Balanced Diet #
Nutrition and recovery are just as important components of the training process as the workout. Start by selecting foods to make a sample daily ration. Don’t complicate the task by choosing foods recommended by various magazines and the latest diets. It is important that the diet (in a reasonable amount) include the products that you love. You don’t need to build yourself additional obstacles. Of course, if you are an endomorph and can not live without pasta and baked goods, then limit the amount of these products. Include more vegetables and cereals in the menu. Both in nutrition and in training the main objective should be fat reduction with simultaneous muscle growth. For ectomorphs, on the contrary, a diet with foods that have a high energy value is suitable.
You should remove useless excesses from your diet: sweets, instant foods, preservatives, sauces, mayonnaise and products containing artificial colors, flavorings, etc. Try to drink more water, but less carbonated drinks, which contribute to the removal of minerals from the body. Eliminate alcohol, which inhibits testosterone production and causes a host of other problems.
Decide on the number of meals. It is better if you eat 5-6 times a day. If this is not possible, then sports nutrition products can help, because they do not require any special preparation or storage conditions. An energy bar is a sports nutrition product and a good way to satisfy your hunger during the day.
Eat some carbohydrate-rich food 1 hour before exercise. It is best if you manage to eat 2-3 times before your workout. Then your muscles will be filled with glycogen and you will not feel a lack of energy. After your workout, eat a meal containing both proteins and carbohydrates within 1.5 hours.
To look at your menu objectively and analyze problems related to the lack or excess of calories and nutrients, it is important to control what you eat. Take a calculator, a table of calories and at least approximately (for the first time) calculate the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and calories that came with the food for a day. Compare what you get with what you consume (during work and exercise).
If muscle growth is important to you, the calories you get should exceed the calories you spend by a difference of 200-300 kcal.
If you are trying to reduce the percentage of subcutaneous fat, then there should be a slight deficit in calories - again, 200-300 kcal.
In mathematical calculations, you should consider not only the caloric content of foods, but also the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Approximate proportions: 60% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, 10% fats. Depending on your metabolic rate and body type, the proportions may shift. Take menu planning seriously. It is important to immediately remove the obstacles in the form of unbalanced diet and lack of regimen, which may later distract you from the most important thing, that is, from training.
Approximate daily menu: #
- First meal - 3 boiled eggs, 100 g of oatmeal, a cup of coffee;
- 2nd meal - a portion of protein shake, 1 banana;
- The 3rd meal - 50-70 g of boiled rice, 100 g of meat, bread, 100 g of cottage cheese, tea;
- The 4th meal - a portion of a protein shake;
- The 5th meal - 100 g of meat or fish, stewed vegetables or salad, a glass of fruit juice.
The caloric value of such a menu will be about 2300 kcal. Protein content - 130 g, fat - 60 g, carbohydrates - 300 g.
Use this example as a starting point.
Take into account your own eating habits, daytime and training regimen.
When cooking, try to avoid frying as it will add extra fats and carcinogens to your food. It is better to boil or steam meat. Stew, steam, or eat your vegetables raw. Get in the habit of reading the labels on packages of prepared foods.
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