This is a tough subject.
I have been approached by many athletes with disabilities with either two things on their mind: I want to lose weight or I want to gain weight. I'd like to clear up the answers right now for the majority of this population.
First of all, understand you and your disability. I small athletes come to me saying help me gain weight, but it can be difficult in most cases due to the lack of body function. Gaining weight is not an impossibility, but it is more focused on lifting weights and increasing exercise. You increase your muscle mass, you increase your weight. There are many things you can do to encourage your body to build muscle like choose lean protein drinks and snacks and eat within 30 min after exercising.
Second, the bigger guys and gals need to understand the same thing. There is a weight for everyone known as the "set point" and this point is basically where the body will sit no matter how healthy you eat or how much more you exercise. When in great shape, you fluctuate around this number by 2 to 3 lbs. Once at a set point, you should become comfortable with your look and ability. Those with big bodies, but can't use the entire body functionally, can struggle to get rid of some extra poundage. The best bet here in order to help lose weight is to decrease total Caloric intake every day little by little. Facts you should know? You will be hungry at times. The weight decrease will be slow. Every dietitian will tell you to eat more fruits and vegetables. Exercising more or harder can be one of the only options.
What I'm trying to get at here is that it can be harder for some athletes with disabilities to lose that beer belly or to slim down just because only half the body is really being used. Same goes for putting on weight. My suggestion then to you? First, understand your body and the way it works. Don't get tied up with needing to be bulky or have a six pack or whatever. That has never defined athleticism. Second, concentrate and learn about your diet. Whether you are gaining or losing or just eating healthy, knowing your food and drink is 80% of the battle with the rest being fortitude and willpower to act on change.
So I hope this helps. I'm not trying to get on my soapbox and sound frustrated, but I want my readers to be happy with themselves and their outcomes. So go out and learn new things! Try new foods! Use my blog as a resource. No problem.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Feeling Full?
Have you had a lot to eat? Pants not fitting? Can barely walk because of the sheer force applied around your waistline? Let me help.
Post Thanksgiving can hurt! Everyone gets sleepy and it can be tough to get around and back on the regular eating schedule. Real quick, here's some tips in order to fix your ailments:
Post Thanksgiving can hurt! Everyone gets sleepy and it can be tough to get around and back on the regular eating schedule. Real quick, here's some tips in order to fix your ailments:
- Drink tons of fluids, this will help the natural digestion of the food through your body. Try choosing water and tea over things like soda, alcohol, and juice as those can add more Calories to your already full belly.
- Eat something when you wake up! This will start up your metabolism and get your body to start burning the fuel it has available. This is simple. Just eat an apple or a banana or a granola bar. It can be really small, but as long as you eat something it should help "wake your body up" and start moving those pie slices.
- Choose fiber-full meals. For lunch today, try just a big salad. Dress it up with some leftover turkey or vegetables from yesterday. The more fiber you add the better. Try adding peppers, spinach, carrots, corn, and cucumber (with the skin still on!).
- Avoid the fatty desires. The fats, especially the saturated fats, will only make the tummy rumblings worse. Try just for today to eat as little fat as possible; I'm sure we all got enough of it yesterday :)
- Move around! Go play basketball, go for a walk, go shopping (BLACK FRIDAY!), clean up yesterday's mess, put up Christmas lights, clean the pets, idk, get creative and move.
These are just my tips, what are yours?
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Take the time to really enjoy yourself, your family, and your food. Remember that this is a time of celebration and that it is OK to let the belt loose a little bit. I've always believed that diet should not be torture, so don't ruin your holiday thinking this way! Eat your traditional family foods and try not to worry that the green bean casserole is pretty fatty or that you need to try all 3 of Grandma's pies. This is what the holidays are for!
If you want a great way to keep control of your diet while still enjoying the feast, treat the big dinner or even the big day as a very large dessert. Over the next week, go further with your diet by removing the sweet or the dessert at the meals. It could be easy to make awesome meals without desserts too because of all the leftovers!
So my one piece of advice on this glorious holiday? Enjoy!
Take the time to really enjoy yourself, your family, and your food. Remember that this is a time of celebration and that it is OK to let the belt loose a little bit. I've always believed that diet should not be torture, so don't ruin your holiday thinking this way! Eat your traditional family foods and try not to worry that the green bean casserole is pretty fatty or that you need to try all 3 of Grandma's pies. This is what the holidays are for!
If you want a great way to keep control of your diet while still enjoying the feast, treat the big dinner or even the big day as a very large dessert. Over the next week, go further with your diet by removing the sweet or the dessert at the meals. It could be easy to make awesome meals without desserts too because of all the leftovers!
