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View Full Version : Let's talk nutrition, since it's in the title and all



rob_s
03-04-09, 16:56
Eating healthy is something I think is part of the survivalist mentality. If you don't exercise, eat healthy, wear your seatbelt, etc. then buying a $3k gun and stockpiling enough food to outlast Armageddon is pointless at best.

What sort of guidelines do you use to govern your eating habits? What have you found works well for you?

I did the whole Body for Life diet/exercise thing about 6 or 7 years ago with an ex. I was looking to gain and she was looking to lose and it worked very well for both of us. Fell off the wagon for awhile but kept up working out, and eventually found the Zone Diet which addresses portions similar to the way BFL does, but also talks a lot about ratios of protein:carbs:fat.

Now I pretty much work off of a combination of the two. The biggest thing I try to keep an eye on is balancing the carbs:protein in the way that the Zone says to. Zone works off of "blocks" and a block of carbs is 9 grams, a block of protein is 7 grams, and a block of fat is 1.5 grams. I don't get too nuts about it, but basically I try to buck the carb-heavy way that most Americans eat, and also try to limit portions and eat more than 3 times a day. I don't worry too much about what's considered "bad" for you (an Egg McMuffin is actually pretty well Zone balanced). I'll split a large restaurant meal in half and save half for later, and skip one side altogether since most places want to give you two sides of carbs which is way too much.

I love it when I sit down to a small, healthy meal and some fatbody says "hey, look at what the skinny guy is eating!" Yeah, tubby, take notes while you're at it! :D

I also love the way I feel when I'm eating right. If I have a good day where I get my exercise and eat the way I want to, I just feel so much more energized and positive. I can get by on less than 6 hours sleep a night too when I'm sticking to my plan, but when I'm off the wagon I need the full 8.

Finally, as much as possible I try to avoid supplements and such. I try to get all my nutrition from actual food and not vitamins and supplements unless I have specific goals I'm trying to achieve with the supplements.

Just curious as to what other folks who are into nutrition use as a guideline or a plan.

ZDL
03-04-09, 17:34
100 words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

WillBrink
03-04-09, 18:17
Eating healthy is something I think is part of the survivalist mentality. If you don't exercise, eat healthy, wear your seatbelt, etc. then buying a $3k gun and stockpiling enough food to outlast Armageddon is pointless at best.


Agreed. As I often open my seminars to LEOs with "you all wear vests to avoid getting shot, but statistically speaking, most of you in this room with die of heart disease." That tends to get their attention. :eek:

Good luck with your nutrition and training program. ;)

ZDL
03-04-09, 18:24
Agreed. As I often open my seminars to LEOs with "you all wear vests to avoid getting shot, but statistically speaking, most of you in this room with die of heart disease." That tends to get their attention. :eek:

Good luck with your nutrition and training program. ;)

lol 80-90% of my coworkers... Easily.

WillBrink
03-04-09, 18:31
lol 80-90% of my coworkers... Easily.

Yes, CVD is the number one killer in the US, and LEOs suffer higher rates then the average person! I hate to see a man or woman give that much to their community only to die young.

ZDL
03-04-09, 18:50
Yes, CVD is the number one killer in the US, and LEOs suffer higher rates then the average person! I hate to see a man or woman give that much to their community only to die young.

I've noticed the lbs are directly correlated to the amount of stripes or brass someone is wearing............................just saying. :D

I struggle with nutrition from a commitment and love of food standpoint. I understand what works, why it works, and how to make it work but sometimes, I'm simply weak. It falls at my feet. The quickest way for me to get back in line with my nutrition is noticing my performance in my workouts and in my life. They are closely related enough that a minute or 2 drop off in time or effort is often related directly to my diet.

I follow a paleo/zone methodology. Quality food, right quantities, right frequency. I attempt to view food as a drug... This helps me swallow that last piece of broccoli sometimes.

Ghostface03
03-04-09, 18:51
100 words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

Well put! I have been cranking up the bran/ fiber also.

John Frazer
03-06-09, 06:41
The Zone diet is great because after a while you can adjust it as precisely as clicking windage and elevation.

Not putting on the muscle you want? Add a block of protein.

Getting sleepy between meals? Subtract a block of carbs and replace with fat.

Feeling fine but hungry all the time? Add a little more fat.

A great simple summary to get started is at http://frontrangecrossfit.typepad.com/nutrition/files/frcf_nutrition_packet.pdf

The only things I'd add to that packet's instructions is that the chart assumes protein sources are low-fat, so it doesn't count the "hidden fat blocks" in some foods. For example, an ounce of full-fat cheese (1 block of protein) can contain about 5 fat blocks. A whole egg is 1 protein block but 1-2 fat blocks, depending who you ask. I eat a lot of cheese and eggs, so I allow for that and feel great.

