Nutrition and fitness discussions between TLN Founder Phil LeClair and Correspondent Mike Davey
Phil: OK. Let's ramp this forum up and get right to one of the biggest topics we've discussed over the years: Carbs! Refresh my memory when you switched gears and dialed down the carb intake. You've never been really overweight and always active, but you were pounding the carbs back in the day. What made you decide to change your eating habits? Knowing you went from carbs, carbs, carbs to limiting carbs to a more recent revelation (which I will let you share), how did each stage affect your body composition, energy levels and mental state (i.e. cravings)?
Mike: My own personal carb intake has always been my biggest challenge. Through most of my twenties I was very much into starchy carbs. I was no stranger to a LOT of white bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta every day. In fact, at least 4 times a week I was eating a half box of pasta with about 5 slices of bread per sitting!!! This was mostly back in the 1992-1996 range when whole wheat bread and whole grain breads were not as abundant as they are now. At this time of my life I was weighing between 185-190 but it was a bulky, soft-around-the-middle weight that I wasn't comfortable with. I was putting up pretty good weight at the gym but I wasn't as lean as I wanted to be.Then in the late 90's I pretty much switched from these starchy carbs to mostly all vegetables and salads. The result was a thinner, leaner me, which I always wanted. However, I was too lean and was now tipping the scales at a paltry 158-162!!! While I liked how I looked with a shirt off I hated how I felt wearing t-shirts and sweatshirts....I felt so scrawny!! I was always feeling hungry and I seem to remember feeling weak in the gym. Something had to change.As of today I seem to have found the right combination of starchy carbs and vegetables/greens. No longer is it 4-6 slices of white bread every day or a whole bag of Minute Rice per meal. Portion size and weekly intake of these carbs were my biggest downfall. Now, I'll have only a slice or two of wheat bread about 4-5 times a week, 1 cup of brown rice about 4 to 5 times a week, a baked potato a couple of times a week, and vegetables with nearly every dinner. Of course, I do have other carbs such as bananas, orange juice, and oatmeal, just not with dinners.The end result is that I don't feel bloated after a meal but I also don't feel hungry after a meal either. The key for me is keeping an appropriate portion size. My body type dictates that I can't get crazy with starchy carbs because it won't take long before I start to show it around the middle.
Phil: OK. Let's ramp this forum up and get right to one of the biggest topics we've discussed over the years: Carbs! Refresh my memory when you switched gears and dialed down the carb intake. You've never been really overweight and always active, but you were pounding the carbs back in the day. What made you decide to change your eating habits? Knowing you went from carbs, carbs, carbs to limiting carbs to a more recent revelation (which I will let you share), how did each stage affect your body composition, energy levels and mental state (i.e. cravings)?
Mike: My own personal carb intake has always been my biggest challenge. Through most of my twenties I was very much into starchy carbs. I was no stranger to a LOT of white bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta every day. In fact, at least 4 times a week I was eating a half box of pasta with about 5 slices of bread per sitting!!! This was mostly back in the 1992-1996 range when whole wheat bread and whole grain breads were not as abundant as they are now. At this time of my life I was weighing between 185-190 but it was a bulky, soft-around-the-middle weight that I wasn't comfortable with. I was putting up pretty good weight at the gym but I wasn't as lean as I wanted to be.Then in the late 90's I pretty much switched from these starchy carbs to mostly all vegetables and salads. The result was a thinner, leaner me, which I always wanted. However, I was too lean and was now tipping the scales at a paltry 158-162!!! While I liked how I looked with a shirt off I hated how I felt wearing t-shirts and sweatshirts....I felt so scrawny!! I was always feeling hungry and I seem to remember feeling weak in the gym. Something had to change.As of today I seem to have found the right combination of starchy carbs and vegetables/greens. No longer is it 4-6 slices of white bread every day or a whole bag of Minute Rice per meal. Portion size and weekly intake of these carbs were my biggest downfall. Now, I'll have only a slice or two of wheat bread about 4-5 times a week, 1 cup of brown rice about 4 to 5 times a week, a baked potato a couple of times a week, and vegetables with nearly every dinner. Of course, I do have other carbs such as bananas, orange juice, and oatmeal, just not with dinners.The end result is that I don't feel bloated after a meal but I also don't feel hungry after a meal either. The key for me is keeping an appropriate portion size. My body type dictates that I can't get crazy with starchy carbs because it won't take long before I start to show it around the middle.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment