Bodybuilding Nutrition: 20 Tips to Lose Bodyfat

By: MuscleSports.net

Achieving a caloric deficit is the first step in loosing bodyfat for good.....

Getting rid of bodyfat is a tricky thing. Sadly enough, we can’t give you just one answer to reverse years of late-night drinking, fast-food binges and liberal use of ever kind of condiment under the sun. We did, however, come up with 20 ways to give bodyfat a proper send-off. A big part of it has to do with your training and cardio regimens — keep those up. But in this article “Bodybuilding Nutrition: 20 Tips to Lose Bodyfat!” we step away from the gym and into your kitchen to give you a practical list for cleaning up your eating habits and, as a result, your physique.

1. Change your lifestyle.
When you go on a “program” to lose bodyfat, you may set yourself up for failure. A program implies that there is a beginning and end, which is when most people return to their old bad habits. If you want to lose fat and keep it off make changes that you can live with indefinitely. Don’t over-restrict calories, and find an exercise program that adequately challenges you, provides progression and offers sufficient variety so that you can maintain it for years to come.

2. Drink More Water!
Water is the medium in which most cellular activity takes place, including fat burning. Drinking more water in addition makes you feel full which helps to control your hunger. Try to drink at least 1 ounce for every 2 pounds of body weight. So if you weigh 200 lbs that 100 ounces. Thats roughly 6 half liter bottle a day, so drink up, your physique will thank you later.

3. Consume fewer calories than you burn
To figure out how many calories you burn a day, calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) — the number of calories you burn daily doing routine activities, not including formal exercise — using this formula: RMR = bodyweight (in pounds) x 13. Next, determine how many calories you burn through exercise — a half-hour of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise burns around 350 calories in the average man, and a half-hour of lifting burns around 200. Add your RMR to the calories you burn in the gym, and keep your daily calorie consumption below that total.

Reduce your consumption of foods like french fries.

4. Reduce starchy carbs.
Consuming too many starchy foods, such as potatoes, rice, pasta and breads (especially at one sit-ting), provides your body with more than it needs for energy and glycogen stores; anything left over will be stored as fat. You don’t have to eliminate starchy carbs completely, but you should really cut back on them when trying to shed bodyfat. Limit total starch servings per day to 3—5, where a serving size is one cup of pasta, rice or sliced potatoes..

5. Eat Your Breakfast!
Your body been starving all night long, so feed it what it needs. If your like most people and just catch something fast your setting your self up for a bad day where you will be playing nutrient catchup all day. This affect you workout and everything else you do. Eat sufficient protein (30-40 grams), complex carbs (like oatmeal) and a piece of fruit (Fuji Apples are Great) to begin your day.

Doughnut's are tasty but need to be kept scarce if you intend to loose those unwanted pounds!

6. Limit sugar consumption.
Taking in simple carbs (sugars) right after weight training replenishes muscle and liver glycogen stores, but excess sugar consumed at other times will be stored as fat. Satisfy your sweet tooth occasionally, but try limiting your intake of sugar to fresh fruit. Replace sugary beverages like soft drinks and juice with water; coffee, tea or diet soda.

7. Rotate your Carbs.
Try eating about one gram of carbs per-pound of bodyweight for 3—5 days — these being low-carb days — and doubling that for the next 1—2 days, then repeating that cycle. If you weigh 200 pounds, eat 200 grams on low-carb days and 400 grams on other days.

8. Drink Black Coffee.
Caffeine makes the body rely more of fat for fuel the glucose. The caffeine effect is lessened when you eat a high carbohydrate meal with it. Drink one to two cups of black coffee within 2 hours of working out and if eating something with it emphasize healthy fats and quality protein. Skip the cream and sugar, and avoid drinking coffee at other time of the day to get the full effect of the caffeine.

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9. Avoid drastic calorie reductions.
Any competitor who drastically cuts calories to try to get leaner for a show learns that that’s not the best way to diet, they usually end up looking flat and depleted. The same holds true for non-competitors; aim for a modest decrease in calories instead. Smaller bodybuilders shouldn’t cut more than 200-300 calories per day, and larger bodybuilders shouldn’t cut more than 500.

