Once again, I received a PM from someone whose inbox is full, so I couldn’t reply. So I’m posting the question and my thoughts here with the username removed. It seems like this issue pops up on a regular basis.
Hey Flash,
What do you recommend I follow as my diet/nutrition plan. I need to get leaner as I think my bodyfat is definitely below like 16% and I’m currently weighing 142 and 5 ft. 7 in. I would be happy to hear your thoughts. This is on my usual routine of strength training, speed work, tempo, and soccer ofcourse.
Thanks
It doesn’t sound like you’re overweight at all. In fact you may be a little thin. I don’t like nutritional micromanagement for body comp unless you’re training purely for cosmetics. Cosmetic dieting is inherently restrictive, which leads to hampered performance. Eat to recover from intense training, and let the training change your body comp. Fuel your workouts properly.
Keep in mind that cosmetic athletes (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms) are very weak and have low energy when they’re in top cosmetic form because their bodies are so depleted. But their goal is not maximum physical performance, it’s maximum physical appearance. No powerlifter or olympic lifter could step onto the platform with 4% bodyfat like a bodybuilder and expect to lift a personal best, let alone a world record. The weights would staple them to the floor.
Stick with the basics. Minimize processed foods. Try to cook and prepare as many of your meals as possible. It’s the logistics of eating properly consistently that are the major hurdle for most people. Keep it simple and maintain consistency in the basics, just like training. I think macro ratio breakdowns are idiotic. These are mental abstractions. Unless you’re weighing everything and using food charts, there’s no way to know what your macros are other than VERY rough ball park guestimates. Think food, not nutrients. If the food is whole and not processed to the nth degree, the nutrients will be there.
I totally disagree - you can look good while still performing like a stud on the field. I lost 10lbs and 3in+ from my waist while performing Charlie “GPP” program. Heavy dose of tempo work was done but most of all changes to my diet played a major role.
Tips:
1: Keep protein intake high.
2: Eat good sources of carbs (yams/black beans etc)
3: Stay away from carbs until you need them ( 90-120mins before training and post training)
4: Don’t eat breakfast or stay away from morning carbs - if you must eat breakfast (egg omelet with spinach - 8oz hot green tea/coconut oil)
From my journal:
An athlete trying to drop bodyfat and training in the PM - I don’t understand the reason of having a big breakfast follow by a snack follow by a lunch etc? In this case I would rather wake up to caffeine and coconut oil, maybe a shake 2-3hrs later, follow by lunch with protein/mod carbs, and 90mins before session protein/mod carbs. Postworkout would be protein/small carbs, 60-90mins later protein/mod carbs, follow by protein/fats before bed.
Post workout shake: whey+choc milk or banana
Post workout meal: Lean protein source/Black beans/Spinach salad.
If you’re in GPP - then you can go restrict in your Carbs and keep the carbs low in term of training volume. more training = more carbs.
Use keto-stix to keep yourself in Trace only keto. If you go heavy into keto = eat more carbs.
You can eat upwards of 100g of carbs a day by keeping track of your keto levels. It’s NOT zero carbs.
Carbs are best before a workout to ensure a solid good workout.
During SPP you want to keep out of Keto - but still limit carbs such as rice, bread, pasta etc.
During Comp phase - you’ll be burning Carbs like a volcano - and you’ll need Lots. = not an ideal time to Drop bodyfat
In what way is it too much stuff? It’s pretty easy and simple to me.
IT looks similar to what you’re doing - except mine has a Mental win win formula (keto stix) which is esp important for beginners to this way of eating
I’ve seen many people eat this way and NOT lose the fat. They don’t use the Keto-stix and just Wing it.
Every person is vastly different.
10 people in one room and each persons Carb intake will be different due to many factors.
I’ have never ever had one person, who followed a Keto-stix measuring system and NOT lose fat - and either Gain or at minimum Maintain their lean tissue.
Remember - both ways are using the same Type of methods - Both high protein, both low protein - they should be both Med level fats/oils too.
Mine ensures carb levels match your bodies ability to utilize carbs in a day to day basis and ensures you dont hit road blocks from either either too many carbs or too few.
Too few carbs and you’ll run into other issues - some examples are, Higher acidity, fat loss stops, complete lack of energy.
Eating too many carbs means fat loss is too slow.
If your training means your’re burning 200grams of carbs per session - you can still eat that many carbs per day, and still lose fat, and still have the energy to train and do well in training.
It’s a mental Win too, because if you hit Trace Keto - you know exactly what you have been eating and training has been perfect for YOU.
You guys make good pints but my question is how do you judge how much carbs or food is too much and how much is just enough to maximize your performance? Is trial and error the only way? And let’s say you find that balance so will eating some cookies or dessert once in a while or some extra food hurt your performance or start increasing your bodyfat?
Yes, trial and error. There are too many variables for each individual. As a rough starting point, if you’re training at least an hour a day, try 15 calories per pound of bodyweight for a couple weeks and see what happens. Then adjust from there. The trick is being able to accurately track your calories. Easier said than done. Eyeball estimations are notoriously inaccurate.
A more practical method might be portion size adjustments. A common recommendation is palm sized portions. Use that as a rough starting point.
Nothing done once in a while is going to make a difference. It washes out in the average. That’s the kind of micromanaging neurosis I warned about at the beginning.
the digestive systems are seeming more and more fairly vastly complex. Speaking from an extremely general point of view regarding you wanting to eat cookies and desserts and eating extra food, I’d just link the sugar cravings(cookies, desserts) with a possible fungal infection and the extra food(wanting to eat extra food) with a possible low stomach acid problem?(maybe leading into low level h.pylori proliferation)
Yes exactly. Sugar cravings are simply Bugs in your stomach craving Sugar - they need it to survive. A lot of people in this condition can show great improvement in roughly 3 weeks to these symptoms. Three weeks of will power - then it’s remarkably much easier.
Honestly, before coming to college I had zero cravings but sometimes because of stress and frustration and the fact that the access to it is so easy in a college cafeteria you are very tempted :P.
That could be true but I think good carbs and bad carbs are overblown honestly and sugar is not bad as people make it to be, esp. in moderation but judge it from your experience I guess. http://impruvism.com/clean-eating/#comments