Parrillo Diet Plan – 155 lb. Female – Lean Muscle Gain

This is a sample diet plan for a 155 lb. female wanting to increase lean muscle:

Search weight of:  150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160

155 lb. Female Diet

Parrillo Diet Plan – 145 lb. Female – Lean Muscle Gain

This is a 2400 calorie diet based on a 145 lb female to calculate protein requirements for gaining lean muscle mass

Search weight of:  140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150

145 lb. Female Diet (click on the link to see the entire diet trac)

If you are doing this diet feel free to contact us at 1-800-344-3404.  We’d love to help you achieve your goals and hear about your progress.  If you are in the 140-150 lb range and gaining lean muscle using Parrillo products, please send us pictures or videos of you cooking some of these recipes.  We’d love to post them on the site.

Meal 1 8:00 6 Egg whites, extra large

4 ounces Oatmeal (rolled oats), dry

1 Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

1 tbsp cap-tri

Meal 2 11:00 7 ounces Captri Cookbook Entree, Chicken Salad (pg 25)

.05 Salad Greens

4 ounces Lentils

Meal 3 13:30 1 Bar, Parrillo Protein Bar, Fudge Brownie Flavor

Meal 4 15:30 6 ounces Fish, Salmon, atlantic, steamed

5 ounces potatoes, baked in skin

6 ounces Salad Greens

1 tbsp CapTri

1 tablet Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

Meal 5 19:00 Bar, Parrillo Energy Bar, French Vanilla Flavor

Meal 6 21:00 1 serving Protein Powder, Hi-Protein Powder, Chocolate

Calories 2,380.30 protein, 180.85 carbs 212.04

Drink 1 – 1.5 gallons of water a day

Continue to do your cardio and weight training the Parrillo way!

Parrillo Diet Plan – 125 lb. Female – Fat Loss

This is a 1900 calorie diet based on a 115 lb female  used to calculate protein requirements

This is a sample diet plan for a 125 lb. female wanting to maintain muscle and lose fat:

Search weight of: 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130

125 lb. Female Diet(click on the link to receive the entire diet trac)

If you are doing this diet please feel free to contact us at 1-800-344-3404.  We’d love to help you achieve your goals and hear about your progress.  If you are in the 120-130 weight range and have lost fat using Parrillo products, please send us some pictures or videos of you cooking some of these recipes.  We would be happy to post them on the site.

Keep in mind that you don’t want to drop 5 pounds in the first week.  The key is to keep your glycogen levels from dropping too low.  Refer to the Sports Nutritional Guide pg 27-30.

You can click on any supplement listed to order and see the nutritional value

Once you are eating correctly, supplements can be added into your diet to maximize your results

Meal 1 8:00 6 Egg whites, extra large

4 ounces Oatmeal (rolled oats), dry

1Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

Meal 2 11:00 7 ounces Captri Cookbook Entree, Chicken Salad (pg 25)

5 ounces Potatoes, baked in skin

Meal 3 13:30 1 Bar, Parrillo Energy Bar, French Vanilla Flavor

Meal 4 15:30 6 ounces Fish, Salmon, atlantic, steamed

6 ounces Salad Greens

1 Essential Vitamin Formula

1Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

Meal 5 19:00 1Bar, Parrillo Protein Bar, Fudge Brownie

Calories 1,871.81 protein 140.99 carbs 182.11

Drink 1 gallon of water a day and continue to train and keep up w/ your cardio

Parrillo Diet Plan – 205 lb. Male – Maintenance

This is a 2800 calorie diet based on a 205 lb male to calculate protein requirements for a male wanting to maintain muscle mass.

Search weights: 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210

205 lb. Male Diet Plan – Maintenance (click on the link to see the entire diet trac).

If you are doing this diet feel free to contact us at 1-800-344-3404.  We’d love to help you achieve your goals and hear about your progress.  If you are in the 200-210 lb range and maintaining muscle mass using Parrillo products, please send us pictures or videos of you cooking some of these recipes.  We’d love to post them on the site.

Meal 1 8:00 8 Egg Whites (lg)

12 ounces Oatmeal (rolled oats), dry

1 Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

1 Enhanced GH Formula

2 tbsp CapTri

2 Muscle Amino

Meal 2 11:30 1 Bar, Parrillo Bar (generic)

Meal 3 15:00 9 ounces CapTri Cookbook Chicken Fingers (pg 23)

3 ounces Rice, brown, cooked

4 ounces Asparagus Spears, cooked, boiled, drained

1 Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

2 Muscle Amino

Meal 4 18:30 3 servings Protein, Hi-Protein Powder, Vanilla

Meal 5 22:00 9 ounces Captri Cookbook Entree, Cod Fillet Italiano (pg 27)

3 Potatoes, baked in skin

8 ounces Salad Greens

2 tbsp CapTri

1Essential Vitamin Formula

1 Mineral-Electrolyte Formula

2 Muscle Aminos

Meal 6 23:00 6 ounces Chicken, white meat without skin, roasted

7 ounces Salad Greens

2 Enhanced GH Formula

Calories 2,830.69 protein, 287.57 carbs, 193.66

Drink 1 – 1.5 gallons of water a day

Continue to do your cardio and weight training the Parrillo way!

Calories: Watch Them Go Up!

Most people hate counting calories because it generally equates with food deprivation to lose weight. If you follow the Parrillo Nutrition Program, do you have to bother counting calories if you get enough quality protein and carbohydrates and keep your fat intake low?

The answer is unequivocal and absolute: yes, you need to count calories. But unlike conventional diets, I want you to gradually increase your calories from quality foods. This builds your metabolism, and as long as you’re training hard, increasing calories decreases your body fat.

Read more

Bulletin #171 – The Real Superfoods

There’s a lot of talk these days about “superfoods” – foods that give you extra nutrients, provide energy, help fight disease and aging, and for body-builders and athletes, build muscle. Obviously, superfoods are the way to go to get the most health- and mus-cle-building nutrition for your time and money. And fortunately, the Parrillo Nutrition program is packed with superfoods. For example:Lean ProteinsProteins are found in all cells and tissues and are required for the structure and function of every part of the body. And of special interest to bodybuilders, muscles are made of protein. Protein is required in the diet to maintain tissues and organs and to supply building blocks for growth. Proteins from animal sources such as meat, eggs, and milk, are called “complete” proteins because they supply all the essential amino acids. Animal proteins provide a balance of amino acids similar to that of human tissues. Plant proteins have a profile of amino acids different from hu-man proteins.

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For this reason animal proteins are considered to be higher quality protein foods. Most vegetable proteins are deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids and are therefore called “incomplete” pro-teins. However, if vegetable proteins are combined properly, the balance of amino acids in the combination can approach the amino acid profile found in animal proteins. Superfood protein sources in-clude skinless turkey breast, skin-less chicken breast, fish, and egg whites. Fish, in particular, is vital in terms of heart disease. Salmon and other fatty fish – like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines and tuna – are rich in omega-3 fatty ac-ids that decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke, and may cut your risk of death from coronary artery disease in half. Omega-3 fats also have immune-enhancing and anti-inflammatory effects, reduce the risk of prostate and colon cancers, and ease the symptoms of rheuma-toid arthritis and some psychiatric disorders.

Starchy CarbohydratesCarbohydrates are energy foods. During digestion, they are changed into glucose (blood sugar), which circulates in your blood and is used as energy for the red blood cells and your central nervous sys-tem. Glucose not used right away is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, which provides an ad-ditional reservoir for energy. Carbohydrates also supply an amazing fat-fighting nutrient – fi-ber, the non-digestible remnant of plant foods. A growing body of re-search shows that high-fiber eating helps peel off pounds and banish them for good. How exactly does fiber work this weight-loss magic? When eaten with other nutrients like protein, fiber slows the rate of diges-tion too, stabilizing your blood sugar between meals so that it is not con-verted to fat stores.The superfood carbohydrates found in the Parrillo Nutrition Program in-clude certain types of whole grains, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, legumes (beans and lentils), and non starchy vegetables (see be-low), from broccoli and green beans to cauliflower to salad vegetables (what we call “fibrous carbs”).

Non-Starchy VegetablesYou can’t go wrong with vegetables; every one is a superfood. But here are a few stand-outs:BroccoliThis amazing vegetable is rich in sulforaphane, an antioxidant linked with a reduced risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, stomach, colon and rectal cancers. The nutri-ents in broccoli also have an-ti-in-flammatory properties, and we know that an important factor in reducing the risk of disease is to decrease in-flammation.SpinachImprove your vision and protect against cancer with spinach, one of the richest dietary sources of an an-tioxidant called lutein. Lutein helps protect against heart disease and some cancers, and has been shown to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Spinach is also rich in beta-carotene, which may protect against cancer. Other lutein-rich foods include kale, collard greens, chard and beet greens.

TomatoesThese are loaded with lycopene, an an-tioxidant that reduces the risk of pros-tate, breast, lung and other cancers, and has heart-protective effects. Research shows that the absorption of lycopene is greatest when tomatoes are cooked with olive oil. Good FatsGood fats are superfoods. They fall un-der a general classification called un-saturated fats. There are two types of unsaturated fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Oils such as saf-flower, sunflower, corn, soybean and fish oils, evening primrose oil found in Parrillo Evening Primrose Oil 1000™ and Parrillo Fish Oil DHA 800 EPA 200™ are polyunsaturated fats.

