Josh Everett’s Food Diary

AAAAARGGGGH not a PDF article... Play Dangit!!!!

I've been waiting for this video to come out ever since I heard about it on CFRadio and it finally comes out and I can't watch it? This is the worst day ever...

Link not working....

I really like these daily nutrition video logs. Thanks to Coach Everett and to the Journal.

I wish that it was possible to eat that healthfully every day. The meals we get here at USMA just can't compete with home cooking like that. I want to echo the thanks to Coach Everett for the log. It gives me something to shoot for in my eating habits.

I especially liked the end... "I don't recommend this..." Everett cracks me up with his humbleness. Obviously he is doing something right! Thanks for the article.

Don't flame me...but...

I do like to see what some of the top athletes are eating. It definately lets me know I am on the right track.

However, I am concerned about all of the suplements. Some of them haven't been tested by the FDA and it looks like he is taking it for what the label advertises it as being good for. Some are obviously good for you (like fish oil). Digestin? What is in Digestin? Wouldn't fiber be just as good? What about Creatine? I have heard conflicting information about this. I have heard it may be bad for your liver?

I like the basic approach of "If it wasn't around for the caveman, should you be putting it in your body?" I know that isn't possible every day, but the supplements seem a bit excessive.

Just a concern...

So how many calories does that add up to?

I appreciate the candidness of Josh. He tells it like it is and pulls no punches, my kinda guy. I'm surprised by the amount of supplementation, but he did preface in the beginning of the video why he does so. Not bad overall, others try to be more strict with meals and then fall victim to cheating much worse on snacks, myself included.

Thanks for sharing Josh! Liver powder?! I'll have to look into that, never heard of it...

it seems to me that the continuing theme of all the athlete's who have been featured in this program never seem to eat a strict zone diet...which leads me to believe that the zone isn't the be all and end all of athletic performance. good food for thought...

But what the zone does supply is a way to organize your macronutrients in a relatively simple manner. Even if you dont follow the recommended portions, it still gives you a system to work with to tweak your diet to meet your personal needs and wants.
So maybe a revised food for though is: The prescribed portions isn't the be all and end all of athletic performance.

I have a question though, while this might be irrelevant, I feel that if you stop following the proportions of the Zone Diet, then it simply isn't the "Zone Diet" anymore. When reading pieces of "Mastering the Zone", I found that adhering to the strict guidelines of macronutrient balance is what defines the "Zone Diet". So, I don't think it is reasonable to say that I'm following the "Zone Diet" simply because I categorize my food into its macronutrient blocks.

In reply to Jonathan Bailey, I think as the Games get closer and closer, you see a stricter adherence to the Zone. I think a strict adherence year round would be too difficult to follow. Good Luck to Josh Everett and the rest of the great athletes at the Crossfit Games.

Re: the mountain of supplements. Urp.

Justin

Excellent insights. The theme is to find what works for you. Absolute biggest diference for me was increasing the fisk oil to three times a day. Big difference in energy and recovery from soreness. I think everyone has an after dinner sweet tooth as Josh mentions. Important to find a healthly way to quell it.

Tom

Supplements

I hear Jeff's concerns about supplements regularly and he is right about the FDA not testing MANY if not MOST ALL supplements in the market...and while that may lend an angle for naysayers to use scare tactics and theories to minimize or scare people from their use, the FDA is surely not the end all, be all governors.

Of all the supplements Josh mentions in this video, all of them are backed with credible science AND anecdotal evidence as well...including Creatine! The body naturally produces Creatine and supplementing it can provide many benefits for the RIGHT athlete.

Therein lies a problem for many. Is your sport inclined to benefit from a supplement? If so, do you follow the science in recommended dosage? Or do you yahoo it and figure if 5 grams is good, maybe 50 grams is better!! Sadly, there are a host of people who utilize that method of thinking and give a bad name to a potentially helpful product.



