A client of mine who I had previously trained for a Spartan Race in Chicago, IL (she did superb, qualifying for a national event) recently recommended that I read a book called The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. If you want the details of the book, read it. What I find most interesting is that Tim Ferriss is most well known, not within the world of fitness but, for his accomplishments in the business start-up world. Ferriss has strong connections with the likes of Twitter and Evernote, as well as his ability to speak seven languages fluently and holding the world record for most tango spins in a minute.
What first peaked my interest in this book is that Tim Ferriss is NOT a world class athlete or personal trainer. He is, however, a meticulous data cruncher and number annalist with access to the world's most elite athletes and brilliant doctors. This provided him to be the "dark horse" of the fitness world and conduct hundreds of experiments and collect a plethora of data on himself over the course of many years. The book is less a self-help book and more "here are the keystones, now do the work yourself" manual. It covers everything from better sex to polyphasic sleep, gaining mass to losing fat, and is an excellent reference book for the physically minded who want to "hack their brains and bodies" so to speak. Within minutes of the a promotional trailer being posted on my Facebook wall I downloaded a PDF copy of the book. Though I have the digital copy for reference, I will probably end up purchasing the physical book to support Ferriss's work. It is definitely worth a trip to Barnes and Noble or a scowering of Google to pick out the chapters of the book most interesting to your or beneficial to your needs and goals. I highly recommend the book, not as a fitness Bible (I do not believe it is intended to be such, nor do I believe that such a single volume exists), but simply for reference, research, and "food for though" options to explore.
That being said, I am a competitive Jiu Jitsu player and Mixed Martial Arts fighter. My "season" ended in August of 2011 (on a rather rugged note) and as it turned out, time, lack of motivation, stress, and the holiday feeding/binge season took a nasty tole on my weight. This was appalling to me because I had taken so many painstaking efforts to achieve and great pride in the accomplishments I had produced in terms of my weight, body fat, and athletic performance. Over the course of eight months I had lost 17 lbs and entered my first MMA (mixed martial arts) fight. Through the next six months I competed in several Jiu Jitsu tournaments and progressively lost another 20 lbs. However, through the rather tumultuous months that followed and holiday festivities I gained back 18lbs in a matter of only four months. What took over a year to accomplish was quickly being destroyed and surely on the path to full ruin.
Something needed to be done as I could see the road I was headed down if I continued the poor habits I had once again become accustomed to. After Christmas 2011 I entered the endeavor to revitalize my diet and self-esteem. If you have read anything in this blog you know that I'm pretty meticulous myself in regards to my eating habits and physical performance training. For the last week of 2011 and began playing the numbers game again and adjusting my calorie consumption and macro/micro nutrient intake. For the first week of 2012 I have been experimenting with and customizing what I have learned from Ferriss to accompany what I have already learned and experienced to be effective. The final diet prescription should be ready to go when I head to the grocery store within the next couple days.
This is the first in what will be long series of posts detailing my "Four Hour Body Experience." I will present here weekly results as well as any changes and adaptations that I make to the training procedure and diet prescription. The next post will be a description of my training and dieting schedule as of the date it is posted. The final post in the series will be an analysis of the experience itself and comparison of beginning/end data that has been compiled.
For more information on Tim Ferris, his blog can be found here. A link to the website for The 4 Hour Body is posted here. I do not have any financial or political connections with Amazon, Tim Ferris, Barnes and Nobel, Google, or any other links or referenced contained in this post.
You have only yourself to blame for not being exactly who and living the way you want to be.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Workouts on the Run
Whether it has been on vacation, a business trip, or that you're just pinched for time; I think we have all tried (at one time or another) to use the excuse that we don't have enough time to or are too busy to fit a workout into our daily schedule. Whether this is a daily obstacle or just a here-and-there speed bump, there is a solution for you.
I am not typically a fan of fitness magazines in general due to financial endorsements and bias, but now and then I come across something I feel is worth passing on. Men's Fitness recently ran a few articles that, for what it's worth, have my "seal of approval." You will find my comments in italic font.
In a Hurry is NOT an excuse:
The particular workouts as prescribed in the article are as follows.
10 Minute Workout:
1) Woodchop with resistance band - 2 sets of 12-15 reps
2) Push Ups - 2 sets of 10 reps
3) Jump Push Up (hand and feet both leave the ground at top of rep) - 2 sets of2 10 reps
4) Walking Push Up (from push up position: walk on your hands, dragging your feet. One "step" = one rep) - 2 sets of 10-12 reps
5) Ice Skater (Stand on one leg, keep back in natural position, bend forward at the hip, raise one leg off the ground and touch same-side hand to the ground as far in front of you as possible) - 2 sets of 8-10 reps (each side)
6) Plyo Lunge (Jump from lunge position rather than stand) - 2 sets of 12 reps (each side)
7) Stationary Lunge - 2 sets of 12 reps (each side)
20 Minute Workout:
1) Banded woodchop - 2 sets of 12-15 reps
2) 10 x 20 yrd sprint (walking from finish back to start)
3) Push Up + Row (hands grip kettlebell or dumbbell, at top of push up pull one weight up to your chest then repeat with other side; that's one rep) - 2 sets of 8-10 reps
4) Cobra to Superman ("Bend forward at the hips, squatting slightly, and reach your arms out in front of you with palms down. Hold for 10 seconds then reach your arms behind you and turn your palms up and hold for 10 seconds") - 2 reps of 5-10 seconds
5) Reverse Grip Row (Bent over row with dumbbells or kettlebells, palms facing out) - 2 sets of 15 reps
6) Reverse Flye ("Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand on one leg. Bend forward at the hips so your arms hang straight down. Raise the weights to your sides") - 2 sets of 20 reps
7) Band Lateral Raise (Stand on a resistance band, holding one handle in each hand and raise it to your sides, both at the same time) - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
8) Dumbbell Curl - 2 sets of 20 reps (each side)
9) Dumbbell Band Kickback ("Hold a dumbbell in one hand and the end of an anchored band. Keeping your elbow close to your side, extend your arm behind you") - 2 sets of 20 reps (each side)
10) Band Lateral Rotation ("Hold the end of a band in each hand and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Pull the band apart") - 3 sets of 20 reps
How did it get my "seal"? A lot of these movements are done standing. This means that a lot of your body is involved with each and every movement. Also, the small stabilizing muscles in your body are also getting a workout as you have to maintain body tension throughout (though the bands to provide some stability as a cable would compared to free weights)
Variations: Obviously these can all be done with a variety of set/rep/load and work/rest ratios. Feel free to mix it up These should be ONLY taken as an outline for you to take and mold to your own needs.
Other Ideas: I remember reading a long time ago on the rossboxing.com forum about a simple 5 minute (or so) workout. The process was simply to pick four exercises (or more if you have time). The reps/sets were prescribed as max reps in a given time interval. For example, you would do exercise one, two, three, and four all back-to-back for (instance) 60 seconds each. WITHOUT REST go back to the first exercise and repeat, doing each for 45 seconds. Continue this progression until you reach your maximum total time or 5 second sets. To begin, decide how much time you have to workout. Then do the math to see what the max time per exercise is that you can start with, figuring in the other sets, and still meet your deadline.
The Hotel Workout:
Prescription: Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, resting as little as possible (or not at all) between exercises and sets.
The initial plan prescribes doing all upper body exercises first, followed by the lower body series. However, at a high enough intensity, fatigue and lactic acid build up will start to take effect. It may be a good idea to alternate between upper and lower body exercises.
1) Push Up (or any variation you'd like)
2) Seagull - "Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms lie flat. Keeping your body in a straight line, reach one arm straight out to the side as you balance on the other. Then reach forward. Continue for 15 seconds and then repeat on the other arm"
3) High Five - "Lie on your back on the bed and plant your feet flat. Bridge your hips up so your butt is raised. Reach up with one arm alternately as if you're giving a high five. Keep your hips elevated"
4) Plank Up - Start in a plank position on your elbows, then raise yourself up to a push up position by moving one arm and then the other. Reverse the process to complete the rep.
