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Matt Nevling, RD TOTW 163 What Is A Good Diet And Supplementation To Help Get Cut? First we need to define what exactly getting “cut” means. In the bodybuilding and figure world, “getting cut” refers to minimizing overall body fat to become more muscularly defined. But our mission is not just one of weight loss like some reality television show or fad diets picked up by soccer moms. Our eating patterns need to be designed to minimize the loss of muscle mass, which occurs with most weight loss. This way, we will be burning more fat and moving towards our goal of being more defined. As with any nutrition program, the basics are a good place to start. Since we are looking to lose fat, calories are going to need to be restricted to force the body to utilize fat as a fuel source. This occurs when the body is using more calories than are being taken in. Just like a truck, if we don’t put enough gas in the tank to go a certain distance, then stored fuel or reserve tanks are used. Fat calls are the extra gas tanks our body stores for times like this. But at the same time, if enough protein is not taken in, then the body looks to its protein storage, which is our precious muscle that we’ve worked so hard for. So using these basic nutrition principles, we can see our nutrition program begin to take shape: Fat: During this diet, we want to minimize fat as much as possible. Being the highest calorie-containing nutrient, we want to avoid it at all costs. This will make creating our calorie deficit much easier. However, certain essential fats are needed by the body to make cell walls and other vital structures to live. So a minimal amount of fat will need to either be planned in our diet or supplemented to ensure our bodies can function properly. Some examples of common foods with essential fatty acids include: Fish Canola Oil Walnuts Sunflower Seeds Flax Seeds And many others Carbohydrate: Many popular bodybuilding “cutting” programs include a diet which cuts out carbohydrates altogether. While this will force the body to turn to alternative fuel sources, it also can result in a dangerous medical state known as metabolic ketoacidosis (sounds scary huh?). This is how many diabetics end up hospitalized when they don’t know they have the disease. Instead, our diet will reduce carbohydrates to help create a calorie deficit, while still maintaining proper amounts to fuel our workouts and provide glucose to the brain to avoid becoming zombies. However, since our carbohydrate foods are going to be reduced from our normal amount, we need to be smarter on the types of carbohydrate sources we choose. Before a workout, carbohydrate choices should be more complex and provide a longer source of energy. This would include whole grains ,orange sweet potatoes, and legumes/vegetables. These carbohydrate sources are high in fiber, which slows down digestion and provides a longer burning fuel source. Fiber also contains no calories, but takes up space in the stomach to help your body feel full. Hunger pains will be reduced, helping to keep on track more easily. After a workout, quicker carbohydrate sources are needed for a few reasons. First, carbohydrate fuel stores need to be refilled from all the hard work you’ve put in. Secondly, simpler carbohydrate sources increase the amount of insulin released into the blood stream. Only carbohydrates can have this effect on insulin. This hormone, insulin, is the most anabolic hormone in the body. It is the key which unlocks cells (including muscle cells) to allow nutrients such as protein into the cell to begin to repair it. Some sources of simple carbohydrates include bakes potatoes, white breads, and sports beverages. While it is true that most candies also fit in this category, candies also contain a large amount of fat, which does not fit into our diet. Protein: Now we will get to everyone’s favorite part, protein. This is the heart of most old-school cutting programs. Since those old diets cut out carbohydrates, calories had to come from protein to support the body. Since our diet will allow some carbohydrates to keep the body functioning properly, we are able to live life without wearing tuna cologne, protein shake mustaches, and bitter-egg-white-faces. However, an increase in protein is needed here to prevent muscle mass from being broken down for its amino acids. This increase can be either large or small depending on what your current intake is. For my clients, I usually put a cap on protein intake to 1.7g per kg of body weight, and even this is only reserved for elite athletes who are working out several hours per day. I hear what you are saying, “What’s that? The guy at my local supplement store told me I need 1,000,000g of protein per day” While this is a common thought in the athletic world, science tells us differently. Too much protein, just like fat and carbohydrates is stored as fat in the body, which is the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish. Once again though, our protein sources must be chosen wisely. The fat content of our protein sources must be minimum. Any fatty proteins that we do eat need to contain the essential fatty acids discussed before such as fish. Saturated fat should be cut as much as possible (goodbye beef and whole eggs). The proteins should also be complete proteins, meaning they contain all the amino acids our bodies cannot create. Some good examples of these proteins include: Skinless chicken breast Fish Fat free cottage cheese Egg whites Fat free Yogurt Skinless turkey Vegans can consume soy or combine incomplete protein sources to make them complete (such as beans and rice) Skim milk Various: While the above nutrients are the big players in our game, many other dietary factors play a role in our diet. The first one we will discuss is alcohol. Alcohol contains almost as many calories per gram as fat. In our bodies, alcohol is a toxin and is treated as one. Alcohol is processed by the liver before all the other nutrients discussed above. This is a survival measure taken by our bodies to rid the toxin ASAP. So this means that alcohol slows down the digestion and absorption of nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates. Many mixed drinks have high sugar mixers added to them. Once again, this increases the calorie content of the drink. For all these reasons, alcohol needs to be cut from our diet to help our cause. Since our diet is a sensible one that does not exclude any food groups or nutrients, all vitamins and minerals essential to life should be available. Fruits and vegetables are great vitamin sources and are perfect for our meal plan since they are low in fat and calories while being high in fiber. What are some good supplements to help get cut? Here’s a horrible secret that I have learned when I was studying