There is one key element that can literally mean the
difference between making steady progress towards your
bodybuilding and fitness goals and making no progress at
all...
What I'm about to talk about is very simple, and I know
you've heard of it before, but chances are you're not
applying it as part of your routine.
It is keeping a journal...
Now just to set the record straight, keeping a journal is
not just something for giggling schoolgirls to do in their
spare time. But it is one of the best tools you have
available for tracking your nutrition and finding out where
you can make improvements to move yourself closer towards
your fitness goals.
Your nutrition journal doesn't have to be anything fancy or
complicated, just a simple notebook will do. All you need
to do is each day write down what you eat and when you eat
it. You can also keep track of other things like your
bodyweight, bodyfat percentage, etc.
Keeping a journal gives you the data you need to figure out
if you're eating too much, or too little, eating the right
foods, or the wrong foods. You can track patterns in your
eating that you might not otherwise notice.
I recently read a study that showed on average, overweight
people forgot approx. 50% of what they ate over the past 24
hours. They either forgot it entirely or they
underestimated how much food they ate.
And I've also seen the opposite happen with underweight
people who are struggling to gain muscular bodyweight, they
often 'underestimate' how much they are eating and then
wonder why they can't gain weight.
By simply monitoring your food intake with a nutrition
journal you'll have more control over your results then
people who try to "wing it" with their eating.
For the first week of keeping a nutrition journal I don't
want you to change a thing with your eating routine, just
write down what you eat and when you eat it. But try to be
as specific as possible...
For example, don't just write down for breakfast at 7:00 am
I ate "cereal and toast". Write down what kind of cereal,
how much, how many slices of toast, what you had on it,
etc. and simply do this for each of your meals.
I realize that this will take some effort and it is a bit
of a nuisance, but in order to develop a lean muscular
physique you are going to have to keep accurate records of
your nutrition. Guessing is not good enough.
After doing this for a full week, simply review your
nutrition journal and ask yourself:
"Where Can I Improve My Eating To Move Closer Towards My
Fitness Goals?"
It could be something as obvious as:
"I shouldn't have eaten that double cheese burger, with
large fries, and a DQ Blizzard for lunch yesterday."
Or it could be something less obvious like:
"I need to eat more quality protein with my breakfast."
When you keep an accurate journal of your eating like this
it becomes a lot easier to pin point places where you are
making mistakes and where you can improve. Just being
conscious of what you are eating will automatically cause
you to make better food choices.
The key with your eating is to just focus on making
improvements. Don't try to be perfect. But do get in the
habit of recording your food intake, and then each week
review your journal and pick 1 or 2 areas that you are
going to focus on over the next week.
Stick with this week after week, and before you know it
following a high quality nutrition plan that moves you
closer to your physique goals will become automatic, it
will just be part of your normal eating pattern.
A great recourse that you should get to help you with
calculating out nutritional information is a calorie and
nutritional information book. You can also do a search
online as there are several websites now that allow you to
search for virtually any food and instantly get the
calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, etc. This will make
keeping your nutrition journal a lot easier.
----------------------------------------------------
Lee Hayward is a Physique Transformation Specialist who is
committed to helping aspiring bodybuilders and fitness
enthusiasts gain muscle, burn bodyfat, and develop the lean
muscular body that they desire. Visit Lee's website to
download a F.R.E.E. copy of his "Bodybuilding Nutrition
Made Simple" e-Report.
http://www.leehayward.com
No comments:
Post a Comment