5) Alternating Knee Dive - "Get into push-up position and raise one knee at a time to your chest and back
6) Single Leg Squat - "Stand on one leg, brace your abs, and lower yourself into a squat, going as deeply as you can." Be extra cautious here if you have bad knees!
7) Windmills - Stand with your legs as wide apart as possible. Raise your arms out to the sides. Keeping your arms straight, like the propeller of a windmill, and knees locked, touch one hand to the opposite toe, rise back to the start, and repeat with other side to complete the rep
8) Lunge + Twist - "Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward and hold a pillow in your outstretched arms. Rotate your torso as far as you can to the right; return to the center. Repeat for 30 seconds and then switch legs and rotate to the left."
Again, I like the idea here of having a lot of core involvement in each exercise. Doing the "High Five"s on the bed rather than the floor is like doing a push up or press with your hands or back on a swiss/bossu ball. The unstable/squishy surface will require more balance and involve much more of the core and fine muscle fibers.
So there you have it! Using the principles outlined here you should be primed to draw up a workout wherever your busy schedule takes you. Thanks for reading!
Note: The Men's Fitness issues consulted here were October and November of 2011. I do not have the Ross Boxing cite to give, but if you feel the need, please jump over to his website.
I am not typically a fan of fitness magazines in general due to financial endorsements and bias, but now and then I come across something I feel is worth passing on. Men's Fitness recently ran a few articles that, for what it's worth, have my "seal of approval." You will find my comments in italic font.
In a Hurry is NOT an excuse:
The particular workouts as prescribed in the article are as follows.
10 Minute Workout:
1) Woodchop with resistance band - 2 sets of 12-15 reps
2) Push Ups - 2 sets of 10 reps
3) Jump Push Up (hand and feet both leave the ground at top of rep) - 2 sets of2 10 reps
4) Walking Push Up (from push up position: walk on your hands, dragging your feet. One "step" = one rep) - 2 sets of 10-12 reps
5) Ice Skater (Stand on one leg, keep back in natural position, bend forward at the hip, raise one leg off the ground and touch same-side hand to the ground as far in front of you as possible) - 2 sets of 8-10 reps (each side)
6) Plyo Lunge (Jump from lunge position rather than stand) - 2 sets of 12 reps (each side)
7) Stationary Lunge - 2 sets of 12 reps (each side)
20 Minute Workout:
1) Banded woodchop - 2 sets of 12-15 reps
2) 10 x 20 yrd sprint (walking from finish back to start)
3) Push Up + Row (hands grip kettlebell or dumbbell, at top of push up pull one weight up to your chest then repeat with other side; that's one rep) - 2 sets of 8-10 reps
4) Cobra to Superman ("Bend forward at the hips, squatting slightly, and reach your arms out in front of you with palms down. Hold for 10 seconds then reach your arms behind you and turn your palms up and hold for 10 seconds") - 2 reps of 5-10 seconds
5) Reverse Grip Row (Bent over row with dumbbells or kettlebells, palms facing out) - 2 sets of 15 reps
6) Reverse Flye ("Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand on one leg. Bend forward at the hips so your arms hang straight down. Raise the weights to your sides") - 2 sets of 20 reps
7) Band Lateral Raise (Stand on a resistance band, holding one handle in each hand and raise it to your sides, both at the same time) - 3 sets of 12-15 reps
8) Dumbbell Curl - 2 sets of 20 reps (each side)
9) Dumbbell Band Kickback ("Hold a dumbbell in one hand and the end of an anchored band. Keeping your elbow close to your side, extend your arm behind you") - 2 sets of 20 reps (each side)
10) Band Lateral Rotation ("Hold the end of a band in each hand and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Pull the band apart") - 3 sets of 20 reps
How did it get my "seal"? A lot of these movements are done standing. This means that a lot of your body is involved with each and every movement. Also, the small stabilizing muscles in your body are also getting a workout as you have to maintain body tension throughout (though the bands to provide some stability as a cable would compared to free weights)
Variations: Obviously these can all be done with a variety of set/rep/load and work/rest ratios. Feel free to mix it up These should be ONLY taken as an outline for you to take and mold to your own needs.
Other Ideas: I remember reading a long time ago on the rossboxing.com forum about a simple 5 minute (or so) workout. The process was simply to pick four exercises (or more if you have time). The reps/sets were prescribed as max reps in a given time interval. For example, you would do exercise one, two, three, and four all back-to-back for (instance) 60 seconds each. WITHOUT REST go back to the first exercise and repeat, doing each for 45 seconds. Continue this progression until you reach your maximum total time or 5 second sets. To begin, decide how much time you have to workout. Then do the math to see what the max time per exercise is that you can start with, figuring in the other sets, and still meet your deadline.
The Hotel Workout:
Prescription: Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, resting as little as possible (or not at all) between exercises and sets.
The initial plan prescribes doing all upper body exercises first, followed by the lower body series. However, at a high enough intensity, fatigue and lactic acid build up will start to take effect. It may be a good idea to alternate between upper and lower body exercises.
1) Push Up (or any variation you'd like)
2) Seagull - "Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so your forearms lie flat. Keeping your body in a straight line, reach one arm straight out to the side as you balance on the other. Then reach forward. Continue for 15 seconds and then repeat on the other arm"
3) High Five - "Lie on your back on the bed and plant your feet flat. Bridge your hips up so your butt is raised. Reach up with one arm alternately as if you're giving a high five. Keep your hips elevated"
4) Plank Up - Start in a plank position on your elbows, then raise yourself up to a push up position by moving one arm and then the other. Reverse the process to complete the rep.
5) Alternating Knee Dive - "Get into push-up position and raise one knee at a time to your chest and back
6) Single Leg Squat - "Stand on one leg, brace your abs, and lower yourself into a squat, going as deeply as you can." Be extra cautious here if you have bad knees!
7) Windmills - Stand with your legs as wide apart as possible. Raise your arms out to the sides. Keeping your arms straight, like the propeller of a windmill, and knees locked, touch one hand to the opposite toe, rise back to the start, and repeat with other side to complete the rep
8) Lunge + Twist - "Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward and hold a pillow in your outstretched arms. Rotate your torso as far as you can to the right; return to the center. Repeat for 30 seconds and then switch legs and rotate to the left."
Again, I like the idea here of having a lot of core involvement in each exercise. Doing the "High Five"s on the bed rather than the floor is like doing a push up or press with your hands or back on a swiss/bossu ball. The unstable/squishy surface will require more balance and involve much more of the core and fine muscle fibers.
So there you have it! Using the principles outlined here you should be primed to draw up a workout wherever your busy schedule takes you. Thanks for reading!
Note: The Men's Fitness issues consulted here were October and November of 2011. I do not have the Ross Boxing cite to give, but if you feel the need, please jump over to his website.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Time is Money: Tips on Eating Healthy and in a Hurry
It is no surprise to many people that eating healthier tends to be more expensive. Just to clarify, this is not as simple a statement as that. Eating healthy foods usually means lots of fresh produce and meat, two things that can easily run up your grocery bill compared to super-processed and ultra-high sodium foods such as frozen entres or carb laden fatty snacks. It's just a matter of economics. It is easy and cheap to process food in a factor and expensive to keep it fresh. If you are in such a financial crisis that you are putting a price tag on your health or how much you want to spend on the "new you" then there are probably more important things for you to consider such as keeping the lights on and paying rent!