As for the Zone Blocks

Listing the number of blocks is no different than any other athlete listing how many grams of proteins, carbs and fats they're consuming.

While some athletes may use 1 gram of protein per pound of body-weight, others use 1 gram per kilo of body-weight (2.2lbs).

Yes, there are guidelines to follow, but ultimately with a little tweaking, every athlete (or their coach) needs to learn what measures work best for their body.

While the measure may not be textbook, like any WOD, individually there are goals to strive for. For some, it may be to be THE best. For others, a personal best is good enough. Either way, with a constant measure as a protocol, it is easier to compare and to tweak towards being our best.

Throughout the various stages of an athletes season, you may go through different stages of measures. Notwithstanding, measuring in units is the same as measuring in grams...it is still a measure.

Great Vid Josh

For those curious Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid.
Supposed Benifeits
+ Muscular Strength & Power Output.
+ Muscle Mass
+Anaerobic Endurance
+Aerobic Endurance
Train Harder & Longer
If I remember correctly BA has a positive effect on bringing the bodied PH down. If there is too high of a bodies PH, then muscles can't contract as well, and training dimminishes...so BA=good idea, also cheap raisins have a very similar effect on the bodies PH. I think that BA, however, has something to do with carnosine and the way the body absorbs it, but I mayneed to review that.

As far s the Liver it is a great source of Heme Iron, which is cholesterol free iron. Among other things it is great for folks having a hard time eating enough protien, or people who become anemica, which super hard workerouters sometimes fall into this category, and its super high in B Vitamins.

Hope this may help some who were curious....jb

Great piece. Cannot wait to see Josh at the Games!

One supplements: coming from a research chemistry background I may be a bit jaded but the FDA "testing" something is a preposterous notion in many ways. Phen phen was "tested", sold, hurt loads of people...then pulled because of bad press and the fact the downsides greatly outweigh the benefits. Statins have far more downside than benefit...all "FDA Tested". Aspirin and ibuprofen overdoses cause THOUSANDS of deaths per year in the US...no hand-wringing about safety, just acknowledged risk involved with use. But we can talk Libertarian drugs policies some other time...

I love the Zone as an accounting method but I find people run best at parameters that are vastly different from those historically recommended. Simply tweaking one's food to optimize post workout nutrition throws the whole notion of "hormonal balance" on it's head and exposes the fact we want hormonal optimization. Sometimes a little high insulin is a good thing. Conversely, periods of time with little insulin is a good thing. All heresy in Zone Land!

Good article. On the issue of supplements, it was previously mentioned that if our pre-historic ancestors didn't eat it, then you shouldn't ingest it either. I disagree. I doubt our ancestors were performing tasks as consistent and intense as the like of Josh Everett or any of the heavy hitters out there. I understand trying to ingest as little processed crap as possible in your diet, but to say that what paleolithic era humans is sufficient for high performance athletics, is in my opinion maybe a little short sited. And, if Ensino man was here to try and compete at Elite Levels of Athletic Performance, he would taking anything with merit that would aid his cause.

Very informative video. What do you drink all day and with meals, Josh? Water, milk, tea?

Hi Eric
water.

Digestin is mostly an enzymatic digestion aid which contains some HCl, which is essential for the activation of pepsin (enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing proteins). In simpler terms, just a digestive aid. Fiber doesn't help you digest but aids with the movement of material in your GI tract (bowel movements) and plays some minor roles in other functions (absorption).

I haven't heard creatine is bad for the liver but that might be possible at high dosages. It does create extra work for your kidneys so it should be avoided in sensitive individuals. It's accepted widely in the scientific and supplement communities are generally safe and somewhat effective.

The beta-alanine he mentioned he takes and doesn't know what it's for is a precursor for carnosine, which is a protein stored in muscle tissue. It's made of histidine and beta-alanine but histidine is readily available through protein metabolism. aplha- and beta-alanine are essential amino acids though and must be consumed through diet. Without getting too technical, carnosine is thought to decrease muscle fatigue and aid in recovery.

