In order to burn fat and build muscle naturally the serious person must place a focused emphasis on a sound nutritional plan tailored to meet their individual needs. Proper nutrition is as important to developing a lean physique as weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise are. In fact, if you think you can achieve a lean, muscular appearance without a combination of all three you will be disappointed in your outcomes. This article will help clarify three important aspects of good nutrition.

There are three main points you should understand about nutrition to achieve a lean and muscular look. These are:

1. The three primary macronutrients and what there purpose is (protein, carbohydrates, fats)

2. The correct ratio/percentage of these macronutrients that you should consume to achieve your goals.

3. The number of calories you need to consume on a daily basis to meet your goals.

Protein

Consider this your number one priority when it comes to building lean muscle mass. You cannot grow your muscles without a sufficient supply of protein. A general rule of thumb is to ingest 1gm of protein for each pound of weight that you are. So a 180lb person should consume 180gm of protein per day. If you ingest more protein than your body needs it will simply process what it needs and discard the rest.

Carbohydrates

Think of carbohydrates as little energy cells your body needs and uses so you can perform your workouts and other activities. Everyone needs carbohydrates to function. The trick is to consume just enough to avoid them converting into fat. Understand that excess carbs are converted into fat by the body. A diet low in carbs will eventually convert proteins into glucose (a form of carbohydrate). If your body remains carb depleted for too long you sacrifice too much protein and thus lean muscle mass. This means you will lose size. Not the effect you want if you are trying to burn fat and build muscle naturally. A good rule of thumb to consume the correct amount of carbs is to consume most complex carbohydrates in the morning and/or right after working out. The body tends to process complex carbs easier at these times.

Fats

The number one thing you should know about fats is that they are the king of calories! What this means is that 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories whereas 1 gram of protein or carb contain around 4 calories. So it follows that the more fat you eat the more calories you are taking in.

Fat is an essential part of your diet. You need fat to survive. Fat serves several vital purposes in your body (too complex for the scope of this article). The point is don't try to totally eliminate fat from your diet. Keep it in the proper ratio to carbs and proteins and you will maintain a healthy balance in regards to burn fat and build muscle naturally.

What ratio of macronutrients should you shoot for?

This depends on who you talk to. A common recommendation is 50% carbohydrates, 35% proteins and 15% fats. If you are looking to build lean muscle then I would recommend 50% proteins, 35% carbohydrates and 15% fats. There is no right answer for everyone. This is a trial and error process to see which ratio works best for you. Everyone will react different to these macronutrients. Tweak things every now and then and see how your body responds.