Also on the economic node, we live in a society where more has the appeal of better. Even if that is not the case, has anyone NOT ever wished for more hours in the day? Recently this school year I went back as a full time student. What was different than when I graduated a year and a half prior? Well, for starters I am now also working full time. I am also training several clients for various competitions and am trying to stay in shape for competitions of my own. All in all, I essential have a full time job, a part time job, and a 14 credit hour course load that requires about 30 hours of homework a week. What you're looking at is about a 20 hour day. Many times it is the case that children, family obligations. work, and school take priority over finite dieting principles, which they should! The purpose of this blog is not to convince you otherwise, but to provide some comfort in knowing that a beyond-busy lifestyle and a good diet do not have to be mutually exclusive.
One thing to note before we go on is that time tends to equal money. That is, things that are fast are more expensive because you are paying for the convenience of faster service. Things that are cheap, such as cooking your own meals tend to be time consuming and less "productive." Productivity being a term relative to what your willing to sacrifice for your goals, of course.
Tips for Eating Healthy in a Hurry:
1) Cook your meals ahead of time - If you cook all your meals independently then you have to clear at least a 20 min window 5-7 times per day for each meal, and that is not counting cleaning up and actually EATING! Rather, clear about a 2 hour window in the morning to prepare your meals, plop them in a tupperware container, store in the fridge, and clean up after yourself.
2) Cook WAY ahead of time - one suggestion is to cook in mass quantities on those rare occasions when you do have free time. For example, buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts and over the weekend grill ALL of them. Then put them into a gallon ziploc bag and store in the fridge. It is at low risk for spoiling because it is already cooked, and all you have to do is microwave and add veggies, pasta, etc to complete the meal.
3) Chop ahead of time - this is the vegetable application of No. 2. Just like cooking your chicken in mass quantities ahead of time, chop your vegetables and nuts, store them in ziplocs and have them ready to serve up whenever you need.
4) Double and Split meals - This is one of my favorites. Rather than cook two separate meals, you can add up the total nutrient you would need from the two combined, cook it as follows, then divide it up into however many meals you wish. Again, tupperware, refrigerate, and microwave when needed.
5) Canned Fruit and Vegetables - This can be a major time saver so that you don't have to slice and dice your produce. Simply open the can, get what you need, then stretch some syran wrap over the top of the can and save it in the fridge for later use if you don't use the whole thing.
6) Supplements - Whole foods are hands down superior to supplements. However, the value of supplements comes in their convenience and portability. Rather than having to cook a steak and carry around a lunchbox all day, you may consider a scoop or two of whey protein in a ziploc bag that you can add to a bottle of water at any time during the day.
Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget:
1) Discounted Meat - Meats tend to suck up a lot of your grocery budget in a hurry. One option here is just common sense. Buy a news paper, or scower over one you snag at work, and take note of stores who are running specials on fresh meat. Also, while in the store, as long as you're going to eat the meat in a timely manner, you could save a lot by opting for the discounted "day old" variety.
2) Keep the Fat - Extra lean meats come at an outrageous price compared to their chunky counterparts. However, there is a solution, and an easy one. To save money purchase the 80/20 ground beef (for example) rather than the 97/3. With the money you save over time, purchase a George Foreman (or similar) grill. You can then save money and drain about 10g of fat off a 4oz patty.
3) Check Unit Prices - Just because the price on the sticker is lower doesn't mean you're getting as good of a deal as you think. Check the price per ounce of products, which is also on the sticker, to make sure that you are really saving money. If you're not careful, you may pay less and get proportionately MUCH less!
4) Calorie Dense Foods - This is typically do be avoided when dieting, but as I stated early in this post, the more calorie dense and less refined a product is, the cheaper it will likely be. Thus, in moderation calorie dense foods can save you some time, and fill you up for fewer dollars.
5) Buy Generic - You should not be paying for the name on the label, but rather the fuel you're consuming. If the ingredients and contents are the same, or similar enough to justify the price, then opt for the cheaper. The taste factor can be thrown off by price because people will try to justify their purchases, not just in food, by thinking that because they paid more they would like to think they received a higher quality product.
6) Bulk or No Bulk - Buying fruits, vegetables, meat, and everything else in bulk may result in you getting a cheaper unit price and a cheaper net price in the long run. However, if half of it goes rotten or spoils, then you have wasted the extra money you invested in up front to get the whopping 10lb block of ground beef.
Most of the tips in the above lists can be utilize in sync with each other. There will always be a trade off between price and convenience. BUT, there is a balance, or at least you can choose to be an informed consumer and strategic grocery shopper and attempt to synergize the two. Buying in bulk can save you money, and proper planning by preparing that supply ahead of time and storing it in the freezer or fridge can save you some serious time and cash. The bottom line here is that you need to make an effort to find a way rather than assuming that the rules of economics will prove your diet unacceptable. Be smart. You may not be able to have your cake and eat it too, but would you be content with brownies and cupcakes?
Also on the economic node, we live in a society where more has the appeal of better. Even if that is not the case, has anyone NOT ever wished for more hours in the day? Recently this school year I went back as a full time student. What was different than when I graduated a year and a half prior? Well, for starters I am now also working full time. I am also training several clients for various competitions and am trying to stay in shape for competitions of my own. All in all, I essential have a full time job, a part time job, and a 14 credit hour course load that requires about 30 hours of homework a week. What you're looking at is about a 20 hour day. Many times it is the case that children, family obligations. work, and school take priority over finite dieting principles, which they should! The purpose of this blog is not to convince you otherwise, but to provide some comfort in knowing that a beyond-busy lifestyle and a good diet do not have to be mutually exclusive.
One thing to note before we go on is that time tends to equal money. That is, things that are fast are more expensive because you are paying for the convenience of faster service. Things that are cheap, such as cooking your own meals tend to be time consuming and less "productive." Productivity being a term relative to what your willing to sacrifice for your goals, of course.
Tips for Eating Healthy in a Hurry:
1) Cook your meals ahead of time - If you cook all your meals independently then you have to clear at least a 20 min window 5-7 times per day for each meal, and that is not counting cleaning up and actually EATING! Rather, clear about a 2 hour window in the morning to prepare your meals, plop them in a tupperware container, store in the fridge, and clean up after yourself.
2) Cook WAY ahead of time - one suggestion is to cook in mass quantities on those rare occasions when you do have free time. For example, buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts and over the weekend grill ALL of them. Then put them into a gallon ziploc bag and store in the fridge. It is at low risk for spoiling because it is already cooked, and all you have to do is microwave and add veggies, pasta, etc to complete the meal.
3) Chop ahead of time - this is the vegetable application of No. 2. Just like cooking your chicken in mass quantities ahead of time, chop your vegetables and nuts, store them in ziplocs and have them ready to serve up whenever you need.
4) Double and Split meals - This is one of my favorites. Rather than cook two separate meals, you can add up the total nutrient you would need from the two combined, cook it as follows, then divide it up into however many meals you wish. Again, tupperware, refrigerate, and microwave when needed.
5) Canned Fruit and Vegetables - This can be a major time saver so that you don't have to slice and dice your produce. Simply open the can, get what you need, then stretch some syran wrap over the top of the can and save it in the fridge for later use if you don't use the whole thing.
6) Supplements - Whole foods are hands down superior to supplements. However, the value of supplements comes in their convenience and portability. Rather than having to cook a steak and carry around a lunchbox all day, you may consider a scoop or two of whey protein in a ziploc bag that you can add to a bottle of water at any time during the day.
Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget:
1) Discounted Meat - Meats tend to suck up a lot of your grocery budget in a hurry. One option here is just common sense. Buy a news paper, or scower over one you snag at work, and take note of stores who are running specials on fresh meat. Also, while in the store, as long as you're going to eat the meat in a timely manner, you could save a lot by opting for the discounted "day old" variety.
