Dietary Requirements

1. Total Intake. Calculate your maintenance requirements then:
   • To lose weight adjust down 500-750 calories per day. This deficit can be attained by a combination of increasing the amount of calories burned and/or by decreasing the amount of calories taken in. If you go below this you run the risk of putting your body into a starvation mode where you're actually storing fat and losing muscle. Very counter productive!
   • To gain weight: Continue to strength train and add (no more than) 500 calories/day a day. Not 100% of the gains will result in lean muscle mass, but it will be easy to lose the added fat as a result of the increases in metabolism from the additional muscle. If you increase your intake any more you run the risk of adding too much fat.
   
   
2. Protein Intake. Through experience I've found that, for me, 1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight of intake is good, with the higher end being better for staying lean and gaining mass and the lower end better for increased energy levels. Beware, too much protein will turn to fat if it's not needed by the body.
   
   
3. Fat Intake. Your body needs fat, the low fat craze of late has people eating tons of sugar thinking that they're eating healthy. WRONG. Personally I find that by shooting for 15-20% of my total calories from fat I'm able to maintain leanness and that terrific feeling of fullness. The trick is to eat low fat/low sugar foods and get your Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from good sources like:
   • Flax Seed Oil
   • Safflower Oil
   • Nuts
   • Eggs
   • Small amounts of lean red meat
   • To a lesser extent, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil
   
   For the most part, the above oils contain EFAs and some anti-oxidants.
   
   The fats to stay away from are:
   • the Trans-Fatty Acids found in butter substitutes and alot of processed foods and
   • the heavily saturated fats found in fatty meats, dairy products and "bad" oils (lard, straight vegetable oil)
   
   
4. Carbohydrate Types. Stay away from refined sugar, alcoholic beverages and flour. PERIOD. These are digested by the body immediately and, unless burned immediately, are actually stored as fat long before any fat which is consumed at the same time. Good sources of carbohydrates are:
   • Fresh Fruits (in moderation)
   • Fresh Vegetables (raw if possible, stay away from starchy veggies like corn, peas and potatos)
   • Whole grains (100% stone ground Rye and wheat flour, Long cooking oat meal, long grain rice (in moderation))
   • Lactose (sugar in dairy products, in moderation)
   • Legumes (beans)
   
   
   
5. Frequency of eating. This could actually be the most important factor to consider. Your body is a furnace and needs to be fueled, the more constant the fueling the steadier (and hotter) it burns. If you take in more than your body needs for immediate fuels (over the digestion period) it is stored as fat. Personally, I find that if I eat (from the time I get up till bed time) 9 or 10 meals each with the proper proportion of P, F's and C's I do my best.
   
   
6. Water Intake. I get at least a gallon a day, more if it's hot out. Another factor that keeps your furnace running.