NEVER DIET AGAIN!
by David Gilks
Yes folks, you got it, never diet again. Throw away those books, burn the calorie counters and sell those electronic ab belts! All you have to do is zig zag your calories! So what's up with the zig zag? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me start by taking a concept from athletic training and program development. Through out the year we have different stages of our life where the physical demands are greater and other times where the demands made on us is much less. When developing a training program for an athlete, we vary the level of intensity depending on the goals and needs of that athlete. This type of planning is called "periodization".
Periodization was first developed by Dr. Tudor Bompa, who I had the pleasure of meeting at conference at UBC many years ago. His revolutionary concept helped athletes plan their training for their given sport in stages to ensure safe progression and that the athlete reached his or her peak potential at the right time. So what does this have to do with dieting you may ask? Well, the physical demands made on us daily in not always the same. Our daily task may change through out the week. The times we exercise and the types of exercise that we do (assuming we exercise) through out the week probably change. So what's the point? What if we used the similar concept of periodization for our eating plans the same way athletes use it to plan their training?
If we look at our week on day at a time we can probably decide in advance the combination of foods necessary for any given activity. I am writing this Sunday night and am thinking about breakfast already (well, I like to eat). I generally have breakfast around 4:30 am and go to work around 5:45 am. From 6:00 am to 9:00 am I am generally coaching clients through their workouts. To do this I may load the exercise machines with weights, carry a clipboard with the exercise session laid out, and provide instruction to the client. How much energy do you think it will cost me for the first 3 hours of my day? About 200 calories per hour for a grand total of 600 calories for the morning. And those 600 calories will be about 50 % carbohydrate - 30% protein-20 % fat. I use this combination due to the fact that I only require so much energy in the form of glucose for my morning activities. If it were Tuesday morning, I would need to add more carbohydrates to my breakfast due to the fact I run an outdoor boot camp at 6:00 AM. (you got try them!) Certainly a lot more energy required to race around a field than to hold a clipboard. Are you starting to catch on?
By adjusting your calories, mainly your carbohydrate intake, for the activities you are about to do will ensure you only get the energy you require for the moment and reduce the risk of storing any excess as body fat. So look at this again. We need a certain amount of protein through out the day, so let's start there. Try and determine what your protein intake is for the day and lay that out first. For ladies you can use a conservative 75 grams of protein a day to start. That would be about 19 grams over four meals. Great, now let's look at the carbohydrate content. If you are going to be a little more active this morning use a starchy carbohydrate (like oatmeal slow cooked, whole grain bread, etc.) If you are being less active, perhaps through out the day, eat more vegetables, some fruit, less starchy carbohydrates. Does this make sense? I have written about this before stating, "eat for what you do, not for what you crave". It is the simplest concept to follow but does require a little forethought. Are you tired of fighting with your weight and not having enough energy to enjoy your life to its fullest? It is a very simple process; you simply have to do it!!
After many years of working with clients on one I have decided that it is time to reach a larger audience, I have been working on a program titled "Return to Fitness" which will be a 6 week educational series covering all the topics of fitness from a "how to approach". If you think you would be interested in this type of program lets us know. I love what I do and I can't wait to make you one of our success stories!
