The Fun of Making Weight, Nutrition and Diet Plan Examples

The Fun of Making Weight, Nutrition and Diet Plan Examples

There are too many miracle diet plans and magic potions that are supposed to make to either stick thin or the Incredible Hulk within two days. There are also many vitamin pills and supplements that are meant to turn you in to a machine. Let me tell you; I have been called a machine. My fitness levels are very high and I had brilliant all round strength. I am not telling you this to boast, I am proving a point that supplements are generally a waste of money. Don't get me wrong, there are some very good products on the market, such as Glutamine, that can aid with recover but don't get too drawn in to myths! You get enough protein, vitamins and minerals from REAL food. If you eat healthily, then you will get all of the nutrients your body requires. Anything else your body will piss and shit out. Your money will literally be going down the drain. This is coming from a man who has tried it. Protein shakes make me go to the toilet in minutes! Some good advice will be if any food or drink does this to you, cut it out. Your body is obviously rejecting it. For example, if I drink a glass of milk, I usually end up straight on the bog; so I have cut milk out of my diet and found alternatives (such as Cottage Cheese and Greek Yoghurt as a  Calcium and Casein Protein). The general rule of thumb is that you will be healthier eating natural food than eating man-made processed food and as a result fitter. Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand. You are an engine and you need to provide your body with the right oil to work. Can you drive a petrol car with diesel in it? No!

If you look at a common Protein Shake brand, you will be spending roughly £30-50 a month and take in creatine and other supplements in to account you can be blowing your wallet! Save your money. Spend it on useful equipment such as a jump rope or dumbbells! Water soluble proteins I would recommend are 100% natural one’s. They cost roughly the same as your common high street brand of Protein and they have completely natural ingredients that are very good for you. Hemp and Pea Protein Powder Shakes are two favourites of mine.

You should always aim to eat five to seven small but frequent meals daily as your body makes better use of the nutrients and it keeps your metabolism (fat-burning furnace) working throughout the day. ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST as it gives you energy for your day ahead and kick starts your metabolism. It is a fact that skipping meals actually makes you fat. You will lose more weight eating five or six meals a day than eating two or three because your metabolism is always working, constantly burning away fat. Just don't make them indulgent meals!

Don’t  exclude all fats from your diet. Steer away from saturated fats that you find in common fast foods. There are fats that are healthy and essential to your body. These are mono-unsaturates and poly-unsaturates. These are generally found in foods such as oily fish (e.g. Sardines, Mackerel) and nuts. I would recommend eating at least a handful of natural nuts (or some Peanut or Walnut butter) daily and oily fish at least two or three times a week. Believe it or not, these healthy fats help burn fat! Here's some information to back that up; I know that fat countering fat may seem confusing at first:

http://www.lookcut.com/articles/good-fats-for-weight-loss.html

ALWAYS EAT AT LEAST FIVE PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES A DAY. I eat five portions of each a day but aim for at least five of both. Always drink at least three litres of water daily. Your body needs it more than anything else! I always have a bottle of water with me that I constantly sip on. Dehydration can kill your skills and performance so keep sipping! Also, don’t rely on energy drinks. I know some people who think that can’t train without them. You will only be allowed water during your fight and there is far too much sugar in most sports drinks and added empty calories. If you need an energy boast, add natural honey to your water and a touch lemon or lime for taste.

Our bodies require carbohydrates for energy and protein to help our muscles repair from a hard day’s work. I would recommend eating about 0.75 grams of protein daily for every pound of bodyweight (e.g. a 200 pound person would eat 150 grams of protein in a day). Most fitness and muscle magazine recommend between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein for your body but this is overkill. What is the ideal for a bodybuilder is not ideal for a fighter. Your body will focus too much on digesting protein it will focus less on absorbing the other nutrients your body requires. It can also be too much for your liver to handle and could cause poisoning. Here is some handy information regarding to over-consumption of protein and its effect on the body:

http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/8-side-effects-of-too-much-protein/

If you are making weight it is good to give yourself a good time scale and not starve yourself. Give yourself a target (e.g. I need to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks). Keep track of your weight daily and only weigh yourself at the time of day you are going to be weighted officially for your fight. This is because everybody’s weight changes throughout the day. Start early and time weight making right. You don’t want to have to starve and dehydrate yourself before a bout as this will affect your strength and fitness levels and is dangerous to your health, especially when someone is trying to thump you constantly in the head. You will lose fluid around your vital organs and most importantly, your brain! If you are losing weight, my advice to you would be to vary between high and moderate carbohydrate days (see example plans below). If you are trying to gain weight, eat a balanced meal five to seven times a day (including carbohydrates).

Personally, I have never been one to calorie count but there are many great websites and applications that can do this for you. A basic measure is that if you have a negative calorie output (i.e. you are burning more calories than you are consuming), then you are likely to lose weight. If the calorie output is positive, then you are more than likely going to gain weight. I have never strictly measured my food intake, percentages of protein, fat and carbohydrates and I have had success making weight regularly. I am always roughly aware how much of a nutrient I am consuming (e.g. the packet says that this yoghurt contains 10 grams of protein and I need between 20-30 grams of protein in my meals) but as long as I am eating clean and healthy, I am on the right track.