Hope that sheds some more light.

Jon

Correction: alpha- and beta-alanine are non-essential BUT they are manufactured by the body from BCAAs, which are essential, and pyruvate.

Crazy video.
Funny he says he doesnt recommend it.

That is a crazy lot of supplements. I have trouble getting down 4 fish oils + a vitamin d every day.,

Rob....Great point about the FDA testing...

Wow, this is quite an article, and the discussion is something else.

A few questions on the Zone came up, but remember the CrossFit starting point from the definition of fitness: Eat meat and vegetable, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar.

Start there. Chances are, if you eat like that, you are eating a Zone favorable meal. Need precision? Weigh and measure. It works generally well for generally everyone. Not everyone is Josh Everett.

No way can or will you ALWAYS eat like that.....I mean, peanut butter cup ice cream is too good to not eat. Sometimes you are in a rush a stop at Subway, or eat a protein bar, or whatever.

But when you can, when life slows back down, eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar. Weigh and measure, especially if body composition is a concern (Yeah I know, no mention of hormones - sorry Robb).

Look at Josh's plate at dinner.....Meat and vegetables, some fruit. Look at Dr. Sears' webpage on what your plate should look like. Yeah, pretty close.

And keep in mind the sickness-wellness-fitness continuim that is CrossFit's fourth fitness standard. Ask yourself if how you eat supports moving from wellness to fitness or the other way?

TO James Maxwell - thank you for sharing your thoughts & for bringing us back to the CF Nutrition starting point and the overall goal for most us, which is improved fitness & health.

To Josh, if you don't mind, I'd be interested in your response to a couple of questions.

First up, thank you for taking the time on this and many other occasions to open up your training and lifestyle to others of us who are hungry for information and role models in our continuing pursuit of maximising our fitness.

My questions are...

- do you ever put on weight, (either fat or muscle) or does this diet keep you pretty much stable?
- do you change your diet in the run up to a lifting meet or will you for the Games, ie to lose or gain a little body fat/muscle?
- have you ever played with increasing or taking away the amounts of the supplements to test their effect?

again, I'll understand if you are too busy and am already grateful for the information you have shared

the best of luck for doing your very best at the Games

Josh shops at costco...who else buys tri tip in that amount!

Nick...
Q: do I ever put on wt?
A: I've been pretty much the same wt for the last 15 yrs... I flucuate between 182-187... no rhyme or reason really

Q: do I change my diet for a competition?
A: no not really... 1 week out I'll eliminate all junk food... if it's for an o-lift meet & I'm worried about my wt I'll avoid carbs for a day or 2 and I drop 2-3 lbs quick. I'm thinking about trying to come into the games under 180... a rapid wt loss will not affect my strength levels for a few weeks and the lighter bw will help with running & gymnastics... would kill me on strong man events though. I suck at those anyways so maybe I'll take my chances at a lighter bw.

Q: played with supplements
A: the only time I've ever noticed a boost from supplements was when i had adrenal fatigue...once i started the program it helped dramatically. I still follow the regiment more for prevention of adrenal fatigue. the creatine & beta alanine have shown no effects on my performance... I take them becaue they might help. I do not see a difference in performance when i use or don't use them for a period of time.

thanks Josh, very interesting.

The best of luck for the Games

i would say this is one of the best food logs so far and i enjoy a good descussion. And good luck to you josh at the Games

Great stuff, Josh! Thanks for sharing what you eat!

Thanks Josh for the insight. You are a role model to many and you're commitment to doing your best on and off the field inspires us all.

More Danny the Dog!!!

I LOVED IT!!

This is very similar to what I do and that is re-assuring to know that J.Everett is doing the same and getting results.

CREATINE
It's possible to create the argument that this may be the most well researched supplement on the planet. Regardless of this fact there is still a lot of poor information out there about Creatine.

