| Ah, the joys of leisure | Week 12 of 12, Day 84 of 84
I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that I am now in the "kick back and relax" phase of my program ... one week to allow full recovery, get my calories a little higher so my metabolism doesn't drop, and really "make camp before ascending to the summit". It feels great!
Quickly, Corey, go to DietPower's Home Site for more information. The only caveat is that their database is based on the USDA, not the Canadian Nutrition Database. Since the majority of Canada's database is based on the USDA database, it shouldn't be a major problem, just know some native Canadian food items may not be in the database. Fortunately, you can easily add items with the software!
Let's talk about today. We woke up for church, and my daughter complained that she was feeling sick. So I took my son and dropped him off and stayed home. She laid down for awhile, and I enjoyed a pleasant few hours sitting outside on our deck, reading a book I picked up while on vacation: "Outstanding Courage" which follows the Lewis and Clark journey. Very incredible read ... makes a much larger impact having been to the beautiful country they described.
At any rate, my family came home from church and my little angel was feeling much better. I think she may have just been sore. Yesterday, she hiked with me to the top of Kennesaw Mountain. That hike rises 1,000 feet in just one mile ... quite a steep climb! She hiked the ENTIRE THING on her own, no carrying by me ... just her on foot! Not to mention numerous side trips to climb rocks. She has a very natural knack that she demonstrated on vacation, so I've been teaching her how to safely climb and she is like a mountain goat the way she navigates up them rocks! We spent several hours on the mountain. We were blessed with a tremendous view of Georgia stretching South past down town, South East to Stone Mountain, and north to the Allatoona Mountains which are the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains and thereon the Blue Ridge. We saw a wild snake and a big toad, too. Very exciting. We spent about three hours on the mountain, so I'm certain she was exhausted!
After feeling more energetic, she went outside with Mom to help Mom wash the car. So guess what Dad did? I broke out the hammock and strung it up. I found a spot with two trees right over our creek. It's hard to describe, but it is fully shaded even midday because it is completely surrounded by trees. There are also large shrugs on the side farthest from the creek, so it is completely screened from the house. The hammock actually swings out over the bank of the creek and it right over some tiny "falls" - i.e. large rocks that make that beautiful trickling sound. In short, you can lay on this and feel the cool breeze coming from the water and from the shade, not see any civilization in sight and hear no other sound than the birds in the trees and the babbling brook. I read for awhile and promptly dozed off!
Now I'm going to find some North Georgia trails to take my daughter on, because she loves hiking so much (and so do I). We're gonna have blast!
At any rate, sorry about the lack of shout outs but I've just been skatin' along today. Take care and God Bless!
posted by Jeremy on 6/22/2003 2:52:44 PM | | Shouts, screams, yells, word, yo? | Week 12 of 12, Day 82 of 84
Okay, here I am ... end of the first 5 week plunge. Was looking good yesterday at 195.5 but then WOOOP water balance shifted and 197 this morning! Not a problem at all, but it's funny to see the software react. DietPower, unfortunately, tends to get a little short-sighted when you approach your goal. It was thinking I had to shave 1.5 pounds in 3 days and then suddenly it's Friday at 197 and I've got to shave 3 pounds in 2 days! OUCH! It doesn't understand shifts in water balance from a calorie budget perspective, although it's projections are right on target when it averages these fluctuations.
At any rate, I made an executive decision to go ahead and lock down at this point. What that means is that my goal of 194 I feel very confident to reach by Sunday. However, I have a whole week to do it ... next week is active rest week, where I don't plan on losing any more fat but want my body to rest and recover from 5 very intense weeks of training. So I started a new plan today and set the goal for 194 pounds by next Sunday, meaning if I reach my goal, I'll just be on a maintenance plan. Nice thing is, my calories, which were averaging 1800, have now jumped to nearly 2400. Gonna be a fun week!
