Mega-PRO's Diet Information

General Guidelines
Always eat the very best foods available - that means the freshest, most wholesome, least processed foods you can. The daily diet should emphasize whole grains and cereals, legumes, dark orange leafy green vegetables, lean meats, chicken, fish and some fruit. From a fitness standpoint (considering availability, nutrient content, ease of preparation, fat content, anti-oxidative capabilities, and taste), the ten foods that should be on every shopping list include: egg whites, sweet potatoes/yams, broccoli, tuna, oatmeal, bananas, turkey breast, whole wheat pasta, carrots, legumes (lentils, peas and beans).

Cut down on fats and fried foods. Fats have twice the calories as carbohydrates, and because fats are the toughest food to digest, a meal loaded with fat will sap energy needed during workouts.

Eat Small Amounts Often
To maintain high energy and to increase musclemass, eat often. Five to six meals a day is preferred to one or two "pigouts." Regular consumption keeps the body in an optimum state for muscle repair and growth. Energy levels remain consistent and protein levels, which are so critical to muscle growth, remain positive. Eat at regularly scheduled intervals rather than waiting until hungry. Scheduled meals provide a sense of well-being and help prevent the cravings and binging brought on by low blood sugar levels.

If you are too busy to eat 5-6 meals per day, use a high-quality meal replacement powder blend such as Quadra Pro. Never stuff yourself. Eat only enough to fuel the body until the next meal. If you plan to work out before your next meal, eat slightly more; if you plan to nap, eat less. The sections below provide more specific information for determining optimal intake.

Custom Design a Diet
Design a diet that will allow you to achieve your weight and training goals. Decide if you want to reduce body fat, tone, increase muscle mass, or do some combination of these.

Determine protein requirements. Recall that to ensure that the body is in a positive muscle building state, in other words, that it is burning fat--not muscle, you should ingest at least .9 grams of protein per lean pound of body weight.

For example, a 200 lb. man with 12% bodyfat requires 158 grams of protein daily:

200 X .12 = 24 lbs
200 - 24 = 176 lbs
176 X .9 = 158 grams

A 125 lb. woman with 18% bodyfat requires 92 grams of protein daily.

125 X .18 = 22 lbs
200 - 22 = 103 lbs
103 X .9 = 92 grams

Each gram of protein has 4 calories, so the man would need to ingest at least 632 calories in the form of protein each day. The woman would need to ingest at least 369 calories in the form of protein daily. It is also important to supply your body with all the essential amino acids. Recall that most complete protein sources are high in fat, so to stay within daily time and calorie limits it may be necessary to use a supplement.

Determine Daily Calorie Requirements
If you have been maintaining your weight, increase your intake 500 calories per day to gain muscle weight. If you want to reduce fat, eat fewer calories than you burn. Note that even when losing weight, or more appropriately fat, you must not drop below 1200 calories per day. The wisest course for reducing is to increase your activity and cut just enough calories to continue making reasonable decreases in bodyfat.

Divide your total calories by 5 to determine the average number of calories for each meal. Borrow calories from meals preceding naps or light activity and add them to meals preceding high activity.

Determine the Correct Source of Calories
Consider that calories are 60 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 10 percent fat when determining which foods you should eat to supply your calories. For example: A 125 lb woman with 18% bodyfat has determined that given her goals and activity level, she should ingest 1,828 calories daily.

Based on the above, she would derive her calories from the following sources:
1,828 Calories equals:
1277 calories from carbohydrates (79.8 grams)
369 calories from protein (92.25 grams)
182 calories from fat (20 grams)

Check to see that you meet or exceed your minimum protein requirement (determined in the previous section). In the previous section, the example used a hypothetical, 125 lb. woman, and it was determined that she required 103 grams of protein. In this section, the woman would check to see that 1,828 daily calories in the above-listed percentages would provide her with at least 103 grams of protein. (Recall: 1 gm of carbohydrates = 4 calories; 1 gm of protein = 4 calories; and 1 gm of fat = 9 calories.) if your proposed diet does not meet your protein requirements, increase the daily calories, and to maintain or lose weight, increase your activity or decrease your fat intake.