1. The Liver and Creatine: Creatine will not effect the liver function of a healthy individual. The concern is an individual with kidney disease using excess creatine. The concern has to do with working a sick liver too hard. A healthy liver has no problem with the recommended Creatine supplemetation levels and in fact studies have been done with up to 150+ grams per day and all they found was expensive creatine filled urine.

Danny the dog, crossfit games 2010...a possibility.

I use Advanced Creatine from GNC, less carbs involved. And i take the recommended dosages. And i see a HUGE difference in my muscle recovery, it allows me to train harder and recuperate faster. I usually take it for 3 months at a time with a month off.

Now show us your cheat day!!!

Do you help your athletes at UCR navigate nutrition or are you mainly on the S&C side?
What would be your primary/most important supplement for a woman basketball player? My sister in law plays for K-State. The conditioning takes it's toll.
Thanks!
~Justin A

wow that's quite supplementation regiment, but to each his own. Definitely agree with RW and that it's all about whatever works the individual.

love the bit where Josh says danny's got him beat. hah.

-CF radio fan #18

Josh's wife may be hot, but I personally wouldn't brag about her cooking all his meals if this is all she can come up with. Oatmeal, then raw carrots and snap peas with a tri-tip (that may not be seasoned or cooked properly enough to keep him from having to use BBQ sauce).

;)

*toungue firmly planted in cheek

Question, does anyone know if any of the CF fire breathers have food blogs, where u take pic of every meal and post online?

like the guys at CF virtuosity are doing.
http://crossfitvirtuosity.com/component/content/article/25-misc/499-six-pack-challenge-participants

kinda cool to see how everyone compares when it comes to what they eat.

I'd like to point out that the FDA's methods being questionable and occasionally shoddy does not mean that supplements not tested by the FDA are safe. I know that no-one explicitly stated this, but some of the comments seem to suggest it.

Also, Josh, be careful with the naturopaths - there's a lot of questionable science (or complete lack of science) in that field. Apply ample doses of skepticism to any advice received.

Actually, that's probably a good idea regardless of the source.

I have taken BCAA ICE from Extreme Formulations and found that it has has an effect on my training, not so much as a creative supplement has or Beta-Alanine, I'd have to test with them some more, but as of right now, my wallet won't allow it.

As for the Fish oils, I've yet to try them out for a supplement and all I've been hearing is good things, so I'm wondering from someone out there who has already done it, if it's actually worth trying?

Still have to say Josh is probly my favorit going into the CFG /09. I'm a huge fan on his Olympic lifts and just his humble personality, wish you the best in 09 and hopefully we can get some more video's on your Crossfit Montsers so we can learn from the best.

Peaches.

Justin...
saturday was a bad day for me... we had a bbq... I had atleast a dozen cookies...normally a cheat day involves a boat load of ice cream... the video was a pretty avg week day for me... the weekend I don't go nuts but we eat out atleast once and i usually have some sorta junk food as well. Sundays can be bad because we go grocery shopping after church and if i don't have anything to do the rest of the day I eat all day.
if i had to recommend 1 supplement it would be fish oil.

Hi Josh (and everyone else)
I noticed on your video that you were taking a lot of fish oil, and that it is the 1 supplement that you would absolutely recommend. How much fish oil should a person consume a day? I normally just consume 1 tablet of Omega 3 fish oil in the morning after breakfast (along with my other vitamins), should I be consuming more? Do you need to worry about consuming too much? Thanks for all your help and making this video.

Bests of Health!

Josh, its incredible the amount of supplements you take... it seems as if your doctor really has you dialed in to perform at your maximum capacity, i just wonder though, do you ever experience any negative side effects?

what? not even 1 brew? ok ok, maybe leading up to the games that is NOT smart, but how about during football season?

Just found out that Gatorade and G2 contains HFCS! I'm actually pretty shocked by this