The Infonian

If you’ve never heard of a “positive nitrogen balance” and are wondering what the hell I’m talking about don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. The term isn’t something you hear every other guy in the gym talking about. But I can guarantee that even though he may not be familiar with the term, every gym rat on the planet knows what happens when you have a positive nitrogen balance-you get big. The whole thing is pretty complicated but can be explained fairly simply. Nitrogen is a chemical element found in protein, which we know is the primary building block for muscle growth. And in order to pack on muscle mass, you have to take in more protein than your body uses-otherwise you’d lose weight not gain in.

A positive nitrogen balance means that the body is retaining more protein than it is using as fuel or just otherwise excreting (sweat, urine and feces). In other words, the total amount of nitrogen excreted through body functions is less than the total amount of nitrogen consumed through diet or supplementation. That means you’ve got to have a positive nitrogen balance in order to grow new muscle tissue and get big.

Now you’re wondering, “Okay, so I know what a positive nitrogen balance is, how in the world do I know if I’ve got a positive nitrogen balance?”

Protein, carbohydrates and fat all contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules but only protein has the additional nitrogen molecule. Given that around 70% of protein is found in muscle tissue, a relatively simple nitrogen test can be conducted to determine if there is a positive or negative nitrogen balance.

The nitrogen test can determine the body’s anabolic status-showing whether or not the body is primed for muscle growth by maintaining sufficient protein balance. A positive nitrogen balance will prevent catabolism-the opposite of anabolism-which basically means that the body is using muscle tissue to get the nutrients it needs.

Nitrogen balance can be negative, positive or at equilibrium. By now you should know that a negative nitrogen balance is bad. It means that your body is in a catabolic state and is more or less cannibalizing muscle tissue to meet its nutritional needs. A positive nitrogen balance puts your body in an anabolic state, which is what you want. Here, your body is primed and pumped for muscle growth. It also means that your body is sufficiently recovering from your workouts.

A nitrogen balance that is at equilibrium indicates that no progress is being made but the body isn’t in a catabolic state either. Here, nitrogen intake and loss are the same. You won’t get any bigger but at the same time, at least you’re not losing muscle too, so even though it’s not ideal it’s better than a negative nitrogen balance.

Since about 90% of nitrogen loss occurs through urination, the most common-and widely accepted-method for testing nitrogen balance is done by measuring urine urea nitrogen loss. This test measures the amount of nitrogen in the diet and subtracts the amount excreted over the previous 24 hours and gives you the nitrogen balance.

If you think that a negative nitrogen balance is caused by not consuming enough protein, you’re only partially correct. You also have to take in sufficient carbs and fats too. Yeah, protein is the primary building block of muscle tissue, complex carbs and healthy fats also play a vital role in protein synthesis. Without them, protein may be metabolized for energy purposes, which will ultimately result in a negative nitrogen balance. Overtraining can also result in a negative nitrogen balance. Remember, muscle growth occurs during recovery not training.

Proper nutrition, training hard and getting plenty of rest are the three essential keys to achieving and maintaining a positive nitrogen balance and getting big. First, you’ve got to take in more calories than you burn and make sure you’re getting plenty of protein, along with sufficient complex carbs and healthy fats. Proper nutrition also includes making sure that you are consuming enough vitamins, minerals and other supplements that contribute to proper body function.

Next, you should not just be training, but training hard. Since you’re taking the time to do it, you might as well do it right and reap the rewards. And finally, make sure you’re getting plenty of rest. Rest entails a good night’s sleep and giving your muscles enough time to recover between workouts.

So there you have it-a basic overview of achieve a positive nitrogen balance and why you should care.

Author: Mike Westerdal

Have you tried everything you can to lose weight and failed every time? Fat Loss 4 Idiots may be just the diet you have been looking for. You have probably heard it all at this point in your life, take this pill or go on this diet and you will lose a hundred pounds in a week! Well not really, but you get the idea. Grand plans that promise the moon if you can stick to their sometimes ridiculous diets. How is Fat Loss 4 Idiots any different from all the other diets that have come along? For starters, the creators do not expect you to starve your way thin. There are no counting calories or worrying about fat or protein content. You follow a simple diet plan that has you eating as much as six times per day. Now I know what you are thinking how can eating more result in weight loss? The key is the type of calories and calorie combinations. That may sound like a crazy idea but is it really? The main idea is to reverse what happens on a low calorie diet.

Low Calorie Diet Myth

Low calorie diets never seem to work because the body is created to survive. What that means is anytime you have a massive drop in caloric intake your body’s metabolism will slow down to compensate. For instance if you drop a thousand calories from your diet then your metabolism will drop to only burning that many calories in a day, plus you feel horrible.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots is different because you will not be massively reducing caloric intake you will be changing the type of calories you consume as well as the days you consume them. Keeping your body supplied with all the nutrients it needs to function correctly.

