carb sensitive u will probably find that u are consuming too much fruit and simple carbs at the wrong time of the day etc causing havoc with your insulin levels...if u are on a fat loss diet i suggest u do this, work out your maintaince level, then u subtrace 600 caloires from this (low day) then u have a moderate day (400cals less) and then u have 1 high day which is at your maintaince level,i would do something like this, low,high moderate,moderate,low,high,low,moderate,moderate,low,low,high. etc. try do high days on legs days where u need the extra carbs. also if u are on a fat loss diet,drop all simple carbs...only eat complex carbs and cut all carbs by 3-4pm in the day.

Your feedback is much appreciated

Body stats 85kgs around 15% body fat age 28.

When you say high and low calories do these calories consist only of carbs or cals in general?

May current diet.

Meal 8:00 am
4 egg whites one whole
Two slice of low gi bread.
1 x tsp coffee
1 x tsp of brown sugar
3000mg of flaxseed oil.
1x Multiv.

Meal 10:am
1xCan tuna
200g cottage cheese fat free
2 x tsp olive oil
1xtsp coffee
1xtsp brown sugar.

Meal 13:00PM
200g chicken breast
100g green veg
1xtbs of trim mayo

Meal 15:00 PM
200 chicken breast
100g green green veg
1xtbs trim mayo

Before Gym 17:30 PM
1 x scoop whey
250ml fat free milk
100g apple
2xtbs of peanut butter
amino acids/creatine
traing starts around 18:30

After Gym 20:00
1x scoop of whey in water
amino acids/creatine

Meal 21:00 PM
200g hake fillet
2 x tsp of olive oil
180g of cherry tomoets

Before bed

1 x scoop of whey.

look i'd cycle calories in total. and i think u are over shooting your calorie in take with all the oils etc,yes they are healthy but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. also your choice of carbs is much to be desired,fruit and toast?u need to change that up also cherry tomato's are very high in sugar... like i said yes they are healthy but they are not your ideal source of nutrients. also u are having cottage cheese mid morning,i might suggest that u move that cottage cheese to with your whey protein. also this whole thing of a scoop of whey, i'd break out the scale and weigh it,cos 1 scoop may only be 20g of whey and u maybe counting it as 30g. your diet should looks something similar to this. 6 meals of protein and fats,4 of which should have complex carbs. now this isnt including your post work out whey. this is a rouge estimate of how much things should weigh btw i am doing it at a thumb suck but if u get me your height then i can adjust accordingly.

Breakfast
4 egg whites + 1 full egg
50g of Oats (this is raw weight and not oats-so-easy as thats high in sugars)

mid morning
1tin of tuna
50g of brown rice
1tbl spoon olive oil

Lunch

200g(raw weight) chicken breast
150g potato/sweet potato
100g green beans

mid afternoon

200g(raw weight) chicken breast
150g potato/sweet potato
100g green beans

BEFORE GYM
30g of whey protein in water
1 banana

after gym
60g of whey protein in water

dinner
200g hake fillet
100g green beans
50g brocolli

Pre bed
125g of cottage cheese
30g of whey
30g of peanut butter

the reason i have said to have cottage cheese,whey and peanut butter pre bed is as it makes a nice protein blend of both fast digesting whey and slow digest casein protein from the peanut butter and cottage cheese making u have a sustained release of protein through out your 8 hours of sleep.

i will be able to do a more detailed plan with the exact weights of all your food when i have some time.

now that should be your low day.

now your high day will be the same idea but just more quantity of carbs and fats...this tricks the body into believing its no longer in a calorie defecit. you can if u are strict on every other day of the week have your dinner as a cheat meal.this will help your body recover from the low calorie dieting and will boost your metabolism into running order again..

i know this is a dodge question but do u pass a stool every day? if not how long does it take u to do so?2-3days? if so this means your metabolism isnt running at full power. what u will need to do is eat at a maintaince level for about a week to get your body going again and metabolism running. its quite scary but one of the other moderators has upped my calories and cut back my training and i am finding i have more energy to push heavier weights and thats essential esp when on cycle,he also cut my cardio back from 30mins post work out and 45-60mins in the afternoon to 20mins post work out and 20mins in the afternoon. sometimes less is more as sometime the more u do the more likely u are going to suffer from over training and build up cortizol levels especially if u are on a calorie defecit diet for an extended period of time.i always thought if u do more cardio and cut the calories u will loose quickly,u do loose quickly but its muscle mass as your body goes into starvation and uses its muscle for energy and not fat as it thinks it may need the fat for energy when the food runs out...

your body is very adaptive...if you stick as something too long it tries do everything to stop it.

i will post up a copy of Skyth's pre comp diet as he is about the same lean weight as u are.

this is a good example of calorie cycling. just realise that this is a pre comp diet! skyth will come in just under 70kgs ripped and hard as a brick shit house with no water once the water dropping has been done...u can track his progress in the contest prep section (File Removed)

Yea all good, work is getting a bit under my skin but nothing an hour sweating in the gym doesnt fix ... Hows the studies going?

