Building a Lean, Mean, Muscular Machine
By: Alton Hare
Even in the off season a true bodybuilder has to
watch what they eat, or what would otherwise be a
powerful, strong physique becomes fat and mush.
Some bodybuilders don't worry about it, the ectomorphs like
Dexter Jackson and Flex Wheeler burn so many calories
at rest that it's difficult for them to stay in an
anabolic (a state in which the body has more calories
than it can use) state. But for people like me, who
are a little endomorphic (tending to carry surplus
fat) and tend to break down muscle with fat when
calories are restricted, off season diet is CRUCIAL.
So, in this article I am going to introduce a new
concept to you, which may revolutionize the way you
eat. It will actually guide you to the right foods,
at the right time, so you don't have to guess what is
right for your body.
Simply put, that which is close to nature is the best
for you. Fresh meats instead of processed meats,
fresh produce, whole grain bread and rice which is
high in fiber, and milk. The choice of whether to get
low fat milk or whole milk depends on your
macronutrient ratio (the ratio of carbs to protein to
fat), which I will get to in a minute. Now, what
these natural foods have to do with the new concept I
mentioned, is this: Glycemic Index.
Some of you may
have heard of it, it measures the effect which certain
carbohydrates have on the insulin fluctuations in your
body. It's measured generally on a scale from one to a
hundred, with pure sugar (glucose) having a glycemic
index of 100. The way carbohydrates effect your
insulin is extremely important, and the G.I. measures
this. If a carbohydrate (such as pure, refined white
sugar) is ingested alone, it is absorbed extremely
fast, due to it's simple molecular structure. This
rapid absorption causes a massive spike in blood
sugar, which is a signal to your body's pancreas to
secrete massive doses of insulin. This, in turn,
signals your cells to absorb the sugar in your blood
stream.
This is how your body maintains a stable
blood sugar, by secreting insulin when blood sugar is
too high, and secreting a catabolic hormone called
cortisol when blood sugar is too low. Cortisol breaks
down muscle and fat tissue for energy when your blood
glucose is too low. The goal of the off season
bodybuilder is to maintain a happy medium between
these two: Minimizing cortisol to prevent muscle
breakdown and encourage muscle growth, and secrete
just enough insulin to keep the cells fully energized
without adding excees adipose tissue (fat).
Insulin-Friendly Foods:
Each meal you eat signals your body to secret
insulin, eating six small meals a day causes your body
to maintain a stable insulin release througout the
day. If you ate three very large meals, each one
would cause a major insulin spike, which would cause
your body to store the excess calories. Simply eating
six meals is not enough, though, if each meal is
composed of processed food that causes large insulin
fluctuations.
The way to keep your insulin stable, is
to consume foods low on the Glycemic Index. Remember
that a high glycemic rating causes large releases of
insulin, so foods with a low glycemic rating cause
minor fluctuations in insulin, thereby preventing your
body from storing excess calories as fat. Also,
consuming low glycemic foods prevents the crash
associated with foods high in sugar. If you consumed
pure sugar, you would first get extremely hyper, then
get extremely tired because the insulin release would
suck all the sugar from your blood, which would give
you no energy available for simple things like brain
function and maintaining respiration. If you consume
too much sugar you can actually experience
hyperglycemia, or "sugar shock" where your body
completely shuts down and goes uncounscious.
Besides
this rather scary side effect, consuming high glycemic
foods over a period of time causes insulin resistance,
which is an inability for your body's cells to respond
to insulin. This handicaps your ability to aborb
nutrients from your food, so without extra insulin you
would surely die. Scary enough? Now, since I've
scared you away from high glycemic food, let me guide
you to the body-friendly stuff, the low glycemic
carbs. protein generally has a negligible effect on
insulin, so can be ignored for now. Now, examples:
Fresh banana:
Calories: 140
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Sugar: 31 grams (from fructose, a slow burning natural
sugar)
Fiber: 4 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Glycemic index is 54, which means you won't experience
a sugar crash if you eat this alone. The thirty five
grams of carbohydrates make this a good carb source to
combine with a protein source for a complete meal.
Also, bananas have nearly half a day's vitamin B6,
600 miligrams of ptassium, four grams of fiber, and
even some amino acids. In general, a banana is a
very heart nutritional snack, just look at any well
muscled banana eating ape and you'll understand that.
Medium Apple:
Calories: 80 calories
Carbohydrates: 22 grams
Sugar: 18 grams
Fiber: four grams
protein: 0 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Glycemic Index is a very nice 38. It's a good, sweet
snack when you want something sweet, and when you
don't have time to prepare anything. The natural
sugar (fructose) is converted to blood sugar slowly,
so it's easy on the insulin. Four grams of fiber help
move things through, along with having its own natural
water to help with the absorption of nutrients.
Medium Yam:
Calories: 235
Carbohydrates: 54 grams
Sugar: 5 grams
Fiber: 8 grams
protein: 3 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Glycemic index is 51, which is even better than the
banana. A medium yam has enough carbohydrates for
any meal, unless your huge, a good dose of fiber, low
in sugar, and no fat. Even has three grams of
protein. The absolute best thing about yams though,
is they are high in anti oxidants like vitamin C and
beta carotene. Also a healthy dose of potassium,
which is good when your trying to limit your sodium
intake. Yams should be eaten as often as possible.
Spaghetti (one cup cooked):
Calories: 210
Carbohydrates: 42 grams
Sugar: 2 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
protein: 7 grams
Fat: 1 gram
The glycemic index on spaghetti is even lower, only
41. I like spaghetti about an hour and a half after I
train, which is a little over an hour after my post
workout shake. Spaghetti for dinner is good because
it keeps you full long which can help keep you from
going into the kitchen for a little late night snack.
