Natural Bodybuilding Site

Updated 11/26/08

It takes sound nutrition to be able to have proper energy to exercise.

I wouldn't be able to lift the whole stack of this Leg Curl Machine if nutrition wasn't emphasize.

 

INTRODUCTION

If you think there has been too much confusion in the Fitness Industry on how to train properly, dieting is even more confusing.  Even to this day it is still debated as what to eat and what not to eat.  I had a strong doubt as to whether or not to include Nutrition in this site.  Because there is so much to discuss that I could have easily created another website for it.  My goal here is not to get into too much detail but rather tell you what you need to know in order to stay healthy and to provide the raw material your muscles need.  Remember that Nutrition is an important part of the Trinitarian Principle of Natural Bodybuilding and it's just as important as Training and Recuperation.

THE FAT PROBLEM

America is one of the most obese nation in the world.  I'm sure if you have been watching the News lately, you would have seen how our young children has gotten obese in such an alarming rate, and how this problem keeps claiming up.  Obese adults are costing our health care industries billions of dollar each year.  It is a fact that a lot of employers are doubting or having second thoughts in hiring someone that is obese.  Because they are 3 times more likely to use up disability and health care benefits.  But what lead to our nation's obesity, I like to think of three major things: Supersized Food Serving, Convient Foods and Lack of Physical Activity.

When I was a kid in the '80's, I remember my family and I going to McDonalds, Burger King, or Carl's Jr. and ordering our food.  Drinks by back then compare to now was small and so were the fries.  A Big Mac was considered big, now it looks like a mini-burger compare to the standards of today.  A buffet is trendy now at almost every restaurants during lunch and dinner hours.  Americans are eating more than ever did before.  A person, eventhough their stomach is full, still continues to download more food till their stomach can stretch no more.    It's not at all unusual to see someone eat 10,000-15,000 Kcal. at one meal.  This is extremely dangerous.  I knew a man once, used to be a close friend of mine, who according to the doctor, had a stomach that can hold up to 2 gallons worth of food.  Because of his serious obesity problem and poor health condition, they did a surgery on his stomach.  Now his stomach is capable of holding only 6 oz.  He eventually lost 150 lbs of weight from it in less than a year.  Stomach surgery is not the best thing to do and something I would consider as a last resort, but in his case it was necessary.

Americans don't cook anymore like their parents and grandparents use to.  They don't prepare nutritious meals that their bodies need throughout the day.  Instead they buy process food, or ready to eat food or just plainly go out to eat.  Everything has become very convient for us.  I have to admit, I've been guilty of this myself.  We've just become a society of busy people and our time has been compromised. 

Since we're busy people, are we more active then?  No, as a matter of fact we've become less active and sedentary through out the years. The age of computers, transportation and fast service has made things easy for us and yet in a stressful way.   Supposedly that with the advancement in technology, we would end up with less work and more time in our hands.  That's just the opposite.  Eventhough most of us do our work sitting down, the workload has increased, which leads to more stress.  Inactivity and high stress is not good to your health. A lot of illness today that are mental and physical can be ralated to stress and obesity.  Most doctors won't tell you that.  The tiredness you feel when coming out of work is not related to anything physical that you've done, but rather from stressing out.  What do a lot of Americans do to relieve stress: Smoke, which is bad for your health. Eat, which contributes to your obesity.  Yell at significant others, which is a destructive thing to do to your love ones.  Or sleep, which contributes to more inactivity and add to your obesity.  A good workout would help relieve some of that stress and burn some fat to lower obesity and give you a better overall feeling and improve your mental and physical health.  Something a lot of doctors won't tell you either.

THE FAD PROBLEM

Diet Fads comes and goes like no other.  It's a multi-billion dollar a year industry.  Americans are always looking for short cuts to which there's no such thing.  I remember in the late 80's how everybody was getting into the Chromium Picolante.  This little supplement did everything from building muscle mass, losing weight and even increasing your sex drive and appeal.  It was all over the shelves and major corporation were mass producing it. Now it is hardly promoted anymore.  Why, because it doesn't work.  If you find one, it's mostly generic.  Then in the 90's we got the Fen/Fen thing going and how this miracle pill causes rapid weight lost.  It was later found to cause irregular heart beat and even death.   

