3DMUSCLEJOURNEY - The Perfect Diet

The Perfect Diet

by Natural Pro Bodybuilder - Alberto Nunez

Quite often I am approached by fellow bodybuilders, or gym goers alike about what I am eating. I get frequent questions about how to make lean offseason gains, and how to lose body fat and maintain performance in the weight room. From these guys’ perspective I seem to be able to accomplish these goals with just a snap of my finger (but it only appears this way) whenever I decide to. What it all comes down to is the very fact that I have developed a nearly flawless diet that works for me. The small print there is “me” and that my diet would certainly not aid you in reaching your full potential. Neither would following a nutrition plan used by other successful bodybuilders, or any individuals who have attained an admirable amount of muscular development and leanness. There are too many variables to each individual to expect the best from a cookie-cutter approach. In other words there is no exclusive diet, or dieting method, but surely there is a more optimal way of doing it, and chances are it’s going to be as unique as you are. In this article I will focus on how to create a blueprint for a more perfect fat loss diet. Surely we have to focus on all the variables that go into creating this plan, and to just name a few:

-Age

-Gender

-Size(Weight)

-Training Style

-Insulin Sensitivity

-Nutrient Partitioning Abilities

-Hormonal Response to Dieting

-Environmental Factors

Numbers of grams of carbohydrates, fats, and protein aside, the number one fact that decides if we lose or gain weight is caloric intake. Caloric needs are going to differ from individual to individual by up to 150% in some cases. I have seen this between people weighing the same weight, with similar ages, and what appears to be similar profiles on paper, yet the difference in caloric intake is tremendous. If both extremes were to swap diets the outcomes would be disastrous. Even if you’re not either extreme, there is still enough variation to each individual that using a generic or a template diet can leave you looking less than your best. I still cringe at the fact that still some “gurus” give their clients “the diet” or the diet they use themselves to get in shape. If one person maintains weight in the offseason at 2,700 calories, and another at 4,500, they have no business being on the same diet. In short, if you’ve ever read an article about the diet your favorite bodybuilder uses to get ripped, this person has found what works for them, not what works for you. Take it as no more than entertainment in most cases.

Body Types

It’s no secret that different body types will lose fat, gain fat, gain muscle, and lose muscle at different rates. While so much of this is genetically determined, a diet that caters to your metabolic tendencies will help you achieve your best look. It will maximize your advantages, and minimize the ill-effects of your disadvantages. There are real-life Fat Alberts, Shaggy’s, and Jonnie Bravo’s we love to hate. Genetics aside, we can all bring our best to the stage, but the journey might just be a little different for each of us. While outward appearance might dictate a body type, that isn’t always the case. I myself disprove the fact that a ectomorph should look like Shaggy, I am short (ahem stubby), I don’t have the stringier muscle bellies most ectomorphs are known for, and my metabolism is very high for my size. While longer levers (legs and arms) may indicate an ectomorphic metabolism that burns calories upon calories by simply playing World of Warcraft, there is actually much more to it than just appearance.

Three Champion Bodybuilders with three different diets

Learning Starts Early

The polarities between many bodybuilders with regards to offseason diets and onseason diets are often very extreme. Too extreme in some cases, when in fact their onseason diets should resemble their offseason diets, just in smaller portions. An individual with high insulin sensitivity in their muscle tissue will almost certainly do better on a diet that is higher in carbohydrates. Meaning during their offseason they will likely thrive on a diet much higher in carbohydrates (in some cases 70% of total kcals), and when it comes time to diet they will do better keeping carbohydrates as high as possible, even if it means cutting down some on fat and protein. On the other side of the spectrum, you have a person that is more insulin resistant, but perhaps fat oxidation is up regulated when dietary fats are higher, and this remains key even when dieting down. There is no practical way to determine what works best for you when it comes time to get tedious and diet, but you do have an offseason that can provide very valuable information. If you function best on moderate carbohydrates, moderate to low fat, and a high protein diet in the offseason, then there is no reason to jump ship straight into a ketogenic diet for prep. Contest day is won in the offseason, and this goes further than the muscle you have built. The offseason is a time to analyze data, play around with ratios and learn the most about your body. The clients I have had the most success with are those who I have been working with in both the offseason and onseason phases. Chances are the diet that the ripped guy at your last show uses won’t leave you ripped, as a matter of fact I can almost guarantee you it won’t. Use your offseason to attain as much data about what is optimal for you, and apply it when it comes time to diet, rather than simply looking at what the pros are doing. A few simple things you should know or do when it comes time to diet are the following:

-What is your caloric maintenance?

-Will different macronutrient ratios at the same caloric intake affect your body composition?

-What macronutrient ratios show the biggest correlation to good gym performance and recovery?

- How much cardio is ideal for you? A baseline should be created during the offseason.

- Short dieting phases in the offeason help you come up with better ways to begin contest prep.

-What eating-patterns (food spacing, meals per day, macronutrient timing) keeps you more consistent and on track? This one is more of a mental edge, but anyone who has dieted will tell you just how much of it is mental.

-Keep a log or journal of all of this information so that it is easily accessible to you and track your progress and diet.

-Utilize a supporting cast of people, be it a coach, fellow bodybuilders you trust, a good training partner or your family or friends. These all go a long way, especially as you get closer to the date of the big show.

-Keep very specific goals for your pre contest diet. This will help you stay motivated and know when to make adjustments.

-Beyond just a diet log tracking numbers, keep a personal log, I keep one myself. In here I write about how my day went as far as the things I want to excel at. What I did right, what I could have done a little better, it keeps me centered and focused.

Just remember the learning starts early, don’t finish your season wishing you knew better. While many things won’t be clear until the smoke clears, there is plenty to be learned when you are not dieting for a show.