So, to drop from 209 to 194 in 5 weeks, what did my nutrition look like? Keep in mind that these are what I consider "key" factors:
1. I started at 209, dropped to 194 (15 pounds) .. okay, 195.5 but I'm confident of the 194
2. Waist has dropped several inches
3. Starting out, I could barely bench press 200 for reps. I did 2 reps at 240.
4. Starting out, squatting more than 230 was intimidating me. I did 4 reps at 290 the other night.
5. Starting out, I could barely dead-lift over 200. I did 5 reps at 290 last week.
6. Starting out, I was struggling to run at 6.0/7.0/8.0/9.0 cycles, now I've progressed to 6.6/7.6/8.6/9.6 (about 2.6 miles in 20 minutes)
Okay, so ... losing fat, and gaining strength .. exciting. Here is what got me there (averages):
Calories: 2079
Fat: 57g (10g saturated) 24%
Sodium: 2130mg
Potassium: 3460mg
Carbohydrate: 290g (36g fiber / 55g sugar) 55%
Protein: 103g 19%
Alcohol: 2% of total average calories
Water: 145oz
Now, there are also some key supplement factors I feel are important to disclose:
Vitamin C: 2.7 grams (2780mg) per day (including food and supplements)
Calcium: 2 grams (2000mg) per day (again, all of these are from food and supplements)
Vitamin E: 561 IU / day
Magnesium: 940 mg / day
Zinc: 45 mg / day
Why list these? Vit C / Vit E are powerful, powerful antioxidants and when training strenuously, very critical components in recovery. Calcium is crucial for development of bones, especially around the joints which are hit hard for training, and of course is implicated in fat loss per recent studies as well. Magnesium and Zinc are very important for moving nutrients into and out of muscles and are also related to heart health ... some people have suffered heart attacks from magnesium deficiencies, and ZMA, a popular supplement, is Zinc and Magnesium - instead of spending $500 on supplements, I basically took a multi-mineral from TwinLabs and made sure I ate plenty of foods naturally high in zinc and magnesium. In my opinion, getting your micronutrients - vitamins, minerals - straight is PARAMOUNT and more important than other supplements like ephedra, creatine, glutamine, etc. I have done the gamut with glutamine and creatine yada yada and still been MISERABLE training, since I started studying for my certification as a Specialist in Performance Nutrition and created a vitamin/mineral regimen based on the recommended performance amounts, I can't tell you how much my recovery and energy have improved! I have never in the past been able to gain strength while dropping weight so aggressively ... but as we all know, things on the top side of 10% body fat are much, much diffferent than on the bottom side, so it'll get interesting as I lean down more.
Zach - question about your healthy fats. Do you take them by themselves, or with food? I'm not saying this is your case, but a lot of people I worked with make statements like "I can't eat oranges" or other things, but when I really look at their diet, it's more the food combinations than the foods themselves. A lot of people get constipated when they take in additional healthy fats in conjunction with protein/starch combinations, which are very popular in bodybuilding diets. Have you ever tried taking the healthy fats (a) by themselves, (b) with an acid fruit, like oranges, or (c) with a meal that is only starches + vegetables or proteins + vegetables? I think you may find a major difference. For example, I had a huge issue eating raw nuts. But when I started eating raw nuts with an orange or taking my flax oil with orange juice, I stopped having any difficulty. Just a thought to try out some time when you're not in contest prep mode.
Finally, raw, leafy green vegetables are loaded with trace amounts of healthy fats. It seems odd, but when you factor in that your body will assimilate nutrients from raw food thousands of times more efficiently than with cooked or processed foods, you can see where this could help. By eating a lot of large, fresh salads, etc, you can get some bare minimal amounts to avoid deficiencies. Keep in mind that as your protein intake goes up, your need for fat increases ... this has been shown by studies as early as the 1800s, that found dogs fed high protein or high fat died, but high protein + high fat survived ... there is a link from the healthy fats that helps the body process protein, so high protein and healthy fat should go hand in hand, in my opinion. Another source you might consider is avocado - have you tried these before? Avocado + banana is great post-workout fuel.