nutrition: Bodybuilding supplements are made of people!!!............Ok well that’s not exactly true. Actually supplements are food products. “Whey” is a protein in milk. “Creatine” is found in many protein sources. Any other jug or bottle taken off a supplements shelf comes from food. Am I saying that supplements are not needed? Absolutely not. With our busy schedules and very specific nutrient needs, many people do need supplements to help shape their diet. However, we need to remember the basic idea of “supplementing” rather than having powders and pills take over our lives. Also, in the weightlifting world, carrying around a shaker cup full of protein has become almost a right of passage that makes you feel like you belong to some sort of underground society (which is partly true). So I have no problems with people using supplements, as long as they know what they are doing. So I will now take some of the most popular supplements and give you my opinion on how they can fit into a cutting diet and how to use them if you choose to. Just remember that the same thing you are taking in supplement form can also be obtained from foods that would probably give you more satisfaction. Protein Supplements: As stated before, protein is vital in this diet, so protein powders do have a place in our plan. Powders are easy to pack, can be taken to the office or class, and don’t require refridgeration. On average, a regular scoop of protein powder contains as much protein as 3-4oz of chicken. I know that after a hard workout, I’d rather lay on the locker room floor in pain with a protein shake than try to eat some chicken or open a can of tuna. Another bonus is that since most powders contain no fat and are liquid form, they are digested by the body much more quickly to help recover faster after a workout. Choosing a protein powder can be tricky however. All protein powders (Whey, Casein, Egg, Soy) are complete protein sources. The nutrition facts label does need to be checked however to ensure that there is a minimal amount of fat (zero is best) and we aren’t just buying a big jug of sugar. A good amount of protein I like to see is at least 20-25g per scoop. Carbohydrate content of protein powders should be looked at. I don’t like to see a large amount of carbohydrates in my protein powder. I can add my own carbohydrates with gatorade and be more accurate with my amounts and it costs next to nothing. Creatine: Creatine is the most popular, and by concequence, most scientifically studied supplement out there. For those who don’t know, creatine helps to resupply the muscle with energy during anaerobic exercise (such as weight lifting) to allow athletes to work harder and longer. This may sound like a perfect supplement for cutting since we will need to work harder to burn more calories. And while this can be beneficial to our cause, it also can come at a price. Numerous scientific studies have shown that supplemental creatine’s only side effect is a gain in mass from what appears to be water retention. This can be counter-productive since water retention results in a bloated feeling and look in the muscles, which is not a “cut” look. So weight and appearance should be monitored if creatine is used in your supplement cocktail. Arginine: “Arginine? I don’t take arginine. I don’t even know what that is” says the reader to themselves. Well I would be willing to bet that you have taken an arginine supplement before. Although you might know it by its other category name, “NO” or “Nitrous Oxide” supplements. Now you are shaking your head in agreement. Almost all of my new clients are taking these products but really don’t know how to take them or what they are actually supposed to do. I have one client who takes it when he is tired and he says it helps him stay up. I have another client who swears he can flip a car after he takes it. So what’s the deal, how does this stuff work? Well arginine or NO products work on the principle that they will make the blood vessels of your muscles expand, allowing more blood to come to the muscle during a workout. This results in a higher capacity for exercise and ability to work harder and longer. Other possible explanations are that the arginine acts as a buffer in the muscle, once again allowing for a longer workout. I think that these supplements can be very appropriate for a diet in which someone is trying to get cut. They should be taken on an empty stomach 30 minutes to an hour before the workout. Fat Burners: I am not a big fat of weight loss pills, including fat burners. Many of which just contain large amounts of caffeine and unproven herbs. However, if you truly believe that the Fat-Killer 2000 pills or whatever you take helps you, then by all means go for it. The placebo effect is still an effect and a pretty good one at that. Diuretics: As stated before, water retention can cause a bloated look in the muscle. Some people use diuretics to help rid their bodies of excess water to give them a more defined look. While this does work, these supplements should be used with caution. Hydration in the human body is a delicate balance which can result in serious health problems and risks if the water scales are tipped too far one way or another. Diuretic use should only be short term and never overdone. I usually do not recommend them to clients. Vitamins/Minerals/Oils: As mentioned before, our diet should allow us to get all the vitamins and minerals we need in our body. However, if you don’t feel confident that you are getting what you need, a multivitamin is a good insurance policy. Flax seed oil can also be used to obtain essential fatty acids if we are not getting them through food sources. BONUS QUESTION: How could one work on creating a beach body if they don?t have access to a gym? Believe it or not, gyms have not been around since the dawn of man. Look at early greek statues, most of these statues are of individuals who are actually pretty ripped. Someone had to have modeled for these scuptures, meaning that these individuals achieved a beach body without ever touching a flat bench. This means we can too, we just have to work a little harder at it. If the above nutrition plan is followed, then the only thing left for us to do is burn some excess calories to shed the fat and show off our inner beauty. Nothing burns calories like aerobic exercise. Lucky for us that aerobic exercise is free. Start running, swimming, walking, biking, etc. These activities all burn huge amounts of calories while costing absolutely nothing. Also, there are many programs here on bodybuilding.com that do not require the use of a gym. One of the better programs I have seen is the Marine corps training program, which can actually now be bought in book stores or found online. I remember using that program in high school and feeling pretty beat after doing it.