Post-Workout Nutrition

I've seen tons of athletes  who train extremely hard in the gym, only to fuck up their results in the kitchen. They skip meals, under or overeat, and generally just eat crap. I also know a lot of guys who go for hours after their workouts without food. This is a huge mistake. To optimize your results in the gym, a proper  meal within the post workout window is a necessity. 

The post-workout window is a period of time where your body will partition nutrients more favorably. This period of time lasts for roughly one hour. This means that whatever nutrients you put in your body will be more likely to be stored as muscle than fat. In addition, the carbohydrate requirements of your peri-workout meals are higher. As a rule, one should consume a shake or solid food meal that is higher in carbohydrates as soon as possible after heavy exercise. The carbohydrate content for the post – workout meal should generally be one portion of carbohydrate larger than the requirements for your metabolic type.

            For example, a protein type who would usually consume 30% carbohydrate, 50% protein and 20% fats might have 30 grams of carbs, 50 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat in a meal (fats contain roughly twice the amount of calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates). For the post workout meal, this individual would consume twice the amount of carbohydrate with the same amount of protein and fat. Therefore, the post workout meal would contain 60 grams of carbohydrate, 50 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat.

            The best sources of carbohydrate during the post workout meal are healthy options for higher glycemic carbohydrates. Specific foods recommended include bananas, potatoes of all varieties, dates, figs, rice, and oats. The sources of protein and fats in the post workout meal are of little long-term importance (no matter what the supplement companies try to tell you!).

            A word on fats in the post – workout meal: There is some controversy over whether or not fats belong in the post workout meal at all. This is due to several factors. First of all, insulin sensitivity is higher after exercise; meaning that whatever nutrients are consumed post-workout will be shuttled into the tissue at a much higher rate of absorption. This is a good thing when considering protein and carbohydrates because glycogen stores need to be rapidly replenished post-workout. However, shuttling fat strait into the tissue will not replenish glycogen, and will (in theory) have a negative effect on body composition. Also, fats tend to slow down the insulin response of a meal, meaning that when fats are consumed in the post-workout meal the overall absorption rate of the meal will be slower. Since the post workout window is roughly one hour (depending on the individual’s hormonal makeup), consuming fats in the post-workout meal will slow the absorption of the meal and potentially miss this one-hour window.

            Having said that, it is my opinion that in the real world, consuming some healthy fats in the post workout meal will not affect your progress in the least. The meal will be healthier as a result if you do choose to consume some healthy fats in this meal due to the fact that the insulin response will be lower and you won’t experience such a dramatic blood sugar crash. You also shouldn’t have a problem replenishing glycogen stores due to the fact that most trainees will only burn roughly 60 grams of carbohydrate in a workout. I personally consume 10-15 grams of fat in my post workout meal, usually from flax, coconut butter, or avocado.

            Here is a simple post workout shake you can make to greatly accelerate your progress in the gym: 

30-60 grams protein from powder

Mixed brozen berries

2 bananas

2 – 3 dates

1 Tbsp Nut butter or Coconut butter, or ½ avocado, or 2 Tbsp Ground Flax

Several handfuls of spinach (sounds gross, but you can’t taste it at all)

Try it out after your next workout. You can tweak it to fit your needs and metabolic type as well. Also, if you are going to cheat and eat junk food, try to do it around the post – workout window, as insulin sensitivity will allow for a better partitioning of nutrients and therefore less body fat gain from the junk food. 

Train Hard. 

- T

Training OCD

I'm headed to university in a few weeks, and so for the eight months that I stay in residence I won't be able to train at home. For once I'll be in a public gym, lifting in the university weight room facility alongside all the other students. I took a walk around the gym on campus the other day and was quickly reminded of all the reasons I decided to start my own gym at home. You know the scene. Johnny-big-arms doing curls while checking out his massive biceps in the mirror, spotters practically deadlifting the bar off his buddy's chest while yelling "it's all you!" There were guys who were literally spending more time talking to the girl walking on the treadmill than training themselves. 

However, for every idiot Fratboy who was only in the gym to pump up his "gunz" for the bar that night, there were some hard-working strength athletes who were busting their ass in the gym, spending hours upon hours in an effort to add even a couple pounds of lean muscle tissue to their frames. Unfortunately, for the most part, they were spinning their wheels. Although they tend to come by it honestly, most highly motivated trainees are simply running in circles when it comes to achieving a high level of strength and muscularity. 

