By: Eric Satterwhite

Now more than ever there are more diets, theories, programs and pieces of exercise equipment bombarding us every day. However, America continues to grow fatter and fatter every year3. Obesity is a major problem. There are numerous factors that play into gaining and losing weight such as activity level, cultural habits, genetics and so on.

However, probably the most influential factor is energy intake (i.e. eating). You can work your butt off in the gym day in and day out. Yet, you will never have that six pack if you overeat everyday on top of that.

In the fight for the next big money maker of fat loss miracles, there are two that have stuck around for quite a while now. Those are:

1. Eat a good breakfast to "Jump Start" your metabolism.
2. Don't eat late at night because everything you eat will be stored as fat.

What Is The Truth?

Both of these have of explanations and logical reasoning behind them, but regardless of how you come to the conclusion, they are, at the heart the same. But are they true? While it is true that the digestion of food does require energy and creates a thermogenic effect, the question at hand is if eating a breakfast in the morning results in a higher 24 hour energy expenditure or a negative net calorie balance.

By: Curtis Schultz

You're reading this because you are one of many who are trying to get answers. The answers to putting on weight (quality weight and size). Well, it's right in front of you. EAT! I can't tell you any simpler. You need to eat more quality foods and lots of protein. But, like most things in life, it takes hard work, dedication and intensity to eat the amount of food you need to get lean, strong and add size.

So if you're looking for that quick fix answer, listen to some wannabe small personal trainer who thinks they know what it takes to get big. But, if you want to get past those tags of being a hard gainer and want the facts then keep reading.

Becoming A Freak

If you want to gain weight, you have to eat with the same intensity as you train. Just how important are your meals to gain? Let me put it to you this way. If you don't eat and pound down the protein you might as well forget about lifting all together. Eating is important to gain quality mass.

When I went off to college, I was a 200-pound linebacker, but because of injuries on the team I was asked to play offensive guard.

So you want to build muscle fast? I believe if you follow what you're about to read you will succeed. The most important thing is to keep your mind set on achieving your goal and always be positive about the process. Say affirmations: "I am building muscle", "I am building muscle fast" and visualize yourself already being huge. Take action with nutrition and training, trust yourself and you'll do great!

by TC

I've had the dubious pleasure of eating lunch or dinner with hundreds  maybe thousands  of bodybuilders, weight lifters, athletes, and fitness bunnies and the undeniable truth is that almost all of them eat like crap.

Despite what they might think, a chicken breast and some steamed rice is not a healthy meal, and that's what they eat most of the time, occasionally substituting a potato for the rice. Sure, it's a lot better than what most Americans cram down their gullet, but it sure doesn't feed the machine.

These assorted athletes and wanna-be athletes are able to function adequately on their fowl dinner, but that's because the body can take a lot of abuse. I remember reading an article about a Japanese man who had survived for 15 months on nothing but popcorn. Think his nutrition was adequate? Well chances are yours ain't much better, bubba.

My diet has rarely been beyond reproach, but doggone it, I'm getting better about it; a lot better. I've consulted the writings of our own resident nutritionists Berardi, Lowery, and Barr in addition to books like SuperFoods by Steven Pratt, M.D., and I've come up with my own list of 13 "Power Foods." However, I didn't look at foods as a nutritionist; rather, I looked at them from the perspective of my training as a microbiologist.

THE GROWTH FACTOR DIET
flexonline.com

As a bodybuilder, you've heard this many times: boosting your body's production of testosterone and growth hormone is absolutely essential to fuel muscle growth. You're probably unaware, though, that there may be an even more vital component, one that could clearly make the difference between failure and success in building a bigger, stronger physique. It's called insulinlike growth factor-I, or IGF-I, a naturally occurring protein very similar in structure to insulin, another important anabolic hormone. If you've been reading FLEX for any length of time, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with the term. However, you probably don't know the complete story of IGF-I; after all, even scientists and bodybuilding experts get it wrong. That's because IGF-I is a somewhat new discovery -- and as with any new discovery, researchers learn more about it with each passing day.

The key component of the FLEX Growth-Factor Diet is raising IGF-I levels by eating the right food at the right time, and combining a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet with the right supplements to help boost your muscle and strength gains to new heights. Altogether, it's a comprehensive nutrition and supplement plan that leaves nothing out -- use it for the next six to eight weeks and you'll be growing like never before.
FAST-TWITCH FACTORY

by Bob Hillman

The Best Laid Plans

The road to hell, just like a well thought out diet, is paved with good intentions. It doesnt matter if you're cutting, gaining or maintaining, there are pitfalls lurking around every corner which can wreck the best intended plans. Even though most of us consider ourselves well-informed and well-read individuals, there are times when we all drop the ball as far as our diets are concerned.

Unlike sedentary individuals, bodybuilders think of dieting simply as a tool used to support their personal physique goals. To us, dieting is a way of life and it only represents a particular moment in time. Dieting isn't necessarily a bad thing per se, but it can turn into the mother of all evil if not practiced consistently, consciously, and methodically throughout your bodybuilding years. From time to time we all slip up, cheat, and just flat-out give in to the wrong kinds of temptation. Where we go from there is up to us.

There are probably a billion ways to wreck a diet, but in the interest of brevity I've chosen to focus on ten of the most common dieting mistakes seen in bodybuilding circles, some of which may surprise you.