10. Eat 5—6 meals a day.
Dieters often decrease the number of daily meals in an attempt to reduce calories — a big no-no. If they were to eat six meals a day versus three with the same total calories, they would lose more fat because more meals burn more calories [by increasing thermogenesis, the production of heat, in the body]. Calculate how many calories you want to consume per day (see tip 3), and spread them evenly across 5—6 meals.

11. Take CLA.
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) has come into vogue in bodybuilding circles as a fat burner. Several studies in humans have shown modest effects on fat loss. Try 3 grams per day of CLA.

12. Consider Ephedrine.
Ephedrine is the active ingredient found in the plant ephedra, also known as ma huang. Ephednne increases the amount of calories the body burns by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, causing fat cells to be mobilized for fuel. It also is protein sparing (saving the aminos for your muscles), Never exceed label recommendations for dosages, and consult a physician before using any ephedra product.

13. Use Creatine.
Creatine, a potent muscle-builder, may also help you burn fat. The muscle added during creatine use increases your resting metabolic rate, stoking your fat-burning furnace. This is critical during a fat-loss phase, when low calorie intake can compromise your muscle mass and lower your metabolic rate. Begin with a five-day loading phase: 15—20 grams daily divided into 3—4 equal doses. After that, take 3—5 grams of creatine per day with a meal post-exercise.

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14. Eat Your Vegetables.
Vegetable are nutrient dense, meaning they pack maximum nutrition with very little calories, leaving you more satisfied on less calories. Try consuming at least five serving a day be it on your sandwich as a snack or side dish to your chicken breast.

15. Don’t over-rely on Fat Burners.
Fat burners help reduce bodyfat, but they won’t counter poor eating habits If you take the products mentioned in tips 11—13 without exercising or eating well, you’ll be more inclined to pack it on than to lose it. Fat burners are not magic pills —use them along with a solid nutrition and exercise plan.

16. Consume 25-35 grams of Fiber a day.
Fiber lowers insulin levels — along with total calories — affecting how lean you’ll get. Fiber absorbs water and takes up more space in your stomach, fighting off hunger pangs, too. Great sources of fiber include bran cereal, oatmeal and beans. Check nutrition labels for fiber content.

17. Eliminate All Junk Food.
Junk food is food that hold no nutritional value to you as an athlete. Foods such as french fries, potato chips and sweets offer nothing but empty calories and should be avoided. Cheat foods on the other hand like pizza, and hamburgers hold some nutritional value, plus eating them once in a while can really help you when your eating strict.

18. Eat the proper amount of Protein.
Many bodybuilders jack their protein through the roof when they diet. Protein has calories too which can be stored as fat if over consumed. Take in 1 — 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day, (200—300 grams for a 200- pound person). This provides sufficient amino acids to maintain muscle mass, while keeping your total calorie count under control.

19. Eat more healthy fats.
Healthy fats are totally under utilized by individuals trying to shed bodyfat. You have to reduce calories to get rid of bodyfat, but you don’t want to cut out healthy fats completely. Fats take longer to break down in your stomach and help control blood-sugar levels, leaving you more satisfied and reducing your cravings. Include avocados, fatty fish, olives, nuts and seeds, and oils such as olive, flaxseed and canola in your diet.

20. Eat cheat foods for flavor.
If you love a particular food, you shouldn’t prohibit yourself from eating it. Avoid the bad foods that you don’t love or crave. And when you eat cheat foods, eat them for flavor Don’t eat the whole pizza — have a few slices, savor the flavor and enjoy it. Share the rest.

Thats it - Bodybuilding Nutrition: 20 Tips to Lose Bodyfat! These are simple and relatively easy steps you can take to lose the bodyfat and keep it from coming back. We know its hard but damn it any thing worth having and keeping are hard to come by, and health is one such thing.

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