Posts Tagged ‘Quality Muscle’

Question:  How much protein do you need and how much protein can your body efficiently handle in each meal?

Answer:  Well it really depends on a lot of variables.  However, as a general rule of thumb, for the regular exerciser who is active and working out (with both resistance training and cardio) 3-6 days a week and wants to build a muscular, ripped physique, I have always used the formula that I have read and researched throughout the years that states to go for 1 gram or protein for every pound of body weight!

So if you are 180 pounds you would consume 180 grams of protein per day and even up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight if you want to build and add muscle to your frame.  I have used this formula for years and the results are obvious and it will work for you as well.

Now you may be thinking well that makes sense but if I am eating 5-6 small balance meals a day, how many grams of protein can my body handle most efficiently in each meal so that the protein goes toward building lean muscle and is not getting stored as body fat?

Well, the body cannot use more than about ¼ gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per meal to build lean quality muscle tissue.  In other words, a 180 pound male does not need to exceed 45 grams of protein per meal, and a 120 pound woman does not need to exceed 30 grams of protein per meal to maximize their muscle-building potential.  Keep in mind that consuming more than this per meal will not hurt your muscle building potential; it just won’t improve it.

So if you are 180 pounds and are consuming 5-6 small balanced meals per day, nicely balanced between protein and complex carbohydrates, as stated in my  nutrition and exercise e-book, Rapidly Ripped – The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life,  your protein requirement for each meal should be around 30 grams but not more than 45 grams.  This will place you in an anabolic state and keep you in a positive nitrogen balance, allowing you to optimally utilize the protein in each meal most efficiently, so that it works on building and maintaining lean ripped muscle and not getting stored as body fat!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

Why eating 5 to 6 meals a day is the way to go when it comes to losing body fat, eliminate food cravings and having increased energy!

In our final installment I will discuss what the right amount and the right combinations of food should be in each meal following the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy – to turn you into a fat burning machine!

The great thing about the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy is how simple it is to create a balanced Rapidly Ripped Meal.  And the other great thing is we do not count calories or weigh food but instead pay attention to portions and the right combinations of food.

So what is the right portion and right combinations to follow on the Rapidly Ripped Eating Program?

Here is how simple it is to create a Rapidly Ripped Meal:

1. First off look at your plate and divide it into thirds.  Then…
2. Choose a portion of lean protein the size of your Palm, such as chicken breast, lean ground turkey meat, lean red meat or fish.
3. Choose a portion of complex carbohydrate the size of your clenched fist, such as sweet potato, yam, brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
4. Add a portion of vegetables to at least 2 of your meals each day, such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, brosal sprouts, zucchini, lettuce, tomato etc.
5. Consume one table spoon of unsaturated fat daily or three portions of salmon each week.  Examples are avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, natural almond, sunflower or cashew butter, flax seed oil etc.

So there you have it!  Eating the right food, in the right portion sizes and in the right combination, which means making sure you include protein and complex carbohydrates in each meal.   This not only reduces your cravings, but helps feed your muscles by providing both the amino acids from proteins together with carbohydrates, which help shunt the protein into the cells to helps build quality muscle.

Scientific studies and research have confirmed that combining and balancing protein and carbs in each meal stabilizes blood sugar and insulin and tended to decrease body fat, cholesterol and offers you greater feelings of energy and lower level of fatigue.  In another scientific study it was also shown that  people who eat a balance of protein and carbs have better digestion and absorption of nutrients and a higher thermogenic or fat-burning effect from each meal.  And in addition, studies show that meals balanced in protein, carbs and essential fats help you control your appetite and experience less food cravings.  What more can you ask for from an eating plan?

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner