•  Hi everyone. I know there’s been some controversy regarding a recent posting on making weight.  While it seems to be a little extreme, it was written for the person who is trying to cut weight fast.  Never the smartest, but we all know it happens in our sport (and probably more often than it should).  ANYWAY, I recently came across a GREAT article written by Joel Marion, an internationally recognized fitness expert.  Whether you are a heavyweight trying to put on muscle or a lightweight trying to lose a few pounds or a , this article provides some AWESOME information!!!  In addition to all the information provided below, I simply cannot stress the importance of sleep either.  Not only does it help with muscle recovery & boost your immune system, but it’s an extremely powerful metabolism regulator as well.   
• We’re often told that losing weight is a simple mathematical equation of calories in, calories out. Burn more calories than you eat and you’ll lose fat. However, is it really that simple? The truth is that the actual “number” of calories you consume is not the only factor that affects your fat-loss efforts. In this article, we’ll discuss five other things that should be considered when determining the effect of your diet on your waistline, primarily overlooked fat loss factors.  
• 1- The thermic effect of the food you eat The thermic effect of food (TEF) measures the amount of energy that is required to support the processes of digesting, absorbing and assimilating food nutrients as well as the energy expended as a result of the central nervous system’s stimulatory effect on metabolism when food is ingested. Of the three macronutrients, protein carries the highest thermic effect. Eat more protein; burn more calories.
• 2- The fiber content of the food you eat Due to its chemical makeup, fiber is classified as a carbohydrate; however, it is unlike other carbohydrates in that it is an indigestible nutrient. Even though each gram of fiber contains four calories, these calories will remain undigested and will not be absorbed. Therefore, if you were to consume 300 calories of red beans (a food in which nearly 1/3 of the caloric content is from fiber), approximately 100 of these calories would pass through your intestinal tract undigested.
• 3- The glycemic and insulin indices of the food you eat The glycemic and insulin indices are scaled numbers that refer to how quickly a particular carbohydrate source enters the bloodstream as sugar and how much insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream, respectively. Generally speaking, there is a positive relationship between the two; the quicker sugar enters the bloodstream, the more insulin is needed to rid that sugar from the bloodstream. When high levels of insulin are present within the blood, fat burning is brought to a screeching halt, which is anything but desirable for those whose goal it is to obtain a lean, muscular physique. Don’t let this be an overlooked fat loss factor.
• 4- The different macronutrients present in the food you eat Although insulin’s primary function is to shuttle glucose (sugar) into skeletal muscle, it also carries many other nutrients to their respective storage sites — this includes lipids (fat). Since carbohydrate ingestion stimulates a large insulin response and fat ingestion gives rise to blood lipid levels, when the two are consumed together, they promote the greatest fat storage.
• 5- The size, frequency and time of the meals you eat Large, infrequent meals tend to promote storage of the ingested nutrients, as the body is unsure as to when the next feeding will take place. Conversely, consuming smaller, more frequent meals will result in an increase in metabolism and utilization of the ingested nutrients. Also, ingesting a large amount of carbohydrates before bed spikes insulin, deters nocturnal thermogenesis and increases fat storage during sleep. On the contrary, consuming a great deal of calories early in the day does not bring about this problem; rather, these calories are likely to be used as energy to support daily activities. 
• fight the fat As you can see, someone could be eating a relatively small amount of calories daily, but at the same time be promoting a great deal of fat storage by: 1) Making poor food choices; 2) Combining macronutrients in a nonproductive fashion and; 3) Consuming food infrequently and at inopportune times. To illustrate this further, let’s take a look at a recent study that analyzed the diets of 38 police officers. This study discovered that although the officers were consuming a hypocaloric diet (fewer calories than they burn), they all had unhealthy levels of body fat and had been gaining fat mass over the past five years. If all you had to do to lose fat was consume fewer calories than you burned, then these individuals would be losing fat, not gaining it.To confirm the importance of the factors that I previously mentioned, let’s take a look at some of the other things this study noted:
• Only 15% of their diet consisted of protein, the macronutrient with the greatest TEF.
• Their diet contained very little fiber.
• Over 50% of their carbohydrate intake was derived from simple sugars, which have very high glycemic and insulin indices.
• They didn’t note this, but I’m willing to bet that they didn’t avoid the fat-carb combo.
• They ate infrequently — only 10% of their caloric intake was consumed at breakfast and over 50% was consumed right before bed.

By now, it should be obvious that fat loss isn’t just a matter of calories in, calories out. And while it’s a little more complex than that, you can easily use the tips in this article to ensure you’re getting the most from your dieting efforts.This article goes to show that even if you are a lightweight, you don’t have to live on celery.  As a matter of fact, dipping it in some protein & fiber packed hummus will help keep the metabolic furnace burning longer.  The same goes for fish & meat.  I started eating tilapia & seasoning it with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, garlic & black pepper the night before weigh-ins and it made a big difference this summer.  If the above rules are followed, making weight will not only be easier, but your performance should improve as well not to mention if you start making smart choices now, you hopefully will not have to be running around before your race looking like a ski bunny in the middle of next summer (or at worst for much LESS time). 

• As an endurance athlete, because you are active much more than the people this article was probably geared for, you can probably afford a bit more glucose especially on heavy training days since you will be using that energy before it has a chance to be stored.  The take-home message here is that you can have some steak, a piece of dark chocolate, a bowl of chili and plenty of other hearty food alternatives, but the fiberless carb-fat combos such as pizza, doughnuts, cookies, cakes, and brownies, are a waist-line’s worst nightmare.  While in theory, anything in moderation is ok, following the advice from above will not only improve your performance and have your clothes fitting better but it will probably boost your  everyday concentration and energy levels as well.  
• Eat, drink & row MERRY. J

Hi everyone!

I know this time of year can be tough as we approach the winter months and the Holidays. Temptations seem to be EVERYWHERE.  But FEAR NOT!!! I have some great suggestions and recipes that will keep you lean, trim & dropping that erg split while still meeting the winter prerequisite of COMFORT FOOD.

Unfortunately, I’m currently recovering from a repetitive stress injury in my wrist & forearm area with the hopes that I’ve caught it before it turns into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  I will Blog more about it in the future once it has healed as it has affected my rowing, but for now I’m trying to limit typing & stress to the area so I can make it down the Speedorder Course in 2 weeks.

Today though, I’ll leave you with my go-to, totally reliable, can’t fail breakfast:

Meg’s “stay-all-day” Oatmeal

(all measurements approximate & can be easily altered to your liking)

1 c. oats

1/2 c. Vanilla Protein Powder

1/3 c. ground flax

1/4 c. unsweetened dried coconut

1/4 c. walnuts

1/4 c. dried cranberries or cherries

(I’ve also chopped up an apple & thrown it in the mix as well)

Mix all dried ingredients together.  A large yogurt container will hold all of the contents perfectly.  I usually top off the container with the approximate proportions above.  All you need to add is as much water as you desire & heat on stovetop or in a microwave-safe container.   I know everyone has different ideas on the consistency of their oatmeal (pasty, soupy, etc) so I’ll leave that up to you. 

It’s a great way to get a nutrient-filled breakfast that packs just as much flavor, more fiber, more nutrients & less sugar than the instant oatmeal packets. If your boathouse has a microwave, you can eat it right there.  How many servings this will provide will probably depend on sex, wt, & activity level but I guarantee it will fill you up and keep you satisfied for hours on end.

Eat Drink & Row Merry