A Random Nutrition Convo with a Friend
Coaches & ex-coaches get this question daily. I break down why some questions require more than a yes or no answer with my own anecdotal experience
The Acai Smoothie Question
Earlier this morning I got a text from an old friend who sent me a picture of a fitness guy named @omar.fit_ promoting his 3 minute Acai breakfast morning smoothie. He asked me, “Is this a good breakfast?”
Complexity and Timing
I told him personally that I did not think it was a good morning breakfast, that it should be less complex, yet keep you full, but also that most people don’t have to eat as soon as they wake up, then gave him a little run down at why. We discussed the intricates of the pros and cons.
Pre-Workout Fuel: Yes or No?
He then asked if it would be a good pre-workout option. I told him I did not think it was a good pre-workout shake because of the high protein content and how your body would have to spend energy to break down the protein as well as burn calories in the actual workout.
So Fasting Is Better for Workouts?
So, is it better to workout on an empty stomach? Well, this is where it starts to get contextual.
What would you like to achieve? The majority of people would like to to gain muscle and lose fat, but the approach differ based on specific goals.
Okay, every coach knows there is a ton to unload here.
The Balance Between Cutting and Bulking
You can’t be on a deep cut because then the muscle component disappears… and you cant be too high in calories because although you’ll gain muscle, you will also gain fat.
This is what I replied with:
The context being what could be a good breakfast or a good pre workout could be bad for another depending on their goals, lifestyle, psychology.
How Goals Dictate Nutrition & Fitness
Some people will feel good on an empty stomach and if their goal is weight-loss, there isn’t a ton wrong with working out on minimal food or an empty stomach, but then also if the hunger starts to make your workout non-enjoyable… You probably should have eaten.
Some people will feel good on an empty stomach yet have a performance goal like bodybuilding or sports performance, to which you should definitely fuel before a workout whether that is enjoyable or not. Going back to first principles, there are truths behind fast acting carbohydrates, glycogen storage & such.
Context Is Key
These can be mixed & matched and even introduce other realms of goals like total weight loss, total weight gain, the time one has to cook and how many times a day, how fast they want to get there, and more.
The Advice I Gave Overall
Overall my advice was to eat whole foods, have a little carbs before his workout (fast digesting with some black coffee)… Put an emphasis on weight training and hint it with a bit of cardio, to which I informed him how to use the base “talk test” anybody can use on their own.
This doesn’t even bring up the psychology of the situation.
The Importance Of Small Wins
Pure knowledge only gets so far. When theory goes into application, you find out what works and what doesn’t, for you. Largely contextual.
The truth is all this nuance knowledge and logic behind these concepts cannot be carried out if you don’t experience wins consistently, depending on your psychology.
Some people are like robots; They get it done no matter what. Some people have the knowledge to know how to get back into the mix of things after taking a couple of L’s or days off. The large percentage of people need little wins to keep on going, a baseline for growth. If you kept losing over and over, would you still want to play?
This was his response when we were nearly done with the convo:
Starting With a Baseline
To which I responded he had to start with a baseline, something easy as hell. Something that fits in his life that he knows that he can do regardless, then tally up the wins.
The action I told him to do is on his calendar look at the next 7 days and put something he knows he can do that is non-negotiable that takes into consideration his time, effort, goal.
Then win. Then the next week do the same. Then the next week, if he felt up to it to upgrade it a bit, slowly.
Building Motivation
Another thing I said was he was still free to go to the gym and do other healthy activities if he’d like, those were just extra to his main course of winning the week. That when you gather wins, you gain motivation.
I once started someone off with drinking 2 glasses of water a week on two separate days. This wasn’t going to change much initially, but those wins grew, that confidence grew.. And that client achieved her goal.
Why The Negatives Hurt More
Have you ever been proud of something? So proud and almost everyone around you is proud of you for that thing… Then one person comes along and says something negative, it gives you an ugly feeling in your stomach, some resentment.
You received 33 compliments yet that 1 negative remark through you in a loop, why?
Because the negative stings 10x as bad.
There are tools you can use like the 4 P’s which I will talk about in another post, but that’s not the point.
Break the Negative Cycle with Small Wins
The point is when you miss a scheduled day, you start to engrain in yourself that you’re the person who misses scheduled days or doesn’t eat a certain way. That label acts as a negative in your mind and compounds.
That is why getting those small wins even as simple as drinking water is so important. It is important to keep you going, to keep you in a winners mindset, to keep you in the game. Whether you like it or not, you’re always in the game. You’re either winning or losing.
Life is Complex, So Stay Flexible
By no means does this say be rigid, just have non-negotiables and pat yourself on the back for accomplishments. Find reasons to set yourself up for success.
It Depends on YOU
This went on a bit of a tangent, but I think it is important to discuss matters to which there is no straight forward answer yet it seems like there is.
Peoples lives are riddled with complexity in terms of their perspectives, upbringings, likes, dislikes, physiology, psychology, goals. There is no one breakfast or one way to do things, we must remain flexible in our approach and set ourself up for success.
Want to be able to eat burritos consistently and reach your goals? It depends
Want to train at 5am yet maximize your performance? It depends
The answer to most questions is: It depends. It depends on you.
You have two core choices:
Consult with a good coach. I know a few.
Trial and error: Do some online learning from reputable source, not just the ones that confirm your biases. Read the studies, do your homework, read books, practice it.
I’m building free courses to help people understand these concepts. I’m always open to constructive criticism and hope this post helps you make more informed decisions about your health.