Lose Fat, Add Muscle

I have always been a healthy individual who loved playing sports.  However, with college came 30lbs of unhealthy weight.  Over the past three months after following this “regime” I have lost those 30lbs.  After this initial loss of weight, I have since gained 25lbs of it back as muscle.  I am leaner, stronger, faster, and healthier than I was back in high school when I played numerous sports and worked out regularly.

The most difficult concept to grasp when becoming a healthier person is balance.  More specifically, a balanced work out and a balanced diet are they key ingredients to making improvements in the gym and to your health. 

Although a balanced diet might sound familiar, I am sure you are asking “what is a balanced work out?”  The simplest way of answering this is to compare it to the concept of the aforementioned balanced diet.  Although many weight-loss diets profess their strict abidance to an all protein, no carbohydrate diet, for a weight lifter this can only lead to a decrease in the efficiency of your work out.  Proteins and carbohydrates, when eaten in the proper ratios (2:1), together can add significant muscle to your body than relying on protein alone.  With this concept in mind, now apply it to the gym.  It is not wise to only work out your upper body, while leaving your legs and lower back out of the equation.  Furthermore, I see many young weight lifters working on their chests and arms when they hit the gym.  While these might be the most “macho” workouts, and lead to the most visible changes to very noticeable parts of your body, your chest muscles and arm muscles are tiny in comparison, to the muscles of your back, abs, and lower legs.

By working out every muscle in your body on staggered days and following my diet advice, I can help you gain leaner muscle while simultaneously shedding fat.

Protein is your friend.  I try to consume at least 185g of protein a day.  The general consensus is that for a weight lifter you should be eating at least 1g of protein for every pound you weigh (I weigh 180 lbs).  Although this might seem like a lot of protein, when eaten in small amounts throughout the day this is not difficult to achieve.

• Breakfast:  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It provides you with the energy to make it through the morning and early afternoon, as well as being the perfect time to begin loading up on protein.  A well-balanced breakfast would include around 40g of protein, 20-30g of carbohydrates, and plenty of vitamins.  I have found that eating two eggs, two pieces of toast, a glass of milk, and a piece of fruit have helped make my mornings much easier to make it through.
• Lunch:  Turkey, Tuna, and Chicken will become your friend.  I suggest incorporating one of these lean proteins into your lunch everyday.  Not only do the lack the calories of ham or roast beef, but they are also a more efficient source of protein.  (Again, with this meal try to consume 40 grams of protein and 20-30g of carbohydrates).
• Pre-Workout/Post-Workout:  When you workout, your muscles are continuously breaking down with each exercise you perform.  Therefore, I suggest having a flood of protein available in your system immediately after working out.  This is because protein helps to “rebuild” your body’s muscles and the more protein available, the greater the results.  Whey protein or protein bars can help provide you with this quick boost of protein.
• Dinner:  With the stress and strain of the day behind you, the last thing you want to think about is preparing another meal.  However, because your body is now recovering from your very intense workout, it will be looking for another healthy source of carbohydrates and protein to replenish itself.  For dinner, like lunch, lean meats are your friend.  Fish, chicken, shrimp, are your healthiest options; however, red meat (which usually contains more protein and creatine, a natural energy source for your muscles) can be eaten occasionally as well.  Be sure to include two-three servings of vegetables, and another serving of milk with this meal.

Despite these suggestions, dinner is the meal that I allow myself to be a little less healthy at than the others.  (This does not mean I gorge myself with hamburgers and pizza, but I will sometimes allow myself a burger along with other healthier choices as the sides).

So at this time, it is up to you to decide what you want to eat.  I suggest when you are beginning to try and refrain from red meats as much as possible.  This is purely psychological for me, because when I first began working out heavily, I saw the greatest gains with a leaner diet.  This leads to a significant boost in confidence as well as greater energy in the gym, which can only further lead to increased muscle gains.

• Before Bed:  If you have not noticed, milk is a very important in my diet.  Not only does it provide you with carbohydrates, but it also provides roughly 8-10g of protein a serving.  Furthermore, milk contains casein protein.  This protein breaks down slower than others, and therefore can aid your body in its time of fasting (while you are asleep).  So before I go to bed every night, I drink a large glass of milk to round off my day.

A full night’s rest is also necessary for profound muscle gains.  Your body needs time to recuperate, and it does so while you are asleep.  This is because while you sleep your body releases higher levels of GH (Growth Hormone) than while you are awake.  Therefore, the more rest your receive, the more time your muscle fibers have to repair and grow.  Try to get around 8 hours of sleep if possible.

Follow this strategy and I am sure you will be seeing profound changes in your appearance and health as well!