Bodybuilding Diet & Nutrition Plans for Women

Although females interested in bodybuilding and strength training are somewhat of a rarity, the good news is that they need not follow a nutritional approach that is too different from that of men. Female strength trainees will consume the same types of food as their male counterparts--the only changes are in quantity and proportion of certain macronutrients, such as carbohydrates.

Assessment

• Begin structuring your nutritional plan by assessing where you are currently, physique-wise, and deciding where you want to go. For this, you should have a professional body fat examination performed at your gym, medical facility or health care center by an experienced professional. Once you come to grips with your current physique, decide whether your primary goal is to gain muscle or to lose fat. Generally speaking, it is much more difficult to attempt accomplishment of both goals at the same time, so pick one direction and stick to it until you reach your set objective.

Nutrition Design

• Adopt a carb-limited approach to achieve your desired goal. To ensure optimal body composition, you will want to limit your intake of non-fruit and -vegetable carbs to the period surrounding your training sessions. While the meals just before and after your workouts can contain carbs such as oats, rice, sweet potatoes and whole grains, the remainder of your day should consist of nothing but fruits and veggies, as far as carohydrates are concerned. This will help keep your insulin and blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, making it easier to lose fat or increasing the likelihood of gaining muscle instead of fat (if you are aiming to increase bodyweight).

  Consume between 0.8 and 1.0 grams of protein per day, per pound of bodyweight. At least 30 percent of your overall calories should come from a mix of unsaturated and saturated fats (in roughly a 2:1 ratio). Keep your food intake strictly to lean protein sources, vegetables, fruits, some whole grains and healthy natural fat sources like oils, coconuts, avocados and nuts to achieve your fitness goals.

Tracking

• Maintain a food log to track your progress. Write down the foods you eat throughout each day, along with the number of calories contained in the food. If you are planning on gaining weight, aim to add a pound or so a week. If you are losing weight, shoot for one to two pounds per week. Measure this with a quality scale at the conclusion of every week, and adjust your diet upwards or downwards by 200 to 300 calories per day if you are not on pace with your target goal.