It’s no good having strong, well-defined muscles if layers of fat cover them; even a small layer of fat can hide well build muscles.

To truly show off your muscles, one must try to have as low a body fat percentage as possible.

Here you will learn the basics of bodybuilding weight cutting, how to determine your body fat percentage, and how many calories per day you must consume and what exercises to do to lose body fat.

Basic Principles Of Weight Loss For Bodybuilders

– Nutrition for Bodybuilders –

Nutrition, possibly the most crucial part of a training regime, can make or break your routine.

A right nutrition plan is vital whether your want to build muscle, lose fat or have more energy and stay fit.

It would help if you attempted to get most of your nutrition from “clean” foods such as lean meats, complex carbohydrates, nuts and seeds, milk, and of course, fruit and vegetables.

Losing fat takes time and patience; it doesn’t happen overnight. Still, I guarantee you that if you follow the advice outlined on HEALTHYWHIZZ, you will lose weight eventually and remain healthy.

IMPORTANT: never starve yourself for the sake of losing fat, and here’s why. When you starve yourself, your body automatically goes into energy conservation mode. That means that the body senses you aren’t eating enough and aren’t getting the proper nutrients. When this happens, the weight you lose will be muscle mass as much as fat; this is hazardous to your health.

Most importantly, if you take the starve approach when you start to eat as usual, you will gain weight as never before, the body looks to catch up on lost time by “stockpiling,” so to speak, and in the future, you will find it even harder than ever to shift this accumulated weight.

Protein: It is vital for losing fat. That is why your meals should contain a lot of protein. It suppresses the appetite, and it’s important to replenish protein in the system when you’re aiming to lose fat, or the body will use up your muscle mass for energy that you don’t want.

Carbohydrates: To lose fat, you need to watch what you eat; this doesn’t mean cutting out carbs altogether. Just focus on complex carbs such as whole grains and make sure you don’t overdo it. Remember, you need to keep up your energy when burning fat, so carbs are necessary to supply you with energy.

Fat: Don’t be surprised; you need to consume fat to lose fat. If you aren’t taking in fat when you are on a fat loss diet, the body compensates by “saving” what fat you do have, which ironically makes it harder for you to lose that fat.

20% of your diet should be fat (the good kind). See below for the good fats and the wrongs fats.

– Count Calorie –

YES, you need to count everything you eat in your day, this means serious commitment, but if you are serious about losing weight, it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Count the calories in everything you eat and drink from now on.

At the end of each day, add up the calories you consumed for that day.

Now start each day from then on eating fewer calories than you usually would. It is done by subtracting calories here and there from every meal and finally ending up with 500 calories subtracted in the end.

– Know Your BMI (Body Mass Index) –

BMI formula takes your age, height, and weight to determine if a person is underweight or overweight or at optimal weight based on their height and it looks like this:

OVERWEIGHT BMI > 25
NORMAL BMI = 18.5 – 25
UNDERWEIGHT BMI < 18.5

There are a lot of calculators available online. For example, I use this one. As a result, you can quickly determine how many calories to consume and how much time to spend on training. So, for example, if your BMI is 27, you need to consume approximately 500 fewer calories per day to lose weight.

• protein – 30%
• carbohydrates – 50%
• fats – 20%

Here is a table outlining the average protein, carbohydrates, fat, and calories in everyday food items.
The following listed items are the most important items for anyone hoping to keep a healthy body and are useful for those who wish to gain muscle, lose fat, or eat healthily.

All amounts given are per 100g/100ml

As protein is essential in losing fat, you could avail of protein supplements; there are hundreds of types out there. Choose the one you think suits you best and have 2-3 servings a day.

– Do Some Cardiovascular Exercise (Cardio) –

Anyone hoping to lose fat must have a solid cardio routine in place. A good 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week should do it.

For beginners, start at three times per week, start at 10 minutes a time for a week, then progress to 15 minutes for another week, and so on until you get up to 30-40 minutes a week without killing yourself.

You need to exercise on a treadmill, exercise bike, or some other cardiovascular equipment to up your metabolism and power up your fat loss. See below for the types of equipment.

The Treadmill: Everyone knows what a treadmill is. It’s simple to use. All you have to do is step on and go. Before you do, though, be sure to set it at the right pace for yourself, not too slow, or it will be a waste of time and not too fast, or you will tire yourself out prematurely.

Exercise Bike: It is also an easy apparatus to use, its particularly useful for people with bad joints as there are no impact forces on the body like on a treadmill.

Rowing Machine: A machine every gym should have. It uses the leg muscles and the upper body to significant effect, 10 minutes on this machine should work up a sweat with no problem.

Be careful not to set the resistance too high or too low, and don’t round the back too much.

– Some Words About Weightlifting –

Believe it or not, regular weightlifting is a great way to help with fat loss. You will burn calories during the actual weightlifting session and burn more calories for hours afterward to raise your metabolism.

– Calculate Calories Spent During Exercise –

The following chart show you approximately how many calories you burn in 60 minutes during exercise based on your weight.

– Drink Water and Have Enough Sleep –

Finally, be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and get enough sleep. Furthermore, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you consume daily, even when you are resting. That is more incitement to lift weights to pack on that muscle mass.

In The End

At the end of every week, be sure to weigh yourself. You should expect to lose between 1 and 2 pounds per week. Any more and it’s unhealthy, any less, and you are doing something wrong, either step up your cardio, eat fewer calories, or just plain stop raiding the fridge at night.