So my one piece of advice on this glorious holiday? Enjoy!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Salty Temptations
Salt is a main component to many snacky foods across the globe. It works pretty well in making you want to eat more of the snack, because we crave that salty sensation, and also grab the nearest drink, usually soda, in order to quench the thirst.
What is one to do when teased by the salty temptations?! There are a couple of things to know about salt before attacking it though...
First of all, athletes, for the most part, unless you have a health condition or hypertension, salt will not hurt you. In fact, for the most part, it will help you replenish the electrolytes lost in sweat. There is salt in sports drinks for a reason. This is also why salted pretzels are great to munch on before working out. As an athlete, over consumption of salt will not hurt your game. Most people are different when it comes to salt tolerance levels, but this is only in reference to hypertension. Just remember to wash down that salt with some water!
From my own opinion, the Recommended Daily Allowance for Sodium is next to impossible to accomplish everyday. We are surrounded by salt in every food we eat. Unless you are focusing deeply on no added salt or eating a majority of your food from the garden and not from the can or bag, you will struggle here. For the most part, one hot dog alone with no ketchup and no bun will give you more than half the recommended salt for one day...ridiculous. There are increased health benefits for increasing potassium intake and decreasing salt intake, see DASH diet, but for the most part, this is difficult and requires much more time/money/energy. Overall, I don't like even paying attention to salt in my diet. It doesn't concern me and my athletic lifestyle acts for that.
Upon saying these two things, let me explain how to squash your salty snack problems. First, control the food around you. Basically, look at your environment and don't put snacks there. Second, check out the "healthier" salty options: peanuts, almonds, pretzels, popcorn, etc. Or, what you could do is replace your snacks around you completely with fruit, vegetable snack bags, or nothing at all! Finally, when snacking salty, never follow up with anything but water. Make it one of your rules. "If I eat salty, I drink only water." No problem.
For me when it comes to salty foods, in order to stop the urge, I imagine just salt. Literally I imagine eating like a block of salt alone. It's disgusting sounding. When I realize this is what I'm craving, I no longer need salt and have more control over what I pick. I don't want a salt block, I want a peanut butter and jelly. I don't know, but it works for me!
In the end, I want you all to snack. If done properly (see my other posts), you can eat less through out the total day. For this post specifically, just don't let salt alone be the reason you continue to munch! Ciao amici!
What is one to do when teased by the salty temptations?! There are a couple of things to know about salt before attacking it though...
First of all, athletes, for the most part, unless you have a health condition or hypertension, salt will not hurt you. In fact, for the most part, it will help you replenish the electrolytes lost in sweat. There is salt in sports drinks for a reason. This is also why salted pretzels are great to munch on before working out. As an athlete, over consumption of salt will not hurt your game. Most people are different when it comes to salt tolerance levels, but this is only in reference to hypertension. Just remember to wash down that salt with some water!
From my own opinion, the Recommended Daily Allowance for Sodium is next to impossible to accomplish everyday. We are surrounded by salt in every food we eat. Unless you are focusing deeply on no added salt or eating a majority of your food from the garden and not from the can or bag, you will struggle here. For the most part, one hot dog alone with no ketchup and no bun will give you more than half the recommended salt for one day...ridiculous. There are increased health benefits for increasing potassium intake and decreasing salt intake, see DASH diet, but for the most part, this is difficult and requires much more time/money/energy. Overall, I don't like even paying attention to salt in my diet. It doesn't concern me and my athletic lifestyle acts for that.
Upon saying these two things, let me explain how to squash your salty snack problems. First, control the food around you. Basically, look at your environment and don't put snacks there. Second, check out the "healthier" salty options: peanuts, almonds, pretzels, popcorn, etc. Or, what you could do is replace your snacks around you completely with fruit, vegetable snack bags, or nothing at all! Finally, when snacking salty, never follow up with anything but water. Make it one of your rules. "If I eat salty, I drink only water." No problem.
For me when it comes to salty foods, in order to stop the urge, I imagine just salt. Literally I imagine eating like a block of salt alone. It's disgusting sounding. When I realize this is what I'm craving, I no longer need salt and have more control over what I pick. I don't want a salt block, I want a peanut butter and jelly. I don't know, but it works for me!
In the end, I want you all to snack. If done properly (see my other posts), you can eat less through out the total day. For this post specifically, just don't let salt alone be the reason you continue to munch! Ciao amici!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Clearing Up a Common Misconception
So I have begun working with my fellow Italian athletes with their diet. Most of them want to slim down, increase muscle, etc. While I am trying my best to speak with them in the beautiful Italian language (still not amazing at it, but getting there!) I have found out that they do not understand a simple concept to me.
Body weight is directly correlated to total amount of Calories consumed/used.
A lot of people mistake gaining weight with eating too much fat, junky foods, desserts, sugars, etc. Unfortunately, this is not the answer. If you need to, or want to, lose weight, you must decrease total calorie consumption per day. Another option is to increase calorie usage per day by exercising or exercising more/longer. A combination of the two can speed things up, but losing more than 2 lbs per week can tend to be unhealthy for your body.
On average, decreasing the diet per day by 500 Calories will help you lose about 1 lb per week. Understand that different bodies react differently. So this number could be too small or too big depending. Also, 500 Calories per day can be a lot to do right away. Try easing yourself down to a comfortable level where you are not starving but also losing weight.
It can be really hard to use numbers or calculate out every darn thing you eat, so to give you an example of what 500 calories can be:
Body weight is directly correlated to total amount of Calories consumed/used.
A lot of people mistake gaining weight with eating too much fat, junky foods, desserts, sugars, etc. Unfortunately, this is not the answer. If you need to, or want to, lose weight, you must decrease total calorie consumption per day. Another option is to increase calorie usage per day by exercising or exercising more/longer. A combination of the two can speed things up, but losing more than 2 lbs per week can tend to be unhealthy for your body.
On average, decreasing the diet per day by 500 Calories will help you lose about 1 lb per week. Understand that different bodies react differently. So this number could be too small or too big depending. Also, 500 Calories per day can be a lot to do right away. Try easing yourself down to a comfortable level where you are not starving but also losing weight.
It can be really hard to use numbers or calculate out every darn thing you eat, so to give you an example of what 500 calories can be:
- One Big Mac from McDonald's - 540 Calories
- Small French Fries from McDonald's - 250 Calories
- Triple Chocolate Cookie from Mrs. Field's - 220 Calories
- Corn Chips single serve bag - average: 160 Calories
- Pretzels single serve bag - average: 110 Calories
- 100% Orange Juice 16 oz - 220 Calories
- Sugary soda 16 oz - average: 240-260 Calories
So depending on how things are working out for you, it can be easy to out out the 500 Calories. This plan doesn't work if you are grossly gaining weight though. If this is your case, you should seek a dietitian to gain more direct help specific to yourself! It's a great way to increase your overall health.
If you really need a snack or are having trouble with hunger, check out my post on snacks in my archive! There are some great choices for you waiting there...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My Thoughts on an Italian Diet so far
There is a small concern with athletes here in Italy over the content of their diet and whether or not it is good for them to lose weight or gain muscle. I'll quickly go over some basic areas of foods here in order to clear any confusion.
First, pasta is never bad. This is going to be high quality carbohydrates perfectly suited to give energy for activities. The more whole the wheat, the better it will be for long lasting energy and for losing weight due to a higher fiber count. Stick with tomato based sauces over fattier oils and sauces and you are looking at a great meal. Try adding veggies to the pasta. Just pan fry some of your favorites (mushrooms, peppers, onion, zucchini, etc.) and add them to the pasta at the end. Adding a bit of liquid can get all the tasty cooked bits in the pan adding flavor to your pasta.
Second, pizza seems to be pretty bad in some people's minds over here. I would agree only slightly. Pizza is going to be high in fat, but it also provides a good source of dairy (vitamin D, Calcium) and vegetables (depends on what you gt on top). If you pay attention to what is going on the pizza, you can make a healthy option instead of a greasy gut-buster. Ways to make the pizza a little healthier for losing weight would be to use napkins to blot away the fat sitting on top of the pizza. Try a pizza with seafood on it to get some high quality protein.
Third, cafe! It is delicious over here, and I am starting to absolutely love it! It is in a nice small amount so it doesn't fill up the stomach too much. Plus it provides a nice concentrated amount of caffeine. With cafe you need to be careful about a couple things. Don't add too much sugar, try to cut back. When adding cream, add only a small amount as well because this is really just fat. Also, as a reminder, caffeine can increase your appetite. Be careful because it may make you want to eat more because of caffeine's effect on the body. Stick with cafe after the meal is over and you should be just fine!
I hope this clears up a couple of things for my Italian friends. Also, take the information to heart back home in the states! Color up your pasta, add some fun and healthy options to that pizza, and give espresso a shot instead of coffee next time!
