Nutrition
by John Meadows on March 28, 2014Overview
Hello Friends,
Thank you for visiting Mountaindogdiet.com. It is my hope to not only improve your physique with my methods, but to do the same with your health.
So what is the Mountain Dog diet?
Well it’s not an attempt to replicate what Bernese Mountain Dogs eat in the Canton of Bern, but the name simply comes from my love for that breed of dog. Fancy huh?
This isn’t a fly by night gimmick style of eating. It’s not anti-carb, or anti-fat. It’s not extreme in any way. It is a style of eating that is mostly common sense as you’ll see.
First, it will improve your body composition. You will lose fat, and you will gain muscle. Many of the clients that I work with are involved in a sport involving physique display, whether it is bodybuilding, figure, or bikini competitions. The truth is though, that the type of eating necessary to be successful in those endeavors, also applies to the general population, albeit less intense, and less restrictive.
Second, the best part is that this way of eating creates optimal health. You will feel more energized, will have less carbohydrate comas mid-day where you nearly pass out, and your endocrine system and vital organs will thank you as well!
There are 5 key concepts that you will learn from me while following my nutrition programs. The diet itself is based on these key tenets:
- Calories matter: There is no way you can get around grossly incorrect calories. If you want to lose fat and tighten up, you must eat below your maintenance levels. If you want to gain muscle, you will need to be in a caloric surplus. There are rare genetic freaks who defy these odds, but they are the small minority, trust me on that.
. - Extreme low fat or low carb diets are not optimal: Fats have their place in a diet, in ALL diets, for health reasons. Carbs although not essential also will fuel you through the brutal training sessions I advocate. We will not eliminate either. We will use them wisely, and time them for optimal body composition.
. - Periworkout nutrition will aid in fat loss and muscle gain: Every meal in the Mountain Dog program is important, but by eating a certain way pre, intra, and post workout, in conjunction with the use of specialized supplements, we can minimize muscle protein breakdown and experience dramatic increases in recovery time. This will allow us to train more, and accelerate results when done correctly.
. - You are what you eat has eaten: The quality of what we eat also matters. This is a very important concept because with so many options for foods today we need to make choices that have the highest nutrient value coming from natural sources- organic in some cases. For example, when making the choice to eat salmon, we should choose Wild Caught over Farm Raised. Wild Caught salmon has Omega-3 fatty acids because their diet is rich in krill. Krill are full of Omega-3 fatty acids because they eat the phytoplankton that are the original producers of the Omega-3’s. This is a perfect example of you are what you eat has eaten. Will this make or break your results? It probably will not, but remember we are creatures of habit, and tend to eat the same things day in and day out. The more someone does this, the more this matters.
. - Have Fun: I do not believe in completely eliminating any food you love. Nothing, nada. As long as your diet is 90% “clean” there is always room for some donuts and pancakes once a week for example. I also believe that my philosophy on this is why none of my clients are binge eaters. They simply do not feel deprived as they get meals to enjoy even in the deepest part of competition prep. I strive for optimal mental health, in addition to physical health.
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