Adarq.org

Again PTonthenet.com

- Source PTontheNet.com Article by Jon Berardi

This post and the following post were just some thoughts regarding nutrition, some copied in from PT on the net (towards the end of the post)


Calling all fat people

As I've posted before I spent about 6 years now waiting for my diet and nutrition to just some point magically "click" with me and have me understand and magically lose weight. After 6 years of waiting and training and learning I've finally been able to say more recently that it never happens and it takes more than just some real basic knowledge of diet to actually lose weight. As a trainer I don't think people will ever understand how much info I know about nutrition, which I'm comfortable with, but even with all this knowledge it doesn't make me or any of us make the correct decisions about what we eat and drink on a daily basis.
Some people are really quick to say "well just don't eat that" and I've always thought that its easy for someone who is in shape or who never had issues with being overweight or obese to, potentially not fully understanding what the person might be feeling. Some people will also "rebel" when a trainer or someone says "hey you shouldn't eat that" they'll eat it in spite, which I know I do. But realistically we all know we shouldn't eat these things (some of them are really obvious), but they're convenient and it can be really tough for someone when they're either on there way home from work, or at work going to lunch and hadn't ate in quite a few hours or a bunch of friends are going out to eat it becomes tough to turn down the junk food. Even when athletes or clients think they're following a diet very closely and they step on the scale and haven't lost any weight it can be 1 of the most defeated feelings in the world (from a weight loss perspective). It is very easy to say after eating a crap meal "I shouldn't have eaten that, or I'm not sure why I ate that" its more important to have that realization before you eat it.

So then what's the solution? Well to be honest at this moment I really haven't found a perfect solution or I would be in great shape myself, but I'm going to give some ideas of ways that people need to be helped, and ways that we can make progress. 1) Realize there are no excuses for eating crap, and any excuses are just that, if we want to lose weight then we need to want it every moment, and if we're not willing to make that dedication, then we're doomed to be overweight and never see enough progress. 2) Diet is so much mental, and so much about will power, and if we're not connecting on a mental perspective then we've lost the person. 3) Accountability and a support staff, 1 that's going to be understanding and troubleshoot the diet issues as they come up instead of pointing the finger and cursing out the person for eating poorly or not progressing with their weight loss. Some people need to be "sympathized" with others need to have strict guidelines and not fall off that wagon. 4) Cheat days or meals, and we need to understand that cravings will happen and it CAN be absolutely brutal to change habits that have been formed, and if we cheat on the diet or nutritional plan then you need to get right back on, and not have to start from the beginning. 5) and lastly we need to realize that if we take an approach of cutting back until we're rid of these bad choices (ie cutting back on soda until we aren't drinking any) or if we go in with an attitude of "I'll start my diet tomorrow" or "after this meal" we'll always have a reason to not make progress, and we'll continue on with our ways that got us to this state in the 1st place.
I hope this comes across correctly and like I said I don't have a full proof solution and I'm hoping others will give some good ideas and anyone who needs help in this way can begin to progress and see what needs to happen to make life long changes that will result with being better athletes.
The other 2 things I wanted to add in here were motivation to lose weight is only going to last for a small amount of time among the avg person. Most people will either hear from their Dr, or step on a scale and be at a point they've never been at regarding weight or health, and realize that they need to make changes, unfortunately that doesn't last, and with diets (my opinion) if you want something quick and immediate, then you could be screwed, because a lot of times you either put it back on, or starve yourself to get to some point.
Last thing I wanted to add in was its my theory, that our bodies always are working against us, my thoughts are that we have an internal set point where are body is comfortable at (the weight that we stay at) and its usually hard to get too far above or below that weight, because our bodies don't know healthy vs unhealthy weight it just knows what its comfortable with, as in taking in close to the same amount of calories and macro nutrients per day, so when we diet, our body doesn't like it, and fights against it, at least in certain instances, making it really hard to lose weight consistently and keep it off for extended periods of time. Again all my theory no facts or research to back these up.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

For which part of that.  Since I found out my MRI results my Health Insurance changed and the Sports Med Dr and the "specialist" I was supposed to be seeing this coming Monday (but I have work) aren't covered by my new insurance.  Therefore chaces are that I'll hafta find a new Primary Care and I'll be forced to go to him to get my ankle evaluated and sent for another eval by Sports Med Dr, and then eventually sent to another "specialist" (just assuming that my MRI won't be read by new Dr and I'll need referrals to see specialists.)  And from there 6 months later I may actually be able to be get something done for my ankle.  All the while not bein able to train the way I'd like hence gaining more weight (fat and I'm training bodybuilder style which is easy for me) not playing much basketball or getting much cardio, that's my F*ck me sideways.  I'm pissed.

I ended up doing a lot of research on the issue before I finally went back to the Dr and went for an MRI, and not just on forums, I was talking to a lot of my collegeau's and asking around, and everyone seemed to say just get an MRI to be certain.
Try to get an MRI, I was dissapointed when I found out the results, but its so much better than having the pain linger and not knowing what's causing it.  Just my opinion.  I now have to wait 2 more weeks to meet with a "specialist" and then he'll probably (my opinion and guess) refer me for some surgery OR tell me its not bad enough to justify surgery lets go with cortizone shots/PT/ OR some other cartildge shots, which to me will be ok, but it will just serve as a way to "cover" the issue at hand, but maybe its a better option than the scope.

did you try to find a TCM practitioner like i suggested?  you also didn't specify how you injured your ankle in the first place.  which direction did you roll it, and was it after jumping or just a mis-step?

TCM is one of the best way.  there a many foreign basketball players in Taiwan whom I've introduced them to TCM treatment after they sprain their ankle and they all universally praise the significantly reduced recovery time.  the last thing you want to do is put it in a cast.  that's going to do nothing for your recovery except extending the length of time greatly.

I actually didn't even look into the tradional chinese massage, but I just had another X-ray Thursday and an MRI today (Saturday) after seeing a Sports Med Dr, I should have the results for it on Tuesday.  I landed on somebody's foot and rolled it, which strained the ATFL and other ligaments, from what I originally heard.  Its been 5 months now also.

I also just found another site called TPtherapy.com for Trigger Point therapy they have tools similar to foam rollers that look like they may help.  I'm thinking about buying something from them, or asking around to see if anyone has used them and had success with their products.

I was just reading your post regarding free training, and as another trainer/aspiring S&C Coach, I'm always willing to help people out when I can even for free through email, and many forums that I'm on, so I really like what your doing and I hope to some day have a chance to "talk shop" with you and bounce ideas back and forth.
For the 1st time in quite a while I am feeling like with the current training routine that I'm on with very limited plyos because of my ankle, that if I didn't have issues with my ankles then I'd actually be seeing some vert increase.  I've talked to people before that for quite some time it got to the point in my training where I was 'just going through the motions' and never really expecting to see gains or improvements.
Other separate thing I wanted to ask is it 'ok' to ask if people are sharing files, or trading programs through either IMs or email?  If anyone has any questions for me directly you can get me at Thestrengthshop@gmail.com, is my training email, and also if you want to look me up on Youtube or Facebook, look up Trainer Mike.  Thanks.

Thanks, yeah I've been trying to ice it like crazy and I went through a stint of physical therapy and in the past I've been pretty good with rehab, I myself am a trainer and have sprained my ankles many times before (most recent bad 1 before this had been 2 yrs tho an all time high for me) and I am trying to build the strength back up, and I'm being requested by co-workers to run a 5K in October, but any advice would be cool.