mattyc
03-15-2006, 05:32 PM
I'm new on this website and it appears that a lot of you are having questions as to how you should diet. Granted I'm not a nutrionist or a certified personal trainer but I've been involved in fitness and nutrition long enough to collect a wealth of knowledge that I'll put down for your benefit.
First off it is not about dieting but eating in balance. Dieting means excluding your body of certain food types, like cutting down on protein, carbohydrates, or fat. What most people fail to understand that cutting down on these essentail food types causes more harm than good. Now there are certain foods that we should stay away from period (I'll explain later) because they do not fall under the particular classification of foods you need to eat for better performance.
Eating in balance is about having the right combination/percentages of each food group according to your body type so...unfortunately I can't tell you this is the exact plan you need however I could give the basics that need to be incorporated in whatever plan you have for yourself.
1. As soon as you wake up drink one glass of water; it will help flush out your system and it helps get the metabolism starting.
2. 25-30 grams of fiber a day: try to go for at least half that amount at breakfast since recent studies have proven that consuming high amounts of fiber at breakfast not only help clean the system out but increase your energy throughout the day as well.
3. Stay away from all simple carbohydrates and saturated fats: simple carbohydrates can be classifed as anything the body does not store as glycogen thus rendering the body to use it as energy right away. The body will burn simple carohydrates before it burns fat. A perfect example of a simple carbohydrate would be sugar and less obvious one would be enriched white flour.
Instead of eating foods high in saturated fat consume more foods high on unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat actually increases the bodies testerone production and it will aid you in developing stronger muscles. Some forms of unsaturated fat are omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids found in certain fish and nuts.
4. Don't eat anything that says low-fat, no-fat, sugar-free, net-carbs, etc...: the fact that the food is missing an ingredient means the manufacturer will load it up on artifical ingredients and sweetners, most notable splenda. Splenda has actually been linked to slowing down the nervous system thereby slowing down the metabolism. Regardless of what the artificial ingredient is you shouldn't eat just due to the fact that it's not naturally made.
5. Don't consume to much protein: the "average" person needs about 32.5% of their body weight whereas a body builder needs 70% of their body weight. Too much of any one thing is not good, the amount you need all depends on what your goals are so experiment with your body at different ratios and then you'll know.
6. Consume at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day: you should have one serving high in Vitamin A, C, and fiber and stay away from any dried fuit since it is usually loaded up with sugar (a simple carbohydrate).
7. Have a least one glass of water every two hours: sometimes the feeling of hunger or the craving for salty foods is attributed to the body's need for water. So drink up!
Hope this helps,
Matthew
First off it is not about dieting but eating in balance. Dieting means excluding your body of certain food types, like cutting down on protein, carbohydrates, or fat. What most people fail to understand that cutting down on these essentail food types causes more harm than good. Now there are certain foods that we should stay away from period (I'll explain later) because they do not fall under the particular classification of foods you need to eat for better performance.
Eating in balance is about having the right combination/percentages of each food group according to your body type so...unfortunately I can't tell you this is the exact plan you need however I could give the basics that need to be incorporated in whatever plan you have for yourself.
1. As soon as you wake up drink one glass of water; it will help flush out your system and it helps get the metabolism starting.
2. 25-30 grams of fiber a day: try to go for at least half that amount at breakfast since recent studies have proven that consuming high amounts of fiber at breakfast not only help clean the system out but increase your energy throughout the day as well.
3. Stay away from all simple carbohydrates and saturated fats: simple carbohydrates can be classifed as anything the body does not store as glycogen thus rendering the body to use it as energy right away. The body will burn simple carohydrates before it burns fat. A perfect example of a simple carbohydrate would be sugar and less obvious one would be enriched white flour.
Instead of eating foods high in saturated fat consume more foods high on unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat actually increases the bodies testerone production and it will aid you in developing stronger muscles. Some forms of unsaturated fat are omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids found in certain fish and nuts.
4. Don't eat anything that says low-fat, no-fat, sugar-free, net-carbs, etc...: the fact that the food is missing an ingredient means the manufacturer will load it up on artifical ingredients and sweetners, most notable splenda. Splenda has actually been linked to slowing down the nervous system thereby slowing down the metabolism. Regardless of what the artificial ingredient is you shouldn't eat just due to the fact that it's not naturally made.
5. Don't consume to much protein: the "average" person needs about 32.5% of their body weight whereas a body builder needs 70% of their body weight. Too much of any one thing is not good, the amount you need all depends on what your goals are so experiment with your body at different ratios and then you'll know.
6. Consume at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day: you should have one serving high in Vitamin A, C, and fiber and stay away from any dried fuit since it is usually loaded up with sugar (a simple carbohydrate).
7. Have a least one glass of water every two hours: sometimes the feeling of hunger or the craving for salty foods is attributed to the body's need for water. So drink up!
Hope this helps,
Matthew