# Why do bodybuilders eat so much fish when dieting?



## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

As the title says really.

Why divert from chicken, turkey etc?


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## Franko1 (Nov 19, 2008)

I always thought coz fish is low sodium, but chicken is aswell really.


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## kernowgee (Jan 30, 2011)

Personally I can not stand tuna, stinky muck IMHO


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## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

High protein, low fat, low calorie. Pretty simple really. Also adds a bit of variety to these weird contest diets they tend to do, as we all know it HAS to be "clean" for you to lose fat...


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

mmm..variety...really?

you hear of a lot of them eating 7 fish meals a day. can't be full of that much variety.

im convinved theres another reason


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## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

There's probably no logical reason if it makes up the protein source in those 7 unnecessary meals.


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2011)

I dunno, but when dieting for a fight my trainer had me eat nothing but fish for one week.

it sucked.

I used to like Tilapia


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2011)

I did drop shlt tons of fat that week, but I think I was eating like 8-900 cals from tilapia alone so would have on anything. Was pretty much a PSMF


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

White fish? Its almost completly protein and very easy to break down. I have been advised to switch to white fish 5 weeks out from my show.....I have done my last three preps using turkey and red meat 2-3 times a week so I'll tell you if it works lol

But agree there is something fishy about it, maybe maximuscle have shares in a fish net making company......swines!

Salmon is a little more fatty and tuna is expensive...


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## energize17 (Jul 25, 2009)

Didnt you mean why they eat Fish and Rice cacke:whistling:


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## defdaz (Nov 11, 2007)

White fish are low fat etc.

This is quite an interesting study:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/122/3/467.full.pdf

Not much difference between fish, chicken or beef though the feeling of fullness was higher after fish so eating fish whilst dieting might be beneficial because of this.

Shame I can't stand fish! :lol:


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2011)

hahaha what a dimwit.

He has to think about what each meal is when his options are fish OR fish and rice cake, lmao

At 12 I have uhhh......fish

at 3 I have uhhh .... fish and uhh a rice cake.

lmao, donut


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

fish is the best for conditioning , flex lewis eats boat loads of them


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## defdaz (Nov 11, 2007)

Fish and rice cakes FTW! :lol:


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## vlb (Oct 20, 2008)

fish is the only thing i can stomach at the moment, i have kicked the **** clean out of chicken and i dont fancy eating red meat 7 times a day lol


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## a.notherguy (Nov 17, 2008)

isnt there alot more variation in the tastes of different fish aswell which im guessing (as i have never seriously dieted lol) can make the diet easier to stick to?


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

a.notherguy said:


> isnt there alot more variation in the tastes of different fish aswell which im guessing (as i have never seriously dieted lol) can make the diet easier to stick to?


I suppose that is a point, but with me I dont like to vary too much, if you do you start to miss things too much and end up craving more! Diets are boring, they always will be boring, once you beat the bordom you beat the diet lol


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## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

Given that meal frequency has no impact on metabolism, why not have fewer but bigger meals on a cut? 7 meals just seems unmanageable to me and setting ones self up for failure.


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

bayman said:


> Given that meal frequency has no impact on metabolism, why not have fewer but bigger meals on a cut? 7 meals just seems unmanageable to me and setting ones self up for failure.


I guess its personal pref.....I never feel 'full' on a cut so little and often helps nullify my craving a little bit. Also it helps me to time my carbs better.

Diets are so subjective (hey the whole game is), you need to work out how it suits you best. I've read some of your posts before regarding metabolism and although interesting they dont fit in to how it works for me.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

energize17 said:


> Didnt you mean why they eat Fish and Rice cacke:whistling:


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA

Im fking crying with laughter.

That dude really makes bodybuilders sound smart lol


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

bayman said:


> Given that meal frequency has no impact on metabolism, why not have fewer but bigger meals on a cut? 7 meals just seems unmanageable to me and setting ones self up for failure.


Bayman - there's a good review of meal timing frequency studies here you might find interesting - http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-8-4.pdf.

While it backs up that increased meal frequency does not speed up metabolism, it does identify a possible anti catabolic benefit to muscle tissue in athletes looking to maintain muscle mass on a cut (although overall, protein intake is much more important). This benefit is not seen in sedentary individuals, which interested me as I must admit to previously generalising studies on this topic from non exercising individuals to exercisors.

Back to topic, white fish in particular is very easily digestable and if bought frozen can be very cheap. Is also easy to cook in interesting ways and goes with a lot of things. I like and need variety in my diet plans (boredom is a route to failure and abandoning things for me), and I'll normally have all kinds of protein over the course of a week - red meat, poultry, shellfish, white fish, oily fish, dairy etc.


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

I am not a great fish eater. I eat tuna, but I don't think the stuff in a can is the real fish experience. Also I don't find the diet on a cut boring. I think feeling like it is really boring ect makes it seem harder, and so more like something that is going to be of benefit. But for me the food on a diet is lovely.

Edit: I don't know about the fish story, but I also don't get the rice cake thing.


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## shinobi_85 (Feb 20, 2011)

i think the types of fat in fish, the omega-3s, help with fat loss, and so may help u burn body fat better while retaining muscle in comp prep phase? not sure about this though


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