When you first begin bodybuilding, you imagine the way you'll look when you lose your body fat. The diet you adopt to lose fat will largely be the same diet you incorporate to build muscle mass, only less calorie-dense. When losing body fat to reveal your underlying muscle mass, it's important to eat enough calories to maintain your lean mass. Undereating on a bodybuilding fat-loss diet will cause your body to break down muscle tissue for nutrients, resulting in muscle loss.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
Everyone's body is different, but you'll most likely see results by reducing your caloric intake to 15 to 20 percent below the amount you need to maintain your weight, according to the BMI Calculator website. You may decide to adjust up or down from that level when you begin to see the effect your intake has on your body. The biggest factor in your fat loss will be your total number of calories consumed daily. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a long-term study showed that reduced-calorie diets led to weight loss regardless of the amount of carbs, fat and protein there were in the diets. Your total daily energy expenditure refers to the number of calories you need each day for your resting metabolism as well as your daily activities.
Starvation Mode
Consuming less than half of your caloric needs can lead to significant loss of muscle and internal organ tissue. To determine how many calories you should consume each day to lose weight, the BMI Calculator website recommends finding your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or resting metabolism, which can be done using the online calculator (see Resources). Multiply your BMR by between 1.2 and 1.9, depending on your activity level, and then subtract 500 to 1,000 calories.
Low-Carb Diets
Many bodybuilders reduce most of their calories in carbohydrates because they believe digesting carbs leads to fat storage by causing the body to release insulin. According to the McKinley Health Center, your body can use both fat and carbohydrates for energy -- as during aerobic exercise -- although carbs constitute your body's main energy source. When you're on a bodybuilding fat-loss diet program, you'll perform aerobic exercise as well as cut calories to lose weight, so you may want at least some carbohydrates in your diet. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recommends a reduced-carbohydrate diet as opposed to one that reduces all food groups. By mainly reducing carbs, especially in the form of sugar, you'll be able to keep the protein you need in your diet to maintain your muscle mass.
Fat-Loss Metabolism
Eating small meals throughout the day causes your body to burn calories continuously through the process of digestion. You'll also have a continuous supply of nutrients to help you recover from strenuous workouts. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five days a week, although you can work out more than that. The ACSM also recommends lifting weights at least two days a week, although you'll probably adhere to a more rigorous bodybuilding split routine.
References
- BMI Calculator: Calorie Intake to Lose Weight
- Harvard School of Public Health: Diets That Reduce Calories Lead to Weight Loss, Regardless of Carbohydrate, Protein or Fat Content
- University of Cincinnati Net Wellness: Ask an Expert: Weight Loss Plateau! Help on Reaching my Goal
- McKinley Health Center: Macronutrients: The Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: A Diet that Works
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity Guidelines
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