LeBron's New Diet

So I need to talk about something: LeBron. Have you heard he is on a new diet? That's right, this offseason, LeBron decided to go low to zero carbohydrate to "slim down." LeBron has been seen on Twitter with a more slim physique and everyone in the sports world is now talking about how this will affect LeBron's game come the new season, also the new team. I'm going to tackle this commotion in two parts today: the diet and the reaction.

Photo from LeBron's Instagram since starting his low carb diet.

What's going on with LeBron's diet is not a new idea. It's essentially the Atkins diet. People have used this before, but this diet has been found to be based on shoddy scientific research and currently the Atkin's company is bankrupt. It's also very similar to the paleo diet which avoids processed foods, especially grains. The diet works as such: the body fuels off of carbohydrate which eventually metabolizes down to sugar. When this is decreased to very low levels, the body must switch its fuel source to the next best thing: fat. This fat, in the form of foods and fat stores on the body, starts to burn. For this reason, the body slims down and weight can be dropped somewhat quickly.

LeBron's desire to slim down isn't so bad. This is how athletes should think when in the off-season because it is too easy to put on weight when not practicing and performing as often. The problem here is in the teaching. LeBron wants to train the body to use fat as a fuel source so he can utilize it better during games. Basically, when the glycogen, or carbohydrates, run out mid-game, LeBron can switch to fat stores to keep on trucking.The idea really makes sense, but unfortunately this type of energy use really is better at impacting long term energy use for athletes like long distance runners and track stars in long distance events. Glycogen is needed for the power moves. So for this reason, it could be difficult for LeBron to keep his power jumping, shooting, rebounding, sprinting, and dunking prowess. Basically, his sport demands the carbohydrates. By the way, not being fueled correctly and going into heavy training or competition could result in extreme fatigue with the possibility of blacking out. Not good.

This is why sports drinks exist or why halftime is a good time to have a quick recovery snack. It will help replace the glycogen stores you just lost.

The reaction to his diet change is what upsets me a little more. I cannot stress this enough: you must pay attention to who you are listening to. Look for articles written by dietitians, not doctors, not nutritionists, not editors, not athletes. I hate to break it to you all, but dietitians are the ones who have gone through extensive schoolwork to actually understand what is going on. When I read this article, I was furious at the beginning with its highlighting of some MD on a power trip. I got excited when the dietitian for the Indiana Pacers chimed in with logical advice and making a point to how dangerous this diet can be in certain situations. Unfortunately the article finishes with just throwing that all away and jumping on LeBron's decision once again.

Do not blindly follow what the athletes do. In this world, everyone is individualized. Watch out with how easily a writer can make it look to try a new diet. And realize one of the greatest tips: even those at the top can make mistakes. Staying empowered with knowledge is always the best option.

What Have I Learned? Part 2

I've taken to the twitterverse! Follow me @Smurrf30 to get more nutrition tips.

Let's continue my conversation from last weekend. Here's a couple more things I've learned since becoming a registered dietitian.

Sometimes people don't understand the rules.
We've all learned little tricks and beneficial nutrients that make our diet "better." What I noticed with some people is that they will completely miss the boat with how to take the advice and practice it. The best example I have is those who try to increase unsaturated fats in their diet, usually for heart healthy desires. These people will switch to olive oil, fatty fish, and snack on nuts. To this I say great! But the thing here, is the idea comes from replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated ones. If the diet becomes a high fat diet, regardless of type of fat, other problems could arise (like weight problems!). Another thing that comes from this misunderstanding is the mixing of diet tips. Sometimes those looking to lose weight will mix ideas like snacking on nuts, thinking that "they must be healthy, they are always recommended by everyone for their heart!" In reality, nuts are pretty dang high in calories, the ultimate concern when concerning weight loss. My tips are as follows:

• For weight loss, pay most attention to overall calories and increased physical activity.
• When anyone says to eliminate something (like wheat), think about what you will replace it with.
• Pay careful attention to the end goal. Your decisions should always revolve around this.

