Through a systematic approach to weight lifting, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility training, posing practice and nutrition, body builders maintain high quality muscle while keeping the amount of fat on their bodies to a bare minimum for contests. Eating high quality foods in the correct amounts is critical for success not only in the sport but in life. A traditional body building diet can lead to weight loss.
Phases
Body building diets are split into phases that support the goals of the athlete. Phase one, or "bulking up", enables you to add quality muscle while exercising very hard. The bulking-up phase involves eating more calories than you burn, leading initially to weight gain. The goal of the body builder is to have most of the weight packed on during this phase be quality muscle. The second phase, or "leaning out," occurs at a minimum of 6 weeks before a contest or important event like a photo shoot and allows you to lose excess weight, preferably in the form of body fat. The basic foods of both phases are lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates. Water is also an essential element in weight loss.
Water
Water is vital for body builders and other athletes. Because of the high volume of exercise involved in the sport, body builders have been known to consume up to 2 gallons of water per day. Unless you sweat excessively, however, it is generally recommended to consume at least 64 ounces of water daily. Toward the end of the leaning out phase, some body building contestants restrict their water intake in an effort to "make weight" or be in a desirable competitive weight category. This practice is not recommended as any resulting weight loss is very brief and can have negative health consequences.
Protein
Whether in shakes, powders, bars or foods such as soybean products, skim milk, lean chicken, egg whites and tuna, protein is typically the No. 1 food for body builders. Muscle is protein; without an ample supply during periods of intense exercise, the body is not readily capable of turning other types of food into muscle tissue. During both diet phases, some body builders aim to eat 2 grams of protein for every 2.5 pounds of body weight daily. For example, if you wanted to weigh 185 pounds you would try to get 148 grams of protein a day. That may seem like a lot, but when you consider that just 1 cup of 2 percent cottage cheese contains 31 grams, it is easier to see how balanced nutrition can provide the perfect amount of protein.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats such as those naturally occurring in fish, nuts, olives, and canola oil are important for meal satisfaction and proper body function. The difference in body building diets is in quantity during the different phases. While bulking up, athletes are less concerned about the amount of these healthy fats in their nutrition plan. During the leaning out process, however, reducing fat intake assists in weight loss by reducing the amount of calories consumed overall. Cutting out just one tablespoon of oil immediately eliminates 100 calories. A very strict regimen would lower the amount of healthy fats consumed to just 10 percent of all calories eaten every day, but a more livable range of 15 to 25 percent works almost as well.
Vegetables
Vegetables provide fiber for proper digestion and nutrients for optimal body building. Whether bulking up or leaning out, eating vegetables ensures that you are getting what your body needs to function at its peak. Including a salad of mixed raw vegetables before lunch and dinner is a classic body building diet technique, just be sure to use only a small amount of a healthy fat for salad dressing, such as a vinegar and oil blend. In addition, having two vegetable 'side dishes' as options for lunch and dinner can help you reach your goal of eating 8-12 servings of vegetables daily. During the leaning out phase, some body builders are careful to avoid eating large quantities of sugary vegetables such as corn and carrots, instead focusing on eating leafy greens like kale and cruciferous veggies like cauliflower.
Fruits
Like vegetables, fruits contain fiber and essential nutrients so they are vital components of any balanced nutrition plan. Most fruit juices contain little to no fiber, so ounce for ounce 3-5 servings of whole fruits are the better pick. Choose raw, frozen or dried fruit and be especially mindful of quantity during the weight loss phase of a body building diet. For example, a serving of dried plums is just 3 prunes and an apple should be no larger than a tennis ball.
Complex Carbohydrates
Size matters in body building and on the body builder's plate, and no where is this more plain than when it comes to complex carbohydrates. a carbohydrate is considered "complex" when the naturally occurring fiber in the grain or starch has been preserved. Examples include 100 percent whole grain bread, brown rice, potatoes with their skins and whole wheat pasta blends. Critical to energy production, the quantity of complex carbohydrates eaten is less important during the bulking up phase. When leaning out, however, most body builders pay careful attention to their portion sizes of these foods. Did you know that 1 slice of bread is usually 1 serving? Educate yourself on the calories, protein, and types of fats and carbohydrates you consume on a regular basis and then see if a body builder's approach to weight loss might work for you.
References
- The American College of Sports Medicine's Resource Guide for Exercise Testing and Prescription, Volume 5, 2006
- Modern Principles of Athletic Training, Volume 4, 1977
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