Thursday, October 26, 2006

It's a meal,not a party.

It always amazes me how completely addicted people are to food and how blind they are to it. In all my years of training people, I have almost NEVER heard someone say " yeah, I eat like crap, that's why I am fat." Except for my wife, who took full responsibility for being as heavy as she was. "I know why I'm fat," she would tell me. " I eat too much and too much crap.I'm just not motivated to lose it. But it's not like I dont know why." So so many people are really clueless to how much they eat and the effect it's having on them on so many levels.

The need for each meal to be a pleasure filled experience with an unlimited array af gastromic choices available all the time is a wee bit immature imo. Eat your meal first, then you get dessert.What ever happened to that concept?

But starting your day off with a 700 calories frappa crappa latta and another 700-800 calories from a mutant scone on steroids is just "having breakfast". Right, that's why you are gaining 25 pounds a year with no end in site.

People eat like they will die before lunch if they dont "get their bloodsugar up". It's like filling up your car with gas and driving 2 miles to the next gas station and "topping it off".You just dont NEED that much food. The idea that the gene expression that occurs after exercise and intermittment fasting actually helps promote fat loss and muscle gain is gaining acceptance and my own experience can definitely correlate with that.

Living on refined, processed foods,developing insulin resistance and becoming pre diabetic or diabetic is becoming way too common these days. It's almost the norm that I see in the population around me and I work in a highly educated, wealthy community who should know better.

But very few want anything to be tough.And God forbid anyone gets a bit hungry! Not being so dependent on eating every two hours has been one of the most liberating experiences of this whole RKC kettlebell experience for me. Recreating a body that I've never had before. I've had lean and I've had strong. I've had strong lower body( cyclist) and strong upper body( gymnast).

But until KB's and the Warrior Diet I haven't had them all together. Lighter,leaner, strong with stamina and balanced development in the upper and lower body. Not to mention the core. But nobody wants to suffer, at all.

"Pain is a great instructor, it is said, but nobody wants to go his classes". Don't know who said it but it is so true. People want many things but few are willing to pay the price to get them. And not just monetary price, which most times is the least of the expense.

And if one is not willing to pay the price to achieve what they thought they wanted that too is good knowledge. Then you can accept why you are not achieving what you said was your goal. You don't want it enough to do what it takes to achieve it. It is too hard, or too uncomfortable> Or requires too much mental effort too often. That is cool. At least you would know the truth and that is alway powerful.

That's all I ask from people, take responsiblity for your choices, and deal with the consequences of those choices, good or bad, without whining.It's not like you can do anything that doesnt have a consequence.Or that you can choose NOT to choose. Doesnt happen. Whether you see that consequence as a good or a bad thing will entirely depend on where you are at the moment.

The key,imo is being conscious about what you choosing by looking at what you are getting. If you don't like what you are receiving figure out what it takes to change it and then, just do it.

How? By being willing to do what it takes, to the best of your ability. And that usually means eating food before dessert. No matter how good it looks. Or maybe skipping dessert entirely. Or being willing to go a little hungry. Or learning how to cook real food. Whatever it takes to get results.

Or accept that you arent and live with that.

Part of this food cycle is the understanding that by eating refined carbs and tons of sugar one is basically drugging themselves. Carbs release insulin and seratonin which calms you down and relaxes you.Comfort food. And this is good. Unless you can't eat anything else and are falling asleep from your blood sugar dump at 10 am. Where's the roach coach?

Changing from being a carb burner to a fat burner is one of the best things I've done. I feel so much more alert for much longer, have way more energy and clarity of thought and know that in a pinch I can go for long periods with little or no food and no fall off of strength or energy. All good things.

IN my favorite book by Herman Hesse "Siddhartha" Kamaswai asks the ascetic sadhu Siddhartha what skills he posseses when he tells him he will earn the money necessary to spend time with the courtesan Kamala.

"I can think, I can wait and I can fast."

Kamaswami asks him of what value fasting is.