They contain “essential fatty acids,” or EFAs for short. Required for normal body function, EFAs must be supplied by your diet since the body cannot make them on its own.From EFAs, your body synthesizes two other important fatty acids, eicosapen-taenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaeno-ic acid (DHA). These fatty acids, along with alpha linolenic acid, are referred to as omega-3 fatty acids, a term that describes their molecular structure. You can also obtain EPA and DHA directly from cold-water fish, flaxseed and omega-3 enriched eggs (eggs from chickens fed fish meal or flax meal).Monounsaturated fats are plentiful in olive, canola and peanut oils; they are also found in shellfish and cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, black cod and rainbow trout.So if you’re looking for what re-ally works for optimal health and disease prevention, focus on super-foods. The Parrillo Nutrition Pro-gram is filled with them.

Bulletin #170 – Back on the Wagon: My 2-Day Undo Diet

If you’re like millions of Ameri-cans right now, you indulged over the holidays – and that’s okay and that’s normal. You probably don’t even have to jump on the scales to confirm that you’re heavier. A quick look in mirror says it all: yes, you look bloated. But hold on. Don’t throw in the towel yet. With the holidays over, you can start again with a clean slate and get your momentum going with my 2-Day Undo Diet. Start it on Monday and continue on Tuesday. It will re-energize you, help flush out salt and processed sugar, leave you feeling full, and prep you for dropping fat pounds. Time is of the essence, so let’s get started!Pre-Breakfast AerobicsWhen your alarm goes off that morning, start with 16 ounces of pure, fresh water. Then get into your exercise clothes for pre-breakfast aerobics.

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That’s right, do your aer-obics on an empty stomach. Then your glycogen levels are somewhat depleted from your overnight fast and insulin levels are low. This in-ternal situation forces your body to start drawing on your fat reserves for energy. With pre-breakfast aero-bics, you’ll start stripping away fat. Do pre-breakfast aerobics Monday and Tuesday mornings – for 30 to 60 minutes each time. You should do moderate to fairly high intensity aerobics, so that you’re breathing hard and sweating. While it’s true you burn a higher percentage of calories from fat dur-ing low intensity aerobics, you will burn more grams of body fat if you perform high intensity aerobics, because you’ll burn so many more total calories. Also, if you do rea-sonably intense aerobics you will get the added benefits of increased vascular density and enhanced fat burning capacity. Increase the vol-ume of aerobics progressively as you get leaner.

If your fat loss plateaus, the first thing to try is to increase the intensity of your aerobics, while increasing your calories to get your metabolism going again.Mon. & Tues. Weight TrainingIn addition to aerobics, lift weights 45 to 60 minutes a day on Monday and Tuesday. On this program I would recommend a two-day split, which means you train your upper body on Monday and your lower body on Tuesday. That way, you hit your entire body and all your mus-cles.Multiple MealsDivide your food choices evenly over five or six meals. Most people get better results if they keep food selections relatively simple for this program. You will get good results using egg whites, skinless chicken breast and low-fat tuna for protein sources. Have generous portions of vegetables and salad at each meal. You can have essentially all the veg-etables and salad you want. It’s very difficult to eat too many calories from vegetables.

I’m talking about things like broccoli, cauliflower, as-paragus, spinach, green beans, and so on. Refer to the Parrillo Perfor-mance Nutrition Manual for a more extensive list, as well as the nutrientbreakdown.Some tips for taste: Use green leaf lettuce with fresh peppers and on-ions, tomatoes and some fresh cilan-tro. Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice make tangy dressings with practi-cally no calories. Grill your chicken outside to keep things flavorful. Or have some fresh grilled salmon or swordfish instead of tuna. Add some fresh mushrooms and chopped pep-pers to the egg whites. It doesn’t take too much effort to make this diet en-joyable. You will enjoy it even more once you see how fast the results come.Limit Starchy CarbsStarches are things like potatoes, oatmeal, corn, peas, beans and rice.

Treat yourself to a cup of oatmeal inthe morning and maybe one other starch during the day. By supplying most of your carbs as vegetables and salad instead of starch, you will findit easier to drop pounds and flush your system of toxins. The bulk willhelp fill you up, the volume of food will be more satisfying and the veg-etables will produce a smaller insu-lin response.Eat BreakfastAnother important point is to al-ways eat breakfast – this gets your metabolism going first thing. This is why breakfast is probably your most important meal. You have the whole day to burn off any excess calories you consume at breakfast – any excess calories you consume right before bed are likely to be stored as fat.Add in CapTri®Since you’re temporarily reducing starchy carbs to promote fat metabo-lism, it makes sense to replace thosecalories with another fuel source, namely CapTri®. CapTri® is a good choice because it is readily burned as fuel and won’t be stored as body fat. CapTri® actually has a higher “ther-mogenic effect” than carbohydrate, meaning that more of this dietary energy will be lost as body heat with less energy available for storage. This further promotes additional fat loss.

