Nutrition really is the foundation for everything, most importantly Training! I've re-posted the nutrition entry from July, the last link at the bottom is very informative and worth opening!
Plateau is a nasty word for anyone who has ever experienced it. You diet, you exercise, you are motivated, you successfully lose weight, your friends notice, you are feeling good and then all of a sudden WHAM nothing but frustration...First I will generalize some reasons why you might plateau and then more specifically I will go into what CrossFit Recommends as the foundation, the CrossFit Dietary Prescription.
1. You need to eat. Your body needs a minimum amount of calories each day to function and maintain the muscle mass you have. Unfortunately, many people go to extremes and eat too few calories thinking this will speed up the process. It may work at first, but eventually you will stop losing – and may even gain weight again. Why? Because your body thinks it’s being starved and has entered “survival mode”.
2. You need to get out an MOVE!
3. You need muscle. Many people mistakenly believe that they should focus on cardio exercise in order to lose weight. While cardio is important, resistance training is critically important in helping your metabolism and increasing your muscle tone and definition. The only way to have a long-term impact on increasing your metabolism is to build muscle.
4. You need to keep your routine constantly varied. Your body has an ability to adjust to the demands placed on it. When you first start a new form of exercise, it may be challenging. However, as you get stronger and your body adapts, it is no longer a challenge. Over time, your body becomes so efficient that this same exercise no longer has an effect on your weight. If you’ve hit a plateau, it’s time to add some variety into your routine.
The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:
Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load. Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load. Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load. Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.
What Should I Eat? In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.
The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition. Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.
What Foods should I avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.
What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora's box of disease and disability. Research "hyperinsulinism" on the Internet. There's a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.
Caloric Restriction and Longevity
Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.
A few links are below for additional research:
The Zone Diet Website
A Quick Start Guide for Zone Eating
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