Basic Nutrition Details for Body Building

Based on weight of 140lbs:

140g of protein; 280-420g of carbs; 3280 calories per day

Bodybuilding is more than 50% nutrition.  To make serious gains in strength and mass, you need a solid nutrition program.

 

Focus on Protein:  140g per day (1g per of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis).  This amount is double than that of a typical person.  Protein provides the amino acids that are used as the building blocks of muscle protein.  Your protein choices should come mainly from lean animal proteins (chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs and dairy).  For chicken, thighs are a better alternative to breasts as they have the essential fat that you require.

Don’t avoid Fat: About 20-30% of your total daily calories should come from fat, with about 5-10% of those fat calories coming from saturated and monounsaturated to maintain testosterone levels.  Testosterone is essential for building muscle mass and strength and avoiding fat gain.  Choose red meats (steak and ground beef), avocados, mixed nuts, olive oil, olives and peanut butter for monounsaturated and fatty fish (salmon, trout –fresh not farmed), flaxseed oil and walnuts as good sources of essential, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.  I would recommend using coconut oil (health benefits include but are not limited to: stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.)

Carb Up: 280-420g per day (2-3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight each day). Carbs are stored in your muscles as glycogen and keep your muscles full and large and fuel during a work-out.  For the majority of most meals, stick with slow digesting carb sources like whole grains, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, fruit and vegetables.

Eat the Carbs at the Right Time: Eat a slow carb 30 minutes pre workout and mainly fast carbs post workout.  Slower digesting carbs will provide more energy and less fatigue during exercise, but, burn more fat during training.  Good slow-carb choices include fruit, whole grain bread and oatmeal (add 2 teaspoons of sprouted ground chia seeds-good source of Omega 3 and provides sustained energy with slow release of carbs).   Post workout, choose fast digesting (high glycemic) carbs such as bagels or baked potatoes or a Sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade).  This will spike levels of the anabolic hormone insulin, which drives the carbs you eat into muscle cells where they’ll be stored as glycogen to be used for our next workout.  Insulin also helps amino acids get into the muscle cells to build muscle protein.  It is  critical in delivering creatine to the muscles and increases muscle protein synthesis-major process by which muscle fibres grow.

Calorie Count: to build muscle, consume 2800 calories per day (20 calories per pound).  You must stay in a positive calorie balance to gain quality mass.  If you take in less than you burn, your body will go into conservation mode and won’t support new muscle growth. 

Eat Frequently: Eat a meal that contains quality protein and carbs every 2-3 hours to ensure a steady supply of energy and amino acids for muscle growth all day long, helping you gain mass and stay lean.  The key is attempting to keep every meal around the same size.  Usually, any meals that contain calories in excess of what the body can process is stored as fat.  The goal would be to aim for 6-8 meals per day.

Shake it Up: Pre and post workout, get in at least 20 grams of protein in convenient shake form.  This is an important meal at critical times of the day.  This will prepare your body for the training and enable you to get a head start on the recovery process.  Drink a shake with 20g of whey protein 30 minutes prior to your workout and within 60 minutes post workout, another 20-40g along with 60-100g of faster digesting carbs (ie. Bagel).

Eat Before Bed: try to consume 30-40g of a micellar casein (major milk protein) protein shake or 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese, as well as 2-3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil , 2 ounces of mixed nuts or 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter.  As you sleep, with not food available, the body goes to your muscle fibers for amino acids to fuel your brain, which is why slow-digesting proteins and healthy fats are your best choice.  These foods help slow digestion and provide a steady supply of amino acids for fuel, thereby minimizing the body’s tendency to use muscle.   

Pre workout foods (30-60 minutes before)

Apple (110 calories, 30g carbs)
Banana (105 calories, 1g protein, 27g carbs)
Blueberries  - 1 cup (83 calories, 1g protein, 21g carbs)
Orange (86 calories, 2g protein, 22g carbs)
Raspberries – 1 cup (64 calories, 1g protein, 15g carbs, 1g fat)
Strawberries – 1 cup (46 calories, 1g protein, 11g carbs)
Multigrain Bread – 1 slice (65 calories, 3g protein, 12g carbs, 1g fat)
Oatmeal – 1 cup (147 calories, 6g protein, 25g carbs, 4g fat, 4g fibre)

Post workout foods (within an hour post workout)

Cantaloupe (188 calories, 5g protein, 45g carbs, 1g fat)
Bagel  (289 calories, 11g carbs, 56g carbs, 2g fat)
Cheerios – 1 cup (111 calories, 4g protein, 22g carbs, 2g fat)
English Muffin (134 calories, 4g protein, 26g carbs, 1g fat)
Protein Powder – 1 scoop (80 calories, 20g protein, 1g carbs, 0 fat)
Baked Potato (270 calories, 7g protein, 61g carbs, 0 fat, 7g fibre)

Mass building

Top Sirloin Steak – 8oz (288 calories, 48g protein, 8g fat)
Ground Turkey – 8oz (340 calories, 40g protein, 18g fat)
 Egg (17 calories, 4g protein)
Salmon – 8oz (416 calories, 45g protein,24g fat)
Skinless Chicken Thigh – 1 pieces (82 calories, 14g protein, 3g fat)
Low-fat Cottage Cheese – 8oz (163 calories, 28g protein, 6g carbs, 2g fat)
Tuna – 6oz (191 calories, 42g protein, 1g fat)
Baked Potato (270 calories, 7g protein, 61g carbs, 0 fat, 7g fibre)
Peas – 1 cup (118 calories, 8g protein, 21g carbs, 1g fat)
Sweet Potato (103 calories, 2g protein, 24g carbs)
Corn – 1 cup (133 calories, 4g protein, 30g carbs, 2g fat)

Apple (110 calories, 30g carbs)
Banana (105 calories, 1g protein, 27g carbs)
Blueberries  - 1 cup (83 calories, 1g protein, 21g carbs)
Orange (86 calories, 2g protein, 22g carbs)
Avocado – ½ medium (145 calories, 2g protein, 8g carbs, 13g fat)
Bagel  (289 calories, 11g carbs, 56g carbs, 2g fat)
Cheerios – 1 cup (111 calories, 4g protein, 22g carbs, 2g fat)
Oatmeal – 1 cup (147 calories, 6g protein, 25g carbs, 4g fat, 4g fibre)
Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp (94 calories, 4g protein, 3g carbs, 8g fat)
Almonds – 1 oz (169 calories, 6g protein, 5g carbs, 15g fat)
Protein Powder – 1 scoop (80 calories, 20g protein, 1g carbs, 0 fat)