A body builder must follow some strategies in order to successfully gain muscle mass and at the same time lose body fat. It is a no-brainer what we need to do in order to lose weight but gain muscle at the same time. On the other hand, the question of what not to do is a different subject. Here is a list “wrong” steps every bodybuilder needs to avoid in their nutrition.
Don’t follow monotone diet
Make sure you diet has enough variety. When you stick to the same food every single day, you have higher chances of quitting since your taste-buds need variety of flavors.
Don’t fixate on the scales
Do not make the mistake of evaluating the results from the changes on the scales. Generally speaking, scale measurements provide rough estimate of changes, when you concentrate on the numerical changes too much you can easily fall into the overcompensation trap-hole. Visual changes (for example photos) provide better comparison.
Don’t start overeating
Some bodybuilders start overeating when they want to gain some mass. However, when you consume too many calories, they will simply turn into fat instead of feeding the muscles. While eating a lot of carbohydrates may be a good choice since they make good energy-source for intensive training, make sure to carefully calculate how much energy you need and consume exactly that much.
Don’t Rush Your Diet
It takes about three weeks for your body just to adjust to the new diet, so make sure you give it enough time. Patiently wait for changes. Allow around 21 days to see some results from high-car, low-fat, reduced calorie, and moderate protein diet.
Don’t follow others blindly
Diets of professional bodybuilders are often well-balanced and make good reference, but make sure you adjust them to your metabolism. For example, while Dexter Jackson’s and Jay Cutler’s diets are very similar, they are not completely identical.
Don’t turn “fat-free” into a rule
When you completely remove fat from your daily diet and instead fixate on fat-free proteins and foods (for example protein powders, fish, turkey) your growth or fat metabolism levels will drop. Instead, try to follow a low-fat diet, making sure that it includes essential fatty acids, which are present in such foods as meat, chicken, and fish.
Don’t see supplements as magic pills
If a bodybuilder overdoes it with the supplements, then he is very likely to either cut back on the calories and proteins too much and thus will not facilitate sufficient nutrients for successful muscle building, or overeat and put on fat instead of muscle. Keep this rule in mind: the supplements should accompany food, not replace it.
Don’t stress your body with rapid, large-scale changes
Gradually increase/decrease calorie intake, making sure that your body has enough time to adapt to the change. Sudden calorie cut will trigger body to accumulate fat, at the same time sudden increase will also result in fat accumulation.