First, pasta is never bad. This is going to be high quality carbohydrates perfectly suited to give energy for activities. The more whole the wheat, the better it will be for long lasting energy and for losing weight due to a higher fiber count. Stick with tomato based sauces over fattier oils and sauces and you are looking at a great meal. Try adding veggies to the pasta. Just pan fry some of your favorites (mushrooms, peppers, onion, zucchini, etc.) and add them to the pasta at the end. Adding a bit of liquid can get all the tasty cooked bits in the pan adding flavor to your pasta.
Second, pizza seems to be pretty bad in some people's minds over here. I would agree only slightly. Pizza is going to be high in fat, but it also provides a good source of dairy (vitamin D, Calcium) and vegetables (depends on what you gt on top). If you pay attention to what is going on the pizza, you can make a healthy option instead of a greasy gut-buster. Ways to make the pizza a little healthier for losing weight would be to use napkins to blot away the fat sitting on top of the pizza. Try a pizza with seafood on it to get some high quality protein.
Third, cafe! It is delicious over here, and I am starting to absolutely love it! It is in a nice small amount so it doesn't fill up the stomach too much. Plus it provides a nice concentrated amount of caffeine. With cafe you need to be careful about a couple things. Don't add too much sugar, try to cut back. When adding cream, add only a small amount as well because this is really just fat. Also, as a reminder, caffeine can increase your appetite. Be careful because it may make you want to eat more because of caffeine's effect on the body. Stick with cafe after the meal is over and you should be just fine!
I hope this clears up a couple of things for my Italian friends. Also, take the information to heart back home in the states! Color up your pasta, add some fun and healthy options to that pizza, and give espresso a shot instead of coffee next time!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Reader Request: Milk
Milk is a great drink. We've been over this. High protein, high vitamins, high minerals. If chosen correctly, it can also be low in saturated fat. But what about the other "milks?" To be honest, I didn't know a lot about these guys, so I decided to do some research.
There are a ton of different alternative milks: almond, soy, rice, coconut, and more. For the most part, these milks are made by mixing water with grounded up ingredient. For the most part, these milks can replace cow's milk in recipes and in diet. The thing that you need to look out for with these special milks is the added benefits. Milk is an amazing provider of calcium, B12, and riboflavin, all crucial for strength and energy usage. When looking at which milk to buy, look for these fortifications. The easiest thing you could do is compare the alternative milk to cow's milk.
The thing to consider with these milks is 2 fold. First, these milks are going to be expensive. You might have to really hunt to get a good deal on some milk. Second, alternative milk is going to lose a lot of its protein value. If you are looking solely at protein availability, you cannot beat cow's milk. If that is not an option for you, then choose soy milk. Its nutrient profile is closest to cow's milk because soy is a complete protein.
For the most part, choosing these alternative milks means you cannot drink lactose containing beverages easily or have another allergy. Keep this in mind. If you have no problem with cow's milk, I wouldn't look elsewhere unless you cannot stand the flavor. From my experience with these milks, the alternative ones lack a lot of flavor, are too expensive, and feel less filling (more like water).
I hope this post helps some of you out there. Your best bet is to just buy smaller versions of these milks and try them to see if you like them. Make sure you look at that nutrition label too, it will tell you if what you are drinking is worth it. And remember, if you don't know what the label should look like, compare it to regular milk! Easy.
Speaking of milk, it is not the same over here in Italy! It's one of my favorites, as you all know, and I am struggling to find the real good stuff here! Any input would gladly be appreciated.
There are a ton of different alternative milks: almond, soy, rice, coconut, and more. For the most part, these milks are made by mixing water with grounded up ingredient. For the most part, these milks can replace cow's milk in recipes and in diet. The thing that you need to look out for with these special milks is the added benefits. Milk is an amazing provider of calcium, B12, and riboflavin, all crucial for strength and energy usage. When looking at which milk to buy, look for these fortifications. The easiest thing you could do is compare the alternative milk to cow's milk.
The thing to consider with these milks is 2 fold. First, these milks are going to be expensive. You might have to really hunt to get a good deal on some milk. Second, alternative milk is going to lose a lot of its protein value. If you are looking solely at protein availability, you cannot beat cow's milk. If that is not an option for you, then choose soy milk. Its nutrient profile is closest to cow's milk because soy is a complete protein.
For the most part, choosing these alternative milks means you cannot drink lactose containing beverages easily or have another allergy. Keep this in mind. If you have no problem with cow's milk, I wouldn't look elsewhere unless you cannot stand the flavor. From my experience with these milks, the alternative ones lack a lot of flavor, are too expensive, and feel less filling (more like water).
