I will say this, those of you who may have ever met me or seen me years ago, will attest to the fact that I am of thin build. It is not my fault. My family, on both sides are thin builds. My mom's side is Scottish and English and they are all built thin. My dad's side is Austrian and German and they were all thin as well. My mom's side was filled with soldiers, workers and businessmen. My dad's side was filled with cooks, nurses and farmers. So, playing with the mystery of the genetic paintbrush or the way that genetics make us who we are and what we are, I have to say that I acquired my thin build and lightning fast metabolism most likely from my dad's side.
So for most of my life, I have looked frail, and sick (as my wife put it when she first saw me). I was 130 pounds when I was in college and the road to gain weight has always been a difficult one. As recent as 3 years ago, while at work one day, I tracked my caloric intake and discovered that at the end of the day, I had consumed over 7,000 calories. I maybe gained a few ounces. My metabolism moves that quickly and burns so fast that if I don't eat something every hour or every other hour, I get hungry. I have gotten so hungry that I can get nausea because of it.
Now, what does this have to do with anything?
Well, I wanted to share that for the past 7 months, I have been body building. I have been taking my lessons from a former winner of his state competition in the late 80's. I have noticed a small trend though, in the way that I operate versus the way he does and I am thinking that it has a more holistic answer.
I have seen a lot of people work out, at gyms or by themselves and have seen what they put their bodies through. What I have noticed, is that their diets consist of large amounts of proteins and very little fats and antioxidants. Yeah, I know you don't want fat while working out, but 0 fat is not a good thing. You nerves and brain tissues are made from fats. Having some sort of fat, will replenish those cells and keep your brain going and active. Have you heard the terms "DHA" or "Omega-3" lately? Those are healthy fats that come from things like eggs. You have no idea how many times I have heard someone say that they are eating healthy and working out so they omit eggs from their diet. Eggs have a good source of DHA and do help your brain grow and keep its function.
What I also notice, is while you may survive while working out by drinking your protein shakes and eating your steak and protein bars, the rest of your body may not be having a good time. I wonder how many body builders throw their backs out because they don't have enough calcium? I wonder how many body builders get sick frequently because they don't eat vegetables or fruits?
I am still eating. As a nutritionist, ever since I learned so much about foods, vitamins and herbs and what they can do for your body, I have been watching what I eat. I work out, then drink my protein drink (mixed with milk) and then live my day like normal; eating snacks, fruit, vegetables, meats and even cookies or bakery items. I have noticed that as long as I stick with a normal healthy-like diet, while doing the protein shake, I feel better. I still take a multivitamin, but I just feel better. I don't complain about how many calories are in a banana or how much fat is a cup of milk, as those are needed for my body.
Especially when the cold sets in, like the 7 degrees that it is currently outside, I would say that while eating a steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner may warm you up and keep you full of protein to build more muscle, I don't think you should negate a doughnut or a banana or something fattening as well. As long as you make better choices, I think you can still work out and eat whatever you want.
So for most of my life, I have looked frail, and sick (as my wife put it when she first saw me). I was 130 pounds when I was in college and the road to gain weight has always been a difficult one. As recent as 3 years ago, while at work one day, I tracked my caloric intake and discovered that at the end of the day, I had consumed over 7,000 calories. I maybe gained a few ounces. My metabolism moves that quickly and burns so fast that if I don't eat something every hour or every other hour, I get hungry. I have gotten so hungry that I can get nausea because of it.
Now, what does this have to do with anything?
Well, I wanted to share that for the past 7 months, I have been body building. I have been taking my lessons from a former winner of his state competition in the late 80's. I have noticed a small trend though, in the way that I operate versus the way he does and I am thinking that it has a more holistic answer.
I have seen a lot of people work out, at gyms or by themselves and have seen what they put their bodies through. What I have noticed, is that their diets consist of large amounts of proteins and very little fats and antioxidants. Yeah, I know you don't want fat while working out, but 0 fat is not a good thing. You nerves and brain tissues are made from fats. Having some sort of fat, will replenish those cells and keep your brain going and active. Have you heard the terms "DHA" or "Omega-3" lately? Those are healthy fats that come from things like eggs. You have no idea how many times I have heard someone say that they are eating healthy and working out so they omit eggs from their diet. Eggs have a good source of DHA and do help your brain grow and keep its function.
What I also notice, is while you may survive while working out by drinking your protein shakes and eating your steak and protein bars, the rest of your body may not be having a good time. I wonder how many body builders throw their backs out because they don't have enough calcium? I wonder how many body builders get sick frequently because they don't eat vegetables or fruits?
I am still eating. As a nutritionist, ever since I learned so much about foods, vitamins and herbs and what they can do for your body, I have been watching what I eat. I work out, then drink my protein drink (mixed with milk) and then live my day like normal; eating snacks, fruit, vegetables, meats and even cookies or bakery items. I have noticed that as long as I stick with a normal healthy-like diet, while doing the protein shake, I feel better. I still take a multivitamin, but I just feel better. I don't complain about how many calories are in a banana or how much fat is a cup of milk, as those are needed for my body.
Especially when the cold sets in, like the 7 degrees that it is currently outside, I would say that while eating a steak for breakfast, lunch and dinner may warm you up and keep you full of protein to build more muscle, I don't think you should negate a doughnut or a banana or something fattening as well. As long as you make better choices, I think you can still work out and eat whatever you want.
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