I don't want to lose weight OR bulk up: should I still worry about my diet?

[Michigan Spartan]

The title pretty much sums it up: I've never had any trouble with weight and I'm okay with my current size and appearance. I'm here on nerd fitness because I want to get stronger and be better at sports, but most of the diets here either seem to be about losing or gaining weight. Are there any benefits to me cleaning up my food intake, or should I just enjoy my free pass to eat burgers every meal?

Thanks for your time,

Jonathan

[Caution]

When was the last time you had your blood work done? How are your cholesterol levels? BP? There are many benefits to eating clean besides gaining and losing weight.

[Nuala]

I'm not here to gain or lose weight either but I decided to follow the paleo/primal diet anyway. The reason is simple: health. It may sound a little vague, you probably think you are in really good health and you probably still are but you can also start preparing your future because your body may not enjoy daily hamburger that much in 10 years

If I'm not mistaken, you are 19? That may be a good age to start cleaning your diet, I actually cleaned mine that way:

At 20: no more soda or carbonated drink

At 23: no more sugar in my tea

At 24: no more fast food

At 26: no more pre-made dish (except pizza once a week)

At 33: no more fruit juice

At 34: Paleo/primal

Roughly. There are a lot of things I stopped eating during the years, I also learned how to chose my food better from the supermarket veggies to local and seasonal production only. From any eggs to free range eggs, from random palm oil cakes to handmade cakes...

That way I managed to keep my weight and my BF's weight in check (he could easily go to the chubby side of the force). I switched to primal because even with a "clean" diet I had some health problems (anxiety crisis and nightmares...) and stopping eating grains really improved my nights. Bodies are wonderful machines but they become really high maintenance when times pass. So sometimes it's better to get some good habits gradually to avoid problems and a radical lifestyle change later.

[Horsedog]

When was the last time you had your blood work done? How are your cholesterol levels? BP? There are many benefits to eating clean besides gaining and losing weight.

I agree. If you are only concerned about weight, then your diet doesn't need to change (although you might want to look at your protein intake to make sure you are getting enough to build strength/muscle). If you're interested in all-over health, though, then really taking a hard look at what you're taking in is kind of a necessity

Honestly, I'd probably recommend focusing on your exercise routine if you're looking to get stronger/better at sports and you diet hasn't been troubling you up to this point. Dietary changes can be hard (although I'd certainly not recommend burgers at every meal ), and major ones do require quite a bit of consistent, conscious effort.

Edit - as you get older, your diet will become more and more important and the effects of poor dietary choices will be MUCH more obvious. I'm not suggesting ignoring diet, but don't overwhelm yourself. Nuala's progression to a healthier dietary lifestyle is a great example of a simple transition

[msuroo]

This is cliche, but it depends on your goals. Not gaining/losing weight just means you don't want to eat more/less. That said, food is fuel after all, and and depending on how your training progresses - you may find that nutrition matters more than you thought. If you want to continue getting stronger, at some point you'll need to build muscle, which will require a calorie surplus. On the flip side, at some point you won't be a 19 year old raging ball of hormones anymore (I mean this in the nicest way, seriously ), and eating burgers and fries for every meal will probably show up in your waistline, regardless of what your training looks like. Even at maintenance calories, you'll probably find that you'll need more protein then you're currently getting to support strength progress (after a certain point).

That said, you're 19 and in college at the awesomest school in the country (in my wholly unbiased opinion ), so have a good time. Take advantage of the hyper metabolism while you've got it, and don't worry too much about it when you house some Menna's at 3am.

[North]

I have exactly the same question (and I'm 18), so I'll take your advice to apply to me to. I don't specifically want to bulk up but I'd like relatively less fat and more muscle, so I keep changing my mind on whether to eat more or less, in the end I decide to just focus on exercising more and forget the eating thing (besides cleaning it up a bit and adding protein, which I'm already doing).

[Sam]

When you start training harder, you'll realize your diet makes as big an impact into your performance as anything else could. Size isn't the only thing altered by diet.

[Corbab]

When you start training harder, you'll realize your diet makes as big an impact into your performance as anything else could. Size isn't the only thing altered by diet.

This. I've rowed for four years, and until this winter, my diet was all over the place. When I started training harder, I needed more food to maintain that level. I went paleo, and since then, my performance has exploded. If you're not serious about performance, you may not need to worry about your diet, but if you are, it's foolish to think what you eat is unimportant.

[North]

This. I've rowed for four years, and until this winter, my diet was all over the place. When I started training harder, I needed more food to maintain that level. I went paleo, and since then, my performance has exploded. If you're not serious about performance, you may not need to worry about your diet, but if you are, it's foolish to think what you eat is unimportant.

I row too! Or rather until half a year ago I was in a beginner's rowing course at my high school, which wasn't much training at all, but in a month I'll get a chance to join my new university's rowing team, and I think that one's going to be a whole lot more serious and harder. I don't think I'll go paleo (vegetarian and completely dependent on soy), but I believe you that it's probably best I start eating better (and more!) before I even get there, just to get in the habit.

[Inksplat]

I row too! Or rather until half a year ago I was in a beginner's rowing course at my high school, which wasn't much training at all, but in a month I'll get a chance to join my new university's rowing team, and I think that one's going to be a whole lot more serious and harder. I don't think I'll go paleo (vegetarian and completely dependent on soy), but I believe you that it's probably best I start eating better (and more!) before I even get there, just to get in the habit.

..I don't think I've ever heard of a vegetarian rower before. I usually think of them eating 4-5k calories because their workouts are craaaazy.

[msuroo]

..I don't think I've ever heard of a vegetarian rower before. I usually think of them eating 4-5k calories because their workouts are craaaazy.

Vegetarians aren't allowed to eat 4-5k calories?

(Courtesy of No Meat Athlete.)

[Inksplat]

Vegetarians aren't allowed to eat 4-5k calories?

Sure they can. But in my head those two things don't go together, is all. I mean, I can eat a steak and get 1000 calories. I just can't even imagine how you'd go about it as a vegetarian.

Didn't say it wasn't possible, just that it wasn't the way I usually thought of them.

[North]

..I don't think I've ever heard of a vegetarian rower before. I usually think of them eating 4-5k calories because their workouts are craaaazy.

Well, currently pescetarian and averse to diary and eggs. I eat more canned tuna and smoked salmon than is sane already and I haven't even started rowing yet. Like I said, I want to start in a month and I have no idea what I'm in for but I suspect it'll be challenging. Maybe it'll make me hungry enough to drop those picky eating habits where the only meat I'll eat is cold fish.

Wow 4-5k kcal. I don't know how I'd eat that, I can hardly get over 2000. This is going to be an interesting experience, me trying to keep up.

[msuroo]

Sure they can. But in my head those two things don't go together, is all. I mean, I can eat a steak and get 1000 calories. I just can't even imagine how you'd go about it as a vegetarian.

Didn't say it wasn't possible, just that it wasn't the way I usually thought of them.

Didn't get the picture added in time. People eating 5000+ calories a day to fuel workouts are (generally) eating a lot of starchy carbs, no matter what the diet philosophy. There's certainly no shortage of those as a vegetarian.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Sure they can. But in my head those two things don't go together, is all. I mean, I can eat a steak and get 1000 calories. I just can't even imagine how you'd go about it as a vegetarian.

Didn't say it wasn't possible, just that it wasn't the way I usually thought of them.

It the words of Sam Gamgee. "PO-TA-TOES. Mash em, fry em, stick em in a stew". It's all about the dense carbs for high energy input.

[North]

Potatos is what there is to eat in Germany besides meat! I can get 700 Cal from a bag of crisps, but obviously I'm trying to stop that and find some starch with less grease on it.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Potatos is what there is to eat in Germany besides meat! I can get 700 Cal from a bag of crisps, but obviously I'm trying to stop that and find some starch with less grease on it.

Remember to load on the butter, and if you're not vegetarian, top bacon with said potatoe with butter.

[Corbab]

I row too! Or rather until half a year ago I was in a beginner's rowing course at my high school, which wasn't much training at all, but in a month I'll get a chance to join my new university's rowing team, and I think that one's going to be a whole lot more serious and harder. I don't think I'll go paleo (vegetarian and completely dependent on soy), but I believe you that it's probably best I start eating better (and more!) before I even get there, just to get in the habit.

Another rower?! Finally! I've been so lonely on here...

You'll definitely get a better workout on a university team. Who will you be rowing for? I'm not headed to university until next year, but that just means more training time.

..I don't think I've ever heard of a vegetarian rower before. I usually think of them eating 4-5k calories because their workouts are craaaazy.

That's about right.

Wow 4-5k kcal. I don't know how I'd eat that, I can hardly get over 2000. This is going to be an interesting experience, me trying to keep up.