I believe that in this sport it is possible to take a high level of motivation too far. Often times you will see guys spending hours on the internet, searching the chat rooms for the next "secret" supplement or "magical exercise that will turn them into Ronnie Coleman overnight. This is the number one problem I see in the sport, and is the main reason many people get nowhere. 

There are people right now frozen in their tracks over the latest marketing campaign by their favorite supplement company, wondering whether N.O. products or Glutamine will be the answer to their muscle-building prayers. They are sitting in the kitchen unable to mix their post-workout shakes because they aren't sure if 5 grams of Creatine will do the same thing as 6 grams, whether they should use waxy maize starch or maltodextrin/dextrose for their carbs, or if whey isolate will absorb too slowly into their bloodstream and they should throw the whole batch out and order some whey hydrolysate. 

These are the same guys who spend hours on their biceps trying to hit the long head, the short head and the brachialis, do flat bench, incline bench, and decline bench followed by flat, incline and decline flyes so that they hit their chest from every angle, and think that leg extensions are going to give them the quad "sweep" that they are looking for. This is only if they decide which movements to do in the first place, because often they are so caught up looking for the perfect routine that they don't even remember to train. 

I know, because I used to be one of these guys. And you know what I realized over time? 

It doesn't fucking matter. 

Do you really think any of the top bodybuilders or strength athletes are worrying about petty shit like that? I can promise you that they are far too busy paying their dues in the squat rack, choking down their sixth meal of the day, and telling their friends that they can't go out to the bar that night because they have an early workout the next morning. Fads in the fitness industry will come and go, but the one thing that remains constant is hard work and dedication to the basics. 

What do you think is going to build more muscle on your quads? A 500 lb squat, balls to the wall taken all the way to the floor for 20 reps, or a 100 lb leg extension? Do you really think that if you work hard enough on that set of squats you should have enough energy left for the extensions anyway? 

If more people picked 6 - 8 big, basic compounds movements and got brutally, inhuman strong on each of them while consistently adding more food to their plates, there would be far more massive human beings walking around. 

The fastest way of getting absolutely nowhere in this sport is to jump around from program to program like a chicken with your head cut off, following the latest bullshit routine that rolls through Flex magazine and thinking it's your ticket to mass-ville. 

Bodybuilding is both a blessing and a curse for many people. The types of people that are generally drawn to the sport are those who are insecure about their image and are constantly worrying if they are doing the right thing. They think that there are a bunch of "secrets" that all the big guys are keeping from them, and are always on the search to find them out. For the small handful of guys that figure out the keys to progress in this sport, they are blessed with the realization that consistency and simplicity will trump the most complex routine of isometric thermogenic myofibrillar hypertonic volume training any day of the week. 

My advice to all the highly motivated athletes out there is simply to consider what the keys to progress are. If you think hard enough about it, you already know them: Consistently add weight to the bar and get stronger at big, basic movements such as deadlifts, squats, presses, chins and rows, while eating upwards of 4000 calories per day of non-junk food, and get 8 hours of sleep each night. 

This sport is simple, but for some reason it's the most motivated athletes who make it complicated. I'm going to leave you with a quote from Dante Trudell that sums up the point I've been trying to get across:

"You want to worry bout something? Worry about that damn logbook. Worry about staying uninjured in your quest. Worry about not missing any meals. Worry about somehow someway making yourself the strongest bodybuilder you can become.

A brute. A behemoth. A human forklift."

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- T

Training August 14, 2009 and My Template

Here's a quick clip of my training yesterday. I taped the top set of each movement. 

This was the workout: 

Pre-Work: Turkish Get-Ups: 2 x 1 trip each arm, Face Pulls: 2 x 12

A. Rack Pulls: Work up to max reps at 305

B1. Military Press off Pins: Worked up to max reps at 125

B2. Pullups: Worked up to max reps with 20 lbs and 10 lbs extra weight. 

C1. Overhead lockouts: 2 x 6-10

C2. Towel Curls: 2 x 8 - 12 (not shown)

D. Prowler: 4 trips with 1 minute timed rest between, 140 lbs on the poles. 

Right now I am using the 5/3/1 template for my training, but I have found full body workouts to be most effective for me. I've tried both ways, and I recommend that anybody using 5/3/1 try it in it's original form first. I do three full body workouts per week, one day focusing on front squats and floor presses with assistance movements, one day for rack pulls and military presses with assistance movements, and one day strictly for assistance movements. 

