1st natural bodybuilding show...diet?
 

Hi,

This year my personal goal is to enter a natural bodybuilding show. More so than winning, my main goal is to get in incredible shape. I've been lifting on and off for years and I have a fairly good body...shirt on mind you. I'm 39 years old at 5'11" roughly 225 pounds. Because of high cholesterol I now have to watch what I eat. What I want to know is what can I do to get really ripped. The contest I'm entering is in October and I'd say my body fat is roughly at 15%. How can I get totally ripped by this date. Here's my current diet for health reasons.

Breakfast
Shake: Soy milk, banana, soy peanut butter, non fat vanilla yogurt, soy protein powder w/nutmeg and cinnamon. Multivitamin and red yeast extract.

Lunch
Salmon with spring mix salad w/balsalmic dressing

2nd Lunch
Salmon with spring mix salad w/balsalmic dressing

3rd Lunch
Sandwich: Wheat bread w/swiss chees and low fat turkey w/dijon mustard

Dinner after workout
Shake: Soy milk, banana, soy peanut butter, non fat vanilla yogurt, soy protein powder w/nutmeg and cinnamon. Multivitamin and red yeast extract.

I'm not sure about the calorie count and I've been on this diet a couple of weeks. Is this the sort of diet I can get ripped on?

it's very hard to get ripped if you don't even know the calories you are eating. You could lose weight but if you don't know your calories and where they are coming from you could be losing muscle too. If you are going to do this you need to completely commit or you will look foolish on stage. Read the stickies on dieting down to get a better idea what you need to do.

Also, what does your workout look like for the week.

Not my area but I'm thinking all the soy could bloat you up a bit. Probably don't want to be doing that when it gets close to comp. Nothing against soy...

This isn't something you can just jump right into. It takes a lot of research, planning, and commitment like Dave said. Losing weight is one thing...getting ripped that's a whole nother show.

Thanks Eric and Chin. I can get the daily total of calories being that my diet is pretty stable. However remember I have a cholesterol issue so I have to shy away from red meat and even whey protein. I want to plan this thing through and I feel I have enough time given the event is in October 2008. What I do know is I take in about 100 grams of protein a day.

Here's my workout

Day 1
Incline bench press 8 sets
Pec dec 4 sets
Dips 3 sets
Seated Rows 4 sets
One arm rows 4 sets
Lat pull downs front 4 sets
Lat pull downs back 4 sets

Day 2
Leg press 8 sets
Leg extensions 4 sets
Leg curls 4 sets

Day3
Military Press 5 sets
Front dumbell raises 4 sets
Lateral raises 4 sets
Rear lateral raises 4 sets

Day 4
Calf presses 5 sets
Treadmill 35 minutes

Day 5
Calf presses 5 sets
Treadmill 35 minutes

Day 6
Calf presses 5 sets
Treadmill 35 minutes

Day 7
Treadmill 35 minutes

ok 100 grams of protein is not even close to what you would need and your workout is... well, it's obvious that you are not a serious lifter. You need to do more research if you want to be serious about this. Sorry but being 39 years old and having cholesterol issues is not a good start. You NEED to talk to your Doctor before you even consider trying this. I'm not being mean, I'm being strait forward with you and I don't want you to get hurt doing this. Bodybuilding puts major stress on the body and with your cholesterol problem, I don't think you should start this until you control your health problem.

Well my diet plan is actually recommended and approved by my doctor to address the cholesterol problem. So my diet can't change but so much. As for my workout I don't do squats, deadlifts or bent rows anymore. Used to squat 405 for 10 reps but I'm older and wiser these days...not to mention I never used drugs. I can still get 315 on the incline...not bad. What I need to know is how to rip it up with my diet constraints.

That good, BUT does your doctor know that you want to bodybuild. If your doctor told you specifically to stay on this diet to control your cholestrerol, then that is what you need to work on first before trying something that requires you to put more stress on the body.
You need to ask your doctor if this life style change is going to be good for you, and if you are going to do this it will have to be a life style change so you don't look foolish on stage.

why not?

:06: Are you trying to say that squats, deadlifts and bent rows are bad?


Like I said in my first post, Read the Stickies about dieting, they are at the top of the fatloss and nutrition sections of the forum.
BUT FIRST, you should ask your doctor if your health problems will get in the way.

If you just wanted to lose some fat and get in shape, that would be a different story, but you want to bodybuild and that takes a lot more dedication.

Is your doctor against whey protein?

Your cholesterol would go down if you have essential fatty acids in your diet. Fish oil and flax oil. Your first 3 meals should be protein and carbs and your last meals should be protein and fat. Your cholesterol will drop dramatically. I don't see how your diet is going to help your situation. You might find this hard to believe buy a lot of doctors really don't know much about proper nutrition.

Simply put, you need more protein, more efa's and less carbs. You will get leaner and your cholesterol will drop.

I'm curious too. Why no whey??? And I'm no expert at all... I'm stuborn and stick to my own workout too.. But you could use some changes to yours I would think... As for the diet... What are the numbers? Calories, carbs, fat, protein, etc... Not saying change them.. Just what are they? You said the diet is pretty set, just add up the numbers.....