Sport not eatting much but wanting to improve my physical fitness

[mxdude]

Hi everyone, im new here and have begun taking an interest in looking after my health and body as im getting back into motocross which is a physically demanding sport, but also to improve my professional life.

My problem is, and i dont know if this is common thing or if im weird, but i eat once a day, and theres times i might eat every other day..

I dont personally categorize this as an eating disorder as i love to eat and when i do eat i tend to have large portions more so than everyone else.

This all started when i was 13 or 14, i stopped eating lunch at school and never ate breakfast. As the years went on, i began to get more fussy about my moms cooking and the cleanlyness of the pots and pans she used, specially the frying pan which is never washed..

I began drinking Coka-Cola, alot more for the simple reason that it help stop the bad pain of being soo hungry as my stomach expains drinking fizzy drinks.. and the sugar gave me a bit of engery.. Eventually i was up to 5 or 6 cans a day and began getting headaches with so much sugar. I did this until recently.

Anyways, im 24, and have begun learning how to cook for myself, however never being taught much in the kitchen or a lack of wanting to see whats going on in the kitchen (what you dont know wont hurt you kind of thing lol), but im finding it difficult to find enough things to try out, cook, eat etc.

Ive also stopped drinking coke, and as soon as i did i found myself a lot more hungry, and my lack of engry is veryy bad, where about 2hrs after waking id want to sleep.

I have begun taking a daily vitamin which has definately helped in my feeling better. And with no coke i dont get dizy or get migrains! I also have begun drinking lots of water, everyday.

I want to begin weight and endurance training, but before i do that, i want to get my body healthy on the weight side of things and naturally have engery so that my body wont be starved.

My current list of things to eat is sadly small. and i really enjoy eating pasta. I researched pasta and discovered because i eat it almost everyday, that must be the reason im able to function during the day as it has the highest calories... I calculated my average meal of pasta and toppings is a bit higher than 900 calories, but thats all i have for the entire day, dinner late at night. And researching i found im supposed to be consuming atleast 1500 to 2000 calories for a young competitive man like myself.

My goal is to be in fantastic physical condition by march 2006, when i begin racing.

How can i expand my choices in eatting, to other things than boiling water and throwing pasta in... And does anyone have ideas on how i can go from eatting once a day if that, to eatting smaller portions, more frequently of different types of food that is easy for a kitchen beginner like myself?

And also, when can i start my training plan after i get my eatting figured out? Im 140 pounds, pretty thin build and just shy of 6 foot tall.

Thanks for help, and im going to make this forum my new home, possibly give updates on my progress from waif to muscle man lol.

Thanks again, sorry for this lonnnggg post but more info is better than no info i believe.

[edit]
just browsing.. and seeing posts asking about what current meals you eat..

Like I said, i eat lots of pasta like stuff. I do eat lots of breads when im hungry but dont know what to eat. I dont eat much veggies, peas maybe once every other week or so.. really thats all i tend to eat

mxdude

 

[malkore]

Nothing wrong with a detailed post.

As you suspected, your eating regimen is no good. you really need to eat 5-6 times a day, about every 2-3 hours, for optimum results.

Think of your body as an old steam engine train. They had to frequently add wood/coal to the boiler's furnance...but it had to be the right amount. Too much at one time, and the fire gets choked down, the wood burns slower cuz the fire's cooler, the train goes slower. Not putting enough wood on the fire also prevents optimum temperature, and thus a slower ride.

Body is the same way. 10,000 years isn't much time in terms of evolution, yet 10,000 years ago humans hunted and gathered food all day long, frequently stopping to eat a little. our bodies aren't optimized for eating 3 large meals a day...they prefrer a steady incoming flow of nutrients and calories.

so, in addition to eating more frequently, space those calories out evenly too, but it's OK for first breakfast to be a little calorie, and complex carb heavy. I recommend egg whites, a yolk, and a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal (add Splenda, and cinnamon if you like). If it's hard to eat that much for breakfast, swap the eggs for a whey/casien protein powder or MRP, but keep the oatmeal.
You definitely need more than 2,000 calories a day if you want to add muscle mass...and in my opinion, you're rather underweight for your height (140lbs, and about 6'0")...prolly about 20lbs easy...and its all muscle that you're lacking.

What I would do, is sign up for a free fitday.com account, invest in a small kitchen scale, and start diligently measuring and weighing food, track it all (including glasses of milk) and see exactly what you're eating, what the macro nutrients are like (fat, protein, carbs...and fiber too) and then see where you need to improve.

since you're skinny with a good metabolism, I'm recommending at least 160g of protein, per day. Suck it up and eat your veggies, and mix it up. carrots, broccoli, peas, spinach, lettuce...you need the fiber and other goodies they provide. you want 25g of fiber a day minimum...but increase this slowly so your body can adjust. Despite what you may hear, fiber doesn't give you the runs or constipation, but it can create a lot of gas if you up your intake too fast. good fiber intake will prevent the protein from making you constipated, and will keep you regular.

As far as getting protein, until you're used to eating more often, you'll probably find that shakes will be better for you because they aren't very filling, are less than $1 per serving (shop online) and you can pair them up with some fruit for more of a healthy snack.


If you need any clarification, let us know.