Today we have the low Carb-craze, Atkins. Everybody in the fitness industries and even restaurants are promoting Low Carb.  This is the sure diet that will decrease obesity in American.  Well it hasn't happen, Americans are still obese and increasing.  This particular diet does have an 85% failure rate.  Keep in mind, Americans in general do eat a lot of Carb, more than what their body requires. Why, because it taste good, manufacturers use it as a substitute for fat and sometimes cheaper to buy.  But extreme Low Carb is not the way to go.  Your body needs Carb in order for it to function well, especially your brain and muscles.  You can not train hard or intensely with a Low Carb diet.  You can loose weight from it alright because of the water depletion and the decrease in Kcal. But you can not maintain it because by nature, Carb is your body's primary energy source, sooner or later your body will demand for it.  That's why it has such a high failure rate.  Research has shown that you not only gain back what you've lost with the Low Carb but you gain back a little bit more.  The reason is because your body goes into a storage mode in order to prevent this extreme depletion from happening again and to protect itself.  Low Carb diet is nothing new in Bodybuilding.  It's been around since the 60's when competitors diet down for a contest and wants to loose water subcutaneously and make their muscles appear more rip.  I usually go into a Low Carb diet when I use to compete.  In a couple more years there will be another Fad that people will get into again.  Just be more educated when that happens.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ON OBESITY

On August 2004 National Geographic came with an article titled, "Why Are We So Fat?" by Cathy Newman, which confirmed a lot of the things I've been saying all along why Americans have gotten obese over the past two decades.  Our lifestyle has changed where we've become less active and the consumption of Kcal. have skyrocketed.  Americans like to blame Carbs for their obesity as Atkin would put it, but in truth it is not.  Americans are just eating more of everything.

Here are some of the things associated with obesity and/or eating excessive Kcal.:

1. Type II Diabetes:   results from fat in the abdomen or too much sugar in the diet becomes resistant to insulin.
2. Heart Disease:       results from elevated cholestrol, which leads to plaque buildup in the arteries.
3. Stroke:                  much higher in people with type II diabetes.  A clot that blocks an artery to the brain, cause nerve damage. 
4. Liver Disease:        fat inside the liver that can cause cirrhosis in about 10% cases, which can cause a liver failure.
5. Colon Cancer:       more probable in men who store fat in the abdomen area.
6. Osteoarthritis:        overweight people places strain on the spine, hip, and knee joints which over time can cause lost of cartilage.

Food portions Before and Now:

                                                          Before                                Now

1. Burger King Hamburger:       2.8oz  202 kcal.                 4.3oz  310 kcal.
2. McDonald's Fries                 2.4oz  210 kcal.                 7.0oz  610 kcal.
3. Hershey Bar                         2.0oz  297 kcal.                 7.0oz  1000 kcal.
4. Coca Cola Drink                  6.5 fluid oz  79 kcal.           16 fluid oz  194 kcal.
5. Movie Popcorn                    3 cups  174 kcal.                21 cups w/butter  1,700 kcal. 

Obesity Then and Now:

                                                                            Then (1971-1980)                                        Now

1. % of Obese Americans                               14.5 %                                                        30.9%
2. Type II Diabetes                                         5.8 million                                                   13.3 million
3. % of Obese Children                                   5%                                                             15%
4. Average Dress Size for Women                   8                                                                 14

WHY DIET ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH

If you're trying to lose weight or even trying to maintain a good health then adding an exercise program to your diet would definately make it even better.  Exercise and Diet as well as Rest have always gone hand in hand in order to be complete picture of health.  I've known some people in the past who have lost weight through diet alone, but they've could have looked better if they could have added exercise to it.  Also, keep in mind that low Kcal diet has the tendency of slowing your metabolism, even if it is a healthy diet.  If your body is used to 4000 Kcal. and you suddenly drop to 2200 Kcal. then eventually your metabolism would slow down.  By adding exercise to this will help keep the metabolism up in order to promote a healthy weight lost.  Plus, you'll also feel better instead of sluggish.

STARVATION DIET DOESN'T WORK

People believe that depriving themselves of food which also means depriving themselves of severe Kcal. would create a weight loss.  Well it does-temporarily.  What truly happens is that in beginning you will lose some weight, but not all of the weight you lose are from fat.  Parts of it would be from muscles.  Muscles require Kcal to sustain itself and when there's not enough Kcal. the muscles will eventually become slow and sluggish.  Which means your metabolism will slow down.  And a slow metabolism will promote more fat gain.  Yes, your body will eventually get the signal and covert whatever Kcal. it gets to fat in order to protect itself.  This section talks about the best way to lose weight and starvation is definately not one of them.