Here's the full template in case anyone is interested:

Monday

Pre-Work: Face Pulls and Ab Wheel

A. Front Squats: 5/3/1

B1. Floor Press off Pins: 5/3/1

B2. DB Rows: 2 x 10-15

C1. Bench Lockouts: 2 x 6 - 10

C2. Barbell Curls w/ Fat Grips

D. Prowler: Trying for maximum # of trips

Wednesday

Pre-Work: Face Pulls and Pallof Press ISO Holds

A. 5 second Paused Bulgarian Split Squats

B1. Dips: 3 x 8 - 12

B2. Pullups: 3 x 4-6

C1. GHR: 3-5 x 8 - 10

C2. Vertical Leg Lowering Abs off Pullup Bar: Various, between sets of GHR

D1. Feet Elevated Blast Strap Pushups: 3 x 10 - 12

D2. Inverted Rows: 3 x 10 - 12

Friday

Pre-Work: Face Pulls and Turkish Get-Ups

A. Rack Pulls: 5/3/1

B1. Military off Pins: 5/3/1

B2. Pullups: 2 x 10 - 20 (Higher reps than wednesday)

C1. Overhead Lockouts: 2 - 3 x 6 - 10

C2. Towel Curls: 2 x 8 - 12

D. Prowler: Trying for decreased rest periods at a set number of 4 trips

Saturday - Strongman Day

A. Keg Toss

B. Farmer's Walks

C. Hand Over Hand Sled Rows

D. Backwards Sled Drags

Note: Personally I like pressing off pins because it ensures that form is kept strict, as well as eliminates the stretch-reflex. It is also easier on days that you don't have a spotter. Pressing off pins is a lot tougher and you can't use nearly as much weight, but I highly recommend trying it out for the benefits I mentioned. 

Before each workout I always foam roll and do mobility work. On off days I come in and foam roll, jump rope, and do my ISO Hold routine, usually followed by a sauna or epsome salts bath and a contrast shower. 

With all this nutrition talk lately I figured I would switch the focus to training oriented posts for a little while. Let me know if there is anything you want me to cover. 

- T

Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 5

This will be the final installment of the series - I decided to post the workout nutrition and "how to eat" blogs separate. This post will attempt to combine everything we have learned so far into a step - by - step plan to construct your full diet. 

Step 1: Timing Your Meals          

            The human body operates best on four to six feedings per day, consumed every 3-4 hours. Always establish a rhythm of eating, where you sit down to each meal or snack at the same time daily. One should not feel too full nor too hungry at any point in time over the course of the day.

Step 2: Determining What Foods to Eat

            The human body digests and absorbs specific foods better at specific times of the day. One must eat according to these natural rhythms. Simply base the emphasized foods around your individual nutrition type, at the proper ratios. The general body clock is as follows:

AM: Emphasis on fruits, more carbs and less fats.

Mid-Day: Emphasis on either grains/starches, or a mix of fruits and vegetables.

PM: Emphasis on vegetables, less carbs and more fats

Note that all of these recommendations need to be tweaked according to the individual’s metabolic type, and vary from person to person.

Another way of looking at the nutritional rhythms of the body is this:

AM         PM

Fruits  -> Vegetables

Carbs  -> Fats

I should say that I still recommend vegetables with every meal, while minimizing or cutting out most fruit later on in the day.

A general template for your main meals could look like this:

Breakfast: Fruits, as well as some type of protein and a smaller amount of healthy fats. A whole foods smoothie is a great option – but not if you are having a smoothie for a snack later in the day.

Lunch: Grains/starches, or a mix of fruits and vegetables. A salad of mixed fruits and vegetables is a very good option, along with perhaps some sort of grain/starch if these apply to your nutritional type. Remember to consume some type of protein and some healthy fats as well. A great option for fats could be some high-quality oil of your choice over your salad.

Dinner: Consume a large greens salad as well as some protein and healthy fats.

