I have decided to throw all “caloric restriction” or “macro nutrient targeted” dieting programs out the proverbial window. All of these faddish programs have one real intent and that is to cause weight loss. They sometimes hide that fact by proclaiming to the be the way nature intended us to live and all that, but the facts are the facts. By a large percentage, people who follow these diet programs like Keto, Paleo, Atkins, Something Beach Diet, 5 Factor have success only to be sorely disappointed by an inability to maintain. I have gone full vegan, vegetarian to full protein based keto diet in my lifetime and countless others to arrive at the same problem that I always have. Unable to maintain a consistent weight, and unable to feel like I have a lifestyle with food selection dialed in enough to no longer worry about it. So I am chucking all these plans in the garbage and I am deciding a new path.
What led me down this path was running. I have noticed a phenomena. When I am running, intensely, for more then 1 hour a day for a full week then it matter very little what I eat. Eating real bad can effect my performance adversely, but does not really have much of an impact on my physique. It seems that my body will slowly adjust to whatever conditions it is being placed under. I imagine that is true for everyone. Your body will adjust, your diet will adjust, your appetite will adjust naturally to fit the workload that you are putting yourself under. The problem becomes overeating for other reasons.
That is my problem. My body gets mixed signals all the day long. On one hand I am running 6+ miles, and on the other I am sitting at a desk for 4 hours straight. Completely mixed signals and no wonder I get all messed up. I have learned that I need to eat as much nutrient packed foods that I can with the least amount of calorie burden. I cannot escape the fact that my body needs macro nutrients (fat, protein, carbs) but also needs a variety of vitamins and minerals as well. My problem is over indulging in foods that are low in nutrient content and high in macros. They are not a clean source and I tend to eat way too much. So what do I do?
I found some articles by Matt Fitzgerald, a writer/competitor, and he advocates this quality scoring system for what you intake everyday. I started researching and I learned that everything about this system I already know. I spent a year straight of writing down everything I eat. I learned instinctively that certain foods (like crappy protein bars) were calorie rich but not necessarily great as clean food source. I learned the dense foods pretty quickly over that year and I know which are good and bad. For example, sunflower seeds and raspberries pack a pretty powerful punch for their size and well as things like chia seeds. My problem is that I not disciplined enough to carry out any program, or hold myself to any system. I am horrible at preparing food and just do not plan my days well enough to do anything like pack a lunch.
There is a world of difference between a person trying to lose weight and a person trying to optimize athletic performance. That is the key right there and that is what has led me to creating a daily food scoring quality matrix. It is a bit complicated, but I can fit it all on small post it note size of paper. I have followed this for several days now. The amazing thing is that it has removed the stress of the diet plan all together. I am seeking to get to a score everyday, rather then denying myself or freaking out over ingredients. We will see if it actually improves things for me. I want to make sure that I have enough nutrition to sustain my running, but at the same time keep me moving on all cylinders in everything else that I am doing.
I am only on day 3. I will report back around day 50 and we will see if this made a remarkable improvement. If it does, I will share the formula!
Guy Reams