Remember to keep it healthy and simple. Natural foods are always better than processed crap. Our bodies were not made to digest processed foods so it makes sense. Allow yourself a cheat day, about once every ten days or so, to keep you motivated. During your cheat day, eat whatever you fancy. I catch up on Haribos (I love sweets) and lamb curry’s. Remember that you are training hard and sticking to a strict diet so you have earned it. Pig out on cheat day and then start healthy again the next day.

DETOXING

Over time, every that enters your body causes a build up in toxins that are poisonous to your body and affect training and perform. Toxins have been seen to also dramatically reduce energy and motivation levels. They can be caused by smoking, saturated fats, complex carbohydrates, alcohol, artificial colours and flavourings and even tooth paste!

A detox diet can prove to be expensive but I would recommend it for the first week or two of your training programme. You can give your body all the minerals and nutrients it needs and destroy all the bad things that lurk inside your body. Eat all natural foods and natural carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes. Drink at least three litres of water daily and you will feel very fresh, energise and ready to go. You must also sleep at least eight hours a night and try to replace normal tooth pastes with an Aloe Vera substitute. Stay away from red meats, poultry, pork and lamb for this period and eat nuts, raw dairy, fish and unpasteurised egg whites for protein. Here is an example daily diet for you below:

Meal One

Fruit Salad with Organic Greek Yoghurt and Sprinkled Rolled Oats

Green Tea with a Squeeze of Lemon and Ginger

Meal Two

Organic Hemp or Pea Protein

Vegetable Juice

Meal Three

Unpasteurised Egg White Omelette with Peppers cooked in Coconut Oil

A portion of Broccoli and Carrots

Meal Four

A portion of Almonds

Green Tea

Meal Five (post-workout)

Hemp or Pea Protein Shake with Natural Honey and Raw Milk

Banana

Meal Six

Salmon Mixed Salad

Fruit for Dessert

Below are a few healthy and performance friendly diet plan examples...

Moderate Carb Sample Day

Meal One

Fruit Salad with Cottage Cheese (e.g. Pineapple, Apple, Orange, Kiwi, Grapes)

2 Slice of Brown Toast with Peanut Butter

Meal Two

Tin of Mackerel or Sardines

1 Portion of Fruit (e.g. Banana, Pear)

Meal Three

Chicken Salad with Brown Pasta

Vegetable Soup

Meal Four

3 Boiled Eggs

1 Portion of Fruit (e.g. Pear)

Meal Five (post-workout)

Chicken Breast

Banana

Meal Six

Steak with Sweet Potato and Broccoli

(Optional) Greek Yoghurt and Fruit for Dessert

High Carb Sample Day

Meal One

3-4 Eggs

Porridge with Semi-Skimmed Milk, Honey and Banana

Meal Two

Cottage Cheese with Wholegrain Rice Cakes

1 Portion of Fruit

Meal Three

Tuna Salad with Wholegrain Pasta

Vegetable Soup

Meal Four

Greek Yoghurt

Wholegrain Jam Sandwich

1 Portion of Fruit

Meal Five (post-workout)

Chicken Breast in Wholegrain Pitta or Jacket Potato

Meal Six

Salmon with Mixed Vegetables and Jacket Potato with Cream or Cheddar Cheese

Example Week

Week Day	Carbs Plan
Monday	Moderate Carbs
Tuesday	High Carbs
Wednesday	Moderate Carbs
Thursday	High Carbs
Friday	Moderate Carbs
Saturday	High Carbs
Sunday	High Carbs

Below I have listed the main food groups and healthy options of what you should be eating:

Proteins

·         Meats – Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork Loin, Pork Ribs, Lamb

·         Dairy – Cottage Cheese, Milk, Greek Yoghurt

·         Nuts – Peanuts, Walnuts, Cashews, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds

·         Beans

·         Fish – Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Sardines, Prawns, Shrimp, Muscles, Oysters, Crab, Cod, Haddock, Plaice, Squid, Eel

·         Eggs

Carbohydrates

·         Wholegrain Breads

·         Wholegrain Rice

·         Wholegrain Pasta

·         Oats

·         Cereals (non-sugary, healthy brands .e.g. Bran Flakes)

·         Potatoes – Sweet, Jacket, Boiled

Healthy Fats

·         Nuts and Fish

·         Oil- Flaxseed Oil, Olive Oil, Omega 3, Vegetable Oil

·         Eggs

Fruit

·         Apples

·         Bananas

·         Berries – Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry

·         Grapes

·         Pears

·         Pineapples

·         Kiwis

·         Figs

·         Pomegranates

·         Grapefruit

·         Mango

Vegetables

·         Broccoli

·         Peas

·         Beans

·         Carrots

·         Swedes

·         Cabbage

·         Sweet Corn

·         Spinach

·         Lentil

·         Brussels Sprouts

Each meal should ideally contain a list of most or all of the above sections.

References:

Ruben Tabares
http://www.rubentabares.com/
www.twitter.com/rubentabares

Larry Pepe
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/glutamine-benefits-for-mma-fighters.htm

Mackie Shilstone
http://www.mackieshilstone.com/

Lookout
http://www.lookcut.com/articles/good-fats-for-weight-loss.html

Davey Wavey Fitness
http://www.daveywaveyfitness.com/nutrition/8-side-effects-of-too-much-protein/