            When choosing snacks for in between these meals, try to choose raw options. Great choices include nuts, seeds, raw fruits, raw vegetables, goji berries, and hummus. When eating your morning snack, lean towards raw fruits with some nuts or seeds. A trail mix of goji berries and hemp seeds is a great option. Another option could be an apple with some almond butter. For your afternoon snack, lean towards raw veggies with hummus, or some more nuts and/or seeds with vegetables (think celery sticks with almond butter). If you are a high level athlete in heavy training, you can make one or two of your “snacks” whole food smoothies to get some extra calories. Try not to exceed one or two smoothies per day, though.

Step 3: Determining Portion Size

            Portion size depends largely on an individual’s bodyweight goals, among other things. A good rule is to eat until you are 80% full. If you wish to lose weight, you need to consume less energy (calories) than you expend. If you wish to gain weight, eat until you are satisfied, but gradually teach your body to metabolize food in a rapid fashion so that you can consume a higher quantity of food while still absorbing all of the nutrients. Remember – you aren’t necessarily what you eat, but what you absorb and assimilate.

            Many coaches recommend force - feeding yourself during a mass gaining phase, and while I have some experience with this (during my very skinny days I would consume up to 7000 calories per day) I don’t particularly recommend it for most people. Yes, you need to bust your ass at the dinner table just like you do in the gym. However, eating more food than you can assimilate and being stuffed and constipated all the time is not going to benefit you in the long run. A healthy organism will grow faster than an unhealthy organism. Gradually increase your tolerance for food and strive to eat in a sustainable way.

            I will also say that it is of benefit to oscillate your mass building efforts. What I meant by this is, go all out in the kitchen and in the gym trying to push your training weights and calories through the roof. Follow this with a brief back off period where you deload in the gym, and eat less food, less often, allowing your body time to rest and recover as well as detoxify and enzyme load. A good plan would be to go hard in the gym and in the kitchen for three weeks followed by a back off period of one week. You could also do a five days on – two days off schedule, or a 6 weeks on, two weeks off schedule. Only you can decide what works for you. During the heavy phase you might eat six meals per day for 4000 calories, and bump that down to four meals per day for 3000 calories during the lighter phase. Again, experiment and see what works for you. Personally, I like the three weeks on, one weeks off plan the best.

            In order to successfully plan a day of eating, consider the natural rhythms of the body, what food it is likely to absorb the best at that time of day, and gear those foods to your nutrition type. Create portion sizes specific to your goals. Experiment and find what works best for you. 

Hopefully this series has provided you with the information needed to construct a full diet plan for yourself. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at taylorallantraining@gmail.com, and we can set up a consultation. 

- T

Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 4

Now that we've covered the main indicators we look at in each individual, the role of metabolic typing, and food intolerance, we have a pretty good idea of the types of foods we should be eating, and at what ratios. Even so, by now you are probably asking "Okay, so what the hell do I eat? How do I know which foods are better than others?" This installment will ease your mind by going through all of the best foods for each macronutrient (protien, carbohydrates and fats). 

Remember - No matter how "heathy" a food is, if it is wrong for your metabolic type, or if you hold a food intolerance to it, it is not healthy for you. 

Let's get right into it. 

Protien

Protein should be eaten with every meal. Intake is individual, but in general, 20-50% of the total calories in one’s diet should come from protein.

Below are the best sources of protein. Levels are not given because choosing the best source is highly individual. Consider your metabolic type: Protien types do better on fattier, darker cuts of meat while carb types do better on lighter cuts. 

-       Free ranging, organic meats

-       Wild seafood

-       Free ranging, organic eggs: NOT omega-3 enriched.

-       Legumes (Remember that these are also high in carbohydrate)

-       Organic dairy products, preferably unpasteurized.

-       Legumes

-       Powders: Hemp*, Rice*, Gemma*, and Organic, Grass-Fed Whey proteins are best. Look for minimal ingredients, and zero chemicals. Only use whey if you are 100% certain that you can tolerate dairy – most people can’t.

* Taste much different from regular protein powders and definitely need some getting used to.

Fats

            Fats should be eaten with every meal, but not in extremely high quantities. Too much fat intake can make one feel sluggish, due to the high level of energy fats require for digestion. Again, intake is highly individual, but generally 15-25% of the total calories in one’s diet should come from healthy fats. This usually comes out to around 5-15g total of fat per meal. Snacks will likely include more fats than main meals, due to the nature of the foods being eaten (often raw nuts and seeds).

Also, avoid heating all sources of fat, besides organic butter and coconut oil.

