What’s best?

I’ve never been particularly in tune with my body, which is surprising really as a PT who is in to Physique shows. I’ve always struggled to figure out what works best for me, how I feel after certain foods, what triggers me to eat certain things and if and when my guts don’t like a certain food.

I guess I’ve always just got on with it really and eaten within my calorie goals to get my body where I want it to be. It’s worked.

 

Recently though, especially since the show, I’ve tried to pay a lot more attention to foods. There is a history of GI disease in our family; diverticulitis, Crohns, IBS and the like, all run through it (if you pardon the pun).

I’ve always struggled with dodgy guts, ever since I can remember to be honest.

Quite often I’ve had this agonising, stabbing pain, well at least that’s what I imagine the pain to be like, in my lower abdomen where its sometimes had me doubled over on the floor clutching my stomach. It’s happened a number of times in public as well and its impossible to hide it.

Other times, it’s a ridiculous gassy effect in my stomach that makes me feel horrendous and bloated, and well quite honestly a bit of a dirty bloke.

 

Taking Action

So recently, I’ve thought to myself, “Hang on, I’m 31, I’m helping loads of others with their nutrition and training and the like, but really, I’m being ignorant.”

I’m sitting here ignoring my own little dramas that go on inside my stomach, and I need to find out what it is.

I’ve been spending a few weeks, by using the process of elimination and trial and error to figure out what this little issue is.

By jove I think we have it!

Rather unfortunately, it seems to be, oats and nuts! 

Man, they do not go down well when I have these!

 

I’ve had the following, not in large quantities as we don’t tend to eat them much at all, in the last 6 weeks –
Bread, Pasta, Rice, Dairy, Eggs.

They’ve all been fine. But oats, holy bloated stomach Batman.

It’s something I’ve been studying in the Nutrition qualification I am doing, Gut Health. It would appear quite important to say the least!

Anywho, its made me realise what doesn’t work for me a bit better anyway.

 

Previously I’ve been scared by the Paleo mongers out of drinking milk unless you caress it straight from a goats testicle or whatever, eating grains because they will instantly give you cancer as 10k years ago bread definitely didn’t do that, Paleo mongers will testify to that.

Now, I’m not scared of any foods any more. I eat what I want, within reason and, yep, I’m still lean, I don’t appear to have contracted any disease because I’ve started to incorporate some milk/cheese and a bit of pasta in my diet.

I had a Pizza the other day. A whole one. Did I feel guilty? Erm, a bit to be honest, because it was a whole Domino’s Pizza, in  the medium form, with the garlic bread and potato wedges. However that guilt soon passed because I had been out on the mountain bike for 4 hours.

Point being, I feel mostly brilliant with the freedom incorporated within the diet at the moment.

Carbs in the morning

Lots of people always complain to me when we discuss when to eat your carbs. I mean trying to get some females (sorry to pick on you ladies, but really!) to actually eat carbs is tough half the time to be honest.

 

It’s been drummed in to them, not to have carbs in the evening because it will make them fat.

Well, it won’t. Actually, I eat most of my carbs in the evening. In fact, I eat around 200g carbs post workout, in the evening.

Why? Well, there’s lots of research flying about, and opinions, saying what the optimal times for nutrient timing is and all that jazz. I’ve read a few, I have my own thoughts on it, but there isn’t really anything around that really sets my mind to have an opinion either way when it comes to carbohydrate timing.

I’ll tell you what I do know from experience with clients and myself and my lovely fiancee (she’s going to love that I called her that).

 

When I have a carby breakfast, ie oats, or banana pancakes and the like, I find it really hard to control my appetite through out the day.

I also find my food choices, whilst I rarely ever deviate from the food I have brought with me, in fact, I think I am in the 95% bracket, my food choices could potentially be terrible if I had less will power with nutrition.

My clients have verified this to me. Not all of them of course, but, the majority.

 

I tell you what eating lots of carbs does for me in the evening. Makes me sleepy, happy and I get a really decent full nights sleep.

When dieting, and lower carbs, sleep sucked. I woke all the time!

 

What I am trying to get at is, find what works for you, pay a bit more attention to your body, and everything should fall in to place nicely after that.