Continued from Nick Cosgrove VS The IIFYM Diet – Round 1

So if “a calorie is just a calorie” and technically we can all get away with eating whatever we want and not have to worry about gaining weight as long as we stay within our daily macronutrient allowance then why do some of us choose to go the cleaner or healthier route and consume the bulk of our calories from whole natural foods?

I have to admit, the thought of being able to get away with eating ice cream and cake while still being able to maintain my six pack does sound intriguing. However even though you might be able to get away with eating all the bad foods that you love and still look great on the outside, a person has to wonder what in fact are all these bad foods doing to their body on the inside?

In part one of my blog I spoke about my fluctuating energy levels that I use to experience throughout the day when I was younger. I discussed how my emotional state was on a non-stop roller coaster ride as one moment I would be in a great mood and then within only a few minutes later I would become upset and irritable for no good reason. One thing, I forgot to mention is that I would also get sick and run down quite often before I started to really pay attention to my diet. I also use to think that all these emotions and feelings were normal. Most people I knew would become ill and/or tired from time to time and could not even function without a cup of coffee in their system to start the day. I had pretty much given up and accepted this was the way life is and was going to be. That all changed though once I decided to truly start taking my health and fitness seriously. I was determined to not only transform my physical state but also my mental state. And I was going to stop at nothing until I reached my goal.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, my results in the gym had stalled by the time I was 22. I had hit a plateau with both my training and physique. Something needed to change. But what? I read every workout magazine and studied every single exercise for every single muscle group. I tried supersets, drop sets, circuit training, basic compound lifts, almost every style of training that you can imagine I did. Even though I achieved a wealth of knowledge on both human anatomy and physiology and became a walking exercise manual from my countless hours of research on muscle building exercises, my physique still looked the same as it did before. And yes, I still felt drained and exhausted for the better part of my days. It was then that I realized that the only thing left to look at now was my diet. Oh my diet. I loved my diet though. I didn’t want to give up my morning muffins, or chinese food take-outs after work at night. But having used up all my other resources I was left with no other choice but to read up on proper nutrition and boy, was I in for a huge awakening.

The first thing I learned about proper nutrition is that there really is no such thing as proper nutrition. Who’s to say what you should and should not eat? No one ofcourse. However my goal was to rejuvenate my mind and strengthen my body without the use of stimulants, fat burners or other pharmaceutical drugs. I was willing to try anything as long as it was natural. I researched everything I could find on nutrition and learned how different foods can be used for different purposes. I learned the difference between healthy fats and saturated fats. I found out how much protein a person really needs to build and maintain a solid lean physique based on their body weight, training goals and current level of activity (and trust me, it’s not nearly the amount that many so-called “Health Experts” would have you believe). I also found out how carbs actually effect a person’s body and took interest in educating myself on the difference between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. My conclusion – NO, CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY!

Because I was interested in what I was studying I retained most of the information that I learned. And not only did I retain the information but I also put it to use and designed my first real nutritional plan – My own.

Check back next week for the third and final installment of my 3-Part blog –  Nick Cosgrove VS The IIFYMD – Round 3,  The Final Knockout!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove