I remember asking people what they thought of this whole sport.

The majority were disenchanted by slew of supplements, million training programs, 500 ebooks on bodybuilding and paper classics. It's like they wanted to know out of 1 million resources, which ones were ones they should read. And it better not be too many.

But problem with having somebody else choose for you obvious. And problem with too few choices is obvious as well.

Having so many choices is actually quite good. Many DB members who have read over posts, visited sites linked to and talked about and purchased eBooks that get talked about often have a very well rounded knowledge base. They also start to see a lot of repetition. 6 meals a day is way to go if you are on a weight gain or weight loss program. It just depends on what you eat for those 6 meals that determines outcome.

I look at my bookshelf and I see many fiction works and I see many books on supplements and vitamins. I look in my computer folders and I see well over 30 ebooks on fitness subjects. And I look in my supplement closet and see various programs and such. And I'm not confused. I like choices. I like different protein powders. Some shakes I love. Others give me an upset stomach. So having choices is good. And thru experience and time, I can pick and choose best ones to suit my needs because after all reading, posting debating with members, and just reading what people post, I get better and better at being able to pick out what will best work for me.

Do not get discouraged when you walk into a supplement store and see 30 different types of bars. Nor should you get angry or upset when you go to various places and see yet another book on fitness. Having choices benefits you. And thru reading and learning and talking, you will figure out what is hype and what is real. One man's bullshit is another man's placebo to a 400 lb bench press.

Keep learning and don't look for ONE program or ONE supplement or ONE book that will tell you golden truth. Fact is, if you only had 1 of everything, you'd be very limited in knowledge.

Keep reading!

I expect to gain some fat on a mass diet, but I always want to gain more muscle than fat. If I had not kept track of my body fat levels, I would have gained too much fat.

TRACKING RESULTS

There are many methods of measuring your body fat and some are quite expensive. While many consider underwater weighing to be most accurate, no method is 100% precise -- they all have some margin of error. It's not important to know exact number -- what's important is to use same method each time you take your measurements so you can have a consistent record of your progress. I just use an inexpensive skinfold caliper. They cost anywhere from $29-$80 and are simple to use.

A good caliper is essential. Without it, you won't know how exactly your body is responding to your diet and training routine. You may also want to consider using a tracking software like The Composition Tracker at http://www.comptracker.com ... It will help you analyze your data and tell you if you are actually building more muscle and losing more fat!

Just looking in mirror and guessing is not acceptable!

If you want to start getting great results, you must develop habit of accurately tracking your progress. If you don't, you will continue to go in circles. This may seem like a 'hassle', but nothing worth having is ever easy to attain.