Hey djs great thread bud ...

studying a part time course at the moment seeing i am now a qualified Public Relations Practioner,just waiting to graduate and then find a job....what a wonderful world hope u still training hard bud

Thanks Ogre,i hope its quite a bit informative to the guys who read it cos i think u and i both know that the world of dieting is a bit of a mystery and dropping calories to a low level isnt good for if u wanna retain muscle without burning out....

Okay, so I have thrown a few things together. I know this isn't a true bodybuilding diet, but it is practical, and I'm sure it will work for fat loss. Haven't checked how much calories it is.

#1- Half Cup Oats + Whey Shake.
#2- 2 Tbs Peanut Butter
#3- 2 Tbs Peanut Butter
**Workout**
#4- (Post Workout) Whey Shake + Banana
#5- 250ml Milk + 3 eggs
#6- Half Cup Rice + 200-300g Meat

Any advice? I calculated I need about 2600 calories for fat loss. Will still bump it into fitday and check what it is.

Thanks.

Champ body building and dieting is far from practical,you can't be expecting to loose weight or maintain muscle on a diet like that...you have to make a commitment to yourself to do this,i too still live at home and my parents support my eating habits cos they know its something i want to do...i cook all my meals for the day once off and u can cook for the week in advanced... If u wanna do this properly then ditch the practical idea...more protein needs to be eaten in every single meal,and 2 meals of 2table spoons of peanut butter aint gonna cut it...i can draw u up a keto diet which means u will be eating 6eggs a day,180whey,120g of peanut butter and 2meals with whole food,1with chicken and veg and nuts,1 with red meat salad and olive oil.this will probably follow your practical stage as u can pay for your whey on your own without your parents help but u will not need eat as much whole food which would be best but due to your restrictions can't happen...drop me a mail and i can see if i can help u.

Thanks man. You are really helpful. What's your email?
Here's mine:
EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED

Hey djeasye thanks for the feedback.

skyth diest puts thing into prospective, will be working around his and the diet you posted above.My height is 1.77m 177cm.

And by the way i pass the stool about 1-2 times a days i found i'm not regular when am eating with long gaps in betwween each meal only.

How long do u suggest a diet like skyth should be until you return to a maintance level?

Is coffee unlimited when dieting ?

ok u should up the calories of each day by about a 100calories to suit your body mass endomorph,what u forget is that when u drop your calories too low for too long then your body goes into starvation. ok so what i would do if i was u bud is follow this protocol for 2 weeks and see how much fat u drop, try and move your legs day and your back day to a high calorie day and i am also assuming that u are going to be taking weekends off...

Monday : Moderate
Tuesday:High
Wednesday: Low
Thursday:Low
Friday:High
Saturday low
Sunday low

just try that out, u see your maintaince level should be 3000calories, and u wanna drop maximum 20% of those calories, in order to loose fat, so what u are doing but zig zagging your carbs like that is keeping your body in a calorie defecit but not a constant defecit and u are adjusting it constantly which helps your body not adapt to the fact u are dropping calories for extended periods of time. i suggest what u do is add 1 cheat meal a week only on a high day,so i would go for friday nights dinner as a cheat meal...that way you will be going over maintaince calories and it will confuse your body cos now its getting in extra food again... this will also drive your t3 levels back to normal.

ok its good that u are still passing a stool,i have found that if i drop calories too low i will go for 4-5days with out passing and it can be quite unpleasant when u actually have to pass one at the end of the week...

how long should u cycle calories for? well thats up to bud,if are looking to get shredded then u can cycle calories untill u have reached your goal essentially. u say u are at 15% bf so i say when u get down to 77kgs then u have hit your 6% bf goal. and u should have abs by that stage.

limit your coffee to pre work out and in the morning 2-3 cups should be ok...

also u are going to need to do some cardio in order to help speed up the process...throw in 20mins cardio post work out to help burn body fat seeing that muscle glycogen will be depleted after weight training...u should drop a kg a week like this with out the use of a fat burner..so after 2-4 weeks when things start slowing down then add in a fat burner to help get that metabolism and fat burning process running again...and when u reach that stage then u will need to add in more cardio but another session of cardio starting with 20mins and then upping it if the results dont happen. you cant just throw yours self into a heavy bodybuilding and cardio regieme as the body is gonna try and resist it,so if u start slowely and start upping cardio when u hit a brick wall the results will be better in the long term than just throwing yourself into it at full tilt... it will also help u from burning out.

Thanks djeasye i really appreciate your attention to my questions, i will start as soon as I have worked everything out and will let know how things go.

once again thanks a lot.

bud i was once uninformed and its not a good place to be if u are trying lean out and drop body fat...this sport is hard at the best of times and when u have to run around trying to find information that can help u it becomes even harder... also there are so many people that claim this and that works and u never quite know if it will....i know that this method of carb cycling works but i will start researching more into the keto diets aswell just to give people a broad spectrum of knowledge...