The men's fitness blog

Staying fit and losing some pounds can be a daunting task for men. Finding the right diet can be a tentative balance. However, men may be surprised to hear that they can still maintain a good weight without giving up their favorite foods. Here are a set of no-nonsense tips that will have guys looking good and feeling great (without the hunger pains):

1. Try eating several small meals throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism going.

2. Don’t starve and then binge. Skipping meals could end up promoting more fat storage and lowering your metabolism due to fluctuating insulin and sugar levels.

3. Set regular mealtimes and stick with them. Once your body comes to expect a meal at the same time everyday, it’s easier to avoid sudden cravings and snack attacks.

4. When hunger strikes, make sure you’ve got some healthy snack options available to you (this is a great way to get in your 5-9 servings a day of fruits and vegetables).

5. Protein is more filling than carbohydrates and usually has fewer calories, so be sure to include fish, lean beef and pork, white-meat poultry, eggs, nuts and beans in your diet.

6. Reduce serving sizes and eat a wider variety of food. Don’t deny yourself your favorite foods…just consume them in moderation.

7. Avoid drinks that contain calories and stick to water instead. Many men don’t realize that beverages are often loaded with empty calories and don’t accommodate for them with their meals.

8. One simple way to avoid packing on calories is to use more spices in your food and less condiments like mayonnaise, butter and sour cream.

9. Eat slowly so your body gets a chance to register the food and you won’t end up eating more than you should. Eat until you feel satisfied; not stuffed.
_________________________________________

kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

I was reading that after training all day, Arnold Schwarzenegger had for his dinner, a whole chicken and a pitcher of beer. Ordinarily, you might not associate this kind of meal with someone who looks like Arnie; but the truth is, if you're doing the work, you need the fuel.

If you're trying to build muscle, you need to eat more than your normal amount. If you don't eat more calories than you're consuming by working out, your body will break down muscle to repair itself. On the other hand, if you eat large amounts of the right kind of food - chicken, fish, eggs - your body can build the muscles you damaged in training up to make them even bigger and stronger than before.

Arnie got one thing wrong, though - eating a few large meals can be counterproductive. Your body can't digest, say, a whole chicken at once, so a lot of it will end up as, ahem, "waste".

You should eat regular, small meals throughout the day adding up to a more than a "normal" amount. This will give your body the stream of protein and nutrients it needs to create lean muscle.
____________________________________

website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

This post is taken in part from Fitness for Real Men. In this site's Nutrition section you can read more about supplements and muscle mass building nutrition.
...

To get big, rippling muscles, you need to carry bulk. You may have heard professional bodybuilders refer to the "bulking-up" phase. The idea behind this is to add muscle and fat at the same time. During this phase, you need to focus only on gaining as much clean mass as you can. We emphasize the clean mass - in other words, this does not mean gorging on junk food and snacks.

Instead you need to eat protein-rich foods, and you need to eat regularly. Don't go crazy, but be ready to increase your intake of calories by a good amount. The "three-large-meals-a-day" diet will not work as effectively.

If you start feel hungry, your body goes into "famine mode" and stores more fat - in other words "I'm hungry, therefore there must be a famine, therefore store fat for survival".

This means you need to eat more regularly, with portions a little smaller than usual. You also need to train as heavy as you can, to convert this to muscle rather than fat.