How Should Your Fitness Goals Drive Your Nutrition?

The 90 Day Summer Challenge is underway! As I mentioned in an earlier post, JT of Entice and I are embarking on this thing together and have some slight differences in our goals for the 90 days. So how should your specific goals drive your nutrition?  That is a really good question! You see many people believe, and naturally so, that if they want to be fit they need to eat less and workout more. People also believe that all they really need to do is count calories and as long as they stay below their burn rate and as low as possible, they will loose weight.  Unfortunately this is not exactly true or the equation for success.

I spent years limiting food, counting calories, and doing a fairly large amount of cardio only to watch my body composition slowly and continuously erode. Blah Blah Blah, so what's the secret you ask.  Well before I get down to it, we need to figure out your goals.  This is the hard part because you really have to be really honest with yourself and that can be challenging.

Are you trying to get lean or are you trying to get mean?
Do you really want to gain muscle or loose fat?  Many people will say they want both, JT falls into this category.  If you are fairly fit, already working out, and eating well then choosing a hybrid is OK.  There is however a trade off in doing so. How you eat and workout for these two different trajectories can be a bit different and trying to balance both means a little inconsistency from day to day.

Getting Lean is the Goal
For someone that has not been Paleo or on the fitness band wagon for a while, their goal should probably be to get lean.  This is really a whole lot easier than you might think.  Part of the reason Paleo works is because the whole natural foods you are eating are nutrient dense giving your body the essentials it needs to regulate hormones, generate energy, and function as nature intended.  The following are a few extra guidelines that can help you ensure a successful challenge.

• Eat strict Paleo for the first 30 days and the whole 90 if you can, check out My Paleo Philosophy it will give you some good initial lanes in the road.
• Keep cheats to a minimum. If you are just starting out a couple cheats a week are just the thing to keep you from quitting but once you have the hang of things try to avoid cheat meals as much as possible. When I first started Paleo, a few cheats on the weekend translated into a full week pause on my progress.
• Don't eat too little or too much - Count your calories for a day or two to get an idea if you are in the general range for your sex and weight.  I have used caloriecount.about.com for this, it has tons of foods and is easy to get fairly accurate numbers. Don't go more than a couple hundred calories under your estimated burn rate. If you are under fed your body's stress response will cause you to store fat and feel sluggish.  If you are eating too much then bring your calories down to a reasonable level to start burning into the fat.  
• Watch the fruits and treats - Paleo is a carb agnostic diet but if you are new to Paleo you will likely be eating significantly less carbs. You will need to find foods to snack on and since your old snacks are off limits inevitably you will begin to explore the realm of Paleo treats. Just because it is Paleo does not mean that you can eat as much as you want. Don't eat 5 bananas a day. Don't eat 5 Lara bars a day or even 1. Be smart about the treats and avoid the "It's Paleo so I can eat as much as I want" syndrome that many fall into.
• Cardio Fueling - Cardio that is not overdone, along side weight lifting, and a strict Paleo diet can produce spectacular results.  However, if you are under fed then cardio sessions can cause additional unnecessary stress that can sabotage your progress.  Make sure you are eating enough and giving yourself adequate post workout nutrition if you are doing any significant cardio.
• Keep your fridge stocked - There is nothing worse than getting a week or two into Paleo and not having enough food.  This is a recipe for, order a pizza it's going to be a cheat day.  Get extra veggies, eggs, and high quality meat.  If you find yourself weak, fry a quick egg, or make a salad.

Getting Mean is the Goal
I have been Paleo for 9 months and during that time I have leaned out pretty substantially.  So the next 90 days for me is to get mean and add some muscle.

• Don't worry about body fat - If you really want to gain mass you will be gaining some fat on the way. If this makes you uncomfortable you should probably reconsider your goal.....I am beginning to reconsider my goal. 
• Eat more protein, be sure to get between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight
• Spike insulin post workout and time your carbs to post workout and evening meals
• Eat more - Most people on Paleo especially those in their first month or two tend to under eat. Count your calories for a day or two and see where you're at.  I have used caloriecount.about.com for this, it has tons of foods and is easy to get fairly accurate numbers.  If you are going to gain muscle you have to take in some excess calories to build that muscle.
• Keep it clean and under control - While you are in the process of eating more be honest with yourself and don't let things get away from you.  If your lifting schedule is lax then dial back the calories a bit.  Just because you are eating more doesn't mean you should fill up on Paleo, or worse non-Paleo, treats.
• Cardio Fueling - If you are doing cardio in addition to lifting then you should limit the cardio as much as possible to avoid eating into your muscle gains. Be sure to up your carbs to cover those cardio sessions.
• Lift heavy - enough said lift heavy weights

Give me the Best of Both Worlds

If you are trying to gain muscle mass and lean out then you have your work cut out for you.  While there are a lot of similarities the primary difference in the two is how much to eat.  You will need to find a balance between ramping up calories for muscle gain and keeping calories in check for leaning out.  One can easily compromise the other. You will need to watch your food much more closely then if you were going one way or the other and timing your foods will be important.

