Well now, it looks like I’ve opened up Pandora’s box with this topic.  After all, everyone with education and even those with no education in nutrition, think they know what to eat.  Everyone is an expert or at a minimum, we get that ‘it works for me’ comment. Truthfully, that means very little.  I can starve and lose weight…but show me a system where you lose fat weight and gain muscle…at the same time.  Show me how you measure the changes in the body as you go.  There is so much information out there but very little of it follows any of the current research.  Sadly, a lot of what is done can actually be harmful to your health.

I can only discuss what I know is safe and in the studies regarding this topic.

I am a HUGE fan of Caloric Restriction and Intermittent Fasting.  Why is this?  Well, there is more research on these two areas of health and fitness than any other eating systems.  Period.  I have an FDA approved body composition machine, called the InBody 570, in my office, and I use it to determine the factors I need to be sure my patients are adhering to the nutritional system I know will work for them. Each system must be individualized. You cannot truly lose fat weight and gain muscle unless you know your BMR and free fat mass.  These numbers are necessary to then determine your caloric load and your protein needs.

I prefer to consider what I do with people as being body composition change vs. dieting.  Truth be told, I HATE that word ‘dieting’ or ‘diet.’  It has such a negative connotation.  We need to be on a system that we enjoy and gets us our desired results.  The only proper way to describe what I do and what I recommend is that it is a ‘lifestyle,’ as that is what it truly is. The system I follow and recommend is one than can be happily adhered to for life.  After all, if we exercise, we likely want to stay lean, muscular, and be as healthy as possible.  Opinions mean nothing so I’ll stick to the facts…nothing works better.

I have been following the system I am on for about 2.5 years now.  My diabetes control is fabulous and I am in amazing shape.  It’s safe to say that nutrition is 80% of what you do with fitness.  There’s no point in exercising if you are not implementing a lifestyle that can help ensure you good results and enhanced recovery.  Everyone who works out should be thinking about this.

I see so many overweight people working out with trainers and I wonder how these people will get the results they desire.  I know they are exercising to become more active and get in better shape, but what they are doing will only tend to yield very limited results.   First of all, most of the workouts are not proper for the person’s needs/goals, and second, without a proper individualized nutritional program, they are not going to be achieving sustainable results anyway.  If you are not training properly and your nutrition cannot support your needs, injury is waiting for you.  Ouch!

At Don’t Be a Meathead, we will not forget to cover the nutritional component of fitness.  Doing so, well, would make us the meatheads!

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