# Healthy Diet?



## ryen (Jun 17, 2006)

Hi folks,

first of all, i am sorry if there already are threads with answers to all of my questions, which i have overlooked. I have recently noticed, that i sometimes don't feel at the top of my abilities when working out. I think the problem is my diet. Even though i try to eat healthy, i still often find myself eating pizza or similiar food, out of a lack of time. I have started making smoothies and similiar, when i get the munchies, but still, i feel that is not enough. I think it's about time for me to compile a healthy diet plan. Only problem is, i know next to nothing about these things. I tried to google on the topic, and i tried to search this forum, but all in all, i only found bits of information which i could apply. So i figured that you guys know best, and i might as well ask for advice directly. Here is some info about me: I train Taekwondo, i am 1.85 meters tall (6.1 feet), weigh 74 Kg (163.1 lbs), i run every second day, and do some very basic muscle training (chrunches, hyperextensions and push-ups) every day. I am also going to train more soon, since i am about to finish school. A lot more actually. I plan on training at the gym every day, where i will focus on my endurance and some minor muscle training.

Could you guys help me out with my diet? I really have no clue about nutrition, so i appreciate any help i can get!

Thanks in advance,
Ryen

Edit:
Oh, i should mention my age as well, which is 18.


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## Martial Tucker (Jun 17, 2006)

ryen said:
			
		

> Hi folks,
> 
> first of all, i am sorry if there already are threads with answers to all of my questions, which i have overlooked. I have recently noticed, that i sometimes don't feel at the top of my abilities when working out. I think the problem is my diet. Even though i try to eat healthy, i still often find myself eating pizza or similiar food, out of a lack of time. I have started making smoothies and similiar, when i get the munchies, but still, i feel that is not enough. I think it's about time for me to compile a healthy diet plan. Only problem is, i know next to nothing about these things. I tried to google on the topic, and i tried to search this forum, but all in all, i only found bits of information which i could apply. So i figured that you guys know best, and i might as well ask for advice directly. Here is some info about me: I train Taekwondo, i am 1.85 meters tall (6.1 feet), weigh 74 Kg (163.1 lbs), i run every second day, and do some very basic muscle training (chrunches, hyperextensions and push-ups) every day. I am also going to train more soon, since i am about to finish school. A lot more actually. I plan on training at the gym every day, where i will focus on my endurance and some minor muscle training.
> 
> ...



Hi Ryen,

Rather than write a book-length response to your question, I thought I'd 
just suggest a couple of great books. I'm 49 now, but have had a life-long battle with my weight. I was a star athlete in high school, and played major college football. But my nutrition at the time was terrible. I had one period of about a year and a half when I went from 220 lbs to almost 300 lbs, and back down to 210 lbs (my ideal weight) I had no idea what I was doing. 
The University I played football for just kept filling us with steak and prime rib and occasionally, shrimp. I finally figured things out (see my recommendations below) and have been between 190-210 for about 15 years, and I'm almost as strong as when I was in college, and my endurance is better than when I was 25. My doctor says that, except for my knees, I have the body of a 30 year old (and the mind of a 12 year old). 

Unless you have some special circumstance that needs allowance for, I'd just suggest you pick up a copy of "The Okinawa Program" by Willcox & Suzuki. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609807501/sr=8-1/qid=1150586920/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-6486253-5320801?%5Fencoding=UTF8)
Best book on overall nutrition and health I've ever seen. 

Another recommendation is "In Fitness and Health, Everyone Is An Athlete"
by Maffetone (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096420620X/sr=8-1/qid=1150587023/ref=sr_1_1/002-6486253-5320801?%5Fencoding=UTF8)


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## ryen (Jun 17, 2006)

Hey, thanks for the fast reply! I checked out the books you mentioned. They both look nice, but i noticed that "In Fitness and in Health: Everyone Is an Athlete" was published in 1994, and i can't help but wonder if the information might be a bit outdated by now? Also, i don't know if i am just being picky here, but it seems like "The Okinawa Program" doesn't focus so much on athletes, but more on losing weight and general health. As i said, i have no clue about nutrition, so i might just be assuming stupid stuff here, but shouldn't i be extra cautious about what i eat when i excercise a lot?

Thanks again,
ryen


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## Shirt Ripper (Jun 17, 2006)

'94 is recent enough.  Don't worry about that.  Some of the best strength stuff out there is 30+ years old.  Old does not always mean bad or outdated.

Anyway, you seem to have a good set-up/plan in mind, good work.  You must have some idea of "common sense" nutrition (which for some reason isn't very common in practice).  Basically keep things clean and well balanced.  Increase caloric intake as needed, get plenty of protein and carbohydrates and try to focus on good clean sources of said nutrients.  Chicken breasts, fish, fish, potatos, rice, lots of veggies.

Just some thoughts, might add more later...


