Before I begin this blog, I must give complete and total credit for the term Metabolic Momentum to Bill Hartman - if he's smart, he'll trademark it ASAP ;)
All I know is this - for the past 2-3 months I've trained pretty hard, consistently, and ate reasonably well. My diet hasn't been 100% perfect, but pretty good overall. However, the other day I had a light training session but my diet was pretty darn bad - I don't remember what all I ate, but I know it wasn't healthy and I finished the day off with a small Blizzard from Dairy Queen (conveniently located less than 1 minute from my house).
So I put on 3 pounds at least that day - right?
That's what I would've figured - but in fact the opposite was true. I actually LOST a pound that day, bringing me to a current low of 204 pounds.
Essentially, metabolic momentum occurs when you've trained your ass off and ate really well for an extended period of time. John Berardi refers to this (or something along these lines) as G-Flux.
In fact, it's not rocket science at all - the phrase "Eat Less, Move More" comes to mind immediately. There's nothing wrong with eating carbs, or having a dessert from time to time - the key is that these are considered "treats" and don't occur on a daily basis. Couple this with a regimented and reasonably hard training program and you're good to go.
I'm not going to drone on and on about this, just understand that the further you are away from your goal, the more dialed in you have to be to accrue some Metabolic Momentum. Your metabolism is slow as molasses and you need to do everything in your power to get it rolling. Get strict about your diet and training to really crank things up.
As you get closer to your goal, you can (but don't need to) slow down and enjoy the process a little bit. I've essentially hit my goal of being in the low 200's, so unless I want to take it a notch further I'm okay with where I'm at. My metabolism is cranking pretty good, so I have a little bit more leeway in my diet now than I did over the past couple of months. In essence, it's my reward for being a good boy for a while now.
I hope this all makes sense - dial in your diet, train hard, and develop some Metabolic Momentum to help get (and stay!) in great shape!
Stay strong
MR
Showing posts with label John Berardi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Berardi. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Training Lifestyle
I hate the term diet.
I know, I know - "hate" is a strong word. But I seriously hate the word diet.
Why? Because it insinuates that eating healthy is something you're only going to do for a specific period of time. In other words, you'll stay on said "diet" until you lose X amount of pounds, Y amount of body fat, or generally feel the way you want to about yourself.
And after that? You fall right back into your lousy nutritional habits, effectively ending up right back where you started!
One of my pet peeves in this industry are people who condone this. It's one thing if you're a competitive bodybuilder, fitness or figure competitor - you really are dieting to get down to a ridiculously low body fat, to compete on a given day. The general population, or people who just want to be healthy, don't need to "diet." In fact, they'd be better off if they banished the word diet from their vocabulary all together!
If you want to stay healthy and be in shape for many years to come, you need to develop a nutritionally sound lifestyle; this will allow you to be successful over the long haul. If you go over to T-Nation.com, they are literally hundreds of articles on how to eat properly. If you want something a little bit more complete, check out John Berardi's Precision Nutrition or Mike Roussell's Naked Nutrition Guide - either will get you on the way to long-term success.
Regardless of what path you choose, understand that a "diet" is a short-term band aid. Instead, choose a path that will give you the greatest possibilty of long-term success.
Stay strong
MR
I know, I know - "hate" is a strong word. But I seriously hate the word diet.
Why? Because it insinuates that eating healthy is something you're only going to do for a specific period of time. In other words, you'll stay on said "diet" until you lose X amount of pounds, Y amount of body fat, or generally feel the way you want to about yourself.
And after that? You fall right back into your lousy nutritional habits, effectively ending up right back where you started!
One of my pet peeves in this industry are people who condone this. It's one thing if you're a competitive bodybuilder, fitness or figure competitor - you really are dieting to get down to a ridiculously low body fat, to compete on a given day. The general population, or people who just want to be healthy, don't need to "diet." In fact, they'd be better off if they banished the word diet from their vocabulary all together!
If you want to stay healthy and be in shape for many years to come, you need to develop a nutritionally sound lifestyle; this will allow you to be successful over the long haul. If you go over to T-Nation.com, they are literally hundreds of articles on how to eat properly. If you want something a little bit more complete, check out John Berardi's Precision Nutrition or Mike Roussell's Naked Nutrition Guide - either will get you on the way to long-term success.
Regardless of what path you choose, understand that a "diet" is a short-term band aid. Instead, choose a path that will give you the greatest possibilty of long-term success.
Stay strong
MR
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Why Choose Oats
by Dr. John Berardi
If you're looking to gain mass and have a good carbohydrate tolerance, place a bowl of fiber-rich, low-GI rolled oats along with ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries, pineapple and a small quantity of mixed nuts right next to your omelet. This is a muscle building breakfast that’s hard to beat. I place this bowl right next to my omelet for a breakfast that's hard to beat.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Increasing Water Intake
By Dr. John Berardi
Sedentary individuals should drink at least 2L or about 8 cups of water per day, athletes should drink at least 3L or about 12 cups of water per day, and athletes in hot weather climates drink at least 4L or about 16 cups of water per day.
Since following these recommendations can prevent dehydration and can actually assist with fat loss, you’d have to be a desiccated fool to ignore them.
However, try as they might, some individuals find it difficult to ingest up to a gallon of water per day. So try out these three proven strategies for increasing water ingestion:
1- Drink cold water – cold water is more palatable, improving “mouth feel” and ingestion
2- Add lemon – lemon increases urge to drink and also kills bacteria
3- Chuggables – always carry some sort of jug of water around to ensure you’re drinking. Rubbermaid makes a nice blue top container (Chuggables) that we recommend to our clients.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Sedentary individuals should drink at least 2L or about 8 cups of water per day, athletes should drink at least 3L or about 12 cups of water per day, and athletes in hot weather climates drink at least 4L or about 16 cups of water per day.
Since following these recommendations can prevent dehydration and can actually assist with fat loss, you’d have to be a desiccated fool to ignore them.
However, try as they might, some individuals find it difficult to ingest up to a gallon of water per day. So try out these three proven strategies for increasing water ingestion:
1- Drink cold water – cold water is more palatable, improving “mouth feel” and ingestion
2- Add lemon – lemon increases urge to drink and also kills bacteria
3- Chuggables – always carry some sort of jug of water around to ensure you’re drinking. Rubbermaid makes a nice blue top container (Chuggables) that we recommend to our clients.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Mood Eating
By Dr. John Berardi
Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don’t eat based on what their bodies need. Think of it this way: you’re about to take a long drive on a stretch of highway with no gas station. Do you fail to stop for gas before you hit the road because you’re "not in the mood?" Of course not. Think of eating in the same way. Eating fuels your metabolic engine. So it’s time to start feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you’re scrawny.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Mike Robertson
Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don’t eat based on what their bodies need. Think of it this way: you’re about to take a long drive on a stretch of highway with no gas station. Do you fail to stop for gas before you hit the road because you’re "not in the mood?" Of course not. Think of eating in the same way. Eating fuels your metabolic engine. So it’s time to start feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you’re scrawny.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Mike Robertson
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