Include up to 3 tablespoons of Cap-Tri® daily over the two-day period.Supplement!In addition to CapTri®, there are foursupplements that really help on this program. First are the Essential Vi-tamin™ and Mineral-Electrolyte™ formulas. Since you are avoiding fruit and milk, you will need a vitamin and mineral supplement. It is difficult to supply your body’s requirement for calcium without using a lot of dairy products, unless you use a supple-ment. Next is Parrillo Creatine Mono-hydrate™, which is in a class by itselfin terms of supplements. You cannot be your most muscular and lean with-out using creatine. No matter how good you look, you’ll be better if you add creatine. Last is Optimized Whey Protein™. We started with the finest quality whey protein and then fine tuned the amino acid profile by adding extra glycine, glutamine and branched chain amino acids. I would con-sider this a “must have” supplement while dieting strictly. The high lev-els of glutamine and BCAAs act toprotect muscle tissue during energy restricted diets.SleepAlways try to get enough sleep. If you are unable to sleep optimally, your recovery will suffer and you won’t be able to train each muscle group as frequently.

During sleep, your body releases growth hormone (GH), a protein hormone made by the pituitary gland, a small secre-tory gland at the base of the brain that enhances protein synthesis and other functions.Keep Your MomentumYou probably have a long-term ob-jective of losing a certain number of fat pounds and gaining muscle. After the two-day diet, keep going! Renew your commitment daily to yourself and to the Parrillo Nutri-tion Program. Do this, and you’ll guarantee long-term results.Okay – Get ready to take action! I know you can do it.

Here’s the diet:Monday Undo Diet

Meal 1• 5 to 6 scrambled egg whites• 1 cup oatmeal• Water or black coffee

Meal 2• 1 serving Parrillo Optimized Whey Protein Powder™

Meal 3• 2 cups mixed-greens salad with 4 to 6 ounces tuna, with balsamic vinegar and 1 – 2 tablespoons Cap-Tri®• 1 large baked potato• Water, black coffee or unsweet-ened tea

Meal 4• Parrillo Hi-Protein Bar™

Meal 5• Skinless chicken breasts• Plenty of steamed fibrous vegeta-bles (broccoli, green beans, cauli-flower, summer squash, etc.) with 1 – 2 tablespoons CapTri®•

Parrillo Protein Ice Kreem™ – Frozen Protein Dessert or Parrillo Pudding™ (Protein Ice Kreem™ is easy to make, just add 4 scoops of mix and 2 cups of water to your Ice Cream Maker and follow the machine’s directions. In only 25-30 minutes your Ice Kreem™ is ready to enjoy!)• Water

Tuesday Undo Diet

Meal 1• 5 to 6 scrambled egg whites• Pancakes (Made with Parrillo Hi-Protein Pancake and Muffin Mix™)• Water or black coffee

Meal 2• 1 serving Parrillo Optimized Whey Protein Powder™

Meal 3• 2 cups mixed-greens salad with 6 ounces skinless chicken breasts, with balsamic vinegar and 1 – 2 tablespoons CapTri®• 1 large baked sweet potato or yam• Water, black coffee or unsweet-ened tea

Meal 4• Parrillo High Protein Bar™• Water, black coffee or unsweetenedtea

Meal 5• Baked salmon• Plenty of steamed fibrous vegetables (broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, summer squash, etc.) with 1 – 2 table-spoons CapTri®• Parrillo Pudding™• Water, black coffee or unsweetened tea

Bulletin #167 – Older Means Better

If you’re an older athlete – say over 50 – and want to stay competitive, do you have different nutritional needs than your younger counterparts? Most research to date suggests that your nutritional needs are not significantly different. However, there are definitely ways you can optimize your diet and supplement program to help you keep your edge. The following tips can help you stay competitive.The most important thing you can do is routinely eat quality calories from nutrient-dense, health-protective foods that support top performance, enhance recovery from hard workouts and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other debili-tating diseases.

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The Parrillo Nutrition Program is designed to supply quality calories in amounts to keep you well-fueled. It consists of lean proteins, starchy carbs, and fibrous vegetables. Com-bine these at each meal and you’ll ob-tain an excellent nutritional base for performance and health. Consult your Parrillo Nutrition Manual for details on how to plan your diet. Recovery is the process of regeneration that takes place in the aftermath of a workout. To appreciate its importance, con-sider what happens inside your body as a consequence of intense exercise: Energy-giving glycogen stores are de-pleted; muscle protein is dismantled; microscopic tears in muscle fibers oc-cur; energy-producing compounds are lost from cells; and fluid and electro-lytes dwindle.Older athletes sometimes recover more slowly, so you’ll need to helpthe process along by supplying your body with all the nutritional building blocks it needs to restore what’s lost and repair what’s dam-aged. Of all the nutrients neces-sary for optimal recovery, dietary carbohydrate takes precedence for two reasons. First, carbohydrate restocks your body with muscle and liver glycogen, which can be depleted during exercise. Replen-ishing these stores allows you to train harder on successive work-outs for greater gains.

