Some Quick Nutrition Tips

 Nutrition Tips I try to stay away from writing TOO much about nutrition as everyone has their own dogma. What that being said there are some “time in the trenches” nutrition tips I have used with my clients with great success. Eat Starchy Carbs…..if you earn them! As your body attempts to restore depleted glycogen and rebuild damaged muscles (from I don’t know….45 Thrusters) the muscles are biochemically altered for up to two days.  So the muscles needs are different from sedentary folks. Starchy carbs, their ability to re-fuel high-powered energy reserves, and their anabolic effects definitely have a place in the diets of hard trainers, even during fat loss phases. This is what differentiates the “lean” from the “skinny”. Eat More Nutrients….but fewer calories. Focus on nutritionally dense foods as the cornerstone of your diet. Think the difference of 200 calories of soda vs. 200 calories of a spinach salad. Do it through quality, nutrient dense foods that serve a physiological and metabolic purpose. Want Muscle? The best whole food carbs for gaining size are potatoes (sweet, white, red, Yukon gold, purple) and white rice. For muscle gain set calories at 16 x BW per day as a starting point. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Some Quick Nutrition Tips on www.CrossFitTidalWave.com[/caption] Lose fat? Limit fruit consumption if your primary goal is fat loss. While no one got over weight eating apples, the insulin response can slow progress.   For fat loss set calories at 12 x BW per day as a starting point. What are you eating? Get your numbers right. What do you want? Lose fat or gain muscle? You can do a little of both at the same time but not A LOT of both. Pick your realistic goal and stick with it. Don’t yo-yo back and forth between cutting and bulking. Take measurements and/or pictures and figure out the macronutrients that work best for you. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="390"] Nutrition Tips on www.CrossFitTidalWave.com[/caption] You Can’t Out-Supplement Lack of Training Effort Just as you can’t out-train a bad diet, you can’t out-supplement a lack of training effort. References: Kazemzadeh, Y., et al. Effects of Carbohydrate-Protein Intake During Exercise on Hormonal Changes and Muscular Strength After 12-Week Resistance training. Journal of Basic Applied Scientific Research. 2012. 2(6), 5945-5951.]]>