Steps to follow for good muscles

The Glucose Economy Diet: Bigger Muscles, Less Fat

STEP 1: DETERMINE TOTAL CALORIES
Eat 15 calories/lb of body weight.
Keep in mind that the 15 Calories/lb rule is only a starting
point. Try it for 2 weeks before decreasing or increasing
your total calorie intake according to how you look in the
mirror.

STEP 2: DON'T BE AFRAID OF CARBS
Eat 2-2.5 grams of carbohydrates/lb of body weight.
Your body's preferred energy source is GLUCOSE. Thus,
dietary carbohydrate should be your preferred energy
source.
Lean Carbs:
• yams
• brown rice
• shredded wheat
• vegetables - broccoli, asparagus, corn, spinach (contains
lots of ecdysteroids)
• fruit (grapefruit, blueberries, oranges)
STEP 3: EAT MORE PROTEIN THAN YOU NEED
Consume 1.2 grams of protein/lb of body weight.
This may be 20-30% more than you actually need. This
extra protein can be a good thing when it comes to losing
body fat.
Protein is built of amino acids. Some of the excess amino
acids you eat can be converted into glucose. This "costs"
energy, which your body gets from the burning of fat. That's
at least partly why Forslund et al. (1999), as well as other
researchers, have found that healthy subjects eating diets
providing more protein than is considered adequate for
building muscle burn more fat both at rest and while
exercising!
The higher-protein dieters in Forslund's study consumed
about 1.2g of protein/lb body weight/day. They burned
more fat and they showed signs of achieving a more
positive "protein balance" - an essential requirement for
building bigger muscles! Those eating the "adequate"
protein diet (0.73g of protein/lb), by contrast, burned less
fat and failed to achieve a positive protein balance
(Forslund et al., 1999).
While you may burn more fat by eating more than 1.2g
protein/lb, this will require that you reduce your intake of
carbohydrate. This increases your risk of "muscle deflation
syndrome."
Whey protein is often marketed separately from milk protein
(casein), and sold as a stand-alone protein supplement.
However, when combined, whey and casein may actually do
a better job at promoting muscle growth. Look for a low-fat
protein powder or meal-replacement drink mix containing a
blend of casein and whey. Or mix your whey protein into
low fat milk, which is about 80% casein. If you need more
carbohydrate, simply add some fruit or toss your protein
powder on some shredded wheat cereal (very tasty!).
STEP 4: FAT
Don't go looking for fat (it'll be there anyway).
Eat the most nutritious, low-fat carbohydrate and protein
sources you can find. Virtually all of the food
recommendations below contain some fat. Don't go
searching for more.
Lean Proteins
• protein powders
• skinned chicken breasts
• egg whites
• non-fat dairy (cottage cheese, yogurt, milk)
• low-fat fish (tuna, sole)
Fresh fruits and vegetables (e.g., leafy greens) contain
essential fatty acids (e.g., alpha-linolenic acid), but if you
want extra insurance, take an essential fatty acid
supplement or a tablespoon of flax seed oil every other day
or so.
Using this approach, you'll likely be consuming no more
than 10% of your calories as fat, possibly less. Because of
this, you don't need to track your fat intake. If you keep your
protein intake constant, all you need to do is adjust your
carbohydrate intake up or down with time as your mirror
instructs you to do.
STEP 5: WHAT ELSE?
To make your nutritional insurance policy even more
comprehensive, add a multi-vitamin/mineral formula to
your diet.
Conclusion If you follow these guidelines for choosing your
protein and carbohydrate, you don't need to search for fat.
The principles I've discussed will help you retrain your
body, and you'll see changes in the mirror starting
tomorrow!