Hi Internetssss
This week I’m going to be talking about nutrition. Specifically, I’m going to compare my experience with two ways to eat for a) weight loss and b) maintaining lean muscle and strength. I can talk to these two things because they have been two goals of mine since about April of last year. I lost approximately 10 lbs and have managed to keep it off while decreasing my body fat. If you would like to read about my first step click here
The two types of eating “styles” that I’m going to compare are….
Style 1.) Eating every 2-3 Hours with a big breakfast, medium lunch and medium dinner.
This style of eating is what I adopted between April until about early September. I found it very effective initially at keeping my energy levels up to train but also shed weight and keep/grow some muscle. I don’t know exactly why, but I have a sneaky suspicion it had to do with the fact I was carrying extra weight for my frame from over eating pretty much all of last year (and drinking beer quite frequently) and eating this way kept my blood sugar levels stable. It’s important to note with both eating styles I try to eat as healthy as possible (for me).
Style 2.) Eating a large breakfast, snack throughout the day, small dinner on non-train days, larger on training days combined with “intermittent fasting”
This may sound similar to #1 but it is different in many subtle ways. First let me state that I do not recommend eating is way if you are diabetic or have problems with blood sugar, because it is really a trial and error about how low you can go while still being able to function.
Now, I’m a pretty active woman. I usually teach 3-6 fitness classes a week at pretty high intensity and rock climb whenever I can. So for me, finding out how I can perform on different amounts of food intake during the day has been tricky.
However, this style of eating has done something interesting. At the beginning of September my weight loss hit a plateau. I wouldn’t have considered myself “overweight” per say, but I was still uncomfortable with my body size. I wanted to get leaner, while still maintaining muscle (mainly for climbing). So I tried something different nutritionally than the 5 small meals a day thing.
First, I maintained eating a rather caloric dense breakfast including protein, good fats, and carbs. If you’d like an example of this meal click here.
Then, throughout the day I have not been eating any carbs. I stick to protein, veggies, fruits, and some dairy. At first my blood sugar played tricks with my head, but now I have normalized it seems.
For dinner I make sure I –only- eat after training, and if I’m not training, I try and eat a very modest dinner.
I also (as of recent) have thrown in intermittent fasting. Without going into detail you can find out more about this form of eating here. I don’t do this as “balls to the wall” as some of people who do partake in IF, but I try it out once and while to see what happens.
Since I have made this dietary switch I have started to see my body fat decrease. My weight has stayed a constant 130lbs but I am starting to see more muscle definition. I also feel stronger and perform better when training if I manage to figure out what I call my “metabolic push point”.
What I’m talking about by metabolic push point is eating enough to perform effectively but trying to find that happy medium where if I have eaten any more it would be too much, and any less I wouldn’t be able to perform.
Now this takes a lot of practice to get right if you are super active. Also, I wouldn’t recommend this type of thinking if you are NOT physically active, because that may lead you to a mentality of “well I’m not working out, so I don’t need fuel, so I won’t eat”. This is not healthy for a variety of reasons.
In Summary
So what can you take from my rambleings? Well, first, you have to figure out what works best for your body. However, here are some general thoughts,
· Eating 5 small balanced meals is good for initial weight loss if you are carrying extra weight (e.g., high body fat)
· Eating, just like training, seems to shock your body if you change it up every 3-4 months, from my experience
· Eating minimal while being able to physically perform is possible, you just have to find that metabolic push point, which takes time, trial and error.
· Eating has to be maintainable, if you find any of the styles of eating above difficult to maintain over a long time, then you should reevaluate how you are eating.
· Playing around with diet to get the desired body you want seems to not be detrimental to your “metabolism” like a lot of people claim, as long as you do not go to the extremes (e.g., starving yourself or over eating).
If you’d like a more detailed explanation about any of the eating styles above please do not hesitate to email me at byntraining@gmail.com
As always, questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome. If you don’t agree with this, challenge me! Don’t worry, I have a tough skin (from climbing ha)
I hope you are all having a most wonderful week
Stay Strong
~Byn
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar