While many bodybuilders aim to gain weight and mass, others need to lose weight to attain their desired physique. In this situation, it is important to follow a balanced diet that provides enough energy, since working out aids the weight loss process. Bodybuilders should not alter their diets too heavily when trying to lose weight, but should focus on eliminating unnecessary calories.
Fat and Protein
When trying to lose weight, bodybuilders must begin by eliminating unnecessary fat from the diet. Fat is inherently found in protein, which the body needs to grow muscle and regenerate cells. About 35 percent of a bodybuilder's diet should come from protein to aid this growth. Choose low-fat proteins like poultry, lean cuts of beef, low-fat dairy and fish to keep your daily fat intake to about 15 percent of your diet. Avoid deep-fried foods and cooking with unnecessary oils.
Energy
Even when trying to lose weight, bodybuilders should follow a diet that contains at least 50 percent carbohydrate. You need energy to complete your workouts and carbohydrates are the best energy source available. Foods like whole grain bread, rice, pasta, lentils and beans add energy to your diet, but do not include any added sugars. Items with added sugar bring empty calories to your diet -- your body may store these empty calories as fat, which harms your physique. At every meal, fill up half of your plate with complex carbohydrates, which give you the energy to work out and lose weight.
Fluids
Although you can lose weight quickly by avoiding fluids, this weight loss does not last and hinders your fitness goals. Consume a minimum of 10 cups of water during the day to aid your digestion process. Since bodybuilders eat so much to build muscle mass, they require water to help break the food down, so that the body's digestive enzymes have a chance to finish the process. Allow your body to absorb the water by drinking one cup 15 minutes before every meal and then another cup with your meal. To lose weight, your body must use the nutrients from the food that you eat and then dispose of the waste efficiently; water helps this process.
Digestion
Your digestive system must work efficiently for you to lose weight, so the timing of your meals is important. Since you want all of the food that you consume to be used for energy, eat a meal about two hours before your workout. This gives your body a chance to digest the food, so it can then focus on burning fat and building muscle. When losing weight, your goal is to create a calorie deficit, which means that you use more calories than you consume. You must, however, give those calories time to become available for use before you exercise.
References
- "Bodybuilding 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get the Body You Want"; Robert Wolff, Ph.D; 1999
- "Men's Body Sculpting"; Nicholas Evans; 2010
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