A Few Must Do's for Everyone

• Take Pictures of yourself.  Pictures will give you the best indicator of your progress.  Try to wear the same thing and take the picture in the same location.  Take a side and front shot every week or two. You may not see changes during the first couple weeks but I bet you do after the first 30.
• Take Body Measurements.  A full set of body measurements are another great indicator of progress. Measurements can require a little interpretation since some may be increasing due to muscle gain while others may be decreasing.
• Don't worry about the Scale. If you have extra body fat you are likely to see significant drops on the scale but that won't be the case for everyone.  Some will lose slower and some will gain muscle quickly effecting the bottom line on the scale.  This is why the pictures and measurements are important, the three taken together will give you a good idea of what's going on.
• Get body fat measurements - Getting a body fat measurement at the start and end will give you something solid to measure your success.  Don't rely on your scales body fat function, they are terribly inaccurate. Try to find a bodpod in the area or someone that does caliper measurements. ACAC and  UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab have bodpods and will take your measurement for a fee.  The bodpod is great because it gives you a lot of additional information. UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab has additional services as well, check this post on my visit there.

If you are in good health and want to drop some fat or gain some muscle a Paleo program is a great way to get you there.  Paleo has not only worked for me and my family but now I have seen it work for many other people I know personally.  Don't forget to get a thumbs up from your doctor before making any major shift in your diet or fitness program and please don't hesitate to ask me any questions while you are on your way to tackling your goals!

Thanks!

Chuck

Long Overdue, New Year Update

Happy New Year! I am still here.  Wow, have I been MIA on the blog.  Thanks to those that prodded me to get back on here and apologies to those of you who have been loyal readers.

As you may or may not know my family has a tradition of hunting in the fall.  This generally means that most things get back burnered between sometime in October and the New Year.  That is not a very good excuse so I will have to do a little better next season. At least this year we had some pretty good luck out at the Hightree Camp.

Since my last update I have continued to refine my personal Paleo philosophy and have stayed the course
even through the holidays.  I have generally stuck to my training plan which has been pretty light up until a few weeks ago. I have started doing more strength work and in light of the upcoming Shamrock Half-Marathon I thought I should work in some long runs

Nutrition:
I have been primarily estimating my macro-nutrient intake and believe I run about a 25% Carb, 25% Protein, and 50% Fat breakdown.

Stats:

My weight has continued to stay steady between 172-175. I have not gone for a follow up bodpod scan yet but have been using calipers to estimate my body fat.  While it seems to be slowing my body composition still seems to be improving and based on all the evidence believe my body fat is right around 10%.  I will be returning to the bodpod soon for a midpoint body fat check.  Stand by for those results.

General Wellness:
I continue to feel great as long as I stick to a pretty regular sleep schedule and avoid significant cheats

Summary:
While I have fell off the blog for a while the St. Patty's challenge is still alive and well.  The challenge will be topped off with the Virginia Beach Shamrock Half Marathon in March.  Following the race I will get a body composition work up and some blood tests and post the final results.

I have a number of posts I am working on and those should be coming out regularly over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Thanks!
Chuck

The St. Patty's Challenge Baseline Stats

As promised, here are my baseline statistics. I highlighted some key measures I will be most interested in when I get tested again in about 6 months. I was pretty surprised by the 12.9% body fat and setting a goal of 10-12% body fat by Christmas or St Patty's is hardly a significant challenge. This also highlights the incredible inaccuracy of my home scale in measuring body fat.  My pace at lactate threshold was also a little surprising.  While I didn't really have any true expectations, after the fact, I would expect or hope to be in the middle 9s but was my threshold pace was a little under 11 minutes.  I will dedicate a few upcoming posts to fully explaining these stats and how I am using them to tailor my training plan.  

I am still considering what my new targets will be but for now I am hoping to achieve 8% body fat, any increase in lean body mass, and a lactate threshold pace of 9 minutes or less.  

In my next St Patty's Challenge post I will give you a glimpse into the nutrition and training plan I am developing based on prior plans and Dr. Weltman's feedback.  Please shoot me an email at chuck.brady@bradynutrition.com if you want to get an idea of what to expect from UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab or how you might use the results to optimize your training.  