I hope this post helps some of you out there. Your best bet is to just buy smaller versions of these milks and try them to see if you like them. Make sure you look at that nutrition label too, it will tell you if what you are drinking is worth it. And remember, if you don't know what the label should look like, compare it to regular milk! Easy.
Speaking of milk, it is not the same over here in Italy! It's one of my favorites, as you all know, and I am struggling to find the real good stuff here! Any input would gladly be appreciated.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Flu Season!
Sorry everyone about the lack of posts...I'm having some trouble with Internet over here in Italy...
Let's talk about everyone getting sick! It always happens, and it seems to happen to everyone. Some are able to fight the power, while others can do whatever they can to stop it but watch it slowly crush them. As an athlete, being sick severely affects our game because we will miss practice/games/lifting or cannot perform at a high enough level. Let's discuss what you can do to help out.
1. Cleanliness
Shower after lifts and exercise, especially if you sweat a lot. Once done with the shower, don't wait around to get dressed; keep warm quickly in order to not freeze out your system. Also, wash your hands more frequently. Got some downtime? Like one minute of downtime? Just go wash. Hot water. Little soap. Dry it off. Done.
2. Hydration
The weather out there is a'changing and you need to keep hydrated. For the most part, the weather gets dry and the cold weather can make it worse, especially when skin cracks and sores get open. Staying hydrated will automatically keep your body's system flushing out toxins. Basically you will be able to pee out a lot of the sickness, and when you are not sick, it's still great to increase the amount you are drinking in order to increase the productivity of your body's ability to filter what's in there. Also, for you athletes and your hands, make sure you are taking care of them with lotion. A lot of germs are spread through the hands, and when they are cracked open, you increase the chances of infection.
3. Mono and Poly Unsaturated Fats
These "positive" fats will help keep your white blood cells active and boost your immune system. One of the best fats you can is the Omega-3's from fish like salmon, tuna, and trout. These have been shown to increase airflow, lower bad cholesterol levels, and increase the body's response to foreign toxins. Hooray! Nuts contain a ton of the right fats plus have awesome micro-nutrients (specifically zinc, magnesium, and selenium) that have a direct effect on boosting your immune system's productivity.
4. Super-disease-fighting-awesome-sauce-delicious-tasting Foods
That got out of hand. Check out this article from RD Tonia Reinhard that showcases these foods (which include those that I just mentioned). To keep things simple, these snacks and foods will do their best, and much better than other junky foods, to boost specifically our immune system. The micro-nutrients and antioxidants will help you find off the influenza. Hooray x 2!
Alright that about does it for me. I'm going to go blow my nose. Literally.
Let's talk about everyone getting sick! It always happens, and it seems to happen to everyone. Some are able to fight the power, while others can do whatever they can to stop it but watch it slowly crush them. As an athlete, being sick severely affects our game because we will miss practice/games/lifting or cannot perform at a high enough level. Let's discuss what you can do to help out.
1. Cleanliness
Shower after lifts and exercise, especially if you sweat a lot. Once done with the shower, don't wait around to get dressed; keep warm quickly in order to not freeze out your system. Also, wash your hands more frequently. Got some downtime? Like one minute of downtime? Just go wash. Hot water. Little soap. Dry it off. Done.
2. Hydration
The weather out there is a'changing and you need to keep hydrated. For the most part, the weather gets dry and the cold weather can make it worse, especially when skin cracks and sores get open. Staying hydrated will automatically keep your body's system flushing out toxins. Basically you will be able to pee out a lot of the sickness, and when you are not sick, it's still great to increase the amount you are drinking in order to increase the productivity of your body's ability to filter what's in there. Also, for you athletes and your hands, make sure you are taking care of them with lotion. A lot of germs are spread through the hands, and when they are cracked open, you increase the chances of infection.
3. Mono and Poly Unsaturated Fats
These "positive" fats will help keep your white blood cells active and boost your immune system. One of the best fats you can is the Omega-3's from fish like salmon, tuna, and trout. These have been shown to increase airflow, lower bad cholesterol levels, and increase the body's response to foreign toxins. Hooray! Nuts contain a ton of the right fats plus have awesome micro-nutrients (specifically zinc, magnesium, and selenium) that have a direct effect on boosting your immune system's productivity.
4. Super-disease-fighting-awesome-sauce-delicious-tasting Foods
That got out of hand. Check out this article from RD Tonia Reinhard that showcases these foods (which include those that I just mentioned). To keep things simple, these snacks and foods will do their best, and much better than other junky foods, to boost specifically our immune system. The micro-nutrients and antioxidants will help you find off the influenza. Hooray x 2!
Alright that about does it for me. I'm going to go blow my nose. Literally.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)