PEOPLE TEND TO EAT ETHNICALLY

No nation in the world is more diverse than the United States, and because of that we enjoy the diversity in the foods we eat.  Nothing is wrong with that at all.  Most ethnic food are healthy.  For me, so far I've had Filipino food, Czech, Poland, Irish, Indian, Thailand, Italian and the ever popular Mexican, burger, fries, pizza and Chinese food.  If you are a type of person that tends to eat according to your culture then you must be aware of the things that goes into your food.  Particularly high sodium spices, grease, and fat.  Growing up as part of the Filipino culture, my mom did prepare our food in the most healthy way.  She substituted herds and spice for salt and Canola oil instead of lard or regular cooking oil.  She didn't do this because of me, but for my dad who had a high blood pressure and a heart problem.

Having a great tasting Mexican dinner with my in-laws

 

MACRO-NUTRIENTS

I'm only going to touch up a little bit on Marco-Nutrients and not on Micro-Nutrients, because these are the nutrients that determines Kcal. intake and the balance diet your body needs.  Micro-Nutrients are Vitamins and Minerals and they contain many categories that would be too long for me discuss here.  But as an active person you should focus more on Vitamin B's, C, D and E and Minerals like Calcium, Potasium and Iron.

Carbohydrate: This is the chief source of energy that we constantly burn throughout the day.  It is the most important energy source when it comes to fueling your workouts.  Carbs has 3 basic form: Complex, Simple and Fiber.  As a person who workouts, you want your diet to consist of mostly Complex Carbs, second Fiber, and third some Simple Carbs or sugar.  Complex Carb also refered to as Starch or Polysaccharides consist of long chain of sugars linked together.  You can get your Complex Carb by eating whole grain wheat, rice, beans, oats and potatoes etc.  Think of Complex Carb as a long lasting energy.  Simple Carb is just the opposite.  Simple Carb, also referred to as monosaccharides and disaccharides consist of single or double unit sugar.  Once in the system they break apart into single sugars before absorbed into the bloodstream.  They are found in candies, fruits and other sugary foods.  They can give you a quick boost of energy (if you eat too much of it) but leaves you drain once it's depleted.  That's why you should never eat more Simple than Complex.  Fiber on the other hand is different.  It does not raise the sugar level in your system because it doesn't break into sugars.  So that means it doesn't give you energy but it is important when it comes to elimination of waste and maintaining homeostasis in your system.  There are two types of Fiber:  Soluble and Insoluble (reference to water).  Soluble Fiber are found in oatmeal, bake beans, applesause and the white part of the apple or core.  Insoluble Fiber are found in celery, apple skin, some cereals and oats.  Carbohydrate is not only good for energy but it's also good for two other things: Sparing Protien and Oxidation of Fat. This allows Protien to do its work, which is muscle building and repair.  Fat burns more efficiently because Carbs help along in that process.  Think of Fat as a log and Carbs as little twigs.  Now if you were building a camp fire, which one would you burn first?  If you eat less than 100 grams of Carb a day (like Low Carb diet), your body goes into what is called Ketosis.  This in turn uses Protien (Marasmus) and Fat as it's energy source.  Is it a good thing?  Not really, because it turns your blood acidic and the Protien which could be use for muscle building and Recuperation is being use for energy.  On top of that, there's a rapid pH and water depletion from vital organs.   Another thing that you should keep in mind is that 1 gram of Carb is equal to 4 Kcal.  About 60% of the total Kcal. that you eat should be Carb base food.

Protien: Unlike Carb and Fat that has gotten a bad rap due to the problem of obesity, Protien has received nothing but praises.  The Fitness Industries has instilled in our brains that we are Protien deprived.  The truth is, the average American eats 3 to 4 times more Protien that what is required.  America is even eating 6-8 times more than what other nations are consuming.  So if you hear that you are not consuming enough Protien, turn a deaf ear to it.  Lack of dietary Protein known as Kwashiorkor rarely ever happens in America and no Bodybuilders have ever experience this, even vegetarians.  The main functions of Protien: repair and replace tissues, muscle building (important thing for Recuperation), enzymes, hormones, hemoglobin, anti-bodies, other blood proteins and glandular secretions.  There are two types of Protien: Complete and Incomplete.  Complete refers to the number of amino acid that you consume, which should be 22 different types of amino acids.  Incomplete is the lack of those 22 amino acids.  As a Trainer it is very important that you get the Complete type of Protien.  Which is easily done by consuming meat such as cattle, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and so on.  Incomplete comes mostly from plants, beans, rice and so on.  Protien is also important in keeping your body's Nitrogen in balance which often gets lost through urination, perspiration, exercise and other body secretions.  As a Bodybuilder you should consume around 1 gram of Protien per pound of your body weight.  Like Carb, 1 gram of Protien is equal to 4 Kcal. and 30-35% of the Total Kcal that you consume should be from Protien.

