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One Methods:Suggested Meal Plan

Eating like a body builder will help you build muscle, lose excess weight, and maintain a healthy weight if you follow it strictly. The basic idea is to eat a diet high in protein and fiber, and low in carbohydrates and fat. To eat like a body-builder, read these pointers as well as the sample diet below.

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EditSteps

  1. Eat Like a Body Builder Step 1.jpg
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    Follow the meal plan detailed below. Spices can be used but not in extremes. Avoid thick or creamy salad dressings. Use salt sparingly; good alternatives are Mrs. Dash seasonings. Avoid sugar at all costs; if you like sugar and cream in your morning coffee, try using skim milk and stevia as healthier alternatives.
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    Eat a meal every 2 to 3 hours. Body-builders emphasize proteins matched with carbs; however, incorporating vegetables and fiber into your diet will also help sustain your health and keep you feeling full. If you miss a meal, you don't get to make up for it at the next meal.
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    Incorporate flaxseeds and flaxseed oil into your diet. Flaxseeds and flaxseed oils are available in many stores; you can also find bread and cereals containing flaxseed. Alternatively, you may take flaxseed oil capsules (1000 mg; can be found at nutritional supplement stores). Be warned, however, that pills may be unsatisfactory substitutes for natural flaxseed, as many health-promoting components in flaxseed may be lost during the processing in making the pills.[1] The pills are not FDA approved, with research still in its infancy.[1] Flax may help to curb your appetite and trick the body into thinking it's getting enough fat so that it will release fat stores[2] and reduce overall inflammation of joints.[3]
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    Drink plenty of water. Water is very important whether you’re dieting or not. Some people are so dehydrated that they confuse it for hunger pains. One common guideline is to divide your weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the number of ounces of water you need each day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., strive to drink 75 ounces of water daily. For those who use the metric system, divide your weight (in kilograms) by 30 (ex. somebody weighing 70 kg is going to need 2.3 liters per day). Drink at least this amount every day, especially if you're exercising. Learn to love the taste of water, and see How to Drink More Water Every Day for more details.

EditSuggested Meal Plan

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    First meal (breakfast):
    • 1 to 2 scoops of a protein supplement in low-fat milk or water (easiest morning meal) mixed with 1/2 cup of frozen fruit and/or fat free yogurt.
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 5Bullet1.jpg
      • or 1 egg and 2 whites hard-boiled or fried with an olive oil substitute.
      • or 40 grams of steel cut oats (about half a cup or a quarter of a cup); do not substitute with instant oats, as most of their natural fiber has been leached
    • 1000 mg flaxseed oil
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 5Bullet2.jpg
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    Second meal (morning snack):
    • One can tuna or salmon (look for low sodium variety)
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 6Bullet1.jpg
      • or 1 to 2 scoops of protein shake and 2 Fiber One Bars ground into a paste and mixed with skim milk
    • 1000 mg of flaxseed oil
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 6Bullet2.jpg
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    Third meal (lunch):
    • Two 6 oz chicken breasts and 2/3 cup of whole wheat/high fiber pasta or whole grain brown rice.
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 7Bullet1.jpg
    • 1000 mg of flaxseed oil
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 7Bullet2.jpg
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    Fourth meal (afternoon snack):
    • One can tuna or salmon (look for low sodium varieties)
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 8Bullet1.jpg
      • or 4 oz of steak (use sparingly, as steak has higher cholesterol than leaner proteins such as turkey, chicken, or fish)
    • 1 to 2 scoops of protein shake and 2 Fiber One Bars ground into a paste and mixed with skim milk
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 8Bullet2.jpg
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    Fifth meal (dinner):
    • 8 oz steak or equal amount of extra-lean hamburger, salmon, or shrimp, cooked in olive oil, or a canola oil alternative.
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 9Bullet1.jpg
    • 1 large salad or large portion of broccoli or cauliflower (or both)
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 9Bullet2.jpg
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    Sixth meal (night snack):
    • 1 to 2 scoops of a protein supplement in low-fat milk or water
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 10Bullet1.jpg
      • or 3 eggs (2 of them whites only) hard-boiled or fried with olive oil or calorie-free butter substitute
    • 1000 mg of flaxseed oil
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 10Bullet2.jpg
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    Substitute where necessary. For example, 1 can of tuna or salmon can be replaced with either 3 turkey niblets or 1 1/2 cups of imitation crab meat (remember to check expiration date); instead of eggs, you can have light Swiss cheese (only eat 3 1/4" cubes).
    • If you are a vegetarian, wherever it says animal flesh, you can replace it with tofu, beans, peas, and nuts.
      Eat Like a Body Builder Step 11Bullet1.jpg
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    Incorporate fruits and vegetables. Though good for building muscles, the diet on this plan is limited to processed protein and carbohydrates, which isn’t healthy or sustainable. Balancing your meals with more vegetables, fruits, and low-fat, low-cholesterol, unprocessed proteins will ultimately lead to a healthier body and lifestyle. Add at least 5 fruits and/or vegetables to your daily diet. An easy way to do this is to mix the proteins with salad fixings and incorporate the flaxseed (which can be substituted for olive oil) into a healthy unprocessed salad dressing.
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EditTips

  • Making meals ahead of time for the week will make it easier.
  • Get a whey protein mix that's low fat, low carbohydrate, and has at least 23 grams of protein per scoop. Sugar content should be low (ex. 3 grams or lower). Many stores have samples, so take some home before you buy one; there are some really gross kinds of protein shakes.

EditWarnings

  • If you are allergic to milk, the whey protein shakes that the plan requires may not be good for you. Either stick to the eggs or find a shake with no dairy in it.
  • Always pay attention to your doctor's advice before starting any diet.
  • Consuming extreme levels of protein comes at the cost of increasing your cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol or are at risk, do not follow this plan.
  • Excluding the majority of food groups from your diet in return for processed "protein" shakes/powders exponentially increases your risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, illness, anemia, gastro-intestinal malfunction/back up, and other unpleasant side-effects associated with an extremely limited, unbalanced diet such as the one listed here.
  • Children and women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or nursing should be careful to avoid excessive mercury consumption. The EPA recommends consuming no more than 12 oz. of salmon or light tuna per week (6 oz. of albacore tuna), and to entirely avoid swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel. Other fish should be avoided based upon local advisories. See the linked reference for more information.[4]

EditRelated wikiHows

How to
Increase Your Metabolism

How to
Add More Fiber to Your Diet

How to
Lose Weight

How to
Build Muscle

How to
Eat Flax Seed

EditSources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.01.1The Scoop on Flax, from Cleveland Clinic: Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  2. ↑ Ask Dr. Sears
  3. ↑ Flax Council of Canada
  4. ↑ EPA fish advisories

Article Info

Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Building Muscle & Strength | Diet Programs

In other languages:

Deutsch: Wie man sich wie ein Bodybuilder ernährt, Español: Cómo comer como un fisiculturista, Italiano: Come Mangiare Come un Culturista, Português: Como Comer como um Fisiculturista, Français: Comment se nourrir comme un culturiste, Русский: питаться как культурист, 中文: 吃得像个健美运动员, Nederlands: Eten als een bodybuilder

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