Fringe
03-06-09, 13:31
I am currently struggling with carb intake and trying to cut back. I am pretty healthy and work out regularly and enjoy physical activity. I had a physical this year and the doc said my sugar was a little high, only because the FDA or whomever, raised the number. I would have been normal a few years ago, but was a little over normal this year. We deduced that it was carb intake and probably my alcohol consumption. Now I can deal with working on the carbs, but my beverages are a little harder!

As far as working out, I have been with the same trainer for almost ten years. I love it and was instantly hooked when I started. He is young and works me with crazy creative exercises that are fun. It is expensive but worth every penny, because the days I absolutely do not feel like going, I know he will be waiting on me so I go and feel so much better after. Good stuff.

chadbag
03-07-09, 05:41
In general we should all avoid simple carbs and use complex carbs for our carb intake

simple carbs -- processed white flour, sugar, white rice, potatoes, normal pasta, I assume alcohol, etc

complex carbs -- whole grains and flours from whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, etc

simple carbs are highly glycemic and cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Complex carbs are less glycemic and do not cause such rapid and high spikes.

If you do eat pasta or potatoes or white rice etc, make sure you eat protein with it as well, at the same time (meat sauce, etc) since this will tone down or reduce the glycemic index of the pasta, potatoes, etc.

(If you eat oatmeal, do not eat instant oatmeal -- the processing it has undergone makes it more glycemic than whole oats or old fashioned oats)

Chad

Mr.Goodtimes
03-07-09, 17:35
I like this thread! lol.

I work out a lot, wrestling got me into working out and then preparing to get into the teams after college has taken me even farther down that road.

I, like zdl, notice too that when my diet suffers, so do my workouts. something like a pizza or fried chicken the night before will easily take my tough five thirty mile and turn it into a brutal eight minute mile. All my lifts go down, and i feel just sort of sluggish the rest of the day.

The actual combinations and recipes i change around to keep things interesting but heres pretty much what i eat on a regular basis:

-whole wheat bread products (english muffins, burger buns etc.)
-Fish
-Lean beef (burgers and steak)
-Chicken
-Turkey
-Roast beef
-Tuna
-Rice
-Eggs
-Potatoes
-Cheese
-Canadian bacon
-Peanut butter (natural)
-Vegetables
-Pasta (usually spaghetti)
-Oatmeal (tons of oatmeal)
-Fruits (apples, bananas, and kiwi are the ones i eat the most)

theres probably some things i left out but those are most of it.

with just those foods theres so many things to make. one of my favorite breakfasts is a baked potato with a little cheese and an omlette with cheese and canadian bacon.

I do use supplements. Whey is a mainstay and i usually take a preworkout supp cause when i wake up at four thirty, the first place i go is the gym and i need somethin to sorta kick off my day. My new favorite pre work out supp is NO Shotgun. Its got a lot of good stuff in it. Aside from a little caffine to get me goin, its got 20g of whey protein and creatine in it as well.

After i work out i take two scoops of whey mixed with 1/2 cup of oats, half a banana, some milk and ice cubes. thats sort of my first breakfast. after that i usually go home and make some eggs and a potato.

my workouts very greatly. i always run (i like to go 75-80% max effort for about 2 miles) and bike. then after that ill either lift weight or do body weight stuff. its kind of like whatever im in the mood for that day, it keeps things interesting. i dont have set days to work out any more either. ive started making it a little more random. i do run every day (mon-fri) however.

i base my routine mostly around having functional strength. i do a lot of olympic lifts, and lots of high rep stuff. some days though i might do heavy weight for low reps, other days ill do medium weight for high reps.

Fringe
03-10-09, 15:40
In general we should all avoid simple carbs and use complex carbs for our carb intake

simple carbs -- processed white flour, sugar, white rice, potatoes, normal pasta, I assume alcohol, etc

complex carbs -- whole grains and flours from whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, etc

simple carbs are highly glycemic and cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Complex carbs are less glycemic and do not cause such rapid and high spikes.

If you do eat pasta or potatoes or white rice etc, make sure you eat protein with it as well, at the same time (meat sauce, etc) since this will tone down or reduce the glycemic index of the pasta, potatoes, etc.

