HOW I STAY LEAN - Intro

INTRO

After a lot of questions and interest from clients, friends and family I've decided to sum up and explain how I eat and my own take on nutrition in general – working as a Personal Trainer and movement specialist. I made some drastic changes in my eating habits lately and it has definitely caught peoples interest and curiosity to the point that I believe it will be worth sharing.

This is the first post in a series named “HOW I STAY LEAN”.

Enjoy the read...


Disclaimer:

Publishing this post is not me trying to run a narcissistic self promotion campaign. I'm simply offering an insight in my nutritional daily habits and routines to anyone interested in health and nutrition
For what a large portion of this post is mainly about – IF (intermittent fasting), I think it's important to begin by saying that IF is an eating method that works very well for some people, and not so well with others – just like all the other methods and diets out there today (Atkins, South-Beach, LCHF, etc), IF is not simply a nicer word for a “skip-breakfast-eat-whatever-you-want”-diet, nor is it at destructive form of self-starvation. Whenever weight loss is desired, whatever method you chose to use, discipline, planning and control is absolutely necessary and should never be underestimated. So before jumping on the IF-bandwagon, at least do some research or consult with a professional/someone with experience in the field.




...You wouldn't take advice on how to get rich from a poor man, would you?
This is the form I hoover around, more or less 365 days/year. It's there for motivation and credibility purposes only...


MY BACKGROUND


I've always been very active and played many sports growing up and I know that a big part of my low bodyfat maintenance is thanks to the fact that I'm still very active and therefore expend a lot of calories. But my body also compensates that fact, granted my huge appetite (our bodies are programmed for survival and will do anything to keep you from starving. “If you workout a ton you'll eat a ton, too”).
So although my physical activity levels are high I'm also known to be a big eater (my stomach is pretty much a bottom less pit) that forces me to be aware of what I put into my body to maintain a lean physique. This has made me fine tune my discipline and taught me to interpret my body signals and functions and how I respond and react to certain foods. Eating healthy is something I stick with, of course affording an occasional “misstep” and “cheat” (thank you, 80/20 principle) every now and then, again – thanks to my active lifestyle.



THE CHANGE


Prior to March 2010, I always started my day with a BIG breakfast (700 – 1000 kcal), usually consisting of oatmeal with banana, whole grain bread and turkey breast with cottage cheese, etc. The rest of the day I would eat 3-4 more times, mostly whole grain/high fiber, low fat/low sugar food products (like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, lean meats, unsweetened, fat free yoghurt, etc, etc). My daily macronutrient distribution typically landed around 50% of total energy from carbs, 30% from protein and 20 % from fat sources. Basically, I was following general recommendations and did what is (was?) considered to be the best way to eat – at least according to mainstream and government guidelines.
So far so good, but I still didn't feel I was functioning optimally and therefore decided to take a step back to review my “healthy” eating behaviors. After all, I wouldn't mind finding an easier way to stay lean, without the hassle with planned, small frequent meals.
Searching for an alternative way to eat healthy I gave Intermittent Fasting a try. With claims to be an easier way to stay lean, healthy and strong the method seemed very appealing to me...all but one thing (there's always a “but”)...the fasting part...going for hours without food was not a question for me before but was now a necessity.
So it wasn't without doubts I started my IF experiment back in March, 2010. Now, 7 months later, IF is a staple of my daily routine. It has also lead me to explore other eating methods/philosophies and I'm now more or less also a strict follower of the Paleoletic diet.

Intermittent Fasting (IF) and the Paleolithic (Paleo) diet were no news to me but like I mentioned before, I was ready for a change in my eating habits and looking for a better/easier/more effective method to keep me mentally sharp, healthy, physically fit and productive. First, I read up and most importantly, found motivation and the believe to give IF:ing a fair chance. Initially I began to learn more about my body and its signals, realizing what was mechanical hunger (true hunger) and what was only perceived as hunger (false hunger, from emotional, habitual eating and cravings). I studied cold, hard, facts about the effects of food on the endocrine system (hormones), how habits and emotions triggers people to eat and believe that food solves problems, treats symptoms or heals broken hearts. I read countless of studies and different philosophies on IF (Warrior Diet, Eat Stop Eat, LeanGains, etc) to understand and support my newly found habits. As I was digging deeper into the research of different methods and food styles, the Paleo method sounded more and more like the obvious foundation to create my personal eating philosophy upon. Although combining IF and Paleo with each other is quite logical (if you believe in the evolutionary theory, that is), and that's exactly what Mike Sisson has done, creating his extremely successful Primal Blueprint empire.


Still reading? Cool, but this is it for now. In the next post of “HOW I STAY LEAN” I'll explain more about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and the Paleolithic (Paleo) eating method + give a summary of studies and facts that supports the two methods.


Check back soon!

/Henrik