Eating healthily for weightlifting is less complicated than most people think. By putting together a plan of action and sticking to it, even a novice weightlifter can experience the long-term benefits of weight training, which the medical community has long recognized. Determining the goals of your weightlifting routine helps determine what diet to follow.
Instructions
Determine Your Goals
1. Determine what you hope to accomplish through your weightlifting regimen. Research has shown weightlifting to bring many positive benefits, including increased muscle mass, increased metabolism, fat loss and even enhanced overall health and longevity from keeping the body strong. Once you determine your goal, you can modify your diet according to that goal rather than completely change your dietary habits.
2. Follow basic dietary guidelines. Ideally, you want to follow a diet in which 40 percent of the calories come from carbohydrates, 40 percent from protein and 20 percent from fat. For weightlifting athletes, protein intake is key because, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "weightlifting that produces fatigue in brief periods (i.e., in 15-90 s and after 15 repetitive contractions) elicits a high degree of motor unit recruitment and muscle fiber stimulation. This is a remarkably potent stimulus for altering protein synthesis in muscle and increasing neuromuscular function." So it is essential pay attention to the amount and type of calories you consume.
3. Record your diet and weight-training accomplishments in your journal daily. By tracking your progress, not only will you be mindful of your micro-nutrient profile of carbs, proteins and fats, but you will also be aware of your caloric intake, weight gain loss, and increases in strength. Make a column for each category in your journal and record them religiously.
4. Focus on nutrient-dense foods and avoid foods with lots of fat or sugar. Calories should come from foods high in protein such as fish, chicken or turkey. Whenever possible, choose green leafy vegetables, which are high in vitamins and fiber and low in calories. Broccoli is an excellent staple for any weightlifter's diet. Limit starches like potatoes and bread unless you are trying to gain weight. Starch easily converts to sugar in the body and contains more calories that the body will have to work overtime to burn off.
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