[Powerlifter]

Diet guidelines

There are generally three diets that I get asked for on here – I am attempting to compile some information to allow you to use the basic model below and fit with foods that you like and of course fits your goals.

Broadly summed up the three diets are based around:

• Fat Loss/Weight Loss – Losing body fat and becoming ‘toned’

• Sports performance – Faster, stronger, healthier maintenance diets

• Mass gain – Bulking up, either to be more curvaceous or to become more muscular

I will cover the basic structure of the diets, key elements of planning and what sort of training it supports.
A guide at the end of the summary will include various foods that fall into the groups.

• Fat Loss/Weight Loss

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Here the basic principle is very simple; reduce the total fuel of the body to cause it to catabolise tissue. As most guys and girls want to lose fat and not muscle we want to try to make the body catabolise adipose tissue.
It is vital to combine this diet model with regular exercise, both cardiovascular based and resistance based – this is key to helping the body use adipose tissue over muscle mass, if you think about it logically if you are using your muscles then your body knows it still needs them, as such it turns to its emergency energy stores for fuel.

Macro breakdown.

The diet should be high protein, high to moderate fats and relatively low carbohydrate.
Simply put the protein is for recovery and supporting your muscles, the fat is used for a source of energy and the carbohydrates are used to fuel good workouts.

The diet is split with calorific values of your total consumption being approximately 50% protein (4kcals per gramme), 30% fat (9kcals per gramme) and 20% carbohydrate (4kcals per gramme)

For example if you are aining to eat 1500kcals per day

Protein: 750kcals / 4 = 187.5g
Fat: 450kcals / 9 = 50g
Carbs: 300kcals / 4 = 75g

The timing of the carbohydrate intake is relatively simple. Using the example above the 75g would be broken down into three servings, the first with the morning meal, the second around an hour before a workout and the remainder in your post training meal.
If you train in the morning then keep it simple and just split the value in half and use two portions.

The other meals should only contain carbohydrate in green vegetable form, broccoli, green beans etc (not salad).

Aside this you simply break the protein and fat down into three basic meals and two snacks.

For example assuming training was in the evening

Meal 1:

Museli & Eggs

Meal 2: Snack

1/2 chicken breast and broccoli

Meal 3: Lunch

Oily fish and veg

Meal 4 (pre workout)

Two pieces of fruit and a protein shake

Meal 5 (post workout)

As per meal 4

Meal 6 Evening meal

Meat & Vegetables

· Sports performance

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The vast majority of sports will require a large amount of energy – performance is critical to this.

You will however need to make a sensible decision here as to the energy demands of your sport.

If for example you are swimming twice a day for a total of 4-5 hours you will require massive amounts of energy compared to someone who does 1hr of squash a day.

The diet needs to be adjusted to cope with this, adequate protein for recovery but the real key here is the energy source and amount of energy you are using.

In the example above using the swimmer, the body will require a very large amount of glycogen replenishment and build up to allow for performance. This can be achieved by eating a ready source of energy in the form of carbohydrate.
Simple carbs before and immediately after training to provide immediate energy and immediate energy replacement, followed with a large influx of complex carbs to build a steady base of energy for the evening session.

The squash player however will be better served (excuse the pun) with a steady flow of carbohydrates throughout the day at a lower volume than the swimmer, followed by simple carbs pre and post game. During the daily intake using good fats as a booster for energy is closer to being optimal.

The squash players diet will look very similar to the weight loss diet above with different ratios and the inclusion of complex carbs in the main meals.

E.g

Breakfast – Muesli
Snack – Handful of nuts and a piece of fruit
Lunch – Oily Fish/Meat, vegetables and brown pasta/rice
Pre game – Protein shake and two pieces of fruit
Post game – as above
Dinner – Meat, vegetables and either root vegetables or rice/pasta

This diet will be a split of closer to 25% Protein, 45% carbs and 30% fats

Where as the swimmer will be something more like

Breakfast pre swim - Eggs, Oats with honey
Post swim – Three pieces of fruit, handful of nuts
Snack – Flapjacks and fruit
Lunch – Chicken & Pasta in sauce with cheese
Snack – As per previous snack
Pre swim – Oats with honey
Post swim – Fruit & Nuts
Dinner – Similar to lunch

This split will be closer to 10% fat, 25% protein and a massive 65% carbohydrate

You really do need to be realistic in terms of the energy expenditure you have, all kcals are not equal in terms of performance so try to make it optimal for what you do.

To maintain a healthy balanced diet while performing moderate activity you should be looking at around a 30% protein, 25% fats and 45% carbs – this of course takes into account your calorific needs on a day to day basis and is most certainly not set in stone.

