(ThyBlackMan.com) One of the key components of weight loss and muscle gain is the food you eat. If you exercise but eat all the wrong foods, you will likely have slow or minimal progress, which is extremely discouraging. However, if you give your muscles the fuel they need, you will be surprised by how quickly you gain muscle and lose fat. You may not necessarily lose weight, as muscle weighs more than fat, but you will look and feel substantially healthier.
Protein
One of the key components of a balanced diet is protein. It is one of the major fuels your body uses to build muscle, especially after a rigorous workout. What’s more, it takes a great deal of energy to process and fills you 
up quickly. Eating a lot of protein will make your body work harder during digestion. Your body then puts that energy to work building muscle.
There are a wide variety of examples of protein. Essentially every meat has a lot of protein, as do beans, nuts and lentils. If you want to lose weight, though, you should choose leaner sources with less fat like skinless chicken breasts, fish and lentils.
Carbohydrates
While a low-carb diet is tempting, the fact is that your muscles need carbohydrates to grow. They are made of protein but it is carbs that actually provide them the energy to work. Think of protein as the engine and carbs as the fuel; one is useless without the other.
Having said that, some carbs are better than others. The general rule of thumb is that complex carbs are better for muscle growth and fat loss than simple carbs. This is because they are digested more slowly and are used more efficiently by the body. Complex carbs like brown rice, whole-grain bread and whole-grain pasta, vegetables and oatmeal keep you full longer. Eat these instead of white bread, candy and other simple carbs, which cause blood sugar spikes and crashes that ultimately leave you hungrier.
Fats
Many people have a hard time coming to terms with this, but your body needs fat. If you cut too much fat from your diet, your body will work harder to store whatever fat it does get, causing you to gain weight in spite of a calorie deficit.
Like carbs, though, there are good and bad fats. Trans fats and saturated fats–the kinds that come in fast food and prepackaged meals–aren’t processed well by the body and should be avoided as much as possible. Stick with natural fats, like animal fat, olive oil and other non-processed sources. Your body will use this fat to grow muscles rather than store it as body fat.
Written By Sam Grover
