Nutrition: Eating for Leanness

I'll be writing more about nutrition, but I'll start with some simple steps.  I've written about the sumo diet--the techniques they use to get so huge.  That's probably not what you want, so we'll talk about what bodybuilders and many other athletes do.  Here are the basics:

1. Increase your protein intake (meat, fish, eggs, etc)

You'll probably do better on a diet with about .60-.70 grams of protein daily per lb. of body weight daily.  I don't think you should obsess over protein intake, but increasing it does tend to help--it makes us feel fuller and digest slowly.

2. Never eat carbs (rice, pasta) without a good portion of protein.

A bowl of rice or pasta will quickly convert to blood sugar if it is eaten without protein.  You don't want rapid elevations in blood sugar--this makes you more likely to store fat.  

3. Watch your intake of carbohydrates, especially before periods of inactivity.

If you eat lots of carbohydrates, you probably need to cut back (unless you are trying to put on mass).  You don't want to eat loads of carbs right before inactivity (like sleeping)--this also increases the likelyhood your food will be stored as bodyfat. 

4. Avoid "empty calories"--junk like soft drinks, candy, etc.

Ice cream, soft drinks, etc. ad hundreds of calories without any nutritional benefits--thus the name "empty calories."   99% of the fast food menu tends to fall in this category.

5. Spread your calories over small meals vs two or three big meals. 

Most bodybuilders eat six meals a day.  The more you can spread your calories over several meals, the more stable your blood sugar levels will be.  This is ideal for building muscle while staying/getting lean.

6. Cheat!

Yep, I said it--cheat.  Once a week, have a single meal (or a few meals)  where you eat whatever you want. It won't affect your progress in the long run, and it will help keep you sane.  An occasional high calorie meal, in fact, is good for your metabolism--it sends "signals" to your body that you aren't starving and don't need to store fat. But limit and control your cheating--"cheating" three days a week is self-deception.  

I'll write more articles about this as I have time, but these are the basic principles.  You may not be able to follow this perfectly, but hopefully you can move your eating habits in this general direction.