2) Keep the Fat - Extra lean meats come at an outrageous price compared to their chunky counterparts. However, there is a solution, and an easy one. To save money purchase the 80/20 ground beef (for example) rather than the 97/3. With the money you save over time, purchase a George Foreman (or similar) grill. You can then save money and drain about 10g of fat off a 4oz patty.
3) Check Unit Prices - Just because the price on the sticker is lower doesn't mean you're getting as good of a deal as you think. Check the price per ounce of products, which is also on the sticker, to make sure that you are really saving money. If you're not careful, you may pay less and get proportionately MUCH less!
4) Calorie Dense Foods - This is typically do be avoided when dieting, but as I stated early in this post, the more calorie dense and less refined a product is, the cheaper it will likely be. Thus, in moderation calorie dense foods can save you some time, and fill you up for fewer dollars.
5) Buy Generic - You should not be paying for the name on the label, but rather the fuel you're consuming. If the ingredients and contents are the same, or similar enough to justify the price, then opt for the cheaper. The taste factor can be thrown off by price because people will try to justify their purchases, not just in food, by thinking that because they paid more they would like to think they received a higher quality product.
6) Bulk or No Bulk - Buying fruits, vegetables, meat, and everything else in bulk may result in you getting a cheaper unit price and a cheaper net price in the long run. However, if half of it goes rotten or spoils, then you have wasted the extra money you invested in up front to get the whopping 10lb block of ground beef.
Most of the tips in the above lists can be utilize in sync with each other. There will always be a trade off between price and convenience. BUT, there is a balance, or at least you can choose to be an informed consumer and strategic grocery shopper and attempt to synergize the two. Buying in bulk can save you money, and proper planning by preparing that supply ahead of time and storing it in the freezer or fridge can save you some serious time and cash. The bottom line here is that you need to make an effort to find a way rather than assuming that the rules of economics will prove your diet unacceptable. Be smart. You may not be able to have your cake and eat it too, but would you be content with brownies and cupcakes?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
(Almost) Everything You Need to Know About Building a Diet
The following will illustrate the steps that I take personally and with all my clients when seeking to formulate a diet will suit the needs of the dieter.
BMR - The first step in creating a successful diet is to know what your baseline is. Your Base Metabolic Rate is the amount of fuel you body needs to sustain the weight you are at. It should be mentioned that this is the weight you are at given your current activity level. Activity level includes exercise routine and daily activeness. There are lots of calculations for figuring out your BMR online. However, most of them, no matter how scientific, are a waste of time. This is largely due to factors that cannot be accurately accounted for such as genetic disposition, metabolism, and activity level. There is, however, an accurate way to calculate BMR and that is based on the FACTS that are given in your life. For several days you will need to record how many calories you consume each day. It is very important here to NOT eat extra healthy just because you are keeping track. This will only set you up for failure. We are trying to figure out what you eat on a random day, not a day when you are trying to eat more healthy than usual. If you cheat now, your BMR will be figured much too low and your diet will be all the harder to follow as it will be MUCH more aggressive than it should be. As I have said before, the more aggressive a diet or exercise plan, the more likely you will fail. The reason it needs to be done over the course of several days is that there may be one outlying day that can skew the results if you were busy at work and skipped a meal or were stressed out and binged on a tub of ice cream. Once you have recorded your caloric intake for at least 4 days, take the average and that will give you what we will call your BMR.
Why is this the most accurate procedure? Because everything is custom suited to your body, your genetics, and your lifestyle. If you eat what you currently eat, exercise as much as you do (or don't), and maintain all of your daily activities you WILL weigh what you currently weigh. The only room for failure is if you were not honest with yourself and cheated on the numbers a bit.
MACRONUTRIENTS - The next step, whether you are trying to loose weight or build lean mass, is to configure what percent of your daily calories will come from which nutrients. Every calorie you consume will either come from a fat, protein, or carbohydrate source. Manipulation of macronutrient ratios can have dynamic effects on the body, both in terms of weight and composition. As a loose figure Protein intake should be between 40 and 50 percent, fat between 20 and 30 percent, and carbohydrates between 20 and 40 percent. It is important to know that your body needs ALL of these nutrients. Having an extremely high content of any of them, or an extremely low content, does more harm than good. As a starting point, for those looking to maintain their weight I recommend 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbohydrates. For those looking to gain weight a good starting point would be 40% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 25% fat. If you are looking to lose a few pounds; 45% protein, 35% fat, 30% carbohydrates. It is also important to know that these are NOT concrete figures. Everyone's body is different and will handle the energy intake sources differently. It will take a lot of trial and error to figure out which nutrient ratios are right for you. That is just the way it is. There is no quick fix. More on this topic later...
GOALS - You need to know what your plans are. Do you want to build lean mass? Do you want to get in shape for summer? Do you simply want to maintain your weight but be more fit? These are general goals that must be determined before beginning a diet plan. You also need to account for the time that you want to achieve your goal. I have mentioned many times before that loosing or gaining too fast will only mean that you are more likely to fail at your goal. Thus, your goals need to be lofty yet attainable. Typically whether you are losing or gaining weight it should not be at a rate of more than 1-2 lbs per week. One pound per week would be conservative, but two per week would be very aggressive. Keep in mind that it takes a surplus/deficit of 3500 calories to gain/lose one pound of body mass. I typically recommend that clients plan to gain/loose about 5lbs per week which is a good , stable pace. We will also revisit this topic later.
MACRONUTRIENTS 2 - Everyone's body is different and will handle the switch to proper macronutrients differently. This is why it is important to spend a couple weeks trying out different macronutrient ratios. This should be done without adding or subtracting anything from your BMR. You should spend this time consuming the same amount of calories you normally would, but get them from good sources and in adequte ratios. Proteins should be lean. Carbohydrates should come primarily from green vegetables, few colored vegetables, occasional fruits, and sparring starchy vegetables (such as corn and potatoes) and grains/pasta. Fats should also come from good sources such as nuts and fish, with a bit from vegetable and animal fats. As a side note, if you feel like you never recover fast enough from your workouts, try adding some protein. If you get hardcore sweet tooth cravings, add a little fat. If you feel like you don't have enough energy to get through the day, add some carbohydrates.
GOALS 2 - Now that your goals are set and you know which macronutrient ratios will best suit you, you can begin planning a time frame to achieve your goal. For example 12 weeks or 3 months. Next, decide the amount of weight you would like to loose or gain. As an example 15 lbs. This is still a pretty aggressive plan to loose 15 lbs in 3 months, but for mathematics sake we will go with it. It is always best to start conservative and then work your way up rather than start too aggressive, fail, and have to start all over again. Now, 3500 calories/lb x 15 lbs is 52,500 calories. This means that if you're looking to gain 15 lbs in 3 months than you will need to consume an excess of 17,500 calories and have the same deficit if you're looking to loose 15 lbs. If we are going by a weekly measurement this comes out to 52500 / 12 = 4375. 4375 / 7 days per week = a surpluss/deficit of 625 calories per day. If you are looking to gain, add this to your BMR, if you are looking to loose, subtract it. Apply the macronutrient ratios that work best for you to your new BMR (nBMR).
MAKING MEALS - When deciding what to eat first choose your protein source. Then choose a fat source. Lastly select a carbohydrate source. Remember that some foods will count as a double selection. That is, eggs and cheese are high in protein but also in fat for example.
WHEN TO EAT - You should be eating 5-7 small meals per day. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that eating small meals will ramp up your metabolism. The opposite is true if you were to only eat 1-3 times per day. The result of that would be that your body cannot use all that fuel at once or does not know when it will be fed next and will store the excess calories as fat. If your metabolism is slower then your body will also hold onto those calories longer making it much more difficult to get rid of them. The second reason is that eating several small meals per day controls your insulin levels. Insulin increases testosterone in the body BUT it also blunts the fat burning process; something that is a strong negative for both hardgainers and dieters alike. Keep in mind that there is also an adjustment period for this process. If you eat too many meals per day then your body, and more importantly your brain, will never feel like it is satisfied from a feeding, and thus you will feel like you are always hungry. If you are eating too few meals per day, we have already discussed that. Essentially the VERY general idea here is that no matter how long your day is, you should be eating lean protein, green vegetables, healthy fats, and a small amount of fruit or starch every 2-3 hours.
