Diet Tips For German Body Comp Training

German Body Comp is a highly effective training method for fat loss that is made better with a high-quality diet. Proper nutrition ensures you are fueling your muscles during workouts while coaxing the body to lose fat without too much mental struggle.

How German Body Comp & Diet Go Together

German Body Comp uses weight training exercises with short rest intervals to burn fat while simultaneously building muscle. This training method raises growth hormone, a powerful fat burning hormone. You can support this metabolic shift with a high-quality diet.

The first step is to get blood sugar under control. The body tries to control blood sugar levels by releasing the hormone insulin from the pancreas. This system gets stressed in response to a high-carb diet (bread, pasta, chips, cereal, sweets, soda) and lack of physical activity. The result is irregular blood sugar levels, which translate to low energy, and high insulin. This is a problem for fat loss because insulin stores any extra calories as body fat. It also opposes growth hormone. Studies show that if you keep your insulin levels lower during the day, you increase your growth hormone secretion at night.

The second step is to ensure you are eating sufficient calories to avoid “starvation mode.” A common mistake when you want to lose body fat is to slash calories below your resting metabolic rate. Very low calorie diets are a problem because they lead the thyroid gland to produce less of a biochemical called T3. T3 helps regulate body temperature, which is a primary factor that determines how many calories you burn daily. When you’re trying to lose fat, you need to do everything you can to rev your metabolic rate.

Healthy Diet For German Body Comp

The exact details of your diet for German Body Comp should be individualized. For example, novices to healthy eating often benefit from a higher meal frequency of 4 to 6 meals a day to avoid hunger and balance blood sugar. If you have more experience with healthy eating, you may benefit from fewer meals or incorporating some form of intermittent fasting into your routine.

Another example is with regards to protein intake. Novices who are just starting to exercise will benefit from a moderate protein intake, whereas more advanced trainees who are closer to their genetic potential muscle mass-wise may benefit from higher total protein intake.

What follows are nutrition tips that support your training goals and help you get the body you desire.

Tip #1: Eat High-Quality Protein At Every Meal

Planning every meal around whole protein sources such as meat, eggs, dairy, and fish will provide the largest nutrient content per calorie. Protein foods keep blood sugar steady and they blunt hunger, helping keep appetite in check.

Tip #2: Reach Your Daily Protein Goal

Aim for a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. Achieving this threshold dose in your diet will allow your body to get the most out of German Body Comp-style training. Carbohydrate-intolerant individuals (those with more fat to lose) may want to go higher in protein, nearing 2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily.

Tip #3: Eat Fibrous Vegetables At Every Meal

Leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, celery, etc., should make up more than half of your plate.

Tip #4: Include Healthy Fats At Every Meal

Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and dairy are all good sources of fat that help manage hunger. They also blunt the insulin response of higher carb foods.

Tip #5: Stay Hydrated

Water is often the most neglected nutrient. Dehydration, stresses the body, raising cortisol and impairing fat burning pathways. Drink 0.6 to 0.7 ounces of water per pound of bodyweight.

Tip #6: Avoid Liquid Calories

Hydration is a priority, but if fat loss is a goal, avoid drinking your calories. Stay away from juice, sports drinks, soda, and sweetened tea/coffee.

Tip #7: Never Go Hungry

If you’re hungry all the time, you’re diet is not giving your body what it needs to fully reap the benefits of German Body Comp training. Exactly how many meals you should eat is individualized: Some thrive on eating every two hours, whereas others do best with three meals a day. The key is be consistent with meal intake, eating at regular intervals so that you avoid overwhelming hunger.

Tip #8: Try A Low-Carb Boot Camp

Depending on how carb-tolerant you are, you may want to do a low-carb boot camp. Eating low-carb for two weeks restores insulin sensitivity and kickstarts fat loss so you drop significant fat in a short period of time.

Tip #9: Eat The Rainbow

Getting the majority of your carbohydrates from colorful vegetables and fruits is a great way to improve your nutrient intake while managing blood sugar. Fruits and high-carb vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, are the first carbs you can reintroduce after a low-carb boot camp. Berries and other dark colored fruits possess many nutrients you cannot find in vegetables.

Tip #10: Eat Foods That Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Certain foods increase insulin sensitivity and improve the body’s ability to store the carbs you eat as muscle glycogen instead of as fat. Vinegar, healthy oils (coconut, olive), spices (cinnamon, turmeric), and acids (lemon, lime) all make your body more sensitive to insulin.

Tip #11: Favor Plants Over Grains

Favoring vegetables instead of grains fills you up and increases nutritional density, but with fewer calories. Grain-based foods, whether it's bread, crackers, rice, or cereal are very easy to overeat and they tend to crowd out other more nutritious foods.

Tip #12: Ensure The Foundation Five Supplements

There are certain nutrients that are necessary to balance blood sugar, maintain muscle, and burn body fat. Vitamin D, magnesium, probiotics, fish oil, and a multivitamin make up the Foundation Five supplements that you should make sure you are getting. For example, magnesium ensures muscle cells are sensitive to insulin while also helping your body handle stress. Vitamin D plays a role in muscle strength and low levels are associated with higher body fat. Fish oil improves insulin sensitivity and fights inflammation, whereas probiotics ensure healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients. Finally, a multivitamin is insurance for any nutrients that are depleted during everyday living.

Maximize Results: Get Your Body Fat Tested Weekly

Relying on the scale to determine the success of a German Body Comp training and diet program is like the blind leading the blind. It provides no insight into changes in muscle mass and body fat. Testing body fat is a superior method that determines if you are on the right track to transform your body. It also promotes adherence.

Get tested on Monday morning if possible. This will help you stay accountable with your diet and German Body Comp training and avoid weekend temptations.

The most affordable and accurate method is to test body fat with skinfolds, but you must find a reliable tester. Some gyms have high-quality body fat testing equipment, such as the Bod Pod, that can help you monitor your progress. If this is not an option, taking circumference measurements with a flexible tape measure is a great alternative. Measuring the hips and waist are standard, but you can also measure thighs, calves, and biceps to assess muscle development.

Final Words

Changing your body is never simple. Establishing a healthy diet ensures you are fueling your muscles during German Body Comp workouts while coaxing the body to lose fat.