Food Groups

Another popular diet myth is that you can lose weight and keep it off by getting rid of a food group. No carb, no fat, or no protein diets forget one essential thing; the human body requires all these things to operate. When you do away with a food group you are depriving your body of key nutrients, and your body will begin to crave foods with these nutrients.

On the flip side of eliminating one food group are the diets that focus on eating only one thing. Like the cabbage or grapefruit diets that have plagued us all. The same problem applies; you are not giving your body the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Besides these diets, are nearly impossible to stay on, who wants to eat the same things over and over, day in and day out?

Fat Loss 4 Idiots turns dieting on its ear by allowing the dieter to eat from all food groups up to six times per day. The difference in this diet plan is not how much but when you eat what. When you change your eating habits every few days the metabolism scrambled to keep up, burning more calories than normal.

Finally

Will the Fat Loss 4 Idiots work for everyone? It can but there is some user responsibility to adhere to the tenets of the diet. Nothing you go at half way will ever work. That being said this is a sound plan to lose weight. You get to stay healthy and eat plenty while still shedding pounds.

South Asians are genetically different from the rest of the world. This makes them more prone to lifestyle related diseases like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Over the years, our diets have also changed from the traditional Desi Diet to the more westernized fast food with more calories and saturated fats and less fiber. Children and youngsters are especially moving from a Desi diet to a predominantly western format diet. These changes coupled with metabolic syndrome lead to the development of early diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

For those of you who are wondering what a desi diet is and how is it different from the traditional western diet; a Desi Diet can be described as a diet of a South Asian origin. South Asians have very different dietary habits. Their diets are rich in carbohydrates and many of them are vegetarians. A desi diet would therefore include chapattis and rice in every meal and would mostly be eaten with lentils or vegetables; in contrast to a western diet that is predominantly meat based and has lesser emphasis on carbohydrates. South Asians mostly prefer cooked hot meals and like to prepare their own food. This means that a Desi Diet is not just a set of different ingredients but a different eating pattern altogether. Many westerners cannot have a desi diet because it is extremely spicy and full of pungent and strong flavours. Most desi diets, if planned well, are healthy because they are high in fibre and provide a healthy mix of carbohydrates and proteins in every meal.

Traditionally, desi diets also included a lot of pulses, milk and milk products, and vegetables. For South Asians who want to have a healthy diet, it is important that they plan their diets basis their dietary habits. A desi diet can be easily modified into a healthy diet. This will not only ensure a balanced intake of nutrients but will also lead to better compliance since it is better to modify your existing diet to suit your needs rather than to try and take up a different dietary pattern altogether.

As a bodybuilder you should be aiming to enter into the competitive bodybuilding area and show off your body in a bodybuilding fitness competition, especially given the amount of time, effort and money you are putting into your training. Competitive bodybuilding fitness competitions take place all over the world and display some of the finest, athletic bodies on the planet.

Each competition has numerous categories and levels, so even if you are still a novice you can still find a competition that is at your level. However, if you are going to enter you”re going to have to put in a lot of training before hand, so you”ll need lots of self discipline and dedication in terms of actually getting down the gym and training and also your diet.

If you are serious about taking up competitive bodybuilding you should really try to find your self a training partner and coach. As having the guidance and support of an experienced coach and the support from a training partner will definitely help improve your chances of success in the competitive bodybuilding arena. You and your coach need to determine your training programme, your diet and what competitions or events you want to train up to compete in. Also you need to decide whether you are going to be a ”natural” bodybuilder or whether you will use performance enhancing supplements such as steroids. The natural route is best for your body, but there is no reason why you shouldn”t supplement your diet with essential vitamins and nutrients to help optimum growth and repair of your muscles, especially if you have to eliminate some foods from your diet to lose weight.

The next step is to put some time into investigate and find local competitive bodybuilding competitions near to home, as they are a great place to ”dip your toe” in and get started. If you can”t find any locally you might have to travel to further a field to find competitions, so you”ll need to schedule this into your training plans.

Competitive bodybuilding and fitness competitions often vary in terms of the price to enter and the competition rules and regulations, so make sure you do your research carefully. Usually you”ll have a tour or guide the day before or on the morning of the event, so the more prepared you are, the more professional you will appear to the other competitors and judges.

Prior to the event, make sure that you have covered and mastered in training all the poses that you need to be able to do for the competition, and learn how to tense up your muscles for each pose while appearing relaxed. Other things you might want to do or take into consideration are tanning and removing excess hair and anything else that might improve your chances of winning. Ask your coach for advice on this or ask other bodybuilders you have met through your training.

Once you”ve done the competition, critically assess how well you have done, both positives and negatives, if you try and learn from your mistakes you”ll continually increase you chances of winning in future events. See what the other competitors are doing and ask them questions too. You should also try and speak to the judges after the event to get their opinion on how you did and get some tips for your next competition. Listen carefully to all their hints and tips and sooner than you think you”ll be the one winning all the prizes!