You don’t have to starve yourself or break the bank on your weekly shop to get a cover model body. Here’s how to feast your way into the shape of your life ......
Nutrition rule 1: You Must Eat
No matter how keen you are to get lean, you won't help yourself by starving. You may burn fat for a few hours, maybe even a day, but after that your body starts to compensate by slowing your metabolism. Conversely, when you give your body a steady supply of clean-burning fuel, your metabolism runs smoothly. Eating lots of food and losing fat aren't just compatible; they're bedfellows.
Nutrition rule 2: Get your timing right
You should eat about every three waking hours. That works out at five small-to-medium-size meals a day, or three meals and two snacks. When you eat five times a day you keep your muscles fed with protein and you'll actually be less hungry at meal times, so less tempted to overindulge. You should also always make sure you drink plenty of water so you stay hydrated and your metabolism works at peak efficiency.
Nutrition rule 3: Rethink dinner
Two smart adjustments to your dinners can cut calories dramatically. First, stop thinking of it as your biggest meal of the day and front-load your calories, eating more earlier in the day.
Second, avoid starchy carbohydrates (that's rice, pasta, potatoes or any kind of bread) after 6pm. The fewer carbs you eat in the evening, the faster you will see results.
Nutrition rule 4: Eat for power
The best way to fuel your workouts is to ensure they fit around your five-meal eating plan. You should hit the weights an hour or two after you eat, then eat again as soon as possible after you finish.
You need to get some protein in every meal. A man who's doing a lot of strength training and wants to bulk up needs 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, each day (or 1g per pound). So if you weigh 14st 4lb (200lb / 90kg), you need to eat 180-200g a day. If you don't want to build muscle, you can get by on less than this. But for anyone doing the workouts in this book this is a good guide.
Nutrition rule 5: Energise with carbs
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of fuel. During prolonged exercise, they help you burn fat. Sport scientists like to say that fat burns in a carbohydrate flame. Though fat is your body's best source of energy, carbs make it possible to use that fat.
However, different types of carbohydrate have very different effects on your body. Complex carbs, such as bread and pasta, are easy to eat too much of and give you far more fuel than you need in the evening, so your body stores the surplus as fat.
Nutrition rule 6: Keep fibre high and sugar low
The fibre in veg has amazing health benefits – it's been linked to weight control, heart health, and disease prevention. Fibre-rich foods help you feel satisfied during a meal, so you stop eating sooner.
On the other end of the nutritional spectrum are the simple sugars and sweeteners, such as sucrose (table sugar), which give you energy but don’t fill you up. Stay away from these completely if you can. If you do have sweets, make sure they're an occasional treat and, if you can, eat them on an empty stomach, when your body is far more likely to burn the energy they contain rather than storing it as fat.
Nutrition rule 7: Be wary of booze
Your body tries so hard to get rid of alcohol that it processes it preferentially, before any food you eat at the same time. So it can actually prevent your body from building muscle. That's not to say you can never drink. Depriving yourself completely of the things you enjoy will only cause you to begin craving those things.
So when you do have wine or beer with a meal, consider it your carbohydrate. Have two beers and a steak, and you can survive with your physique intact. Six cans with pizza will set you back.
Nutrition Rule 8: Don't ditch fat
Don't fall for the myth that all dietary fat is evil. Your body needs it. Your brain is about 70 percent fat; your manliest hormone, testosterone, is made from fat; and fat is vital to your body's cellular structures. A very low-fat diet is a bad idea for most people. Not only that, it's nearly impossible to stick to. Your body is smart. It won't let go of the fat it has if it's convinced that no more is coming.
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