Hello,
I was curious as to how this can be done. My training is very metabolically demanding and requires a goodly amount of energy (which makes it effective for fat loss). However, I have found that periodically, when my training really kicks up and my body decides to adapt by building muscle instead of just burning fat, I get ravenous (can't sleep due to gnawing hunger-bad hunger for those acquainted with it) and the diet goes to hell. Fortunately, during these periods, the muscle piles right on. I think it would be best if I could just find a balanced quantity of food that would stop me from having to go on/off all the time. I like NO S because S-days really seem to help, but sometimes the ravenous stuff starts mid-week and I dont know what to do but shovel in more meat. I hope this doesn't sound crazy or like a lack of self-control. I was on No S for 5 weeks with one failure before starting to train like this. Should I slide in a fourth, small plate on the hardest days and follow the rest of the rules? I weigh 185-190 most of the time, with not much fat, but plenty of bad habits. So, more than wanting sharply defined abs at this point, I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reinforce good habits before I get entrenched in interia.
No S for Athletes?
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
No-s wasn't really intended for athletes... but I think it should be easy to modify to make it work for you. Probably simply by adding another meal.
If you do add another meal, I think I'd advise making it an every day thing rather than depending on how you feel, so your eating is still always based on a time, a rule, rather than nebulous hunger. If you're not so hungry some days, great. Have a pear for your #4 meal. If you're famished from your workout, make it a little more substantial. The regularity will impress your appetite into staying within bounds. If you make hunger the authority for when you should eat instead of routine, or even just co-authority, you're going to be constantly tempted to eat more.
Anyway, that's my non-athlete perspective, for what it's worth
Good luck and let us know what you wind up doing.
Reinhard
If you do add another meal, I think I'd advise making it an every day thing rather than depending on how you feel, so your eating is still always based on a time, a rule, rather than nebulous hunger. If you're not so hungry some days, great. Have a pear for your #4 meal. If you're famished from your workout, make it a little more substantial. The regularity will impress your appetite into staying within bounds. If you make hunger the authority for when you should eat instead of routine, or even just co-authority, you're going to be constantly tempted to eat more.
Anyway, that's my non-athlete perspective, for what it's worth
Good luck and let us know what you wind up doing.
Reinhard
evaluating priorities
After careful consideration, I've decided that maybe the "athlete" thing was more of a slippery slope excuse that has kept me in a holding pattern of bouncing from one excess to another, overtraining, overeating to recuperate, etc. Facing facts, I am not an athlete, I just like vigorous physical activity and have a penchant for gluttony. This is not negative self-talk, but a statement of the closest thing to fact that I have been able to figure out.
I have been getting priorities in order. My Master's is more important than training for, uh, what was it again? Anyway, husband is the role that gets first priority, grad student gets a close second, and work is third. I just do not have the time, energy, or recuperative ability to add athlete to that mix. Where does health fall in that mix? Exercise and diet are of great importance to managing stress, keeping the brain working, and having the energy to get through all this. Too many people in similar situations let their good habits and consequent health fall apart. So my focus will be on long-term, sustainable exercise and diet.
I have been getting priorities in order. My Master's is more important than training for, uh, what was it again? Anyway, husband is the role that gets first priority, grad student gets a close second, and work is third. I just do not have the time, energy, or recuperative ability to add athlete to that mix. Where does health fall in that mix? Exercise and diet are of great importance to managing stress, keeping the brain working, and having the energy to get through all this. Too many people in similar situations let their good habits and consequent health fall apart. So my focus will be on long-term, sustainable exercise and diet.
Re: evaluating priorities
Historm fox wrote:I just do not have the time, energy, or recuperative ability to add athlete to that mix.
Sorry if this gets a bit rambly, but just wanted to say that I can relate to this, though I was never an “athlete†in the conventional sense, I used to have intensive dance training on a daily basis during my late teens / early twenties. My eating habits were random and inconsistent, having to fit in with training periods (building up) and performance periods (minimal eating to stay light) – compounded by following a vegan diet and having limited protein sources to choose from.
I had spent months (or perhaps even years) convincing myself that training is just “on hold†until I get the time and energy to start up again. Fairly recently though I finally had to admit to myself that this will probably never happen now that I have a different lifestyle, office job, husband, etc. and can’t expect to fit in hours of training per day. So eventually I had to let go of the “athlete†aspirations, and re-frame my physical fitness needs / abilities and eating habits (No S has been wonderful for this because it has given me structured eating habits which I never really had).
Anyway, I guess any advice I can offer is that in order to make the transition from your current athlete aspirations and be free from having to maintain a high standard or face the frustration of losing strength / technique etc. from doing less, It helps to take on a new physical activity (e.g. martial arts, or rock climbing), preferably one that you have to start as a complete beginner. Not only is it humbling, but learning something new keeps you interested and motivated (I took up yoga which did the trick). I also think that following No S will also help you avoid the worry of putting on weight due to a reduction in training.
Hope that helps