· Weight gain

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Ok, a very common one on the forum is based around skinny guys trying to add muscle to their frame. It is usually accompanied by:

“Oh my gawd I eatz so much food must have a super high metabolism”

Firstly – the above is total *******s!
Secondly – You do not eat enough – fact

No matter how much exercise you are doing something cannot be build out of nothing. There HAS to be a calorific surplus to cause overall growth.
Now don’ be fooled here with people who will give anecdotal evidence of “Well my cousins sisters brothers friend ate a calorie deficit and grw his arms 12 inches in one workout”
It is possible for the body to use bodyfat as energy in addition to the food, using this combined total to build muscle mass – did you hear that, someone admitting it is possible? But it is insanely hard for most to do this, the vast majority do not achieve this, they simply trim the fat and low and behold their muscles seem more apparent – this is not to say said muscles have actually grown.

Ok on to the diet, now this is assuming you are following a heavy compound training programme primarily with some isolation thrown in (about a 20% work rate) if that is your thing – if not, why not?

Basically on this diet you need to fuel both an effective workout and the recovery and growth of muscle mass.
This diet is essentially high protein, medium carbs and medium fats – this will contain more carbs than the cutting diet. The split will be something like 40% protein, 35% carbs, 25% fats.

Carbs will be heavy either side of a training session, but there will bean inclusion in every meal unlike the cutting diet which only has them in the first meal and workout surrounding meals.

In relation to kcal requirements you need to be realistic, with hard training you should be aiming to build approximately .5 of a kilo per week – initially you may find your strength rockets with slow bodyweight gains, however the size will catch up once you get going.

So as a basic diet guide (assuming an evening workout)

Breakfast – Eggs & Rolled oats
Mid Morning – Weight gain shake (Oats, Protein & Fats – idea later on)
Lunch – Lean Meat, Vegetables and Rice/Potatoes
Mid Afternoon – Weight gain shake
Pre workout – Fruit/Cerial and Protein shake
Post workout – As above
Evening Meal – As per lunch (aim to include oily fish at least 4 times a week)
Pre bed snack – Cottage cheese/Peanut butter on toast

A simple and very effective weight gain shake is to simply take rolled oats, protein powder & either peanut butter or olive oil – blend them up and mix with either water or milk depending on how much you require. Very cheap, very effective.

You will note there are more meals included – this is straightforward – meal size isn’t much different to the maintenance diet, there are just more of them. Using blended drinks makes it easier to consume the required kcals.

- Methods

Now depending on how you want to do it, largely depending on how you wish to be seen there are two basic categories here (obviously there is a middle ground for many)
- Clean bulk – where the diet is in calorific surplus by a small amount (such as 500kcals per day) made up of food low in saturated fat, high fibre and generally considered good for you
- Dirty bulk – where the calorific surplus is much larger and to achieve this things such as high fat fast food are used to help boost the kcals

Either method is fine:
Clean bulks tend to grow slowly – you need to constantly find the balance of what you are eating, gains are predominantly muscle and maintain a better look year round. Preferred by bodybuilders/body conscious people

Dirty bulks do make you grow fast, in strength too – however you will gain bodyfat while doing this, a preferred method for many strongmen, powerlifters, rugby props etc who’s only goal is power. Once a weight equal to the calorific maintenance is achieved the body stays the same weight then begins re-constituting the mass to muscle.

- Food types

I have mentioned different foods but just to clarify a few things

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FATs – All the diets are talking of healthy fats, these include such things as oily fish (Mackerel, Pilchards), nuts, peanut butter & olive oil (and associated spreads).

There are countless other examples but be sure to understand I am not referring to butter, saturated fat or trans fats.

Proteins – Sources for this are very easy to identify, primary sources are animals and animal produce; Meat, eggs, cheese, milk etc natural sources include primarily beans, nuts & hummus.

Carb sources – The three varients I am primarily speaking is Low, Medium and High GI, here is a link that has a good list. Carbs should be predominantly Low to Medium GI normally and Medium to High GI around workouts (before and after).

http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

Without going into the exact science of it all the body takes a meal as a complete GI load, not the individual components – for example the inclusion of fats to either protein or carbs will slow the digestion down.

While the inclusion of high Gi carbs will speed up the digestion.

This is where you need to use your common sense!!

Feel free to comment, add sections or request further information on sections and I will try to build it (and Mods if I am not here feel free to edit and add bits you find useful)

[Daviant]

Looks great, loads of good information.
For further reading people could look here.
Loads of useful information and FAQs.

[Powerlifter]

Cheers

[HFerguson]

Thank you for finally writing this all down and compiling it - hopefuly it'll stop people endlessly posting the same questions. Good info.

