Dieting

[MadMushroomMan15]

Right, I've been rowing/erging for around a year now and during the summer I want to have a good diet to combine with my erging so that when I get back to rowing Im leaner. As it is right now, I want to lose a couple pounds in order to be more agile. Right now, I'm on a diet of Raisin Bran, Oatmeal, water (no soda), fruits and vegetables, and I stay away from really fatty greasy foods. The main problem is I don't know what type of meat/poultry/fish I should eat or if to eliminate any of those groups all together. Any tips for maintaining healthy condition but drop the couple lbs before season starts?

Thanks

[rfahle]

Madman:

I suggest using a site like www.fitday.com to help with your diet, activities and weight monitoring. I found that increasing my awareness of nutrient content of foods combined with tracking my activities and the resulting weight gains and losses was huge.

To my recommendations, I lost 30+ pounds in 6 months by trying to keep my fat content at 25-30% with saturated fat at 10-12%, carbs and protein at 35%. I needed to add a protein shake (GNC Whey Protein) made with a cup of skim milk and crushed ice (really cool drink when its hot). I targeted eating 2000 cal/day to lose weight with total calories burned at 2700 calories/day (easily accomplished with 30-45 minutes/day rowing). This approach should results in about 1 lb/week weight loss (steady and slow).

I only reduced the frequency of fast food and I eat all the lean beef and pork I want plus salmon or tuna a couple of times a week. I don't believe that eliminating food groups is healthy - substituting a better choice through increased awareness is best.

I hope this is helpful.

Rick

[MadMushroomMan15]

Thank you for the advice - I'll definately check out the site.

[Steelhead]

Right, I've been rowing/erging for around a year now and during the summer I want to have a good diet to combine with my erging so that when I get back to rowing Im leaner. As it is right now, I want to lose a couple pounds in order to be more agile. Right now, I'm on a diet of Raisin Bran, Oatmeal, water (no soda), fruits and vegetables, and I stay away from really fatty greasy foods. The main problem is I don't know what type of meat/poultry/fish I should eat or if to eliminate any of those groups all together. Any tips for maintaining healthy condition but drop the couple lbs before season starts?

Thanks

Give "The China Study" a read -- particularly the section on protein requirements. Your present diet sounds fine, but basically just stick to whole plant-based foods (grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds) and you'll be healthy and drop some pounds.