Top 10 Nutritional Mistakes
Top 10 Nutritional Mistakes! Let’s begin by going way back to 1965, when the first Mr. Olympia Larry Scott claimed that “bodybuilding is 90% nutrition”. That may be a bit of a stretch, but still underscores the importance of nutrition. In fact, when it comes to bodybuilding nutrition, there are many myths floating around. With that in mind, let’s jump right in and find out what 10 of them are!
Nutritional Mistake # 1 – Over-Eating
Some bodybuilders, including top professionals, believe that in order to gain muscle, they have to eat as much food as possible. And I mean as in 8-10 meals a day. It’s true bodybuilders, especially those with a fast metabolism, should not be afraid to eat. But some of them take it a little too far. That means they end up gaining body fat. Of course, that is bad news because the primary goal of bodybuilding is to build muscle. After all, the number one enemy of any serious bodybuilder is body fat.
Therefore, you have to choose clean, healthy sources of protein, mostly complex carbs, and healthy fats. Also, if you notice your waistline getting bigger, you will need to cut back, but never, ever cut protein. Always start with sugary carbs, then complex carbs and fat.
Nutritional Mistake # 2 – Impatient Dieting
Many bodybuilders, as well as regular mainstream dieters, jump from one diet to another without giving the first diet plan a chance to work. Even if you have good intentions, consistently changing your diet is not a good idea. It can take roughly three weeks for your body to become used to changes in your nutritional plan. So you shouldn’t expect instant transformations in how you look. Not to mention, this line of thinking also applies to gaining muscle as well as losing body fat.
Nutritional Mistake # 3 – No Cheat Day
Whether you want to lose fat or build muscle, you should follow your chosen eating plan every day. However, you should include a weekly cheat day. I’ve found that if I’m eating a restricted calorie eating plan for 6 days, a cheat day will actually give my metabolism a boost. Of course, it has to be well-thought out and in moderation. It should not be an excuse to just go nuts. Eat your cheat meals early in the day to give your metabolism a chance to process the extra food, and remember – keep it under control!
Nutritional Mistake # 4 – Failure To Plan
No doubt you’ve heard this before: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” One of the biggest mistakes lifters can make is starting a fat loss program without developing a plan. Of course you want to get rid of the extra fat but have you stopped to think why? The only way to achieve lasting fat loss is to think of it as a lifestyle change.
That means you have to think beyond the initial goal of fat loss, because once you reach your goal, then what will happen? You go back to over-eating again? Along with lifting, make sure you have a permanent cardio and nutritional plan in place that will help you stay lean for the long haul.
Nutritional Mistake # 5 – Under-Eating
We’ve already looked at over-eating, but what about not eating enough? If fat loss is your goal, you don’t want to starve yourself, which is a classic dieting mistake. To permanently free yourself of the fat stores in your body, you’ve got to burn more calories and support your metabolic rate with a specific training schedule and the correct nutrient ratio. You should aim for approximately 250 calories under maintenance level to lose fat. Anything higher than that and you risk muscle mass loss, even though some experts suggest a 500 calorie daily reduction.
On the other hand, if muscle mass is the agenda, you have to eat enough – probably more than you think. In this case, you should be thinking of at least 250 calories over maintenance, and again, many authorities would tell you to shoot for 500 calories.
In both cases, I suggest starting with 250 calories, and only going up to 500 calories if the results are not coming.
Nutritional Mistake # 6 – Not Keeping A Diet Journal
If you want to be on top of your nutritional plan, you must track your calories. Not only that, but you’d better at least track your macros, breaking carbs into sugar and total columns, and track sodium. Also, track the date and the time of each meal. Sure, it’s tedious, but how else will you know where you are? Serious lifters keep daily records of what they eat and when. They don’t guess or estimate. They create a long-term plan of action and that includes keeping a daily total of their food and supplement intake. Besides, with the current available apps, it’s very easy to do.
Nutritional Mistake # 7 – Following Diets From Magazines
Diets you see in the bodybuilding magazines (print or online) are meant to be used as a guideline only. There’s nothing wrong with seeing how your favorite pro bodybuilders eat, but their diets are designed to fit their individual body types and needs. Not to mention, most, if not all, of them are chemically enhanced, and you might not be. Going back to # 6, keeping a diet journal of what you eat and how you respond to your food choices can help you tailor a diet that fits your personal needs. So never mind the pros, do what works for you.
Nutritional Mistake # 8 – Not Restricting Alcohol Consumption
It’s time to put your party days behind you. Drinking alcohol must be limited, if not completely done away with. Why? Because alcohol metabolizes more like fat than carbohydrates, and it has a lot of empty calories you don’t need. Not to mention, it provides zero benefits towards muscle growth or fat loss. In fact, it can impair muscle protein synthesis, reduce testosterone levels, increase cortisol, and hinder fat metabolism. Not good, not good at all! (1, 2)
Nutritional Mistake # 9 – Making Huge Adjustments All At Once
If you have to make adjustments to your nutritional plan, make small adjustments and be sure you make them one at a time. Do not attempt to introduce a number of substantial ones all at the same time. You have to be able to determine how your changes are affecting your body, and you can’t do that if you do several all together. The same thing applies to your supplement program.
Nutritional Mistake # 10 – Not Drinking Enough Water
Not drinking enough water can cause you to become dehydrated, which in turn causes fatigue, a loss of performance, derailed productivity, and mental confusion. Water is essential for many necessary life functions. Therefore, I suggest drinking 8-10 glasses per day, every day. You should drink water whenever you begin to feel thirsty. And I mean water, not soda, fruit juice, or whatever, just plain water.
Bonus Nutritional Mistake – Making A Lot Of Supplement Changes All At Once
Just like with the nutritional changes, lifters lack patience, then go off the deep end and make sweeping changes to their supplement arsenal. Don’t do that! Once you have a supplement plan in place, lock it in, and let the supplements have time to work. By the way, if you need to restock, stop by illpumpyouup.com, we’ve got you covered!
Summary
These are the Top 10 Nutritional Mistakes (plus the bonus) that the typical lifter can make when trying to achieve the ultimate physique. Make sure to avoid these mistakes, and focus on the suggestions I presented here, and you will be well on your way to conquering your goals! Now go hit the gym!
References:
- https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/does-alcohol-affect-muscle-growth
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-drinking-alcohol-prevent-you-from-losing-weight