Basic Nutrition Guidelines for Altering Body Composition

From the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

For Fat Loss

*Distribute protein, carbohydrate, and fat throughout the day and at each meal.
*Choose whole grains and fresh vegetables over refined grains and simple sugars (as the fiber and complexity of the starch will aid in hunger control).
*Schedule no fewer than four and as many as six meals a day. This helps to control hunger, minimize blood sugar fluctuations and increase energy levels throughout the day.
*Avoid empty calories and highly processed foods, which contain many calories and do little to provide satiety (the feeling that you are full).
*Drink a lot of water (8 to 12 cups a day).
*Weigh your food for a week. If you have never done this… it will blow your mind. Chances are you under report your daily calories. Measuring your intake to the gram will give you clarity on the truth behind what you eat.
NOTE: Weighing and measuring food obsessively can lead to a “diet mentality,” so be careful. Diet is a four letter word that starts with DIE (DIE = BAD). However; one week of measuring can serve to educate you on actual serving sizes (education = good).

For Lean Body Mass Gain
*Eat four to six meals per day. Insulin response to a meal stimulates protein synthesis.
*Spread protein intake out through the day to take advantage of the aforementioned tip.
*Keep in mind the post-workout window of opportunity. Ingestion of protein and carbohydrates within 90 minutes of a workout will increase recovery and protein synthesis, maximizing gains. This may be most easily accomplished with a liquid meal replacement formula that can be absorbed quickly due to being pre-digested. Food may take several hours to digest… missing the window.
*Do not neglect the importance of carbohydrates and fat. It takes more than protein to increase body mass.