Breakfast (5 am):
2 cups of low-fat cottage cheese (360 calories)
2 tbsp of organic peanut butter (360 calories)
15-20 fish oil capsules (140-190 calories)
Snack (9 am):
Protein bar (280 calories)
Workout drink (half before, half after):
2 scoops whey protein, 5 grams creatine (250 calories)
Lunch (3 pm)
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese (360 calories)
15 low-fat Trisquits (250 calories)
Dinner (7 pm)
2 cans tuna (300 calories)
2 tbsp non-fat mayo (40 calories)
2 whole wheat wraps (300 calories)
This varies from day to day, but the calorie count remains pretty constant: around 2,100 a day right now.
I'm not looking to build muscle or size -- still trying to drop some bodyfat -- so this keeps me lean and allows me enough energy to work out hard and still recover.
For the average person, this would be a healthy diet to maintain weight or even drop weight combined with a good workout program.
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Bill, You are my hero, and I know you're a Spartan, but your diet does seem extreme - lacking in vegetables and including high quantities of fish oil and cottage cheese that seems unhealthful.
ReplyDeleteIs there a nutricianist that is the source for your diet? I would be nervous not to have more variety in my food intake and to include so very much fatty acid.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThe fish oil is the healthiest part of this diet -- keeps cholesterol down, stops inflammation, helps control insulin, and preserves muscle mass, among many other benefits.
When not trying to cut bodyfat, I do eat more veggies, and should eat more now. I also eat more variety of foods.
This diet does vary -- I eat A LOT of chicken, berries in my cottage cheese, and low-fat cheeses. I drink V-8 from time to time to get more veggies in.
I'm not saying this is the best diet long-term, but it helps me cut the fat I want to lose.
Peace,
Bill
Bill,
ReplyDeleteBut I am correct to understand that you take 20,000mg of fish oil at breakfast and then eat two cans of tuna later?
I wonder what benefit could come from more than, say, 3,000mg in a day. Cannot you overdo these things to toxic effect?
There was news today or yesterday of an athlete who died after slathering herself with Bengay to such an extent it killed her. An anti-inflamatory of some sort is fine, but it can be overdone -- inside and outside your body, no?
So I have to ask what added benefit can you expect from 20,000mg that you couldn't get, perhaps more safely, from much less? I would also have concern for other toxics, such as mercury, in fish oil when taken at very high levels.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThere's no risk with high-dose fish oil (and my intake is moderate). Some people advocate as much as 50 grams a day. And tuna is VERY low-fat compared to salmon or other fatty fishes (I eat tuna packed in water, not oil).
The effective dose of DHA & EPA, the active constituents in fish oil, is roughly 6 grams, but since most fish oil products only contain 1/3 of their lipids as DHA & EPA -- the omega-3 fats -- (the rest is omega-6 fats and omega-9 fats), you need a LOT of fish oil to get the needed 6 grams.
I've been doing this for nearly ten years now. The injury-induced arthritis in my knees is mostly gone. My fasting glucose is VERY low. My cholesterol is 140-150, most of which is the good cholesterol. And so on.
Every cell in the body is made of lipids. The more healthy lipids we get in our diet (up to 35% of total calories if one is eating low-carb), the healthier our cells will be. We should be getting a 2:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, but the current American diet is roughly 15:1 at best.
Of the four macronutrients (carbs, lipids, proteins, and water), carbs are the only ones we DON'T need. Our body can make carbs out of fats and/or proteins, and these are called ketones. I've trained my body to function well on ketones -- though I wouldn't recommend this for most people.
Three grams of fish oil is better than none, but most people should be using 10 grams a day at the least.
Just wait, in five or ten years nutritionists will have caught up to what athletes have been doing for years.
Peace,
Bill
Yes, sorry, sorry, Bill.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing some googling, showing that you are so very right, of course. [eg, here]
I regret my comments, here. But on the other hand I very much welcome your exploration on this topic.
I got some fish oil from Trader Joe's, extracted from anchovies and sardines, especially high in EPA and DHA. Wanted to get more EPA and DHA, but was of the impression that increasing Flax or Salmon oil had a downside.