Food is a weapon
Or- Stop digging your grave with a knife and spoon.
Think.
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This month we are talking about the Force Multipliers of Line of Effort #1 The Body.
Last week we talked about the importance of sleep. Today we’re digging into diet.
Food is a weapon.
It can be a weapon we use to gain an advantage and achieve our goals, or it can be the revolver we hold to our temple in a game of long-term Russian roulette.
Either way, you are, as the saying goes, what you eat.
It should go without saying that I am not a registered dietitian. I am not advocating for any particular type of diet, but instead suggesting that we can all make some changes that will turn our diets into a force multiplier.
When we eat well we stay healthy, fuel training, promote muscle growth, and limit unwanted weight gain.
And while I’m sure you can point to a high-level athlete who swears by an all meat, no meat, all fruit, or all Snickers bar diet, The best overall eating advice probably comes from author Michael Pollan who said, Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
I first wrote a post about nutrition in 2022. I went back to read it and realized that my advice then was pretty sound, so I’ve reprinted most of it here, but have added to it.
I would offer that the best litmus test we can use to determine optimum dietary choices is to look at what world-class athletes, who can eat whatever they want, are fed. The best place to go for that answer is the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The sign above the door leading to the OTC cafeteria gives three commandments:
1) Get more veggies, nuts, and seeds in your diet.
2) Adjust the amount of carbohydrates you’re eating based on activity level.
3) Add a lean protein to every meal. Most of us could use more protein.
I would add: Drink at least 8-12 glasses of water per day (more or less depending on training and heat).
Consider when you are eating. To get the most out of your training, you should be fueling before and after you work out.
If you have the ability, get your doctor to order a micronutrient test. It will show where you may need to supplement to ensure you are getting everything your body needs.
I feel pretty confident in saying that most of us would benefit from taking creatine daily.
Of course, refining your diet can be hard, and expensive, and meal prep can be time-consuming.
But you can make some changes.
The first step is to figure out what you eat during an average week. Count everything. Every stolen forkful of mac and cheese, every fistful of holiday M&Ms, the after-dinner beer or three.
You also need to determine actual serving sizes. That spoonful of peanut butter is probably more than one serving.
In the short term, it is useful to be fanatical about measuring and weighing. Soon you will be able to gauge the proper serving size.
Then log it.
I use the My Fitness Pal app to track my nutrition (The pay version offers more functionality, but I am fine with the free version) It can also synch with Garmin devices to incorporate exercise calorie expenditure.
Once you have a solid week of eating logged, look for places to improve, make substitutions, play around with meal times and quantities, and then see how you feel.
And like I mentioned last week, have your last meal several hours before bed so it doesn’t impact your sleep.
Read. Field Notes
By Erik Hogan
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Write.
Keep a diet log: Write down everything you eat and drink for the next week. Everything. You can use an app like My Fitness Pal, or copy it into a notebook, but if you do actually keep track, I think you might be surprised to see where the calories are coming from.
Repeat.
Words of wisdom from those who said it best.
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have the safest way to health."
– Hippocrates.
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See you next Thursday!
Great thoughts on a simple approach to diet! And thanks for sharing Field Notes!
I love MyFitnessPal as my accountability tool for diet. If all else fails I track protein. If I can get close to the protein goal the rest usually falls into line. For me protein intake is the only way to keep late night sugar cravings away (or the body's way of saying you did not get enough calories so at least eat empty ones).