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## Martial Tucker (Jun 17, 2006)

Shirt Ripper said:
			
		

> '94 is recent enough.  Don't worry about that.  Some of the best strength stuff out there is 30+ years old.  Old does not always mean bad or outdated.
> 
> Anyway, you seem to have a good set-up/plan in mind, good work.  You must have some idea of "common sense" nutrition (which for some reason isn't very common in practice).  Basically keep things clean and well balanced.  Increase caloric intake as needed, get plenty of protein and carbohydrates and try to focus on good clean sources of said nutrients.  Chicken breasts, fish, fish, potatos, rice, lots of veggies.
> 
> Just some thoughts, might add more later...



I agree with Shirt Ripper, and looking at his avatar, all I can say is, "Who can argue with that!"

Anyway, the Fitness/Health book is primarily about the glycemic index. This is not outdated. Get a fundamental understanding of it, and you're way ahead of the game. Agreeing with to Shirt Ripper, LEAN protein, low cholesterol, and COMPLEX carbs are a key start.

As for the "Okinawa book", it should be a GENERAL health/nutrition bible.
As I implied earlier, if you have a special circumstance with your health or are training for a specific sport/event, it may not be applicable to you. For a general martial artist that wants to live well/be well/feel well, it is of great value.

Good luck!

MT


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## Jonathan Randall (Jun 17, 2006)

One thing to consider is buying a blender and making your own smoothies. I've gotten myself to the point where getting my daily intake of fruits and vegetables is EASY. Also, I add Wheat Germ to the mix for fiber, and make sure that I use quality frozen blueberries because many nutritionists consider blueberries to be a Superfood. However, you have to be careful not to put too much stuff in them as the sugar/carb. mix could throw your body weight out of wack and also cause diabetes (not a doctor myself, so do your own research here) problems from too much sugar. 

BTW, as always, your input is appreciated Shirtripper!


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## ryen (Jun 18, 2006)

Great, thanks for all the help, people  . I'm gonna buy "In Fitness and in Health: Everyone Is an Athlete" first and read that one. I would buy both books, but my funds are limited :/ . Well, i can always buy it after i read the first book. 

About the smoothies: yeah, i do that myself  . I like banana/strawberry mixes, but i'm gonna try out blueberries now!

Thanks again,
ryen


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## MJS (Jun 18, 2006)

ryen said:
			
		

> Hi folks,
> 
> first of all, i am sorry if there already are threads with answers to all of my questions, which i have overlooked. I have recently noticed, that i sometimes don't feel at the top of my abilities when working out. I think the problem is my diet. Even though i try to eat healthy, i still often find myself eating pizza or similiar food, out of a lack of time. I have started making smoothies and similiar, when i get the munchies, but still, i feel that is not enough. I think it's about time for me to compile a healthy diet plan. Only problem is, i know next to nothing about these things. I tried to google on the topic, and i tried to search this forum, but all in all, i only found bits of information which i could apply. So i figured that you guys know best, and i might as well ask for advice directly. Here is some info about me: I train Taekwondo, i am 1.85 meters tall (6.1 feet), weigh 74 Kg (163.1 lbs), i run every second day, and do some very basic muscle training (chrunches, hyperextensions and push-ups) every day. I am also going to train more soon, since i am about to finish school. A lot more actually. I plan on training at the gym every day, where i will focus on my endurance and some minor muscle training.
> 
> ...


 
You've received some great advice so far.  I might also suggest, if you're planning on working out at a gym, is to see if they have a personal trainer at the gym.  They could sit down with you and plan out a diet that would get you the best results.  

As for occasional treat to yourself...personally, I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as its done in moderation.  

Mike


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## trueaspirer (Jun 18, 2006)

I think it matters a lot less what you eat than how much. If you can't stop yourself from eating certain foods, at least not w/o trouble, just eat less. It can often be hard, but this is the surest way to get into better shape (other than ma of course ). Go on some sort of diet, not to intensive, and you can let yourself eat that piece of pizza now and then, so long as you know you can keep it to one piece. 
Also, before you eat something, try to stop and think for a moment. Are you really hungry, or are you just bored? Now, its not wrong to snack for fun sometimes, but to stop yourself from doing that a lot of the time will help decrease the amount of junk food you intake. 
Wow, listen to me...I should really start doing some of that!


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## Shirt Ripper (Jun 18, 2006)

Good call on the wheat germ by the way, most of what know of it is stuff "they" say, so I might do some reading on the topic but as far as I know certainly something you might include in this or that...


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## ryen (Jun 19, 2006)

Thanks again for all the replies. Well, i ordered the book yesterday, so now i'm just waiting for it to arrive... Which is gonna take at least a week. That's the price for living in Denmark i guess. I'm really looking forward to it, and also i think that this will finally make me learn how to cook, since my dad sure as hell won't change his diet for this, hehe. It's gonna be a blast 

Well, thanks again to everyone for all the help,
ryen


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