Below are the best sources of fat:

Tier 1

Avocado and young thai coconut. – In my opinion, these two fruits are far and away the best sources of fat on the planet. Eat the whole fruit, however - don't fall for weak impressions like store-bought shredded coconut (which often contains a whole other list of harmful ingredients) and guacamole (you can easily make your own). Coconut meat should be soft and easy to spoon out of the shell. Look for the white coconuts, not the hairy ones you often see in grocery stores.

Tier 2

Raw and soaked seeds: Pumpkin, Sunflower (can and should be sprouted), Hemp, Sesame, Chia, and Flax are all good choices, as are seed butters like Tahini. 

Flax does not need to be soaked, but should always be organic and obtained from a very high quality source. Also, flax should be ground, and never eaten whole.

Also, Pumpkin and Hemp seeds are exceptional choices for snacks. Because of their higher protein content. 

Tier 3

Raw and soaked nuts: Almonds and Walnuts are good higher-protein nuts, and therefore make better snacking nuts. Macadamia nuts and Pecans are all good higher-fat nuts, and are not ideal for snacking.

Peanuts are not a nut, but a legume, and are often a food sensitivity for many people. They should generally be avoided by most, although some people do very well with peanuts.

Tier 4

Healthy oils: Olive, Avocado, Coconut, and Hemp oil are all very good. Always look for extra-virgin, cold pressed, organic oils. Avoid heating any oils besides the coconut oil.

Organic Butter also falls into this category. Raw and unpasteurized butter is always better. Look for Bio-available Organic butter. 

Remember: Saturated fat and cholesterol are NOT DANGEROUS. We evolved for thousands of years on saturated fats, and without them we wouldn't be on the planet today. WE NEED SATURATED FAT IN OUR DIET. The misconceptions surrounding cholesterol and saturated fats in our diet are clearly a HUGE pet peeve of mine, and will be discussed in future blog posts. For now though, don't shy away from healthy saturated fats like coconut, coconut oil and organic butter. These are all extremely healthy for you. 

Carbohydrates

            This section could very well be the most important, because it is most often the area that most people screw up. Let me get one thing out in the open right now: BREAD AND PASTA ARE NOT HEALTH FOODS. WHOLE WHEAT IS NOT A HEALTH FOOD. In fact, these are horrible foods for your body. It doesn't matter if the bread is "whole wheat" or "whole grain" or any other bullshit label that makes consumers think that it is good for their body. A huge percentage of the population is intolerant to gluten, and a large majority of grains contain gluten. Stick to the list below and you will be well on your way to optimal health.

In addition, we evolved on fruits and vegetables as our sources of carbohydrate. Grains are not manditory for optimal health. 99 times out of 100, the healthiest diet is one that is free of grains.

In a very general sense, some people do well with higher levels of carbohydrate, and some do very poorly. Always refer to your metabolic type, and recognize how specific foods make you feel. A good indication of how well carbohydrate is tolerated is how sleepy one feels between meals after consuming a high level of carbohydrate. Only you can decide how much, and what sources are best for you. As a general rule, carbohydrates should occupy 30-70% of the total calories in one’s diet, and the bulk of one’s daily intake should be eaten earlier in the day rather than later. Tier 3 and 4 sources in particular should usually be eliminated at night.

Below are the best sources of carbohydrates:

Tier 1

Vegetables: Green vegetables should be especially emphasized. Look for local, organically grown vegetables with deep colors.

Tier 2

Fruits: Lower glycemic and/or enzyme-rich fruits should be emphasized: Berries, papaya, pineapple, kiwi and apples are all very good general choices, and there are others that are good to consume at specific times and situations: Bananas, dates and figs for example are good choices in the morning and around exercise, but are too high in sugar for most people at other times of the day.

Tier 3

Yams/Sweet potatoes (NOT WHITE POTATOES), Amaranth, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Millet, and Wild Rice.

Tier 4

Brown Rice, and rolled or steel-cut oats. The only good brand of oats I have seen is Bob’s Red Mill, but I am sure there are others. Check to see if under ingredients, the oats are labeled “may contain wheat.” This means that the oats have been cross-contaminated, and are likely to contain gluten.

NOTE: Tier 1 and Tier 2 carbohydrates are the only mandatory sources that must be consumed daily for optimal health. 

