Some Thoughts on Nutrition Part II

Lets talk about nutrition and how it ties in with your goals.  This sort of ties in with one of the last posts I put up.  Everyone's goals are different so why would you adhere to one "ideal" of nutritional advice?

Let's talk about me, for instance.  My goal is to stay 285-305, sure that gives me quite a bit of wiggle room, but that is where I feel the best.  I've walked around heavier than that and I feel like a slob.  I've also walked around at 240 and I just don't feel as strong or powerful, not to mention that my lean mass is in the high 230s right now.  So how do I eat?  I try to eat as clean as possible.  I found out while giving speeches at a local high school that my co-presenter (a figure/bikini IFBB pro competitor and marathon runner) and I both ate relatively the same.  Both of our nutritional profiles were very similar.  The big difference, portion size and types.  We both eat tons of chicken, beans, green leafy vegetables, etc..., but I will eat everything on the entire chicken, while she sticks with the tenders or the breasts.  Where she may eat 1/2 a cup of beans with her meal I'll eat the whole can.  You can see where this is going, but we have totally different goals and the "technical profile" is the same.

Now, can I eat completely clean all the time?  No.  {INSERT HORRIFIC GASP HERE}  I'll be the first to admit that I do not eat clean 100% of the time.  When I lose my appetite and can't eat as often as I should, I have to make up for it with pretty calorically dense stuff.  This isn't saying I sit down with gallons of ice cream, I will however, pick fattier cuts of meat(dark poultry, chuck beef, etc...) or add extra oils to my meals like olive, flax, and grapeseed.  Remember that my goal is to maintain a certain weight that is 100+ lbs over that of your average male.  When my training gets really intense and I feel my body "shutting down" to the stimulus, I have to eat more.  In my personal opinion there is no such thing as over-training in non-elite athletes.  There is only under-eating and under-resting.

If you are trying to lose weight is this a good protocol to follow?  NO!!! If you want to lose weight you have to eat clean and be consistent.  Consistency is the key for dropping weight.  Not, "I did well the past three days, so I can take it easy today".  IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY!  If I said, "I got in 5500 cals for the past week, I think I'll only eat 2200 today",  would I stay at my desired weight?  There is not a snowball's chance in hell I would.  Match your nutrition to the goals you want to accomplish. 

To be frank:  You eat like shit...You're gonna look like shit!  Garbage in = garbage out.

"Ma!!! Where's muh proteeen?!

My opinion: the more you get the better.  It helps with satiety(feeling of being full) and ensures you have all the building blocks you need to make all the necessary repairs.  Remember that fat and protein are the building blocks for everything in the body.  The biggest key is knowing when you need to get certain types.

After Training:
Whey Protein Isolate by far is the best for post-workout.  It is the fastest absorbing, most biologically available form of protein.  This is what you want to pump your body full of post-workout.  Get the protein in the system as fast as possible so that you can stay anabolic.  Pair this with a high Glycemic Load carbohydrate (Vitargo, Turbinado sugar, Honey), no fat and you have the perfect post workout shake.  Fruit is so-so to use but remember that there is also fructose in fruit, so the glycogen produced from fructose will be most likely stored in the liver, not the muscles.  Fat will slow down the digestion and absorption, so leave it out here.

For Meals:
Turkey and eggs are king here.  Both are extremely biologically available and absorb well.  Eggs are also full of great fats and other nutrients you need like cholesterol.  OOHHH NOOO NOT CHOLESTEROL.  Different post for a different time, but cholesterol is the main building block for your sex hormones, like testosterone.  Turkey breast has less than half of the fat of the leanest cut of beef.  Now this means Thanksgiving type turkey breast, not the chopped, boiled, formed crap you get in the deli and on sandwiches.

Don't be afraid to eat red meat either.  Red meat had tons of things that are phenomenal for you like:  creatine, B-vitamins, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and the list goes on and on.  Choose the leaner cuts like: meat from the Round, Loin, Sirloin, and Flank.  Stay away from the Chuck, Rib, Shoulder and Brisket as they are very fatty.  Expand you horizons and try other sources of red meat like Buffalo and Lamb.  Mmmmmmm, Laaaaaammmmmb.

Chicken is a staple for most people trying to get lean.  Stick with the breast and the tender when trying to lean out, but eat everything if you are trying to maintain or gain.  Consider yourself a "hardgainer"???  Eat a whole chicken every day and you'll not longer have "hardgainer" issues.  Its cheap, easy to cook and you can make it taste like anything you want. 

Slow absorbing protein:
Micellar Casein rules the roost.  Remember when Met-Rx protein first came out and it was phenomenal?  Everyone saw great results and it was the best thing on the market.  Then they reformulated it and left out the Micellar Casein because it was too expensive to keep in the product.  Met-Rx protein got crappier and most of it was due to the exclusion of Micellar Casein.  Get it in shake form or from cottage cheese for slow absorption.  Casein form a gel in the stomach and has been shown to release amino acids into the blood stream for up to 6-7 hours after ingestion.  Pair it with some soluble fiber and some fish or flax oil for an even more drawn out release.  Those "old-people fiber powders" actually work well for this.  Just be sure to mix it and SLAM it down.  If you let it sit in the glass too long it is gonna get gross, quick.

That is all for today.  If you want to hear about a specific topic write a comment and I'll do something up for you.