Kelly - 100 oz isn't as much as you think. A lot of people try to base water consumption on weight, but it's more relevent to compare it to caloric intake. It makes sense. I sit on my thumbs today but tomorrow I run a marathon, I expend more calories tomorrow and require more water. Thirst is a definite signal .. unlike hunger, which can be triggered by the need for almost any nutrient, thirst is almost always associated with the need for fluid. If you are thirsty, drink more. Here's one thing that might help ... I'd wager to guess your diet is probably higher in sodium than potassium. When sodium is higher than potassium, it negatively affects your fluid balance - you can take in a lot of water, but the cells will store this water around them as a buffer against the excess salt. To truly hydrate yourself, you need the water inside your cells ... if you are eating processed or pre-packaged foods, a lot of eggs and/or cottage cheese, or adding salts to your meals, and/or if you are not consuming several cups of vegetables and several pieces of fruit per day, you might have this problem. The solution would be to consciously make an effort to reduce the sodium in your diet and then raise the potassium by adding vegetables, fruit, and even chicken (hey, did you know that even red wine and coffee are both high in potassium?)
Tracy - Good to hear it! Amazing that one man could launch such a successful system. I think a lot of its popularity is, believe it or not, religious in nature. Pilates borrows a ton of techniques from yoga, but then adds its own twists (especially when you get into the special machines he invented). However, a lot of fundamentalist Christians have refused yoga, feeling that even accepting the stretching/exercise portion is like advocating another religion ... Pilates took the concepts of creating a calm, tranquil mind (read: meditation) and the movements/stretches and made it into an exercise system that didn't have the religious overtones, and made it more accessible to people who felt yoga was a contradiction to their beliefs! My wife has benefitted greatly from yoga (she has issues with her back) but she doesn't take it from a religious perspective, she just borrows exercises and stretches!
Heather - sweet dreams
Dianna - have a great move!
I'm out!
posted by Jeremy on 6/20/2003 7:18:15 AM | | Kelly - carb cravings | Week 12 of 12, Day 81 of 84
Kelly, I'm not saying this is the "law" and there's bound to be exceptions out there, but I've never had a client who was
(a) taking in at least 2 - 3 servings (cups) of veggies every day
(b) taking in 1 - 2 pieces of fruits every day
(c) taking at least 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil every day
(d) taking 1000mg of fish oil capsules (cold water fish, i.e. cod or salmon, for EPA and DHA)
Who had any type of carb cravings. This is the standard basis of my menus I built for ALL of my clients, with the exception of the fish oil capsules, I added those later when I realized how important those were, but the first 3 (a - c) were part of the menu plan regardless of whether the goal was fat loss, muscle gain, etc. You wouldn't believe how many people reported that their cravings out and disappeared.
I find that in women, carb cravings is typically due to either inadequate healthy fat intake (there are a lot of people today who still think low fat or no fat = fat loss, which is actually the opposite - if you eliminate healthy fats, you're asking for hormone swings, cravings, lack of sleep, poor recovery, etc. etc.) or inadequate carb intake (again, feeling that carbs are the enemy and somehow 100 calories of carbs turns to fat but 100 calories of protein doesn't, which again isn't true) ... by adding veggies and fruit for fiber, consuming healthy fats, you should be getting what you need. You should also be eating other carbohydrates throughout the day from whole, unprocessed sources - i.e. whole grains (rather than bread), rice, oats, etc.
I hope that helps!
posted by Jeremy on 6/19/2003 11:54:27 AM | | Why studies can be so confusing ... | Week 12 of 12, Day 81 of 84 cont...
Just got the following in my mailbox:
Title: Acute response of net muscle protein balance reflects 24-h balance after exercise and amino acid ingestion.
Researchers: Tipton KD, Borsheim E, Wolf SE, Sanford AP, Wolfe RR.
Institution: Metabolism Unit, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Galveston, Texas
Source: Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Jan;284(1):E76-89.
Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine if the acute anabolic muscle response to resistance exercise and essential amino acids (EAA) reflects the response over 24 h.
