Muscle Building DietBuilding lean muscle mass is the focus of a solid men's diet.A true muscle building diet progresses slowly and with intelligent planning. Eating to build muscle mass has been surrounded with both myth and hype. The biggest myth that has dogged gyms and men's diet programs forever is the one which promotes a huge increase in caloric intake to "bulk up" as you lift to gain muscle mass, then intensely workout as you change to a "fat cutting" phase. In real life, it DOESN'T work this way. This idiotic myth is responsible for more gains in male belly fat than beer nights with your buddies. This nonsense came out of muscle magazines of the 60's. There was one SMALL fact that was left out: The professional bodybuilders promoting this tripe had discovered the magic of steroids. It really didn't matter what diet or even what workout plan they followed, they were going to get freakishly huge, yet defined like an anatomy chart. However, this little bit of information was never provided to all of the guys busting their butts to look the same. If you try to take shortcuts, like overeating (including protein), or adding several "mass building milkshakes" to your normal caloric baseline, you will pay for it dearly by creating belly fat. Once you lose definition, it is extremely difficult to get it back. Burn this into your brain: You CANNOT get big fast without getting fat fast. * Eating to build muscle must be slow and progressive. It is well-documented that athletes who are training hard consistently can only gain about 12-15 lbs of solid, hard muscle in a 12-month period. * A sensible diet to build muscle mass works from your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) and looks to establish a small calorie surplus over a specific length of time. (Usually a week/month.) * You find your BMR by taking your body weight X 10, then adding your body weight to the product of that equation. So, if you weigh 175 lbs...175 x 10=1750, plus 175, equals 1925 calories to maintain. * Adding a small increase of solid protein foods each day (fish, chicken breasts, turkey, lean red meat, and even some soy products) will permit you to gain muscle mass in a progressive way. * In this instance, the "More Is Better" theory doesn't fly. A muscle building diet seeks to do just what it says, build lean mass progressively...not belly fat. 
Tom Venuto, a natural (no steroids) bodybuilder, is the author of perhaps the best proven diet to gain lean muscle mass, while reducing belly fat: Burn The Fat - Feed The Muscle.* Tom's program to increase muscle mass is a men's diet plan that will force you to eat and workout like athlete. * You will be expected to know exactly what you are eating and how it can help...or sabotage...your muscle building goals. * You will be expected to train for strength and size using multi-joint lifts in brief, but intense workouts. * You will be expected to integrate interval training (much like NFL players use in the off-season) into your weekly cardio. * Eating to build muscle mass means you will make good food choices and stay away from sugar and processed foods. * You will be expected to understand about eating good carbs without abusing them. Any legitimate muscle building diet will discuss the need to maintain definition, and NOT promote a need to gain belly fat. You can trust Tom's program to follow that premise.
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If you do not remember anything else from this article, etch this in your brain: IT IS MUCH EASIER TO STAY IN SHAPE, THAN TO GET IN SHAPE.