"It is of great value sir,. If a man has nothing to eat fasting is the most intelligent thing he can do. If, for instance, Siddhartha had not learned how to fast, he would have had to seek some kind of work today ,wither with you, or elsewhere, for hunger would have driven him.But as it is , Siddhartha can wait calmly . He is not impatient, he is not in need, he can ward off humfer for a long time and laugh at it. Therefore, fasting is usefull sir."

14 comments:

Franz Snideman said...

Awesome Post! Agree with alot of it, not all of it! I do agree that people eat too much processed crap and most people eat too much food period! That is a fact!

I encounter people (mainly women) who literally at nothing until the afternoon or evening and then eat dinner. Of course what they are eating for dinner can and often is refined, there total calorie intake is very low. When I increse their meal frequency, and these are whole food meals, they lose fat. But those people are probably the exception and not the norm. Most people do eat too damm much! I personally feel better eating smaller meals throughout the day. Keeps me leaner and makes my mental energy more crisp. Of course most of my meals have protein and fat combined which might explain why it works so well for me. My bodyfat always go up when I eat less meals, weird!

Mark Reifkind said...

franz,thanks man. I think more than anything the problem is that people dont cook what they eat and eat out way too often. If you are preparing your own food, whether you eat once twice or four times a day you will be better off.

basic cooking skills are extremely important for good health imo.opening a can or microwaving a prepared meal is not cooking.

ANd yes eating smaller meals of protein, fats and veggies is fine but thats not how most eat and are on a sugar and calories dense roll for most of the day.

I cant' believe how often many of my clients eat out.And the portion sizes these days are ridiculous.

the bottom line is that each of us has to discover what works for us for real and the only way to do that is to experiment, observe and analyze.what you are doing is either getting you closer to your goals or it is not.

and if one has no goals it should be no surprise when that is what they achieve.

I have no problem, really, with people eating crap. just dont tell me you "really eat healthy" if the results dont show that.

when I was a powerlifter and all I cared about was my total I didnt really think about my bodyfat at all and felt mass was mass. I was always tying to be as big as I could so I ate like a powerlifter- a lot of everything.

but when I eat multiple meals it really makes me sluggish. didnt care as a powerlifter as I was "recovering", which was true. but I feel way cleaner and healthier this way.

the bottom line is real food is the key.

Mark Reifkind said...

oh and franz, I have run into way too many of those types of women who swear they are eating nothing at all all day and I find out that's not true at all. they just dont count the latte and scones and such.lots of sugar gets eaten that isnt "counted"

Tommy Shook said...

My dogs were too fat. I cut their portion sizes down, they lost weight. that's it...pretty simple. No change in their activity (kinda hard for dogs to do snatches) no extra walks, nothing...just less food.
When there is a drive through fast food joint or a corporate coffee house on every street corner, and on top of it people are bombarded by advertising that is selling that shit, they will, in the vast majority of cases, eat it.
You want to lose weight, eat less. Everyone knows Big Macs aren't healthy.
Metabolically speaking, a few to several (depending on your metabolism) small feedings with balanced protein, fats AND carbo's (but not neccesarily refined starches) is the way to go. If a particular system such as WD diet works for you...cool, if it doesn't cool, find what does. because of my ancestry the mediteranean diet works best for me.
I agree with what you are saying about accountability though for sure. Look in the mirror, usually THAT person is the root cause of your problems, whatever they may be.

Mark Reifkind said...

yes tom, couldnt agree more. if you arent losing the weight you want to eat less, in one way or another.or move more, or both.

Anonymous said...

The genuine passion fueling your writing has never been clearer than in this piece.

Just like one of Hesse's characters, you too are illuminating a path.

Geoff Neupert said...

Love it! Great job on this post--you hit the nail right on the head.

Do you mind if I steal it and put it in our newsletter?

Thanks, Rif. Keep the good stuff coming...

Pete said...

Another great post, Rif. Damn, have you ever thought about writing another book? After a while, it could almost be a compilation of selct blog postings, at this rate.