Fat: Fat in our society has been seen as villian and is not to be desired.  We don't want it in our body and we certainly don't want it in our food.  But like it or not, Fat is essential and just as important as Carb and Protien.  The primary function of Fat in our body (also refered to as Adipose tissue) is to serve as a heat source, insulation of our vital organs and as an energy storage source.    In food, Fat (or sometimes called Lipids) adds taste and gives satiety, feeling of fullness in your stomach.  Compare to the other two, it is slower to digest and helps retard hunger.   But compare to the other two, Fat is more Kcaloric dense, twice the Kcal. One gram of Fat is equal to 9 Kcal.  The Fat that we eat from food contains the essential vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that we need for proper absorption.  Fat also has substances such as Phospolipids (Fat with phosphorus minerals) and Sterols (ergosterol in plants and cholesterol in animal fat).  Again we won't get into details because of limited space.  Also keep in mind there are 3 types of Fatty Acids: Saturated (coconut, palm kernel oil, beef), Monounsaturated (olive oil, canola oil and beef) and Polyunsaturated (corn oil, cottonseed, safflower, soybeans, so on).  Back then Nutritionist thought that Polyunsaturated was the healthy part of the Fatty Acids.  Until recently they found that Monounsaturated actually helps HDL from being lowered.  HDL (High Density Lipid) is the good cholesterol that helps keep our body in homeostasis.  Dietary Fat in your diet should be at least 5-10% of your total Kcal.  Again there's a lot more to discuss when it comes to Fat and the rest of the Macro-Nutrients.  I've only given you the tip of the Iceberg so that you have an idea about how all these relates to you, the Trainer.

A balance diet of Carb., Protien, and Fat helps fuel workouts, helps recovery ability, maintain balance in life

 

DETERMINING YOUR MAINTAINENCE LEVEL

Before embarking on a diet plan, you must first determine what your Maintainence Level is when it comes to Kcal.  Maintainence Level means that you neither gain or loose weight.  It is where your body weight doesn't change for a number of years.  The most important part is to have a notebook and a pen to log every food that you eat and you must do this for 7 days.  You mustn't change your eating habit as of yet.  Once you have done it, get a Food Calorie Index book.  The book will list the number of Kcal. that you have eaten in a day and it will also tell you how much Carb, Protien, and Fat it has.  Ofcourse it's not going to be accurate, as a matter fact it might be a bit off.  Your goal is to get a rough estimation of the daily average on how many Kcal. it takes to maintain you.

Losing Weight: It is possible to loose fat weight while trying to build muscle mass?  The answer to this is, Yes. The way to do it is to loose weight at a slow pace.  You should analyze your progress according to what you see in the mirror and the pictures you took from a camera.  A weight scale to weigh yourself can be quite deceiving.  You may be loosing fat while gaining muscle mass at the same time and a weight scale has no way of telling you that.  A mirror and pictures does.  To loose fat while building muscle mass you simply take your Maintainence Level of Kcal. a day and subtract 500 Kcal from that.  That's how many Kcal. you should be eating. Since a pound of Fat has 3500 Kcal. it is logical for you to loose a pound of fat a week.  I know a pound of Fat doesn't sound much, but you will have sufficient enough Kcal. to train intensely, recuperate properly and enough Kcal. to build muscle mass.  Always remember to keep your diet balanced. 

