Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
... I am actually considering doing some version of the Atkins (probably S. Beach) diet to drop some of this bodyfat! Can't believe that I am actually typing this for all to read. I have truly sunk to a new low. I am feeling gross because I haven't been able to exercise much since my little snip-snip a couple of weeks ago. Maybe some time back on a bike will snap some sense back into me. I can't imagine putting in any significant mileage while doing a low-carb diet! Adam? Any input here? Anyone?
By the way, JP, don't worry about counting calories. I believe this diet "auto-regulates" quite nicely. Because of the fiber, protein, and fat content you simply won't overeat. Ultimately, this could slow "weight" loss (since you might be adding muscle if you eat enough calories), but you'll notice a visible difference pretty quick in your body fat.
How about alcohol? I have a couple of vices as a side-effect to having three cute, chaos-creating children that drive me to drinking by 7pm. Not a lot. Just one, and sometimes two drinks. Will I slow down my success on this routine?
Not a problem. (It will slow your results from "optimal", but it won't have much of an impact in the big picture, assuming you're sticking with wine, vodka (no fruit juice or soda unless it's "light" or diet), and lite beer.
Adam, what did you send him? Inclendon's food plan from the latest issue out? I had a question about that as well: is there a reason that the lunch and dinner designed are so low in kcals? Is it because of the kcal rich snacks (which are about as much as the lunch and dinner themselves)? I understand the logic with the large breakfast, but I also thought a large lunch was beneficial. ??
JP, my wife, after two months of eating right and working out and seeing no lbs decrease (although, as she acknowledged, there was a small shrinkage in size), decided to try South Beach. We know a number of people who have had success with it (although they are all grossly overweight or downright obese, where she is just looking to lose that last 10 lbs), and since so many reputable doctors have said it is worth trying, she went for it. I would love to have joined her (like you, I have gotten large around the middle), but with all the cycling I'm doing, I can't afford to be without carbs, even for only 2 weeks. Plus, I figure the ramp up in miles will take care of the problem - it always does, and by mid summer I never need to even worry about too much kcal intake (usually the opposite)! Well, she has lost 3 lbs in the first 10 days, so something is happening. Anyway, FYI, FWIW.
... I am actually considering doing some version of the Atkins (probably S. Beach) diet to drop some of this bodyfat! Can't believe that I am actually typing this for all to read. I have truly sunk to a new low. I am feeling gross because I haven't been able to exercise much since my little snip-snip a couple of weeks ago. Maybe some time back on a bike will snap some sense back into me. I can't imagine putting in any significant mileage while doing a low-carb diet! Adam? Any input here? Anyone?
1. Eat as many of these vegetables as you desire throughout the day.
Asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers, egg plant, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, pickles, spinach, squash, string beans, tomatoes, zucchini. Of course, oil-based, low carb dressings are fine for dipping, steaming is great, as well as sautéing with garlic (fantastic for fresh spinach with olive oil).
2. Eat as much lean meat as you want: 90 percent lean beef, turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon (any kind of fish/seafood really). (You can eat bacon, ham, and fattier meat, too, but just for the sake of being politically correct, limit these to one to two servings a day.) Use low-carb marinades and rubs to add variety to things like chicken and beef.
3. Especially avoid high-carbohydrate snacks. That is, anything that would spike your insulin between meals. Instead eat pepperoni or cheese (or better yet, pepperoni sticks dipped in soft cheese! [img]smile.gif[/img] or tuna, etc. Also, eat at 1-2 servings of peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and pine nuts per day (great snacks).
4. Allow yourself one to two servings (but only at ONE meal) of the following: whole grain/wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potato, oats/oatmeal (In other words, if you want a sandwich for lunch, eat it. If you like oatmeal for breakfast, eat it.)
5. Limit fruit intake to 2 servings a day. Choose from: strawberries, pears, peaches, apples, and grapes.
6. Have as much coffee (with cream or artificial sweeteners), diet soft drinks, and tea as you like.
7. Drink lots of water. Let's say 16 ounces ever two hours you are awake on top of other beverages.
8. Drink (roughly): 15 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrate (high-glycemic like maltodextrin or dextrose) in 12 ounces of water--half 5 to 15 minutes before your workout, and the rest evenly divided every 15-20 minutes of your workout. (This is basically a "Nutrient Timing" principle.)
