Nutrition: How to build your own customized diet plan
In the very first installment called "The Secrets of Natural Bodybuilding" I talked about the three most important aspects in our sport: proper nutrition, proper training and proper recovery. I realize that many of you experience some issues in each of these areas. That's why I decided to discuss in more detail what might me the key issues in each of them.
Let us talk about the NUTRITION aspect first.
Do you know how much calories and what macronutrients ratio you have to eat according to your personal goal? With other words is your diet custom made for your needs or you don't have one cause nobody can put one together for you and you don't know how?
If your answer is no don't worry cause I'll show you how.
It is called Total Energy Expenditure or TEE what you need to find out first.
OK. There are several steps that you need to follow to determine the TEE:
1. Find out the Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) also known as Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
2. Find out the Activity Factor (AF)
3. Find out the Energy Expenditure from Physical Activity (EEPA)
4. Thermal Effect of Food (TEF)
Stay tuned as I will write on the first of these four steps as soon as I find a few minutes again..
posted by Ivan Nikolov - The secrets of Natural Bodybuilding @ 10:51 AM
7 Comments:
Yes, that's awesome! I bought Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle (BFFM) and he puts TDEE in there. There are so many different important factors when it comes to nurtition, especially making your own menus. I've learned so much from Tom Venuto and now I have you to add to the list as well. You and Tom are two of my "go-to" guys. This particular aspect right here is one of the things people will benefit the most from reading. I'm so glad you added this part. I'm still slowly adjusting to my nutrition. I keep changing it 'cause I've tried different foods and I haven't been completely stisfied yet. I think the main problem is eating so often. It's a hassle and pained discipline to eat every three hours, six times every day and I'm still not used to it. I was never a big "food lover". I hate eating every three hours and really don't even want to but I know that I have to. What's even more of a pain is calculating the calories, protein, carbs, fat, and making sure you are within your appropriate ratios. I don't know how many times I've had to adjust my meals to get the ratios right. The meals are the stressful part but another problem I'm having is getting my cardio back on track. I started lifting weights when I was 12 and coninued, now I'm just getting back into seriously working out from about a year off. Honestly, I don't really even know why I stopped. At the time, I hit a plateau and didn't know what to do and I was trying to keep my grades up. I was fed up so I went on the internet searching for help and I found Tom's BFFM. From then on I read and studied every single thing I found about nutrition and bodybuilding. I searched for it and found it. I still do and I will never stop. Stopping working out is the thing I regret the most and the biggest mistake I have ever made. So now, cardio is getting me. To get used to it I'm currently doing intervals, then I'll gradually work my endurance up and be able to jog for a while but that will take some time. I'm an iron addict, lifting weights has always been my favorite and I don't think that will ever change. I just have to work on everything and work hard. I'm thankful to know that applied knowledge is power and everything worth doing is not going to be easy. My physique role model is IFBB Pro figure competitor, Jenny Lynn and my ultimate long term goal is to become a pro figure competitor myself. You are one of the reasons I move closer towards that goal. You teach me and help me more than I could have asked for and I'm blessed and thankful for that. Sorry if this is too long. It's just good to have people out there who know and care about the same things I do to conversate about with. I hope to inspire, motivate and help people one day, too with the things I care about and know.
Correction. My bad, I've made a typo. I meant TEE.
I understand the food issue. Just hang in there for a little more till I finish the main part of the Nutrition series and everything will seem a lot easier, I promise. I will provide you and everyone who cares with the tools and little tricks to make things simpler. It is not that hard. It is a matter of better understanding and again - habit. So, bare with me for a little longer..
As to the cardio the rule of life is to ease back in to things that are tough and not stress your body all at once. What I'd do is I'd start with some regular, ciclical cardio just to work my way back in to it (as this is easier to do than the interval training cardio) and then gradually start replacing parts of it with HIIT. Ex: If you currently do 30min of ciclical cardio, start by replacing the first 10min with HIIT cardio and the rest will be still the regular. And the 15-15 and so on. Again the rule is don't make sudden changes as your body does't react in a positive way to such.
Talk again;-)
Ivan
Thanks for the advice. I'll do that with my cardio. I understand nutrition but I can definitely always learn more. I still have more to learn. Learning is an ongoing process and I know that I'll never stop learning about the things that I care about. Yeah, habit is definitely a key factor obtaining to nutrition. When you say ciclical cardio, you're talking about cardio in cycles? Like, doing cardio on the stationary bike, the stairmaster and incline walking on the treadmill, right? Also, how I know when to start replacing some of it with HIIT cardio is when it starts to get easier, right? Right now, I'm shooting for fat loss, so I'm doing 45 mins. of weights, then 45 mins. of cardio. The thing with weights though is that I go overboard with it and I do weights for over 45 mins. I need to be quicker. After every session of weights, the next day I'm really sore and I just work around it. I love being sore though 'cause it's the improving kind of soreness where you know your workouts are intense.
I'm still experimenting with what split I'm going to use for now. I always have to make sure that I shock my body and mix it up. Thanks for keeping all this up and I'm looking forward to more new articles,blogs, and products from you. Is Prime Cuts: Volume I out yet? Let me know when it does if it ain't out yet.
I'll be back on here soon. ;-)
Regular and ciclical is the same thing - cardio in cicles.
Take my advice. Set up short term goals. Let's say you are aiming to lose 1% BF in four weeks. And 3 % in three months. You can do even 2% a month. I have done 1 % a week in pre-contest preparation.
Prime Cuts: Volume One (the one I am in) has been out for a half a year. Go to my web site, point on the "Ivan's Stuff" button and then "Videos". CLick on the link and you can watch a trailer or you can even purchase it if you like it.
Talk soon.
-Ivan
I thought Prime Cuts: Volume One wasn't out yet. I'm glad to know that it is and I will buy it. Your advice is right and I do take it. I'm setting short term goals. Currently, I am trying to lose a half % of body fat per week until I get to 17- 19% body fat and lose 2 lbs. per week until I get to 125- 130 lbs. Right now I weigh 167 lbs. and have 27 % body fat. I am lucky though, because I am not a fat 167 lbs. and I am proportional. The reason I want to lose fat is because I am not lean enough to compete in figure yet. Figure has got to be one of the reasons I am here. I have what it takes physically: muscle, symmetry, and proportion, I just have to lose a lot of fat. Anyways, besides the video, I'm going to buy some other things in your store, also. Soon enough.
One last thing. I have to go and work out right now so I will read the latest blog when I get back. You teach and remind me so many important things. :-)
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