Contest Dieting
Alright, so this week I interviewed an all natural pro bodybuilder for an extension agent class assignment. We also talked about bodybuilding show dieting and the like. I emailed him my daily diet on excel and he concluded that I needed to eat less and introduce cardio to my life. He definitely knows what he’s talking about so I went along with it. For exactly two days, I ate what he recommended and was hungry. I found that the extra 85 grams of fat I ate every day keeps me from being as hungry. Apparently though, in natural bodybuilding, you’re going to be hungry up to the competition hour. The third day came and I concluded that according to what I saw in the mirror, I was getting smaller. So I said to hell with this and reverted to my old diet. Even in the gym last night, I was looking smaller, so I weighed myself (on the same scale I always weigh myself on in the locker room) and would you know, I had gained four pounds. I think that was a fluke though because I cannot imagine gaining that much weight. Since I think less and make bad decisions when I am hungry, I am trying to figure out how to compensate for this dilemma. Your suggestions would be great!
March 29, 2009 at 3:12 pm
85 grams of fat is pretty high for a daily intake bro - that is 765 calories! Not sure what the diet landscape may actually look like or if you have done the math to figure out exactly what the percentages are, but you should shoot for 60% carbs [complex whole food carbs], 30% protein and 20% fat [good sources]. It is pretty amazing what happens when you focus on your diet. If you can be as intense in the kitchen as you are in your workouts, you’ll be pretty tripped at what unfolds. It helps to take regular monthly pictures of yourself in the same place and the same light too. Just "looking in the mirror" is not always a good point of reference. I know there are times when I have felt there had been progress, but the pictures told a different story. They’re a good gage along with the scale to see if what we are up to is working. Also, always try and weigh yourself on the same day or the week at the same time of day once a week. Be relentless.
March 29, 2009 at 3:26 pm
hrm, maybe it was 85 calories of fat…couldn’t tell you, that blog was written several months ago. Anyway, I did eventually wind up dieting and lost 20 lbs in 10 weeks and looked close to contest shape and then for various reasons decided it was not worth it, so I did not compete. But I guarantee you my protein was at least 50% if not more and the fat was somewhere between 5% and 10%. I had awesome results. I always compare information to research journals. The best one yet is from National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).