OK - lurgy update - days without training = 11 days, this house I live in is a cesspool of disease, one enters at their own risk, have decided to place a mat at the front door, soaked in a chemical agent that destroys contaminates when you step on it, it aint pretty. (Similar to the experience I had when living in Ireland in 2001/2002 when the old Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy outbreak aka "mad cow" was on - you stepped on this type of mat when you entered Ireland from abroad)

On to more serious matters, Metabolic Individuality. Yes we are like "apples and oranges", you and me just ain't the same, we might happen to be of the same species, debatable I know, but we are not created equal and either are our metabolisms and our ability to process food.

The old diet debate is firing on all cylinders at the moment with the triathlon season fast approaching, I think what we all have to realise is that we are all different and that no single nutrition program will work for everyone. From years of experience, I know that what works for me is a reduction in CHO (carbohydrates) and in increase in PRO (Protein). Coach Maty will choke when he reads this :), but I increase my protein intake to the following ratios to hit that fighting weight and it works for me. 35% CHO : 45% PRO : 20% FAT

CAVEAT: This approach that I use is not for year round maintenance, I only use it to hit my desired race weight, otherwise, it's maintenance and hovering around that happy medium refer to Burn The Fat Its Holding You Back for detail.

Now, I believe that I am one of those that are labeled "Carb Sensitive", basically, high CHO intake and low PRO intake does not get me to the end result. I do not have the genetics to eat mountains of carbs, and as long I am in a deficit, lose body fat, it just does not happen. So I tweak my diet to suit my needs to get the end result.

Now, Coach M has in the past told me to cut out protein and just eat carbs and even if I reduced overall calories to achieve a deficit, I still did not get desired results.

Bottom line, you have to do what works for you. It might take you a while to figure it out like it did for me, but once you do, stick with it and don't be a lemming and walk of that cliff because the other lemmings around you are. Find what works, be strong, and do not toe the line, in the words of the Beastie Boys, "you gotta fight for your right"

And finally, some rather fitting quotes that hit the spot nicely!

"The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about" - Earl Nightingale

"Whatever you have, you must make the most of it. Rest assured that you can transform yourself, no matter where you started from. The most important body part is the mind. With the will and know-how, you can perform near miracles." - Stuart McRobert

Cheers

Komo