Proper Nutrition for Fitness

To achieve the well defined body and build muscle, you must have a proper diet. Diet does not mean less food, it relates to proper nutrition. Most people never commit to eating better because they have the wrong idea about what nutrition means. It does not at all mean that you have to eat bad tasting or bland foods. Nor do you have to starve yourself. You can still go out to eat at your favorite restaurants. You just have to realize what items slow the growth of muscles and are more difficult to burn off.

Proper Nutrition is essential for weight loss and building muscle. Just learning a few things about the type of food that you eat can make your quest for that magazine cover body much easier. Keep in mind that fitness and nutrition go together. Weight loss and building muscle require exercise and a proper diet. You can't just eat less or change your diet and expect to look great. Sure you may see some slight changes in the first few weeks but after that I would not expect much.

Now many people will offer suggestions, "cut carbs", "lay off fast food", "reduce fat consumption", etc. While there may be some truth to these suggestions. You have to understand that you carbs, fats, and proteins are all essential. You have to learn how to balance them for a better diet.

Protein is a very important building block for muscles. How much protein do you need? Too many people hit the gym and run home to mix up the protein shake. Is it necessary? You first have to determine the amount of protein you should take in during a day. Well it depends on your goal. Use this formula to help you determine.

GOAL

Weight Loss- .5-.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight. (If you weigh 200lbs. you should take is approximately 100-150g of protein each day)

Maintain Body- .75-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight.(If you weigh 200lbs. you should take is approximately 150-200g of protein each day)

Moderate Muscle Growth- 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of body weight. (If you weigh 200lbs. you should take is approximately 200-250g of protein each day)

Massive Muscle growth- 1.25-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. (If you weigh 200lbs. you should take is approximately 250-300g of protein each day)

If you are already into fitness, you are probably aware that amino acids are essential for muscle growth. Where do amino acids come from? You guessed it, protein!

Select leaner proteins like skinless chicken and fish and cook them in little or no oils or fats. When you go out to eat at a restaurant, request your foods to be cooked dry. Now you won't have you food soaked in heavy fattening oils and grease.

Carbohydrates are important for supplying the energy that is required to stay active. Although reducing carbs can help with weight loss, it is a bad idea to eliminate them all together. It is possible that you body can sense the lack of available energy and begin storing energy in the form of fat. Which will defeat our whole purpose.

Instead of cutting carbs, you can reduce them slightly and change the types of carbs that you are taking in. Avoid foods with a high amount of sugar. Simple sugars are more difficult for the body to burn. Therefore they stay in your body longer and result in added body weight. Switch to complex carbohydrates like those found in sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat breads, etc. These complex carbohydrates will burn much faster and produce good energy for you to get through your workout.

Pasta is great but full of carbohydrates. Try using whole wheat pasta. It will have more protein and fiber and less overall calories. Pay attention to the foods that you eat and avoid foods with a lot of sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Fats help to store energy and produce cell membranes. Many fats burn very fast; however, there are a lot of fats that don't burn off very well. Too much fat may lead to health problems. A fat free diet is not a good idea but, it may be good to reduce the amount of fat that you eat and eliminate trans fats from you diet.

Many fast food items contain lots of fat and an abundance of trans fats. Review the nutritional information of fast food items before you order. After discovering the amount of calories and fats, you may change your find about eating fast foods.

Unsaturated fats and Omega 3 fatty acids are considered to be good fats. These can be found in lean meats, seafood, and nuts.