RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT LIFE AND TRAINING OF A SENIOR RKC

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Diet or Lifestyle?

This is the million dollar question. To me A diet is something you are going to stop when you reach your goal. The problem with that is most go right back to the habits that led them to diet in the first place. So when people ask which diet would be best for them I have to ask. Diet or lifestyle change? Lifestyle changes make a greater impact over the long run. Diets are quick fixes that are extreme and difficult to stay on for long periods. People need to remember they didn't get fat overnight so it isn't going to come off that way either!

I have played around with tons of meal plans over the years. Most recent have been the Warrior Diet which I loved ( more in a minute)! Precision Nutrition and currently Zero Tolerance. Here are my thoughts on all three.

Warrior diet: under eating phase during the day/overeating for dinner
I 'm not going into all the details but here is why I liked it. Great sense of freedom during the day. I have a very hectic training schedule one after another hour after hour. Not having to stop and eat was great. After the initial 2-3 weeks the hunger was gone during the day I had tons of energy and great workouts. At the end of the day I would head home eat a huge salad a pile of meat and carbs of choice. When I hit the sac I would be out like a light. I followed this plan for 5 years loved it. LIFESTYLE

Precision Nutrition: 5-6 feeding opportunities a day, protein and veggies at every meal, carbs only after workouts.
I like the idea behind the whole thing but ran into a timing problem. No matter how I worked my clients I was having to eat a meal or drink a super shake(which are awesome) during their session. Did my clients care? No. Did I care? Yes. They aren't there to watch me eat chicken and asparagus at 7:00a.m. After the first two week I felt good and training was going well I just didn't like the timing of the whole thing. Could the become a lifestyle for me? No. For my Clients yes.

Zero Tolerance: 3 whole food meals a day and three amino acid loads a day plus an amino load before and after training. The first 14 days protein and veggies only, days 15-28 three carb meals a week after training only. Repeat
Three meals a day a very easy to space and amino loads can be done while training clients and I don't miss a beat. This is what I am currently doing. I am very happy with this plan. It always keep my metabolic rate going and the two week switched are great way to stay motivated. LIFESTYLE

If you have any questions or want more details on any of the above let me know.

PS OFF DAY NO TRAINING

9 comments:

nate b said...

doug,
just checked out mark reifkind's blog about taping hands and i saw your name on a previous post. really enjoyed coming out the other day. i will definitely be back. i have been interested in trying the warrior diet but thought it would be a bad idea right before the cert.
nate

Doug Nepodal Sr. RKC said...

It takes a few weeks to get use to it but after that it is smooth sailing.

You did a great job! I don't think you will have any problems with the cert.

Rannoch Donald said...

I'd love to know more about the Zero Tolerance Diet. Where might I find info?

Rannoch RKC

fitdoc said...

Zero Tolerance nutrition was developed by my friend and collegue, Eric Serrano, MD. Eric is a great guy and EXTREMELY knowledgable. He works with many elite amateur and professional athletes. You can find more about Zero Tolerance on his site, infinityfitness.com, or through his assistant, Scott Mendelson.

Doug, i see you're wearing a beverly international shirt. Do you use their products?

Doug Nepodal Sr. RKC said...

Yeah, I have used several products over the years. UMP and Ultra Size are the ones I use the most.

Franz Snideman said...

Nice Post Doug.

Like you I also train many clients in a row every day and eating can be rather difficult and at times inconvenient. I've tried the warrior diet and I felt weak and tires. Never quite adapted to the no food during the day. Because of that I eat 5 meals per day, 3 normal meals and two snachs. I try and eat my snacks (fruit / shakes /protein bars) during the sessions. They are easy to eat and take little time to consume.

I guess ultimately you have to find what works for you and what makes you feel energetic, focused and keeps you fueled up to train well.

Doug Nepodal Sr. RKC said...

Thanks Franz

It did take me some time to get into the warrior diet.
I'm really feeling good on the Zero tolerance.

Mark Reifkind said...

great post, concise and well analysed.

Doug Nepodal Sr. RKC said...

Thanks Rif, Great blog on hand taping.