It also doesn't spike your insulin at all, so it's good
to stay lean. Spaghetti is a much better carbohydrate
source than rice, many bodybuilders mistakenly choose
to eat a lot of rice thinking it is naturally good for
them. Spaghetti has about twice the fiber and way
more protein than rice, its G.I. is also much lower.
White rice will actually spike your insulin, and brown
rice is only slightly better.
Cheerios (2 cups with one cup of skim milk):
Calories: 310
Carbohydrates: 57 grams
Sugar: 14 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
protein: 15 grams
Fat: 4 grams
The glycemic index of cheerios in milk is about 57,
without milk it's 74, so be sure you put skim milk on
your cereal. Milk slows about everything down, so it's
good to down high glycemic foods with milk. Even
still, I wouldn't reccomend muching cheerios late at
night, because the G.I. is just a little high. Eating
them in the morning can help refill muscle glycogen
and your body's energy stores, instead of being stored
as fat which is what will probably happen late in the
evening.
ALL-BRAN cereal w/ extra fiber (2 cups with 1 cup skim
milk):
Calories: 290
Carbohydrates: 93 grams
Sugar: 12 grams
Fiber: 52 grams
protein: 21 grams
Fat: 4 grams
The glycemic index is about 30 for this, it's one of
the lowest glycemic foods I know. It's also an
unbelievably awesome source of soluble and insoluble
fiber, very good for the heart and for those who have
gastric distress from too much protein. Mixed with
milk, it even gives you some protein, and is almost
devoid of sugar in comparison with the fiber and
complex carbohydrates. An excellent choice for those
trying to stay lean, you can eat it any time of the
day, but drink 8 ounces of water with each bowl to
help move the fiber through your body. Also, don't
consume two cups at one time, one cup is plenty, and
even half a cup is a good enough dose of fiber for
most of us non veggie eaters.
Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oat meal (1 cup dry cooked
in water):
Calories: 300
Carbohydrates: 52 grams
Sugar: 0 grams
Fiber: 8 grams
protein: 10 grams
Fat: 6 grams
This is a personal favorite of mine, simply because
it's so cheap and so convenient. The glycemic index is
49, which is fine for all general puposes, and it has
no sugar, a good dose of fiber, some protein, and even
a good blend of unsaturated fats. You can't go wrong
with the old fashioned oat meal. A good way to eat
oatmeal is to cut up egg whites and mix it together,
then you have your carbs, protein, and unsaturated
fats all together. Makes meal planning simple. Also
you can mix it with milk instead of water to add
protein.
Snickers Bar:
Calories: 280
Carbohydrates: 35 grams
Sugar: 30 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
protein: 4 grams
Fat: 14 grams (9 grams unsaturated)
Hungry? Why wait? Ok, Snickers Bars aren't exactly
bodybuilding food, but the glycemic index is only 41,
which means you won't get a crash like you would from
other candy bars. Also, it contains mostly
unsaturated fats because of the peanuts. I don't
wanna paint a rosey picture for you though, Snickers
bars have no vitamins and minerals, and the fat is
still high. Still, their cheap and convenient, and
actually taste like candy (not like health food
flavored to taste like chocolate/candy). Good for an
occasional snack when there's nothing better around,
sits in your stomach well and makes you feel full.
Even provides you with good, long lasting energy.
That's a little list of good, insulin friendly foods.
Most are convenient and high in nutrients and fiber
too. I'd say this is a great list for any new
bodybuilder trying to figure out which foods are the
ones he needs to eat.
The Macronutrient Ratio:
Now, on to the basic makeup of
your diet, the macronutrient ratio. In the off
season, I believe in a good, balanced ratio of
nutrients, 40% coming from carbohydrates, and 30% from
fat and protein. My diet generally consists of six
meals, each of 45 grams of protein, 60 grams of
carbohydrates, and 22.5 grams of fat. This results in
3,736 calories. Of course it's not always that
exactly, it varies a few grams on each count but it
never waves from the basic 40-30-30. The only meal
that I change purposely is my post-workout meal, which
(when I start mass gaining in three weeks) will be
about 89 carbs, 52 protein, and 6 fat. This is
because fat is non essential right after training, but
carbs and protein are extremely important after a
workout to refuel the muscles and jumpstart recovery.
The reason for this balance of macronutrients is
simple. I've tried the low fat diet, and I felt
hungry all day, even if I compensated the lack of
calories from fat with calories from carbs/protein.
Lowering my fat intake has made me feel weak in my
workouts, and given me a general feeling of lethargy
and laziness. I have also tried the low carb diet, in
this diet I felt like absolute shit. I had no energy,
constantly craved spaghetti and ice cream, and my
strength fell through the floor. I have even tried a
low protein diet, with only 100 grams of protein a
day, while this didn't effect me as quickly, after
several weeks I noticed my recovery going down and my
strength slowly going down. So, I have settled on a
good balance of all three nutrients, which keeps my
hunger at bay all day long, and keeps my strength up.
That's my take on stayin' lean and gettin' big, you
gotta eat good, wholesome food, and stay away from
burgers and fries and that shit. My previous
nutrition article was on my diet when I first started,
my diet this coming year shall be much better, with
more fruits and higher in fiber. I plan on putting on
10 or fifteen pounds (up to 195 pounds) by April, I
have bought some body fat calipers so I can insure that
my body fat stays the same or decreases. Hopefully, I
will also get leaner. At five feet eight inches tall
195 pounds is BIG!!! Take it easy guys, and until
next time train smart, and eat smarter.
- Alton
"Ultimate knowledge begets and ultimate
physique."
beautifuldisaster420@yahoo.com
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