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Nutrition
An intelligent and informed nutritional strategy is crucial for one to
reach their physical goals. At a cellular level, there are
certain basic conditions that must be met for external changes to occur
and it is through our diet that we can acheive this. Not only is
it important that our macronutrient(carbohydrate,protein and fat) and
micronutrient(vitamins and minerals) totals are appropriate, but
manipulation of the timing of each is important as well. There
are certain times that different combinations of each can be either
advantageous or detrimental to one's physique. As part of my one
on one consultations, we will delve into this further but some general
principles of my program are as follows:
Article 1: Rules to live by..... 1. Low glycemic carbohydrates(or carbs) are to be consumed in a tapered fashion over the course of the day. In extreme fat loss planning, this may be limited so much as the only two carb containing meals over the course of the day. Physiologically, the body is more sensitive to insulin earlier in the day and this also allows us to burn consumed glucose for fuel over the course of the day and not have a "spillover" amount remaining upon going to sleep at night(only to be stored as adipose tissue). 2. Protein is to be consumed with each meal. This is important for several reasons. First, it will lower the glycemic response of any meal containing carbs. Keeping stable blood sugars levels low and consistent has been shown to help reducing cravings by eliminating the "crash effect" that can occur when simple,high glycemic carbs are consumed. Second, tying in with the theme of hunger, protein has a high satiety effect and will give a sense of fullness and futher combat unwanted cravings. The third reason is perhaps the most important. Constant protein feedings will keep nitrogen retention levels steady by providing a steady stream of amino acids over the course of the day. This is important because it will promote an anabolic effect for those looking to gain muscle and anticatabolic effect for those attempting to shed bodyfat. Muscle loss is a prime factor in the downregulation of the metabolic rate when dieting. 3. Meals are to be consumed on a timed schedule. This enables one to plot out their daily caloric consumption around their schedule and eliminates any confusion of when to eat. Eating by hunger alone is not a very effective strategy for either weight loss or gain as it can be skewed by mood,fluid intake and hormonal influences. The duration of time between meals with vary between individuals and their goals at the time(which i thoroughly go over in one on one sessions). The range can be from every one and a half hours(for hardgainers looking to gain muscle) to every three hours(for those with lower than average metabolisms). I NEVER recommend starvation diets as they give the body fat storing signals that make weight loss even more frustrating. The simple fact is that the human body is a very intricate organism that has developed over thousands of years to survive and in this case, if it senses a food shortage, it will hang onto every last calorie it can. For more of the basic guidelines and ongoing support, please contact me about one on one online consultations by emailing me at sean@seanfitness.com Article 2: Final Week Preparation for photo shoot or contest: As a competitive bodybuilder and working fitness model, it is of the utmost importance to appear as cut and "dry" as possible. Fellow competitors and models have asked what program i follow when it comes to dropping water weight. Beyond getting lean enough, there are some tricks you can use in your favor to helping shed some extra subcutaneous water weight. There has always been a certain mystique surrounding this topic and has caused countless athletes a great deal of stress, attempting to separate fact from fiction. Furthermore, being off on one's timing of one of the protocols can leave your physique even softer appearing than if you otherwise would not have. My basic system involves water load/deplete while manipulating sodium intake at the same time. For all intents and purposes, we will say the event is saturday morning. You should already have a high water intake the weeks prior as part of your normal routine but starting one week out, increase water intake to 1.5gallons for every 100lbs of lean body weight. Basically, that means at 200lbs ripped, one should consume 3 gallons. Continue this pattern until Friday in which you will then have 1gallon/100lbs of bodyweight but with no liquids after 8pm Friday evening. this can be manipulated accordingly, but what you have done is temporarily upregulated your body's own water and sodium excretion capabilities. When you cut the water out friday evening, your body will still continue to expel water and sodium at an accelerated rate than normal. Some techniques to assist in the process include taking an herbal diuretic(i have found high dose dandelion leaf extract to work well but prefer MHP Xpel for its multi faceted formula) and taking small sips of water every couple hours, simply to wet the mouth to prevent signals of dehydration to the body. The day of the event, one is to continue such program until the shoot/contest is over. The second adjunct is the sodium loading and restriction. Starting a week prior(with the water increase) bump up sodium to 3g per 100lbs lean, ie, 6g for a 200lb athlete. Continue this thru thursday. On friday drop the amount to less than 1g and do not consume any the day of shoot UNLESS it is immediately prior to the shoot with no liquid. Doing so will aid in vascuarity and blood flow to the muscles and help prevent one from looking "flat". The sodium load/deplete is best practiced a few times to see what timing and amounts work best for each individual. Becoming more in tune with your own body will help you see the changes your physique takes to each method and will prove to be crucial for fine tuning your own program. |