9. After your workout, drink 20 grams of protein and 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrate. (These numbers are debatable, but I think they'll do the job quite nicely.)
10. Eat eggs and plenty of cheese. Avoid milk most of the time. (If you love it, limit it to one serving a day.)
Does this make sense. You'll get plenty of carbohydrates but you'll time them correctly and you won't be eating the 'bad" ones when it counts. The idea is that you'll keep insulin levels low all day long (high insulin inhibits fat loss and promotes fat storage) except during your workout, when you'll use insulin to decrease protein breakdown. You'll also eat protein at the same time, to enhance protein synthesis. Plus, by eating before and during your workout, you can workout as intensely as you desire. So it's the best of both worlds: faster fat loss with more energy. In addition one problem with a pure fat loss ketogenic diet is that although you preserve muscle, you can look "flat" because of the reduced glycogen stores. This plan keeps your muscles looking full and feeling big. Basically, it's meat and vegetables. So you don't have the pasta and bread, but you really don't need it if you get creative enough with food preparation. I'd also recommend that if you can sneak a fiber supplement in during the day (BeneFiber or Metamucil) say, 30 minutes before you eat any meal in which you eat the foods that are in number four you'll enhance your results even more.
Kaiser, I don't know the answers to the Incledon question (I didn't work on that). However, I'm supposed to talk to him this weekend, so I'll ask him about it.
Thanks and thanks. Much appreciated. Your guidelines will definitely help me as well.
BTW, another great looking issue of MF. You've really taken the fitness sections in a direction that appeals to me (I'm guessing that I am probably in your target demographic as well). Plus, the pic of the hard-core and hard body rock climber chick on the back page was a bonus. I still maintain that if you want to see some of the greatest female bodies, look at rock climbers or dancers.
I especially enjoyed that rock climber. Now that's good gratuitous T and A, fitness magazine style.
The August issue (next issue) will actually be packed with a bunch of good training stories:
*Body-Part Training is Dead!--it's about movement pattern training.
*Mass Interference--it's about cardio and your muscles (Craig Ballantyne)
*Clockwork Nutrition--an excerpt from the Nutrient Timing book.
*Tom Incledon Muscle-building workout (four-day split) with a Tom Incledon 7-day muscle-building meal plan.
*Chad Waterbury Fat Loss Workout which focuses on maximum strength.
And the usual stuff from Alwyn and others. I don't always get to see the rest of the magazine because I work from home, but it'll probably be my favorite issue yet.
I have a question. What is the reasoning behind not drinking milk? I really enjoy my protien shakes and I use approx 1.5 - 2 cups of milk per shake. I am using skim milk, but should I be using water instead? Would it matter if I use 1/2 water 1/2 milk?
Kaiser: I suck. I totally forgot to ask Tom your question. I'll talk to him again soon. In my defense, he throws so much information at you that you forget what you were going to say.
Pooky: The main rationale is that it makes it easier to control total calorie intake without thinking about. The idea is to eat carbs that are high in fiber along with protein and fat which will help eliminate hunger and regulate your calorie intake. By just saying "drink as much milk as you want," you increase the likelihood that calories will increase too high and it also goes against "my" rule (not really my rule) of only eating carbs with fiber, which slow the absorption of any sugars and have a variety of health benefits.
So you can drink milk, and it might not be a problem at all (especially since it seems filling--at least to me), but it's just another way to make the diet simpler to follow while ensuring the outcome that you want.
Adam, quick questions about #'s 8&9...
How would I go about 'drinking' the protein and carbs? Would that be in shake form? Would I make it on my own or should I by it?
Also, form what I know this sounds like a good plan for a borderline diabetic like myself. Would I be wrong?
Much thanks for the advice!!
