These are the elements by which we sustain and maintain life and a healthy body.  Government set RDA’s are drastically inadequate and are only set to prevent you from contracting deficiency diseases such as Rickets, Scurvy etc. 

They are especially low for anyone partaking in a fitness programme, as the extra demand will require an increased and regular intake.  When selecting food sources, go for choices as natural and as unrefined as possible.  Modern processing removes the majority of nutrients and fibres available in foods.  Choosing fresh produce and veering from packaged/convenience foods will ensure a high level of nutrients.

PROTEIN (4 CALS/GRAM)

Required for tissue repair and build up.  Consists of 22 amino acids (essential-need to be taken in through the diet/supplementation and non-essential aminos can be manufactured in the body utilising available aminos).  These amino acids are the building blocks of tissue cells.  Aim for 1g-1½g for each pound of bodyweight each day.  Try to select quality protein sources such as Fish, Skinless Chicken and Turkey, Eggs, Lean Red Meat, Reduced fat dairy products and of course quality supplements such as Whey.

CARBOHYDRATES (4 CALS/GRAM)

Along with fat the body utilises carbohydrates as an energy source.  It is stored in the muscles and liver (along with water) as Glycogen.  There are simple sugars (which cause blood sugar fluctuations and ensuing insulin response). Complex carbohydrates on the other hand cause a much steadier release and less drastic insulin response.  Also in the area of complex carbs are fibrous carbs, such as green leaf vegetables, which add fibre to your diet and are a good filling food source when dieting, as they tend not to be calorie dense.
COMPLEX; Rice, Breads, Pastas, Potatoes.
SIMPLE: - Fruits, Sugars and Sweets.
FIBROUS; Broccoli, Green Beans, Sprouts
and other green leafy vegetables.

FATS (9 CALS/GRAM)

A very concentrated form of energy, essential for storage of certain vitamins ( A ,D ,E , & K).  Fat should be kept to a minimum where possible as hidden fats occur naturally in foods especially in Meat and Fish.  Some fats are required in a healthy diet, especially in the form of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils).   The best form of oil to use when cooking is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

WEIGHT LOSS DIET

The most common mistake that people make when trying to lose weight is that they go on a  crash diet, actually starving their bodies of important nutrients that are necessary to stay healthy.
What you should be doing is trying to lose body fat at such a rate that loss will be permanent and not damaging to your health.  The way to do this is to gradually reduce your calories, ensuring that you are taking adequate amounts of all essential nutrients, whilst undertaking some form of exercise programme.  Your metabolism will work a lot more effectively if you divide your intake of food into small portions several times a day.  This is often ignored and people starve themselves only to overeat in one large meal, which cannot be fully digested and, therefore, will be stored as body fat.  So for more effective absorption of what you eat you should be eating at least four meals per day.
The ratio of foods you should eat: -
50% from carbohydrates (complex carbs, fibrous carbs and some fruit)
30-40% from protein (taking into account the fat content + protein quality)
10-15% from fats (some fats are essential for the bodies health)
Keep excess fats to a minimum by cutting out fried foods, full-fat dairy products etc.  Essential fatty acids are actually good for you so don’t get too paranoid about these.  Avoid sweet sugary foods, learn to snack on fruit etc rather than sweets and cakes, or better still snack on lightly cooked vegetables.

You should remember that muscle actually burns calories even when resting so, therefore, if you want to hold onto the lean muscle tissue that you have you will have to take in sufficient calories to maintain this.   If you try to lose weight too rapidly you will end up losing lean muscle (as well as water stored in the muscle which is essential, as muscle is actually 70% water).  So the rule is gradual loss is permanent loss.

A sample breakdown of your days meals would be:
8.00am BREAKFAST cereal (e.g. oatmeal) & Eggwhites
10.30am SNACK turkey and salad sandwich
12.30pm LUNCH baked potato with tuna (take it easy with dressings) and vegetables
3.00pm SNACK fruit (or better still protein shake)
5.30pm DINNER chicken with salad / vegetables + rice
8.00pm SNACK low fat yoghurt (look out for hidden sugars!)