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Now that you have a solid list of the foods you should be eating, consider your metabolic type as well as your food intolerances. Cross the foods off of the list that conflict with your individual body. You now have a master list of foods that are available to you. Each of these foods, when eaten in the right proportions, will allow you to achieve an extremely high level of health and performance. 

This series has become a bit longer than I expected, so hopefully I can wrap in up within the next few installments. We still need to cover peri-workout nutrition as well as how to prepare food and how to eat (seriously - most people physically eat wrong). These are hugely important topics that can make or break your progress, so stay tuned!

- T

Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 3

Part 1 of this series focused on the primary metabolic indicators that we concentrate on when initially assessing an athlete. Part 2 explained the process of metabolic typing and how it influences the foods we choose to consume as individuals. In this installment we will take the food selection process one step further. 

Metabolic Typing explains to us the main foods we should consume. For example, a carb type should focus on leaner, lighter cuts of meat and seafood while a protien type should focus on fattier, darker cuts of meat and seafood. For further information on what types of food to eat for your individual metabolic type, refer to the charts in Part 2. 

Now, simply referring to your metabolic type will cover most of your nutritional bases. However, to know exactly which foods we should consume and which to avoid, we must combine metabolic typing with food intolerance testing. 

Food Intolerance

Food intolerance is a low-level reaction to a food that has adverse effects on the individual. A reaction to a food may take up to one week to appear, but often occurs within one to two days time. These are different than food allergies, as intolerances are low-level reactions that are difficult to track because they occur over a period of time as opposed to allergies where the reaction occurs instantly. 

Some symptoms of food intolerance include:

-       Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

-       Acid Reflux

-       Brain fog

-       Weight problems

-       Fibromyalgia

-       Chronic fatigue

-       Skin eruptions

-      Migrane headaches

-       Many other lingering health problems

There are many suspect foods in our society that a large majority of people have some level of intolerance to. These general food groups include:

-       Gluten Grains

-       Dairy (especially milk and cheese)

-       Sugar

-       Corn

-       Chocolate

-       Soy

-       Citrus Fruits 

Some specific foods that many people may also have intolerance to include Cow's Milk, Gluten, Yeast, Eggs, Cashews, Brazil nuts, Almonds, Corn, Oats, Chili Peppers, Lentils, Kiwi Fruit and Peanuts. If you think you might be suffering from food intolerance and haven’t yet been tested, start by cutting out all of the above foods, as well as the food groups above. 

Food intolerance can be due to a number of factors and is often based on race and genetics. However, a main cause of food sensitivity is also a repetitive consumption of particular foods. Eating the same food daily can often cause sensitivity to that food in an individual. To combat this problem, make sure you are eating as wide a variety of foods as possible and avoid consuming the same foods day in, day out.

Without removing reactive foods from one’s diet, a high level of health can never be achieved. Many health care practitioners and naturopaths offer special blood tests to determine the reactivity of specific foods to an individual. Self-observation can also help one to determine if they are sensitive to a specific food or not. When in doubt, eliminate all of the listed suspect foods and wait one month. Re-introduce each suspect food one by one, at two week intervals. If symptoms appear upon re-introduction, simply eliminate that particular food entirely.

I personally had a blood test done by Rocky Mountain Laboratories this spring to identify food intolerances in my body. This is a screenshot of part of my results: 

As you can see, it is easy to be severely intolerant to foods that would otherwise be considered "healthy." For me, Eggs were very reactive to my body. I used to eat eggs daily and I have now eliminated them completely from my diet. This particular screenshot only reports on the "meat" section. There are other sections in the report such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and others. There are 90 foods in total that are examined. Another interesting food that I was reactive to was Pineapple. The "report summary" screenshot explains all the foods that I tested moderately and severely reactive to. 

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Imagine knowing that every single food you put into your body was perfect for you as an individual. Combining metabolic typing with food intolerance testing makes this possible. 

The next installment in this series will cover the best foods from each macronutrient bracket (proteins, fats and carbohydrates). Stay tuned!

- T

Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 2

Part 1 of this series dealt with analyzing key metabolic indicators to get a feel for the makeup of the athlete. Now that we have an idea what type of person we are dealing with, we need to select specific foods for this individual. 