__________________
\'Better to light a small flame than to curse the darkness\'
Quick update since starting this plan of Adam's recommendation. I haven't measured bf yet, but I have weighed, and although there has been no drop in muscle or strength, I have managed to drop about 7-8 pounds. I was floating right at or a little over 200 pounds at the time of the original post. As of yesterday I was 193. For me it wasn't really eliminating carbs, but just resetting my system to eating clean again, which I have not done since the birth of my second child (over 3 years ago). I am back on now, and I think I have kicked the worst of the sugar withdrawals. Thanks again, Adam!
Maybe when you get back down to your fighting weight, I can go up there and take you to school in the climbing gym. [img]tongue.gif[/img] I'm about to join one of the climbing gyms down here, so I'll be getting my practice in.
__________________
More jobs? How about less people?
JP: Awesome. It's amazing how quick you can go from bad eating to "clean" eating--and then wonder why you ever ate bad. Of course, it's just as easy to go the other way, and wonder the same thing. Keep it up!
Quote:
How would I go about 'drinking' the protein and carbs? Would that be in shake form? Would I make it on my own or should I by it?
You could get "GNC Countdown" which is a new product formulated for this. Of course, you could mix whey protein with a creatine/carb supplement or with maltodexrin. Y
Bucaneer: good question. I'd be inclined to say have some protein (10 grams ) before and after. The activity won't last that long and you should have plenty of energy. Since I'm guessing that by doing HIIT you're main concern is fat loss, not performance, I'd bypass the carbs before and after. You're preworkout drink on your lifting days will ensure your energy levels aren't compromised for lifting.
Kaiser and Buc,
I was about 185 and around 6-7% bodyfat in that photo. I was also pretty strong at the time (max bench was 315). It doesn't seem all that long ago, but in some ways, since I didn't have kids yet, it seems like a lifetime ago. I am 5' 9.5", and as of today, I weigh 191. That means I have lost approx 10 pounds. I don't know my bodyfat currently, but I will check it next week. I had topped out around 20% around the time frame of the retreat. I don't really see how that is possible, except that my body has better genetics than I have given it credit for. I am certainly making a special effort to stay well hydrated, so I doubt I am losing water weight. I haven't dropped an ounce of muscle from the looks of it, or based on my performance in the weight room, which is actually on a steady climb (thanks Bill!).
I love my new method of training. I imagine my actual weight loss will increase a bit when I get back up on a bike. I haven't gotten on my bike since I got fixed a month ago, but I have been back on the weights, doing full body workouts, using autoregulation as my primary method. I cannot stand to do cardio just for the sake of doing cardio, so I don't. I have to actually be going somewhere. I do especially love trail riding, which I have to get back into training since I have a race on July 9th! Since I haven't done any riding I have refocused a bit on my legs in the gym with things like squats, and it appears that my legs haven't lost much strength since I quit doing them so often when I am in heavy riding season.
One thing I have noticed is that my energy level is through the ceiling. I think the quantities of fresh veggies I have been consuming combined with breaking my addiction to sugar has really helped. I can't believe how much of a sedative my old eating habits had become.
The thing I like best about this diet is that it is very similar to Bill's training concepts of autoregulation. If you limit your diet to certain things and just eat your fill, your body seems to regulate your appetite levels and energy automatically as a result. I don't have to "time my meals"... I just eat when I'm hungry morning noon or night, and because I am eating healthier food, my body is rewarding me with very fast results. I realize my personal experience is just an anecdote, but I still recommend it. It is just good healthy eating, what I should have been doing all along, but I got off track somewhere. I am not restricting the amounts of food I eat. I just cut out all processed carbs and saturated fats, eating a very mediterreanean diet instead. I get plenty of carbs though, although at Adam's suggestion, I try to avoid them at night.
Just for kicks I may post an update photo. I am not the only one who has noticed the difference. I am actually kind of shocked how many people have commented, which tells me that I probably looked worse than I realized!
<----JP the doughboy!
I still maintain that if you want to see some of the greatest female bodies, look at rock climbers or dancers.
) before and after. The activity won't last that long and you should have plenty of energy. Since I'm guessing that by doing HIIT you're main concern is fat loss, not performance, I'd bypass the carbs before and after. You're preworkout drink on your lifting days will ensure your energy levels aren't compromised for lifting.
Linear Mode
