Due mostly to work I missed kung fu on Monday. These last two months have been bad. Conferences and vacation have gotten in the way of training. Even my at-home workouts and training reviews have slipped. The good news is that during this time I have re-integrated running into my routine.
So far so good.
Mr. Neck seems to be holding up well. I’m planning to hold at two runs per week and once on the stair stepper machine. This, along with my recent diet change, should get me back to a decent weight.
As for the diet, well, after reviewing what I usually eat I can see that I was not getting enough protein and was taking in too many carbs. There is some conflicted opinions on protein intake. However, if I stay on the conservative end, I should be taking in about 60 grams per day. That number jumps to 90 – 120 grams for any intense exercising.
How Much Protein Do You Need? The United States RDA is 0.8g/kg or 0.4g/lbs. This is 80g protein per day if you weigh 200lbs. But this recommendation is based on studies done on average, sedentary people.
The minimum if you train hard is 1g protein per pound of body-weight per day. That’s 200g daily protein if you weigh 200lbs. You’ll reach this amount easily by eating a whole protein source with each meal.
My body weight for my height should be around 175 lbs. So, when training hard (especially on kung fu days!), I need about 175 grams per day (likely three times per week). Otherwise, I plan to stick at about 60 grams per day. Considering that I was not taking in 60 grams per day, even doing just that will be a good thing!
Getting to 60 grams was easy to do. Going beyond that number will take protein supplement powder.
As for carbohydrate reduction, well, I like to keep things simple. For my evening meal I’ve transitioned to lean meat and as much steamed vegetables as I can stand. Since the night is when I overload on bad carbs it’s the place where I need to eliminate them. Breakfast and lunch are limited to grains and fruit–along with some sort of protein.
I plan to allow for one or two days on the weekend to take in some bad food. Total abstinence never works for Bob. So I have to allow for one or two days of cheating. If I can stick to this plan I think I’ll definitely see improvement–both in my body weight and in my martial arts.
I’ll follow-up monthly on this to see if it works and if I actually stick to it!
Credit goes to The Shaolin Way for forcing me to sit down and examine what I’m eating. Near the end of that book the author talks briefly about diets. The gist of what he says is that sedentary Americans take in too many carbohydrates and not enough protein. After reviewing what I typically take in I think he may be right!
~BCP
