BASICS: Part 1 - Diet and Nutrition

BASICS: Part 1 - Diet and Nutrition.

I. INTRODUCTION. This is the first part of a ten (10) part series that I will be presenting to my clients, albeit online and to anyone interested in getting in shape. I call it the TheBasics Series because it will provide simple, down-to-earth language and concepts to get in better shape and change your life. I can't do a damn thing for you when it comes to your stocks or bonds but if you have an earnest desire, a sincere desire to loose weight and keep it off, this Basics Series is for you. And, being quite basic, it is meant to be understood by the most un-physical of our citizenry and is therefore dedicated to people who have never stepped inside a gym, lifted a dumbbell or put down a McRib under their own power. If you have any questions, contact me at Mike Stewart Fitness or by email at MichaelWStewart@yahoo.com. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. It may not be the answer your looking for, but I will give you the straight skinny on diet and nutrition.

II. THE FATHER OF NUTRITION: Vince Gironda (1917-1997). Vince Girdona (see photo left) was one of the first bodybuilders from the heyday of "Muscle Beach" (near Venice, California) to reach the conclusion that "diet is everything." Vince was the first bodybuilding expert on diet and nutrition, the first man to link diet with weight-lifting and bodybuilding, the first (and only) trainer to eliminate abdominal workouts (which create back spasms) and bench presses (which Vince beleived created "women's breasts" on men) in his gym in West Hollywood and predicted in the mid 1960's that America would submerge itself into an archipeligo of diets, notably the "high protein / low carb" disaster that Dr. Atkins pedaled. I call Vince the "Father of Nutrition" in that his careful examination of credible dietary restrictions based upon the five to six small meal ratio (as well as his support of the whole egg, not just the egg white as pure protein) brought him to the forefront as one of bodybuilding's greatest nutritionists and personal trainers. Vince trained all the leading men of Hollywood from the 1960's to the 80's: Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, James Garner, Erik Estrada including several bodybuilding legends, Larry Scott, Lou Ferrigno ("The Incredible Hulk"), Mohammed Makaway and Arnold Schwarzennegger.

III. HOW TO EAT. To lose weight and gain muscle your going to have to learn how to eat properly. If your overweight by a few pounds or morbidly obese, here are several beginning points that you need to consider if you want to lose weight, gain muscle and turn your life around. These are bedrock standards I use everyday, from preparing meals in my kitchen to using my Brita water filter as my water tap.

Here we go...

1. Stop eating the old fashioned, three-meals a day. Q: Why are 45% of Americans overwieght? A: They eat 1-3 un-nutritious meals a day. When they finally have dinner at night, which is usually at 7pm, they are so hungry that the amount they consume at the dinnertable (or at the fastfood drive through) is so gargantuan that they enlarge their stomachs by eating so much food that over a period of years they look as though they are pregnant. And, as they grow larger, they begin eating exclusivly to satisfy their craving for food not as a reason to remain healthy or to enjoy the food they eat! ITEM: Eating one to three (3) meals per day enlarges the stomach (which makes you look fat even if your not), starves the body of necessary nutrition and minerals (which keeps you feeling hungry or lethargic throughout the day) and destroys the energy reserves in the body.

2. Eat 5-6 small meals a day. To lose weight you must eat more food! You've heard this a million times, but never beleived it. Beleive it. If you want to slim down your waist from 50 inches to 30, you can do it by eating smaller meals throughout the day. We call it Grazing. Eating small meals throughout the day requires the body to break down the food you eat ... in turn, burning energy (and fat) to do so. ITEM: By eating 5-6 small meals a day, your body (a.) maintains a high level of energy, (b.) burns fat quickly in lieu of storing fat because of slower metabolism and (c.) your body will take all the calories from the various protein, fat and carbohydrate sources and burn it properly, creating protein synthesis ... muscle building.

3. Purchase microwaveable, plastic containers to take your food to work. Make your meals at home each night and take them to work with you. ITEM: By making your meals at night (or on the weekends) your not rushed to prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner or fall into the habit of eating fastfood.

4. Purchase a Brita water filter. Fire the Water Department! Purchase a Brita Water Filter (and extra filters) from Walgreen's, Sears or Walmart. You will save a crapload on bottled water costs. Use extra plastic water containers, water bottles or old ISOPURE protein bottles and fill them up with filtered water from your Brita. When you get home from work, refill the water bottles and put them back in the fridge. With a Brita, you will always have water on hand to drink. ITEM: Drink a maximum of a gallon of water a day and a minimum of 2 liters per day.

5. Establish one day during the week to eat whatever you want. I have told my clients for months now, "Eat good SIX out of SEVEN days a week!" On the seventh day, take a break, head to McDonald's, Taco Hell, Jack in the Box or whatever transfatty, aortic-clogging hellhole you like. Have a burger, a Krispy Kreme donut ... and remember ... enjoy it. Dr. Bob Schwartz, author of Diets Dont Work and Diets Still Dont Work, always told me that the reason people eat is to satiate themselves and penalize themselves for eating bad. Food is meant to be enjoyed -- good or bad. Take one day out of the week and enjoy yourself. Normally, I establish a bad eating day every two weeks and I usually go and pig out on Hot Wings or McDonald's. But ... to offset the destruction of these comfort foods, I bring along plenty of water to wash it down (no soda's). The water cleans my system out and allows the crap to clear my system quicker. ITEM: Eating bad one day out of the week or one day every two weeks will not affect your weight-lifting or bodybuilding routine or disrupt your diet. Remember to enjoy your food when your eating.

6. 5-6 Small Meal Menu for gaining weight. Here is a list of meals that you can prepare:

Meal #1: Breakfast. 4:45 a.m.
2 glasses of water (right when I wake up to clean the body).
Oatmeal with raisins and small slice of non-fat butter on wheat toast.
3 whole eggs cooked in Pam.
2 small peices of Papaya.

Meal #2: Mid-Morning Snack. 7:00 a.m.
Protein Shake made with the following ingredients:
12 ounces filtered water.
2 scoops protein powder (45 gr. protein)
1 small scoop of oatmeal (45 gr. carbs)
1/2 cup grapes.
4 small peices of papaya
1/2 banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter (29 gr. fat)

Meal #3: Lunch. 11:00 a.m.
2 chicken breasts (broiled)
2 small potatoes (broiled)
1 small sweet potatoe (broiled) 1 whole cucumber (sliced into four peices, eaten RAW).

Meal #4: Mid-afternoon Snack. 3:00 p.m. - Protein Shake (same as Meal#2)

Meal #5: Evening Meal. 6:00 p.m. - Same as Meal #3.

Meal #6: Night Meal. 8:00 p.m. - Same as Meal #2 or substitute with a small salad and fat free salad dressing.

A switch in the meals may be to add turkey, steak or salmon in lieu of chicken, and add oatmeal as an actual meal itself as Meal #5 (Evening Meal) with the addition of sliced fruit and a small green salad (stay away from lettuce and stick with spinach). Add wheat bagels to the Meal #1 with fat-free cream cheese.

7. Protein Shake Recipes. When I was living in Seattle and unemployed and lifting in my apartment, I had to find ways in which to make cost-effective, cheap versions of protein shakes. I simply could not afford the $50 buckets of top of the line protein powder at GNC or any of the bodybuilding supplement stores. Here was one version of a protein shake I made in which I gained 15 lbs of muscle:

The ThunderBlast Protein Shake:

10 oz. whole milk, 1 banana, 2 scoops peanut butter, 8 whole eggs, 4 strawberries, 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 1/2 cup of whole milk substitute milk powder. Blend all ingredients together. Add ice to make a smoothie.

8. Night-time "Protein Pudding". When I moved back to Houston and worked as a salesman at the Houston Buyers Club, a short, but incredibly buff, defined, cut bodybuilder walked into the store on a Saturday. Business was slow so we talked in the protein aisle and like I did most of my bodybuilding customers, I would pick their brain for tips, ideas, suggestions and dietary restrictions. This bodybuilder was a part-time law student at St. Thomas University, but thick, dense and solid. He told me that he discovered that the two main keys for adding muscle was first, maintaining a superior diet throughout the day, but then, at night, preparing what he called "protein pudding" so that the body could eat throughout the night while he was sleeping. I though it was ingenious and reproduced his recipe here:

Ingredients: 2 scoops of Casein protein powder, 2 tblspn flaxseed oil and 1 cup
of water. Directions: pour two scoops of protein powder into a bowl. Squirt on
top 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil. Next, pour -- while slowly stirring -- 1 cup
of water. Once the consistency has reached a thick, almost solid state, put the
bowl into the refridgerator for ten (10) minutes. After ten (10) minutes, pull
it out and the consistency of the powder should be a pudding. Eat this
slowly before bedtime. The Casein protein will time-release over the
period while you sleep.

9. 5-6 Meal Nutritional Diet for Loosing Weight. Here is a diet from All Natural competitive bodybuilder James Sully:

Upon waking - 1 scoop whey protein.

