Skinny Girl's Quest for Muscle

Skinny Girl's Quest for Muscle
Why is Nutrition so Difficult?

With all of the great information so easily accessible about proper nutrition, why is putting a balanced diet (ack, I hate saying "diet") so hard to put into place. Now, when I say "diet" I do not by any means suggest that I'm trying to lose weight, reduce calories or go join one of those cultish grapefruit-only clubs; I mean eating the proper amount of a balanced variety of foods that will allow me to gain muscle and lose body fat, while keeping my body as healthy as possible.

Here's my theory about what's causing the disconnect between understanding and actually "doing" (or in my case "eating"). Even though I know exactly what I'm supposed to eat for each meal, I haven't spent the time planning meals over the course of my week. My meals are typically the result of a last minute thought that: oh my gosh, I'm hungry, I need to eat right now. This is a problem for two reasons. First, by the time I'm already hungry, it's tough to build a balanced meal that includes all of the proper nutrients, in proper amounts. Second, I've completely thrown timing out the door--and timing is more vital than most people realize.

Balanced Meals

To build muscle, it's important to get balanced meals. Sure you need a certain amount of fat, protein and carbohydrate, but eating all fats a breakfast, all carbs and lunch and all proteins at dinner is not the right way to go about it. When I find myself seeking out last minute meals, they tend to be higher in one ingredient (or macro nutrient) than another, and lack balance: oh my gosh, I'm hungry. I'll just grab a PB&J sandwich (lots of fat and carbs, only a little protein). A better choice may have been a tuna and avocado sandwich with a side dish of cabbage slaw.

Timing Meals

The key to proper nutrition is in timing. Everyone has heard the old theory that eating anything after dinner goes straight to your rear end as fat. Or, that you should fuel your workouts and get a proper recovery meal after workouts (one of the more popular recovery foods right now is chocolate milk post workout.) These are a couple of timing constraints that we can easily work with. However, the notion of eating every few hours to boost metabolism is becoming a more mainstream idea. Also, the notion of eating a balance meal (carbs, proteins and a very small amount of good fats) with a slow burning carb source before workouts, and then a meal of a fast burning carb (a sugar type carb) and protein after a workout is another theory coming into fashion for properly fueling muscles and gaining the most benefit possible from a workout.

Putting it all Together

So, how do I actually get from the point of understanding how to eat, to doing it, and doing it consistently?

Planning, Planning, Planning. This is my challenge for this week. I am challenging myself to plan a week's worth of meals today. The plan must include a shopping list (based on missing items from my fridge and pantry), a schedule for preparing meals (especially breakfasts and lunches that will be consumed away from home, and post-workout recovery meals that I'll eat on my trip home from the gym). Other technical considerations will be transporting meals since I ride my bicycle to work a few days per week--what ever I bring to work on those days will need to survive a ride in my bike pack.

Finally, the most important aspect of the plan is the nutrition component. Each meal should be properly balanced to either fuel a workout, or just maintain nutrition in general.

(to be continued)