(If you eat oatmeal, do not eat instant oatmeal -- the processing it has undergone makes it more glycemic than whole oats or old fashioned oats)

Chad

Chad,
Thanks for the info about pairing proteins with my simple cab meals like pasta. I did not know this and I will do my best to stick with it. There was a time period when I loved making home made pasta sauce with fresh garlic and the works but would sometimes eat it just plain (no meat) on white pasta.
Thanks.

BravoCompanyUSA
03-13-09, 21:55
I think the answer is going to vary significantly with different folks.

Back in the 1980's, when the nutrition info went mainstream it was all about low fat diet. Lots of complex carbs, lots of protein, and low fat.
I knew some guys that did that diet, stayed lean, tight, and in great shape. (low cholesterol, etc.)
I did it and felt, tired (exhausted), and weak, and was always always starving.

In the early 90's, I read Jay Robb, and Dan Duchaine's Bodyopus. I tried a version of that. Virtually no carbs. Lots of protien and lots of quality fat. After a 2 week adjustment period, I felt great! I ate as much as I wanted, cholesterol was perfect, and got leaner every day. And likewise as many folks that did well on this type of diet, there were a bunch that felt very weak, and sick.

I can't do that diet now. I have had to modify it. Trying to build a business for the past 10 years has moved me from the squat rack to the swivel chair, and my health went down and body weight went up. So I went back to that diet that used to work so perfectly well with no success. I then added in greens for carbs, only took in high quality protein and it is great. A few years ago, ended up dropping 40lbs. Right now, cholesterol and blood pressure are great. I would be even better if I could pull my butt out of the swivel chair and into the gym more than twice a month, maybe soon.

gyp_c2
03-14-09, 09:28
...whatever the diet, just keep moving...
I work outside everyday but the older I get, the more sitting wears me out!
If I allow myself to sit for a significant amount of time over the weekend, I find myself having to push to get back on track Monday am...
Keep movin'...and stick to what works!http://emoticons4u.com/smoking/rauch06.gif

WS6
03-21-09, 21:44
100 words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

I really like this post and the information in it. I have done this for the past 2 years (less so with the sports and gymnastics, more-so towards the strength gaining). I need to work on my flexibility. I am not bad as I used to be very avid in the martial arts community, but it never was my forte. Awesome post and if you follow your own advice I would presume that you have developed explosive power with your movements way out of proportion to your body size.

John Frazer
03-24-09, 20:51
I really like this post and the information in it. I have done this for the past 2 years (less so with the sports and gymnastics, more-so towards the strength gaining). I need to work on my flexibility. I am not bad as I used to be very avid in the martial arts community, but it never was my forte. Awesome post and if you follow your own advice I would presume that you have developed explosive power with your movements way out of proportion to your body size.

To give due credit, ZDL's 100 words were from Crossfit founder Greg Glassman. They were a sidebar to his key article, "What is Fitness?" at http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf

And yes, Crossfit will make you stronger than you look. Petite women who can do a bodyweight clean, a double bodyweight deadlift, and 20 pullups, are the norm, not the exception, among experienced CF trainees.

M4C members will also likely appreciate a definition of fitness that includes "accuracy" as one of its 10 components. :)

ZDL
03-24-09, 20:54
To give due credit, ZDL's 100 words were from Crossfit founder Greg Glassman. They were a sidebar to his key article, "What is Fitness?" at http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf

And yes, Crossfit will make you stronger than you look. Petite women who can do a bodyweight clean, a double bodyweight deadlift, and 20 pullups, are the norm, not the exception, among experienced CF trainees.

M4C members will also likely appreciate a definition of fitness that includes "accuracy" as one of its 10 components. :)

You're right. I posted that a while ago after I did a crossfit post and thought I referenced it. My apologies.

John Frazer
03-24-09, 20:59
You're right. I posted that a while ago after I did a crossfit post and thought I referenced it. My apologies.

No foul, as I recalled you had done that and should have mentioned that I remembered your attribution.

I mentioned it only as a lead-in to Glassman's article, which it also gave me an excuse to re-read for the first time in a while. After 5 years of CF training, his analysis and prescription still hold up well.

the1911fan
03-24-09, 21:04
Not much red meat, chicken and fish for protein. Fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Whole oats, wheat bread, soy milk. Not much sugar at all. Good dose of Yuengling every now and again.

HirosStorageUnit
09-22-09, 13:36
This is a great thread. I am in the process of training to do some climbing next summer and I want to take my fitness from ok to great. I still have yet to figure out the whole nutrition thing but Im working at it. The key, is of course just keep moving. I getup at 530 and run then in the evening I hit the climbing wall and weights. I try for this 5 days a week.

