Fedorov on Dieting By Alexander Fedorov Don't mistake it for false modesty, but I'm honored when people come to me looking for tips on dieting. It is, however, difficult for me to give any across the board recommendations. Therefore, I shall limit myself by simply talking about the approach that has worked for me. I try to divide the ratio of consumed protein and carbs based on the time of day. In the morning and the first half of day, I prefer carbohydrate-rich foods (an 80 to 20 carb to protein ratio). As evening approaches, I reduce my carbs and greatly increase my protein (by the evening, this ratio becomes diametrically different (now approximately 80% protein to 20% carbs). As I prepare for a contest, I usually try to reduce the quantity of carbs I consume as much as possible, sometimes even removing them altogether from the precontest equation. It is treacherous, no doubt, but often a necessary practice in achieving my standard of conditioning. My main sources of protein on a daily basis are chicken and eggs. I'll eat various kinds of meat and fish with pleasure during the offseason, but the closer I get to a contest, the more strict and basic my diet becomes (thus the more prominent the chicken and egg whites become). Chicken and its byproducts are also far easier to acquire in Russia as opposed to good cuts of lean beef. I don't have too much difficulty getting my hands on fish, but I feel it doesn't fuel my workouts quite the way chicken does. Canned tuna seems to be a staple for bodybuilders in America, but in Russia, tuna that comes in that convenient form is far tougher to come by. I've never really tried to tabulate my daily protein intake in grams, but I can give you some raw numbers I use to gauge my nutrition precontest. Divided over 4 to 5 meals a day (not including protein shakes), I take in 4.5 lbs. of chicken breast and about 40 egg whites. At one point in my development, I ate only 3 to 4 times daily, which required that each meal be much bigger, a problem when attempting to keep the size of your waist in check. Personally, I've never had a problem with gaining unwanted weight. But I can tell you for sure, that if a bodybuilder comes in heavy or out of shape, it is due to a lack of discipline and indulging when strictness is necessary-elementary mistakes that you can't afford to make at my level. As you can clearly see, I am mostly intuitive when it comes to my dieting. Never in my life have I counted carbs or tallied protein grams. I can't explain to you a lot of the key elements of my diet. I simply know. I know that there are particular foods and diet strategies that work perfectly for me, but how they work is sometimes not even completely clear. I just listen to my body and it tells me what I need. That is the mystery of bodybuilding nutrition.