DAILY BREAKDOWN - If you have applied your macronutrient ratios to your nBMR, then you will know how many grams of each macronutrient you need each day. Protein content should be steady throughout. Fat and carbohydrate intake should also be relatively consistent with the following exceptions. You need the most carbohydrates first thing in the morning (as your body has not been fed for 6-8 hours while you slept) and following your workout for restorative purposes. Fat content should be low in the morning and post-workout and relatively high at the last meal of the day. You should not eat anything 1-2 hours before going to bed. You want your body to have fuel overnight, but want it to start digesting before your metabolism slows during sleep. You don't want your body to store calories (stored calories are fat), but you don't want to push it so close that you're hungry right before bed.
THAT'S (ALMOST) ALL SHE WROTE - There you have it! ALMOST everything you need to know about building a diet. This is a free blog to view, read, and subscribe to. It would simply be bad business for me to provide the same services here that I do to clients who pay hard earned sweat, blood, tears, and dollars for it. Hope you enjoyed the read!
BMR - The first step in creating a successful diet is to know what your baseline is. Your Base Metabolic Rate is the amount of fuel you body needs to sustain the weight you are at. It should be mentioned that this is the weight you are at given your current activity level. Activity level includes exercise routine and daily activeness. There are lots of calculations for figuring out your BMR online. However, most of them, no matter how scientific, are a waste of time. This is largely due to factors that cannot be accurately accounted for such as genetic disposition, metabolism, and activity level. There is, however, an accurate way to calculate BMR and that is based on the FACTS that are given in your life. For several days you will need to record how many calories you consume each day. It is very important here to NOT eat extra healthy just because you are keeping track. This will only set you up for failure. We are trying to figure out what you eat on a random day, not a day when you are trying to eat more healthy than usual. If you cheat now, your BMR will be figured much too low and your diet will be all the harder to follow as it will be MUCH more aggressive than it should be. As I have said before, the more aggressive a diet or exercise plan, the more likely you will fail. The reason it needs to be done over the course of several days is that there may be one outlying day that can skew the results if you were busy at work and skipped a meal or were stressed out and binged on a tub of ice cream. Once you have recorded your caloric intake for at least 4 days, take the average and that will give you what we will call your BMR.
Why is this the most accurate procedure? Because everything is custom suited to your body, your genetics, and your lifestyle. If you eat what you currently eat, exercise as much as you do (or don't), and maintain all of your daily activities you WILL weigh what you currently weigh. The only room for failure is if you were not honest with yourself and cheated on the numbers a bit.
MACRONUTRIENTS - The next step, whether you are trying to loose weight or build lean mass, is to configure what percent of your daily calories will come from which nutrients. Every calorie you consume will either come from a fat, protein, or carbohydrate source. Manipulation of macronutrient ratios can have dynamic effects on the body, both in terms of weight and composition. As a loose figure Protein intake should be between 40 and 50 percent, fat between 20 and 30 percent, and carbohydrates between 20 and 40 percent. It is important to know that your body needs ALL of these nutrients. Having an extremely high content of any of them, or an extremely low content, does more harm than good. As a starting point, for those looking to maintain their weight I recommend 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbohydrates. For those looking to gain weight a good starting point would be 40% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 25% fat. If you are looking to lose a few pounds; 45% protein, 35% fat, 30% carbohydrates. It is also important to know that these are NOT concrete figures. Everyone's body is different and will handle the energy intake sources differently. It will take a lot of trial and error to figure out which nutrient ratios are right for you. That is just the way it is. There is no quick fix. More on this topic later...
GOALS - You need to know what your plans are. Do you want to build lean mass? Do you want to get in shape for summer? Do you simply want to maintain your weight but be more fit? These are general goals that must be determined before beginning a diet plan. You also need to account for the time that you want to achieve your goal. I have mentioned many times before that loosing or gaining too fast will only mean that you are more likely to fail at your goal. Thus, your goals need to be lofty yet attainable. Typically whether you are losing or gaining weight it should not be at a rate of more than 1-2 lbs per week. One pound per week would be conservative, but two per week would be very aggressive. Keep in mind that it takes a surplus/deficit of 3500 calories to gain/lose one pound of body mass. I typically recommend that clients plan to gain/loose about 5lbs per week which is a good , stable pace. We will also revisit this topic later.
MACRONUTRIENTS 2 - Everyone's body is different and will handle the switch to proper macronutrients differently. This is why it is important to spend a couple weeks trying out different macronutrient ratios. This should be done without adding or subtracting anything from your BMR. You should spend this time consuming the same amount of calories you normally would, but get them from good sources and in adequte ratios. Proteins should be lean. Carbohydrates should come primarily from green vegetables, few colored vegetables, occasional fruits, and sparring starchy vegetables (such as corn and potatoes) and grains/pasta. Fats should also come from good sources such as nuts and fish, with a bit from vegetable and animal fats. As a side note, if you feel like you never recover fast enough from your workouts, try adding some protein. If you get hardcore sweet tooth cravings, add a little fat. If you feel like you don't have enough energy to get through the day, add some carbohydrates.
GOALS 2 - Now that your goals are set and you know which macronutrient ratios will best suit you, you can begin planning a time frame to achieve your goal. For example 12 weeks or 3 months. Next, decide the amount of weight you would like to loose or gain. As an example 15 lbs. This is still a pretty aggressive plan to loose 15 lbs in 3 months, but for mathematics sake we will go with it. It is always best to start conservative and then work your way up rather than start too aggressive, fail, and have to start all over again. Now, 3500 calories/lb x 15 lbs is 52,500 calories. This means that if you're looking to gain 15 lbs in 3 months than you will need to consume an excess of 17,500 calories and have the same deficit if you're looking to loose 15 lbs. If we are going by a weekly measurement this comes out to 52500 / 12 = 4375. 4375 / 7 days per week = a surpluss/deficit of 625 calories per day. If you are looking to gain, add this to your BMR, if you are looking to loose, subtract it. Apply the macronutrient ratios that work best for you to your new BMR (nBMR).
MAKING MEALS - When deciding what to eat first choose your protein source. Then choose a fat source. Lastly select a carbohydrate source. Remember that some foods will count as a double selection. That is, eggs and cheese are high in protein but also in fat for example.
WHEN TO EAT - You should be eating 5-7 small meals per day. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that eating small meals will ramp up your metabolism. The opposite is true if you were to only eat 1-3 times per day. The result of that would be that your body cannot use all that fuel at once or does not know when it will be fed next and will store the excess calories as fat. If your metabolism is slower then your body will also hold onto those calories longer making it much more difficult to get rid of them. The second reason is that eating several small meals per day controls your insulin levels. Insulin increases testosterone in the body BUT it also blunts the fat burning process; something that is a strong negative for both hardgainers and dieters alike. Keep in mind that there is also an adjustment period for this process. If you eat too many meals per day then your body, and more importantly your brain, will never feel like it is satisfied from a feeding, and thus you will feel like you are always hungry. If you are eating too few meals per day, we have already discussed that. Essentially the VERY general idea here is that no matter how long your day is, you should be eating lean protein, green vegetables, healthy fats, and a small amount of fruit or starch every 2-3 hours.