Methods: Seven subjects participated in the following two 24-h studies: 1) resting (REST) and 2) rest plus resistance exercise and consumption of pre- and post essential amino acids (ES). Net balance (NB)across the leg was determined for four amino acids. [(13)C(6)]phenylalanine was infused to determine mixed muscle fractional synthetic rate (FSR).
Results: Twenty-four-hour FSR was significantly greater for ES than for REST (P = 0.003). Exchange of phenylalanine across the leg was -194 74 (SE) mg for ES and -371 88 mg for REST (P = 0.07) over 24 h and 229 42 mg (ES) and 28 15 mg (REST; P <0.01) over 3 h corresponding to exercise and eaa consumption for es. the difference in phenylalanine exchange between rest and es was not different for measurements over 24 and 3 h. increases in nb during es were primarily the result of increases in protein synthesis. results for other amino acids were similar.
Conclusion: The acute anabolic response of muscle to EAA intake and exercise is additive to the response at rest and thus reflects the 24-h response.
ARGH!!!!!!
The author of the e-mail then continues:
"Does the anabolic effect of pre and post exercise protein supplementation lead to a net increase in muscle protein? The results of this study confirm that it does!"
ARGH!!!!!!
Here is the truth. First, we only have 7 subjects. We don't know if they are untrained subjects, who almost always have a positive anabolic effect after weight training, or if they are bodybuilders or elite athletes. We don't know if they are male or female to understand if there are gender differences. Here is the frustrating part ..... THEY COMPARED THE SUPPLEMENT/EXERCISE TO REST!!! ACK!!
Bear with me, here. In summary, a person resting has x amount of protein turnover in their muscle. Okay? So we lose some because during rest, we have recovery, go into a catabolic state, etc.
Now, they compared this against (the same person) who took protein, exercised, took more protein. They also looked at a 24 hour period can this person had y amount of protein turnover.
It turns out that the second person had MORE protein in the muscle tissue than the first. OKAY, COOL.
But HERE is the problem ... from this simple study, someone goes to conclude that the protein timing is VALIDATED by the study! WHAT?!?!?!?!!?!? Where is the THIRD control group ... the person who rests and exercises WITHOUT the protein supplement?
I mean, there are a THOUSAND studies that show that resistance training promotes muscle growth. So how can you take this study and assume the protein increase was due to the supplements? What if the person trained and DIDN'T supplement?! I bet they'd see a net increase anyway, because (a) they have amino acids in their bloodstream from other meals and (b) they TRAINED the stupid muscle, and that's the RESPONSE to TRAINING!
Argh! This study does nothing to clarify whether or not the protein timing makes any difference. We know that compared to rest, training helps promote muscle growth. We know that compared to rest, training with pre- and post- training supplementation also promotes muscle growth. What we're lacking is the critical comparison - how does muscle growth compare between training versus training with a pre- and post- workout protein shake? See where I'm going. Tons of supplement companies will use this study to promote protein shakes when it proves nothing. Come back later, show me a REAL study ... tell me if eating 4oz of chicken at breakfast and then training at 6pm does the same thing as spending $500 on a protein shake and drinking it at 8:30pm, training at 9:30pm, then going to bed with another glass of the shake in my belly. THEN maybe we can figure something out.
It's stuff like this that confuses and misleads the general public. ARGH! And I LOVE this newsletter, it's usually VERY balanced.
Ho-dee-hum.
Discussion: This study may seem confusing at first, but once you know the background assumptions that gave them the idea to perform this study, it all makes sense.
posted by Jeremy on 6/19/2003 11:07:12 AM | | Shouts and what-nots | Week 12 of 12, Day 81 of 84 cont...