Gaining Weight: A lot of men and even a few women when they usually say they want to gain weight they usually mean gaining weight by way of muscle mass. It is the main reason why people take up weight training.  It was the main reason why I took up weight training myself.  At age 18, I was 127 lbs.  My goal at that time was to be 160 lbs well I surpassed it and set a new goal for myself to be 180 lbs, and then 200, 210 and so on.  I even got as high as 242 lbs.  Not bad at all for a guy like me who is only 5' 6" in height and not using steriods or any form of drugs at all.  I did paid attention to my waist line.  It did increase but not in the same proportion as the rest of my body.  The most important thing to do when it comes to gaining weight is set minor goals till you meet your long term goal.  My original goal back then was to weigh 160 lbs.  But I wanted see how far I could take myself.  Now, was it all muscles that I gain.  No it wasn't.  I looked more like a footplayer or powerlifter than anything.  I just wanted to get rid of that skinny look that I had since Jr. High.  My strength level did increase though as my weight continues to claim.  Your goal is to gain 10 lbs a year and it should be mostly muscle .  If you think that is too small.  Imagine 3 years from now, you would have gained a total of 30 lbs.  You do this by adding 400-500 more Kcal. to your diet.  Do not take products such as Weight Gainer.  The bulk of the Kcal. from this product is usually sugar.  You are better off taking Creatine and Protein if you need something to help you increase your Kcal.  Remember to always keep your diet balanced.

EATING OUT

Eating Out is not a bad thing.  I know a lot of people are busy and eating out seems to be the only option they have.  Others eat out for social purpose.  You just need to be selective in what you eat in order to stay healthy and to avoid getting fat.  Most restuarants serve foods that are high in Kcal., fat, carbs, cholesterol, sodium and other stuff that makes food taste good.  They are in competition with other restaurants so mega-serving seems to be the trend now in order to attract you.  How can you survive this.  Well look at their menu.  Stay away from bread that's been buttered and salted, don't order sodas, get water instead and don't order food that you know have a lot of Kcal., sodium and fat.  Special order your meals with side orders of lean meat like chicken, fish and such.  Order rice, beans, and bake potatoes without the butter.  Once in awhile it's OK to indulge in what the restuarants serve, but don't make a habit out of it.

PLANNING MEALS 

It is a worthy investment to have a Food Kcal. Index Book with you.  It makes it easier on how to plan your meals and to know the Kcal. per serving.  It also show how much Carb, Protien and Fat a food has.  First, establish how many Kcal. you need in order to gain weight, lose weight, or maintain weight.  If you are trying to gain or lose weight you may need to adjust the amount of Kcal. you eat accordingly.  Eat 4 to 6 times a day.  To prevent your body from going into a hunger mode, eat every 2 to 3 hours by eating smaller meals.  Here's an example of a diet plan that I have recommended to my clients in the past.

Morning:    3 egg whites, 2 whole wheat bread, fruit, water

Snack:       Low Kcal. Yogurt, water

Lunch:       2 cups of rice, small salad, 8 oz. of lean meat, water

Snack:       Protien drink, water

Dinner:      Mix Vegetable, 1 cup of rice, 8 oz of lean meat, water

Snack:       Fruit Salad, water

Remember to always drink water with every meal.  It helps take up the space in your stomach and give you that satiety feeling.  It also keep you well hydrated.  If you tend to eat ethnically, plan your meals accordingly and be selective.

SUPPLEMENTS

I'm not really big on supplements.  I've invested a lot time and money trying to learn what each supplement does.  Only in the end did I found out that I've wasted a lot of money.  I always tell my wife I could have bought a sportscar if I didn't invested so much money on supplements.  The truth is, most supplements don't work.  I've built my muscles, and won contest by just training hard, resting, and eating a balance diet.  You can certainly make good gains without the use of supplements at all.  But if you are the type of person that would like to invest on supplement then by all means, go for it.  There are a few supplements out there that do work and are worthy of investment.  Such as Protien, either whey, milk and egg or other.  Just make sure it is complete with all the 22 essential amino acids.  Creatine is another worthy investment.  This particular product makes you retain water in your muscles.  Just be sure to drink plenty of water and to take it with a sugary substance like cranberry juice, apple juice and so on.  I particularly don't use Creatine anymore but I did notice that it has worked great for others.  You can also invest in Multi-Vitamins and Minerals.  Your body may not need it if you are eating a balance diet but it doesn't hurt to take it either.  I wouldn't recommend taking Amino Acid supplements, because for one thing they are so expensive compare to the rest.  Plus the Protien that you eat and the Protien supplement you take already has a complete set of Amino Acid.  You may use supplements like Protien and Creatine as part of a snack, but never replace a meal with it.  Please keep in mind that supplements will never be better than eating a balance diet.

"Bon Appetite"