DAILY BREAKDOWN - If you have applied your macronutrient ratios to your nBMR, then you will know how many grams of each macronutrient you need each day. Protein content should be steady throughout. Fat and carbohydrate intake should also be relatively consistent with the following exceptions. You need the most carbohydrates first thing in the morning (as your body has not been fed for 6-8 hours while you slept) and following your workout for restorative purposes. Fat content should be low in the morning and post-workout and relatively high at the last meal of the day. You should not eat anything 1-2 hours before going to bed. You want your body to have fuel overnight, but want it to start digesting before your metabolism slows during sleep. You don't want your body to store calories (stored calories are fat), but you don't want to push it so close that you're hungry right before bed.
THAT'S (ALMOST) ALL SHE WROTE - There you have it! ALMOST everything you need to know about building a diet. This is a free blog to view, read, and subscribe to. It would simply be bad business for me to provide the same services here that I do to clients who pay hard earned sweat, blood, tears, and dollars for it. Hope you enjoyed the read!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Building the Right Diet for You
I have said before that there are many different types of diets for the different needs and goals people have. For example, there is a huge difference between what a professional athlete considers a “good diet” and what a middle aged person looking to lose a few pounds that have accumulated over the years may consider a “good diet.” Which is right? Well… they both are. Your diet should suit your lifestyle and your goals. However, it is important to keep in mind that no matter what your goals are, the more aggressive approach you take, the more likely you will fail. In other words, if you want to lose 30 lbs in two months it is probably not going to happen. If it does, you are almost guaranteed to gain it all (and then some) back again. The more moderate your goals are, the more likely you will be able to sustain them for a long period of time; or ideally for the rest of your life. Hence, dieting is a lifestyle change. You should not really be “on a diet” simply “my diet (the way and what I eat) is this.”
If you read my blog posts on “Dieting for Dummies” then you will be reminded of the different degrees of dieting that accompany different goals. There are far too many variables from genetics to lifestyles and everything in between to assume that any one “fad” diet is going to work for everyone. There is just too much uncertainty involved. Where do we get concrete information and results? I will tell you.
In spite of having innumerous variables that are impossible to accurately calculate and compensate for, there are a few certainties or “givens” as I call them. What is a given? A given universally true. It is fact. It is not subject to change via activity level or genetic makeup or anything else. Ironically, the same givens are true for everyone while the specifics of each given are as wide varying as the people applying them. What are these “magic” Givens you I speak of?...
We are given a few concrete pieces of information prior to building a diet. 1) Your lifestyle (how active you are in your everyday life including your exercise routine). 2) The amount of energy you are consuming (the calories you’re eating). 3) Your weight. What do these mean? They mean that given your current activity level and energy in take, respective of the sources you are getting your energy from, you WILL weight what you currently weigh. How do I know this? Because the fact is that you DO weight ### lbs and you DO consume #### calories per day, and your daily routine IS what you do every day. “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” Got it?
So what needs to happen? If your weight is what you want to change, then one of the other two variables are going to need to be altered. That is, you will either need to adopt a more active lifestyle (to expend more energy) – OR – adapt and restrict your diet (so that you consume less energy). I am a vicious advocate of the idea that you cannot out work a shitty diet. If you think you can eat whatever you want because you work out a lot, you’re dead wrong. You may be in the gym flexing in front of mirrors 6 days per week for hours at a time, but if you spend the rest of your day feeding your face with grease-burgers, potato chips, and candy bars while you sit in your cubicle you’re not really going to get very far. Ideally you would change both factors in this equation. That is, become more active by exercising more (frequency and intensity are preferred routes to volume) and by moderating your energy intake. Now it’s time for some examples.
With my current fitness and activity level (that is, if I continue exercising and going about my daily activities in exactly the same amount of volume, frequency, and intensity that I do currently) I need to consume about 1800 calories per day to maintain a weight of 165 lbs. How do I know all of this with such scientific certainty? Well, I DO weight 165 lbs and DO consume about 1800 calories per day and my exercise regimen and daily activity levels ARE constant on a day-to-day and long term basis. OK, so now you know that if you maintain your current activity level (either exercising or not, having a physically demanding job or not), if you do not change anything in your day-to-day life but alter my diet, I will lose weight. Great, but where do I go from here?
Personally, I have a very low percentage of body fat, so I am not participating in the following example. The numbers shown above are accurate and truthful to myself, but below they will be used purely as a mathematical speculation to demonstrate the dieting process. Now, let’s say that I wanted to lose 10 lbs. The first thing that I have to do after choosing a goal is to decide upon a reasonable time frame to complete it. You should NOT try to lose any more than 2lbs per week. This is not healthy, though I have done it and have seen others do it as well and keep the weight off. My professional recommendation is to plan to lose about 5lbs per month (4weeks) which meets the generally recommended criteria of 1-2 lbs per week. The same is also true of gaining weight. More than 2/week is too much, a good goal would be the same as losing weight; 1-2 lbs per week or about 5 lbs per month. That is a little over 1 lb per week which is plenty doable and will also not be so harsh on the body that you cannot sustain yourself throughout the day or keep the weight off once your goal has been met. So, with that in mind, my theoretical goal of losing 10lbs should take me about 2 months, or 8 weeks. Using a little mathematical reduction here, that’s 1.25 lbs per week. Time for more math. To gain/lose 1 lb of dietary body weight (not from fluids or excrement) you need to have a caloric surplus/deficit of 3500 calories. 1.25 lbs x 3500 calories/lb = 4375. I need to have a caloric deficit of 4375 calories per week. Divide this by 7 and we find that I need to have a daily caloric deficit of 625 calories per day. Subtract that from my previous caloric intake (1800) and we find that if my daily activity level and exercise regimen stay the same, I can plan on losing 10 lbs in about 8 weeks if I reduce my caloric intake from 1800 calories to about 1175 calories. Now you see why it is so absurd to attempt to lose over 2lbs per week. To do so in the same time frame, I would have needed to go from eating 1800 calories per day to ONLY 550 calories per day! That is, of course, assuming that my diet is not being aided by additional exercise during the weight loss process. While extreme, this does paint an accurate and educational picture.
A SPECIAL NOTE: There should also be importance placed on the kinds of food you are eating. This is one of those intangible details that cannot be accurately depicted. Your body may respond differently to different types of foods and digest/absorb/excrete them at different rates as well. What I typically find in clients that I train is that they are actually not eating enough calories to lose weight! What I mean by this is that though they may only be eating 1200 calories per day, they may perhaps actually lose weight if the EAT MORE! Why is this? The 1200 calories they were eating before were 1200 calories of shit; pizza, alcohol, fatty, greasy, calorie-dense, starch-loaded, and sugary foods. One client in particular was actually able to lose weight while eating (compared to his previous 1200 calories/day) a whopping 2000 calories/day of clean food. He was eating more, felt more full, had more energy throughout the day, and his body was reaping the rewards of feeding it adequate nutrients in proper ratios. Macronutrient ratios are a topic for an entirely different post though J
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Success Story Pt II: "Secrets" and Post Competition Blues
The Secrets:
The "secret" to my success was exactly as the subtitle of part on says. "You can't outwork a shitty diet." I completely overhauled my diet and buckled down with obsessive determination, driven by the desire to compete in a lower weight class by means of healthy and stable weight loss. For a long time I relied on the excuse that I was "in shape enough" to "not need to worry about what I was eating." I could not have been more wrong. The bottom line is this. Imagine your current fitness level. Now imagine your diet in terms of what you eat. If your diet is not a healthy one, you may still manage to maintain what is to you an acceptable fitness level and physique. However, regardless of your current condition, imagine how great the gains could be if you actually bothered to control how much you ate and managed the nutrients you consume. The point should be clear. You may be "good enough", but is "good enough" good enough for you to settle on? For me, it was not.
The diet I followed was very strict. I DO NOT recommend such a diet for every day persons seeking to modestly "live healthier" or "get back into shape." Such a diet as the one I followed demanding to the point of near insanity and was only drawn up because the sports in which I compete mandate my body weight.
