I’ll keep this short and sweet. My philosophy on diet isn’t too complicated and I don’t think it’s a topic that should be complicated at all.
It all comes down to two things.
1.To gain weight you have to intake more calories than you burn.
2. To gain lean muscle these calories have to be clean.
So, what are clean calories?
Anything clean, or natural to put it bluntly.
What aren’t natural foods?
White flour, processed meats/foods/dairy products, sweats, candies, chips, anything fried and the list goes on…
What are natural foods?
Anything that comes from the earth is about the best way I could put it. Whole grains, lean meats – such as chicken, lean pork or lean beef – fish is great, veggies, fruits and the list goes on…
It’s not something that should be complicated. If you think it’s healthy and natural, then odds are you’re right.
There’s also the matter of meal frequency. You should be eating 5-6 good sized meals in a day. I’m not a fan of stuffing my face and feeling full all day but you’ve got to get enough food in your body to put on weight.
Why 5-6 times meals in a day?
By eating every 2-3 hours you’re keeping your metabolism working, burning calories at a slow pace which means burning fat.
You could gain a bunch of weight if you just had 3 huge meals in a day, but your body would store a lot of the calories as fat because your body isn’t sure of when it’s going to be fed it’s fuel next, so it stores what it can in case your body needs it and that fuel doesn’t come.
Here’s an example of what I’ll eat in the run of an average day with no cheat meals.
Meal 1 – big bowl of oatmeal + shake with protein powder, greens, fruits + multi vitamin and fish oils
Lift
Meal 2 – post workout shake – same as above
Meal 3 – 3 eggs + 1 cup of egg whites + 2 slices of toast with natural peanut butter
Meal 4 – wrap – 2 chicken breasts + brown rice and avocado
Meal 5 – Dinner – Sometime fish, steak, chicken, pasta or brown rice as the carbs.
Meal 6 – smaller meal, a decent sized bowl of cottage cheese with fruit, blueberries or strawberries.
How much protein, carbs and fats should I be eating?
I’ve never measured a thing and I don’t think I ever will. Have a portion of protein and 2 portions of carbs with every meal. Your fats should come from fish, in the form of food or a supplement in case you’re not getting enough, or other oils, olive oil’s another great one.
When should I eat a big meal and when should I be eating smaller one’s?
Eat your biggest meal after a workout when your body needs the most nutrients. Have your last meal be the smallest. Whatever you don’t burn off at the end of the night’s just going to be stored. If you have a lot of calories after 8 or 9 they’re not going to be used for a whole lot so if you have a low calorie meal this is the time to do it.
I wouldn’t call this a diet. Diets produce cravings for the things you’re depriving yourself of. Deprivation is useless. Allow yourself a few cheat meals each week. Stuff that you love, I eat ice cream most of the time, or a big pasta dinner.
Another thing I would suggest is taking baby steps. Like I said, you don’t want to be on a diet! You just want to eat clean and healthy. You want to change how you view foods and how you feel about eating.
If you eat 2 big, grimy meals a day, then add one more grimy meal, get it to 6 then start making them clean meals.
This is a process. It’s not meant to be taken on overnight. That’s how you’ll be successful for a week then crawl right back into MacDonald’s or Wendy’s with a big craving for a burger.
Take your time with it, but once you make one change in your diet for the good, don’t go back!