Second, carbohydrate reduces the need for muscle protein breakdown to pro-vide energy for resistance exercise, leading to a more favorable protein balance in the body. Carbohydrate also triggers the release of the hormone insulin, which promotes muscle growth as well. Various re-search studies have proven that a carbohydrate/protein supplement triggers the greatest elevations in insulin and growth-hormone levels in exercising study subjects. Clearly, protein works hand in hand with post-exercise carbs to create a hormonal environment that promotes the greatest increase in muscle growth. This nutrient combination also jumpstarts your body’s glycogen-making process — faster than if you just consumed carbs. Carbs produce a surge in in-sulin levels. Biochemically, insulin is like an accelerator pedal that races the body’s glycogen-mak-ing motor. Good recovery drinks include Parrillo Pro-Carb™, 50/50 Plus™, or Optimized Whey™.

As we get older, our protein needs in-crease slightly. Nutritionally, protein is the basic, most important building material in your body, essential to high-level health because of its role in growth and maintenance. Your body breaks down protein from food into nutri-ent fragments called amino acids and reshuffles them into new pro-tein to build and rebuild tissue, in-cluding body-firming muscle. Pro-tein also keeps your immune system functioning up to par, helps carry nutrients throughout the body, has a hand in forming hormones, and is involved in important enzyme reac-tions such as digestion. Proteins found in the Parrillo Nu-trition Program include fish, white meat poultry, egg whites, and our line of protein powders and bars. Although your bones have stopped growing, you can keep them strong with weight training and daily calci-um. Yes, you can get protective lev-els of calcium from natural foods, but it’s a good idea to hedge your bets and take a mineral supplement. Per pill, Parrillo Mineral-Electro-lyte™ contains 250 mg of calcium; 5 mg of iron; 250 mg of phospho-rus; 75 mcg of iodine in the form of kelp; 250 mg of magnesium; 11 mg of zinc; 50 mcg of selenium; 500 mcg of copper; 10 mg of man-ganese; 25 mcg of chromium picolinate; 45 mg of potassium; 500 mcg of boron; along with other nu-trients.

I recommend that you take one tablet with each meal during the day for optimum metabolism and well-being. Yes, your joints may get creaky and achy with age, but don’t despair. You can help them with some natu-ral approaches, and hopefully not have to resort to over-the-counter or prescription pain-killers (un-less your physician recommends them).One option available is evening primrose oil, in particular has spe-cific benefits for athletes, body-builders – really, anyone who is interested in improving personal health and fitness. It comes from a plant that grows wild along road-sides. It is so named because its yellow flowers resemble in color real primroses, and these flowers open only in the evening. From this oil, your body can directly obtain GLA, which stands for gamma-linolenic acid. GLA is ultimately converted into the prostaglandin E1 series, a group of beneficial chemicals that helps reduce in-flammation, regulates blood clot-ting, decreases cholesterol levels, and lowers high blood pressure, among other functions.A growing number of medical ex-perts and scientists now believe that taking GLA-rich oils can ef-fectively fight the inflammation – the major cause of swollen, painful joints.

GLA is a building block of a beneficial type of prostaglandin, which exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Thus, supple-menting with GLA increases production of these prostaglandins and may help control the pain and inflammation associated with joint problems and arthritis. Parrillo Performance recognized the need for a product that counter-acts joint and inflammation prob-lems. The Parrillo Performance solution is Evening Primrose Oil™ a concentrated source of essential fatty acids, including GLA. EFA’s keep joints lubricated, hair and skin healthy, and brain neurons firing correctly. Each 1000 mg gel cap contains 30 IU’s of vitamin E, 100 mg of Gamma Linolenic Acid and 760 mg of Linoleic Acid. Take one to three capsules daily. Our ongoing research recently led us to develop the Parrillo Joint For-mula™ to assist in the rebuilding of damaged joints, tendons, cartilage, and soft tissue.

This supplement contains glucosamine, a combina-tion of glucose and amino acids that has been extensively studied for joint health and support. When you supplement with glucosamine, it gathers in the liver, kidneys and ar-ticular cartilage. Once it reaches the chondrocytes, the cells that produce cartilage, the glucosamine is incor-porated into those cells. Eventually, it forms a viscous fluid that helps protect and lubricate your joints and cartilage. This formula also con-tains chrondroiton, which appears to stimulate cartilage cells to create new cartilage and it may also slow the breakdown of cartilage; shark cartilage, with its mucopolysaccha-rides that help relieve the chronic and painful inflammation that is so injurious to joints; and green sea mussel, a nutrient that supports the restoration and maintenance of sy-novial fluid and connective tissues.

The suggested usage is one or two tab-lets three times daily. For best results, use in conjunction with the Parrillo Performance Nutrition Program. Adequate fluid replacement is essen-tial for athletes of all ages. But the old-er you get, the less your thirst mecha-nism kicks in. In other words, you may need fluids but not feel thirsty. To reduce the risk of dehydration, drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of pure water every day. For the older athletes who are competing in highintensity endur-ance exercise, evidence for the useful-ness of carbohydrate-containing sports drinks, such as Parrillo Pro-Carb™, exists. Eat plenty of good calories, recover properly, protect your joints, and drink plenty of fluids – and you’ll enjoy feeling young as you keep your winning edge.