I whole-heartedly agree with alot of what you said. I know when my BF is up, it is because I ate crap, and didn't watch/care what I ate. When I watch what I eat, the BF goes down, and I perform better overall. It's not rocket science, it's just discipline. In a comfort seeking society that has everything at their disposal, and quick, quick, quick to receive, the results of the population composition is not surprising. It is amazing at how much intelligent ignorance is out there. I cringe everytime I see another McDonald's commercial portraying happy healthy-appearing people eating their toxic sludge. (All-white meat chicken nuggets??? Like thaat makes it ok to eat, and yet people buy into the implied BS "healthy" connotation that "white meat" implies. Never mind that it's been breaded and deep fried in transfat.)

Now the Warrior Diet didn't work for me so well on the mental aspect. Personally, I like having 5-6 small meals spaced out throughout the day instead of one large one at the end. Not that I didn't start to see results from the WD, but I have to admit I do enjoy keeping the blood sugar stable.

Fasting is a very helpful way to cleanse the mind and the body. I was exposed to Paul Bragg via my 86 y.o. uncle who religiously ate that way. (he was a very lean guy, but only hiked or walked as a means of exercising.)

Pete said...

Oh, and I also loved the book, Siddhartha. I haven't read it in ages, though. Have you ever read the Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham? Another great book about the search for enlightenment. They made a movie with Bill Murray as the Larry Darrow lead character. I actually enjoyed the movie although it panned at the box office.

Mark Reifkind said...

Geoff,
Thanks.It's all yours, just link me up brother!

Mark Reifkind said...

John,

thanks big time for that compliment.It is very satisfying to see my intentions being perceived by others as I had hoped.

And to lead a path on this training journey has always been my lifes passion and work. right from the start. It is just so great to see things really coming together now.

I am so greatful to Pavel for all of this you cannot imagine.His work and his recognition not only gave me back my life but lead to the fulfillment of my lifes work. way cool.
:))

even cooler.only the beginning.
thanks again for reading John.

Anonymous said...

I echo the positive sentiments regarding your post Rif.

How did you turn from carb burner to fat burner ?

TIA

"Cayenne" Eddie

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks Pete;
"It's not rocket science, it's just discipline. "

You hit the nail on the head brother but just cause its simple dont make it easy!LOL!And you also said the magic word which I thing has been left by the wayside in the fitness industry; discipline. or his brother: willpower.

dont they know how real athletes do it?

About the WD , hey, many different paths to the same place, I have no doubt.But to correct you about the blood sugar thing. When you transition Warrior right your blood sugar is even MORE stable. Thats the key.

I'm not sure people dont spend enough time eating less carbs during the day but enough fat and protein so that they become better fat burners, which is what the WD is really all about.

WDs fasting isnt about starving ,it's about becoming a true fat burner. A diesel engine vs a gas engine.
It took me many months to be able to not eat during the day and not have hunger or unstable blood sugar.

I used to eat almond and nuts when I needed to stabilize the blood sugar or deal with an empty stomach.
Just ate as little as necessary to do the job.

Oh and as to the book,you hit the nail on the head there too.I am writing now as the basic grist for a future book.I write better on the blog than anywhere else.

and glad you liked Siddhartha too. I read it often.I havent read razors edge but I will.
take care

Mark Reifkind said...

eddie! good to see you here man. thanks for the kind words.I turned into a fat burner via the warrior diet; using intermittment fasting and feasting once a day. I drpped all carbs from my daily food and replaced them with small amounts of fats and proteins and then slowly the need for them reduced.

now I have coffe with heavy cream at 4 am then just herbal teas and water til 3 or 4 pm.then I eat three or four courses over 3-4 hours. dats it.
8% coming soon.

205, 215, 217.5,205 x 1 x 6, 190 x 1 x 3, laterals, rear delts bw pushups

 Well this went great. not perfect but the basic premise worked and I'm happy. I was not optimistic at all about this at all given recen...