Workout Diet Plans

Committing to exercise regularly also involves coming up with a diet that makes your workouts as effective as possible. The specifics depend on your goals, but you should devise a diet plan that provides all the nutrients your body needs to generate and sustain energy for aerobic workouts, weight training or a combination.

Considerations

The first thing to determine when creating a diet plan to support an exercise regimen is your workout goal. Some people want to lose weight, specifically body fat. Others want to gain weight by putting on muscle. Putting on a lot of muscle requires increasing your calorie intake, albeit with an emphasis on healthy foods rather than junk foods. Trimming fat requires cutting calories, but not so drastically that it affects your ability to exercise and your overall quality of life.

Concepts

A few ideas are appropriate for any diet plan you choose to fuel your workouts. You should eat four to six smaller meals, spreading them as evenly as possible throughout the day, rather than two or three bigger ones. Eating more often helps your body get the nutrients it needs to consistently maintain energy and stamina. It also keeps your metabolic rate up so you burn more calories rather than storing them as fat, while ensuring you avoid a caloric deficiency that may cause your body to burn muscle cells for energy. Be sure to also stay hydrated throughout the day by frequently drinking water or a sports beverage.

Menus

Regardless of activity level, everyone needs a complete array of nutrients. Your precise meal plan and portion sizes hinge on the amount of calories that will help you meet your workout objectives. Military.com's website lists food choices that should be staples of anyone's diet regardless of their goals. Good sources of carbohydrates include whole-grain bread, pasta and cereal; brown rice; and fruits and vegetables. Good sources of protein include lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes and low-fat dairy products. Healthy sources of dietary fat include fish, which has a heart-healthy fatty acid called omega 3, as well as nuts and olive oil.

Warning

"Fad" or "crash" diet plans are not ideal for supporting a consistent workout regimen. These diets may be effective in helping you lose weight in the short term by restricting calories or eliminating certain food groups. In the process, however, they increase the difficulty of consuming all the nutrients you need to work out well. Even if your goal is solely to lose weight rather than gain muscle or tone up, you need the exercise fuel that comes from eating a well-rounded diet.

Expert Insight

Although you would have to pay for their services, registered dietitians are excellent sources of detailed advice about diets that specifically suit your body and help you meet your goals. They provide menus that break down what, when and how much to eat. Nutritionists likewise offer professional advice, but may not have the same certification or training as dietitians. The diet programs outlined in fitness magazines may not be reliable, according to the Ask The Trainer website, because supplement companies own many of the magazines and, thus, may skew the information to reflect favorably on their products.