Reference

Rock, C.L. 1991. Nutrition of the old-er athlete. Clinics in Sports Medicine 10:445-457.

Bulletin #70 – The Impact of Dietary Energy of Body Composition, Part II

What is the effect of diet composition on the hormones that act to control body composition? This topic is quite involved and we will deal with some basic concepts. The major players in this drama are insu-lin, glucagon, cortisol, growth hormone, thyroid, and to some extent testosterone. The most important relationship is the in-sulin-glucagon axis. These two hormones are made by the pancreas and act to control nutrient storage and nutrient utilization . Insulin is essentially a storage hormone and is released in response to eating .

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The most potent stimulus for insulin release is car-bohydrate ingestion, followed by protein ingestion. Insulin shuttles carbohydrate molecules (glucose) inside cells for stor-age. It promotes the use of carbohydrate as fuel and stores carbohydrate as glycogen. After a meal, insulin is released and acts to help store nutrients and use glucose as fuel. Insulin promotes fat storage and converts excess carbohydrate into fat. Although under normal conditions, not much car-bohydrate is converted into fat — insulin does promote this. Insulin also prevents the release of fatty acids from adipose tissue and decreases the use of fat as fuel. Insulin behaves like a switch that turns off fat burn-ing and turns on carbohydrate burning. Glucagon is a counter-regulatory hor-mone.

It has the opposite actions of insulin. Several hours after a meal, when most of the ingested nutrients have been burned or stored, glucagon levels increase. This promotes fat utilization and decreases carbohydrate oxidation. Immediately after a meal, insulin acts to promote fat storage, but after several hours of fasting, glucagon acts to promote fat oxidation. After the calories from your last meal have been used you begin to switch over to a fat burning mode. Of course, by this time most people get hungry and eat again, so they spend relatively few hours a day burning any significant amount of fat. The complete picture is much more complicated . The pri-mary site of glucagon action is in the liver, with relatively little impact on peripheral fat stores. The main stimulus for release of fat from adipose tissue is the sympathetic nervous system.

The nerve endings release norepinephrine at the adipose cell, which in turn stimulates breakdown of stored tri-glyceride and fatty acid release. The major reason for considering the use of fat in a bodybuilding diet is that fat causes very little insulin release. By eating a low car-bohydrate diet higher in fat, insulin levels should remain lower. Also, if carbohydrates are not available the body shifts into a fat burning metabolism during the day. Other studies (in rats) have demonstrated that the protein-to-carbohydrate ratio in the diet determines to a large extent the ratio of insulin-to-glycogen in the blood (11-13). These hormones seem to be almost entirely controlled by diet. Furthermore, studies suggest that the insulin-glycogen ratio influences bodyfat levels (11-13).

For the same number of calories, more will be stored as fat if insulin levels are higher, simply because insulin promotes fat storage and prevents fat utilization. On a different diet, providing the same number of calories, we would expect bodyfat levels to be lower if insulin levels are lower. This is logical. For these rea-sons we have seen the emergence of diets higher in fat and lower in carbohydrate. The disadvantages are problems inher-ent to fat metabolism, discussed above. One desirable alternative would be to use another energy source besides carbohy-drate - which had favorable effects on the insulin profile — but which avoided the other problems faced by conventional fats. Medium chain triglycerides, such as CapTri®, offer such an alternative. Con-ventional fats are comprised of long chain fatty acids, usually 16 to 20 carbon atoms long. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) are a specially engineered, semi-synthetic fat that is built from fatty acid molecules that are only eight to 12 carbon atoms long.

This small difference in chemical structure results in very different biological effects. MCT has a much higher thermogenic ef-fect than conventional fat - probably higher than carbohydrate (14-19). MCT does not require the carnitine shuttle for transport inside the mitochondria and its oxidation is essentially unregulated. MCTs are oxidized very rapidly, more rapidly than glucose (14-19). The liver converts the excess en-ergy to ketones, or beta-hydroxy butyrate and acetoacetic acid. These ketones are used as an immediate fuel source by the muscles. While conventional fats are preferentially stored, MCT are im-mediately oxidized as fuel. This results in almost no storage of MCT as adipose (14-19). MCT thus represents a dietary energy source, which has the advantages of fat but does not elicit much insulin response . MCT does not contribute to adipose depots. In our experience the 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent con-ventional fat diet works adequately - but not optimally — as long as an energy de-ficient diet is consumed.