Don't worry, you'll have no problem pounding down the calories after a week or so.

[alice-on]

If you're not trying to lose or gain, then it really depends on how good you feel and the possible best you could feel during your workouts. Eating whatever and being fine with your weight/how you look is great, but if you really want to add strength then getting the right food to help build strength and do your best when training is kinda essential. I could eat whatever and be fine with my weight, but since want strong muscle I've found that making sure I get enough protein, along with plenty of fat and minimal carbs, with veggies making the bulk of a lot of my meals, has helped me see better results in my personal fitness goals. Some people do better with more carbs than fat, some do better with a mostly vegan diet, everyone is different and needs something a little different to feel their best for training. I would suggest just making some small changes and seeing how you feel for a month or so. If there is no difference, and you don't want to bother your thoughts on it, try something different for a few weeks.

[Rurounii]

My goals are the same as yours, to stay around the same body size, but get stronger and have more energy. I would still say to clean up your diet and stay away from the daily burger. That doesn't mean you have to change your lifestyle, just be aware of what you're eating and be smart about it. I'm a big fan of donuts and can't live without them, however rare they may be, but I know that they're terrible sources of energy on run or weight days. Eat your veggies, know what you're eating and you'll be fine.

[North]

Another rower?! Finally! I've been so lonely on here...

Yeah a minute ago I almost revived your thread in Scouts from way back in April to introduce myself to other rowers . I think I'll be joining that class too.

You'll definitely get a better workout on a university team. Who will you be rowing for? I'm not headed to university until next year, but that just means more training time.

I'm going to the University of Edinburgh, and basically starting out from level one there, really looking forward to rowing again though.

To get this thread back on topic: I can't imagine that much energy is spent on rowing, surely I'll also gain mass on 4000 Cal? Not that I mind, just to understand the equation here.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I 180 lb man burns about 2200 calories a day just watching tv. If he burns another 1800 from rowing (I burn 200 a mile running, so completely possible), then he'd need 4000 to maintain his weight. High volume aeroobic exercise can burn a ton of energy. Michael Phelps has been known to eat 12,000 calories day to maintain weight, but coloric expenditure jumps a lot in a pool due ot body heat loss to the water.

[Raincloak]

I'm not out to lose/gain weight either. My weight is already in the healthy range, always has been, and bulking up is not high on my to-do list.

I think eating well is a good idea anyway, for several reasons. One athlete said that when you do sports, you eat more, so it's even more crucial to "eat clean" -- you pour a quart of dirty oil through a filter, the filter gets dirty, but pour three quarts of dirty oil and the filter gets three times dirtier! Your body is the filter and the oil is your food, so to speak. Sugar and starch do other bad things besides make you fat. (They also wreck your teeth, which is painful and expensive...)

Don't feel bad about it if you devour a double burger or a whole pizza once in a while. You can indeed get away with that when you're 19. Just don't get too comfortable about it, because you won't be 19 forever. Learn to eat right now and enjoy benefits far into the future (for one thing, if you ever plan to have a family, they'll take their eating cues from you, and don't you want them to have that healthy shiny glow that makes all the neighbors jealous?*)

* kidding. Just kidding. Families that look like they belong on a catalogue cover actually really creep me out.

[Michigan Spartan]

Wow! Thank you all so much for the great advice, this really is a phenomenal group of people.

What I've gathered from this all is, as I suspected, I should be eating better no matter what. Probably more protein and less grease and sugar? I think it's funny how much attention the burgers got though, because that comment was a little more rhetorical. Plot twist: I'm actually a vegetarian!

[Jiigigaw]

Diet influences many things beyond size. WHen I cut all processed foods and went primal, the chronic illnesses that I had that cleared up in the first month were:

-Asthma

-Severe allergies

-Irritable bowl

-CHronic Fatigue

-Depression

Earlier in my life, I had early-onset arthritis that I cleared up by cutting soy. The issue appears to be that many foods lead to inflammation of the body systems which can then lead to other illnesses. Food affects so much. You also live in a great community to find affordable, non-processed foods. The things going on through the extension programs at MSU are down-right amazing and could be key to correcting our fragile food systems world wide. There are some fantastic folk working in your community to make quality food accessible by all.

If you have any questions, i'd be more than happy to meet up with you and chat. We are neighbors. I live in downtown Lansing and in fact will be visiting the MSU campus with my daughters sometime today or tomorrow.