Thanks again for your support and interest!

Weight	171.897
BP Systolic at Rest	130
BP Diastolic at Rest	70
Resting HR	82
Avg Sleep	7.5
Neck	14
Bicep	12.3
Forearm	11
Chest	37
Waist	34
Hips	40
Thigh	21.3
Calf	15.5
V02 Max	55.6 mL/kg/min
BP Systolic Peak	150
BP Diastolic Peak	80
Lactate Threshold Pace	0:10:54
Peak Pace	0:06:40
Lactate Threshold RPE	11
Peak RPE	18
Lactate Threshold HR	140
Peak HR	186
Body Fat	12.9%
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)	1794
Total Energy Expenditure (Active)	3122
Total Cholesterol	160
HDL	65
Triglyceride	55
VLDL	11
LDL	84

Christmas Challenge Becomes St. Patty's Challenge?

I spent two and a half hours at UVA's Exercise Physiology Lab and to be honest I have a lot of information to digest. First and foremost is the fact that after discussions of my results and the technology I was easily convinced that it would be best to wait for 6 months before returning for a second run of tests. I guess that means this is turning into more of a St. Patty's Challenge and honestly that goes a bit better with a name like Brady Nutrition and my known vices :-)

If you are familiar with the UVA medical center you know it pays to know where to park and were to not even try, especially at lunch time.  I remembered this after a few laps through some clogged full parking lots, just head straight to the parking garage!

I was greeted by Shannon Slovensky, an Exercise Physiology Researcher, and we headed back to the lab.  First stop was the Bodpod and a little paperwork.  Before I go any further, I have to add that Shannon was the first person that contacted me from the lab.  She was extremely responsive and helpful.  Shannon walked me through all the tests the lab conducts and helped me understand how each would meet my goals.  Shannon discussed some basics with me concerning the bodpod and handed me the first pair of bikini underwear I had or would ever experience.  I had three runs in the pod, each lasting less than a minute, and the last run involved me following some specific breathing instructions into a tube located in the pod.  The bodpod uses air displacement technology to develop the measurements and you can tell by pressure you can feel inside the tube, a bit like the first couple minutes being in a pressurized plane.

So now it was off to the larger lab area where the treadmill was located.  I had read all kinds of material on how blood might be collected and the nerves I had been carrying around all day were now at full peak.  See the truth is, I cannot handle needles at all.  Shannon informed me that the nurse would be up in a few minutes to put in a line, a line I thought sounded more invasive and needly than the finger pricks I read about online.  I think I was starting to turn flush and the nurse hadn't even arrived.  I ate up two Lara Bars and chugged some Brady Nutrition Endurance Drink to fuel up for the run.  The nurse arrived a few minutes later and got to work.  This is where Shannon really shined by encouraging me to go on about paleo and my training techniques.  This totally kept my mind off the line being placed in my hand.  

After about 5 minutes of watching my color completely return, Shannon got me up on the treadmill and attached a bunch of electrodes to my body.  Judy Weltman, the Excercise Phisyology Core Laboratory Manager, helped suit me up in what looked like a sweet mesh tanktop I wore back in 1985.  This mesh was to keep all the wires from flailing around while I was running.  Next it was time to strap on the Darth Vader mask.  Let me tell you this thing really limited my visibility which makes staying in a general area on the treadmill a little challenging.  

 Judy let me know how the test would be run and how and when she would pull each blood draw.  The test started at a 12 minute pace and increased by 1/2 mph every three minutes.  At each three minute mark Judy drew blood from my line to test my lactate levels and Shannon asked me how I felt on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. The run went great and I felt very good for most of it. I lasted over 25 minutes and when I pulled the plug I was definitely spent.  

I cooled down a bit and then spent about 30 minutes discussing my results with Dr. Weltman.  He asked what my goals were, explained all the results, and gave me some solid recommendations based on my goals and results.  I also asked Dr. Weltman a number of questions concerning training and nutrition and he gave me very detailed and informative feedback.  It was a very valuable discussion for me and the development of my training and nutritional philosophies.  

I am going to post the details of my results and baseline measurements in my next blog entry after I have had some time to digest them and rethink my Christmas Challenge into a St. Patty's Challenge.  I would like to thank Shannon, Judy, and Dr. Weltman for the awesome experience.  I only wish I had gone months ago to have a baseline prior to my major lifestyle changes. I highly recommend their services especially if you are just beginning a serious lifestyle change or want to take your training to the next level. I look forward to my next visit, minus the needles. Go check them out on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/uvaexlab or shoot them an email at exlab@virginia.edu and let them know Chuck Brady sent you.