If fewer calories are consumed than expended, weight loss will result no matter what the diet composi-tion. This diet (or practically any diet) will promote weight loss as long as an energy deficit is maintained. The high-fat diet can actually promote fairly rapid weight loss because of its favorable effects on insulin. However, you will run into problems on this diet when you approach maintenance level, calorically. Disaster occurs during calorie-excess when using the high-fat diet. Fat intake does not promote fat oxidation. If you consume excess calories supplied in the form of fat, they will be stored as fat. Period. You cannot use this diet to gain weight, unless you want to gain fat. By using MCT as the fat source — instead of long chain triglyceride — you can avoid the inherent problems. This results in a favorable insulin profile and eliminates the metabolic complications of consum-ing conventional fat. And since MCT is not retained as adipose, this makes it an ideal energy substitute during a weight gain phase . MCT use seems to minimize fat deposition during weight gain.

Another problem with the conventional 30:40:30 high-fat diet is the inclusion of sugars, particularly in the form of fruit. Fruit can blow a diet. Fruit provides most of its calories in the form of simple sug-ars: glucose and fructose. Fructose is an especially bad choice for bodybuilders be-cause it bypasses the phosphofructokinase enzyme step during glycolysis (20). This enzyme acts as a switch and determines whether sugars are stored as glycogen or burned as fuel. Fructose enters the glyco-lytic pathway and bypasses this enzyme. The fructose molecules are automatically shunted toward oxidation. During carbo-hydrate oxidation the carbon skeleton is converted to acetyl-CoA in the process of ATP generation. Fructose is rapidly con-verted into acetyl-CoA, which overwhelms the pathway that converts it into ATP. The acetyl-CoA piles up in the liver. Acetyl-CoA, it turns out, is the building block for fatty acid synthesis. Most of the fructose-derived energy is converted into fat by the liver and is subsequently released into the blood to be stored in fat cells (20). This is bad news! The argument used by fruit lovers is that eating it has almost no effect on increasing insulin release. True, but this has not been totally thought through.

The reason fruit doesn’t increase insulin levels is that it is released from the liver as fat instead of carbohydrate, and fat doesn’t stimulate insulin release . If you want to try the high-fat diet ap-proach we would suggest you use MCT in place of conventional fat and avoid simple sugars, particularly fructose. This is very similar to some of the competition diets we have been devising for bodybuilders over the years. In the Parrillo version, start by eating one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Limit conventional fat as much as possible and provide 30 percent of total calories from CapTri®. Derive the remainder of your calories from complex carbohydrate. Avoid simple sugars, includ-ing those found in milk and fruit. Avoid refined carbohydrates such as bread and pasta as well. Divide your daily total num-ber of calories into five or six small meals, with roughly equal amounts of protein and carbohydrate at each meal. If your goal is to gain muscle mass, increase overall calories by increasing carbohydrates. If your goal is to lose bodyfat, decrease calories by de-creasing carbohydrates. For exact instruc-tions on how to construct meals, consult the Parrillo Nutrition Manual.

Bulletin #162 – The Alternating Diet

A successful approach to losing body fat while keeping your metabolism revved up involves alternating one month on a weight gain cycle and one month on a fat loss cycle. The first month you would gain a pound each week (four pounds) and 75% of it is muscle. In the second month you lose a pound a week (four pounds to-tal) and 75% of that loss is fat. At the end of the two month cycle you will have gained two pounds of muscle and lost two pounds of fat. Extend that to a year and you’re looking at 12 pounds of muscle gained and 12 pounds of fat lost. You’re constantly making progress, and your metabo-lism never gets the chance to slow down. I believe these goals are quite real-istic and very easily attainable for anyone, and particularly if you’re giving 100% effort to the training and nutrition program.

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The beauty of this idea is that you’re constantly making progress; you’re always ei-ther gaining muscle or losing fat; and the constant change prevents your metabolism from adapting so you can make continual progress without wasting time being stuck on a plateau and trying to figure out what to do.In principle, you could keep this upyear after year. If you’re 20% body fat or more, you may want to devotea few months to getting in shape first, or if you’re really skinny, you may want to spend a few months just putting on size. But if you’re some-where in the middle, maybe around 10% to 15% body fat, you might con-sider giving this program a try. To gain a pound a week increase your calories to 300-500 more a day, do 20-30 minutes of aerobics a day, and train your top sets with heavy weights in the 3-6 rep range. To lose a pound a week, decrease carbs slightly if you have to, do 45-60 minutes of aerobics a day, and train with increased vol-ume and moderate weight in the 8-12 rep range for your top sets.

There are other ways you can maxi-mize this fat-burning mode. For ex-ample:• Continue to eat five, six or more meals a day to keep your metabolism in a constant state of acceleration. This has several beneficial effects. Every time you eat, your metabolic rate increases a little due to the ther-mic effect of feeding (also known as diet-induced thermogenesis). Eating frequently keeps your internal fur-nace stoked and keeps your metabo-lism speeding along. If you go too long without eating, your metabolism begins to slow down.• Eliminate as much fat as possible from your diet, since fat has a slow-ing effect on metabolism. Dietary protein and complex carbohydrates have negligible tendency to be con-verted to fat, whereas dietary fat is very prone to be stored as body fat (1,2,3,4). This is a hot topic in scien-tific literature these days and is a matter of debate in bodybuilding circles. (It is less a matter of debate in the scientific journals, where actual research is reported.)

