So you want to be a bodybuilder? Well that doesn't always mean sweat and tears but a good diet too so you need to cut down those tasty hamburgers and that incredible pizza if you want to look hot on the beach this summer. The first thing you need to do is to make a diet plan and respect it. I know that sounds like a lot of boring work but a good research is the key to success. In order to make a good diet plan you will have to understand how your body works and follow some simple rules.

For example you eat three large meals a day with all the healthy nutrients your body needs and you don't see any changes after three or four weeks, on contrary you see that you are gaining weight and I am not talking about muscles here. So you ask yourself: I am eating everything right so what is wrong with my diet? It's not the food it's the quantity and the time between the meals.

When you have three meals a day a lot of time passes until the body receives food and between those meals your body will start making fat deposits from your muscles thinking that you may want to starve it. Another problem would be that most of the nutrients from your food will be lost because the body will have to digest a lot of quantity of food. You can “trick” your body if you eat five or six meals a day and that will prevent it from making any fat deposits or losing your precious muscles. This will also increase your metabolism level because while digesting your body will need energy.

Another thing you need to remember is to have your meals composed of proteins, carbohydrates and fats but don't choose them randomly. The best meal is composed of 40% carbohydrates, 40% proteins, and 20% Fats. Our body loves carbohydrates because they are the best source of fast energy for a long period of time and they can be converted faster into glucose than protein or fats.

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex; the simple ones are absorbed more rapidly but they provide short term energy. Simple carbohydrates are: fruits, yogurt, sugar, honey, etc. Complex carbohydrates provide long term energy, control the insulin production and prevent the body from making fat deposits. Some examples of complex carbohydrates are: potatoes, brown rice, corn, pasta, etc. We need proteins as well as we need carbohydrates because everyone knows that you can't gain muscles without eating proteins. They are the muscles main component and they help the body produce cells and hormones. But you have to eat the right proteins to have full benefit of their action so it's best that you include the following in your meals: chicken, turkey, low fat milk, fish, beans etc. Avoid proteins that are found in red meat or in dairy products as they are very rich in fats and cholesterol.

Fat is another important nutrient, even the name scares most of us. Fats are good because they are concentrated energy, protect the body, transport vitamins such as A, D, E , K and help the body synthesize some hormones. The bad fats are saturated (like coconut oil and animal products) and trans (like margarine or the fats used in fast foods). The good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and they are found in olive oil, nuts and fish oil.

Now that we understand what nutrients do and why we need them we will need to talk a little bit about calories. We all heard of calories, it is the most taboo word for a person on a diet and their importance has been discussed a thousand times by specialists. You eat many small meals a day now, you eat the right nutrients, you exercise and after a while you see that you don't get the same results as you used to. What to do? Well we know that our body gets used with a lot of things, and this diet is one of them. Your caloric intake should be varied because if you eat the same amount of calories every day your body will get used to it. Try to eat more calories in one day and less in another but don't make it to extreme also you should try to have a different menu for everyday as much as possible.

Another thing that should be included in your diet is a good sleep program. You can make all the exercises in the world but without a good sleep they are useless, you will not see any results because muscles recover while sleeping. If you have insomnia you will probably need to change something in your lifestyle or in your daily program but use traditional methods to cure it instead of pills. Of course too much sleep is as bad as having insomnia so try not to sleep until noon. After a while you will notice how many hours of sleep you need to recover and feel refreshed, the average time is 8 hours but this varies from person to person.

Last but not least: Drinking a lot of water is good! The reason you hear that all the time is because it's true. If your body lacks water it will get dehydrated, this could cause serious problems and even death. Don't forget to drink water during your practice in small quantities and after every meal. Don't exaggerate of course, you don't want to stop your exercise routine to go to the bathroom 40 times a day and besides if you drink too much water a lot of the vitamins will be eliminated and that's not good. Follow these rules and train every day and I will guarantee that you will see results in a few months.

Do remember the key to become a successful bodybuilder is to eat many small meals a day composed of healthy food, have a different menu everyday, drink sufficient water and sleep well. You may find these changes a bit uncomfortable at first but don't change everything at once, try to make small changes as the time passes. Don't be anxious to see immediate results because you will learn that things which are made with patience last more than fast things.