Pre-contest Diet: Stage One

As promised, it's time to delve into the single most vital component of my twelve-week pre-contest preparation: my diet. I was taught that when trying to shed fat for a drug-free bodybuilding competition, approximately 90% of that fat loss should be a result of your diet, with the remaining 10% coming from cardiovascular exercise. Quite obviously such a breakdown is going to differ from competitor to competitor, but the driving point remains the same: Cardiovascular exercise isn't likely to work as a magic cure-all that absolves you from numerous dietary sins, and relying primarily on cardio and supplements while only going halfway with your diet isn't going to lead to ideal on-stage results.

Thus far I've competed in four amateur bodybuilding contests without performing a single cardiovascular workout during preparation, and I am extremely proud to report that each time I have been one of the leanest guys in my class. It's been said that I'm "anti-cardio", but such is not the case. As a slightly-built "hardgainer", I'm simply not anxious to burn away any of the precious little muscle that I hold on my frame in an effort to get as lean as possible, and--when following an extremely strict diet and getting progressively leaner each day--cardio can do just that. I want as little of my weight loss during pre-contest time as possible to be muscle.

I've also been told that I'm "lucky" to be able to achieve a decent on-stage condition without cardio, but that really isn't the case, either. I have a better metabolism than some, but much worse than others. For an ectomorph, my metabolism in frustratingly middle-of-the-road. I've actually never been one that could "eat whatever I want" without gaining fat or getting softer, nor was I one of those skinny teenagers that was naturally sinewy and cut-up. Rather, even in my teen years when my metabolism was likely at its peak--despite being thin as hell--my frame was never marked by definition. Yes, I am naturally very thin, but I am also naturally very soft.  The truth is that I don't achieve my condition by way of luck; I achieve it by sticking to my daily calorie and macronutrient totals, and faithfully adhering to my diet.  I don't cheat, I don't take shortcuts, and I don't justify breaking my limits.  Perhaps most importantly, I give myself the appropriate length of time to get into contest shape, aiming to lose only 1-2 pounds of fat per week.  Just as I wouldn't hastily prepare a Thanksgiving turkey by doubling the required oven temperature and cutting the time in half, I don't try to cram three months of preparation into six or eight weeks.

For the most part, my pre-contest diet is divided into four progressively stricter stages.  While most of the general population would probably consider "Stage One" to be strict and difficult to adhere to, for me it almost feels like vacation, and complying with it is no longer that tough.  My daily food intake during Stage One is divided into seven daily meals, each of which has a name (no, I don't mean like Rob, or Miguel) to keep things simple.  My seven daily meals (which, bear in mind, I don't necessarily eat in any specific order) are as follows:

"The Usual"
(one meal per day)

 

~3/4-cup egg white omelet with asparagus, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and salsa.

~28 grams of Cheerios/23 grams of whey protein mixed with five ounces of water.

• This one is damn near always my first meal of the day (hence the title), and is usually my favorite meal of the day, as well.  
• Of all my meals, I am least likely to alter this one with caloric substitutions, as it is truly delicious!

*     *     *

"Carb Meal"
(two meals per day)

 

~4 ounces or 110-180 calories of any lean protein (usually chicken, but can be turkey, fish, lean steak, etc.).

~Any carbohydrate (rice cakes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oats, Cheerios, white potatoes, etc.) serving equivalent to approximately 100 calories and 20 grams of carbs.

~As many non-starchy vegetables as I choose (asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, etc.).

• I eat two of these "carb meals" a day, and there is a great deal of room for caloric substitutions in relation to both the protein and carb sources.
• Another of my favorite non-standard "carb meals" is what I call "proatmeal", which is a single packet of plain or flavored instant oatmeal (equivalent, of course, to 100 calories and 20 grams of carbs) mixed with 140 calories of chocolate whey protein powder (especially Nitro-Tech hardcore, as the consistency complements the oatmeal really well), as pictured below.

 

*     *     *

 "300"
(two meals per day)

~Any combination of protein/carb/vegetable sources that total up to 335 calories, but no more than 12-15 grams of non-veggie carbohydrates (throughout my diet, non-starch veggies are treated more or less as "free foods").

• Besides my "Usual" breakfast, the 300s are usually my favorite meals of the day, as they're often two of the larger meals I consume, and they can provide a lot of variety.
• There are numerous ways I construct these meals, though my favorite is typically my standard 3/4-cup egg white omelet with veggies/salsa, 4.5 slices of turkey bacon, and 1 rice cake (pictured above).  However, other examples might include two scoops of Dymatize Mega Shake or similar meal-replacement drink; 10 ounces of chicken and 14 grams of Cheerios; 80 grams of whey protein powder blended with a whole tray of ice cubes for a delicious, thick "Super Protein Smoothie"; or any odd configuration of lean protein and small serving of carbohydrate that I can dream up.  

*     *     *

 "Snack"
(one meal per day)

~Any combination of protein/carb/vegetable sources that totals between 180-200 calories, with a roughly equal distribution of protein and carbs.

• As a rule this is one of my least-satisfying meals of the day, as it's usually the smallest.
• My standard "Snack" is a 180-200 calorie Pure Protein Bar (pictured above), but other acceptable snacks include a 32-gram scoop of peanut butter; 2 rice cakes and 20-25 grams of whey protein; 40-45 grams of whey protein mixed with water; or, one of my favorites, 40-45 grams of whey protein blended with 10 ounces of chilled black coffee and some crushed ice, something I call my "Probean Drink" (pictured below).  Man, am I clever, or what?

*     *     *

"Finale"
(one meal per day)

~3/4-cup egg white omelet with asparagus, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and salsa
~23 grams of whey protein mixed with five ounces of water

• As you might imagine, this is almost always used as my last meal of the day.

Add to those seven meals 2-3 gallons of water per day, and you have my Stage One diet.  It's nothing fancy, it's nothing insufferable, and it's nothing crazy.  I can also say with complete honesty that I truly enjoy every single meal I eat during Stage One; the food is delicious and suited to my tastes, and there's plenty of room for improvisation, as well.

How many weeks do I stick with Stage One, you ask?  Good question.  I won't move on to Stage Two until I'm no longer losing 1-2 pounds of fat per week, or until I'm five weeks out from the contest (at which point things get stricter regardless of whether the first stage was still "working" or not).  You're probably also now wondering how Stage Two differs from Stage One.  Well, you'll find out when I stop following Stage One, which likely won't be for well over another month.  At that point I'll write an entry about Stage Two.  Until then, happy eating.
In my next installment: My second week of workouts, as well as an updated bodyweight.