I think it's about time I updated this thread. Merry Christmas all!
I've learned so much about health and nutrition over the last year and a half. It's been a constant study and experiment for me. When I started down this road, my first nutrition experiment was from Jack Lalanne. Jack had a whole food philosophy and a big proponent of juicing. I made tweaks to that philosophy based on modern science and information and saw great results and felt great for some time. Up next was the China Study which is also a whole food/plant based philosophy. The major difference is that it's a plant only based philosophy. I never got there but I did get to the point where I was only eating meat a few times a weak. This philosophy got me cut and got my plumbing working better than ever with the addition of a probiotic. After a few months, I started to feel depleted and that I needed some tweaks and I started adding in lean meats again, once a day. That paired with the desire to build muscle vs. lean out. My goal for 2014 is 170 lbs and 10% body fat. I was at 160 lbs on my mainly vegetarian diet at roughly 9-10% body fat. Basically, I want to add 10 lbs of muscle.
Recently, I read "The All Pro Diet" by Tony Gonzalez.
http://www.amazon.com/The-All-Pro-Di...s=all+pro+diet
Tony is one of the finest tight ends to ever play pro football. He was a Vegan for a short time and also was influenced greatly by "The China Study". I found it interesting that he also felt that a vegetarian/vegan diet reduced his performance in the gym and on the field. I had come to that conclusion and changed my diet right before I bought the book. The short story is that he is still a major proponent of a whole food, plant based diet with the right lean meats and protein powders. Wild Salmon, Grass Fed Beef, etc..
A whole food/plant based diet is still the major in the diet.
Here's where he changed my trajectory. He starts most days with a smoothie for breakfast. I've juiced, I've consumed healthy prepared breakfast. The smoothie is the best I've ever experienced in the morning. I made some minor tweaks to his power smoothie:
4-6 ounces of Unsweetened Almond Milk (Organic)
1 scoop of Protein Powder(Hemp, Rice, Pea)
1 large handful of Spinach (Organic)
3-4 Baby Carrots (Organic)
1 scoop of Acai Berry Powder (Organic)
3 frozen Strawberries (Organic)
1 handful of frozen Blueberries (Organic)
1 handful of frozen Rasberries or Mango (Organic)
2-3 ounces of Coconut Water
1 scoop of Green Vibrance (Love this one with Probiotics)
It's right at 400 calories and you can make it with a decent blender. It's the best breakfast kick I've ever experienced. Full of nutrients, fiber, protein, and super foods. The time investment isn't bad and the clean up is a snap vs. juicing.
This combined with adding a lean meat into my lunch or dinner teamed with my whole food/plant based diet has made my body respond. I've already put on 5 lbs of muscle on my legs, back, and upper body.
Example of a favorite lunch:
6 Oz of Bison
Quinoa
Broccoli
Asparagus
Onion
Stiraccha
It's fun to be at the point where I can tinker with my body with diet and workouts. I've increased my rest to 30 seconds between sets and the duration of my workout to 40 minutes 3 days a week. I'm now running only one day a week to keep my cardio.
The main thing is to keep learning and progressing. Treat your body like a temple, it's the only place you have to live....