Geneva - love the picture, looks great, in my *humble* opinion
Emma - I couldn't agree more!!! A lot of people look at me like I'm an alien when they see that my daughter's favorite breakfast is raw oatmeal mixed with 100% all natural apple sauce, or when we send sprouted grain bread with almond butter and organic granola bars in her lunch box to school ... "Ah, poor thing, she must be miserable" is what I've actually heard, believe it or not ... but she LOVES the food. We were at a party once, and there were raw veggies out and chips and chocolates. Now, she loves chips and munched on those, then took a single chocolate, then started eating veggies. People were actually saying, "Don't you want more M&M's??" Nope, she was enjoying the broccoli! My son, on the other hand, had his share of bad eating habits that were encouraged by my own inability to eat appropriately, so he continues to struggle to this day. He knows much more than other kids, however. When my wife grabs juice at the market, he'll say, "Mom, did you know that is only 5% juice?" "Oh, dear, I saw the 100% Vitamin C and didn't think ... thanks, son!" He knows proteins and carbs and healthy fats, but of course he also has his teenaged friends who just say, "To heck with that mess, let's go to Wendy's!".
What really, really disturbs me is the attitude of some parents. There is a couple I know who's son was sick and they said, "He stopped eating ... we tried to feed him everything, he wouldn't eat it. We even got the greasiest, worse, junkiest foods we could think off from McDonald's and Pizza Hut, but he still wouldn't eat." WOW .. what a philosophy ... if a kid doesn't eat, then break out the BAD foods, because they'll like those? This is the mentality created by advertisements on TV - see a smiling kid, they are eithing drinking Coke, eating a McDonald's Happy Meal, or chugging a "100% all natural" CapriSun which is 95% high fructose corn syrup (sure, it's "natural" because it's chemically extracted from corn) and 5% fruit juice. And parents really, truly believe that hype .. the subconscious marketing succeeds ... parents think, my kid's doing great, I want to reward them ... McDonald's!!!!
I even found myself in the trap of reward. When potty training our daughter, we had determined that if she went on her own, she'd get a treat (TRAP! TRAP!) Fortunately when we realized the pattern, we decided that "treat" would be a piece of fruit. She loves it! She would go potties then promptly announce, "I went all by myself! Can I have my fruit now?" I wish we wouldn't even have used a healthy food ... it would have been better no food at all .. but our society trains us with food and our reaction as parents is to use that as a controlling factor with children. I've talked with many parents about getting healthier foods, and they say, "Well, my kids just won't shut up ... that's why I get the choco-cicles because it's only $2.50 for a box of 24 and whenever they fuss, just stick one in their mouth and they're quiet!"
So you see, it goes even beyond the concept of food education. It's a society where many parents don't want to "deal" with their children ... instead of seeing children as the SOLE FOCUS and realizing that their life is now dedicated to RAISING THEIR KIDS, they don't want to sacrifice and still want this "me, me, me" attitude - I WANT TO GO OUT so stick the kids in front of the television set. I CAN'T DEAL with an upset child, so instead of doing the adult thing and talking with the child or disciplining them, just shove something sweet in their mouths.
I know I sound condescending and judgemental, but I'm guilty of those same behaviors. I know how easy it is to fall in the trap. It goes back to my previous post about selfless living ... man, if there is any case for that, it's being a parent. It can be miserable if it's about me, me, me, but when you shift your focus and focus on your children, then it becomes the most cherished, rewarding blessing you could possibly have!
So, it's great to know you are educating and trying to make a difference. But I think just knowing what food is can be a minor step. Depending the people you are dealing with, most of the parents I know DO know what proper nutrition is. What they are lacking is the right balance in life ... right now, they are more concerned with making money and advancing their personal life, so everything is about what's easiest and most convenient outside of that job that's gonna make them rich ... so it's junk food and television all day long. What they need is more than just nutrition education, they need a lesson in prioritization. They need to learn to put their health, their children's health, their family values, love and Christ FIRST in front of all the material things. Heck, again, guilty!!! I sacrificed a lot of time with my family in the drive to get ahead, but wow, when I found Christ, I couldn't believe that I could live like a KING with less than I had before ... my wife stopped working and reduced our household income by half and then I took another pay cut and lost benefits moving to my current job, but have I gone back? NO WAY! LIFE IS SO MUCH RICHER because I have the TIME to spend with my family and in church - I'd give up another $100,000 if I had to for the priceless experiences I have living healthy, worshipping, and just loving with family.