     

My Christmas Challenge

Unfortunately, I have not been very diligent about taking pictures of myself, measuring body fat accurately, or taking general body measurements during my Paleo adventure.  So to get myself to track things a little closer, have a little extra accountability, and show everybody out there what a paleo type lifestyle can do for you, I have decided to give myself a Brady Nutrition Christmas Challenge AKA before New Years resolution.

Over the next 3 months I will continue my transformation and fully document it on this blog.  During this time I am going to evolve my own Brady Nutrition Philosophy, to include how I eat, train, play, work, etc.  I believe that my body fat is somewhere around 19-20% (based on my cheap inaccurate scale) and as of today I weigh 174lbs.  I am going to schedule a Bodpod scan and VO2 Max test as early as possible to get a true body fat baseline and some general fitness measures.  My blood work is pretty recent so it should work as a baseline.  Every week I am going to post everything I eat, how I feel, exactly what exercise I am doing, all the measurements I can accurately take at home, and a picture.  My goal is to take my health and fitness to the next level.  I primarily want to achieve greater lean body mass and general fitness, not necessarily weight loss.  At the end of the experiment I will get fresh blood work, VO2 Max, a Bodpod scan, and post the final results.  I hope to reach 10-12% body fat, which is a little ambitious but should keep me focused.  I am not too concerned about my blood work but it will be interesting to see how the numbers change.

Thanks for everyone who is supporting me and I hope I can be an inspiration to some of you to change your lives and get healthy.  If you are interested in taking your own Brady Nutrition Challenge let me know and I can help you make a plan and support you on your adventure.  We can document your progress and results on the blog if you like.  Here goes nothing, my next post on the challenge will have my initial numbers.

Thanks
Chuck

A brief history...

First I should start off with a brief history,  back in college I was pretty fit, I started on the slightly overweight side but began working out with a group of friends.  We ran every now and then but mostly lifted weights.  I am 5'9" and I left college close to 200 lbs with between 13-15% body fat, not too shabby.

I am a computer science major so my first and virtually every job following involved very long hours at my desk.  In those early days we were fueled, by our bosses, with donuts, pizza, and that lime green super soda that all good coders love.  Initially my weight dropped a lot.  I knew I was losing muscle mass due to not working out and I was soon down in the 170's.  Within a year or so my weight began to creep back up, a pound here and there and eventually I was in the upper 180's.  I began to cut back on some of the junk since I knew where it was ultimately taking me but my weight seemed to still ever so slowly increase.  Life proceeded, jobs changed, life changed, and then next thing I knew I was in the 190's.  Each time I hit these new highs I found some way to say it was OK as long as I didn't go any higher.  The funniest thing was that the population around me was growing at the same time making it so easy to look at myself and just accept that I was average or even above average.

I went in to the doctor for a physical in 2009 and weighed in at 206.  I had just had my first child and another was already on the way.  I told the doctor I was in the process of starting to get into shape for the kids.  Truth was I thought about it for a minute or two but didn't do anything.  My job was very stressful and busy and with the new baby and one on the way my head was spinning and I was simply reacting to each challenge as it arrived..

In the early spring of 2012 I truly decided to make a change.  I felt terrible and my weight was noticeably impacting my quality of life.  I started out on the treadmill and watching TV for about 15-30 min a night.   I thought I was feeling some results although pretty minimal.  In a late night philosophical discussion with a good friend (over several micro-brews) he convinced me to sign up for a 6-hour adventure race.  It was the first week of May and I was still over 200 pounds.  I had until the last week of July to prepare, less than 12 weeks, for a race that would involved 10 miles of hiking/running, 10-15 miles of mountain biking, and 3-5 miles of canoeing.  I figure the fear that would set in the next morning was exactly the motivation I needed.  I was right and increased the running and swore off all sweets.