The first thing we need to do is determine the individual's metabolic type. In a general sense, there are two main types: One that does well with higher carbohydrates and lower protein and fat intake, and one that does well with lower carbohydrates and higher protein and fat intake. Often people fall somewhere in the middle, making for a third, mixed type. Sensitivity to carbohydrates also indicates many other things.

Below is a comparison between types:

Type 1 – Carb Type (Slow Oxidizer)

-       Generally does well with 60-70% carbohydrate, 20-30% protein, and 10-15% fats

-       Usually of an ectomorphic body type (thinner build, naturally lower bodyfat %)

-       Often, but not always, a blood type A

-       Does well with lighter, leaner cuts of meat, as well as seafood

-       Handles starchy carbohydrate sources better than other types

-       If dairy is consumed, does better on lower fat or fat-free dairy products

-       Candidate for vegetarianism if desired

-       Usually handles legumes better than other types.

Type 2 – Mixed Type

-       Generally does well with 40-60% carbohydrate, 30-40% protein, and 15-25% fats

-       Body types vary, but will often be of a medium build, somewhere between ecto and mesomorph

-       Often, but not always, blood type B or AB

-       Does well with most cuts of meat and seafoods

-       Often tolerates dairy better than other types, but:

-       Must work harder to determine which foods and macronutrient ratios are right for them, individually.

Type 3 – Protein Type (Fast Oxidizer)

-       Generally does well with 30-40% carbohydrate, 40-50% protein, and 20-30% fats

-       Often, but definitely not always, of a mesomorphic body type (thicker build)

-       Often, but not always, blood type O

-       Does well with darker, fattier cuts of meat and seafood

-       Usually does not handle starchy carbohydrate sources as well as other types

-       If dairy is consumed, does better on full fat dairy products

-       Usually does not handle legumes as well as other types.

To determine your own individual type, consider your blood type, your body structure (are you naturally skinny, or do you have trouble keeping your weight down?), and also simply the way you feel after a particular meal as a reaction to the foods it contained.

Also, consider the following questionnaire:

1.)  For breakfast, which meal would provide you with the most energy and sense of fullness until lunchtime?

-       Yogurt and fruit -2

-       Steak and eggs +2

-       Any food would work 0

2.)  Do you crave salty snacks, such as potato chips?

-       Yes +1

-       No -1

-       At times but not consistently 0

3.)  For lunch, which meal would provide you with the most energy and sense of fullness until dinnertime?

-       Large salad with a small chicken breast -2

-       Beef tenderloin with a small spinach salad +2

-       Any food would work 0

4.)  If eating dessert, which would you desire the most? Consider your sense of taste and satisfaction, not which option you feel would be the healthiest.

-       Cheesecake +2

-       Yogurt with berries -2

-       An dessert would appeal to me 0

5.)  For dinner, which meal would provide you with the most energy and sense of fullness until bedtime?

-       Steak with vegetables +2

-       Seafood with a large Caesar salad -2

-       Any food would work 0

6.)  How would you react if you were forced to skip a meal?

-       No problem -2

-       Very poorly +2

-       No noticeable effect 0

7.)  If you drank a glass of fruit juice on an empty stomach, how would you feel?

-       I would react poorly +2

-       I would respond well -2

-       No noticeable effect 0

Add up your total score to determine your nutritional needs:

-       Carb Type: -15 to -6

-       Mixed Type: -5 to +5

-       Protien Type: +6 to +15

Metabolic types can never be exact, and only you can decide what works best for you. Use this template as a guide to get started, but ultimately you will need to experiment, and see for yourself what foods, at what ratios will help you achieve optimal health. On top of this, there are many further subcategories in the Metabolic Typing system. For the sake of this article, we won't get into them as they can seem complex and overwhelming. For now, just worry about which main category you fit under. You will also want to re-test yourself every month or so. As you get healthier you might find yourself shifting back towards your natural metabolic type, which may be different that the result of your original test. 

Eating right for your metabolic type will ensure that your body has the right foods to fuel your individual metabolism. The result is significantly higher, sustainable energy and higher performance, as well as the ability to control your weight and body composition in any direction you wish. 

Now, while Metabolic Type is the foundation for our system, selecting the correct foods still requires one more important facet. We will cover this facet in Part 3. In future installments, we will go over when to eat specific foods and at what ratios, peri-workout nutrition, and many other important topics. I'll sum it all up with a case study on myself, putting all the steps into action. For now, take the test and let me know what your results are!

- T