As a general rule try to keep the starchy-type carbohydrates with your morning meals and the more fibrous carbs such as vegetables for your meals later in the day. Try not to eat much after 7PM as your metabolism has slowed down and calories will not be burned up as much as in the day.

As you can see the amounts of food are low but frequent, this way the metabolism is naturally raised and food is utilised better leading to less stored body fat.  Exercise will help burn existing body fat so in time the desired amount of fat can be lost without resorting to a starvation diet.  Remember to drink plenty of water as this helps flush the system of impurities and actually helps to mobilise fat stores.

A good quality meal replacement drink can be used to replace up to two of your meals, you should look for one with a good ratio of protein to carbohydrates (around 70-30) and is low in fat and sugar. Also there are several good fat burning supplements that can help speed the metabolism and aid fat loss when exercising.  The elements that you should look for are L-Carnitine, Choline, Lecithin, Inositol and various others that can aid with water retention.  These would be taken with each meal.  There are also various supplements, which can speed your metabolism – known as “thermogenic”.

The amount of protein you require will depend upon bodyweight. As a rule you should consume 1 gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight per day.

A healthy level of fat loss is around 1-2 pounds per week, anymore is too drastic a loss and you are liable to be loosing lean tissue (also you will be creating a rebound effect so that the body will more readily store body fat).

Each person is an individual with personal preferences on diet and exercise so try to do what you enjoy.  What will work is small frequent meals and regular aerobic type exercise that is maintained for 20-40 minutes and done 3-4 times per week.

Get Lean - But be happy Getting There

WEIGHT - GAIN DIET

The basic rule to remember when trying to gain muscular bodyweight is that you must consume sufficient calories but they should, where possible, be of good quality.  Many people eat less than optimum diets and wonder why they do not grow.

There are several basic rules to gain bodyweight:

1) Have a good basic training system incorporating short, intense routines 3-4 times weekly.
2) Eat a good carbohydrate-rich diet, with regular intake of quality protein.  These meals should equal 5-6 per day.
3) Get plenty of rest and around 8 hours sleep per night. 
As stated you should be eating 5-6 meals per day, this is because the body will utilise the intake of food much better if the amounts are not too great.  If you try and fit in 4000 calories into just 3 meals then you will be trying to digest way too much and a good portion of the food will be wasted, and even stored as body fat.  By dividing the same quantity of food into smaller portions your metabolism will speed up, the food will be digested more efficiently and you won’t get that bloated feeling that can put you off eating that next important meal.

The ratio of foods you should eat:
45-50% from carbohydrates (especially from complex)
35-40% from protein
15% from fats.

You should remember that muscle burns calories even when resting so therefore the more muscle-mass you have the greater the amount of calories you need to consume, and as you grow so does your calorie requirement.

Due to the amount of meals you will have to fit in you should find yourself eating approximately every 2½-3 hours.  A sample breakdown of your days meals would be:

8.00 am BREAKFAST cereal & eggs (plus multi vitamin and mineral complex)
10.00 am SNACK weight gain drink
12.30 p.m. LUNCH tuna with pasta and vegetables
3.00pm SNACK weight gain drink
4.30pm Carbohydrate drink (aid energy levels for workout)
5.00-6.00pm WORKOUT (follow immediately with carb intake such as carb drink & good quality protein mix).
6.30 DINNER full meal such as chicken with rice and vegetables
9.00pm SUPPER baked potato with tuna

As a rule you should consume 1½ grams of protein for each pound of body weight per day.  You should also consume plenty of water, this helps flush the system and prevent dehydration.

On the days that you workout you may wish to slightly raise the amount of carbohydrates you eat to ensure that you have enough energy for your workouts but as a rule you should be eating as much on your off days.   Like your training your diet has to be consistent in order for you to make the best gains possible.

A good lean mass gain would be around 1 pound per week, much more and you will be adding fat to your physique.   If you find that you are not gaining (and you’re not overtraining) then increase your calories.  Each person is an individual with their own unique lifestyle, metabolic rate, training intensity etc so it would be impossible to give an exact calorie intake level.  Find what
works for you then refine and perfect it to make your best possible gains.

 Cain - GB Fitness