Ultimate Body Transformation with Ivana and Boro Part 3 – How much protein?

  Personally, I strongly believe in a high-protein diet. It has always worked for me. When I’m building muscle mass my protein intake is 3 grams per 1 kg of my body weight. This is a lot so if you are doing fitness just for having a beautiful slim figure, you will need much less – let’s say 1.5 grams per 1 kg of your body weight. And of course, you also need more calories if you are building muscle than if you just want to be fit and slim.

  Now let’s make it a bit more complicated for you. You know, I’m one of those bodybuilders who have always appreciated the importance of carbohydrates in their diet. I do eat a lot of proteins but I’m not shy about carbs. In fact, I’m eating much more carbohydrate than 90% of other bodybuilders and it works miracles for me.

  So what does all this mean? You need to understand that all of us have a unique genetic setup. What works for me does not necessarily work for you. What works for 80% of us is worth trying but still you may need to try other approaches if you don’t see results.And by the way – this is not only true concerning your diet. You may have to experiment with your training as well.

  Most experts advise us to consume 2 grams of quality protein per 1 kg of body weight each day. You will most likely not be able to consume this much from your food. Even if you were, the question is whether your body is able to digest more than 30 grams of protein in one meal. For that reason most of us are drinking protein drinks and using amino-acid supplements.

  A high protein diet is very effective and several scientific studies have confirmed that it is also safe. Of course, you must balance the protein intake with some carbs. You may never cut the carb intake completely, although some bodybuilders (including me) are doing this for several days before a competition. While high-protein diets are considered safe, a protein-only diet could be extremely dangerous.

  If you find out that you are doing better with higher carbohydrate intake – like me – try to consume quality complex carbohydrates. Oats are perfect and most bodybuilders (and other athletes) eat them daily. Brown rice is also a very good option. There are more proteins in oats and rice than many people realize. Also, if you are training hard, your body is able to use more protein from the food – this is a scientifically proven fact.

  This is important – don’t increase your protein intake all at once. Do it gradually. You may find out that a certain amount of protein is simply hard to digest, especially if you don’t divide it into more meals.

Don’t forget that top athletes, especially bodybuilders, often eat around 7 meals a day. You can’t eat 200 grams of protein in 3 meals. This wouldn’t be effective at all.

Now, good luck with your training and see you soon!