Things were going well and a few weeks after my adventure racing agreement I went in for an annual physical.  It had been a few years but I was up to about 10 miles a week and felt like I was making some progress so I figured that the doc would give me a big thumbs up.  I was wrong.  My cholesterol was high and triglycerides were the biggest concern.  I also had above normal blood pressure.  The doctor was clear that at 35 years old it was too early to be getting the talk about cholesterol and blood pressure and I needed to make some changes.  Although I expected better news this served to put my motivation in high gear.  I began counting calories, cutting meat, watching fat intake, and running like crazy. At my peak I was running about 25-30 miles a week, mountain biking regularly, and keeping the calories between 1500 and 1800.  I finished my first adventure race and my first half marathon with respectable performances.  My diet was on track with no sweets and I was eating more veggies than ever before.  By the time Christmas rolled around I had lost over 10 pounds and was floating around the low 190's.  At this point I had also developed some serious persistent muscle pains in one hamstring and glute later diagnosed as a strained piriformis.  I reflected on the relatively small amount of weight loss compared to my fairly extreme efforts and just accepted that it was going to take as long to work it off as it was to put it on.  I had my blood work checked again and things improved but only slightly and the doctors warnings did not change.  I signed up for my second adventure race and began going to physical therapy for my piriformis.  I continued PT for about 4 months going once a week.  I think the PT was beneficial and helped point out many week areas in my body but it seemed like the treatment plan changed every week or two and the pain persisted.  I decided to stop going, picked my running back up after taking a couple months off I headed out to my second adventure race.  I again preformed respectably but was in a fair amount of pain before during and after.  I cut back to running just 5 or 6 miles per week with the hopes that my leg issues would resolve.

It was now early summer 2013 and I fell off the wagon hard.  My weight increased to near 200 pounds in a few short weeks and I began avoiding the scale since I really didn't want to know.  My wife suffered some health issues that took me out of work for a few weeks.  Her final week of recovery at home was the first week in July, my 37th birthday passed, and I was thinking it was time to get back on track.  The prospect of the time and effort it would take was weighing very heavy on me.  I sat with my wife flipping through Netflix and stumbled onto "The Perfect Human Diet"  I had watched most food documentary's and often left feeling a little more educated on food and the industry but that was about it. This time it was different.  This movie seemed to speak directly to my experiences.  I though about the foods I had been eating during the last year and especially during my intense running.  I had heard of Paleo before but only briefly from a couple friends and while it sounded interesting I had the average response most people do including comments about eating like a cave man, made some grunts, indiscriminately criticized anything that seemed strange, etc.  We were just old friends hanging out so the last thing these guys were going to do was evangelize to me about Paleo.  At the end of "The Perfect Human Diet" I looked at my wife and asked "What do you think, should we try it?"  She said sure and we planned to spend the next week eating what was in the house and then switch over for 30 days and see how it went.  I was motivated and for fear of loosing that motivation ended up throwing away most of the junk in the house.  We were worried about the cost and had been tracking our budget very closely and were going to evaluate after the first couple weeks.

The first week was very tough.  I wasn't eating enough, our grocery shopping habits had not evolved to adequately cover what we should have been taking in. I was very hungry, sluggish, and generally uncomfortable.  This was clearly a combination of too few calories and the transition off of the heavy carb load I had been used to.  I began doubling up on fruits and vegetables and prepared substantial fruit and veggie snacks every day.  At the end of the first week, I stepped on the scale and I had dropped a couple pounds.

Week two was the game changer.  As week two started I began to feel a change. I started to feel energized almost tingly.  My energy seemed to be increasing and my mood was much better than the week before.  I also felt like I was sleeping much sounder.  My hunger issues and cravings of week one also seemed to vanish, partly do to the additional food but I had also got accustom to this new way of eating.  At the end of week two I jumped on the scale and had lost a couple more pounds and could not believe it.  This seemingly simple diet change had nearly returned me to the weight I had fought for several months to achieve in just two short weeks.  The biggest difference this time however was not how quickly it happened but how great I felt.

Rolling into week 3 I felt amazing.  My running still only 5-6 miles per week had gotten noticeably easier and I was running faster.  My piriformis was hurting but the pain seemed to be fading away. As I was approaching the end of the first month I had lost about 10 lbs and was stunned at what was happening to my body.

The second month was as surprising as the first.  The weight continued to drop.  I felt better and better every day and at this point people were taking notice. I was receiving regular comments on how good I was looking and began to let people know how surprised I was at my results.

I am now in week 10 and have lost 23 lbs.  I still feel amazing and the visual results are stunning.  I just visited the doctor for another physical and he said no mater what the blood work looked like he thought I was in exception shape and would never consider taking any pharmaceutical action with someone in my physical condition.  I was surprised and excited at how far I had come in such a short time.

My story is common in the Paleo community and like many others my journey has prompted me to spread the word to anyone that I can.  I want to be one of the people helping to turn the tables on the increasingly disturbing decline in health across our society.  This blog and my other ventures are specifically designed to be clear, educate, and empower all those individuals out there that need to hear this message.  I want to give those I reach the tools to understand how to incorporate these philosophies into and change their lives forever.