Meal #1
8 egg whites - 2 yolks
1/2 oats, 1/2 cantaloupe or 8
strawberries or small apple.

Meal #2
6 oz. chicken, turkey or tuna
2 cups vegetables and 6 oz sweet
potato.

Meal #3
2 cups salad containing choice of salad vegetables w/ 1 tbs. oil +
1 tbs. vinegar
8 ounces tuna or other lean protein
6 oz sweet potato or
1/2 cup brown rice.

Pre workout
1 scoop VP2, 2 scoops branch chain aminos, creatine.

Post workout
1 scoop VP2, 2 scoops branch chain aminos, 5 grams
creatine, 8 oz Gatoraid.

Meal #4
8 oz. chicken breast, turkey, or fish
2 cups salad.

Meal #5
6 oz. chicken, turkey breast, or fish
1 1/2 cup
vegetables
1 tbs. Flax Oil

...and a similiar menu...

Upon Waking: 6 aminos, 2 scoops BCAA’s.

Meal #1
7 egg whites - 1 yolk
1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cantaloupe, or 8
strawberries.

Meal #2
6 oz. chicken, turkey or tuna
1-cup vegetables.

Meal #3
2 cups salad containing choice of salad vegetables w/ 1 tbs. oil +
1 tbs. vinegar
8 ounces tuna or other lean protein
1 carrot.

Pre-workout: 1 scoop VP2, 2 scoops BCAA's, 5 grams creatine.

Post-workout: 1 scoop VP2, 2 scoops BCAA's, 5 grams creatine.

Meal #4
6 oz. chicken breast, turkey, or fish
2 egg whites.

Meal #5
6 oz. chicken, turkey breast, or fish
1 1/2 cup
vegetables
1 tbs. Flax Oil.

*Every Wednesday and Saturday have 20 grams liquid carbs with the post
training VP2 and eat the following meal in place of meal #5: 3/4 cup oats,
6 oz sweet potato, 1 banana, 1 cup vegetables with 1 tbs. peanut butter.

10. Elimination. You need to spend the next two (2) months eliminating the following items from your diet:

• Carbonated Sodas. We used to clean parts of our M-16 in the service with Coca Cola so you can imagine what it does to your insides. Remove soda's completely and cut down (or restrict) the drinking of fruit juices, even if they are natural. Even "all natural" or "organic" bottling companies add sugar and additives. Drink fruit juice only when you have a cold or the flu.
• White Refined Sugar. Table sugars have absolutely no value whatsover to your diet. Use Splenda or Sweet n Low or Equal is very small amounts. We can't eliminate the fake sugar completely, but you can eliminate white, refined, table sugar.
• Candy.
• Fried foods. This goes without saying and in conjunction with fast food, which is 95% fried material, animal parts. Steam or broil - do not fry.
• High-fat salad dressings. Substitute extra virgin olive oil.
• Remove the skin of chicken before consuming chicken breast.

11. Tips on eating right. Here are some tips on eating healthy from pro-bodybuilder Anthony Lee from www.BodybuildingHub.com:

1. Lean meat. Lean meat is rich in protein and is a good basic building block
for more muscle. Meat such as steak and other protein-rich foods has been a
staple of many bodybuilding experts for over the past few decades. However, make
sure you avoid the fat as it could compromise your bodybuilding goals.

2. Fiber rich foods. Fiber has long been known to help those wanting to
lose weight. First of all, it prevents the body from absorbing too much fat.
And, it also helps lower cholesterol and is a source of slow-burning
carbohydrates, which is ideal for those wanting to lose weight.
Examples of fiber rich grains are oatmeal, wheat, vegetables and fruits. You
could also buy them as supplements at any health store.

3. Water. It is important for anyone working out to drink enough water since workouts deplete natural body fluids.

4. Soybeans. Soybeans are a great source of protein and are low in fat
and contain virtually no cholesterol. Many have been heralding soybean as
one of the saviors of muscle building and weight loss. It can be eaten as tofu,
bean curd desserts and others. It is also cheap and easy to procure.

5. Whey protein. Whey protein is ready available at any health shop. It can
be taken in as a supplement and mixed with soups, vegetables, and shakes. Whey
protein is easy to absorb and is one of the best sources of protein available.

6. Egg whites. The protein of eggs resides in its egg whites. So, if you want
to bulk up and get your protein from eggs, eat the whites. You may also want to purchase processed egg whites from all natural stores. They are also good sources of protein.