The secret weight loss diet was discovered years ago.
I had an awesome conversation with my trainer this week about media's influence on nutrition and the public's understanding between nutritionist and dietitian. In case you don't know, anyone can call them self a nutritionist, whereas a dietitian must earn their credentials through work hours and experience along with passing a registered exam. Basically, it matters whether articles or TV bits are given by a nutritionist or a dietitian! This being said, many people love to claim they've figured it out. The miracle answer is here, this single problem is to blame, yadda yadda yadda. We see a lot of this from nutritionists. The fact is, the answer has been with us all along, we just don't want to accept it. Healthy diet is all the "quips" you've heard before: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily, limit red meat, eat more fish, 3 servings of low fat dairy daily, whole grains over white, and regular exercise. Isn't it crazy how much we don't want to accept the simple truth, but we'll take the next crazy diet, which in some way usually follows these quips anyway? My advice here is to always remember this diet is research based and effective while most others are not whatsoever.

The best thing in nutrition is always eating real food.
Ah yes, real food. So tasty, so much to choose from. To me, real food always makes the most sense.  We should be eating foods that make sense. When comparing US diets to other countries, two things really jump out to me: the percentage of income families spend on food (news flash, we don't spend much on it) and the types of food eaten (making foods vs buying made foods). I wish we as a population would spend more $$ on our body's fuel. I know produce and proteins are always expensive, but to me are always worth the money. These last two weeks, the girlfriend and I decided to start eating right, cooking dishes, lots of vegetables, getting creative, and limiting the junk. First off, the food tastes great, the only down side is possibly more dirty dishes. (wow I wish I had a dishwasher). Second, we feel better. Just positive feelings. My girlfriend wants to lose weight and I want to gain. The way we are accomplishing this is regular exercise and decreasing her portions and increasing mine. That's it. There's no tricks, and it can work just that way for you. By the way, been having awesome packaged lunches to take to work from all this.

There you have it. These posts were pretty difficult to write given all the things I was taught. I tried to keep things pretty broad in order to cover many bases! Honestly, I could get on a soap box and preach for hours on the last two posts, but I'll spare you.

What Have I Learned? Part 1

So I've come a very long way to get my sweet new credentials. Along the way, I've gained new skills, new friends, and a helluva lot of new knowledge. In this two part series, I will share some of the great things I've learned over the last busy year.

Nutrition is easy
Hahahahahahaha, right? No one thinks this is easy. As a matter of fact, this is why I have a job! But truly, nutrition is as easy as it should be. Those who come to me asking about how to lose weight, bulk up, eat healthier, etc. can be asked the same questions right back to them. What do you think you need to do differently? Guaranteed, we all could be eating more fruit and vegetables daily. A lot of us probably eat out a little too often. A big one: not enough physical activity. So why ask me? So my advice to you, ask the questions back to you and see which ones you can answer. When it becomes another question, that's where the health professional (yours truly) can step in and help out! Don't know how to slice a mango? Ask! Don't know how to incorporate more olive oil and less butter into your diet? Ask! Wondering why you have plateaued in your weight loss success? Ask!

Question what you read
This may make you suspicious of even my articles, but you should really be careful what you buy into. Think about the articles you read on the internet. The newest buzz on Facebook may not be the best catalyst to changing your behaviors. I've ready plenty of articles that just spew shoddy science. Be careful! For example, I read an article about putting butter in your coffee...and it being healthy...and how it's perfect as the only item of your breakfast. I wanted to lose my mind looking at how many views it had! I don't see anything wrong with trying this, but trying to "swing it" so that it will be beneficial in every way? Please...so I've narrowed this problem down to asking two questions: does it sound to good to be true? and what would I be missing out on if I try this? If it sounds so amazing and fantastic or every uses words like "magic" or "revolutionary" or "secret" you should tread with caution. And anything that wants you to eliminate meals/foods/ingredients completely could lead to missing out on awesome nutrients and when done incorrectly will hurt more than help.

Share your successes, not your crankyness
Think this has nothing to do with nutrition? Think again. Plenty of mornings over the last year, i was complaining more than necessary for any human being. It doesn't help anything. So, instead of complaining about how awful you eat, how infrequently you exercise, and how much weight you've gained, start sharing what you are going to change. Recruit others on your path! I hate the phrase "misery loves company." I prefer "share the success." Once you recruit the partner, push each other, don't let the other fail by holding them (and yourself) accountable. Make this your roommate, loved one, child, or even a social media outlet like Reddit (here's a nice subreddit). This is one area that I think never looks like bragging when letting your friend know "I've lost 10 lbs!" or "I have been cooking fresh recently, and I had no clue it was so flavorful."

Stay tuned for part 2 of my learnings next weekend.