Very little of your body fat comes from complex carbohydrates or protein being converted into fat; almost all of it comes from fat you eat. How much fat your body stores seems to be more closely related to how much fat you eat rather than how many calories you eat.• Decrease your carbohydrate in-take, thereby lowering insulin levels and activating fat-burning mechanisms in the body. But: How do you cut down on carbs without decreasing calories? You consume more of something else. Fat is not an option,so your only other choic-es are protein or CapTri®. Either one will work, but a combination of both probably works best. Let’s be brutally honest about this. If you’re used to getting most of your calories from carbs, cutting back significantly on carbs makes you feel bad, at least for a while. People who cut their carbs dra-matically have low energy levels, are irritable and grouchy, and get headaches. CapTri® is more ef-fective at relieving some of these symptoms than protein because it’s more readily used as an energy source.

Protein is not a very effi-cient energy source. Its role is to serve as a building block for repair and maintenance of tissues, not to pro-vide metabolizable fuel. Using protein for energy is kind of like trying to burna wet log. Carbs, on the other hand, are a great energy source. So if you want to reduce carbs in your diet to manip-ulate hormone levels and promote fat metabolism it makes sense to replace those calories with another fuel source, namely MCT oil. This supplement is a good choice because it is readily burned as fuel and won’t be stored as body fat, (5, 6).I suggest you ease into this slowly. Start by eliminating starchy carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, and so forth) from your last meals of the day. Replace those lost calories from carbs with an equiva-lent number of calories from CapTri®. It actually has a higher thermogenic effect than carbohydrate, meaning that more of this dietary energy will be lost as body heat with less energy available for storage. This further promotes addi-tional fat loss. Continue in this way un-til you reduce your daily carbohydrate grams to about half of what you nor-mally consume. At this point you’ll be eating mostly protein, vegetables, and CapTri®.•

Do your aerobics when you are rela-tively carb-depleted. This will cause your body to burn more fat for energy during your workout because fewer carbs are available. The best time is first thing in the morning before break-fast. Your glycogen stores are the low-est they’ll be all day, so you’ll rely more heavily on stored fat. To prevent muscle loss, consume two scoops of a quality protein powder prior to performing your aerobics.For maximizing fat loss, another good time to perform aerobics is right after weight training, because then you’re rel-atively glycogen depleted too. You should do moderate to fairly high intensity aerobics, so that you’re breathing hard and sweating. While it’s true you burn a higher percentage of calories from fat dur-ing low intensity aerobics, you will burn more grams of body fat if you perform high intensity aerobics, because you’ll burn so many moretotal calories.

Also, if you do rea-sonably intense aerobics you will get the added benefits of increased vascular density and enhanced fat burning capacity. Increase the vol-ume of aerobics progressively as you get leaner. If your fat loss plateaus, the first thing to try is to do more aerobics. If that doesn’t work you should probably back off for a couple weeks, increase your calories, put on some muscle, and get your metabolism going again. How do you know if you’re losing fat and not muscle? By having your body measured once a week with an ac-curate assessment method such as our BodyStat System. With the in-formation you attain, you can de-termine your pounds of lean mass and pounds of fat every week and make adjustments in your training and diet accordingly to make sure you stay on track.With proper assessment, you can pinpoint exactly what the problem is and make detailed adjustments to fix it. Otherwise, if you’re just go-ing on what “feels right” or seems to make sense, and you don’t make good progress, you’re not sure what to change. Remove the guesswork from your bodybuilding program. Don’t leave anything to chance.

References

1. Flatt JP. 1987. Dietary fat, carbo-hydrate balance, and weight main-tenance: effects of exercise. Amer-ican Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45: 296-306.

2. Flatt JP. 1995. Use and storage of carbohydrate and fat. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61: 952s-959s.

3. Swinburn B and Ravussin E. 1993. Energy balance or fat bal-ance? American Journal of Clini-cal Nutrition 57:766S-771S.

4. Acheson KJ, Flatt JP, and Je-quier E. 1982. Glycogen synthesis versus lipogenesis after a 500 gram carbohydrate meal in man. Metab-olism 31: 1234-1240.

5. Baba N, Bracco EF, and Hashim SA. 1982. Enhanced thermogenesis and diminished deposition of fat in response to overfeeding with diet containing medium chain triglyc-eride. American Journal of Clini-cal Nutrition 35: 678-682.

6. Bach AC and Babayan VK. 1982. Medium chain triglycerides: an up-date. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 35: 678-682.6. Bach AC and Babayan VK. 1982. Medium chain triglycerides: an up-date. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36: 950-962.

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