When cutting for a bodybuilding competition, the food you eat can be the critical factor in your appearance and success. It's not just about how many calories you eat though -- to achieve optimal results, you need to structure your meals carefully around the time of day and your training sessions and pay close attention to the quality of the food you're eating. Many people struggle with what to eat before bed, but provided you follow a few simple guidelines, you will have many tasty, physique-friendly options from which to choose.
Calories
The most important variable to control in your diet is your calorie intake. Eat too many and you won't lose any fat; eat too few and you will lose muscle. Bodybuilding diet coach Tom Venuto recommends using an online calorie calculator to work out how many calories you need. Add up how many calories you consume throughout the day, then consume the remainder in your pre-bed meal. Venuto does advise that most males will need around 3,200 to 4,000 calories per day to build lean muscle, so your calorie intake should be roughly around those figures.
Protein
Protein plays a vital role in the growth and repair of muscle tissue, helping you to recover between sessions. Sports nutritionist Dr. John Berardi recommends consuming at least 2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day when trying to build and maintain muscle tissue. As with calories, add up your protein intake in the rest of your meals, then consume as much as you need in your last meal. You may wish to look for a slow-digesting protein source. Berardi recommends a casein protein supplement, although casein-containing foods such as cottage cheese, quark cheese and low-sugar yogurt would all suffice too.
Carbohydrates and Fats
Provided you meet your calorie and protein requirements with your last meal, then you needn't worry about adding extra carbs or fats into your pre-bed feed. However, if you have just finished training, then it may be a good idea to add a moderate amount of carbohydrates in the form of fruits or whole-grains to help shuttle nutrients to your muscles and speed up recovery. If you haven't trained, then a little fat from nuts, peanut butter, coconut or seeds will help slow down the digestion of the protein, which may be of benefit.
Eating Late Myth
If you're worried that eating late will make you pile on the pounds -- don't be. Research has shown that if your pre-bed meal doesn't tip you over your recommended calorie intake, then eating late is no more likely to cause fat gain than would eating any other time of the day. During the night, your body still is metabolically active, burns calories, and actually needs a certain amount of fuel to help you recover from your training sessions. Try to leave around an hour between eating and going to sleep though, as any less than this may cause digestive discomfort.
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