Let’s recap what we learned in part 1 of this series.
At the end of the day this is what you would consider common sense.
– Have a workout plan when you go to the gym
– Follow said workout plan.
– Make sure it’s a good workout plan to begin with.
– Make sure the workout plan is the right one for you and your goals.
See this is simple stuff but as history tells us, simple is not always easy.
On to part 2…
Part 2: Nutrition Mistakes
The Over Reliance on Supplements – Don’t get me wrong, I love supplements. Especially when they come from Tiger Fitness or Zip Fizz ;)
However, a point needs to be made here. No amount of supplements will make up for a poor diet, not even dat der Cell Tech. I’m just tired of people running out and spending a ton of money on supplements but have shitty diets.
I see this quite a bit being on a college campus. Guys go out and purchase pre workout products, creatine, fat burners, mass gainers, etc but yet they eat like shit and party every night. Then they proceed to wonder why they make terrible progress and never improve on any of their lifts.
Supplements are called “supplements” for a reason; they are supposed to supplement your diet.
First thing first; get your diet in check before spending any money on supplements. If you need help with that I have some experience… Join TeamHF!!!
Lastly, Whey Protein is not a supplement! Whey protein is a food item. I used to argue with one of my old nutrition professors about this all the time. Yes, I understand the classification as a supplement but I just wanted to make it clear I was not talking about protein powder in this particular context. Feel free to go out and buy some whey protein. It will actually be benefitial for you and make it a lot easier to meet protein requirements.
Too Much or Too Little Attention to Food Quality – Ok here is where things are going to get silly!
I feel like the issue of eating clean (non-processed whole foods) vs. eating dirty (processed refined foods) has been beaten to death so I’m not going to touch on that in much detail.
What I am going to say is that from a purely cosmetic standpoint it does not make much of a difference if your food choices come from “clean” or “dirty” foods as long as adequate intake of protein, fiber and micronutrients are met. However, I do feel like selecting foods that are satiating and nutrient dense most of the time will provide better long term results. Also eating for health is different than eating for improving ones physique.
I do take food selection into consideration when designing nutrition plans for my clients. Food selection and macronutrient distribution can have important effects on hunger/appetite, mood and adherence to the plan.
The problem is when people sway too far onto one side of the fence. It seems like people are either so caught up on eating clean that they feel like they don’t need to adhere to following any calorie or macronutrient guidelines. The fact is you can still get fat from healthy food! Calorie surplus is still a calorie surplus. On the other hand I see people who just eat whatever they want maybe starting out with specific macros but once they realize their pizza and wings are hard to “fit in” they say f*ck macros and eat like shit anyway! Both strategies end up failing miserably.
At the end of the day calorie intake, micro and macro nutrient distribution, and making sure to consume adequate fiber is the most important dietary principles in my eyes. After that start thinking about other factors such as optimizing fat intake, feeding windows and selecting food that you enjoy and have available to you, etc.
Getting Caught up in Advanced Dieting – This failure is kind of like the “Skipped Beginner Phase” from part 1 of this series. If you don’t know how many calories you are taking in daily you probably shouldn’t be worried about which popular dietary technique you are going to follow.
Focus on getting your macros in check and hitting them consistently before you start trying Intermittent Fasting, Carb Back-loading or any other eating principle.
*Sample Athlete Beginner Diet*
This is a general outline for someone who is new to working out and doesn’t have a very good understanding of general nutrition. This can be adjusted and modified to gain muscle/strength or to lose body fat.
Note: Adjust food amounts to fit you and your goals.
Meal1: eggs, oats, piece of fruit
Meal 2: chicken, turkey, or white fish, potato, large green salad, 1 tbs olive oil + 2 tbs vinegar
Meal 3: MTS Whey Protein, oats, piece of fruit
Meal 4: Steak or Wild Caught Salmon, rice, green vegetable
*1 Free Meal a Week
This very basic but it’s pretty close to what a beginner’s diet should look like when just getting involved in the iron game. Of course after obtaining a good understanding of macronutrients alternate food choices can be substituted.
Bulking – Let me start by saying there is no excuse for getting overly fat. I understand the hardgainer’s drive for SIZE but adding a bunch of additional body fat tissue is not going to help you in any way!
Here is my stance on this point blank—- If you are above 12-13% body fat you have no need to even bulk let alone go crazy with trying to put on 20-30lbs. All you are going to do is get fatter and cause more insulin resistance making it even harder on yourself to build muscle and lose fat!
What I recommend if you are at or above 15% body fat is following a mini cutting protocol to get into the 10-12% range. Then after getting into the 10-12% range, gradually increase calories as you gain weight. You can keep adding calories until you approach that 15% mark once again and then taper them back down. I found this is an excellent way to gain muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum.
Of course if you are a physique competitor I recommend following specific offseason and pre-contest protocols that will optimize your performance and physique.
Looking for the Ultimate Diet – These people are constantly tinkering with their diets always looking to find the perfect fit. The fact is there is no one perfect diet. Different diets are needed for different circumstances.
When I was younger I used to do this myself. I would alter this and that as I learned more about nutrition. I thought as I learned new stuff I needed to implement all of it at once. Nutrition is a lot like training. Once you start a nutrition program follow through with it to the end.
The worst thing you can do is try to combine two nutritional principles into one. For example, if you hire me to do your diet, don’t turn around and have another coach give you his opinion and then try to combine the two ideas. There is more than one way to skin a cat, you just have to pick one and go with it!
Obsessing About “Cheat Meals” – Being known as the “nutrition guy” people are sometimes surprised to find I am pretty non neurotic about my eating. Don’t get me wrong I follow my own programs to a T but unless I’m engaged in pursuit for a specific goal I still manage to have fun and eat off my diet on occasion. About once a week I like to kick my heels up and have a free meal. This by no means is a scheduled thing and it might not even be every week. It’s more for relaxation and fun. Go out to eat with the girl friend or even make something off the diet at home. The key is to relax and not worry about counting macros or anything like that. Unless my clients are focused on a really strict goal I recommend around one free meal a week. To learn more about my free meal protocol click here.
The problem comes when one becomes overly obsessed with this cheat or free meal that it becomes counterproductive. I see it happen both ways.
There are two kinds of issues people have.
1- The person who refuses to take the free meal because of the fear of getting fat.
2- The people who pretty much live for their free meal. Its these types of people who make me weary of even allowing clients free meals to begin with. I feel like it has the potential to cause unhealthy behavior.
Bottom line- Live, Laugh, Love…If you are lucky enough to have a free meal in your diet just eat it, enjoy it and move on with your life!
Not Eating For Your Goal – This is the big one! I cannot say this enough. You need to eat for your goal. If you are a high performance athlete trying to optimize performance your nutrition strategy is going to be a lot different than a sedentary soccer mom looking to lose fat!
Know what your goals are and figure out a way of eating that helps you reach those goals. It all breaks down to calorie intake and macronutrient distribution.
As always if you have any questions/concerns hit me up KyleHuntFitness@gmail.com