Thursday, October 20, 2011

Eat Fat to Stay Lean

by Kris Pitcher

Eating fat does not make you fat. I know this to be true. Yet I was recently expressing my feelings and fears as I transition from a pre-contest diet to an off-season diet. OK, I was whining.

My concern was eating more volume of foods and calories, including the addition of wonderful fats...was going to make me fat. I. Am. Human. I have the same (neurotic) insecurities everyone else does.

And Jacques so flatly said, "Eating fat doesn't make you fat." And then I tried to weasel my way out of the ridiculous comment I had made. Then he said the magic words. "You need the fats to gain muscle and get stronger." Oh, man he's good!

The truth is the right kinds of fats are essential for building muscle, for bone health and for keeping us lean. Take the amazingly creamy avocado for instance. This wonderful fruit helps us to build muscle by providing dietary fats which perform essential functions like testosterone production. Our building block for muscle.

That same creamy fat produces estrogen, another critical hormone, which is important for our bone health. Avocados are also rich in magnesium and vitamin K both bone building essentials.

Finally, dietary fat helps us to feel full and satiated between meals and snacks. This helps us to stay lean by controlling hunger. His final reassurance was for me to look at the caloric make up, and the macro nutrient balance of my plan. He reminded me that he designed the plan specifically to create a certain situation for me nutritionally and we would monitor my progress and make adjustments accordingly.

I am VERY much enjoying my avocados and almond/walnut mix in my off-season plan. It's a great reminder that eating fat does not make you fat. We need fats in our diet to make hormones allowing us to be strong, healthy, and lean. Bottom line, eat fat to stay lean! Thank you for the reassurance *smile*

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