Diet and Nutrition

This might be a little obvious, but if you are going to be training hard, shedding fat, and filling out your frame with quality muscle, you are going to need to give your body the proper nutrients to attain your goals.  You can train as hard as you want, but if your diet isn't proper; if you're not getting the muscle-building nutrients, along with the proper vitamins and supplements-you wont develop a quality physique.  It's that simple. 

Now be careful not to go to extremes.  Even if your primary goal is adding muscle mass by any means necessary, there is no reason to go out and gorge yourself on a super mega 10,000 calorie a day diet.  Most of the time, high calorie diets don't work, and your body ends up turning the excess calories into unattractive fat.

If your goal is to tighten up and drop body fat, you should also be wary of extreme diets.  A major reduction in your calorie intake will also reduce the amount of energy you have, in effect bringing your metabolism to a grinding halt.  Your body wont have the bare minimum nutrients to exercise hard and develop lean muscle. Essentially, you will be stuck where you are at, with little chance of moving forwards towards your weight loss goals. 

No matter who you are, you will have to pay careful attention to what and when you eat.  Make sure you are eating enough high quality protein, and always keep your diet varied. If your main goal is fat loss, then you should reduce your carbohydrate consumption around 40% and increase your protein intake by about 40%

The one thing you can do to immediately improve your nutrition and establish a solid foundation for fat loss and muscle growth is to eat frequent, small, well-balanced meals. And remeber to drink plenty of water.