Strong as Oak - Fitness, Diet and Bodybuilding Blog

Nutrition for bodybuilders is much complex than the average Joe. They are however the same in principle since we are all humans. The difference lie on the end result of having the leanest body fat possible maintained all year round.

Food Intake. Yes, it’s about the amount of food you feed your body that matters.

I previously had a discussion with my officemate about the principles of staying in shape. We bounced ideas from one exercise to another trying to determine how much calories that physical activity could burn in a given amount of time. As our discussion moved along — he simply blurted out — Let’s just not eat man. He was damn right. Discussing the amount of calories to burn doesn’t even become an issue if we did not eat. But that is not good of course. It’s better to say that we should just eat the right amount of calories.

Let’s discuss this more in detail. The logic is pretty simple.

First. If you want to maintain your weight then you should just eat the right amount of food that goes along your physical needs.
Second. If you want to lose weight then you should eat less than what your physical needs are. But we have to be careful on this as such is done slowly and gradually not on a one-time deal.
Third. If you want to gain weight then you should eat more than what your physical needs are. But we have to be careful on this also; we would want to gain muscle not a bunch of fat all over our body.

These three basic concepts are essential in dealing with food and your physical development.

How do we determine then how much food is required to achieve our goal? This is a case to case basis depending on the metabolism of your body. The way to learn about the food your body needs will require constant monitoring. We should keep on asking ourselves — how much food did I eat? Am I getting bigger? Am I getting thinner? How much muscle have I added with my current nutrition? By constantly assessing your progress you will be able to determine the amount of food you need to achieve your goal. This does not happen with a snap of a finger but through consistent hard work on a long-term plan.

Ok, as we now have a basic understanding on the amount of food intake we need its time we ask:

What foods does a great body require?

Protein. Consume at the very least 1 to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. Scientifically, protein is essential to building muscles; it is less likely to get stored as fat because of its greater thermic effect than carbohydrates and fat.

Carbohydrates. The type of carbohydrates to be taken should be low in glycemic and insulin indices like oatmeal, legumes, whole grains, etc. They decrease baseline insulin levels, higher in fiber and vitamins, and have a good effect on cortisol levels and body composition. The exceptions to this rule are the workout and post-workout periods, where high-GI carbohydrates such as dextrose and maltodextrin are superior.

Fat. Intake of this is very important and plays a major role in our physical development. Taking fat from various sources ensures balance that will promote long-term positive effects on our body. Flaxseed, fish, coconut and olive oils, together with mixed nuts dairy products and meat gives you a diversified source of fat that will be beneficial in body building.

Wow, that’s a lot of information to digest. We will get more into nutrition in our next posts. So sit tight and contemplate.

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