So, I think education and nutrition is a start. But I also think it's psychological. I really truly believe that finding Christ is an important step for many people, to thrust their cares aside and realize a true kingdom awaits them - no need to struggle and focus on glitzy cars and fast money. But, even short of religion, there is a psychology involved that is paramount. A parent needs to overcome selfishness first, to put their children first, and then they need to focus on that priority of health over their own convenience - they need to realize they might have to take some extra time to speak with or "deal with" and emotional child if they are truly concerned about them, rather than just stuffing a lump of sugar in their mouths to shut them up.
Heather as long as you don't have allergies, occassional PB is okay. It contains some healthy fats ... I still think almond tastes superior and has superior nutritional values, but PB is fine, too. The thing is, peanuts are one of the leading allergens in the world along with gluten and milk, and allergies aren't necessarily "on/off" - people may have varying degrees of allergic disposition, and even a mild allergy over time can lead to complications because of stress to the immune system ... this is my only concern with peanuts, I think a lot of people consume them who are mildly allergic to them.
Shane not sure what board you are talking about ... but I was a member of a particular board, too, and refuse to go back because of that negativity. It is ridiculous. Black or white. My favorite moment was when half the board trashed "The Leanness Lifestyle" and David Greenwalt as a crash diet that guaranteed muscle loss, yada yada. If you go to MSN groups (TheLeannessLifestyle) and look at the pictures of the people who have followed that program (hey, guess how I prepared for my own pictures at 6% body fat) I think you'd have a hard time convincing someone that people are dropping muscle left and right ... and what was the counter-argument? It was that "look at these TWO people who GAINED muscle using a different approach." DOH! TWO, that's real scientific. Fact is, there are many methods that work, but sometimes people get confused and think "What works for me must be THE WAY to do it" or "If I know what works for me, suddenly I'm qualified to know what works for someone else" (GUILTY here, been there and done that myself).
Of course, then there's the people who argue with me about proper nutrition who have been struggling for years to drop weight and haven't ... sorry, nothing against them for struggling but don't you think if your method wasn't working out, you'd open your mind a bit and at least listen rather than shoving something down someone's throat with nothing to show for it? I did not agree with about half of what David Greenwalt was teaching me when I joined his club, but I decided he had been doing this a lot longer, had more experience and knowledge, and to stick my pride somewhere else and just become a student. Guess what? The sacrifice paid off, and his techniques got me where I wanted - 6% at 178 pounds. That was one of my biggest lessons that I don't know half of what I think I do, and that there's always the possibility to learn something new tomorrow that contradicts everything I believe today!
The thing is, you can try to adopt a positive attitude and say, "If I'm a strong person, I can deal with negativity." But the truth is that when you are exposed to it day in and day out, guess what? No matter how positive you try to think, it sticks to you. I've had people ask to go back, hey, it's only a few people, just ignore them .. but why? Why should I even worry about introducing even an ounce of negativity into my day? Don't have time for it. You know, people on BODYBLOG disagree, but they can disagree like this: "I disagree, because ..." Rather than, "You are full of crap. Go back to your little hole that you came from. Everyone knows it's only THIS WAY". See? It's simply immaturity, insecurity, and serious ego problems that plague the people who choose to engage in those stupid little pissing matches ... I'm VERY happy to be on several other boards, this one included, where people are mature, humble adults simply trying to help each other, who can disagree without feeling like the universe revolves around them. You don't need that crap, Shane, if you want to live positive, surround yourself with positivity!
Joe - Great post! Yes, many thanks to God. God has blessed me many ways in the past few days, with both personal and work related issues. I can't believe how strong Christ is for us!
Erin - you GO girl! That is a shredded back ... you are definitely well on your way!
Aeowyne - sounds like you are making the decision and choosing to cross the Chasm. That's right ... what is the REWARD and what is the sacrifice? And do you want the REWARD more than the sacrifice? If so, remind yourself EVERY DAY of the REWARD and use that to make the sacrifice! BEST OF SUCCESS!
Okay, enough rants and ramblings for today. I'm OUT.
Jeremy
posted by Jeremy on 6/19/2003 7:25:46 AM |
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