If you ask a 100 different people their opinions about what percentage of their daily calorie intake should consist of protein, what percentage carbohydrates, and what percentage fats, you will probably get 100 different answers.
It's no secret that losing body fat and gaining lean muscle is all calorie based. If you continually consume more calories than you burn off in a day, you will store the excess calories as body fat.
To lose body fat, you must create a calorie deficit, meaning you burn off more calories than you consume.
But we need calories just to survive. Where should these calories come from?
The nutritional breakdown I am about to give you is based on "real world" results, not what is simply written in an out-dated nutrition book.
Results speak for themselves. Not only has this nutritional formula allowed me to stay lean and muscular year round, it has been used by many of my clients to achieve amazing results as well.
To burn body fat and build lean muscle tissue, follow the 50-40-10 rule! Approximately half of your daily calories should come from protein.
Other than water, protein is the most abundant substance in muscle. Protein (amino acids) helps build muscle.
Carbohydrates do not and fats do not. This is why half of your daily calorie amount should be from protein sources. Protein is also the least likely of the 3 nutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) to be converted to body fat.
Aim for approximately a gram to a gram and a half of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, try to consume at least 200 grams of protein.
40% of your daily calories should come from complex carbohydrate sources like fresh vegetables, whole grains and cereals, oatmeal, brown rice, or potatoes.
10 % of your daily calories should come from fats.
I often tell my clients to not worry about reaching the fat gram number, that it will be reached without too much trying. After all, fat tastes good and is in almost everything we consume, in one form or another.
There are many variations of this 50-40-10 rule but as a whole, most research has shown this to be a very effective ratio for adding lean muscle tissue to the body while minimizing the amount of fat added.
But to further back up this research, this breakdown of protein, carbs, and fats has produced the best results for myself as well as clients I have trained in person.
So I always go with what works and what has been tested, not some theory in a textbook.
If you want to start eating to build muscle mass and lose unwanted body fat, start following the 50-40-10 rule!
A serious bodybuilder will need to follow an effective bodybuilding nutrition plan. Although this is an important aspect many bodybuilding enthusiasts in their eagerness to build muscles, often ignore this aspect, while they put up with grueling exercise routines in the gym. First of all you need to understand that you are what you eat when it comes to muscle building.
Bodybuilding nutrition consists of lots of different components or essential nutrients which are required by the body in order to build strong body. For instance carbohydrates should form a considerable chunk of what you eat. Carbohydrates are nothing but starches and sugars that are vital for providing energy to the body. They are available in a variety of food products. Diary and fruit products are a great source of carbohydrates and are also easily digested by the body. You can also find carbohydrates in legumes and vegetables.
Another bodybuilding nutrition secret lies in eating less but more frequently. In fact it is suggested that you eat several small meals throughout the day instead of the traditional large meals, thrice in a day. You should preferable eat around six smaller meals which could be spread throughout the day. This helps in maintaining the body's metabolism. Another important aspect that you need to look into is your food schedule. You should plan and stick to a particular schedule. This should be a part of your muscle building strategy and will allow you to achieve your fitness goals.
You can also get in touch with a professional nutritionist if you are looking for the proper bodybuilding nutrition for you. You should first of all understand that a bodybuilder's diet is different from that of others. The entire diet is focused towards building muscle power and mass in this instance. This is where professional assistance can help you. You can also get to know from them about the various food supplements that are available these days and whether you could take them. You can also get in touch with a professional trainer who can suggest you the proper nutrition. You can also get in touch with other experienced bodybuilders and find out from them about the various types of diet that you can try.
Bodybuilding nutrition is all about making healthy food choices and not about starvation as many people think it to be. You must remember that fitness and health always go hand in hand. It is for this reason you should take particular care of what you eat.
Both Lebrunny & John Howard are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lebrunny has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Lose Weight and Build Muscle. Personal trainer and natural bodybuilder Shawn LeBrun shows you how to train and eat in order to gain muscle and lose fat as fast as possible. Visit