I did not bother calculating my Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) at my starting weight, nor did I calculate the current time it would take to acquire the appropriate caloric deficit needed to meet my weight goals over the given period of time; something I should have done and DO recommend to my clients. I started right off the bat with what I thought would be the minimum number of calories I needed. Then number was 1500 calories per day. I knew I would be losing a lot of weight and wanted to retain as much muscle tissue as possible to ensure that I was losing fat and not Lean Body Mass (LBM). I chose macronutrient ratios of 50% protein (187.5g / 750 cal), 25% fat (41.6g / 375 cal), and 25% carbohydrates (93.75g / 375 cal). Each day I recorded everything that I ate as well as the amount (grams or ounces), and grams of protein/fat/carbohydrates. I also planned on completely blowing my diet on a "cheat meal" twice per week. The reason for this is that it provides both and mental and physical stress relief while on a strict diet. There was no new-fangled, press-publicized "super food", or fad-diet that simply remains a "fad"... there was simply science and agonizing perseverance.
I did not adhere to any bodybuilding, isolation, or celebrity workout. I simply trained in the sports of my choice (Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) for about 6 - 8 hours per week, as well as doing the same of strength and conditioning workouts I was having a client of mine (at the the time) do.
I did use a few supplements while dieting down. I made good use of Whey Protein both as a shake and in cooking/baking to keep my protein supply high and clean. I also used a multi-vitamin to ensure that while losing weight my body still had plenty of micronutrients to work with. In addition, I also used a Joint Health Supplement due to the nature of combat sports.
Problems:
What I found was that I ended up cheating on my diet. That is, I was eating more food than I was recording. That being said, I was still consuming few enough calories to loose the required amount of weight. About half way through the training phase I had a "coming clean" revelation where I began actually recording EVERYTHING that I ate. I did not bother to revamp my planned diet. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; as the saying goes... I was loosing weight at the sufficient rate to achieve my goal. There was no problem, just a lack of honesty with myself.
A later problem that I would find after the competition is that as I remained on the same diet, I was still losing weight. This would not typically be a complaint for most people, however, I had my ideal competition weight class in mind and (now being much leaner) could not afford (psychologically or physically) to attempt to force myself to loose more weight.
Post-Workout Blues:
What this expression means is that there is that competition drives us to remain dedicated to our diets. In a sense, it is more difficult to maintain a certain weight than it is to loose weight. This is because the aspiration of a goal gives us a mental edge to push us towards obtaining that goal. I HAVE to do this if, I want to compete at this weight class - or - I have to do this if I want to fit into that swim suit by summer.
Part III: The Story Continues
My next BJJ competition is scheduled for August 21, 2011 in Chicago. My goal is now not to loose weight, but to gain about 5 lbs and maintain that weight. My goal is also to maintain that weight in a fashion that is a lay-man's diet and does not require the obsessive recording of every calorie and macronutrient my body takes in. After much trial and error of the past few weeks, I have finally settled on a diet that I believe will allow my body to reach the weight goals I have in mind while keeping body mass lean and do so without obsessive documentation (though still with much effort). The "new" diet is documented below. The "General Guide" as well as serving sizes are all that is to be memorized and logged. I started with the basics. Daily Caloric Need, Macronutrient Ratios, and then The New American Diet by Scivation as a guide and general game plan, but not as a Bible.
The "secret" to my success was exactly as the subtitle of part on says. "You can't outwork a shitty diet." I completely overhauled my diet and buckled down with obsessive determination, driven by the desire to compete in a lower weight class by means of healthy and stable weight loss. For a long time I relied on the excuse that I was "in shape enough" to "not need to worry about what I was eating." I could not have been more wrong. The bottom line is this. Imagine your current fitness level. Now imagine your diet in terms of what you eat. If your diet is not a healthy one, you may still manage to maintain what is to you an acceptable fitness level and physique. However, regardless of your current condition, imagine how great the gains could be if you actually bothered to control how much you ate and managed the nutrients you consume. The point should be clear. You may be "good enough", but is "good enough" good enough for you to settle on? For me, it was not.
The diet I followed was very strict. I DO NOT recommend such a diet for every day persons seeking to modestly "live healthier" or "get back into shape." Such a diet as the one I followed demanding to the point of near insanity and was only drawn up because the sports in which I compete mandate my body weight.
I did not bother calculating my Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) at my starting weight, nor did I calculate the current time it would take to acquire the appropriate caloric deficit needed to meet my weight goals over the given period of time; something I should have done and DO recommend to my clients. I started right off the bat with what I thought would be the minimum number of calories I needed. Then number was 1500 calories per day. I knew I would be losing a lot of weight and wanted to retain as much muscle tissue as possible to ensure that I was losing fat and not Lean Body Mass (LBM). I chose macronutrient ratios of 50% protein (187.5g / 750 cal), 25% fat (41.6g / 375 cal), and 25% carbohydrates (93.75g / 375 cal). Each day I recorded everything that I ate as well as the amount (grams or ounces), and grams of protein/fat/carbohydrates. I also planned on completely blowing my diet on a "cheat meal" twice per week. The reason for this is that it provides both and mental and physical stress relief while on a strict diet. There was no new-fangled, press-publicized "super food", or fad-diet that simply remains a "fad"... there was simply science and agonizing perseverance.
I did not adhere to any bodybuilding, isolation, or celebrity workout. I simply trained in the sports of my choice (Boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) for about 6 - 8 hours per week, as well as doing the same of strength and conditioning workouts I was having a client of mine (at the the time) do.
I did use a few supplements while dieting down. I made good use of Whey Protein both as a shake and in cooking/baking to keep my protein supply high and clean. I also used a multi-vitamin to ensure that while losing weight my body still had plenty of micronutrients to work with. In addition, I also used a Joint Health Supplement due to the nature of combat sports.
Problems:
What I found was that I ended up cheating on my diet. That is, I was eating more food than I was recording. That being said, I was still consuming few enough calories to loose the required amount of weight. About half way through the training phase I had a "coming clean" revelation where I began actually recording EVERYTHING that I ate. I did not bother to revamp my planned diet. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; as the saying goes... I was loosing weight at the sufficient rate to achieve my goal. There was no problem, just a lack of honesty with myself.
A later problem that I would find after the competition is that as I remained on the same diet, I was still losing weight. This would not typically be a complaint for most people, however, I had my ideal competition weight class in mind and (now being much leaner) could not afford (psychologically or physically) to attempt to force myself to loose more weight.
Post-Workout Blues:
What this expression means is that there is that competition drives us to remain dedicated to our diets. In a sense, it is more difficult to maintain a certain weight than it is to loose weight. This is because the aspiration of a goal gives us a mental edge to push us towards obtaining that goal. I HAVE to do this if, I want to compete at this weight class - or - I have to do this if I want to fit into that swim suit by summer.
Part III: The Story Continues
My next BJJ competition is scheduled for August 21, 2011 in Chicago. My goal is now not to loose weight, but to gain about 5 lbs and maintain that weight. My goal is also to maintain that weight in a fashion that is a lay-man's diet and does not require the obsessive recording of every calorie and macronutrient my body takes in. After much trial and error of the past few weeks, I have finally settled on a diet that I believe will allow my body to reach the weight goals I have in mind while keeping body mass lean and do so without obsessive documentation (though still with much effort). The "new" diet is documented below. The "General Guide" as well as serving sizes are all that is to be memorized and logged. I started with the basics. Daily Caloric Need, Macronutrient Ratios, and then The New American Diet by Scivation as a guide and general game plan, but not as a Bible.
