Men’s pride and determination know no bounds. The desire to sculpt the figure and build muscles is so strong that often by using a diet, performing difficult and strenuous workouts and taking supporting supplements, men make many mistakes that result in not the effect they expected or short-term maintenance of the achieved form.
We present the 10 most common mistakes when using a bodybuilding diet.
- Be more patient with your diet. Many bodybuilders, when switching to a diet consisting of carbohydrates, moderate amounts of fat and protein, i.e. a diet in which the caloric value is low, expect an almost immediate effect. If the goal is to reduce body fat, expect changes in appearance not earlier than after 3 weeks.
- Don’t just count calories. Don’t just count calories. Of course, the amount of calories consumed is very important, but the type of food, i.e. proteins, carbohydrates and fats, is more important. Due to the lack of precise data on what to eat and how many products have calories, many bodybuilders did not lose weight at all, and even gained kilos. It is worth knowing about the caloric content of the food you eat. Success in bodybuilding is based on accurate data and diligent adherence to dietary requirements.
- Change your habits and eat regularly. If you want to have a sculpted body and work hard to develop muscles, the best solution is to eat meals 5 times a day. In this way, you stop the deposition of body fat and at the same time increase muscle mass through greater absorption of food by the body. Inconsistency and accidental, uncontrolled eating won’t help you get your dream Apollo figure.
- Don’t just look at the weight. Achieving success in bodybuilding is the result of hard work and determination. It is very good that you systematically control your weight, however, its indicators and centimeters in circumferences are not the main determinant of the goal you are working on. Often, potential bodybuilders get discouraged quickly when their mass does not grow at the right pace. Then they reach for caloric meals that add fat, not lean muscle mass. You may look lean and toned, but your weight may indicate otherwise. If so, you are on a good diet.
- Do not abuse the intake of carbohydrates. Don’t overdo it with meals that give you energy and calories, this way, instead of sculpting muscles, you will sculpt fat. Bodybuilders who follow a poor diet may still have trouble shedding unwanted fat due to eating huge amounts of carbohydrates. It is clear that carbohydrates are essential during training and are helpful during post-workout recovery, so you should take as much as you need.
- Customize your diet individually. Composing an ideal diet for a bodybuilder is not easy. It is never the case that every bodybuilder is based on the same menu. Attention to detail in the diet and knowledge of the possibilities of your own body will allow you to develop a diet tailored only to you.
- Do not choose nutritional supplements without knowing their purpose. More than once bodybuilders and people aspiring to be a bodybuilder take a shortcut and develop a muscular figure by using inappropriate nutritional supplements, e.g. in the form of chromium or carnitine, forgetting to develop a diet that would reduce the amount of calories consumed. Yet another example. Some bodybuilders take glutamine, creatine or amino acids, and do not consume the correct amount of protein to achieve a positive increase in lean mass. Additives increase the value of food, but they will not cover up a poorly planned diet or non-compliance with the rules of a well-chosen one.
- Find the product that gives you the most benefits. If you know how your body reacts to the foods you eat, you can reach for the products that serve you best. There are bodybuilders who only eat canned tuna or eat poultry all the time. There are various diets that contain recipes for low-sugar and fat-free meals. If, for example, a plan with tuna or poultry works for you and brings benefits, it means that you hit the jackpot.
- Don’t eliminate fats completely. Organically absorbing fats gives the expected results, but you can’t completely get rid of fats from your diet. It is very important to eat low-fat products such as fish or special protein supplements. Consuming low-fat foods adds essential fatty acids to your body and speeds up post-workout recovery.
- Don’t jump from one diet to another. If you decide to follow a diet, do not increase or decrease calories too drastically. Do it gradually so that your body has time to adapt to the new nutritional plan. Remember that too rapid changes in the amount of calories consumed always result in an increase in body fat.