MMA Diet: Control

Look, the term “diet” conjures up negative thoughts in many of our minds. We associate “diet” with a short-term, strict (and often miserable) nutritional plan that means eating tasteless foods and drinking tasteless drinks in an attempt to lose a few pounds. In recent years, many nutritionists have moved away from phrases like “prescribing a diet” because it sounds short-term, or like something a doctor would say while we’re on the gurney in a white-walled sanitary hospital. Words like “lifestyle” and “holistic” have filtered into nutritional talks as a way to show that “diets” aren’t something that should be ephemeral. Our nutritional intake consumes a significant portion of our days, and a healthy awareness regarding our food and drink choices should not only be when we’re eight weeks out from spring break or from a fight. It should be for life.

The preface here is necessary because when we make nutritional changes, it’s easy to go “all out.” With this “all out” mentality comes a self-imposed set of strict guidelines – and this cycles us back to paragraph one. Whatever dietary changes you choose to embrace based on what you’ve read in this Sherdog MMA Diet series or in books like Robb Wolf’s “The Paleo Solution,” be sure to implement the changes slowly. After one month of eliminating soda from your diet, it’ll become a habit and you’ll be itching to add one more healthy change from your list. Maybe the next step could be cutting your consumption of red meat down to once per week. Then, there you will be, entering your third month of nutritional awareness and you’ll have already made habitual two very healthy dietary changes. Month three can be the addition of a vegetable to each meal, and so on until you feel you’ve reached a place where you’re not only happy, but you’re in control of your diet rather than letting your diet control you.

Many people, including myself, have unsuccessfully tried the “six on, one off” diet plan. Essentially, this means a super-strict diet for six days followed by a “splurge day.” What happens is that you’ll begin looking forward so much to the splurge day. You’ll see junk foods throughout the week and there’ll be a sort of “wait until Sunday” type of mentality, and when Sunday comes it’s usually a splurge far larger than you originally intended. Many yoga poses work on the tourniquet effect. Essentially, this means getting into a position that temporarily cuts off blood flow to a particular part of the body. After twenty or so seconds, the pose will be released and a rapid surge of blood will flow back to the area. The idea is that with this fresh flow of blood comes a stream of healthy nutrients and a ridding of that which impedes the cleansing of the body. A set of strict diet rules is comparable to cutting off the blood, eventually there’s going to be a surge or splurge – except, unlike in yoga, the dietary splurge isn’t going to be something good for you and it may even entice you to splurge more often or to drop your dietary changes altogether.

Us MMA fans are always hearing of “control.” One of the ways MMA contests are scored: Octagon control. We hear of B.J. Penn having great “back control” or of how wrestlers are able to best “control” where the fight takes place. My Muay Thai instructors here in Bangkok speak of how the jab and the lead leg can “control” the rhythm of the fight. The Buddhist monks here speak of how we can cultivate mindful awareness not be controlling the thoughts of our desires, but by controlling our ability to be aware of the thoughts of our desires so we can make conscious rather than subconscious choices regarding them.

Dietary control is a complex topic. It’s far psychologically deeper than “being tough.” Just like in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are ways to use leverage (albeit in the mind) in order to increase the likelihood that the moves you make lead to better and better positions.

The MMA Diet is one that recognizes our humanness and takes into account our natural weaknesses – just as the martial artist with a short reach will work on getting inside or a striker new to grappling will strive to keep the fight standing.

Here a five ways to exhibit control as part of your diet:

(1) Portion sizes. Do you stop eating when you’re full or when you’re content? Bring awareness to this at your next three meals.

(2) Food selection. How often do you eat meals where you know every ingredient used to make the meal? Might there be a way for you to make time to increase these types of meals?

(3) What “splurge” foods do you find yourself craving or having in the house? Can you replace your sweet-tooth craving for a bowl of ice cream with a bowl of frozen yogurt topped with blueberries?

(4) Recognizing habits. Do you instinctively put cream and sugar in your coffee? Might you be able to cultivate an enjoyment for the taste of pure black coffee? Begin at one day per week and go from there.

(5) Do you find yourself mindlessly munching on crunchy potato chips while watching television? Could the same fulfillment of salty crunch be had with a healthier alternative like Triscuit or salted almonds?

To ask me any health-related questions, please feel free to post on my Facebook Page. There I will answer questions daily, and if I can’t comfortably answer your question I will direct you to those who can.