Oh man. It's been a while since I've posted last. I have been blowing and going. I was doing a cyclical Keto (paleo style) Diet and just going as I can. My wife gives me compliments daily on how my muscles are starting to come into place and how I look great. Then Thanksgiving happened and instead of trying to stay on a diet, I let loose. I stayed as gluten free as possible and put on a few pounds which is perfectly fine. The problem occurred when I started reading.....
I follow several fitness Youtubers and just got into their videos. It's very interesting to look into the lives of people who do professional bodybuilding. You find out A) they are generally like you, and B) they work really friggin hard! Some of my favorites are Matt Ogus (flexforall2), Chris Jones (physiquesofgreatness), The Hodge Twins (twinmuscleworkout), Marc Lobliner (thetigerfitness) and my personal favorite Elliot Hulse (strengthcamp). What I generally see in the competive guys (chris jones and Matt Ogus among others) is that they all eat a TON and look amazing. So I went out on a mission, I wanted to see if doing a paleo diet could translate into a bodybuilding diet, and I ended up researching for several hours into the night.
First thing I saw was that bodybuilders absolutely shun the Paleo lifestyle. Generally based on misconception or crossfit nerd's elitist attitudes. OK I definitely get it. However when most would talk about it, it wasn't backed by anything other than "The paleo diet is baseless because there is not scientific research to completely drop food groups." Wait what? All of this, that I had read was completely baseless? This is what lead to more research.
I came across someone who is very popular in the bodybuilding community. His name is Alan Aragon. He is the Robb Wolf of that community. When people get into an argument about something, his work generally comes up. HE is a nutritional genius and his work has been cited in more fitness magazines, websites and blogs than just about any other person that I could find. He completely refutes the Paleo diet and also says it's unnecessary.
So have I been wrong to follow the paleo diet? Was I one of those naive people who just followed the first book I read? I don't think so, and here is why.
Since beginning the Paleo diet, I noticed changes in not only my body, but my mind and well being. My energy levels were up and I felt a whole hell of a lot better. Now I didn't follow the traditional Paleo diet to a T, and I dont think anyone has to if certain things don't bother them. For example if you do well on dairy, don't get acne or stomach issues, then by all means do dairy. I do raw milk and cheeses on the daily. If you do ok on other grains then by all means partake! I think the paleo diet is a great GUIDELINE for anyone trying to lose weight or to be healthy, but to be honest, for someone trying to bodybuild it may not be the best solution.
So here is what I am going to try. I have been low carbing for almost a year and want to try something different. I am going to give myself a 30 day challenge of some sorts. I read that Alan Aragon has a simple macronutrient ratio and falls into the IIFYM group (if it fits into your macros). His post here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/553149-healthy-eating-101-improve-your-fat-loss-and-muscle-gain/ states that all you need is a simple macronutrient ratio, and if you follow this you can either lose or gain weight.
Here is the formula: Daily calories = Goal weight x (workout hours per week + 9.5)
For me this would be 220 x (2 +9.5) = 2530 Cals a day (I generally workout in the gym around 2-3 hours a week with lots of walking so I tapered this down a bit)
1. Eat 1 gram of protein per GOAL body weight. Mine is 220 LBS, so 220 grams of protein (880 cals)
2. Eat .5 grams of fat per GOAL body Mine is 220 LBS so 110 grams of fat (990 cals) (There is a caveat that says if you're not losing weight you may want to dial down the fat as it could be hindering your weight loss according to your body. Not because fat makes you fat, but because your body may not be able to handle that.I think I will be fine as I was taking in sometimes 150-200 grams of fat)
3. Eat the rest of your calories in Carbohydrates. 2530 - 1870 = 660 cals left (660/4) = 165 Grams of Carbohydrates
So if it's this simple I should be able to lean out. I am going to try this for the next 30 days and see how it goes. This does not mean I am completely out of the paleo realm and will go out and eat a loaf of white bread a day, followed by pasta and everything else. I am still going to follow those guidelines. I can honestly tell you Gluten messes with me. It makes me feel like crap, less energy and depresses me. It also messes with my stomach as well. SO, I will add more sweet potatoes, regular potatoes and even rice. I will post along as I go through this to see if my new found knowledge works for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment