Article written by Pablo Itoiz Nicolás (@pabloitoiz_nutrition), graduated in Human and dietary nutrition at the University of Navarra and professional handball player in Helvetia brotherhoodteam that militates in the Asobal League. You are currently completing your studies in Sportium Nutrition under the supervision of Javier Angulo Fernández.
The objectives of each person vary depending on their body composition, sport, ambitions and needs. There are people who seek to gain weight, in the form of muscle mass and, on the contrary, there are people looking to lose fat since they are in excess. In this article I focus on the second case.
Obesity according to WHO is a complex chronic disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation that is harmful to health. Obesity can cause an increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, affect bone health, reproduction and encourage the appearance of certain types of cancer. In addition, it influences aspects of quality of life such as sleep and movement.
Although there are more and more studies that demonstrate the risk of obesity and that warn us of the importance of having good nutritional habits and an active lifestyle, the reality is that The percentage of people suffering from obesity in Spain is increasing, especially in children.
The main problem lies when choosing what to eat and what to drink. Unfortunately, the supply of ultraprocessed products, with high content of sugars, additives and trans fats, is very easy to access, are cheaper, addictive and very harmful products for the health of the population.
Luckily, there are cases that show us that with good habits and “knowing how to choose” you can prevent both obesity. That is the case of Pablo Castro Chapelnative of Cangas and current player of the Helvetia Anaitasuna of handball who militates in the first category of national handball, the Liga Fullness Asobal. With a height of 1.94, He weigh more than 135 kilos with a BMI greater than 36 and a crazy percentage of fat that exceeded 33%. A body composition with which it is practically impossible to become professional in your sport.
He made a change of habits When he realized that to be in the elite he had to be fast and strong and the excess of fat had to move it, so he decided to fight for his dream. The most remarkable thing, and unlike popular opinion about nutritional plans to lose fat, is that Paul says nothing has gone hungry during the process. “It’s not eating less, it’s about choosing better and that choice depends on you”
The first change that applied to his daily diet was to reserve the consumption of carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, quinoa, potato, fruit and bread exclusively when it was necessary to recover the muscle glycogen lost in handball training or after a gym session and never on a day of rest or non -activity.
Therefore, The days of non -physical activitythe basis of his diet consisted of:
• Breakfasts: Choice satiant, nutritious and low glucose foods, providing energy based on varied tortillas, avocados with tuna, natural yogurts with kiwi or blueberries, kefir with pumpkin or sesame seeds.
• Meals and dinners: a first plate based on salad or colorful vegetables or puree or ratatus or gazpacho and a protein second dish such as meat, fish or varied tortillas. Avoiding repeating the same food twice the same day and eliminating bread and dessert.
• His drink of choice was water or tea, especially red tea, which favored the loss of fat he was looking for. Another big change occurred in lunch and snacks, where it simply hydrated with the aforementioned drinks or in case of hunger, it opted for nuts, especially for almonds, or by the kefir with pumpkin seeds or varied tortillas or canned canned cans such as mussels, sardines, tuna or mackerel. Thus achieving an optimal metabolic state that did not alter its hormonal axis.
• The peck between hours became an option for him, since letting the digestive system rest is key in the search for lipolysis, as well as the total exclusion of alcohol consumption or processed flours type cookies, desserts and pasta whose glycemic index is very high.
All these applied changes had their effect. Pablo is currently at the best moment of his life, yielding in the highest category of handball and finding himself more agile and strong than ever. With a weight of 104 kilos and only 10% body fat has managed to overcome obesity and establish themselves in the highest category of your sport.
These are the data of the latest anthropometric study made to Pablo Castro, where you can see the current state of the player, which contrasts fully with the state he presented before changing his habits:
Waist -hip index. It is a measure that indicates the relationship between the circumference of the waist and that of the hip. It is calculated by dividing the perimeter of the waist by the perimeter of the hip. The ICC is used to evaluate body fat distribution, especially abdominal fat, and may indicate a greater risk of diseases such as diabetes and various cardiovascular pathologies. In women it is recommended that it drops from 0.8 and in men of 0.9. This is a simple anthropometric measure for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and to intuit the hygienic processes of the athlete (invisible training)
Vitamina d, It is an essential nutrient that is mainly synthesized through the skin. Sun exposure helps its synthesis and are sources rich in vitamin D fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, canned cod. However, multiple scientific studies have evidenced a population lack of this vitamin. Also, a large number of athletes and handball players have shown very low levels of vitamin D, with values below 20 ng/ml, including the protagonist of this article, which presented poor levels in an analysis performed in the month of March after expressing symptoms of tiredness, fatigue and weakness. After the consumption of 4000 IU of daily vitamin D3 Paul has reversed that situation being at an optimal energy level to train and compete 100%.
Low levels of this essential nutrient involve a greater risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, depression, fatigue, trialsterone and immune loss. In short, it is important to monitor vitamin D levels and stay in ranges greater than 30 ng/ml, seeing greater benefits even when they are above 50 ng/ml.
CONCLUSION. I hope that this article, through Paul’s case, serves you to understand that the reward obtained by establishing good habits and following optimal diet can be very large. Winning health and years of life thanks to the prevention of all problems related to obesity and also, being able to achieve dreams before unthinkable. In addition, control the perimeter of the waist and vitamin D levels, are also two excellent health indicators. Therefore, if health is the most important thing we have … We must choose what I improve it most!
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