General Recommendations

Eat at least 5-6 times a day.
Eliminate junk food completely!
Consume at least 8-10 20oz bottles of water.
Apply 1.8 grams of protein per/expected lb of body weight.
Consume high fiber foods to help with digestion and breaking down and passing of the foods you eat.
Incorporate several training methods into your workout.

Fat Burning Mode!!!

The overall idea is getting rid of unwanted body fat. First you need to force your body into burning stored fat by controlling the types of calories you consume. Paying attention to the types of food you eat, and the portions and how frequent you eat is very important. People please EAT…starving yourself all day to just one meal and probably a nutritional disaster at that only slows down your metabolism.

The Basic Breakdown of what you will be eating:

High Protein Foods including: lean beef, chicken, fish minimal pork, eggs, beans, and nuts/seeds. Foods considered to be “good carbs” include; variety of different pastas, potatoes regular and sweet and brown rice.

Some quality guidelines for nutritious eating:

Allow carbohydrates to makeup about 40% of your daily caloric intake.
Allow Proteins to makeup about 40% of your daily caloric intake.
Last but not least allow for FAT to be the last 20% of your daily caloric intake.

Healthy Eating Based on the Food Guide Pyramid

*Click image to enlarge

You want to stick with complex carbohydrates and stay away from simple carbs and sugars. Wheat bread over white bread…brown rice over white rice…fresh whole fruit appose to juice. When it comes to vegetables, anything green is good…vegetables will be steamed or grilled. When it comes to Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese, needs to be at least 2% on the milk and cheese and fat free on the yogurt when possible. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts should be your primary source of protein. Fats, Oils, and Sweets should be used sparingly. Fats are essential in your diet but must be consumed smartly. Fats should come from nuts and lean meats…not pastries, candy or fast-food. Remember, not all fats are created equal. You want to minimize saturated fats found in animal products like meat and dairy, and trans-fats found in margarine or fried snack foods. Focus instead heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Sweets should be minimized as well. It’s best to enjoy a really good dessert once in a blue moon than to eat "fat-free" sugary treats throughout the day. These are known as empty calories and provide no nutritional value at all.

If you are trying to lose weight, increase your activity level and reduce the empty calories you consume. In particular, look out for lots of highly processed carbohydrates such as commercial snack foods, white bread, regular soda, and large servings of fat-free treats. Remember that fat-free doesn't mean calorie-free! Try to replace these foods with hearty whole grains, sprouted breads, steel cut oats, and other more nutrient dense sources of carbohydrate.

If you are trying to gain weight, eat more servings from all the food groups and be sure to stay active. You can insure that most of what you gain is lean muscle by maintaining a low-fat, adequate-protein, and higher calorie diet in combination with your training.

Eating Before Exercise

What you choose to eat before you exercise is what will fuel your workout, so choose wisely. Food is fuel, so a meal needs to be consumed at least 45min prior to exercise. Eating before exercise:

Fuels your muscles (providing adequate protein and carbohydrates needed for energy and maintenance.) Allows you to perform at full capacity.
Helps settle your stomach and avoid hunger.
Helps prevent low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) - symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, and headaches.
Fortifies your mental state by knowing that your body is fueled.
Eating to close to your workout may cause you to perform poorly and/or get sick.

What and how much you eat vary from person to person and sport to sport, with no right or wrong choice. The way to learn how much and what to eat is to experiment to see what works for you. Listen to your body’s needs. Your food preferences may vary with the time of day, type of exercise, and level of exercise intensity. Follow these general guidelines: Eat a balanced and properly portioned diet every day and you won’t have anything to worry about. A balanced diet means incorporating a variety of wholesome foods into your daily choices. Good nutrition means eating sources of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins/minerals, and water. The first three (carbs, protein, and fat) all have properties that provide sources of energy.

Carbohydrates are an instant source of energy. Different types of carbs provide different absorption and utilization rates. Ex: whole wheat bread =slower digestion than white bread…fruits and sugars are even faster digested. Each are equally important depending on the circumstance.

Proteins main job is to build and repair muscle. You want you muscles to have a constant flow of proteins at all time. When there is not enough protein being consumed (atrophy)-deterioration of muscle begins to occur. When there is too much protein your body simply gets rid of it through waste.

Fats are a source of stored/long term energy.

Post-Exercise Meal

What to eat after exercise to replenish muscle glycogen

All athletes know of the importance of the pre-exercise meal. However, what and when you eat following exercise can be just as important. While the pre-exercise meals can ensure that adequate glycogen stores are available for optimal performance, the post-exercise meal is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently. What and when to eat after exercise is a common topic among athletes. The general advice has been to focus on high carbohydrate foods in order to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores. Research has shown that carbohydrate intake within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.

More recent research has shown that combining protein with carbohydrate in the two-hours after exercise, nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein. Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment. The study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only had carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed the carbohydrate and protein drink. Protein has other important post-exercise qualities. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, making you more resistant to colds and other infections. So if you are looking for the best way to refuel your body after long, strenuous endurance exercise, a 4:1 combo of carbohydrate and protein seems to be your best choice. While solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest make it easier to get the right ratio and meet the 2-hour window. Some products on the market that have this ratio include Endurox R4, Accelerade, and Powerbar. If you like energy gels or other non-protein containing sports drinks, simply add 1 Tbsp of protein powder for every 25 grams of carbohydrate to create the 4:1 ratio.

Studies have shown that 15 - 60 minutes after a workout is the optimal time to eat carbohydrate rich foods and drinks (e.g. banana, bagel, orange juice) because that is when enzymes that make glycogen are most active and will most quickly replace depleted glycogen stores in the muscles. Protein also helps with recovery in that it repairs muscle and helps with glycogen replacement. Eat a few slices of turkey on a wheat bagel, or have a large glass of protein fortified milk. The most important nutritional strategy post workout, though, is fluid replacement. Drink water, juice, or carbohydrate rich sports drinks to replace what you sweat out. If you aren't used to eating before or after exercise, remember that it's a learned behavior. You can train your body to do almost anything. Teaching your body how to use food for exercise is an important part of building your fitness. Building fitness takes time, and so does learning to eat properly. With practice and patience, you can reap the benefits of good nutrition for exercise.