Edward Hogan
09-26-09, 11:30
About 20yrs ago, wife and I went into pretty much all natural and organic foods, then 4yrs later began Macrobiotics, which is a Japanese culture based diet. Many healthfood store books on the subject and some have had cancer remissions and other medical benefits from altering their diet.

We ate strict macro for about a year. We have since returned to a more Western diet; make homemade pizza, BBQ once in a while etc. Still eat Organic short-grained Brown Rice regularly, have eaten no beef in past 7-8yrs , very small red meat portions when eat Buffalo or Lamb, grind our own organic wheat and bake most of our own bread, cake, cookies. We have not drank cows milk for 20yrs, use Rice Milk instead. Still enjoy Organic Miso Soup, mainly red or brown hearty flavored. Buy only organic frozen vegetables, etc.

Our entire family has been blessed with excellent ongoing health for the entire 20yrs. You are what you eat, literally. Wife is great about exercising in home with exercise tapes, we have a weight machine, and have immediate access to wilderness trails. Fun to take a rifle and hike for an hour or so. Fun to do a bit of XC skiing in the Winter.

I will also put in an endorsement for being self-aware and having knowledge of Homeopathic and Naturopathic medicines, remedies, tinctures, and herbs. Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, Jethro Kloss' Back To Nature plus Rodale books on Organic Gardening can help you begin to actively maintain and improve your health and live your life with greater satisfaction. All are loosely but directly influencing your "nutrition".

Barron Fields
10-10-09, 00:04
alcohol consumption.

My two beers at the end of the day and few glasses of wine with dinner were the 500 daily calories I have recently eliminated. Don't know whether it was the alcohol or taking an Omega 3 every morning, but the weight is coming off and the energy level is up.

extsieg
11-25-09, 21:33
Well put! I have been cranking up the bran/ fiber also.

That was a cut and paste from the Crossfit.com web site. It's the party line for nutrition and health in 100 words or less, but still great advice to anyone in this fast food hell waste land we live in.

DrScott
12-01-09, 23:24
The survivalist/preparedness mentality lends itself perfectly to a health lifestyle. Physical condition is one of the imost nfluential factors in surviving a meriad of events. In fact, it is our greatest assett and ithe nterface to which all of our tools and weapons achieve their goals.

Please don't underestimate the benefits of a heathly and well trained body. Let me assure you that the majority of people in the hospital for non-traumatic injury are almost alway unhealthy. They smoke, drink, eat terrible, are overweight, don't exercise or some combination thereof. This is not to say that healthy people don't get sick, but I assure you they are in the minority. Furthermore, they tend to recover more quickly and with less complications.

There has been a lot of talk regarding diet in this thread and while this is very important, it can never take the place of regular exercise. We wouldn't rely of a vehicle that hasn't been started in 10 years or a gun that hasn't been cleaned since its last firing 10 years ago, so why would we count on body that hasnt been exposed to physical demants for 10 years. Our bodies weren't designed so that they could be active, they were designed on the concept that we will be active. This is a monumental difference.

For example, our immune system keeps many of its soldiers in the lymphatic system. These vessels are not under pressure, and thus they only flow when the contraction of muscles "milks" the fluid around. Thus circulating the immune system via regular exercise increases the opportunity for it to encounter the bugs that make you ill so that they can be elliminated before they can establish infection.
The above is simply one example of the benefit of daily activity. In addition, it is FREE. We can walk/jog do push ups, abs, deep knee bends, lunges or whatever.

In our preparation for troubling times please make sure that your greatest asset is not the weakest link in a host of well planned equipment and supplies. We shouldn't expect our troubling times to go on pause because we need to stop and catch our breath.

DrScott
12-01-09, 23:48
I went off a bit on exercise on that last post so since this thread is dedicated to nutrition, I would like to encourage the following. Eat things that would be on earth even if people weren't and eat it in as close to its naturally occuring form as possible. Its as simple as that. So keep things like corn, wheat, sugar, cheese, butter soda, etc to a minimum. If you do this, things tend to take care of themselves as you have removed a great deal of your carb and cholesterol intake.

Also, make sure to get your protein. It is great for hunger control and helps to boost the metabolic rate. If you get sick of the usual suspects for protien, try lentils or split peas. As a bonus, lentils, dry beans and spilt peas are great for storage and can be stored well beyond what the packaging states. I have a monster back of pinto beans that I have been working on for a couple years and they are just fine. One more bonus to plant sources of protein is that they are all cholesterol free.

One last thing - drink your water! And, if you are trying to lose weight, drink even more.