[Becca]

Stickied.

[Liv1204]

Thank-you for this, this is just what I needed at the moment.

[wisey9]

good sections with good amounts of information , obviously taking it as a pinch of salt , as it varies for all people , but the basis is certainly there cheers

[another_member]

(Original post by wisey9)
good sections with good amounts of information , obviously taking it as a pinch of salt , as it varies for all people , but the basis is certainly there cheers

Thanks

[Becca]

(Original post by Powerlifter)
x

Just interested to know why you state "The other meals should only contain carbohydrate in green vegetable form, broccoli, green beans etc (not salad). "?

[Powerlifter]

(Original post by Becca)
Just interested to know why you state "The other meals should only contain carbohydrate in green vegetable form, broccoli, green beans etc (not salad). "?

Salad based veg e.g carrots, lettuce and the like are higher in sugars and lower in fibre in general so in the interests of keeping insulin levels constant for optimal fat loss broccoli etc are superior.

[Shawshank]

Just an fyi there is no dietary requirement for fibre and the "associated spreads" part should be taken out, vegetable oil sux and shouldn't be consumed by humans. Butter is awesome.

[cowsforsale]

(Original post by Shawshank)
Just an fyi there is no dietary requirement for fibre and the "associated spreads" part should be taken out, vegetable oil sux and shouldn't be consumed by humans. Butter is awesome.

What are your thoughts on raw milk?

[Shawshank]

(Original post by cowsforsale)
What are your thoughts on raw milk?

If I had enough money I'd be ordering some every week.

www.hookandson.co.uk

[Becca]

(Original post by Powerlifter)
Salad based veg e.g carrots, lettuce and the like are higher in sugars and lower in fibre in general so in the interests of keeping insulin levels constant for optimal fat loss broccoli etc are superior.

Interesting I'm still gonna eat salad though
Although I did discover this recipe for an amazing raw broccoli salad so will be nomming on that

[Motorbiker]

(Original post by Becca)
Interesting

On the topic of cleaning up the stickies this thread could be moved to nutrition and supplements.

Removes one sticky from fitness as there is a lot here atm...

[Becca]

(Original post by MHorman)
On the topic of cleaning up the stickies this thread could be moved to nutrition and supplements.

Removes one sticky from fitness as there is a lot here atm...

Good point

[shorty.loves.angels]

For the fat loss example - should it be meal 5: as per meal 4? Not pointing out errors, just seems to mean like that.

I've been following something really similar since beginning of November and have lost a lot of fat. Need to exercise more though

Are the odd bits of fruit (pre and post workout I assume) really enough to provide the carbs necessary for some basic (I'm no athlete) exercise/ training? I was saying in the Barbelles forum the other day that I want to add in exercise but am terrified of starting to eat too many carbs and ruining it.

Edit: Oh and some carb at breakfast I notice.

[Powerlifter]

(Original post by shorty.loves.angels)
For the fat loss example - should it be meal 5: as per meal 4? Not pointing out errors, just seems to mean like that.

I've been following something really similar since beginning of November and have lost a lot of fat. Need to exercise more though

Are the odd bits of fruit (pre and post workout I assume) really enough to provide the carbs necessary for some basic (I'm no athlete) exercise/ training? I was saying in the Barbelles forum the other day that I want to add in exercise but am terrified of starting to eat too many carbs and ruining it.

Edit: Oh and some carb at breakfast I notice.

Sorry only just noticed this.

Yes it should read that - corrected :-)

Fruit will be sufficient to start with, but you have to understand this is a guide and not set in stone. You may find certain things don't work and you will need to adjust them.

[Gallium]

Good guide brah , you defined a clean bulk as 500+ per day, my question is how much of a surplus would you recommend for maximum strength/muscle gain without diminishing returns setting in.

is a recomp just a process of burning fat/gaining muscle i thought that wasn't possible ;/

[Powerlifter]

(Original post by Gallium)
Good guide brah , you defined a clean bulk as 500+ per day, my question is how much of a surplus would you recommend for maximum strength/muscle gain without diminishing returns setting in.

is a recomp just a process of burning fat/gaining muscle i thought that wasn't possible ;/

That is a very open question to be honest and to hard to pinpoint due to all the variations in metabolism, work rate etc – this can only be viewed as a guide, even the best research cannot definitively answer diet based queries as there are too many variables to control.

As a rule of thumb if in doubt eat more.

A recomp is exactly that, your body in a simplistic way becomes accustomed to being a certain weight, bulking to a weight and staying there will effectively allow a gradual recomp. It is very possible, its not easy but it is possible, I have done it myself as have many lifters when making the most of their weight classes