Diet for Getting Ripped

Getting ripped requires a different diet regime to bulking up. Generally, the training aspect of the program will not change much, it's 90% diet, so you really need to pay close attention to what and how much you are eating.

If you want to get ripped fast, burn more calories than you consume while doing interval training workouts using heavy duty resistance bands or even your own body weight. The trick is to hold on to as much muscle mass as possible while on a cutting diet. If you over compensate, you can actually lose muscle mass which is the opposite to what you are wanting to achieve.

Diet to Get Ripped

As long as you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose body fat. Reduce calories gradually. It takes 3500 calories to lose one lb of fat, so if you reduce your daily calories by 500 a day, you will lose a lb a week. Try and lose no more than about 2 lbs a week.

Cut down your fat and carbohydrate intake and keep your protein levels high. Your main goal for protein intake during a cutting phase should be 1.2 grams per pound of body weight as a minimum everyday. Some bodybuilders will even eat a lot more protein then this. The best way to reduce the calories is by dropping fats and simple sugars in your diet, but protein must stay high.

Don't rely too much on milk and other dairy products when you are eating to get ripped, it's high sugar content makes it detrimental. Using a protein supplement like whey protein is recommended, and you can mix your protein shakes with water instead of milk.

Supplements?

Some people argue against using creatine when on a diet for getting ripped or bulking up. I’m not one of those. Creatine is one of the few bodybuilding supplements to have any benefit and which is backed with credible research.

Here are some basic rules you need to follow:

Rule 1

Take in less calories than you burn. If you eat 500 calories a day less than your maintenance level, you should lose about a lb a week

Rule 2

Eat lots of protein! You will keep hold of most of your muscle if you keep your protein levels high. Aim for 1g per lb of bodyweight at least

Rule 3

Don’t overdo the carbs, even the complex carbs. Your body can adapt to lower levels of carbs if you let it.

Rule 4

Fat is not the enemy. If you are on a low carb diet, you can have a moderate amount of fat in your diet.

Rule 5

Drink lots of liquid, especially water! Diet drinks are allowed as well. Sometime drinking a can of diet coke can help make you feel full and get rid of any hunger pangs. A dehydrated body is inefficient at burning body fat.

Here is a sample meal plan for getting ripped:

Breakfast

2 scoops of protein powder with water
Bowl of cereal
Coffee

Mid morning

Pint of skimmed milk
Banana

Lunch

Baked potato with chicken/tuna
Salad
Water

Mid afternoon

Pint of skimmed milk

Dinner

Baked potato with chicken/tuna
Salad

Night

2 scoops of protein powder with water

Totals:
Calories = 2000
Protein = 180 g

Conclusion

When on a diet for getting ripped, the bottom line is that you have to burn more than you consume. Of course you can alter the percentages of protein carbs and fat, and those with inclination and time can manipulate these areas effectively to fine tune a diet. By being really strict with yourself, the rewards will be huge and you will have six pack abs to show for it.