We often get questions on how to eat for:

• Weight loss
• Muscle gain
• Strength gain
• recovery

We are not dietitians nor nutritionists but we can discuss the basic principles of eating for performance. There are multiple sources for eating Paleo or becoming a vegan and we won’t attempt to address a specific diet here. We are working to be more functional and stronger human beings (not Barbie and He-Man) therefore the way we eat is to give our muscles the fuel it needs to work and also reduce body fat (less to carry for pull-ups or handstand pushups).

To lose fat, you must eat less calories than you burn OR burn more calories than you eat. The converse is true if you want to gain weight.

We need :

• Protein-builds muscle and needed for recuperation from training. Protein is even more important for growing young people and athletes than the average, sedentary adult
• Carbohydrates- are used to supply energy to our muscles. We can take in complex carbs which require digestion and conversion before they can become used and/or stored as energy. simple carbs which can be used sooner BUT usually in the form of simple sugars which cause us to “crash” shortly after providing energy.
•  Fats– we tend to get fats introduced into our diet and do not often need to seek them, but some fat is a necessity and is used as a long term energy source.

Any of the above, consumed in excess, is stored as fat in our body

We can lose 2-3 lbs of fat per week; if you are losing more than that then you may be losing muscle mass and water. While this seems minimal and maybe slow, it is a long term approach and in one month that would mean 8-12 lbs of fat loss and over 6 months 50-75lbs and that is A LOT.

Some general guidelines:

• Only eat something that has POSITIVE nutritional value-in other words, make your calories count. Alcohol, candy and simple sugars are all examples of negative nutritional value and can cause us to get caught on a simple sugar roller-coaster which leads to eating more simple sugars.
• Shop the PERIMETER of  your grocery store. AVOID, the processed foods that make up the aisles of the grocery store. The les processed food is usually the best for you; fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, eggs etc.
• Get NO Calories from drinking (if you are trying to gain weight then skim milk may be acceptable)- drink water, if you must have flavor then squeeze a lemon in your water or unsweet tea. Water is still the best choice. Juices have calories and not much nutrition for the simple sugars they pack. If you MUST drink juice cut it with water. Gatorade/powerade etc. can be used to replenish electrolytes and salts lost after a workout but they add too much sugar to be drunk on a regular basis. More recent research suggests that water may do just as good a job if not better in re-hydrating.
• Don’t kid yourself – calories don’t lie if you put them in your mouth, even if nobody saw or it is “just this once” your body stores it.  Just 100-150 calories extra calories each day can lead to 10-15 extra lbs each year. The encouraging part is if you REDUCE your calories by only 100-150 calories you will lose 10-15 lbs.
• Read the labels– know what the content of your foods are.
• 4-6 smaller meals per day, this applies to wanting to gain weight OR lose weight. Your body can better utilize the nutrition spread out during the day rather than a few big meals.
• Stop eating when you are done being hungry NOT when you are full. If you get to “full” you have eaten too much. This may take time to train your body to recognize when it is done being hungry so in the beginning eat slower and consciously eat smaller portions.
• Smaller portions _ until you can listen to your body and it tells you it is done being hungry therefore= STOP eating you should consciously eat smaller portions (I realize this is very similar to the above statement but it is that important)

Good sources of LEAN protein

• Egg Whites ( the yolk contains all the fat in an egg BUT the yolk is not all fat) For those trying to gain weight you can eat whole eggs instead of just egg whites
• Skinless turkey breast (not fried)
• Skinless chicken breast (not fried)
• White meat fish (not fried)
• Chunk white tuna in water (not in oil)
• Skim milk or no fat milk products (CAN be high in simple carbs)
• If you are trying to pack on muscle and gain weight, then you can add lean red meat such as ground sirloin.
• All can be cooked bake, broil, grill or boiled.  All without oils or butter

Good Sources of complex carbs

• Rice (brown is best) NOT stir-fried
• Oatmeal
• Baked potato or baked sweet potato
• Beans
• Whole grain breads
• Whole grain Pasta (whole grains are best but not always available; but never mac and cheese)
• Fruits as close to raw as possible. (avoid fruit cocktail and other fruit prepared with added sugar) any raw fruits: apples, oranges, pears, grapes,peaches, nectarines, plums,grapefruit are a great snack and contain zero fat
• Vegetables as close to raw as possible(avoid cooking with butter and ham etc.) while not plentiful in carbs, vegetable pack lots of nutrients and very little calories.

Good Sources of fats

• Nuts
  • Almonds
  • Pistachios
  • Walnuts
• Olives
• Oils (NOT hydrogenated)
  • Olive
  • Sunflower

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