Diet

Diet is probably the most critical part of bodybuilding. Here are a few basics to follow:

• Drinks lots of water- AT LEAST a few cups a day
• Avoid excessively fatty food, like cheese, even in the wintertime
• When eating lean, junk food is absolutely not permissible
• If you hate counting calories, at least keep track of the grams of protein you ingest.

For the early spring and summer diet the first and third points are to be followed religiously. When eating lean (springtime), junk food does not EXIST. When junk food is written it means the basic garbage- potato chips, chocolate, etc. You may actually want to increase your intake of water. To calculate how much protein is required, take your lean weight (example 165 lbs) and multiply it by 0.8 and the result should be about 130 grams. If an iron body is to be made some sacrifices are to be taken. Here are the absolute no-no's in diet (all year round):

• No soda- studies show that cutting of soda intake can help lose up to ten pounds of unwanted mass. Replace this with O.J. and plenty of water.
• No mayo, butter or excessive amounts of gravy- when spreading this on a sandwhich or mashed potatoes imagine all that gained on a new spare tire. These additions to a meal are literally pure fat.

On a fall/wintertime diet, food is less restricted. Red meats can be eaten more often and larger meals can be eaten. The body will need this for mass building. But adhering to the basics (lots of water, protein, no soda, mayo, etc.) is a must. Wintertime meals consist of more protein, which may more fat than the summertime meals. At the same time number of times aerobics will practiced fewer times per week. This all causes an increase in fat intake and a decrease in fat burning activity, so be careful.