Recently a teammate of mine, John Martinez, asked me to write my views on nutrition. It might be a little different than someone might imagine but here we go. This is my unprofessional opinion on Jiu Jitsu nutrition. My biggest issue is that diets are intended to fail, that is why they are only temporary. Most people will diet just to get to their ideal weight for whatever they are doing and then go back to their bad habits once it is done. Let’s face it we are a society of eaters. We all look for that miracle cure to losing weight; we starve ourselves, we cut out carbs, and we workout like our lives are going to end. But once again this is all going to fail if you don’t make it a total life change. For example, I have recently lost about 50lbs. Mind you, I did not do this “the right way”. I took a prescription diet pill and the only habit I changed was cutting out Mt. Dew. I was drinking at least 5 a day. I’m sure the sudden stop in soda intake helped my weight loss but most of it was lost due to the pills. After 6 months, my Dr took me off of the pills and the weight started coming back. So since I didn’t make a life change and resorted to a “fast fix” it didn’t last. I’m not a nutrition expert, trust me I’ve failed my share of diets and miracle cures as I just stated. I have noticed that if I focus so much on my diet and eat the way people tell me they eat then I gain weight because I totally limit myself on what I can and can’t have. I believe that is from the shock of changing my normal.
Just because you are doing Jiu Jitsu it doesn’t mean you have to start eating Acai berries and stuff like that! Why do people always think that we have to follow Brazil just because we do the sport? Let’s be honest, if you completely change your diet to match that of someone who has lived on those foods their whole lives, the outcome will be different. Much like the after effects of eating ghost peppers for the first time, get my burning point?? Any kind of life change (notice I didn’t call it a diet) should be gradual, slowly eliminate one of your bad habits and replace it with something better. This keeps your system from shocking itself. Don’t take away sugars, carbs, or anything like that, your body needs all of that to function correctly. Any nutrition regime should be balanced and steady.
Here is my point, your body is not going to react the same way as Andre Galvao or Keenan Cornelius, you have to find the right balance for you. My doctor told me after my last diet failed, “Do you ever think you’re just not meant to be that small?” This actually upset me at the time, but now, I have kind of seen what she meant. I am broad, kind of muscular, and have had a gut my entire life, maybe this is just how my body is meant to be. So do what is best for you! My advice is to visit a nutrition expert. Explain to them what your goal is, and let them do what they were trained to do. Don’t take advice just based off of what someone on the internet says (well except for mine, haha). Get accurate medical advice it will last longer than any diet! Oss!!
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