6/21 Diet
2000 Calories
Protein | 40% | 200g | 800 cal |
Fat | 30% | 66.6g | 599.4 cal |
Carbohydrates | 30% | 150g | 600 cal |
Estimates
Meal | Protein | Fat | Carb | Cal |
1 BFST | 40g | 13.2g | 40.8g | 442 |
2 POW | 40g | 6.6g | 27.2g | 328.2 |
3 LNCH | 40g | 13.2g | 40.8g | 442 |
`4 BRK(2) | 40g | 13.2g | 27.2g | 387.6 |
5 SPR | 40g | 19.8g | 13.6g | 329.6 |
General Guide
Meal | ||||
1 | 5 serv PTN | 2 serv STRCH | 2 serv FAT | 1 serv VEG |
2 | 5 serv PTN | 1 serv FRT | 1 serv FAT | 1 serv VEG |
3 | 5 serv PTN | 2 serv STRCH | 2 serv FAT | 1 serv VEG |
4 | 5 serv PTN | 1 serv FRT | 2 serv FAT | 1 serv VEG |
5 | 5 serv PTN | - | 3 serv FAT | 1 serv VEG |
Information
STARCH serv = Foods Containing ~ 12 – 15g Carbohydrates
FRUITT serv = Foods Containing ~ 12 – 15g Carbohydrates
VEGETABLE serv = Foods Containing ~ 4 – 6g Carbohydrates
PROTEIN serv = Foods Containing ~ 6-8g Protein
FAT serv = Foods Containing ~ 5g Fat
*subject to change via caloric need and macronutrient ratios
**Some foods count as a serving of multiple nutrients
Free
One serv / Meal / Day: less than 20 cal, less than 5g Carb, Cream Cheese, Fat Free Mayo, Fat free margarine, Fat Free Dressing, Fat free sour cream, hard candy (1), sugar free gum (1), low sugar/lite Jam/Jelly, sugar free syrup
AND
ONE unrestricted meal per week
*I do not work for, get sponsored by, or specificlly endorse any of the supplements, websites, companies, or links contained in this post
A Success Story Pt I: You Can't Outwork a Shitty Diet
In late May / early June of 2010, after graduating college I weighed 200 lbs. This was quite the jump since I had wrestled in high school at 170, 152, and then at 160; and in college at 165, 157, 174, then back to 165. The last competition being in the Fall of 2009. Those were (of course) dehydrated figures depicting the weight classes I was competing in. My natural weight would have been approximately 12 - 15 lbs higher. At 200 lbs I was still in shape, or trying to convince myself that I was. I did not look obese, but was not content with my now "average" (most 'average' Americans are overweight) body weight, athletic ability, or physique. And so the journey began....
After graduating college in May of 2010 I had been training to gain lean mass from previously weighing in the mid 180s. It is generally acknowledged that if you gain about 10 lbs of body mass, about 3 lbs will be from fat. However, the result of being in denial of my lax diet, and a very sedentary lifestyle outside of the gym, were very painfully obvious and certainly not favorable. Again, I probably was not extremely obese, but nor was I were I wanted to be in terms of physical ability.
I began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, and Muay Thai Kickboxing at Peoria Athletic Club in Peoria, IL in May of 2010. After enduring many grueling training and sparring sessions my weight dwindled off a bit. Slowly but surely I was shedding the pounds, but my diet was still completely lax.
February 26, 2011 was my first Mixed Martial Arts fight. I had entered my training camp phase weighing about 187lbs. My goal through the next month (my "Training Camps" usually last 6 weeks with the first and last week being rest/recovery phases and the middle 4 weeks being exceptionally taxing) was to get to less than 185lbs in order to realistically be able to cut/dehydrate the remaining weight to weigh in at <170lbs. The night before the competition, at the weight ins, I weight in at 168lbs (Dehydrated). I got in the cage the next night at approximately 183lbs. I was victorious by Arm Bar Submission in 2:40 of the first round.
After the fight I did an analysis of my training, diet, and weight... the works. I felt that in all honesty, I was too short to be fighting as a welterweight at 170lbs. I am only 5'8" and my reach is short for my height, only about 65". I had sparred with many other welterweights who had much longer reach and some who were nearly 6 feet tall and some TALLER. It was clear that while I could manage at 170lbs, I was much better suited to fight at 155lbs (Lightweight). But was I willing to make the dietary sacrifices required?
With the summer of 2011 came the 2011 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. May 7th in St. Louis, MO would be my first BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) tournament. The weight class was to be 170lbs. However, different from MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) weigh ins, the weigh ins for this tournament were the morning of the competition, leaving only hours to rehydrate and refuel the body. I began cleaning up my diet after my about a month ahead of time by eating healthier foods such as fruits instead of sweets, whole grains instead of white grains, much more protein, and weening off fatty foods in general while maintaining healthy fats (those found in fish and nuts for example). At the competition I weighted 168 slightly dehydrated and without my Gi on. When fully hydrated I weighed about 180 with a 5lb Gi, meaning my naturally hydrated weight was about 175lbs. I took second place in the competition. (Below is a flexing picture from my home before departing to the tournament)
My next BJJ tournament was scheduled for June 11, 2011 in Indianapolis, IN. However, the weight classes were to again change. I was now mandated to weigh in at 167.5lbs while wearing a Gi. There would also only be an hour or two between weigh ins and the start of competition. Below are the progress pictures leading up to the tournament. Both were taken while hydrated, first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and prior to eating or drinking anything. Preparation for this competition began immediately following the previous. I would go on to finish 2nd in a 16-man bracket at the competition.
How was this all accomplished? What new fangled diet and fancy supplements did I use? Which zealous bodybuilding magazines and celebrity workout regiments did I employ? Want the answers? Stay tuned for Part II.
After graduating college in May of 2010 I had been training to gain lean mass from previously weighing in the mid 180s. It is generally acknowledged that if you gain about 10 lbs of body mass, about 3 lbs will be from fat. However, the result of being in denial of my lax diet, and a very sedentary lifestyle outside of the gym, were very painfully obvious and certainly not favorable. Again, I probably was not extremely obese, but nor was I were I wanted to be in terms of physical ability.
I began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, and Muay Thai Kickboxing at Peoria Athletic Club in Peoria, IL in May of 2010. After enduring many grueling training and sparring sessions my weight dwindled off a bit. Slowly but surely I was shedding the pounds, but my diet was still completely lax.
February 26, 2011 was my first Mixed Martial Arts fight. I had entered my training camp phase weighing about 187lbs. My goal through the next month (my "Training Camps" usually last 6 weeks with the first and last week being rest/recovery phases and the middle 4 weeks being exceptionally taxing) was to get to less than 185lbs in order to realistically be able to cut/dehydrate the remaining weight to weigh in at <170lbs. The night before the competition, at the weight ins, I weight in at 168lbs (Dehydrated). I got in the cage the next night at approximately 183lbs. I was victorious by Arm Bar Submission in 2:40 of the first round.
With the summer of 2011 came the 2011 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. May 7th in St. Louis, MO would be my first BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) tournament. The weight class was to be 170lbs. However, different from MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) weigh ins, the weigh ins for this tournament were the morning of the competition, leaving only hours to rehydrate and refuel the body. I began cleaning up my diet after my about a month ahead of time by eating healthier foods such as fruits instead of sweets, whole grains instead of white grains, much more protein, and weening off fatty foods in general while maintaining healthy fats (those found in fish and nuts for example). At the competition I weighted 168 slightly dehydrated and without my Gi on. When fully hydrated I weighed about 180 with a 5lb Gi, meaning my naturally hydrated weight was about 175lbs. I took second place in the competition. (Below is a flexing picture from my home before departing to the tournament)
May 29, 2011
169 lbs
June 10, 2011
165 lbs
How was this all accomplished? What new fangled diet and fancy supplements did I use? Which zealous bodybuilding magazines and celebrity workout regiments did I employ? Want the answers? Stay tuned for Part II.
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